Thoughts of a Bibliophile

I'm a 26 year old autistic woman, who has decided to write a high fantasy series inspired by a song which will have two spin off series, one being a sci fi/fantasy and the other being an urban fantasy

[j-r-eirian]

A brief extract from book one of The Legend of Makenzie Blackhart (none as the Blackhart series for short). It is part of chapter 5. A play is being performed depicting the story of the birth of the Dire Wolf Guardian.

The tale starts with a Demon cursing a man to become a wolf the size of a Dragon. This wolf went on a rampage, killing everything that crossed his path. With so much dark magic coursing through his veins, the wolf healed quickly from every wound the brave inflicted.

Eventually, a group of eight Dragons and their riders took arms against the beast. The battle was fierce and by the time the wolf fell, all the Dragons were dealt fatal blows and soon followed it into the Fade. Their Guardians, frozen by grief, stayed by their fallen partners for a whole week.

In a rough circle around the wolfs body, they remained for eight days and nights, not even noticing the golden fox who watched them, until she stepped into their midst. Shining like a sunbeam, her eight tails twitched and curled, drinking in the light of the coming dawn.

In a bright flash, the fox transformed into a beautiful woman. Her red hair brushed against the ground and was the only thing that obscured her nakedness. She looked around them with pity before stating that she would grant them a wish, if they could all agree on something they wanted.

Without consultation, the distraught Guardians spoke in unison. They wanted their Dragons back. The woman replied that she could not raise the dead and to make a different request.

The Guardians gathered and after some debate, the eldest amongst them told the woman that they simply wished for their suffering to end.

The woman smiled before walking to the corpse of the man once called Fenrir. Even in death, his curse remained. She reached deep within the wolfs gaping chest and pulled out his heart.

Once in her hand, the still organ glowed and Fenrirs body melted into the ground. In its place spouted a grove of moon lilies.

When she ate the heart, the bodies of the fallen Dragons likewise melted away. In each spot, pulled from the earth by invisible hands, emerged eight new born wolf pups. As their pitiful cries filled the air, the Guardians returned to the places their Dragons had lain. As each pup was lifted from the ground, the Guardians cried tears of joy where there had only been sorrow.

As if called by the pups cries, two she-wolves emerged from the lilies and the woman gave the gathered Guardians these instructions; "These wolves will nurse four pups a piece. Upon their weaning, beneath a full moon, the lilies will come into bloom.

Give a drop of their nector to each wolf for every full moon of their first year. Do this and they will grow large enough to carry you as your Dragons did.

When you are Joined, work to repair the damage their Sire has wrought. When this is done, go out and guard this land as you have done before, defending the innocent".

The Guardians did as they were bid and the wolves grew as she had promised, though not as large as the Dragons they had come to replace. These wolves were named Dire Wolves and they, along with their Guardians, became the founders of the Dire Wolf Tribes.

[rhainintheattic]

Hey writing peoples! Does anyone have tips on writing series bc I have an idea, it's just I have a terrible time seeing it through

[j-r-eirian]

As someone who has started so many things and hardly finished any, I feel this.

When I came up with the idea for my Blackhart series, I was terrified. It took me a year of planning and worldbuilding to even get to the point I felt confident to start writing the first draft of the first book. But there was one important thing I did that I think will hold me in good stead.

With a different series, I have the first 5 books plotted out but I've yet to decide an ending. With the Blackhart series, I haven't dome this and only intend to plan each book as it comes up. Instead, I have specific events that I want to occur throughout the whole series and all I need to do is find ways of stringing these events together.

However, I planned two things in intimate detail: the beginning of the first book, and the ending of the last (which I estimate will be either book 7 or book 8).

I always know how to start things off but I never knew how to end them so I would just abandon stories part way through. With this, I have a goal, a very specific one. I know how this will end. The journey is what will be important for the Blackhart series. The ending however, will signify the start of a new set of stories (The Blackhart series has two series that will offshoot from it upon its completion).

I may be being overly ambitious but I know it's a good story, because if someone else wrote it, I'd be reading the hell out of it.

[serethereal]

when you know exactly how you want a scene to go but as soon as you sit down to write it you are suddenly staring at some of the worst sentences mankind has ever strung together.

