A Notebook of Wonders!

Two writers together in one blog. We wanted something to use as our "database" of writing tips and inspirational stuff, and we decided to create a blog so we could share the information with other fellow writers.

[anotebookofwonders]

Well, after one year or so away from this blog, here I am. Not entirely sure if I'll be back for good, or if I'll only show up on occasion, but still. Not a lot has happened. I finished two of my novels, and one of them is probably going to be published soon, if everything works out. Other than that, I'm still struggling with writer's block, and trying to improve my writing style. Good to be back.

[robotsquid]

"MAN THIS STORY I’M WRITING IS GONNA BE SO GOOD I’M SO PUMPED"

"I CAN’T WAIT TO DEVELOP THE SHIT OUT OF THESE CHARACTERS"

"HOT DAMN THAT ONE SCENE NEAR THE MIDDLE IS GONNA BE BITCHIN’"

"THIS PLOT TWIST IS THE SINGLE BEST IDEA I’VE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE"

~one hour later~

[keyboardsmashwriters]

The Self-Pub Miniseries: Part 1 – The Why

lupanaoflaminar asked you:

Hey guys! I know that you’ve self-published a book, and I wanted to get some more information about the process. Which company did you go through (CreateSpace or Lulu or something?) Are you pleased with the results? I’m really considering self-publishing but I don’t want to feel like I’m just settling with it because I’ve gotten nothing but rejections, you know? Is there anything you would have done different, or any advice you’d give to potential users of self-publishing companies?

[keyboardsmashwriters]

I am so excited for this question. Firstly, there’s definitely a lot to answer here, and short of writing a whole how-to book on the subject of self-publishing, I’ll divide it up into a few parts. There’s definitely a lot to unpack. But keep in mind that I’m writing from my experiences and what I’ve read of others’ experiences during plenty of research time, and I’m certainly not the end-all or even the most knowledgeable of the subject. Additional research will help you gather a world of self-pub knowledge to help you make the best decision you can. Let’s begin with debunking the old self-pub stigmata stigma: When I was seventeen and looking to publish my novel, this was back before literary agents could be queried online and self-pub venues were called “vanity presses”. This was only eight years ago. The world of publishing is evolving so rapidly, thanks to the mega powers of influence from the internet, so that most literary agents now only accept e-queries and e-submissions, making the reach to publication more attainable to a greater population of writers. Some literary agencies see up to a hundred queries in a day – that’s a hundred potential books that they may fall in love with. But the increase also forces lit agents to be more selective. They have to think, “This is a good book, but can I sell it?” Sometimes really great books just don’t seem sellable or marketable, or are too similar to a book an agent already represents, or serves as too much competition for books already published by publishing houses. But, the introduction of e-books and e-readers adds a whole new level to the world of publishing. Now, a writer can take their book and publish it themselves, choosing how much to spend out-of-pocket on design and marketing. Many writers make a sizable supplemental (or even livable) income through their books, although fewer strike a lucky hit and make it big. Despite the romanticism that stories like Amanda Hocking inspire, a great deal of writers have trouble getting past the “family and friends and coworkers” sales. Without adequate research and effort, the lattermost is the probable outcome. Nowadays, there’s an enormous amount of tools for self-pub authors to use that hadn’t existed even a couple years ago, and it’s evolved how writers get their names and books visible. There’re so many ways to go about this, but that’s for the future parts of the miniseries. Before we go into that, let’s go into this – Good reasons to self-publish:

Retaining 100% creative control of the story.

Having absolute control over deciding marketing and distribution.

Your book hits a popular market.

Moving at your own personal pace.

Controlling price.

Receiving a larger percentage of any profits made.

Being your own boss.

Bad reasons to self-publish:

Not wanting to take the time to research the publication process.

Distrust over the publishing industry.

Everything on the shelves nowadays sucks.

Receiving a larger percentage of any profits made.

Being your own boss.

Okay, let’s unload these, because they’re not all what they seem.

Read More

[childishnotions]

writing is safer, somehow because my pen cannot stutter like my lips do, and words get stuck in throats, not fingertips, can’t stumble on paper trails of blue lines because writing is definite and clear and no one can tell if i am crying or laughing through written words alone 

[keyboardsmashwriters]

Ways to keep writing while in school

From experience, sometimes our plates are so loaded that even remembering to eat becomes a luxury difficult to indulge in, and we’re catching up on reading assignments while sitting at stoplights. But, remember that writing time doesn’t have to be several hours long – and also remember that it’s critical for mental health to take time for yourself. If you don’t, you risk burning out and dropping down to some of the lowest lows you might have ever known. Taking time for yourself isn’t always easy, but here are some tricks you might try to get in the “you” writing time that you need for yourself.

Take a half hour in the morning and a half hour at night, perhaps when you’re even still sleepy. Why? When you’re tired, your inner critic is too, which means the inner critic has less of an opportunity to whittle your precious minutes away with overthinking and worrying. Try writing when you first get up, and also as the last thing you do before your head hits the pillow at night. Even if you only manage a hundred words, that’s a hundred more than zero.

Sneak in fifteen minutes between tasks. This was my favorite option while in school. I’d take a break from one subject by switching to another, rotating around each subject. But, between each jump, I’d take fifteen minutes to a half an hour to smash my fingers across the keyboard. I might even listen to one good song right before, just to get myself quickly into the right mood before I picked up where I left off.

