Inklings Sprint

A place to do writing/productivity sprints Main blog @allisonreader

[inklings-sprint]

Inklings Sprint; what is it? (What is a productivity sprint?) And what will this look like. Dates and times to be determined, suggestions are welcome. (Though if you are suggesting a time and date, I will either need your time zone. Or for you to convert yours to Central Standard time. I’m Canadian, if you weren’t already aware, so location based, I’m currently the same time zone as Saskatchewan just to give a location based perspective for time zone. So I know that makes it hard for the Aussies and Kiwi’s out there. But hopefully I might be able to work out some time that might line up for you as well.)

Anyways…

What is a productivity sprint?

For those who are unfamiliar with this surprisingly helpful technique/tool/trick, let me explain a little bit more in depth for you. Productivity sprints consist of a series of short work periods followed by a short break. So each work period is the sprint part. Doing this with a partner or a group of people, means that during the break, we can share our progress with each other and give one another with encouragement, before going back to work. We keep each other accountable for getting work done. (I know this doesn’t necessarily work for everyone, but it definitely helps for me. Particularly even just to get started to focus in on writing.)

The Inklings Sprint and what it will look like.

So the Inklings Sprint is a series of productivity sprints that I will host. I’m hoping to plan three or four different times during the run of The Inklings Challenge of these. I've called it the Inklings Sprint, mainly because that's what I will be working on. I will be working on my Inkling's Challenge story; BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO. Anyone who wants to participate is free to. You can work on any October challenge that you want, house work, work work, school work, drawing, sewing, crafting, anything that YOU want to get done.

I will post a bunch of reminders leading up to the start of the Sprints. Always on this same post so that all the information is in the same place. So this might be one of those times that you might actually want to turn on notifications for a particular post. In the hour leading up to the start of the first sprint I will start a bit of a countdown until we start.

So the sprints will be in ten minute increments, looking something like this example below.

Start at 1pm sprint ends at 1:10, break for ten minutes and see how everyone is doing then;

Start next sprint and 1:20pm ends at 1:30

Break

Start 1:40pm ends 1:50

Break

Start 2pm ends 2:10

Going for however long we want to go.

🌻🌻🌻You do not have to start right at what the chosen start time is and if you join late, you could even decide to write on what I call the break. Also, staying to the end is not necessary. The sprints will run for an hour at the minimum and can keep going beyond that if we have time. It’s about what works best for you and being able to encourage each other.🌻🌻🌻

Also, in relation to giving an update, (if you choose to do so), it can be a word count, line count, something completely different, however you want to measure your progress. I highly recommend doing some form of this just so we know that you’re participating.

Another thing to add, is that you don’t need to wait for the break to end to get going again, if you find that the break is too long.

(Each update can either be by reblogging this post, or just in the notes.)

The important thing for this is to have fun and get some work done.

So look at your calendar and see what times that you might be available to try, let me know and I will try to slot something in that works for me and you. Most likely times will either be in the evening during the week for me, Saturday evening, maybe sometime on Sunday, but not likely with it being Sunday (but for you guys on the other side of the world, I might be able to do a later at night Sunday to give you a chance) and then Monday I’m typically off, so something might be able to be done throughout the day then. But again, give me dates and times and I can try to make up a bit of a schedule. (Changes can be made and altered as needed, but a basic schedule should be ready for Oct. 1 when the challenge begins.)

[luna-azzurra]

Writer confidence is not a thing you build and then have. It's a thing you have for about eleven minutes after writing something good and then it evaporates and you have to make more. There is no reservoir. There is no saving it up. You produce it fresh each time from scratch like some kind of emotional artisan bread and if you don't write for a few days you run out and have to start the whole process over again from flour.

[writingonesdreams]

How to coax the story out of your head

The key is to find the process that suits you. Duh.

This is actually way more complicated than it sounds and requires some serious autoethnographic exploration and empirical experimentation.

Remember, there are no wrong or right answers. Whatever works for you is the best method. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

Writing is serious work. Don't let others belittle that, they obviously don't understand how hard a commitment that is.

Writing requires time. Space. Quiet. No disturbtions. No obligations jumping out the corner.