[sleepyowlwrites]

you have to talk it to yourself out loud so many times and often while doing household chores for some reason that you end up memorizing whole chunks of dialogue and you know how everyone in the scene moves and so then when you go to write it you're just taking down dictation

that or write it out by hand and sharpen the sentences when you write it up

I've done this for every single wip

[blue-kyber]

Why does it flow like water in my head, yet run like sludge when I try to write it????

[sleepyowlwrites]

in your head you make a million micro-adjustments without fully realizing it but when you're writing you have to actually backspace and retype, which draws your attention away from the end of the sentence to just that one word you now don't like

not that I thought you were seriously asking

[j-r-eirian]

This is why I'm writing my first draft by hand, so that if at any point that I'm working on it and I can't right to my best (for whatever reason, like being ill, tired or not really in the mood) I can add notes in the margins or sticky notes.

Little reminders of things I've forgotten to add while I was in the moment. Or a prompt to do better. Sometimes a pat on the back. Or even things that I've thought about when I've stepped away, or even questions that I'll need to answer, either for the storyline or worldbuilding. Like reminding myself to make a calender, or that I need to have them buying fabric for dresses in the first chapter rather than actually buying dresses.

It's a big help because when I go back to make my first edit, all those little things I need to change or add will be prompted at the very places I'm gonna need, rather than randomly scribbled in a notebook (not that that isn't the case too).

You don't always have too have it written down the perfect way it's in your head, even though thinking your scenes through beforehand isn't an essential thing to do. But you'll never be able to write it down that exact same way cause details will bleed away the moment you sit down to write. However, those points/lines will probably come back after the moment has passed and being able to stick them in the margins will work wonders upon the rewrite.

[perpetual-stories]

How to Write an Action Scene

Happy Thursday everyone! I decided to work on a different post today and take a break from posting literally essential devices.

Today this post will be all about action scenes and how to write them.

Let's get to it!

4 Types of Fight Scenes

First we need to learn that there are various types of fighting styles or rather common fighting scenes that we see in the media and in writing.

Fight scenes can take on many iterations, but most fall into one of four categories:

Hand-to-hand combat: These fight scenes focus on the abilities and limitations of the human body. Boxing matches, martial arts battles, and straight up brawls between the good guy and the bad guy all fit this category. While there’s more to these films than mere fist fights, they’re nonetheless remembered for the fighting styles they showcase.

Fights with weapons: Weapon-based fights date all the way back to classical theater. For instance, Shakespeare concludes Hamlet with a fatal sword fight between Prince Hamlet and the aggrieved Laertes. Contemporary fights often involve guns, and indeed nearly every action movie of the past several decades seems to involve a shootout of some sort.

Fights on the run: Many of the best fight scenes pass through multiple locations before reaching a climax. Think of Indiana Jones battling villains on a train or James Bond dispatching villains using all manners of cars, boats, and helicopters.

Fights involving superpowers: Many a great fight scene has functioned as a showcase for characters’ superpowers—from the superhuman strength of a main character to the shapeshifting menace of a supervillain. These fights can thrill audiences as they push the boundaries of possibility, but writers should take care to sculpt these scenes carefully and not let them devolve into a checklist of cool stunts.

The Challenges of Writing Action Sequences

The art of writing fight scenes involves two main challenges.

Technical writing style. Whether you’re writing descriptive paragraphs in a novel or stage directions in a script or screenplay, you must be able to articulate the fight you envision in your head without wearing down your reader with technical drivel. Balancing specific details of your action sequences with a propulsive story isn’t easy to do. Sometimes a great fight sequence doesn’t come together in a first draft, so focus your revisions on clarifying each action and providing vivid detail without besieging your reader with dull technical terms.

 Storytelling during fight scenes. Your fight scene has to be part of your overall narrative, not a diversion from it. The key elements of a good story—character development, rising conflict, and detailed worldbuilding—must not be abandoned just because a fight is happening. A great fight scene will flow seamlessly from the story that comes before it into the story that comes after it.

Remember the actual actions of fighting are quick and sudden movements and it is often best to portray that in your writing with quick, short sentences. Unless you feel the need to write lengthy sentences that is!