Keep a notebook with you. Did you get to class a few minutes early? Take those three minutes to jot down a couple lines. Waiting for your order at McDonald’s? Take a seat and finish the last thought you had. On your fifteen-minute break at work? The Youtube video you need to watch has a fifteen-second commercial? Bits and pieces add up like pennies and nickels in a change jar.

Block your time, if you’re a scheduling type of person. Some people need to have their time scheduled out, so do that, and plan some writing breaks in there. Give yourself some allowances on homework time, some leeway, just in case you need a little extra time, and that way you’re less likely to eat into your writing time. If you’re not the scheduling type of person, definitely avoid this tip. Schedules can strangle some of us, after all.

Reward yourself. Seriously. Been working for four hours? Still have four hours to go? Stop. Park your butt. Put away the schoolwork where you can’t see it. Pull out your favorite pastry or tea or strip of manflesh along with your laptop or notebook. Treat yourself. “I worked four hours. I deserve this.” Remember to do this at least a couple times every day. You are a person, not a robot, and you have personal needs, not simply some oiling and maintenance check every now and then.

Procrastinate wisely. No, I’m not going to tell you “don’t procrastinate!” Because, wow, that is 0% helpful. What I mean is procrastinate in ways that will set you up for success – as in, for writing. Listen to your story’s playlist. If you don’t have one, make one. Make a folder of art that inspires you to write your specific story. Always add stuff to it. Keep your creative momentum high.

Perfection is the enemy. Don’t worry about continuity or even writing well when you’re taking these moments. Just worry about writing. Get the words down no matter how hard you grimace. Don’t seek perfection. This also applies to schoolwork – it’s okay to flub things, or to do as little work as you can while still getting the amount of credit you want. I managed to get a lot of A-’s this way, but my GPA doesn’t reflect the minus sign, only the A.

Read on habits and taking care of yourself. You always come first, even before school and work. You deserve to take care of yourself, so make sure you do.

[slitheringink]

Power Primer Volume 1: The Elements

You Got Your Magic in My Superpowers!

There seems to be an argument regarding whether or not magic can be defined as superpowers or vice versa. In my experience, it depends on what origins you associate with them. In comic book universes (like DC) magic and superpowers are separate entities, stemming from different places. Magic is often supernatural while superpowers have a more worldly explanation. As such, it creates a system of checks and balances between characters who have superpowers and those who can use magic. For instance, Superman in all of his overpowered glory, is weak against magic.

Of course, you don’t have to separate the two because when it comes down to it, they’re the same thing. Yeah you heard me, magic = superpowers and you can do just about anything you want with them, the only limitation being your imagination!

The Elements

This is probably the most commonly used set of powers out there, and for good reason. You can do a ton of different things with them! A lot of what your character is going to be able to do will depend on their knowledge, skill, experience and the limitations that you’ve set for your world. The lists below will hopefully help you figure out a power set, but not that they aren’t all-inclusive.

——————

Mainset: Fire – Fire projectiles of all shapes and sizes, create walls, firestorms, control heat, manifest and control fire, rain of fire, use fire as boosters to fly, ignite weapons, user is immune to heat and fire, withstand high temperature environments, may be able to control surrounding environmental temperatures, boil targets alive from the inside, fire breath, fire aura, fire absorption, turn into fire, fire armor, healing fire, summoning demons or spirits from fire, fire constructs, or flammable blood.

Subset: Hellfire – The user can manipulate the fires of Hell. Hellfire is generally a different color from other types of fire and is summoned from the plane of Hell. Hellfire doesn’t have to kill the target but can instead cause incredible amounts of pain. Hellfire is also very hard, if not impossible to extinguish and burns underwater.

Subset: Holy Fire – Holy Fire is the righteous fire of Heaven, especially effective against evil. It focuses on the purifying aspect of fire. It’s generally white or light in color, having the power to immobilize or trap instead of kill if deemed by the user. It’s also incredibly hard to extinguish.

Subset: Dark Fire – This focuses on the destructive aspect of fire. Dark Fire is generally black or purple in color and can incinerate a target to the point where nothing is left of them, not even ash. Dark Fire incinerates everything, even water and other kinds of flame. Like the other fire subsets, it can’t be extinguished by normal means.

Subset: Lava/Magma – This can also be a subset of Earth. The user can control magma within the planet as well as lava that’s already erupted. The user also may be able to manipulate geothermal energy.

Subset: Solar – The user can control the fires of the sun. Depending on the power level of the character, this can be done at a distance.

Subset: Phoenix – User may be able to resurrect from flame or ash if killed. In this manner, the user may also be immortal.

——————

Mainset: Water – Water projectiles, ocean control including waves of tsunami size and parting the sea, constructs and elementals, rain and storm control, underwater breathing, may be able to withstand cold temperatures and higher pressure, pressure manipulation, use of water as a propellant, control of moisture in the air, walls, water walking, water armor, manifest and control water, water breath, become water, control water in the human body (similar to blood bending in Avatar), remove water from the human body (dehydration) to the point where a person turns to dust, add water to the human body so a person bursts, absorb water, control water at the cellular level or infuse objects with water.

Subset: Ice – You can freeze water, giving you greater control of your abilities. You can create ice slicks, control ice storms, blizzards, have an immunity to cold and ice effects, absorb ice, create ice weapons, objects and structures, surround yourself with ice (ice block), immobilize targets, etc.

