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writingtipss · 2 years
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Why Asking “Why?” is Important for Writers
We all remember being the curious child asking our teachers, parents, guardians, and other adults in our lives, “Why?” Why is the sky blue, why we have to do something, why anything is the way it is. But one of the most important questions for writers is, “Why does this happen?”
Whenever you’re stuck at any point in your outlining process, or even writing process, look at the plot point you’re working with and ask why it happens. Maybe the heroine was sent to a bar where she received a crucial piece of information, which sparks a whole chain of events. What’s the piece of information, and what are those events?
This is especially helpful with endings, or resolutions you want to include but don’t quite know what the problem is yet. Use this to find point A, and get back to the point B you already had.
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writingtipss · 2 years
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Friendly reminder
In order to actually get anything done with your projects, you have to make time to write. So many accomplished authors get it done with a full-time job, a family, and other obligations. You can have the desire to write all you want, but your goals will never be fulfilled until you make the conscious effort to block out time dedicated to writing. Just keep that in mind as you tackle your goals in the new year!
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writingtipss · 2 years
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my toxic trait is waiting until i’m 100 pages in before adding something to my goodreads/storygraph
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writingtipss · 2 years
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In your story, what happens if your protagonist fails? In order to make your reader believe your protagonist’s journey is important, the consequences need to be clear. Will they fail out of school? Will the world end? Will they miss the opportunity to reconnect with someone?
You can raise the stakes as much as you want but if your reader doesn’t understand the outcome of failure, rising stakes won’t have the impact you want. And, don’t be afraid to make your characters face those consequences on a smaller scale.
Bonus: Write an alternate ending where the characters fail. What happens?
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writingtipss · 2 years
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Idea for a no-writing necessary writing exercise
Next time you’re reading a book, try and identify/take note of the things you struggle with in your own writing. For example, try to find the inciting incident and see how it was built up. Or, make note of when you realize the topic in dialogue has shifted and try to figure out how the author did it.
Breaking down already published books can help you see the the puzzle pieces individually. And by analyzing these different works, you can try to utilize different techniques in your own writing.
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writingtipss · 2 years
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Something I tend to forget in my writing is to make this absolutely 100% clear for readers. Character traits, elements of foreshadowing, what things look like, backstories, etc., may all seem really clear to us once we’ve given them a sentence or two because we already know those things. But make sure you’re giving your readers reminders, because they can’t be in your head. It’s your job to make them feel like they are.
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writingtipss · 2 years
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Me: I don’t think I could ever write historical fiction, it’s too daunting and need to do a lot of research so it’s accurate.
Also me: Constantly researching feudal social structures, history of royalty in various countries, typical fashions for different eras, standard diets, when certain technological advances became widespread, types of weapons in different countries, the basics of linguistics, government structures and political ideas, and crafting world conflicts for a fantasy world in my head.
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writingtipss · 2 years
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do you have any tips for writing more words in one sitting? i don't think i have writersblock per se, i just can't seem to get more than maybe three hundred words (at most). (also can we just universally agree that deadlines SUCK?)
(First of all YES, even though I do my best work with deadline-induced anxiety)
I feel like I’m somewhat qualified to help with this, because I usually average anywhere from 2,000-4,000 words per writing session. However, I wasn’t always able to sit down and write enough for a chapter in one go. Here are some things I’ve done over the years to help boost my “writing stamina”:
Start with smaller wordcount goals per session. When you set out to meet a huge goal, and don’t meet it, you’re setting yourself up for a loss of confidence in your abilities. So, you’re writing 300 words per session now? Set that for your goal, and whenever you go over that goal it feels more like the accomplishment it is rather than beating yourself up for only writing 300/1000 words.
Slowly build your way up to longer writing sessions. Writing is exhausting, as much as some people who don’t write like to disagree. Train your brain like the muscle it is, rather than going to lift 300 lbs. without starting to train at 50.
Try words sprints! Give yourself anywhere from 1, 5, 10 minutes to just write anything and everything on your mind. It could be related to your WIP, or your internal monologue. This can act as a sort of warm-up for your brain, and can help you clear the fog most of us usually have at the beginning of a session.
On the topic of warm-ups, try writing a “warm-up story”! I don’t know if there’s a proper term for this, but it’s a technique I like to use. Find a writing prompt you like, or come up with something, and just write a few paragraphs before switching over to write your main story. Since it isn’t your main project, it can help alleviate the pressure for quality since you’re not intending it to be seen by anyone else.