Tips on How to Write a Fight Scene

Plan fight scenes to logically fit with your overall story. Some amateur writers use fight scenes as irrelevant set pieces—fixed moments in a book or script that other plot elements center around. In the best writing, however, fight scenes serve the overall narrative, not the other way around. When evaluating a brawl or a battle showdown in your narrative, ask yourself: Does it move my story forward? Does its inclusion align with my main character’s motivations? Does the story naturally flow into and out of this brawl?

 Include some technical details, but not too many. When you’re putting a fight scene into a script, you’ll likely want to indicate some degree of choreography so that directors and actors can envision what you have in mind. Likewise, in a novel or short story, you’ll want your fight scenes to have specific detail so they stand out from the pack. At the same time, recognize that the way to a reader’s heart isn’t through minutia. It’s through long arcs in character and story. Bogging down a fight scene in technical details will distract from those arcs and disengage a reader.

 Write in first person to try something different. Most fight scenes are told in the third person by an omniscient narrator who can describe every detail from every character’s perspective. Omniscient narrators can be great for worldbuilding, but they’re standard issue when it comes to action scenes. By contrast, a first person narrator provides a visceral perspective on a fight. Which is more unique: a narrator telling you that a boxer gained the upper hand in a fight, or the boxer himself describing the sudden shift from imminent to defeat to looming victory? First person narration connects your story to real life and can promote a deeper level of investment from your reader.

Things to Consider When Writing Action Scenes

hand to hand combat are often quick sudden movements and can cause the characters to tire out faster, unless they have good training such as boxers, who know how to use their space, distance and energy wisely.

things can get messy! There will be blood and sweat. Remember these can get in the eyes and cause irritation ad prohibit the fighter from being at their best.

Contrary to beliefs, adrenaline will not always give you the boost you need. Sometimes it will inhibit you from moving or causing damage to your opponent. It can make the fighter shake, throw inaccurate punches, jabs, weapons, sorcery, etc. Sometimes the nerves get the best and prohibit the character from expelling spells from their hands/fingertips, wants or magic object.

Weapons can and will break. What will the characters do then?

If the character isn't the best at fighting, will they use objects around them to protect themselves? Will they fight or run (flight).

There you have it! Something different from what I have been posting.

Like, reblog and follow if you find these helpful!

[onwriting-hrarby]

On writing advice

Countless blogs. Countless articles. Books by great authors, books by mediocre authors, books by bad authors. Physical courses and online courses and tweets and Tumblrs all dedicated to: make you write better.

As if writing was a sole thing, a sole notion, a commonplace and designation for everyone in the world, the same. As if writing was a natural thing where all humans converge—immovable, static.

How restricting—how incredibly boring.

Their advice

I've been seeing a lot of Tumblrs and blogs creating masterlists about "How to write a scene between a villain and a hero", "How to write a kiss", "How to write an angry character". All of their tips sound as if there was something so exact about writing. They make us believe there's a sole way to do this, and this is how you should do it (disclaimer: I do believe in the reader's criticism, and I acknowledge these tips might be helpful for a lot of people, so if they are for you, it's all good! But bear in me for a little longer).

But writing is not something universal—rather, the universality of writing stems from its specificity of it. Writing pours out of our own experience, vision and caleidoscope of ideology, experiences and semantics, and reducing everything to simple tips feels, at least, misleading.

First, we can differ in characters. Why? Because everyone has had their fair share of experiences with people. If I want to write a villain that is nuanced, I should be able to do that; but if someone wants to write a villain that is plain "villainous", it doesn't mean that they are not doing it correctly.

We feel the appeal of literature because it shapes our world—and it does because we're shaping literature in return, too.

It doesn't make sense that everything should be written the same, because not everyone experiences the same, in the same parts of the world, with the same ideology. How I, the daughter of an ex-dictatorship country, might depict a dictator, might differ completely from the depiction of someone who hasn't lived in a dictatorship. Expecting everyone to write the same is not also reductive and unfreeing, but also completely privileged and biased.

Why writing advice is often privileged

I believe that those who write this advice come from the same place. And I do, myself, when I give advice on planning. We come from higher education, or access to literature, or even access to a computer. We come from places we can turn on our TV and watch series and learn about pacing, or watch some tropes, or feel some way or another about daily topics.

But literature is not only writing, and writing (as it often happens) is not always literature. To write literature, there must be something else (I'll refer to it as truth, and speak about it largely after). Sure, everyone can put down a thousand well-written words, making sense, even with metaphors, and dialogues. But is this really literature—if we regard literature as something that transcends the writing and shapes us?