Subset: Dark Water – Dark water is the evil subset of water, and is often near sentient. The basis of dark water stems from a fear of drowning that’s manifested into tangible form. Dark water seeks to kill, to drown targets, destroying everything, even normal water. It is all-consuming. Demons, fear constructs and undead can be created and summoned from dark water.

Subset: White Water – This focuses on the purifying and healing aspects of water. White water is often lighter colored than other water and may give off a holy aura.

——————

Mainset: Electricity – Lightning bolts, ball lightning (travels through walls), electrically charged projectiles of all shapes and sizes, electric shields, barriers and auras, static electricity, electric energy control and manipulation, electric absorption (may be able to boost your power level in this way), immunity to electricity, electric constructs and elementals, travel by turning into electricity (speed of light), light manipulation, electrical dispersion (may be difficult or impossible to hit), may have an immunity or resistance to heat, melting certain substances with electrically generated heat, may be able to knock out or paralyze foes, levitation, healing with electricity, may be able to manipulate and pull certain objects, breath weapon, electroreception and teleportation.

Subset: Electromagnetism – You’re able to create and manipulate magnetic fields. You can release an EMP blast to disrupt electronic devices or even fly using electromagnetic repulsion. You may also be able to control metals via magnetism.

Subset: Bioelectricity – The ability to control electricity generated by the human body. You may have fine control over the electrical (and electrochemical) impulses of the nervous system, allowing you to turn your target into a helpless meat puppet. You may extend that control to the brain, implanting or removing memories as you please, even completely wiping a target’s mind if need be.

——————

Mainset: Air – Concentrated air blasts, air bullets, weather control (hurricanes, tornadoes, etc, as well as being able to move weather formations from place to place), air control and manipulation, walls, armor and barriers, constructs and elementals, density control and phasing, air walking, flight, levitation, air as a speed booster (super speed and air dashing), increased jumping, the ability to turn air into a solid, transform into air, vacuum creation, manifestation of air in vacuum environments, fine control like creating air embolisms in a target’s bloodstream, temperature control via air movement, control on a chemical level allowing you to determine the make up of air, wind control, teleportation, moving and transporting objects using air and pressure manipulation.

——————

Mainset: Earth – Projectiles of all shapes and sizes, earth control and manipulation, walls, shields and armor, move mountains, cause landslides of rock and mud, create constructs and elementals, transform into different aspects of earth, draw from the earth to increase your physical strength, create structures and weapons made from earth, gem and mineral manipulation, earth healing, movement (dive underground and the earth around you propels you forward or move the earth beneath you), create new landscapes and manipulate environments, may be able to withstand intense pressure, element manipulation (fine control over natural occurring elements) and earth sense (detect people around you through your connection to the planet or use vibration).

Subset: Metal – You have the ability to control and manipulate naturally found metals. You may be able to pull metals to you or propel them away.

Subset: Sand – You can control and manipulate sand, create sandstorms, sand tombs (force sand into the lungs of your target), and sand projectiles.

Subset: Nature – You are so in tune with your earth powers, that you have control over the forces of nature. You may be able to control plant and animal life, as well as create it. You can do things like summon roots and vines to entangle targets, unleash packs of wild beasts or even animate plants to devour a target. You may have control over natural toxins, have the power to become or infuse yourself with the abilities of a certain animal, manipulate forests, heal wounds, resurrect targets or cure disease.

——————

Mainset: Spirit – The ability to control and manipulate the human soul. You may be able to commune with the spirits or realm of the dead. You may also be able to see the dead.

Subset: Light – This represents the good or positive side of the human soul. Powers may include Holy-based sets like light control and manipulation, emanation, healing, holy fire, attribute enhancements (super speed, super strength), banishment of evil, light prisons, holy breath, holy aura, holy weapons, armor, barriers and constructs, voice of God (also called holy voice), angelic transformation, spirit summoning, resurrection, regeneration, flight, teleportation, invulnerability and immortality.

Subset: Darkness – This represents the evil or negative side of the human soul. Powers may include darkness/shadow control and manipulation, summoning demons and elementals, construct creation, dark energy blasts, necromancy, regeneration, invulnerability, immortality, flight (manifestation of wings), energy draining, the power to rot targets and destroy life, dark vision, dark breath, transformation into demons or other dark beings, possession, fear, illusion and shadow teleportation.

——————

References:

My brain.

The Superpowers Wiki.

Checks and Balances

It’s pretty easy to balance out elemental power sets if you have some common sense and are aware of exceptions. These are my musings:

Fire – Gets canceled by enough water unless it’s a kind of fire that either burns hot enough to destroy water or can’t be extinguished (hell, holy or dark usually). Fire trumps ice, can be fueled or put out (if air is removed) by air powers or smothered by earth powers. Fire burns nature and would probably put up a good fight against electric, light or dark.

Water – Extinguishes fire or evaporates, gets frozen by ice, washes away or is contained by earth, conducts electricity, and would probably put up a good fight against air, light or dark.

Electricity – Would struggle against earth only in the sense that earth powers can produce substances that are insulators, however the force of a lightning bolt can split trees and shatter stone. The heat can also turn earth into glass. It should put up a good fight against the others. Bioelectricity is incredibly overpowered but may require some form of concentration.

Air – Storms can ravage earth, destroy nature, and suffocate fire if the user is smart. It would put up a good fight against the others.

Earth – Would do well against fire since it has the ability to contain. Nature could be destroyed by fire though, or water, or ice. It’s the set that’s thematically the most physical and could produce characters that are very difficult to hurt.

