I'm a goddamn sunflower.

Hello, I'm Wenyi. University student studying TESL. Writer. Author wannabe..

[daphne-wong]

The moment when I accidentally deleted my app data and all my conversation history is gone is the moment I realized I love him. I still love him after all this time. I was heartbroken when I lost our chat history. It's what I cherish the most  after we no longer texting each other.

To the sunshine boy I still love since I was 18.

[wredundant-writer]

How to enjoy writing more

I’ve seen, shared, and created plenty of posts about how to make your writing better, but I’ve decided, fuck that. It is 2020 and everything feels like crap and here’s a guide for how to enjoy your own writing more.

(Obviously! Like everything! Not all of these will work for everyone! These are just reminders for people who feel they could be a little sillier in their writing!)

1. Write at your own pace! It seems simple but deadlines that you can’t reach won’t help you. (And don’t force yourself to do Nano when it’s not your style.)

2. Write fanfic! All types of fanfic! Shitty OCs, OOC interpretations of characters, self inserts, etc etc etc. Write it without the intention of posting anywhere.

3. Write fanfic… of your own stories. Canon is a construct but that soulmates AU is real if only you write it.

4. Mercilessly switch between WIPs! Abandon them whenever you get bored! Write only the most interesting scenes!

5. Write without a plot! You don’t need to have conflict to have fun.

6. Fuck plot continuity. Write the scenes that make you happy. If they don’t line up? Who gives a shit.

7. If you read something you wrote and it’s not finished, don’t feel guilty. Just. Don’t. Your stories don’t deserve finishing; they provided you happiness as you wrote them, and that’s what’s important. (It’s the process, not the product.)

8. If you write something that’s sad, make it cathartic instead of depressing. Angst is great and all, but don’t stack sad scene upon sad scene for the sake of sadness.

9. Fuck genre. It’s okay if you aren’t sure whether your story is sci-fi or fantasy, it’s okay if you include random paranormal aspects in your historical romance, it’s GREAT if you blur the line between realistic and speculative. Don’t trap yourself in history which has been built upon marketability.

10. Write like no one’s ever gonna read it. It will help you in the long run. It doesn’t matter if it slows your “objective” improvement, it will help you feel less dependent on validation from others and make you write because–and only because–you want to write.

[daphne-wong]

When I met him, I was 18.  And now 22, I'm still in love with him. I always go back to him even when I'm in the middle of letting him go. Universe, you need to tell me if he's the one. I don't want to go through that all over again. Why did he come back into my life? Is it because I once wished that fate would brings us together again?

To the sunshine boy that I still love since I was 18.

[daphne-wong]

To the pal I adore so much

I’m not sure if I still adore him anymore. I would say we are now officially drifted apart. I don’t feel like I still share a connection with him as if our friendship has ended. Why would I say so? He didn’t wish me happy birthday on my 22nd birthday. Not even a happy belated birthday. I was upset cause I’m still hoping he would text me and send me his birthday wish. He is one of the friends that I care deeply. So it’s sad that a friend you care so much didn’t wish you on your birthday. 

Even my crush wished me. This is a surprise cause’ I didn’t wish him on his birthday which was two days ago. Since I don’t want to have any connection with my crush anymore so I ended up not wishing him. Well, can’t believe he texted me and wish me happy belated birthday. Not sure if he really remembers my birthday. If I didn’t post anything on Instagram, he might not wish me though.

Anyway, back to my pal. Even though he didn’t wish me, he did liked my birthday post with his two accounts. So we are still cool? I’m not so sure. He better have a good reason for that. He got me wondering if I might did something or said something that offends him. I know sometimes I could be a little flirty with him but I’m definitely sure that I didn’t cross the line between us.

So here’s my theories ; I think he might have forgotten my birthday and didn’t feel like wishing me with a late birthday wish so he ended up not wishing me. I mean I’m completely understand that he’s busy with his work and study life so he just simply don’t have the time to text me. My another theory is that he no longer wants to be friends with me so he didn’t even bother to wish me. Okay, I think the first theory is more convincing. The second theory might be me overthinking. Well, it doesn’t take much time to wish a friend. We can do so in one or two seconds so he better come up with a good reason if I ever confront him later.

