Angsty Writing Prompts and Writing Advice

This is a blog where I will be throwing my angsty writing prompt ideas at you guys. || Since I myself write as well, I am also open for DMs to turn either my own prompts or your prompts into short stories. 

[fyeahcontroversialcharacters]

[sinclair-wildstar]

I will reblog this every time it crosses my dash.

[dreamychocolateprincess]

People who don’t get this infuriate me

[angstywritingpromptsforwriters]

Whyyyyy do authors still believe Slut Shaming is a trope that is okay to write about??? Please stop!

[library-mermaid-blog]

I am laughing so hard oh my god clickhole

[advanced-procrastination]

If you just scrolled past, don’t. Go back and read it. I promise it is not what you think

[animentality]

Franzen has a point.

[a-cure-for-writers-block]

#100 Dialogue Prompts- Angst Edition

“This will be the last time you lie to me.”

“You know it’s not like that.”

“How could you think this wouldn’t hurt me?”

“You’re never going to be the same after this.”

“I just think it’d be best if we never met.”

“I can’t believe you would even think to leave me like this.”

“You never loved me, did you?”

“It didn’t have to be like this, but now you’ve ruined everything.”

“I hope you’re happy.”

“If you had have kept your mouth shut, then he’d still- he’d still be here!”

“What did you want once this was all through? Tell me!”

“Now I have to deal with the consequences of your actions. Thanks, it means a lot.”

“You could’ve- could’ve stayed. You could’ve helped me fix things.”

“I knew she’d never change, she was too stubborn, too similar to me.”

“This isn’t going to be fixed. You’ve ruined this for good now.”

“I hope I’m not put in the same part of hell as you.”

“When did you think you could hurt me again? Today? Tomorrow?”

“You’re back in my life and I want to die again.”

“You only ever brought me pain and I’m sick of it.”

“I hope you got what you wanted.”

“You made me miserable and I still loved you.”

“When you die, I’ll be the first to dance on your grave.”

“Don’t underestimate me, I have more power than you can even comprehend.”

“If only you knew what you’d brought upon yourself.”

“We’re never going to have a happy ending, just remember that.”

“Everytime something goes well, I momentarily forget how much I despise you.”

“Don’t pretend like you’re not happy to see me like this.”

“There is nothing worse than seeing you get what you want.”

“Your mind must be a horrible place.”

“You can cut me, bruise me and skin me alive, but you will not take her from me.”

“How is it that we always end up in this predicament?”

“I want to wipe that grin of your face with my sword, but my mother taught me to play nicely.”

“Did anyone ever tell you how pathetic you are? It’s incredible how low my standards are for you.”

“Ah, well if you want them back alive, I suggest you lay down your own life.”

“Don’t be ‘smart’. The battlefield is no place for Math Scholars.”

“You shouldn’t have come. You can’t be-”

“Stop talking or tomorrow won’t come.”

“Hand me the gun and I’ll kill him myself.”

“I shouldn’t care for your life, but I’m starting to and it’s becoming an inconvenience.”

“If you live to see her, please send my best regards and this box of her father’s ashes.”

“It would’ve been nice to get to know you better, but I’m afraid I don’t care.”

“I can’t help but think you’re a terrible person.”

“Seeing your face has unconventionally made me want to die. I wasn’t quite prepared for this feeling.”

“You could have loved me, I’m quite good at seducing, but you’re actually vile.”

“I hope I see you in a bodybag sometime.”

“Let’s pretend you didn’t cheat on me with my sister and be good people for a few minutes.”

“We should probably stop talking forever.”

“If I hated you anymore, I think I’d probably be crowned as satan’s right-hand man.”

“To say I ‘tolerate you’ is a vast overstatement.”

“You broke her heart and came back for more, you bastard.”

“This isn’t fifth grade, this is a courtroom, you whore.”

“I think you’d be the perfect match for my ex-husband. He loved to sleep with multiple people.”

“I’m not coming home, don’t look for me.”

“Time was always a measurement of this relationship and we finally ran out.”

“Please don’t look at me with such hatred.”

“I could’ve died and you couldn’t have cared less.”

“Just get out. I- I don’t want you here, just leave.”