Light and Dark – These sets are built to counter each other. How they perform depends on the specifics of the powers. I think that these sets are the easiest to overpower as they can counter all of the other sets with not a lot of thought, often stepping into the supernatural angel and demon territory. They can also be combined with the other elements to make unique powers.

-Morgan

[nimblesnotebook-blog]

World Building Considerations: Creating a Language, Revisited

Anonymous asked you:

Do you have any tips for writing up your own language. Written & Spoken?

[nimblesnotebook-blog]

I wrote a post on creating a language a while ago, but I’m going to take that and do a more extensive one here.

SPOKEN LANGUAGE

Alphabet: Come up with a phonetic alphabet for your language. Are there certain sounds that are common? Do all words end in certain patterns (Hawaiian words all end in vowels)? Are certain letters or sounds absent from the language? Think about how you want the language to sound. Think about the culture the language it belongs to. If you want, it can reflect the culture it belongs to. The Dothraki in A Song of Ice and Fire center their language around horses as spoken of in this article. Think of the sound and what emotions it could be compared to. If the culture is quite harsh, the language could sound harsh.

Vocabulary: If you plan to use this language in your story, only use it in places where you are able to translate it within context or where whatever the language says is not quite important. However, you can also repeat certain phrases or words throughout the story and the reader may pick up on its meaning. These phrases and words are often greetings or common phrases within a language. Keep track of all the words you create.

Grammar: Pick a sentence structure. Look up some languages and choose one that you feel is right for this language. But why is this important? For creating sentences with your new language to keep it consistent. It’s also important because if you have a character whose native language is the language you created, speaks “English” (or whatever language you’re writing in), they’ll probably speak with similar grammar to the constructed language.

Translate: As with keeping track of all words you create and their conjugations and other forms, translate all sentences and phrases you write so you don’t forget what something says.

Style: Is there a formal style of speaking? When is it appropriate to use this style? Who uses this style? Are there situations in which it’s inappropriate not to use this style?

Dialect: Are there different dialects within this language? Does it create a language barrier between characters who speak the language? There will most likely be differences in dialect between social ranks. This can create conflict between characters who speak that language.

Tone: Some languages are tone languages, meaning a word may have different meanings depending on how it is pronounced. Some words had four or more pronunciations, but mean very different things.

BODY LANGUAGE

Gestures: What gestures are used? Is there a history behind them? We shake hands because back in the day shaking hands was a way of showing that there were no weapons in hand, thus ensuring trust. This was done with the right hand because the left hand was considered unclean. Are there any other gestures people use to convey meaning? Are there greeting gestures? Are there rude gestures?

Full Language: For those unable to speak, has a full system of sign language been constructed?

Space: What about other types of body language, such as space between two people? What is considered personal space? Is it rude to stand too close or too far away?

WRITTEN LANGUAGE 

Age & History: Not all spoken languages have a written language. Many written languages pop up when a society needs to write down laws, religious texts, and historical records. Why did your language start? How long ago did it start? Has it changed since then? If the language is young, there will probably be limited use of it.

Alphabet: Is there an alphabet or are pictographs used? If you create an alphabet, you’ll have to decide what each letter or symbol represents. Are there various letters than have different sounds based on context? Or is the alphabet phonetic? When creating the written language, try to keep the shapes you use consistent for aesthetics and ease of writing. If you create two or more languages, try to make their physical appearance distinguishable from each other.

Use: Who is allowed to use it? In regions with high populations and little technology, written language will probably only be available to those who have the time to learn to read and write. Are there any laws about who can and cannot use written language? Who teaches it? What is the language used for? What is it written on? What is it written with?

Forms: Are there certain forms of the alphabet, such as uppercase, lowercase, or cursive? Do certain social ranks use a modified alphabet?

Accents: If you’re using the Latin alphabet, use accents sparingly. Make sure you know how they are used and how they impact the pronunciation.

Appearance: In part with the appearance of the language, you’ll need to decide how it’s written and perhaps why. Some languages are written from top down or bottom up because old materials used for writing were thin strips, such as bamboo. Not only that, but the appearance of the alphabet could reflect the world it belongs to. Again with the example above of harsh sounds going with harsh cultures, perhaps the appearance of the language could be quite angular and sharp.

Tone: As stated above, there may be tone languages or even just words. Either context or markings on certain letters within the word will show its meaning if it is a tone word.

Translation: If your written language is different from spoken languages, can it be pronounced? Or can it only be read by translating it to a spoken language? Does it translate directly?

OTHER TIPS

Naming the Language: What’s the name of the language? You can name it after the region it’s spoken in or from where it originated, but you don’t have to. There could also be names for different forms of the language.

Borrow:  If you want, you can borrow root words from another language to base yours off of. You can also borrow grammar rules from other languages if you wish. Borrowing can often make this process easier for you and it may help readers familiar with the base language see the similarities in your new language. Also with borrowing comes being able to add characteristics to certain cultures with your language. For example, many names in Rohan from The Lord of the Rings use the root Eo, which comes from an Anglo-Saxon word for horse. This is because the Rohan culture is centered around horses.

History: What is the history of the language? Was it once dead and then brought back? Are there any negative connotations with certain words? What are the histories behind these words?

More:

Create Your Own Language

How to Create a Language in One Day

Deconstructing Conlanging

Language Construction Kit

Using Invented Languages in Your Novel

Conlang Wikia

How to Create Your Own Language

A Beginner’s Guide to Phonetics

Phonetic Terminology Guide

[nimblesnotebook-blog]

The Roles of Characters

There seems to be some confusion on protagonists, antagonists, villains, heroes, and anti-heroes and who they are. Hopefully this will help clear it up.