Sacrifaces of things, easier things you would rather be doing. Visits. That new Netflix series. Scrolling through social media. Reading another writing advice book.

Don't strain yourself. Even if you are in the flow. If you do, you will power down, exhaust yourself and are less likely to start. Your brain will go all defensive and won't allow you to get back into something as straining again.

The hardest things for most people is to start. So don't fret about starting. Idea to try: surprise yourself with sudden jumping to the keyboard and writing. Don't overthink. Overthinking is paralyzing.

Perfectionism is more common in people than the opposite. Everyone wants to do it well. It's the enemy of creation, spontaneity and playfulness.

Let the pressure go woozh. Ideas: Write the worst thing you possibly can. Freewrite. Call it the shitty first draft. If that's too evaluative for you (it's for me anyway, brr) call it the Zero draft. The no pressure draft.

Listen. Redrafts are normal. They are the sign of professional writers. Students and people who don't know how to write go with their first drafts, all vulnerable and unpolished, because they have waited that long or can't look at it anymore or don't want to permit themselves to be mistaken.

Professional writers know there are at least 3 stages to every text. Zero draft where you play and create. Second draft, where you put things in order to make sense. Third draft, where you let out the perfectionist who fine tunes the details. (Use however many more drafts you need).

The edits don't mean it was necessarily bad or wrong. It means the wip could shine even more. Try seeing it as underlining, polishing, highlighting.

The first drafts don't have to be shitty. I'm personally not a fan of this saying, cause usually they contain the most magic. We should value our first drafts for what they are. Sweat and creation, collection of fun and work.

There are outliners and pantsers. They come in all shades in between. Most people use a mix of both, wandering somewhere on the spectrum.

Thing to try: Freewrite about your day before writing as a way to 1) clear your thoughts 2) get into the flow 3) warm up exercise 4) to get rid of the respect before the blank page. Cause you have, y'know, already written something today.

Some people like reading before writing. Sets your brain for words and sentences and nice phrases.

Many people use rituals of their choosing to set their brain into the writing mode. Specific drink, position, smell, place, time, music, reading a similar book, reading what you have written, rereading the outline or notes from last session, etc. This is how you can create a habit. This is how you can get inspired "on command". Trian your muse to show up, when it suits you.

Positive mindset and good mood are way more productive than negative one. Fear, stress, unease all hinder you. Try to have the most relaxed attitude you can. Positive associations with writing are crucial.

When it stops being fun, change something. Take a break. Find the problem and fix it.

Listen to yourself. Trust your brain to connect things and figure them out.

If you are blocked or writing feels too much like a chore, work on figuring out the why. Freewriting is (again, I know) a great way to do this. Let yourself write whatever crosses your mind. Follow your thoughts and see what comes out. Maybe you hate the scene you are writing. Maybe you have a plot point you only feel like you need to have there, but don't actually want there. Be honest and raw with yourself.

When you feel like something has to be there, it's usually just holding you back. Leave it out. Jump over it and come back to to reevaluate it later. It's your work, your story, your tastes. You have all the right in the world to include things you want there. Don't feel like you have to do anything you don't want to.

To try out: Montage writing. Write out of order. Put the things in order later. Jump with your thoughts to any scene/part you want. Put in brackets for things you will figure out/add later.

Lots of novels were created at "walks". This means the writers spend lots of time thinking about their story in detail while on long walks, and then just threw everything they figured out onto the page.

Quick drafting works well to get the most from intense focus on your story and writing it all down as fast as possible. Quick writing also helps to hinder the inner editor - the creep can't keep up if you write fast to keep up with your thoughts.

The speed is really individual though, depending on numerous factors, so don't compare yourself to others and listen to yourself instead.

Depending on your process, speed and care at the first stage, the first draft requires different levels of editing. Not all first drafts have to be shitty and not all of them require the same amount of rework. I repeat, first drafts don't have be shitty, first drafts don't have to be shitty...(the need for editing does not make it a requirement by any means!)

Writing is a physically difficult acitivy. It requires lots of sitting without movement. Don't underestimate the strain it puts on your body.

Writing is mentally exhausting. You literally create something out of nothing (the definition of magic). So be kind to yourself. Take breaks. Refill your creative well.