“You’re not the same person I married, don’t tell me I’m wrong.”

“I wish you wouldn’t beg for forgiveness, it has the opposite effect of what you want.”

“Don’t hate me for this. You would’ve done the same.”

“This could’ve been the end and you were ready to let me go.”

“You should’ve left me, you could never deserve the person I’ve become.”

“Hate me all you want. I know I’m right.”

“Today you broke my arm, I hope tomorrow it’s not my heart.”

“Nothing can justify this, you’ve ruined him.”

“You live with so much guilt, I hope it drives you mad one of these days.”

“My life was ruined because of one mistake. You were that mistake.”

“You are everything I hate, don’t ever come back.”

“Evil doesn’t come close.”

“Your wrongdoings are becoming your pastimes.”

“I wish you had of just done it for the thrill of it, but now you’re in deep shit.”

“Next time, I won’t be here to salvage your wreckage. This is the last time.”

“You should have ruined me when you had the chance.”

“No one will keep your name alive. Once you’re gone, everything you once stood for disappears too.”

“Don’t pretend you haven’t thought about your life without me.”

“This is always how it ends.”

“Break my heart once more, I dare you.”

“Forget how you loved me once, I mean nothing now.”

“This isn’t Romeo and Juliet, this is real life and I can go on without you.”

“You don’t own me, I don’t belong to you.”

“I should’ve died. That would’ve made you happy.”

“Are we going to carry on like this or are you going to give him back to me.”

“She drowned and he lost his mind.”

“We shouldn’t. You’re married and I’m pregnant.”

“You’ve never been loved, I can tell.”

“Who told you I needed fixing and what made you believe them?”

“You’re almost as far-gone as I am.”

“Maybe it’s best that we don’t go home.”

“Roaming the streets was never safe for her. What makes you think it’s different for you?”

“I think you’re going to ruin me. Am I right?”

“Do you remember our last feud? I wouldn’t want someone to lose their life again, would you?”

“Kiss me quick and leave them be.”

“I hate seeing you so sad. It’s just so dramatic how humans show emotions and being sad is such a boring one.”

“Will you ever forget my number? No? Ah, because you still love me.”

“After the funeral, let’s surrender.”

“What made you think I cared for you?”

“It’ll be fun explaining this to your sister. I hope she likes horror stories.”

“Don’t act as if we’re friends. I know how much you want to slit my throat.”

“Let’s not get angry. Let’s calmly and sensibly take this outside so I can ruin your face.”

“Please ruin yourself for me and I’ll watch in adoration as I fall apart as well.”

// GuYs, i haVE ofFiciaLly hAd toO muCh coFfeE. I never thought this day would come (or night/morning. It’s 2 am lmao), but here we are. I want to sleep, how are you my darlings? xox //

[p-r-o-m-p-t-s]

Writing Prompt 368

"Please stop, you're making me sick,"

[bones-of-sasha]

13 Abonnenten, 12 folgen, 8 Beiträge - Sieh dir Instagram-Fotos und -Videos von Taliesin Joan (@taliesinjoanart) an

I have started to collect my art on a separate Instagram account! 

Please check it out! Much appreciated!

[bones-of-sasha]

Dear fanfiction authors, film/series writers and general writers.

An epipen is only a temporary solution to a strong allergic reaction. The person will not just get up and carry on like nothing happened.

The epinephrine inside is only a temporary kickstart for the system so the person doesn‘t die immediately. You still have to call an ambulance afterwards and this person still needs medical care and observation in a hospital.

Please keep that in mind. I‘m sick of reading/seeing allergic shocks happening and afterwards everyone just carries on as if the epipen is a magic wand that just washes all symptoms and dangers away forever.

[promptsforthestrugglingauthor]

Writing Prompt #920

“Must you live perceiving the world as an aggressor?” He opened his mouth to explain himself, but she wouldn’t let him. “Yes, there are those who have hurt you, and those who will hurt you in the future, but these are not the only options. Can you imagine what it might be like if you regarded the world with love? Trust?”