Types of Major Characters:

Protagonist: The main character, but not always the POV character. The protagonist can be a villainous character.

Antagonist: The antagonist is the character who opposes the protagonist by getting in the way of the protagonist’s motive or ultimate goal. The antagonist does not have to be a villainous character.

Villain: A villain is a character who is a wrongdoer, whether this character is the protagonist or the antagonist. Villains are immoral while antagonists and protagonists alone can be morally ambiguous.

Hero: The hero is the opposite of the villain. This character has heroic traits and is morally good. This character, like the villain, can be the protagonist or the antagonist.

Anti-Hero: The anti-hero is a protagonist who lacks many heroic traits, but is either morally ambiguous or morally good. They tend to be pessimistic and they play by their own rules, but still get the job done.

And what about some examples?

The Great Gatsby: Nick is the POV character, but he is not the main character or the protagonist. Gatsby is the protagonist and his motive is to make Daisy come to one of his parties so that she’ll fall in love with him. All the characters who get in the way of Gatsby being reunited with Daisy, like Tom, are the antagonists. Given that Tom is abusive, cheats on his wife, and is racist, among other things, he can be considered a villain. Gatsby is an anti-hero because he is the protagonist who lacks heroic traits (though he does have some, such as charisma) and he is not considered “morally good”.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: Dr. Horrible is the protagonist because he is the POV character, but he is a villain as well because he is immoral and his main motive is to join the Evil League of Evil (so it’s pretty obvious he’s a villain). The antagonist is Captain Hammer because he gets in the way of both of Dr. Horrible’s motives (to get Penny to fall in love with him and to join the Evil League of Evil), but he is also a hero given the traits he has for the majority of the film and his role as a literal hero.

A Song of Ice and Fire: I’ll only use examples from the first book/first season to avoid spoilers. This series uses several protagonists and antagonists, depending on which POV you’re reading from. One character can be both an antagonist and a protagonist depending on POV. However, there are some characters who are heroes and villains whether they’re an antagonist or a protagonist. Eddard “Ned” Stark is obviously a hero because he follows a morally good code and has heroic traits.

The Godfather: Most of the characters are villains, but they either fall into the category of antagonist or protagonist. The book follows a different structure than the movies do, so the main character changes. In the movie, Michael Corleone is the main character and protagonist who starts out with some heroic traits, but he becomes a villain throughout the first book/movie while remaining the protagonist.

*Note about morality: it changes depending on culture. An anti-hero in one culture may be considered a villain or a hero in another.

Other Character Terms:

Dynamic: Characters who change over time.

Static: Characters who do not change over time.

Round: Characters who are well developed.

Flat: Characters who are poorly developed.

Stock: Recognizable characters through literary stereotypes, such as the comic relief character. 

Archetype: Universally recognized characters, such as the hero.

Of course, whether a character is a hero, anti-hero, or a villain is always up to debate while whether a character is a protagonist or antagonist (depending on POV) is much more rigid.

[writerswritecompany]

There was power in the pen, I knew this for certain…It was there all the time, just waiting for me.

Shay Youngblood (via amandaonwriting)

[whataboutwriting-blog]

Beginning Your Story Without Info Dumps

I have a story that I dropped for a little while, but I want to pick it back up. The reason I dropped it was because I was having a problem with too much information. I have so much information that needs to go into the story for people to understand, that I’m having trouble starting it. I tried to cut out some info, but most of it absolutely necessary. I can write other parts of the story, but I can’t write the beginning—I don’t know how. Any tips or suggestions? Thanks. - anonymous

[whataboutwriting-blog]

Beginnings are hard for mostly everyone. Many published authors state that the beginnings they initially thought of rarely ever end up being the beginnings in the finished work. 

It’s perfectly normal to feel like you have dumped too much information when you start your story, and it’s also perfectly normal to feel like some of that information needs to go. However, if that information is crucial for people to understand your plot, you don’t have (and shouldn’t!) cut it. Below, you’ll find some suggestions about how to begin your story, and how to do it without feeling like you’re delivering too much information at once. 

What is your conflict? The first step before you start writing anything should be identifying your conflict. After this, ask yourself what characters are affected the most by your conflict? When you sit down to write the beginning of your story, keep both things in mind. 

Start with action. I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but this is one of those writing-tips clichés I can’t avoid. Your story should start with the event that triggers the whole conflict. Whether this event is a teenage couple’s first kiss or a robbery, this event should set the tone to the rest of your book. If you’re writing a horror novel, you wouldn’t start with rainbows and butterflies, would you? 

Introduce your characters. In the beginning of your novel, you should introduce the characters that are going to be affected by your conflict, and leave out those who aren’t going to be as important. By doing this, you’re allowing your readers to start getting to know your protagonists better and have a better notion of who’s going to be relevant and who isn’t. 

Back story? Yes. In the right amount.  Start introducing the readers to your characters’ lives before you started telling their story. The amount of back story you give your readers should be kept to a minimum. Give them just the amount they need to start connecting with your characters. This is when you can start giving out some of the important information on your characters. However, don’t dump information. On the course of your story, you’ll have plenty of time to add other information about your characters. In your beginning, write only the back story that is going to be crucial right away. If something isn’t going to be relevant until a few chapters down the line, wait to give it away. 