Because, if we do regard writing as literature, what do we do about the people who have so much to tell, but not the privilege to tell their stories?

When we tell someone about "writing power dynamics", are we all understanding the same? What about a kid who has been raised in a household with power dynamics, but can't rebel, or society doesn't allow him to see that? What about people who, for example, are not taught that their story matters?

This is the problem of a single story, as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explains. And while I think we're progressing in this sense (more and more new, unheard voices in literature and the book publishing sector), I am still baffled by how we keep normalizing certain writing advice on how to write certain scenes, and certain tropes, as something you should regard in terms of writing. Because not all experience is the same, and therefore, the advice that some people claim as universal might differ.

Because everything is your own tradition

Everything is a fashion, and everything is tradition. My literary tradition might not be your tradition. When someone tells me that "stories can be told in a consecutive way, in media res or from the end", or any other advice on how to plot, this feels so simplistic to me. There is just not one way—there are hundreds of ways to begin a story and tell it.

You can begin my merging voices of the beginning, the in media res or the end of the story. You can put different adventures in the middle of the main plot—coming back to what happened, but not in a chronological way (the way The Odyssey does). You can begin in the middle of the action and never address what happened before (Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin; The Transformation by Franz Kafka)—so that the "story" that was "worth" being told is not the "story" that is actually being told.

Pacing: "be sure not to use a lot of commas. Use full stops when you want to speed things up", etc. How about you get the help of the music, as if writing was writing a partiture (the way Thomas Bernhard did)?

The three acts of writing: What about you do five, or four, or basically, concentrate your whole plot in just an event? You can focus your story in just a day (Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, Ulysses by James Joyce)—not caring about the plot altogether.

You can write characters that are already "evolved" by the beginning of the story (Humbert Humbert in Lolita), that will never evolve (Werther in The pains and sorrows of young Werther). And so on.

This is the great joy—and obvious mess—about writing.

The infinite possibilities allow us to explain a story that is completely ours. Even if what we are telling is similar to another person's, the scope of the story might change completely depending on the words you pick, the way you use dialogue—every single little decision.

Cover the basics

Of course, it doesn't mean that you should not cover the basics. Orthography, grammar, syntaxis, vocabulary—this all comes in handy. It is handy, especially for non-English native writing in English (aka me) to have posts that signal you the use of "" for dialogues, and how punctuation goes.

But don't let the rules constrict you, it's all I'm saying. People that gives this kind of advice are well read, and have really studied this, and maybe have even gone to grad school for that—but what they normally fail to mention is that maybe rules are there to be learnt, then bended when we need.

You just need to be mindful of how you're writing.

Of course you should learn how to write in in media res, because if you don't, maybe you won't know when or if you're doing it and the plotting might be a whole mess. And you can't pretend to write a character evolving without having learnt that characters evolve.

Just like how we are taught verb inflection in a language, but then when we're fluid, we totally miss it and bend it to adequate it to the talk in the streets—writing is finding your best channel to portray what you want. Maybe the writing advice doesn't work. It doesn't mean that you're not doing it right.

But what writing advice fails to say

And this is the thing that angers me the most—maybe the reason why I've decided to write all of this—is that they never tell you to read.

It infuriates me: read all my writing advice, but forbid you to read a book. Maybe it's the kind of thing that's happening everywhere—we gobble easy content, and it's undoubtedly easier to read a short article on writing than reading a novel of 500 pages.

But it will never be the same.

Because what you can get from reading (or even better, a re-reading) is your own interpretation of the literature you've been given, and there's nothing more powerful to understand yourself—therefore, to understand your motives, your aspirations, your topics as a writer—than seeing how you, as a reader, react to structures, plot, dialogue, character ideology.

Use all the writing advice you want, but your writing will lack truth if you don't read.

Because few people have this spark—this truth about them that makes a reading special. And trust me: I read a lot of manuscripts, very good written, decent in plot. But this is not all. There is something, and I can't quite explain it—a soul, a spark, maybe. It is the moment when you read something and go: "Ah". It's like sighing of relief, having your heart clenched, being absorbed by something—plot, style, whatever. It's that word that the author has used that is so unique in that context, like you feel that no one has ever used that before.