In conclusion, I still hope we are friends though. I really like him as a friend. Hope we could reconnect again one day.

[daphne-wong]

The pal that I adore very much

I don’t know when I started to care so much about my pal. I like him as a friend. He’s one of my favourite humans. I enjoy his company very much. His presence meant everything to me. Still. I like to be around him. He has great sense of humour. I can’t stop smiling and laughing as he always comes out with the best jokes. Now I don’t get to see him or hang out with him that often anymore. We are drifted apart in distance. Both of us are studying at two different universities in two different states. He’s now on the other side of Malaysia. So far away from me. 

Wayne is a gentleman. He always cares for the girls and very gentle to me. He does get angry only over something that matters but never in an aggressive way. He curses as well. Even though I don’t like humans cursing but I’m okay with that. He is a sweet person. Manly with a tender heart. He’s not a tall person but he has wider shoulder that I could cry on. He’s not extremely handsome but he looks handsome enough to me. He once said that he’s not perfect, not good enough. To me, he is already enough.

I once surprised him with a William Shakespeare’s book that he wanted for so long. I hoped my act of kindness really touched his heart. I love my friends and I would do anything to make them happy. He did the same by giving me a book  on my 20th birthday which he recommended I should read. He is the first boy that gave me a book as a gift. As I’m writing this post, I still haven’t finished reading the book.

We were close. We would text each other and literally we could talk about anything and everything. After pre-u education ended, we slowly lost touch with each other. I remember we went three months without texting each other. We were busy with our temporary jobs and we don’t even mind asking how are we doing.

For some reasons, sometimes he would miss getting my texts. I feel like I lost my very best friend when he didn’t see my text messages or forgotten to reply me. So I don’t really text him anymore unless something important. 

I have no idea since when he always stay up late till midnight. One night of last February, I couldn’t sleep due to the reason I drank coffee in the morning. I scrolled through Instagram like a typical young person would do. There he was. Couldn’t sleep as well. We ended up chatting with each other. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t alone during midnight. I didn’t feel lonely at all with his ‘company’. We chatted for a couple hours and he encouraged me to go downstairs to grab a bite. I told him I was afraid of the dark. He said just imagine myself that I’m a Batman wearing a cape. He did that when he was little. How cute was that. And I won’t be afraid anymore when I walk like a Batman. Well, I didn’t imagine myself as a Batman but I did went down with his encouragement. For the first time, I ate in the middle of the night because of him. 

It was two days ago, same thing happened. I drank coffee and I couldn’t sleep. There he was. Active on Instagram. We chatted for a couple hours. We were each other’s company. He posted a caption on his Instagram’s story saying I’M THE BRIGHTEST STAR WHO SHINES HIS LONELY NIGHT. I mean, come on. WHAT A TOUCHING TRIBUTE TO ME. He mentioned me on his Instagram story with a caption like that. I was touched. I adore him even more. My crush doesn’t even do that for me.

My pal is important to me. He is someone I don’t want to lose in my life. 

[skysplitter]

Writing Dialogue in Stories: Some Tips and Advice

Writing dialogue can be tricky, but I found that I got better as I wrote more conversations. Here are some tips and advice I learned through practice: Disclaimer: Like I’ve said before, there are no absolute rules for writing. What works for me may not work for you. Feel free to experiment.

1. Condense

If your characters are going to say something, then it should be worth saying. Your dialogue will be smoother if you read it over and cut out the filler. Remove the redundant things and condense. Sometimes it’s better to remove a line entirely and replace it with an action or a description.

2. Listen to people, talk to people

One way to learn how to write great dialogue is to listen to people in real life. Sometimes we don’t realize that some phrases and lines that are often used in fiction might not actually be realistic(if you’re going for realism). Listening to people and talking to people help you understand the way conversations work. People can get distracted while they talk, they can let their emotions/state of mind affect their words, and they mix gestures and actions and expressions into their speech.

