Inky Nothings

Side blog to this aesthetic blog. Writeblr. My name is Sy. Robyn; I'm a mother, adventurer, dreamer, creater and destroyer of worlds. My Website/Main Blog My Drablr

[inkynothings]

me: i hate clichés

author: the title of the novel and the final line are one and the same

me, losing my shit: the title of the novel and the final line are one and the same

[headspace-hotel]

I really wish fantasy authors on an “apply realistic biology to fantastical creatures” kick would focus literally anywhere else than they already do.

Like...people aren’t going to complain that your dragons fly or breathe fire. You don’t have to come up with some bullshit about sacs of gases or something. People accept dragons because they are badass.

Arguably trying to explain something so iconic and widely accepted makes things worse, because by coming up with an explanation for dragon flight, you’re drawing attention to the fact that it doesn’t work by real world rules. When we’d rather just not think about it because dragons are badass. Also half the time you start pointing out your lack of understanding of biology by your explanation. Just a bad time all around.

Like if you’re going to do the real world biology thing, do it in a way that shows you’re incorporating real world biology into the design of your creature instead of making an ad hoc rationalization for an already heavily established quality of a creature. We don’t need that! Make your creatures feel more real and make more sense as creatures.

for example: think about what colors/patterns would make sense for your dragon, think about its lifestyle and what kind of specific traits it could have that help it be successful, think about how it fits in with its ecosystem...

if you decide you want to have a species of wolf-sized dragons with stripes that hunt in packs, and have reasons for why it has those qualities based on real life animals, that’s incorporating real world biology in an interesting way that builds upon the concept of a dragon. You started with a dragon and thought, what could a dragon with x habitat, y social structure, and so on, be like in reality?

But EVERY TIME someone wants to apply realistic biology to mythical animals they just end up retroactively coming up with overly complicated justifications for the stereotypical core qualities of the creature. Why can’t you people ask “What would a dragon be like if it lived here, did this?” Instead of “Why and how would a dragon be red, breathe fire, be enormous, live in a cave, hoard treasure...” for once????

[bookeworm94-deactivated20200223]

Search for treasures in book sales, libraries, and used bookstores. Look for the worn pages and shabby covers. They’ll speak the loudest.

[emijott-deactivated20250911]

xxemijott©2019

[cubitumm-eamuss]

i’ve been having sympathy pains for a character i killed off earlier. i killed the character off over 12 hours ago and i’m still in physical pain. i gave him a concussion and injected a syringe full of air into the vein in the spot between his toes (because that mimics a heart attack) and the spot between my toes has been in pain for a solid half-day now. being a writer, amiright?

[writingdotcoffee]

“The first duty of the novelist is to entertain. It is a moral duty. People who read your books are sick, sad, travelling, in the hospital waiting room while someone is dying. Books are written by the alone for the alone.”

— Donna Tartt

[morsmordre-is-writing]

It is slowly approaching… 

[callitgoodwriting-deactivated20]

Naming Chapters

I personally think naming chapters beyond the standard “1”/ “I”/“One” is an art we lose after middle school chapter books. And while I do think the minimal numbering fits certain books, I also think detailed chapter names fit others. So how do you name a chapter (and how do you know if it fits your story)?

1. Chapter names can be much longer and break the more strict nature of book titles

Chapter names can be a single word all the way up to a full sentence while still being manageable. They also don’t have to be as catchy or marketable as a book title. This means you have tons more freedom in the name. Which is really fun. 

2. How to Name a Chapter

What kind of tone the chapter title evokes is important. It doesn’t have to match the overall tone, but it should mirror the one within the chapter. Just like the book title, you’re telling your readers what to expect. Here are some ways to find a chapter name (P.S. All the examples are made up):

Within the text

Ex. The sentence  “The morning was awash with simple pleasures.” can turn into the title “Awash with Simple Pleasures”

Name of a side character who gets their moment in the chapter

Ex. “About Emily”

A question the reader and/or MC may have about their circumstances

Ex. “What Do You Do When the World Ends?”

A chapter’s motif 

Ex. If the chapter revolves around a character getting the MC a pearl necklace, the title could be “Pearls”, “A Girl’s Best Friend”, etc.

An allusion

This could really be anything. Some of the most common allusions refer to Shakespeare, mythology, old songs, famous poems, and classic literary works. Of course, you could make an allusion to something niche (or otherwise unknown) that relates directly to the story.

Ex. “Et tu, Brute?” (referring to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar) could a title after the reveal of a betrayal

An utterance

Anything your MC would think or say, given the opportunity to break the 4th wall, bridges the gap between character and reader a little. It’s not something they’ve said to anyone in the story. And it has an air of self-awareness.

Ex. “So This is Where We Are Now”, “This Wasn’t Supposed to Happen”

Foreshadowing

Use this sparingly and carefully, but you can plant clues and things similar in nature in the title

Ex. The chapter ends with the abrupt murder of a character using a coffee pot that was previously inconspicuous. The tile is “Coffee Pot”.