Some people have the craft and the truth but, to me, they are extremely rare. And it's always much better to have the truth than the craft—the craft, you need to learn, and that's more or less easy (you'll find a ton of articles, haven't we said?). But the truth takes years, even a lifetime, because we are in constant development—after all, never forget that even if we apply the best advice to our writing, we're still human: inherently flawed.

[writing-and-nutmeg]

Someone: hey, if you’re a writer, why don’t I ever see you writing?

Me, a writer who’s been daydreaming about three characters, two unwritten chapters, some scraps of dialogue, and a partial plot that still needs to be heated up in the microwave before it’s usable:

[xlifesultimatex]

so i'm tryna do a thing/writing help pls

i'm not gonna lie, i'm one of those people who start projects/coming up with stories and i never end up finishing them. but recently i've been trying to break that habit and finally do something.

i've been thinking about writing a book, probably a fantasy/romance type thing (you know, like princesses, princes, enby royalty and shiet like that, or something even similar to a dnd campaign, but like in legit novel form), but i have no idea where to start, do any writers (fanfic/professional/published/etc) have a clue as to where?

[j-r-eirian]

Ok, so, the project I'm working on is a high fantasy series. I'm not even through chapter one of my draft and yet in my head I know how the series begins, how it ends, and so many important things I want to happen in between.

I have a notebook filled with worldbuilding/character profiles/history and two maps. I have random lines written down, and so many sticky notes throughout those notes where I'm questioning things or changing things. Just the planning has taken a year and I've barely scratched the surface of this world I've made.

How did I come to end up doing this? It's all down to a song...

I was listening to songs for inspiration to do some artwork. When I listened to this one, I got more than I bargained for. Now it's a whole series with two spin off series in the same world/universe and I'm barely at the starting line but I know I want it to happen and if I'm lucky, I'll see this thing through to the end.

Why?

Because I've spent a year talking myself into and out off it, I've put it all down and picked it up and for the first time, I've found something I actually want to force myself to finish (I too have a problem with starting things and leaving them). I know that this is a story, that this is several series of stories, that if someone else had written them I would read the hell out of it.

So back to the song. What it inspired was a character and a setting with just a hint of a dark past and a glimpse of what the future might hold. And I've built everything from there.

It wasn't as simple as this and there's loads more to how I've got to this point but I won't bore you with details.

My point is, sometimes a vague idea is all that is needed, but to make it real to you, to make you want to find out how it's all gonna play out, you need to really be inspired. So look at pictures, listen to songs, find a spark to really ignite something inside yourself. But most importantly, create a character, or set of characters, that make you want to see their story through to the end, cause they'll be the ones that keep you up at night.

They'll be the ones that you sit their daydreaming about, getting you interested in their world and the troubles within it. It'll be them you end up spending so much time with as you try to figure this whole thing out, as you try to but all the pieces of the puzzle together.

I don't know if I'll make it all the way through but I know for damn sure that I'm gonna try and, I guess, that's what matters in the end.

Happy writing :)

[lord-of-the-prompts]

A LEGENDARY/MYTHOLOGICAL/SUPERNATURAL CREATURE LIST FOR WRITERS:

(Please note that while I have included a variety of creatures, there are many many others that I haven’t been able to mention here. Had I listed every legendary/mythological/supernatural creature, I’d probably still be writing this post because let’s face it, there are thousands of badass mythological beings. Please also note that there are quite a few creatures that overlap in various categories. I hope that you all enjoy reading and that this helps with your writing!)

Animals:

birds (bird people, caladrius, griffon, harpy, hippogriff, luan, phoenix, roc, sirin, strix, thunderbird.)

canines (amarok, cadejo, cerberus, fenrir, hellhound, werewolf.)

felines (demon cat, griffin, merlion, sphinx, tigris, underwater panther, white tiger.)

fish (hippocamp, undine, water spirit.)

primates (bigfoot, yeti, yowie.)

reptiles/serpents (basalisk, dragon, feathered serpent, hydra, loch ness monster, rainbow serpent, sea serpent, wyvern.)