Have you tried outlining? This might feel a little bit out of left field, because what do outlines and wordcounts have to do with each other? But when you’re experiencing— maybe we should call it writersblock lite™ — I have a feeling you know what to write but physically can’t. Outlining ahead of time means you have the words you want, essentially already written. So, for the sake of jumpstarting the process you can always just copy your outline word for word and revisit the section when your brain is cooperating.
With regards to your deadline comment, if you’re struggling with your current project try and break it down into smaller parts. Similar to what I said in my NaNoWriMo post, figure out how many words you need for your deadline and figure out how many days you have. Do a little math, and there you go. So, for NaNo, 50,000/30 = 1667. Breaking it down into smaller chunks can help alleviate the stress that usually causes writersblock, so maybe you can break it down into smaller chunks where 300 words per session gets you to your deadline. Then, using the previous tips you can up that session count until you’re ahead of your deadline.
Continuing off of alleviating stress, figure out if there’s anything you should do before writing. I usually can’t write if my homework isn’t done, so I’ll go submit my work before writing. I also like to clean up my environment a bit, so that my workspace isn’t super overwhelming. And if you have any internal stresses, try journaling about them (or use your wordsprint to get it all out!).
One final thing, I like to give myself a certain amount of time for a session. So, I’ll sit down for 30 minutes to an hour, take a break, and either go to bed or start another session. Giving yourself a certain amount of time can help make the “I’m writing now,” distinction in your brain. And, taking the break after your session can help reduce fatigue.
I lied, one more thing. Try writing little snippets when you have free time on your phone. When I’m at the gym or on my breaks at work, I like to type out any ideas for scenes I have. Sometimes I even type out dialogue and action, which gives me a really easy starting point when I sit down to actually write.
I could probably go on forever, but I hope this helps! These are methods that work for me, so if some of them don’t work for you don’t stress! Figure out a routine that helps you, and nourishes your writing abilities. I believe in you, so you’ll always have me in your corner. Thanks for your submission!
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writingtipss · 2 years
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I'm struggling with creating countries in my world. The main thing I'm having a problem with is the government for 3 different places. And I'm writing a non-magic world and its turning out to be quite difficult without the magic aspect, so how would I create an item/artifact that is wanted by many countries without having any magic associated with it? Thank you!
Creating such a conflict without magic is certainly possible! Historically speaking many things have been sought after by multiple countries and groups, even people (such as Helen of Troy).
Here are a couple things that are non-magic, and can be desired by various powerful people:
Knowledge. It can spark inspiration for advancement in various industries, can give militaries advantages during war, and intimate knowledge of one thing can lead to a whole host of new inventions (think electricity, and how that connects to where we are now as a civilization). Perhaps there’s a workbook from an ancient inventor that was thought to be lost, but was recently discovered. Or information on Country 3 that 1 and 2 find equally useful.
A key into the unknown. What if there was a civilization lost to time (such as Atlantis, and in this case scientifically of course) and a method of finding it was discovered? Would finding such a place benefit any of the countries?
Weapon of mass destruction. I’m not sure what the nuances of your countries’ history is, but maybe there was an old war with a death count in millions and they collectively agreed to destroy/lock up the weapons that made it so. One country seeks access to them, which is a no-no.
The object itself could have little to no value, but the pursuit of it by different countries could then give it some value. An ancient stone tool from their ancestors, that doesn’t actually serve a purpose but Country 1 finds out Country 2 wants it, they want it, and then Country 3 gets in on the action. This could be a good way to show the dynamics between the countries, and make the focus more about them rather than the artifact— if that’s something you’d like to explore.
Something of great cultural significance. Many imperialist countries are known to take things from the countries they colonize, and fail to return them even after said colony has gained independence. Perhaps one country used to have hold over another, and that country has wanted their things back for a while. This could work if there are any cultural differences you’d like to portray, but due to the subject I’d shy away if it’s not your story to tell or if you just don’t want such a heavy topic for personal reasons.
A person of interest. Like I mentioned earlier with Helen, maybe there’s someone all 3 governments are interested in. It doesn’t necessarily have to be political, but maybe this person has access to the other ideas listed above. With this method, you could essentially personify the artifact and give it some agency.
I hope this helps, and if you don’t end up using any of these I hope at the very least they sparked some ideas! Thanks for your submission <3
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writingtipss · 2 years
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Some things that might help you with NaNoWriMo this year:
Now that National Novel Writing Month is upon us, we’re faced with the daunting task of writing 50,000 words by the end of the month. Here are some things to do/keep in mind to make the daunting task a little less daunting.