Writing advice masterlist

[writingonesdreams]

Why coax the story out of your head

You can't keep all that detailed info in your head all the time.

You owe it to yourself to have it recorded. In scenes. So you can read it and enjoy it for yourself for comfort in rainy days.

Cause wordcount goals and writing updates are so cool. They feel all professional.

Brag about having actually written.

Ticking off wordcounts, chapters, scenes and arcs feels very fulfilling. Like scratching things off from the to-do list. So good.

You will never learn what your writing weaknesses are. Then you can't join those cool sympathetic discussions with other writers about "yeah I always do that and I forget that stuff..."

You will also never get nice tips from the field how to manage that.

You can know all the theory you want, but you will never improve on those weaker things, if you don't know what they are.

You can give meta behind-the-scenes-info. Writing this made me feel xxx. Working on that chapter made my heart go all xxx.

Posting cool quotes and snippets out of your writing. VALIDATION

People can read and fall in love in the story with you. <3

Fans of the worlds and people inside your head!

Connection. Understanding. People who like your writing will likely have many common interests and tastes.

Finishing stuff is HUGE confidence boost.

No word is ever wasted, cause you are learning.

Rereading your story when you forget the details. Serisouly, worth millions.

Focus on the content, not on the style. Focus on what and not on the how. We are all natural storytellers with excellent practice in our heads. Use that. Be proud of that.

You probably won't notice the imperfections first. Enjoy it! It's perfect little baby. Once you notice them, celebrate! You have grown! You are a better writer now!

Experience. That pesky little thing you need with skills by, y'know, actually doing them.

Stories are the best way for the brain to transmit information. The most natural, enjoyable, easiest way. Human brains are wired for it. So the greatest way to explain your awesome world/characters/plot/themes? Show them through the story. In scenes.

Writing advice masterlist

Part 2: How to coax the story out of your head

[allisonreader]

I had such a good laugh about this. I hope that others find it as funny as I did.

[mud-foot-deactivated20170823]

i made a guide for ppl

[the-floral-skeleton]

I needed this, I’m planning on making one of my characters a traumatic amputee

[your-naked-magic-oh-dear-lord]

This is really rad, thank you. I’m writing a star wars oc who loses part of her leg in an accident and doesn’t handle it well. I definitely don’t want that fictional story to offend or upset actual amputees.

[fullest-circlest]

If you're writing 18th century dialogue, this website lets you search words and phrases to double-check whether they were in use & meant what you intend. It doesn't include every period-accurate use of a word/phrase, but it certainly helped me separate genuine 18th century grammar from the vague tangle of 💬old-fashioned fancy-speak💬 I've internalized from TV and video games.

[my-deer-friend]

Other websites that let you do this:

Johnson's Dictionary Online (thanks @yellowbelliedtoad!) – 1755 and 1773

Green's Dictionary of Slang – 1300s to today

A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – 1788

Feraud's Dictionaire critique de la langue française – 1778

[zisurru]

A dictionary of the English and Italian languages by Giuseppe Baretti is a bilingual dictionary from 1790!

[luna-azzurra]

Dialogue Beats & How People Actually Talk List!! 

𐙚⋆.˚ Trailing off mid-sentence and not finishing the thought 

𐙚⋆.˚ Answering a question with a question to buy time 

𐙚⋆.˚ Laughing before saying something painful 

𐙚⋆.˚ "I'm fine" said in twelve completely different ways 

𐙚⋆.˚ The pause before a name that carries a whole conversation in it 

𐙚⋆.˚ Repeating the last word someone said while processing 

𐙚⋆.˚ Starting a sentence three times before finishing it 

𐙚⋆.˚ Saying "no, yeah" vs. "yeah, no" (opposite meanings) 

𐙚⋆.˚ The overly casual voice when asking something they desperately care about 

𐙚⋆.˚ Talking faster when nervous, slower when trying to control the room 

𐙚⋆.˚ The subject change that's so obvious it becomes its own confession 

𐙚⋆.˚ "It's fine" vs. "It's fine" vs. "...it's fine" 