3. Read it out loud

This helps to fix the flow. Say the words, mouth the words. Judge whether or not a certain phrase would be a mouthful or if it would sound awkward.

4. Know that dialogue reveals character

The little details about people always manifest in their words. Sometimes people slip up or their wording hints at something without them realizing it. Let your characters take over. Know that even if they’re putting on a mask in front of other people, sometimes that mask can fall. While you can reveal character through words, don’t overdo it. Remember that the conversation should blend into the context. Sometimes using words that imply are more effective, and sometimes it’s better to have something dawn on the reader by using hints.

5. Know that dialogue reveals plot

Pick your words carefully. They can help you lead or mislead your reader. Again, don’t overdo it. There are some cases where it would be better to reveal plot in other ways. Dumping information on a reader’s head might make the scene dull or boring to read.

6.Try putting emphasis on actions instead of using fancy dialogue tags

I’m not going to be one of those people who says that all dialogue tags other than said are bad, but overusing different dialogue tags can slow down your reader if they have to consult a dictionary every few lines. 

Personally, I like to replace dialogue tags with actions. It helps ground the conversation and keep the scene in motion. The subtle things like our expressions and our actions are just as important as our words, and it builds layers on the scene when you add that to your writing. It’s likely that your characters aren’t just bodiless voices speaking in a void, so pay attention to the setting and the objects around them.

7. Plan what you can

I like to plan important conversations by writing down lines that should be said. Still, remember that if you’re forcing your character to say something, then it could come off as awkward. There have been points where I’ve had to omit details that I planned because I knew that they wouldn’t fit, and sometimes that happens because you have to accept that you can’t fully control your characters.

8. Keep the setting of your world in mind

Build the world of the story through dialogue by asking yourself questions like: What expressions were popular at this time? Do the people in this world have concepts of deities and/or heaven?(we often use swears having to do with the people we venerate/religion we practice) What words are considered inappropriate? What class of society does the character belong to and what is their educational background? There are many more, but these could be a jumping off point. Know the culture and history of the world you’re writing in. Then integrate that culture and history.

9. Have fun with it

Dialogue is one of my favorite things to write, so enjoy writing it and your readers will enjoy it too.

I hope this helped you guys. Happy writing!

[daphne-wong]

I can only see you in my dreams now. When I wake up, I don't even bother to text you. I know I miss you. Still think of you. Still care about you. I may not like you like I used to. Deep down in my heart. I am sure that I truly loved you. You left in silence. Without saying goodbye. Came back with a different you. No more text messages from you. No more hanging out. Time prove to me that you never really cared about me. Now I'm all alone with the memories we shared together. You're my past tense now. I am still in denial that you're my ex crush. We are back to where we used to be in the beginning. Strangers. I muted your Instagram stories. I don't want to know how you doing. My mental health is my priority now. I just block whatever stuff that are bad for my mental health. It's funny how you used to be my sunshine. Now you're just some evil energy stopping me from finding my own happiness. I deserve better. But I also believe I'm not worthy of love. I'm just gonna let myself grief in pain. When I'm all healed, I will walk out of the circle of sadness. I know I will.

Turned my sadness into art

[daphne-wong]

You know you don't have to keep scrolling through Instagram. You could just come to me for a chat. I won't feel bothered cause' you're my favourite human.

Message to my crush

[ildsjels]

not sure what should happen next in your story?

Embarrass your protagonist. Make them seem weak and vulnerable in some way.

Shoot someone. That always takes the reader by surprise. 

In relation, kidnap someone. Or, rather, make it seem to your protagonist like someone has been kidnapped. 

Have one of your side characters disappear or become unavailable for some reason. This will frustrate your protagonist.

Have someone kiss the wrong girl, boy, or person, especially if you’ve been setting up a romance angle. It’s annoying.

If this story involves parents, have them argue. Push the threat of divorce, even if you know it won’t ever happen. It’ll make your readers nervous.