3. The “Other” Kind of Chapter (AKA The Part)

There are two main ways to split up a novel. The chapter and the part. Chapters are usually a given and can work concurrently with the story also being split into parts. If you read The Hunger Games, among many others, you’ve seen this in practice.

The parts of a novel are usually in 3s. This can (indirectly or inexplicitly) mark beginning/middle/end or childhood/adulthood/elderhood. Or it can mark more story-specific events, like The Hunger Games and its sequels. You mostly see this in sci-fi/fantasy novels, but they can go anywhere. 

The titles of these parts are usually short and correlate with each other (similarly to how book titles in series can correlate). 

Ex. “The Dawn”, “The Day”, “The Dusk”

Ex.  “Spark”, “Flame”, “Wildfire”

Ex. “The Test”, “The Proof”, “The Job” 

Ex. “4″, “16″, “25″

Where you place these divisions is up to you. It works best if it feels natural and fits in well with the pacing. You can plot your story around these parts, or add them in later. Either way, whether they work or not is going to be subjective and you might need beta readers/a critique partner to help you out. 

4. So, is it right for my story?

That’s totally up to you and all I can really give you for an answer is my opinion. I think chapter titles are a given for stories with a comedic tone. There’s an easy sense of irreverence or goofiness that comes with it when used right.

Other stories can be tricky, though. I think unless your story is super serious (like a thriller), you can effectively use chapter titling. With serious stories, it might be a bit more tricky to maintain the stricter tone with title, but it’s accomplishable.

And of course, you don’t have to add titling. Sometimes the minimalistic nature of  “One”/”I”/”1” fits a story better than any other title could.

If you feel so inclined to title your chapters, it can add a whole new layer of mechanics to better tell and represent your story that you can experiment with. And if you don’t feel inclined, don’t worry about it! It’s a personal choice, not something you’re missing out on. And isn’t that what your writing is? Your own style based on what you do and don’t add?

[michaelbjorkwrites]

Editing your story isn't about fixing mistakes.

We often think of the editing process as fixing what’s wrong with our stories. But that’s not what revision is about.

Yes, we cut and edit and proof, but the purpose of all that work isn’t just to get rid of what’s failing. It’s to bring out what’s working — finding those moments of fire, where your story leaps from the page, and spreading that fire across the rest of your story.

The end goal of revision isn’t fixing. It’s animating. Invigorating. Igniting.

It’s about taking a spark, and making a wildfire.

— — —

For tips on crafting theme, meaning, and character-driven plots, check out the rest of my blog.

[captainmera]

trying to get your story together like:

[captainmera]

Explaining your story to a willing ear:

[captainmera]

“I really like your story! is there more?”

[captainmera]

“I like this character, is there more about them?”

[captainmera]

When they ask “What happens next?” and you haven’t figured it out yet.

[captainmera]

When you have figured things out but you haven’t written/drawn anything yet, and trying to figure out how to:

[captainmera]

When you only write and draw things out of order and everything remains in the drafting stage:

[therainsoakedwriter]

It took me forever to get the hang of starting scenes. Save yourself some time.

(Credit in Pic)

[valtsv]

you know how it is. different circus, same clowns.

[therestlessforest]

Me, creating a new WIP with the same core six character types

[writingdotcoffee]

“So long as you write it away regularly nothing can really hurt you.”

— Shirley Jackson

[writingdotcoffee]

“As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand.”

— Ernest Hemingway

[wordsnstuff]

“Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.”

— Virginia Woolf

[writingdotcoffee]

“In the country of the story the writer is king.”

— Shirley Jackson

[beanenigma]

You know a trope that makes me SO mad???

Expendable. Guards. 

This is just stupid. This is just lazy storytelling. It’s so ingrained in us that we hardly ever notice. It goes like this: 

He’s the Hero. She’s the Heroin. They’re a team! They’re the good guys! Even after all the villain has done, they hesitate killing them! Because they’re so good!!! 

Except they killed like 16 guards on the way there. 

If you notice on cartoons and series, guards often have helmets to hide their faces. They’re depersonified so it’s okay when they get killed off. The most competent one is always the leader and it has a completely different look from the rest.

Sometimes, it doesn’t even make sense for them to be there. Sometimes the villain is just playing decoy, sometimes the villain is very much capable of handling themselves. 

Also, when was the last time guards actually caught the heroes except when they were hurt or when they meant to be captured? Don’t the villains hire strong or skilled people? Don’t the villains train the guards themselves or hire people for the training? What would you need to become a guard? Is it different than becoming a goon? 

How to change it up? 

Remember the Thanos “I don’t even know who you are” line? That hurt, right? Have a character that is the child or the spouse of a guard that you killed off in a line. They’re seeking revenge, their life is ruined. But the hero doesn’t even remember doing it… Have the heroes face the consequences of their actions!!!

Have competent guards. They’re called security for a reason. Allow them to do their job and secure the place. 

If your character has killing scruples, carry that through, be consistent. Have they have scruples all along.