Setting? Yes. In the right amount. Start introducing the readers to your setting. Again, you shouldn’t give away too much. Explain the relevant aspects of your setting, the aspects that are going to influence your characters’ behavior and the ways they deal with the conflict. If the color of the flowers isn’t relevant, don’t write it. At least, not in the beginning. 

Get your readers hooked. Get a great first line. Find a sentence that captures the basic essence of your book, something that is memorable and that gets your readers interested. Keep your action to a maximum, and your descriptions to a minimum. There are ways of presenting information to your readers through the way your characters act, so take advantage of that. Try to identify in what ways you can show the information you need your readers to know instead of simply telling them. 

Outline what information is absolutely necessary right in the beginning. The reason why many writers often get stuck with their beginnings is that they try to say everything at once. There’s no rush. If you get your readers interested within the first chapter, they’re likely to keep reading. Take your time to let the information flow, and say things when they need to be said. 

Remember that your beginnings should flow effortlessly. Your readers should be able to get an overall view of what your story is going to revolve around, but your shouldn’t give too much away yet. The trick is to give them little, while leaving them thinking you gave them a lot. 

Your beginning should ask the questions “Who?", “Why?", “When?", “Where?" and “How?". By doing this, you have all the ingredients ready for your readers to start wondering. And a beginning that leaves readers wondering, is a great beginning!

For further reading:

Starting Your Story - our article on that

10 Ways to Start Your Story Better

How to Avoid Info Dumps

Avoiding Info Dump

[incidentalcomics]

The Story Coaster

Drawing for the 7/14 Sunday NY Times Book Review - thanks to editor Pamela Paul! 

[thewritershelpers]

This will not help everyone and some of you may plan in a completely different way. However, a lot of people struggle with where to begin so here we go.

Where do I start?

I would make a mindmap of everything you already know about your novel. This can be the amount of characters, personality of them and where your story is heading. It isn’t that important to have all the names of characters sorted but it is useful to jot some names down you could use.

How I use a mind map to build stories

Mind Mapping for writers

Sorting through your ideas.

Firstly write down your story idea and the plot of your novel. Here you are laying out all of your ideas and you can begin to see which ones work well and which ones don’t. You can then start creating and thinking about making a timeline for your novel.

You can make this as detailed as you want, it’s up to you. You may find yourself with a large gaps between major events but that’s fine.

Use a Timeline whilst Novel Writing

Creating/Developing Characters

Create a fictional character from scratch

Five ways of creating three dimensional characters

How to create a character

Ask yourself this question, what is the point of this character?

Then start to think about how they fit into the plot, their attributes both positive and negative that contributes to the story. Then you can start creating their personality, quirks and background. 

I always find creating a character the most interesting bit. If you’re struggling, create a mind map to help you visualise your character. 

It’s also a good idea to start thinking about this characters relationship with other characters. I like to write this down on each character profile.

Worldbuilding

We will at some point do a more detailed post, this is just the basics.

Top down approach: Create a general overview of the world and determining broad characteristics before then going into further detail. It can require a considerable amount of work before you have enough detail.

Bottom up approach: Focussing more on the small part of the world where the novel is set putting great consideration into the parts that are important to the novel. However this approach can cause inconsistencies. 

[x]

The rules of quick and dirty WorldBuilding

World building help (Forum)

What Next?

You can plan further and continue expanding your ideas. I prefer to write a brief summary for each part of the novel, with bullet points with what I want to happen and when. This just gives me a focussed outline. And I enjoy it!

Writing frames are also useful to help you flesh out your ideas further. 

But really, just get writing!

-S

[writerswritecompany]

This would be a hilarious writing lesson!

[keyboardsmashwriters]

We were summoned about the topic of co-writing

Her Royal Highness Evvy of FYCD summoned us to an ask on effective co-writing. Luckily, we have a post on being a co-writer, and we’ve also got a post on the book blog about how Victoria and I write together. Here’s our method of evil: For our joint series, our process is actually more unusual than what we regularly do. Usually, when we combine powers to write a book, the cast is divided right down the center (more or less) so that we take on an even amount of characters to play in the narrative. We decide on who plays which characters based upon our strengths and preferences.

Example 1: Victoria’s the best at writing villains that are bold, upfront, and extremely dominant about their creepiness. I’m best at writing villains that are quietly and psychologically antagonistic, usually on levels under the surface. Her villains are more likely to beat the living feces out of a main character, whereas mine are more likely to uproot the foundation of a main character. Example 2: My favorite type of character to play is when they’re in their awkward stage of transitioning into adulthood – lots of fun discoveries of self-identification afoot. Victoria likes to play characters that have just reached adulthood and are pretty much very aware of themselves.

We often workshop characters verbally, too, developing them by placing them in scenarios that may or may not happen in the story, getting a feel for them beforehand. This is also a good way to help us predict what decisions characters might make in the future and building on them in earlier scenes. We write a lot like roleplay, taking turns and handing the mic back and forth (a good way to do this is through Googledocs). Occasionally the actions of our character affect the actions of each other’s, in which case we will take a bit of command over the other character(s) in a way that we think makes sense for that character. Because we’ve been writing together for about a decade, we’re so in tune with each other that we’re pretty good at this (Victoria is so attuned to even my plotting style that she can predict my plot twists like nobody’s business). However, if we portray a character incorrectly, we’re comfortable enough with each other that we can change it. Or, when I know an action is going to cause me to play her characters a bit, we’ll discuss it first and then write it accordingly. Active communication is a big deal in making things work. Oftentimes, when a character decides to act outside what we planned in the outline, we sit ourselves down and talk out the next steps we need and then re-outline when we can. Which brings us to plot. Before we plot, we take a few days to talk out the world we’re writing in – the rules, setting, so on and so forth. We talk a lot, discussing everything we can.