[angstywritingpromptsforwriters]

In 13 steps

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And how the narration supports them

[horrificmemes]

Betrayal & Regret Sentence Starters

“I told you not to get too close to me.” “From the day we met, I knew I’d hurt you eventually.” “I wish you never had trusted me.” “I told you to leave, but you didn’t. I gave you the chance!” “We were never friends. I’m so sorry.” “I did something terrible.” “It was inevitable, but I regretted it every step of the way.” “I’m mainly sorry that somewhere along the way, I started to care about you.” “I guess this is a lesson in not trusting people, right?” “How long?…Since the beginning.” “I wish I could just make a wish and become a better person.” “None if it was real, but I wish it was.” “Do you think I liked hurting you?” “I hurt people. It’s all I’m good at.” “I did it because I had to, not because I ever wanted to.” “I -did- care about you, I just had no other choice.” “You should have walked away when you had the chance.” “If we had never met, it would have saved us both some grief.” “I know it hurts, but I’m still glad we had the chance to know each other.” “Hurting you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.” “I didn’t want it to be like this, but I had no control!” “I guess I’ve just never been a trustworthy person.” “I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t want to forgive me either.” “So? Aren’t you going to say something?” “If I tell you what I did, we’ll probably never see one another again.”

“When were you going to tell me about this?” “Why me? Of all people, why me?” “You planned this all from the beginning?” “I wanted so badly to think you were different.” “How could you lead me along like that?” “None of what we had was ever real, was it?” “So, our friendship didn’t mean anything to you?” “I would have done anything for you, but you’ve ruined all of that.” “All of the things I sacrificed for you didn’t mean a thing?” “I wish I had known when we met that you were such a vile person.” “If I could go back, I would just walk away.” “I forgive you, but I’m not going to forget what you did.” “No. I don’t accept your apology.” “After all your lies, how do I know you mean it when you say you’re sorry?” “I hope you realized what you did was cruel.” “I still care about you.” “Just tell me that your feelings towards me were genuine.” “What on earth is worth betraying someone who loves you?” “If you want to regain my trust, you have to earn it.” “Don’t just say you’re sorry. Show me that you’re sorry.”

[angstywritingpromptsforwriters]

Active and Passive Character and How Narration Supports Them

Introduction

A rather important but oftentimes not named aspect of a character’s position inside the story can already be decided on during the development of said character. Namely, whether the character is an active, or a passive character.

There are two types of characters. Active and passive.

The active character is someone who actively chooses their path inside the story, the actions they take and therefore oftentimes lead the plot or at least contribute to the continuation of the story. Either into a “negative” direction or a “positive” direction, both paths are possible and oftentimes the path they are taking is only truly defined by their moral basis.

The passive character is someone who is led by the plot of the story, who reacts to certain events or plot points but doesn’t actively influence the story through decisions or actions and who does not willingly choose to take certain paths in order to change or influence their own future. It could probably be said that this character is rather lead by the plot, than that they are leading the plot in any way.  

 Active Character

An example for an active character would be The Joker in the DC Universe.

Because he actively makes decisions, he actively contributes to the plot by redefining said plot through the actions he takes. Whether or not those actions lead the plot into a morally positive direction or are making it harder for the protagonist of the story to bring the plot forwards themselves in a way they see fit, is unimportant. The important part is, that he is taking actions and is making decisions. And that those are influencing the plot and the character’s own future.

He however rarely takes passive characteristic actions, since he does not seem to be reflecting or reacting much throughout the film The Dark Knight for example. Some of his actions might seem like a reply to actions Batman took, but I would argue that those decisions mostly serve the purpose of bringing himself forwards and not to react or reflect on actions taken by Batman against him.

At least there are no scenes in the film where he obviously does that. (I would probably argue that the comics are describing him more often to react or reflect, but I will not combine two different characterisations of him now.)

 Passive Character

As an example, for a passive character I will name Bella Swan from the Twilight book series, even though I will say that she is probably the most boring example for this.

But that is mainly because she is a character who exclusively reacts. There doesn’t seem to be a single moment throughout the story where Bella actively makes a decision that would influence her future, or where she takes actions herself to change her fate or to steer the plot into a direction that would benefit her.

Though, I do not want to say with this that passive characters all have to be boring, but their influence on the story itself is less obvious and they are therefore more often perceived as “weaker” characters, rather than “stronger” characters.