50,000 words in 30 days is a little over 1500 words a day. That’s only 5 pages of your book every day.
If you have a busy schedule, save some words for the days you’re not as busy. If you have work or school 5 days a week, try shooting for 1,000 words on weekdays and 3,000 on weekends.
Skip parts that you’re stuck on. Since NaNoWriMo is all about time, skip the parts that waste it. Don’t know what your first line should be? Don’t worry about it, what happens directly after it? Tell the story, hook your reader later.
Understand where your story needs to go. Whether you’re a detailed outliner or a pantser, knowing where your story is going will speed up the process between Point A and Point B. What’s your inciting incident? What’s the climax? Connect the dots.
Try not to worry about quality. Emphasis on try, because I’m assuming you still want something that resembles a novel after this. But your main goal during the event is your wordcount, you can go back and edit on December 1st.
Find a routine that works for you. What space do you feel allows you to write the most? What time? Do you need your lucky socks?
Put your phone away! Writing can already be pretty distracting on a computer, but I find that phones are even more distracting because you have all of your apps on top of what you have access to on your computer.
Figure out what gets you in “the zone.” I personally use playlists (and if you make one for your project, you can add it to the project information on the site!) that remind me of the story, so I have an auditory reminder to write as well as the task at hand. I also like looking at the Pinterest boards for my project, because it gets me excited to add words to the images in my head!
Less of a tip, more of a reminder: if you drink unhealthy amounts of caffeine (no shame, I do too) I just ask that you drink some water with it too.
Have fun! I feel like I say this in every post, but it’s true. We write because we enjoy it! Don’t let NaNoWriMo stress you out too much, and if it’s starting to become overwhelming or bad for your mental health it’s ok to take a step back. No one is going to strip you of your “Writer” title.
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writingtipss · 2 years
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Also, if you have any differing opinions about fanfic I’d genuinely like to hear your reasoning. I don’t want any hateful dialogue, and if you’re concerned feel free to send a message my way anonymously.
This might be controversial, but for people who don’t think fanfiction is legitimate when it comes to writing: Is it any more legitimate than your unpublished writing?
Is your current project not just fanfiction for characters that don’t exist yet?
Are fanfic authors not practicing the same hobby as you? Are they any less passionate than you are? 
Oh, the characters already exist? Many writers struggle with keeping their own characters consistent, can you imagine how hard it is to adapt an existing character and keep their behavior consistent?
Oh, the world already exists? What about authors who write in countries or cities that already exist?
I don’t even write fanfic, but I genuinely don’t know where this sentiment comes from. At the end of the day, we’re all writing. We’re all doing something we enjoy.
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writingtipss · 2 years
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This might be controversial, but for people who don’t think fanfiction is legitimate when it comes to writing: Is it any more legitimate than your unpublished writing?
Is your current project not just fanfiction for characters that don’t exist yet?
Are fanfic authors not practicing the same hobby as you? Are they any less passionate than you are? 
Oh, the characters already exist? Many writers struggle with keeping their own characters consistent, can you imagine how hard it is to adapt an existing character and keep their behavior consistent?
Oh, the world already exists? What about authors who write in countries or cities that already exist?
I don’t even write fanfic, but I genuinely don’t know where this sentiment comes from. At the end of the day, we’re all writing. We’re all doing something we enjoy.
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writingtipss · 2 years
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Extremely Comprehensive World-building Checklist
Inspiration for every country
Map, or basic understanding of the layout. I recommend Inkarnate for making maps!
Major historical events, think about how wars have sparked new political philosophies and how they’ve shaped cultures today (think about how Liberalism stems from a response to oppressive monarchies)
What’s the culture of the different countries in your world? What kind of arts do they practice, if the arts are widespread? What’s available for entertainment, does the average person have enough downtime to participate in leisure? What’s the architecture like? What are the major exports of each country?
Are there any major historical figures in your countries? Any influential works of literature that have been studied?
What does daily life look like for people in different socioeconomic classes?
Is the culture of country side villages and towns similar to urban areas? How does it differ?
What is the religion? Does each country follow something different, or is everyone the same? Is it mono or polytheistic? Who are the religious leaders? Do people attend church, or is worship practiced in private? Are there any rituals?
Building off of religion, is there any religious conflict?
What does the government look like? Is it an absolute monarchy? Constitutional monarchy? Or some form of democracy or republic? Who’s the leader and what other positions hold power?