𐙚⋆.˚ Going very quiet and polite when actually at their most dangerous 

𐙚⋆.˚ Agreeing just to end the conversation 

𐙚⋆.˚ Using someone's full name vs. nickname as a power shift 

𐙚⋆.˚ Apologizing for things that aren't their fault out of habit 

𐙚⋆.˚ The "anyway—" that means I'm done being vulnerable now 

𐙚⋆.˚ Jokes as deflection (always) 

𐙚⋆.˚ Saying the brave thing, then immediately walking it back 

𐙚⋆.˚ The sentence that stops just before the word that would mean too much

[pantserspen]

How to Fix Underwriting

1. Slow down at emotionally important moments.

Big emotions need space to land. If a scene feels rushed, pause the plot briefly to show how the moment affects the character.

2. Add reactions, not explanations.

Instead of explaining what a character feels, show it through physical responses, hesitation, or small actions that reveal emotion naturally.

3. Ground every scene in the senses.

If a scene feels thin, add one or two sensory details—sound, texture, smell, or temperature—to make the moment feel lived-in.

4. Let thoughts interrupt action.

A line of internal thought can deepen a scene without slowing it too much. Thoughts show stakes, fear, longing, or conflict beneath the action.

5. Expand consequences, not events.

You don’t need more things to happen—you need to show what matters. Focus on how events change relationships, decisions, or self-perception.

6. Strengthen setting where emotion peaks.

The environment should echo or contrast the emotion of the scene. Setting is not decoration—it’s emotional reinforcement.

7. Add specific details instead of general ones.

Underwriting often relies on vague language. Swap “they argued” for one sharp line of dialogue or a specific breaking point.

8. Let dialogue breathe.

Short dialogue exchanges without pauses can feel flat. Add beats—silence, gestures, interruptions—to give the conversation weight.

9. Show transitions between scenes.

If scenes jump too quickly, readers feel disoriented. A brief transition helps establish time, mood, and emotional continuity.

10. Clarify stakes early in the scene.

If readers don’t know what can be lost, scenes feel empty. Make sure the character wants something specific and fears losing it.

11. Use the “what are they feeling right now?” check.

After each major beat, ask what emotion is dominant in that moment. If it’s missing on the page, the scene is likely underwritten.

12. Expand scenes that feel “too clean.”

If a scene resolves too neatly or quickly, it probably needs more tension. Messy emotions and unresolved feelings add depth.

[nondelphic]

writing is so simple. all you need is an idea, a plan, time, energy, discipline, emotional resilience, and the ability to make decisions without spiraling

[veronicaleighauthor]

[stonelionhearts]

sometimes i wonder if we have forgotten that sharing creative work is, fundamentally, a bid for human connection. like I'm not posting art or fic for 'engagement' i'm posting it looking for other sickos to play with! i'd be making it anyway for my own gratification because there's something wrong with me, i'm sharing it hoping we can have something wrong with us together <3

[writingwithoutconfidence]

More Writing Tips

Alright, Tumblr writers. Sit down. Drink some water. I’m back with more writing tips I learned the hard way, usually at 2am while questioning every life choice I’ve ever made. Take what helps. Leave what doesn’t. Argue with me in the comments if you must.

1. Your tone doesn’t have to stay consistent to be good. You can be funny and devastating. Soft and brutal. Whiplash is sometimes the point. Life doesn’t stick to one genre — your writing doesn’t have to either.

2. Trauma shouldn’t only explain behaviour; complicate it. If a backstory only makes a character quieter, sadder, or “stronger,” it’s underused. Trauma creates contradictions: wanting closeness but flinching from it, craving stability but sabotaging it. That tension is the point.

3. If you’re exhausted by your own story, take that seriously. Burnout while writing isn’t a sign that your story is bad — it’s usually a sign that something is off in the process. You might be editing while drafting, forcing the plot to go somewhere it doesn’t want to, or circling the same emotional beat without letting it change. Before you delete anything or decide you “hate” the story, step back. Distance fixes more drafts than starting over ever will.

4. If you suddenly lose all motivation halfway through a scene, don’t push — jump. That drop usually happens right before an emotional beat you haven’t figured out yet. Instead of forcing filler, jump past it. Write the aftermath. Write the reaction. Once you know where the scene lands, going back to fill in the middle is way easier.

