write please

I am a struggling mess who will now try and hold myself accountable about writing. Wish me luck.|| ao3 : AZC || main : anisthasiazewicor.tumblr.com

[awesomebutunpractical]

The first draft philosophy that has finally gotten me writing for fun isn't "worst version of story" type framing, it's "tell the story to yourself."

Your story isn't ready for polished prose, you don't know what happens yet. This doesn't make it Bad Writing, it's a different type of writing. And this ties into why I think the plotter vs pantser debate misses the mark - both detailed outlines AND make-it-up-as-you-go first drafts are ways to make up the story. This part is for you, so how you do it should be whatever is the most fun or satisfying way to tell yourself the story.

[mostlyinthemorning]

I kind of suck at tagging, so I made this infographic to help make it easier.

[finishwhatyoustarted-event]

[ID: An infographic, “Tags are Tricky… A quick and dirty guide,” breaking tags down into Canon (How does it relate to canon?), Format (Is it something other than a story?), Tone (How does it make you feel?), Relationship (Describe the relationship), and Theme (What’s the theme?). Each category is numbered and shown in a box a darker shade of pink than the last.

1.examples of Canon tags: Alternative universe, Canon compliant, Canon divergence, Crossover, Fix-it Fic, Future Fic, Missing Scenes & Codas, Pre-canon/Backstory.

2. examples of Format tags: 5+1 Things, Art, Dialogue-Only, Epistolary, Online & Social Media, Podfic Poetry, Songfic, Texting.-examples of Tone tags: Angst, Crack, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Smut and PWP, Whump.

3. examples of relationship tags, in subcategories: Platonic (Coming Out, Families, Friendship, Siblings); Getting Together (Amnesia, Body Swap, Childhood Friends, Different First Meeting, Drunken Confessions, Enemies to Lovers, Huddling For Warmth, Meet-Cute, Miscommunication, Road Trips, Roommates, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Strangers to Lovers, Trapped in an Elevator); PG-13 (Cuddling, First Kiss, Kissing and Making Out); Sexy Times (ABO, Dirty Talk, First Time, Kink, Roleplay, Sex Pollen, Sexting and Phone Sex, Voyeurism); Commitment (Arranged Marriage, Established Relationship, Honeymoons, Infidelity, jealousy, Kid Fic, Long Distance Relationship, Pregnancy, Weddings & Proposals).

4. examples of Theme tags, in subcategories: Activities and Interests (Baking and Cooking, Camping, Celebrations, Crafts and Hobbies, Drinking or Getting High, Fashion, Holidays, Pets, Piercings and Tattoos, Religion, Sports, Theatre and Dance, Yoga); Adaptations (Fairy Tales, Historical, Reality Show, TV/Movie/Book Adaptations); Character Drive (Anxiety and Mental Health, Introspection, Queer Themes); Jobs (Artists, Celebrities, Crime and Suspense, Firefighters, Lifeguards, Media and Journalism, Medical, Military, Musicians, Pilots, Politics, Retail, Royalty, Teachers); Other worldly (Apocalypse, Fairies, Ghosts, Magic and Fantasy, Parallel Universe, Sci-fi, Shapeshifters, Superheroes, Supernatural, Tentacles, Time Travel, Vampires, Witches, Zombies); Places (Bookstores & Libraries, Coffee Shops & Restaurants, College, Flower Shops, High School, Summer Camp, Wineries).

Note: These are examples, not a definitive list, but I hope the categories are useful. /End ID.]

[seth-whumps]

characters raised to be tools

Weapons. Trained, tested, forged in steel and fire. Failure is an inevitability that ends in death. Pain should not be felt--it should be recognized, familiar, and inconsequential

Martyrs. In the form of servants and princes, of leaders and underdogs. If blood is necessary, the martyr will lift their hands and offer it all

Shields. Like tempering a sword, but only to bear and not to lash out. Wounds are medals--not symbols of pride, but symbols of worth. A pretty shield is useless; scars mean a job well done

Experiments. Raised on the cold comfort of a lab table. Restraints are only necessary when they're not in their right mind. Is it honorable, to be twisted beyond recognition? Or is it just a necessary evil?