Elements:

aether (angel, demon, devil, elemental, elf, fairy, nymph, spirit.)

darkness (black dog, bogeyman, ghost, grim reaper, hellhound, vampire, werewolf, wild hunt.)

earth/subterranean (dwarf, earth dragon, gargoyle, giant, gnome, goblin, hobbit, ogre, troll.)

fire (dragon, hellhound, phoenix.)

light/rainbow (light elf, rainbow serpent.)

metal/gold (griffin, gnome, leprechaun.)

thunder/lightning (chinese dragon, cyclops, thunderbird, valkyrie.)

water (chinese dragon, drindylow, loch ness monster, mermaid/merman, nymph, pisces, water dragon, water spirit.)

Habitat:

cave/underground (dwarf, european dragon, gnome, goblin, troll.)

celestial/heaven (angel, feathered serpent, pegasus, grim reaper, swan maiden, valkyrie.)

desert (amphisbaena, chupacabra, cockatrice, ghoul, oliphaunt, sphinx.)

woodland (bigfoot, elf, unicorn.)

lake/river (chinese dragon, hydra, kraken, nixie, lake monster, ondine, rainbow serpent, warlock.)

mountain/hill (dwarf, griffin, hippogriff, hobbit, mountain giant, yeti.)

sea (dragon king, fish people, leviathan, mermaid/merman, sea monster, sea serpent, shen, siren, water dragon.)

polar/ice/winter (abominable snowman, jotun, yeti.)

urban/house (banshee, boggart, jinn, vampire.)

underworld/hell (cerberus, cyclops, demon, devil, earth dragon.)

Humanoids:

human skinned (brownie, dwarf, elf, fairy, giant, gnome, gremlin, jinn, leprechaun, nix, nymph, pixie, siren, valkyrie, vampire, vetter.)

monster skinned (banshee, boggart, centaur, demon, ent, goblin, imp, manticore, mermaid/merman, orc, siren, sphinx, troll.)

monstrous (baba yaga, boogeyman, cyclops, gargoyle, ghoul, giant/giantess, goblin, hag, jotun, mummy, ogre, oni, orc, titan, troll, yeti, zombie.)

Hybrids:

part human (angel, centaur, fairy, faun, gorgon, harpy, horus, meduza, mandrake, manticore, mermaid/merman, minotaur, siren, sphinx, tenju, triton, winged genie, werecat, werewolf.)

non-human (basilisk, capricorn, cerberus, chimera, griffin, hippogriff, merlion, pegasus, typhon, wyvren.)

Shapeshifters: (animagus, demon, kelpie, merpeople, nix, werecat, werehyena, werejaguar, werewolf.)

Undead: (banshee, ghost, ghoul, frankenstein, headless horseman, mummy, poltergeist, skeleton, spirit, vampire, wraith, zombie.)

[keyboardandquill]

Figuring out your OC's 'voice' and physicality/characterization

I often struggle with creating distinct characters, so I came up with some questions about your OCs that I haven't seen in any other lists.

I recommend answering these for each character once you've already spent some time with them on the page.

What irks other people about the way they converse?

What kind of conversations do they usually have?

Are they a good listener?

How do they react to confrontation?

How do they react to being corrected?

How do they correct others?

Do they tend to speak in long sentences, short & clipped sentences, or somewhere in between?

How likely are they to heed social cues when talking to others?

How likely are they to use body language rather than words to express discomfort and other emotions?

Do they care more about getting their way, or more about how others feel?

What's their favourite skill?

What niche thing are they competent at?

What trait immediately draws them to other people?

What trait immediately repels them?

Even if they haven't met (or even if they're not even in the same universe!), what would your other OCs' first impression of them be?

What makes them angry?

What makes them sad?

What makes them happy?

What's their posture like?

How do they want others to see them?

How do they move through a room?

Do they prefer being barefoot, and if not, what kind of footwear do they usually like best?

What kind of climate do they prefer?

What would make them distrust somebody?

What would they consider the greatest betrayal?

[skeekjejejeheheehjwjw]

Screenwriting 101 — a guide for novice screenwriters

If you're completely new to screenwriting, start by reading screenplays. Study how they’re built, and how each scene is structured. If it's at all possible, try looking up the actual movie or TV-show of the script you're reading, and compare the script page to the scene on screen for a visual understanding of the structure.

You can find free scripts to read here, here and here. You can also Google [name of show/movie] script pdf, if there's a specific type of script you'd want to read.