For our joint series, I’m in charge of the plot for my series, she’s in charge of the plot for hers. In this case, only one of us gets to helm where the book goes. When both of our series overlap, we plan that out together, but the main plots are still our own. For the series we write together, both of us decide upon the plot together and we combine our cognitive powers to solve catches in the plot or changes in character motivation, evolution, etc. We’re pretty much two halves of the same brain.

When we’re plotting separately, it’s super fun, because it’s sort of like playing a game. One of us will be along for the ride, which means when we workshop characters verbally, one of us knows what it may lead to while the other doesn’t. And because we’re so attuned to each other, our super-smart characters (who are supposed to be smarter than, y’know, us) can still solve the questions of the plot in a realistic way because we’re so familiar with each other’s planning styles. So, basically, in Dance in Shadow and Whisper, I was in control of the plot and Victoria played a few characters, not knowing what was going to happen. In the second and third books, her characters play larger roles, but she still didn’t know what was going to happen. When her series debuts, she’ll be in control of the plot and my characters will play a role. Eventually, when one series ends and the other continues, we’ll be plotting together. Revision is what can end friendships. I’m a very ruthless editor. I might love a line to pieces, a perfect metaphor, practically poetry. But if it doesn’t fit, I hack it right out. I do this because I’m confident I’ll write more perfect, poetic metaphors that’ll make me forget all about the one I took out. This revising style has evolved through lots of practice, and through a general detachment to what I write. It helps me be more objective, but it’s definitely not something everyone can get used to. I’m lucky that Victoria allows me this freedom. Oftentimes I’ll rewrite passages that we wrote together so they blend better as a whole narrative instead of disjointed, mismatched styles. She grants me the freedom to change as much of what she wrote as I need to for the story, and when she gets to this point in her own series, she’ll have the absolute freedom to do the same (I’m definitely going to push her to do just that). When it comes to scrapping scenes and rewriting them (we recently did this for book two), we redo the whole writing process of exchanging the mic. In this case, I told her exactly what I needed to get out of the scene in question, and we write orienting around the thing I need. The good thing about this is that I have two sets of eyes reading critically. The bad thing is that both these sets of eyes are not as distanced from the story as a general critique partner/beta reader should be. In the end, there are multiple processes that can produce successful co-writing, but it helps to try a multitude with different people to find out what fits and what matches. Sort of like dating, I guess. Whatever the case, there’s got to be a great deal of communication and openness and respect. Writing with someone mean you’re connecting with them on multiple levels, including emotionally. Anyway, that’s our process. Good luck finding yours!

[typewritingly]

Writing reference list! Go ahead and add more if you have any, this is kind of short!

Names

Fake name generator

Another name generator

Worldbuilding/Setting

Magical World Builder’s Guide

I Love the End of the Word

Worldbuilding 101

Creating a Believable World

Rhymes

Rhymer

Unscramble

Kenn Nesbitt

Writeexpress

Families

Family Dynamics

Family Tree

Hair

Describe Hair

Hair Colours

200 Hair Description Words

Eyes

Describe Eyes

Common Eye Colours

Eye Colour Chart

Drugs

Substance List

Fact Sheets

Alcohol

List of Alcoholic Beverages

Health Effects of Alcohol

Relationships

Healthy Relationships

More Healthy Relationships (Be sure to follow Kris!)

[fictionwritingtips]

Injuries Reference List

If you’re writing anything where your characters are getting injured a lot, it might be helpful to have an injuries reference list on hand. WELL, DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT BECAUSE I CREATED ONE. This is mostly the result of me having to look up something every time a character was gravely injured/being a lifeguard for seven years. I have some knowledge of first aid and how it might apply to the characters in your story.

Simple scrapes/cuts: There’s usually not much to worry about besides MAYBE an infection, which can be avoided with rubbing alcohol or peroxide. Remember, peroxide usually doesn’t burn or sting, but rubbing alcohol probably will.  These injuries will bleed for a short amount of time, but it shouldn’t last too long.

Bruising: These occur when the blood vessels break under the skin, forming discoloration of the skin. The colors can vary, but they are usually purplish, bluish, or yellow. Again, this injury is usually not serious if it’s a result of a bump or cut, but if there’s significant bruising over a large area of the body there might be a serious problem. Usually time heals bruising.

Sprains: A sprain is torn or stretched ligament, but it is NOT a break. It is very common for someone to sprain an ankle or a wrist and it usually doesn’t require serious medical attention. The area might swell and should be iced. Sprains are usually treated with rest and a device that compresses the area—such as a sling or a bandage.

Broken bones (arms, fingers, legs, toes): Breaks can be serious, especially if they have to be set back into place. A person will most likely not be able to put pressure on a broken bone until it is healed (which could take weeks). A broken bone is REALLY serious when it fractures or breaks through the skin completely. If you write a character in this sort of situation, they will need to worry about infection and they might have to wait until the swelling goes down before splitting or covering.

Burns: Obviously, there are different degrees of burns, but simple burns will most likely be treated the same. Even the smallest burns will probably sting like hell, so it can be hard to function with an untreated burn. SERIOUS burns might require amputation (I’m talking about maybe 3rd to 4th degree burns). As a 1st degree burn is healing, it might itch—think how sunburn starts to itch after a while.