Monsters. Cruelty, caution, and regarding one as a creature beyond reasonable thought is tempering in its own right. But if you keep a leash at the right length, perhaps the massecre won't reach you. One can hope.

Idols. Pretty face, pretty name, pretty hands around their shoulders and throat. There to seduce, manipulate, force any feeling to come to the surface and twist it to their favor. Any genuinity stays locked behind the guilded cage that surrounds their pretty little heart

Trophies. Status and wealth and the traditions that keep someone at their heels, on their knees, to display and serve and decorate one's ballroom.

Sacrifices. Drenched in honorable clothes, prepared and adored and cleansed. The gift of hope at the cost of one's life. Is it taken with no fight? How can you escape the ropes you were born in?

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

let's put Scooby and the gang in a genuine horror movie situation, i wanna see what these freaks are truly capable of

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

"didn't they already do this with—" no. put them in a slasher film. put them in a BLOODBATH. put this van full of weirdoes in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre scenario i have FAITH in them

[biggest-gaudiest-poltergeist]

THEY'D DO WELL IN SAW

[batneko]

okay I'm thinking about this

not Saw specifically but a slasher with a legit body count. Summer camp slashers are overplayed but I think it really works because it's the type of thing the Scooby gang WOULD get caught up in.

like some of the counselors didn't show up (got got) so the head counselor calls his younger cousin to see if him and his friends can fill in last minute. They show up and they're a bunch of nerds, one of them even has an anxiety dog, and they don't have a big role at first. It seems like the movie is setting them up as cannon fodder.

and then the deaths start and suddenly the nerds are locked the fuck in. The little one with the glasses actually fixed the phone line and is taking stock of all their supplies in case the vehicles go out. The counselor's cousin who seemed like a himbo has set up a perimeter and made makeshift alarms for all the doors and windows, knows all the entry points. The anxious one and his dog are keeping the mood up with the snacks and activities that were supposed to be for the kids, making sure nobody panics and starts making dumb decisions. Somebody tried to grab the redhead and she flipped him over and had him zip-tied before anybody noticed. Weren't they a D&D group or something? What is happening???

[lordkingsmith]

@augment-techs @uccelletto-di-kokuyo

[thelifeandtimesofacrazyblond]

[thelifeandtimesofacrazyblond]

[foldingfittedsheets]

The excerpt paragraph made me look up and stare at my wife for three solid minutes waiting for them to return to the couch. I couldn’t move on with my life. I had to read it aloud to them to their audible disgust and then they read all the comments with unbridled delight.

Now we keep repeating “Like Zorro.”

[animal-123-crazy]

Im so sorry to subject everyone to this

But genuinely, cure your imposter syndrome guys. Look at what passes for publication. And realize that you are, in fact, better.

[feralplantwife]

Queen you surely did cure my imposter syndrome, but I also miss the person I was 3 minutes ago

[patientno7]

the suffering never ends

[sinksanksockie2]

This is the real process

[thewritingbeast-blog]

Resources for you!

Character Ideas:

Character creation masterpost

Character Alignment Chart

More character alignment descriptions

Muslim Character questions

Characters with magical powers

Building a new character advice

How to create a character for an online or tabletop RPG (also a good guide on creating characters in general)

Royalty/nobility TV Tropes page

Basic character profile

OC masterpost

Random character generators - (1), (2), (3), (4)

D&D Character Building Tool

Character Design Ideas:

How clothing affects a character’s personality

Character Design Inspiration blog

Concept art, fan art, cool art to be inspired by

Character design references and inspiration

Sources for POC character design ideas and models

Create your own character model using HeroForge

For horned characters

Body and hair types guide

Random outfit generator

Naming Help:

Amazing site with an endless amount of naming resources

General advice on avoiding naming appropriation

Hispanic Surnames

Gothic Victorian names

Huge master list for character things in general

Masterlist of names of all types - including but not limited to ancient/old world names, Celtic, African, Northern European, Southern and Central American Native names, Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian, Polynesian, and more

Another name masterlist

How to pick a character name guide

Yet another names masterlist

Creating Background/backstory:

Character Sheet/Development Sheet

Another character development list

In-depth character personality, motivations and traits sheet

320 talents and passions for characters

On writing likes and dislikes that aren’t frivolous

Why you should write non-human characters non-conforming to the gender binary

Stereotypes, tropes, and archetypes

Random backstory generator

Assassin and thief character tropes to avoid

Character Interactions and putting your character into your world/story:

Comparing character height/height references

Characters who are scientists and writing about them doing science

Describing what different voices sound like

Describing skin tones

Writing friendship interactions that are platonic

Why having one character knock their friend unconscious to prevent them from doing something is a bad idea

Advice on shipping OCs with canon characters and what to avoid doing

Sweet Polly Oliver and Sweet on Polly Oliver situations (think of Disney’s Mulan for an example)

How to write multiple viewpoints/juggling a main cast of more than 4 to 6 characters

How to make readers care about your morally gray hero/anti-hero

On platonic OC and canon character relationships

How to avoid Godmodding in RPs

When it’s cheap to kill off a character

Writing dialogue

Things you shouldn’t do to canon characters

Avoiding purple prose in writing and RPs

Slang resources

Dialogue tips

Websites to chart your story/plot/character relationships

Bonus art masterlist!

[brucewayneright]

BLESS EVERYONE IN THIS POST.

[jasmehraj]

Oh my God!

It’s amazing, some links aren’t working for me but those who are, are spectacular.

[tamsinswriting]

Reblogging because NAMING IS HARD

[writing-prompt-s]

!!!!!!!

[abysslordartorias]

I ran out of tags…help…

[creativepromptsforwriting]

Advice for writing relationships

Ship Dynamics

How to create quick chemistry

How to write a polyamorous relationship

How to write a wedding

How to write found family

How to write forbidden love

Introducing partner(s) to family

Honeymoon

Date gone wrong

Fluffy Kiss Scene

Love Language - Showing, not telling

Love Language - Showing you care

Affections without touching

Giving the reader butterflies with your characters

Reasons a couple would divorce on good terms

Reasons for breaking up while still loving each other

Relationship Problems

Relationship Changes

Milestones in a relationship

Platonic activities for friends

Settings for conversations

How to write a love-hate relationship

How to write enemies to lovers

How to write lovers to enemies to lovers

How to write academic rivals to lovers

How to write age difference

Reasons a couple would divorce on good terms

Reasons for having a crush on someone

Ways to sabotage someone else's relationship

Ways a wedding could go wrong

Arranged matrimony for royalty

Signs of a Toxic Relationship

If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! 🥰

[luna-azzurra]

You’ll rewrite it later anyway, so stop staring at the blank page like it owes you money. Just start.

[lookingthroughmirrors]

this is some of the best advice I’ve ever come across when it comes to writing - it’s so much easier to write if you don’t constantly try to edit or write like it’s the finally product. The thinking of just putting it all on a page and polishing it later is what’s rescued several of my stories ngl

[creativepromptsforwriting]

OT3 Ideas

Can be used for even more partners!

1.  Holding both their partners’ hands doesn’t leave room to do anything else

2.  Loving to be in the middle while sleeping

3.  Swapping all their clothes, even though they have different body types

4.  Sharing a bathroom with a bunch of people is a nightmare, especially when all of them have to go to work

5.  Having different pet names for their different partners

6.  Being super excited when they finally have a shower big enough for all of them

7.  Even with different work shifts, there will always be at least one partner home to eat dinner with

8.  Finding a travel destination all of them enjoy is not the easiest endeavor

9.  They have a routine for everything, who cooks, who cleans, who does the dishes,…  it’s much easier like that with so many people in one relationship