Have someone frame your protagonist for a crime they didn’t commit. This could range from a dispute to a minor crime to a full-blown felony.

If this is a fantasy story involving magic or witchcraft, create a terrible accident that’s a direct result of their spell-casting. 

Injure your protagonist in some way, or push them into a treacherous scenario where they might not make it out alive. 

Have two side characters who are both close to the protagonist get into a literal fist-fight. This creates tension for the reader, especially if these characters are well-developed, because they won’t know who to root for.

Make your protagonist get lost somewhere (at night in the middle of town, in the woods, in someone else’s house, etc.) 

Involve a murder. It can be as in-depth and as important as you want it to be. 

Introduce a new character that seems to prey on your protagonist’s flaws and bring them out to light.

If it’s in-character, have one of your characters get drunk or take drugs. Show the fallout of that decision through your protagonist. 

Spread a rumor about your protagonist. 

If your protagonist is in high-school, create drama in the school atmosphere. A death of a student, even if your protagonist didn’t know them personally, changes the vibe. 

If your story involves children, have one of them do something dangerous (touch a hot stove, run out into the road, etc.) and show how the protagonist responds to this, even if the child isn’t related to them. 

In a fantasy story, toss out the idea of a rebellion or war between clans or villages (or whatever units you are working with). 

Add a scenario where your protagonist has to make a choice. We all have watched movies where we have screamed don’t go in there! at the top of our lungs at the main character. Make them go in there. 

Have your protagonist find something, even if they don’t understand the importance of it yet. A key, a document, an old stuffed animal, etc. 

Foreshadow later events in some way. (Need help? Ask me!)

Have your protagonist get involved in some sort of verbal altercation with someone else, even if they weren’t the one who started it. 

Let your protagonist get sick. No, but really, this happens in real life all the time and it’s rarely ever talked about in literature, unless it’s at its extremes. It could range from a common cold to pneumonia. Maybe they end up in the hospital because of it. Maybe they are unable to do that one thing (whatever that may be) because of it.

Have someone unexpected knock on your protagonist’s door. 

Introduce a character that takes immediate interest in your protagonist’s past, which might trigger a flashback.

Have your protagonist try to hide something from someone else and fail.

Formulate some sort of argument or dispute between your protagonist and their love interest to push them apart. 

Have your protagonist lose something of great value in their house and show their struggle to find it. This will frustrate the reader just as much as the protagonist.

Create a situation where your protagonist needs to sneak out in the middle of the night for some reason.

Prevent your character from getting home or to an important destination in some way (a car accident, a bad storm, flat tire, running out of gas, etc.)

[minervabellona69]

imma need this for when I’m stuck when I start Camp Nano

[daphne-wong]

At least right now I have a stable friendship with my crush. I mean we are still keeping in touch.

I still like him.

[thelastwritingofmysoul]

Writing Reminders

Keep something with you to write at all times! You never know when inspiration might strike and it’s always a terrible feeling when you forget an idea. Seize the moment!

Going off that point, write whenever you’re inspired and motivated! If your circumstances don’t permit it, at least try to jot down a quick summary of your thought.

Don’t worry about writing in chronological order! Write whatever you feel inspired or motivated to write before the moment’s gone.

Don’t be afraid of writing a “bad” first draft! You can always change things later. It’s best to get your ideas down first and revise later.

If you find yourself unable to write, look for inspiration on the Internet or in books. Draw some of your characters or settings, make mood boards, take personality tests as one of your OCs, etc. There are lots of activities you can do to get your creativity flowing.

Stay organized! If you’re anything like me, organization is the bane of your existence. However, be sure to keep all of your resources together in a spot you will remember later. This includes both digital and physical things you might have.

Make backups of your digital resources! I cannot stress this enough. Technology is wonderful but also unreliable: you never know when something might go wrong. Make lots of copies of things in case something gets deleted or lost. Better to be safe than sorry.