For when you’re writing your script:

Visualize your scenes

Read your dialogue out loud, what reads good on paper might not translate the same when spoken

Act out your scenes!

Generally, not recommended to spend hours reading screenwriting articles. It's good to know what rules and/or techniques are out there, but it can get pretty overwhelming, especially if you're new. Learn the basics, study the format, and attempt to write a couple scenes. It's better to learn as you go!

Your screenplay (or at least the first two or three drafts) doesn't have to be written in chronological order. Think of it more as a puzzle, in which you piece your scenes together. Writing the ending, can also help you come up with a solution to a plot hole in the middle, for example.

More things to keep in mind:

Enter late, exit early

This is a key aspect to screenwriting, and perhaps the most important mindset to adapt. It’s a technique that forces you to focus on what’s crucial to include in a scene.

Here’s a few questions you can ask yourself to determine whether or not a certain action is crucial to the scene:

• Does it impact the plot? (Establish the world around you, introduce or prepare the relationship between two individuals?) • Does it add invaluable insight into a character’s motivations, goals or personality? • Does it make the scene more memorable? • Is it a payoff to an earlier scene or set-up for a future one? • Does the scene simply not work without it?

Even more things:

If your character's about to enter the kitchen, and your scene heading/slug line reads, INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT, there's no reason to write “’character enters the kitchen.” The scene heading already tells us our location (the kitchen). “Character enters” will suffice.

Example: you have a character, visiting their therapist’s office. Most of the time, there won't be any need for introductions or small-talk. Instead, start the scene by having your character sit on the sofa, already in deep conversation with their therapist. Cut out the chit-chat. Space is limited!

Screenwriting VS Writing a Novel

Remember, you’re much more limited writing a screenplay than you are writing a novel. Scripts need to be fast-paced:

You develop your characters through action and dialogue, as opposed to description and internal monologues. All, and any emotion have to come across in your characters actions, which have to be shown on screen, which leads us to another important point:

If something isn’t shown on screen, it doesn’t belong in the script! In your script, you only write down what is seen, or heard. Nothing else. That includes camera direction.

Action lines:

Action lines are exactly what they sound like: you describe what happens in the scene. Again, only what appears on screen, meaning — don’t write what your characters are thinking, or feeling. We can’t see their inner thoughts and feelings. Leave it to your actors to interpret the scene. You don’t need to direct them.

More on action lines:

Every paragraph of action lines should be between 1 to 4 lines long

Screenplays are written in present tense

Synonyms are important for an interesting read, and general rule is to avoid generic words (like walk) but less is still more. Don't go completely overboard with synonyms in each sentence you write

Parentheticals are used to communicate emotion, action or delivery within a script’s dialogue

Parentheticals can also be used to indicate a pause (beat) or (then) in a character’s dialogue, but use them sparingly.

You only imply tone when it can be misinterpreted (for example: it's a flirty atmosphere, but the character should be snarky when delivering a certain line)

What should be capitalized in a script:

Things that should ALWAYS be capitalized:

Character names above dialogue

Scene headings and slug lines

Transitions

Character extensions, such as V.O (voice-over) and O.S (off-screen)

Headlines and inserts

Always (and only) capitalize a character’s name when they are first introduced on screen/in the script (in your action lines)

Sounds are capitalized, as is anything important that you want to draw attention to, such as certain objects and visual effects.

Use sparingly, though! If something reads better without caps, don’t cap it. Your script should be easy to read more than anything.

More things to keep in mind:

General rule reads: 1 page equals about 1 minute of screentime. It’s a good rule in theory, but it's not always very accurate, and the runtime of your movie cannot be determined by the amount of pages in your script.

There's an on going debate whether to bold your scene headings or not. This is irrelevant, and not something that is going to affect your story. This is personal opinion only.

Visualize your scenes, read your dialogue out loud, enter late and exit early. Keep those things in mind at all times.

Starting your screenplay

When I start a new screenplay (and I have a general idea + scenes already written) I prefer to bullet point the following things:

If I had to summarize [the movie/episode] into two sentences…

Major or important scenes occurring throughout the movie/episode

What am I working towards? What happens at the end of the story? What has to occur in the movie for me to reach that point?

Character arcs: where do my characters start out? Where do I want them to end up? What obstacles do they have to face to reach that point? What can they teach each other? If two strangers are meeting, what impact do they have on each other?