10.  Fighting over who is riding shotgun and therefore gets to pick the music, and who is sitting in the back like a child

11. Labeling items with their names that they have the same of, that they don’t want to get confused, like mugs or toothbrushes

12.  Trying to take the same day off, so that all of them can spend the day together

13.  Always putting one partner as their phone’s lockscreen and the other as their background

14.  Sharing a Netflix account and screwing each other’s watch-lists up, because they like different things and don’t always have time to watch everything together

15.  Meeting new people and letting them figure out that there is more than one partner can be a lot of fun

OT3 Prompts | How to write a polyamorous relationship | OT3 Prompts - Wooing the third person

If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! 🥰

[suzannahnatters]

Subplot Romance

Over the years I’ve created some twitter threads on writing and history and I’ve decided it’s a good time to start compiling and sharing them on this Tumblr. I’m going to tag them “writing”.

-

Here’s what I’ve learned about writing subplot romance. (People who write genre romance probably already know this stuff. It’s those of us who are mainly leavening romantic subplots into fantasy novels that need this info).

1. Romance = fundamentally character-driven. All internal conflict & internal growth. (Can these two trust each other? Will their character flaws drive them apart?) The more study you put into creating characters and building character arcs, the better your romantic writing.

A romance arc is not the SAME as a character arc, but it 100% NEEDS solid character work undergirding it.

2. Romance needs two ingredients: a compelling reason for the characters to be TOGETHER, & a compelling reason for them to be APART. This forms the conflict in the romance so do not skimp on either.

Eg, a common mistake in male-penned stories: female lead has no compelling reason to want male lead. “He’s a good-looking warrior dedicated to winning her throne!” Yeah nah, she’s literally surrounded by good-looking warriors dedicated to winning her throne, why’s he different?

3. Romance needs chemistry = a believable spark of attraction. Something that blew my mind when I realised it: romantic chemistry =/= sexual chemistry. Sexual chemistry (purely physical attraction) is simply PART of romantic chemistry.

Romantic chemistry is a good deal broader. (Read/watch some good romances to see how chemistry is built by different storytellers. One fave of mine is the Romola Garai EMMA. Peerless friends-to-lovers chemistry. Watch the actors’ body language; the way they gravitate to each other; the way their faces light up)

Chemistry tip A: if the driver behind sexual chemistry is lust, the driver behind romantic chemistry is trust. Protag needs/wants someone to trust. It’s the way you play with trust/distrust that will create romantic tension.

eg: love interest holds protag’s hand. With sexual chemistry, protag simply feels a jolt at the contact. With romantic chemistry, protag feels comforted and trustful - then betrayed when it turns out LI is tracking her pulse to see if she’s lying to him (see: MISS SHARP 😇)

Chemistry tip B: if protag is falling for someone, that person should occupy their mind. LI should be mentioned/thought of each scene, even when absent. When present: LI consistently provokes unaccustomed emotion - either positive or negative, depending.

Chemistry tip C: make the characters their best/most lovable/most iconic selves when with each other. Quirkiness, smarts, hilarity. Make these the most fun character scenes in the book & the audience will ship them. Passionately.

4. Build romantic chemistry/attraction through escalating moments of trust and tension. If aiming for happily-ever-after(HEA)/for-now(HFN), then the overall arc is towards greater trust, but you need those moments of tension to give the big payoff scenes appropriate catharsis.

OTOH, if you’re writing a tragic/backstabby romance, you need the trust/comfort moments in order to sell the big tragedy/betrayal.

5. Trust, comfort, & happiness are POWERFUL. This is what genre romance thrives upon. Even in dark/spiky stories, the most surprising thing in the story can be the moment when the LI DOESN’T betray the protag. That too can be wildly cathartic. Use it.

6. Just as character-driven skills help you with romance, so if you master romantic writing, you’ll be better able to write ALL types of relationship - platonic, friendly, hostile.