Does each country have a government, or is your world ruled under one government?
What do the different classes look like in your country? Do the higher social classes look down on those beneath them? Is there a general sense of class consciousness, and class conflicts?
Climate of each country, territory, or state
Typical jobs of every country, territory, or state
What kind of transportation is available?
What does the military look like? Is there one? Do any militias operate in the rural areas?
Does your world have any myths or legends? What were they influenced by, and how do they influence the culture? Are there any superstitions around these myths?
Typical foods, what do most people eat? Is the food bland, or flavorful? How does access to food differ for different people, and does the type of food eaten change with social status?
Type of laws, do the people have any protected rights? What might get someone thrown in a cell for a night? Do your countries have an organized prison system, or do they operate by throwing everyone in the castle’s dungeons?
What kind of economy do the different countries have? Is it regulated by the government? What’s the major currency?
What’s the social life like? Are there certain customs to follow? What’s considered polite or impolite?
How are foreigners seen? Is there any hostility towards them, or are the citizens of your countries more accepting of other cultures?
What are the relationships like between countries?
What weapons are used in war?
What’s the general attitude towards war and other conflicts? Do any of your countries use a pacifist approach? Do any countries protect their neighbors from a common enemy?
Sanitary system, do they have sewage? Think about how disease was common in cities before proper sewage was invented.
Educational System for the poor, is there any sort of public education? Is there any sort of access to higher education, if it exists in your countries?
Educational system for the rich, do nobles typically hire tutors or is there a system of private schooling?
How is education viewed? Is it valued?
How do the people communicate, between cities or even countries? Is there any form of published communication, or is everything passed through spoken word?
Morality, what is considered moral or immoral?
What are the beauty standards of your country? How are different physical appearances viewed?
What’s the clothing like? What does the average peasant wear, what does the average noble wear?
What language is spoken? Do different countries speak different languages? Is there a common tongue?
Are good hygiene practices common? How often does the average person bathe?
Is marriage viewed as a religious or legal institution? What’s the general attitude towards marriage? Is it common? What does the courting process look like?
Are water and other resources readily available? Do they have to be outsourced to other countries?
Science, is it accepted? Do people actively research new things in your countries?
Going back to the prison question, what is the legal system like? Do people get trials? What sort of crimes result in different penalties? Who makes the final decision of punishment, a judge? The lord ruling over the territory the crime took place?
How is death treated? Are funerals held? Do they bury their dead, or use funeral pyres? Are funerals viewed as a celebration of the person’s life, or a time to mourn?
What kind of diseases are common? What do the symptoms look like?
What are your countries’ attitudes towards alcohol and other substances? Is drinking a common practice, or widely frowned upon?
When looking at these different aspects of your world, it’s also important to remember that the histories of our world don’t have to dictate what happens in yours. For example, public education wasn’t really common in the United States until the 1800s. On the other end of that, one of the earliest formal schools was founded in Egypt in 2061-2010 BC and many Middle Eastern cultures have pushed for education since then as the ability to read religious scripture was important.
That said, using the characteristics of different countries can be useful in guiding your own and the histories of said countries can guide you even further. Your world can resemble ours, or be totally different and backwards. At the end of the day, have fun!
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writingtipss · 2 years
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Alternatives to “she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding,”
The main character, like, straight up just stopped breathing. And I’m not even kidding you, they forgot they even stopped. No, like, get this, when they exhaled they didn’t even know they had air in their lungs to begin with.
That is all. Thank you.
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writingtipss · 2 years
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What’s on your wishlist of things you’d like to see represented more in books?
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writingtipss · 2 years
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I have this pre-existing character. I want to add a sibling she doesn’t actually know is her sibling, who she’s assigned to guide once said sibling is accepted to the magic college she attends.
But I want the story to follow this character’s growth at the school, not her sibling’s…
My brain: Why don’t you just make her the younger sibling with a secret older sibling.
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writingtipss · 2 years
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If you’re ever in a rut and feel like all of your creative juices have been drained, try starting a warm-up story. It can be about anything you want, but the important thing is that quality doesn’t matter. This is a document where you can take the pressure off, and just write for the sake of writing. Every silly idea you have can be executed in the story, because at the end of the day it shouldn’t matter. I’d even recommend going outside of the genre you’re writing in, and try writing in a different perspective.
I use this method a lot when I’m not really in the mood for writing but I want to be productive. It takes the pressure off, and it’s particularly helpful if I have an idea for a story that I desperately need to write down.
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