 Mainly Active Character, Partially Passive Character

Another example from a comic book series would be Tony Stark from the Iron Man films/comics by Marvel.

He however, while still being an active character, shows also signs of a passive character. Which is important for someone who reflects on their actions. You can see at the beginning of the first film how all he does is to act, to make decisions and to take paths without much considering the consequences of those actions. He is also shown to either not care or only care very little about other people’s actions and opinions, meaning he does not react like a passive character would.

But in his case, that changes after he is traumatically confronted by the consequences of his own actions. After that, he does not completely let go of his active personality, he still very much makes life changing decisions and still leads the plot by his actions, but he spends more time reflecting on the world around him and actually reacting to it. As is seen later on, when he decides to name Peppa Potts as CEO of his firm, therefore reacting to people saying he is not suited for that position.

He would therefore be a character who is still mainly active in nature, but develops the passive part in order to better connect to his surroundings and the story line.

 Mainly Passive Character, Partially Active Character

While Tony Stark could be named as an example of an overly active character developing a passive side, Harry Potter could probably be named as a mostly passive character developing active characteristics.

While Harry starts off in the book series as a mainly passive character (though, this is arguably due to his lack of knowledge, magical abilities and age), he starts showing more and more own initiative throughout the following books.

In the first book, Harry mostly reacts. He does take a few daring actions and makes decisions, though most of his actions are direct reactions to something happening in his environment. That however changes once he, for example actively goes against school rules at the end of book one.

His still rather passive personality continues throughout the whole book series, though, here I would argue that this is largely due to the narration forcing Harry to rather react, than giving him room for own actions.  

 Influence of Narration on Character Dynamics

Whether or not a character would be defined as active or passive however is not limited to the character development itself, but is also influenced by how the narration works the character into the story and how much space it is given for them to either react or act.

A character’s personality definitely plays a big role in their own dynamics; If a character is outgoing or short tempered, they most likely will take action into their own hands and make decisions fast and without much hesitation. If a character is shy or submissive, they most likely will react to other character’s actions and reflect more consciously on their actions. Hence, personality influences dynamics.

However, the narration decides on how many of those influencing character traits will be shown throughout the story. Depending on how much time is given the character to come up with ideas, decisions and actions, they might be more active than their personality alone would make them. Or depending on how many events are thrown towards the character with barely any time in between, they will most likely spend their time reacting instead of acting themselves.

As stated above, in the Harry Potter book series, the protagonist Harry is mostly occupied with reacting to the several events and situations that he finds himself in, usually even without breaks in between. Therefore, he seems more like a passive character because he only rarely makes decisions on his own without being rushed or pushed into those.

For example, in book three, The Prisoner of Azkaban, most of Harry’s actions are directly caused by situations. Like his friend being dragged below a tree. Or fighting off the Demetors on the field because they attack him and he has to defend himself. Because the evens are set in a rather short time frame, there is barely any time for Harry’s curious and reckless character to properly show.

However, in for example the fifth book, The Order of The Phoenix, Harry makes the conscious decision to train Dumbledore’s Army. This is possible because the plot of the book processes rather slowly and not as intensely as the books beforehand. (Which is one of the reasons a lot of fans saw it as too slow and boring.) And those decisions and own actions turn him into a more outgoing and active character than in the books before.

 The later example can also be found in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Since all three books progress rather slowly in their story, opening up new side plots every few pages and giving multiple characters a lot of screen time each, the characters have time and opportunities to make decisions and take actions themselves. Which is why most characters seem like very active characters, since they keep pushing through the lands and situations towards their goal and don’t just react to the enemy’s actions, but actually counter act.

I argue that if Harry Potter’s character would have been placed into the Lord of the Rings universe, he would have been a much more active character and showing his in the books hinted towards rather reckless and curious personality. ~ Taliesin-Joan Please do not repost or copy without giving me proper credit.  For reading in a better quality and to support me through clicks: https://medium.com/@joan.runkel/active-and-passive-character-and-how-narration-supports-them-658cea0cf206?source=friends_link&sk=7c794c25bb09c02b43c4c28a3d2543aa

[angstywritingpromptsforwriters]

My Guide to World Building

1.      Characters (Main and Secondary)

First off I usually start with the main characters and the important secondary characters. I develop them in a way that I do not yet completely consider the setting that they are in but I focus on what kind of character they are, so like;

-          personality

-          What they look like in order to not forget about that later. (If their appearance is unimportant for the story or will not get mentioned at all, then it’s not important and I don’t think about it.)