Don’t delete your work! Even if you think it’s the crappiest piece of work you’ve ever did, it’s still nice to keep a record of everything you create. You never know if you’ll one day need it. Even if you never do, perhaps one day you’ll look back at it and feel good about how much you’ve grown.

[the-writing-process]

Be cruel to your characters.

Let bad things happen to good people. Let your characters try and fail. And try again. And fail again. Let them be betrayed in the worst possible way. Let them betray others because they have no choice. Force them into situations that make them uncomfortable. Force them to argue or fight or bargain their way out. Drive them to the brink of insanity. Push them over the edge. Take everything away from them. Let them realize what they’ve lost.

Be kind to your characters.

Let faith and perseverance win out. Let love be enough. Let the Sun dry up the rain. Give them friends who will never leave. Let someone save them before the axe falls. Acquit them of false accusations. Give them the strength to stand up again. And again. When they’ve lost hope, give them something to believe in. Remind them there’s good in the world. Remind them there’s good in them, too. Surprise them. Make them laugh until they cry. Teach them that they can’t be broken.

Most importantly: balance.

Even the darkest tragedy has its moments of light; if your reader has no hope that things will get better, if your character doesn’t learn or become stronger for their suffering, the story becomes meaningless pain. Likewise, not only is it unrealistic for a character to go through life never encountering conflict or sadness, it’s boring. Not every conflict has to be life-or-death in order to be meaningful. Give your characters and your plots high points and lows; just make it real for them.

[daphne-wong]

Dear my crush, We might not studying in the same college or university. I want you to know that. You're the first boy that I've thought about marrying you. You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. You're the baby daddy I want for my future children. You're the person I want to sleep next to every single nights. I want you to be both my best friend and lover. I want to grow old with you. I want to do everything with you.

Thoughts that I don’t say out loud.

[daphne-wong]

My crush got me thinking of him when I was in a foreign city.

I’m hopelessly in love.

[letswritesomenovels]

HOW TO FINISH A DRAFT

Prepare yourself mentally

You’ll need to accept three things:

It won’t be the novel you have in your head.

It will be the worst novel anyone has ever written.

You can fix items 1 and 2 in the subsequent drafts. 

It’s easy to give up an idea when it looks like everything is going horribly. It’s easy to fall out of love with an idea when all the things you thought you loved about it aren’t showing up on the page. 

But let me tell you, this happens with so many books. They don’t pop out perfectly formed. To use an overwrought metaphor, if books were sculptures, writing the first draft would be mining the marble. You can chisel it down to that beautiful work of art later, but first you need to gather the raw material to work with.

 It probably won’t be pretty. It’ll be a great lump of words that may or may not form a coherent story. But that thing you want desperately? that story you can see so clearly inside your head? It will be in there somewhere. 

Make yourself accountable

It would be great if all writing a novel took was a strike of inspiration that could carry you over all 50k+ words. But for the majority of us, this isn’t the case. 

Your inspiration, your love of the idea alone, will not get you through this. 

It’s going to take blood and sweat and an astounding amount of perseverance. 

What will help more than any muse is accountability. A sense of responsibility and urgency to get this novel finished. 

Most of us need stakes and consequences. We need to be held accountable. This can take many forms. If you’re good at self motivation, you can hold yourself accountable. Make a plan of what you need to do to get the draft out, and hold yourself to it. 

If you need some external accountability, tell a friend your goals and send your work to them on a schedule. Join a writing group. Take part in NaNoWriMo. Tweet your goals and daily word counts. 

I’m in a writing master’s program. If I don’t write for weeks, I don’t have work to turn in to my manuscript tutor and that’s an unpleasant place for me to be. If I don’t write for months, I fail my course. As motivation goes, it can be stressful, but it helps me get words on the page. 

Start now

Do you want to write a novel? Right now. As you read this. Do you actually want to write a novel? If that answer is yes, start right now. Stop reading this (make sure to come back later to finish it, though.) Log off of tumblr and start writing. 