OK that’s all so far. Two book recs: ROMANCING THE BEAT by Gwen Hayes & THE HEROINE’S JOURNEY by Gail Carriger teach you the rules/expectations of genre romance so you’ll know what the rules are for a happy romance subplot & how to break them for a tragic version.

[christinaroseandrews]

Speaking as an editor who edits romance primarily, these are important points for authors of genre romance as well. I see way too many published novels that went through a professional editing process that only have characters who have sexual chemistry but not romantic chemistry.

Writing romance is hard. Writing believable romance is hard. People focus way too much on the the lust and not enough on the love.

Good post.

[screenshotsofdespair]

[azcwrites]

Summer's barely begun

And already there are mosquitoes

In this room I called

My haven

I can't find this

Little fucker

For the life of me

To kill and make peace

For it buzzes and flies

Silent far away and yet

Close, so loud

Has woke me often

From dreams of glory

Having bitten me

Time three

So now I am awake

Unwillingy

And scratching at myself

Unsuccessfully

[reiding-and-writing]

Reblog if you're a fanfic writer and you wanna know what your followers' favorite story of yours is ❤

[albertcamuesli]

dissertation writing advice

[phd-in-prog]

this is amazing and I'm glad I saw it

[incorrect-house-of-nine]

i do this when im writing fiction. Each fic has a cut document full of discarded dialogue, scene settings, metaphors etc that dont quite fit yet I might want to use down the line or other fics.

[ninepatch]

i think an uncomfortable truth is that there is an inherent arrogance one has to overcome after spending too much time alone, which is not so obvious when it's forced (i.e. through ostracism) because the assumption is that someone who has been ostracized is more likely to lack confidence and thinks poorly of themselves. but then there's this dance between victimhood and low self-esteem yet also subconsciously believing that your own view or daily decisions are "correct" or "better" because you've never had anyone tell you otherwise, because you've been alone. and in addition have gotten used to being extremely independent and considering others' input doesn't even occur to you. so when others DO provide feedback, it's almost jarring, like you don't have a behavioral pathway with which to respond or receive the feedback so you just respond with irritation because your system is confused

[stormsthatrage]

I am obsessed with the idea that Tsuna comes into power and is just. Genuinely, truly, loved by his people. (He's a good leader, and he cares in a way that had been so, so rare for someone of his station.)

I'm also obsessed with the idea that his people, who love him and could never be afraid of him, start to pick up on his bullshit self-destructive tendencies and take offence. Give me a baker in a small town, suspiciously muscled and missing an eye, scowling down at Tsuna until Tsuna accepts an armful of free food. Give me a random old grandma, covered in tattoos, marching up to Tsuna in public and loudly questioning why he's so pale and berating him for spending too much time working. Give me a young maid in the Iron Fort, new to the job, catching Tsuna asleep at his desk and waking him up and staring him down until he leaves his paperwork to go sleep in a proper bed. Give me people, of all ranks and stations, adoring and unafraid of Vongola X, taking exception to the way he treats himself and seeing no issues in telling him so.

I am obsessed with the idea that Tsuna takes on the job of caring for the family, and the family takes on the job of caring for him in turn.

[tothechaos]

glad that im not popular enough to have an evil shadow version of my blog that exists just to make contradictions on my posts

[totheorder]

:)

[tothechaos]

[tothechaos]

Do Not Do This To Me

[catboybeebop]

[slicedcheesegremlin]

[tothechaos]

if this post hits 200k im printing it out and eating it

[tothechaos]

because i dont hate myself im putting a time limit on this. if this post hits 200k by the end of august 2023, THEN i will eat this post. you have my word

[tothechaos]

so you all tried to get me to see my own demise via a rube goldberg device of my own hubris but were unable to in the time provided

however.

i love chaos. so im giving tumblr ONE MORE WEEK to see if you losers can prove me wrong because i genuinely dont believe you can. you have until midnight EST on september 7th to get this post to 200k. after that youre shit outta luck and i may turn off reblogs out of spite and self preservation

[catboybeebop]

C'MON LADS WE CAN STILL DO IT