-          What kinds of family relationships do they have, for example, do they have siblings? Does that influence their character? What kind of relationship do they have with those siblings or their parents? Do they have a big family or a small family? What kind of social status do they have and does that influence the character?

-          Also, most importantly, what kind of motivation do they have? For example, if I have a character who is very shy, it might be a motivation for them that they want to be more outcoming, more outgoing.

  2.      General Setting

The next step is to make a general setting of the world.

-          Which time period am I writing in; modern, future, medieval…?

-          Then the basic kind of culture in which the story takes place. Is it a city, is it a kingdom, is it a small town?

-          Next, the political setting; if it is a city, is it part of a kingdom? Is it part of a country? Does it have a King? Does it have a government? And what kind of government is it?

Because all of that effect the kind of culture I am writing about. After politics I consider possible conflict.

-          Do they have a civil war currently, do they not?

-          Are they very peaceful or are they possibly at war with another country?

 3.      Connecting World and Characters (Part 1)

The next step would be to place those characters that I have, into that general setting. I decide from which kind of social stand they are, are they rich, are they poor, how does that fit into this culture and setting? You can also start and develop the character’s history at this point. For example, what is their life story and how does that connect to the kind of culture they are living in?

 4.      Main Culture

Next, I work out the main culture that I’m writing about. For example, if I am writing in the main city of a Kingdom, I would focus on developing that Kingdom further.

-          Do they have internal conflicts; political conflicts, religious conflicts, social conflict, any kind of conflict that a country can have with itself.

-          Then, do they have an internal possible plot? For example, in Game of Thrones you have the external possible plot of different Kings and Queens raging war against each other in order to reach the Iron throne and you have the internal possible plot of Winterfell struggling with power structure and betrayal in their own family. It is an internal plot because it is inside this one culture/inside this one country and doesn’t necessarily affect the world that is around them.

 5.      Connecting World and Characters (Part 2)

Connect what you have worked out again to the characters. How is that connected to them and are they possibly even directly or indirectly influencing this internal plot of their culture/country? Like, are they politically or socially involved? And if not, why not?

 6.      General Plot Points

The next step would be to write down possible general plot points while considering what the characters would do. Don’t be like “Oh I want to have a war.” Having a war in your story for no reason at all, is not worth it, because if you don’t have a character who is willing to go to war, this war wouldn’t make much sense to be developed as a main plot point. You could still have it in the background as a political and social conflict, but not as something your characters directly interact with. So what you want to do is develop a line of plot points that could happen throughout your story. In Lord of the Rings for example, those could be “Frodo finds the ring – He meets the group – They start their travel – Mines of Moria – Boromir dies” That is very basic but still gives you a general outline of what you want to do in your story.

 7.      Characters Drive the Plot Points

Also, most importantly, focus this plotline on the characters and not on the world. If your characters would do such a thing, then take it as a plot point. But if they would possibly or probably not do it, then don’t take it as a plot point, because it will only slow the story down or become unimportant to the rest of the plot. You can still keep it as a side plot, but not as a main plot point.

 8.      Make the World Bigger

The next step would be to make the world you have bigger. Decide on generally what kind of world they are living in;

-          is it a big world, is it a small world, is it just a continent?

-          Add other countries, develop other cultures. Are they similar to your main culture, are they different somehow? Do they have the same or another religion, do they have different traditions, a different politics or government system?

-          Then decide on how much of their history is important for your setting. You don’t have to develop all the surrounding countries as well as you develop your own if the history will eventually be unimportant or not even be mentioned.

 9.      External Plot vs. Internal Plot

Then, connect history, politics and future. Basically, connect all the countries together. Come up with history they could share, conflict they could share, next to their own history and conflict. Decide on which part of the internal history of countries will be changed into external history. Let’s take Germany as example. An example of internal history could be when on November 9th 1918 not one but two politicians independently of each other declared Germany as a democratic Republic after forcefully degrading Kaiser Wilhelm II. But a connected external history of Germany would for example be how Russia and Germany decided to divide Poland during WWII.