5. Don't be afraid to kill your darlings. Sometimes, you write a line or a scene that you love, but it doesn't fit the story. It's okay to cut it. Maybe it can be used elsewhere, or maybe it just needed to be written to get you to the next part. Your story will be stronger for it. But make sure to save it somewhere else for later.

6. Let characters surprise you. Sometimes, a character will do something unexpected. Don't fight it. Let them surprise you. Maybe they'll reveal a hidden side or take the story in a new direction. Trust your characters—they might know where they're going better than you do.

7. If your dialogue sounds stiff, check how the character answers. Real people dodge, deflect, misunderstand, and answer questions with different questions. If one character asks something important and the other responds clearly and honestly on the first try, it can feel fake. Add friction. Let them avoid the point. That’s usually where the tension lives.

8. If you get a sudden burst of inspiration for a totally different scene, write it immediately. Don’t worry about continuity. Don’t worry about spoilers. Don’t worry about “doing it out of order.” That excitement is your brain handing you something important. You can always stitch it in later — you can’t always get the feeling back.

9. If you ever catch yourself thinking, “I should probably explain this,” pause. That urge usually shows up right after you’ve written something subtle and start worrying the reader won’t get it. Before you add explanation, ask: is the clue there? If the emotion, action, or detail already points in the right direction, trust it. Over-explaining often flattens moments that were already working.

10. If you don’t know how to start a scene, start a few seconds late. Writers often open scenes too early — characters entering rooms, greeting each other, settling in. Skip that. Start where something is already happening: mid-conversation, mid-thought, mid-tension. Readers will catch up faster than you think. (A LOT of my writing starts like this, but lots of people like it... so it works I guess.)

11. If you write your main character as “normal,” don’t abandon that the second they're thrown in a difficult situation. If you establish a character as ordinary — awkward, untrained, unsure — they shouldn’t suddenly start moving smoother, or reacting like a seasoned fighter the moment things get hard. Stress doesn’t usually make people cooler or more competent; it makes them messier. If you want them to survive a difficult situation, let it be through panic, luck, instinct, help from others, or small, clumsy decisions. The moment they act like a different person, they stop feeling real — and readers will notice.

12. If your redemption arc starts with instant forgiveness, it isn’t redemption. Redemption requires effort, discomfort, and time. The character should change before they’re accepted again — not after. Forgiveness is a result, not a starting point. Saying the character did some bad things but the second they apologise everything is forgiven (or to an extent) not only sounds unrealistic, but simple too.

-

Okay, that’s it. No more tips. I’ve run out of wisdom and it’s past the hour where good decisions are made.

If even one of these made you go, “oh. that explains a lot actually,” then this post did its job. You don’t have to use all of them. You don’t have to agree with me. Writing isn’t a checklist — it’s trial and error and accidentally discovering your best scenes while doing something “wrong.”

So write out of order. Let the tone shift. Let your characters be complicated and a little inconvenient. Skip the boring parts. Trust the moment before you explain it to death.

And if your draft feels messy or unfinished or emotionally confusing?

Good. That usually means you’re close.

Go write something that surprises you. Something that hurts a little. Something you’ll reread later and realise you were braver than you thought.

You’re not doing it wrong.

You’re writing.

by writingwithoutconfidence (you all make me more confident <3)

Writing Tips

My Writing (very long though)

Writing (certain) Situations and Tropes

[awesomebutunpractical]

steps to make character

Take standard character trope

Add a contradiction

Take one part of their personality, preferably not contradiction, instead of balance, weigh everything in them towards that.

Choose something they want, then something they value. Pick which one they'll chase over the other.

Give them friends. Preferably enemies.

Shake vigorously.

[coelasquid]

Sometimes we’re unsatisfied with a thing we made because when it only existed in our head, we saw all the things it could have been and when it’s done we know all the things that it isn’t, but we can’t see the way it expands into a million new things when someone else unpacks it in their head.

[morningmightcomebyaccident]

Replied to a recent comment on a fic that I wrote years ago and then took the time to revisit previous comments and I say this with complete sincerity:

Leaving a comment on a fic provides compounding delight. Authors will love initially receiving a comment, will love later recalling this and that particular aspect of a comment, and they will love rereading comments and being reminded how readers enjoyed the work.