Broken back: A broken back can lead to paralysis, so you need to be very careful with how you treat someone. Your characters shouldn’t be throwing anyone over their shoulders with a back injury because it will only lead to more serious problems. If you suspect that someone has broken or injured their back, you need to keep them still until there is a way to safely move them.

Amputation: This happens when the removal of a body part because necessary to someone’s survival.If someone has a bad infection or there’s no way to stop the bleeding (you’ve applied a tourniquet, which will most likely end up causing an amputation later), a character might have to amputate in a serious situation.

Dislocated limb: If a bone “pops” out of its socket, a character might have to put it back into place. A dislocated limb restricts movement, so your character might not be able to go forward until the situation is resolved. Arms and fingers are commonly dislocated and there will probably be pain when they’re set back into place. Those limbs should be rested and iced to prevent swelling.

Jammed fingers: If you get your finger caught in a door, for example, and it doesn’t break; you might have a jammed finger. I’ve had a few of these in my life, which usually causes bruising and some pain, but it heals on its own. These types of injuries can be from jamming your fingers against something hard and you might lose a finger nail. They will most likely hurt for a while until they are healed.

Stab wounds: These are usually deep cuts by a knife or a sword or another sharp object. They need to be treated, as they are prone to infection, and they should be bandaged. If the bleeding is excessively bad, a common way to stop the bleeding is to get stitches or cauterize the wound. Cauterization is the process of burning the wound in order to seal it up. Think of lightsabers in Star Wars. No one bleeds when they’re cut because the “blade” of the lightsaber cauterizes the wound as it cuts. Your characters might have to stitch someone or cauterize someone in an emergency situation.

Gunshot wounds: Getting shot is a serious/life threatening situation, so your characters would need immediate medical attention.In an emergency situation, the bullet might have to be dug out and the wound cauterized if the bleeding is severe. If the bullet goes in and out, you might just have to worry about infection and covering the wound. A gunshot wound will be painful and will take a while to heal. If someone is shot in the leg, they will have trouble walking. The limbs will need time to heal.

Poisoning: This is a wide topic that could include food poisoning to being poisoned by another character, but they will probably feel very sick. Symptoms will include vomiting, dehydration, diarrhea, etc. Your character might get severe stomach aches and will not be able to function.  Being poisoned can be deadly and can happen quickly. A medicine called Ipecac will induce vomiting in order to get the poisons out of someone’s symptoms, but will not work for EVERYTHING. Further treatment might be necessary.

Stomach wound: A person with a stomach wound will not last very long without addressing it. If it is deep enough, it will kill off your character unless the bleeding and infection can be stopped. Infection is usually what kills people with stomach wounds or gunshot wounds.

This is a list to be used for WRITING purposes only. Obviously you should call a doctor or get emergency treatment if something is serious. I also wrote this list assuming that your characters don’t have access to medical professionals, so keep that in mind. Hope this helps!

-Kris Noel

[thewritershelpers]

Let's get hairy

Describing appearance is something a lot of you struggle with and it is something I struggle with, especially when I’m trying to describe truthfully without making it boring or overly elaborate. Hair however I find even more tiresome to describe. I find it especially different because I don’t know much about hairstyles or trends. So I gathered some links that hopefully should help you with developing your characters appearance. 

Hair Colour

Hair colour like anything has trends, different shades are in at different times of year and certain colours suit some complexions better than others. Whether or not this matters to you or your character is dependant on how much you care about it, but if you do these links below should help you out. Find the best hair colour for you Popular hair colours of 2013 Describing Hair Colour List of hair colours History of hair colour 1920s Flapper hair

Popular female hairstyles

Hair styles change, I mean think of the trends. The Rachel haircut in the 90s, the Beckham bob… there has been lots of different styles that have gone in and out of fashion. Although this is not of major importance in your novel, it’s nice to know what styles were popular in the time you are setting your story. 

30 Victorian Hairstyles, victorian evening hairstyles Hairstles from 1900-1920 1920s flapper hairstyles 1930 hairstyles 1940s hairstyles (WW2 styles). 1950s ladies hairstyles, Hairstyles in the 1950s Womens 1960s hairstyles, 1960s hairstyles Womens 1970s hairstyles, 1970s hairstyles expressed individuality and freedom Totally Rad hairstyles from the 1980s, womens hairstyles and looks of the 1980s 19 most important hairstyles of the 1990s, Hairstyles from the 90s (includes mens) , the long and short of 90s hair The 15 best hairstyles of the last decade, best hair trends of the 2000s Popular hairstyles of the 20th century

Popular Male hairstyles

Like women male hairstyles are heavily influenced by celebrities and fashion. Think about the mullet! And that wacky Bowie hair! Oh and lets not forget the mohawk made popular by Becks! So mens hair changes with styles but men have a little extra hair on their face- BEARDS. So I’m also including links for popular beard styles. So let’s get started!!! Hair at the 19th Century Hair of the 20th Century The 30 most iconic styles 1980s male hairstyles The 15 most important male hairstyles of the ‘90s Mens hair trends 2000-2009 25 Trendy male Hairstyles Top 40 Male Hairstyles UK Mens Hairstyles

Facial Hair

History’s most famous facial hair Facial hair and beard styles Top 8 facial hairstyles Facial hair 101

If this interests you and you find the links useful, brilliant! If not, never mind!

-S