In that connection, focus on what naturally would be connected. Are the politics connected, the social issues, are they fine with each and do they maybe even have a shared political organization or conscience. (Where they talk to each other, like people should do.)

Also, do they have a possible future that you definitely want to explore somehow. Like, do they want to kill each other, do they want peace, what are the short-run and the long-run goals of them.

 10.  Characters and the World Around Them

The next step would be to connect the characters motivations to the internal and external plot. Where is this character set in this whole world, and where do they want to be at the end of the story. How do history and politics affect this character beyond their own culture. A person is always affected by world politics, subconsciously or consciously. It changes their thinking about their own culture and about other cultures. Your character is not set in a dome in the little setting of this one culture, you want to keep them universal because they are a part of the whole world and can not be taken out of that. Of course, if they are a farmer who grew up with limited education, no news access and no other way of getting information about the world, their personal world is very limited and cut off, but then you also have to work that into the character’s development, personality and further story line.

Also, how do their motivations connect to the world. Do they want (two extremes) want world peace or world destruction. If so, why?

 11.  Detailed Plot

After that, you should work on the detailed plot. Generally, what do you even want to do in your plot.

-          What do you want to tell, what is the goal?

-          How is the culture, politics and history affected by your plot and vise versa.

-          Note down important scenes, important information, characters that will play a role…

Connected to the character;

-          how does the plot influence the character’s development, their personality and their motivation. Do they change throughout the story?

-          Do they have a character arc, where they evolve or maybe even regress, are they suddenly going evil or deciding to go to war? And what are their motivations for this change.

 12.  The Plot Supports the Character!

And most importantly, how does the plot support those motivations, those character changes. You should never try to let the character support the plot, but let the plot support the character. A story is held by it’s characters. Because otherwise it will just seem like you could throw someone else into this setting and it wouldn’t change a bit. Basically, if you could change one character with a completely different character and it would change nothing about the plot, then this character is not worth being in your story, because neither does the character have an effect on the story, nor does the story have an effect on the character. (Same goes for if you could change a plot point and nothing would change or if you could change a character aspect and it wouldn’t change.) If you could, for example, exchange… Harry Potter with Legolas and it wouldn’t make a difference, then their stories plots wouldn’t support the characters and the characters wouldn’t lead the plot. Which would be bad.

 13.  Ending and Characters

Last step would be to decide on an ending for the story. You could of course leave it open, but you should consider what your characters motivations could possibly lead towards and whether or not they should gain that at the end. An ending is very important for the character development. And said development is important for the ending. An ending is defined by how much the character changed and whether or not they continue to have the same motivation and goals, or if those maybe changed as well. If you have an ending in mind, consider if the characters would still or could still achieve this ending, considering their development and hardships throughout the story.

And when you set this all together, you should have a world and a story that supports the character you want to share with the world.

 ~ Taliesin Joan

Please do not copy or repost this without giving me proper credit. Thank you.  To read in better quality and to support me through clicks: https://medium.com/@joan.runkel/my-guide-to-world-building-f91d8dbf07fa?source=friends_link&sk=50d23c6ca551a558ff83cdc4d5f770b8

[angstywritingpromptsforwriters]

Person A: You had no right to tell them!

Person B: They had to know!

Person A: This is my secret! This is my past! And I get to choose when and where to tell whom!

[angstprompts]

Person A gets kidnapped by some people, and Person B has to find them somehow.

Option 1.) They find Person A dead.

Option 2.) They find Person A alive, but is horribly injured mentally and psychologically. Person B is hurt seeing Person A in such a state; flinching away from people, jumping at sudden noises or movement, afraid of being alone.

Option 3.) They never find Person A.

[angstywritingpromptsforwriters]

„Please stop, you‘re scaring me.“

[angstywritingpromptsforwriters]

„I see their face everywhere. I can‘t get rid of it. I don‘t want to see it! Why does it still haunt me? Why can‘t I leave this past behind?“