Comments are not a one-time act of kindness and consideration. They keep giving.

Thank you to those who take the time to give a nice word, describe an excited reaction, point out favorite parts, and generally let it be known that not only has the work been read but it had some effect. :)

[bundibird]

One of the best and most helpful things anyone ever said to me was: Don’t advertise your mistakes.

You will often notice when you’ve made an error, or when there’s something you could have done better, or etc, and sometimes other people will notice too. But often, they won’t. So don’t point it out.

It’s really a sign of a lack of self confidence – you think that if you point out the error first, it will save someone else from having to point it out for you. That by being self-depreciating, no one else will feel obliged to point out your flaws.

But here’s the thing. People don’t notice jack shit, most of the time. Sure, yeah, sometimes you’ll fuck up and people will notice and mention it, and thats fine, but 95% of your errors will go unnoticed. Unless you choose to point them out, in which case, you ensure that 100% of your errors get noticed.

The above sentence was said to me during a dance rehearsal. I’m not a pro dancer by any stretch of the imagination – this was a fun little between-friends dance that we were going to perform at a medium sized function full of people we knew. Half the people in the group did have dance experience, which made me - a non-dancer - feel self concious. So every time I messed up the steps, I would laugh at myself or made an “agh” sound or be verbally frustrated with myself that I was struggling to get that move, or whatever. Which drew peoples attention to the fact that I’d made an error.

There were like 10 of us doing this dance; me missing one step went largely unnoticed in the scheme of things, because with ten of us, anyone watching the dance had so much to look at that the likelihood of them seeing me misstep was extremely low. Unless I made a big deal about it, which would draw their attention to me, and ensure that they were made aware.

I used to point out my mistakes all the time. Not just with the dance, but across the board in general life, too. “Agh, whoops,” or handing over a completed project like “I know I could have done [thing] better, but hopefully the rest is ok,” or whatever. People were often frustrated with me, and I feel, in hindsight, that they were frustrated with me because in their eyes, with me constantly highlighting my own errors, they knew I could do better but instead here I was, giving them a shoddy, half-assed, error-filled effort. By me pointing out my every mistake, they were aware of how many I was making, and they were frustrated by my seemingly endless errors.

Then I got told to “stop advertising your mistakes,” and it was a bit of a revelation moment for me. I made a concious effort that day to minimise my reaction to my own mistakes – for the rest of the rehearsal and into the final performance – and you know what happened??

After the performance, countless people said some iteration of the phrase, “I didn’t know you could dance!!”

They thought I was a dancer. That I’d been dancing for years. They hadn’t noticed any of my missteps.

I messed up multiple times during the final performance. If I watch the recording and focus on me, I can see my missed steps, the time I span clockwise on the spot instead of anticlockwise, the time I was slightly out of alignment with the other dancers, etc. But if I watch the dance as a whole, watching all 10 dancers instead of just me….. I dont notice the mistakes I made. They blend in. Theres too much other stuff going on for anyone to notice the one dancer who spun on the spot in the opposite direction to everyone else.

And everyone thought i was brilliant. All I noticed, while dancing, were my mistakes, but no one else saw them, and everyone who saw the dance was super impressed with it and with me. That would not have been the case had I reacted to every one of my errors as I’d made them.

So I took that concept and applied it to the rest of my life. And you know what???? People were less frustrated with me. Because they weren’t noticing my minor errors, and I wasn’t pointing them out any more, so from their perspective, it looked like my output had improved. It looked like I was making “less errors.” I wasn’t, its just that before, I was pointing every one of them out, and now, I was letting people notice them on their own. And they didnt notice them.

You are always going to be hyperaware of yourself and your own mistakes, but other people are way too distracted by their own crap and have too much other stuff drawing their attention to notice your every misstep. So stop pointing your mistakes out. Stop being your own worst critic. Everyone fucks up now and then, its fine. You fix the error if you can, and you move on. You dont have to pre-empt someone else pointing out your mistakes, because its extremely likely that they wont notice your errors. Unless you point them out.

So stop advertising your mistakes, people.

[bundibird]

@androfembot has a great additional point!!