There are always going to be reasons why this, right now, is a Bad Time for you start. You have things to do, places to go, people to see. You have obligations and responsibilities. Life tip? That is never going to go away. It will always be a Bad Time to sit down and write a book. 

I’m a very slow writer, but I can train myself to write 800 words in 20 minutes if I want. If I wrote for 20 minutes every day, I could write a draft of a 50k novel in two months. That’s the same amount of time as the commercial breaks in an hour long tv show. If I watched an hour long tv show once a day and wrote during the commercials, I could write a 50k draft in two months. 

That’s nothing at all. 

I promise you, you have everything you need to sit down and start writing this very second. You have enough spare time in your day to finish a draft in a matter of months. 

If you really want to write that novel, there are no excuses. Start now. 

Keep Going

Remember how I told you that the first thing you have to do is prepare yourself mentally? Those are things you have to continually remind yourself as you write. 

It’s not going to be the novel in your head. 

It’s going to be the worst novel anyone has ever written. 

You’re going to have to accept these two horrible sentences as facts and keep going. 

At points, you’re going to hate your story. It’s going to be the very last thing you’ll want to waste your time on.

That’s fine. Believe it or not, that’s natural. 

Keep going. 

You’re going to want to change it. You might have a new idea for the beginning. You might decide on a new name for the main character halfway through. You might switch from past to present tense randomly. 

Those are all things you can fix in the second draft. 

Keep going. 

Your first draft doesn’t need to be coherent. It doesn’t need to be good. It just needs to be. 

You’re not trying to write the best novel ever. You’re not trying to write a good novel. Again, those are for the subsequent drafts. 

Now, your only goal is to reach the words: “The End.” 

Do whatever it takes to get to them. 

TIPS

Keep a notebook of ideas for revisions next to you while you write to help fight against the urge to go back and change things as you write. 

Use writeordie.com to kickstart your word count and writing speed if you’re having trouble getting things on the page. 

Take a look at my list of writers’ block aids. 

If you have the means, try one of Chris Baty’s draft writing kits.

[daphne-wong]

I think my crush had me the moment he kept his head down then he smiled and said, 'Nope'. when he was being asked whether I'm his girlfriend at the fitness talk he was taking me.

I will never forget that sweet smile of him.

[daphne-wong]

I can't believe I went out with my crush last night. He took me to a fitness talk. He came to pick me up. Now he knows better about where I live. I finally had a chance of sitting next to him in his car. I loved the moments when I was looking at him while he was talking and driving at the same time. We haven't seen each other in 46 days. He's still as handsome as always. We had only one moment of silence. It was fine and not awkward. He asked me a lot of questions about my recent life. I followed him as he led the way to the fitness center. We went in and sat down like we were a couple. Literally he's famous everywhere. People there have a nickname for him. He was by my side most of the time. I was new to the people and the environment. He came back as soon as he left. When they asked who I was, whether or not I'm his girlfriend. He kept his head down slowly then he smiled and said, 'Nope'. I swear to God. That was the sweetest moment of my life. I will never forget that sweet smile of him. Well, I may not be his current girlfriend yet but I will be in the future. They didn't buy it when he denied it. I was already feeling over the moon. He clearly has the perfect body shape. They all pushing him to be the next body coach. I was amazed and stunned that he's doing great in his life. Got me thinking how stuck I am with my life right now. On our way back, we did what we did earlier. Talking in the car. Once again. I grabbed the opportunity that I can to look at him while he had his eyes on the road. He drove me home like a boyfriend's duty. He texted me when he reached home. Hoped that I was enjoying my time there. I wanted to reply saying how much I loved  spending time with him. But, I didn't. After all of this, I was thinking that I wasn't good enough for him. Deep down, I know. If I join this fitness program or becoming fit, my award will be a better version of me. And he possibly might be the prize that I've ever wanted for the last one year and a half. I can see that he wanted to inspire me to become better, healthier and happier.  Owww, my crush influenced me to be the best of myself. I just realized we were wearing black T-shirts together. We are definitely soulmate.

My first outing with my crush. That one night on Jan 23rd.