What does your characters experience throughout the movie/episode? How will those experience change/affect them/the plot?

What are your characters goals? Not your goals for them. Those are not the same.

Things you should ask yourself:

How do I most effectively introduce my audience to this world, as well as its plot and characters? How do I hook my audience, making them want more? This is where enter late, exit early comes in handy. Use it!

As for writing scenes, I suggest you don’t bother writing things in chronological order (unless of course, that's what works best for you) Screenwriting is like a puzzle, you will have to turn, swirl and examine everything until it fits together.

It can be overwhelming, and confusing at first, but if you keep writing, without worrying about whether or not the scene will make the cut or not, eventually you’ll come across scenes that fit in perfectly.

Some scenes will stick, some fade away naturally, and the more you write, the more accustomed you become to your characters and their world, the easier it will be to write scenes that naturally falls into place with the already ongoing plot and lore.

9 times out of 10 you'll know when you have enough scenes written to be able to start working our putting your first draft together. So allow yourself moments in which you turn away from logistics and simply explore everything your world has to offer.

[baelpenrose]

Writing Fight Scenes: The VIOLENT Method

okay, so because people have a hard time writing effective fight scenes, I'm going to walk everyone through the method that I use for everything from massive sci fi battles, to quick three-v-eight sword brawls to bar fights. The VIOLENT Method. (Because fun mnemonics)

Visceral: Make sure your audience feels it by keeping it grounded in injuries and pain. People get fuckin' hurt in fights, and no fight where people do not is going to feel real. Tying into this, people don't fight fair, and people don't fight pretty. Even people who are trained fighters will make mistakes in their technique in a real fight because adrenaline makes you worse, not better, even as it makes you faster/stronger. Also, in real fights people stomp on downed opponents, take shots at turned backs, people bleed, scream, etc., Also, really critically, people are exhausted after fights. Your characters should be wrung by the time it's over, even if it only lasted for a few minutes.

Immediate: Keep sentences short and punchy. No one is analyzing every step of the fight tactically while it's happening. If characters are thinking "Ah yes I will make him overextend and then pull his wrist in and throw him before stomping his head…" I know that the author of the scene has never been in an actual fight. Keep sentences short and punchy. "Draw in, grab, and throw."

Obnoxious: Tying into the above, fights can be disorienting. Don't overdo this, you need your reader to have an idea of what's going on, but don't underdo it either - things should be a bit chaotic. If it feels like the characters know everything that's going on around them, you're doing it wrong. Read what the following sections say about rhythm, but bear this in mind: once you get a rhythm going and keep it flowing for several paragraphs: break it with a short, hard paragraph and shift it in a way deliberately disorienting to the reader on purpose to drive in that things are unpredictable. In a fight, there's a lot of noise, there's a lot of confusion, and that should reflect enough in the narration to bring a sense of it to the reader - but again, don't overdo it to the point where the reader can't tell what's going on.

Liquid: Fights flow. There's a definitive rhythm and momentum to a fight. While the characters won't necessarily have a great idea of everything happening, they WILL have a sense of the momentum around them and the way the fight is making them move. Momentum and movement are going to be the key to writing an impactful fight scene and give the reader a sense of excitement, or, if you want to give a sense of a dragging, exhausting affair of attrition, do the opposite: grind the momentum to almost nil while two massive groups start sniping and grinding at each other with almost no movement.

Environment: Where's the fight happening? How is everyone moving? Describe the surrounding environment. This is the space a fight is happening in, whether a big open field, a forest grove, a small tight room where you can use the walls for leverage, a park where you can use benches for jumping points or to smash people's heads against, etc., matters in a fight, as does how everyone is using it. Heat, cold, visibility, all of these factor into a fight as well.

Narrator: Who is your narrator in the fight? A trained soldier? A trained fighter? Just some untrained schlub who has no idea what they're doing? These people have a different idea of how fighting works, and that matters. What a soldier notices, what a correspondent notices, what a martial artist notices, etc, are all differences. Keep an eye on how you present this.

Tactics: What does everyone want out of the fight? Is one side fighting to kill the other? Just to knock out? To capture? To take a location? Just to drive each other off? What are the rules of engagement? How trained are the combatants? What kind of discipline is everyone under, if any? Weapons? These all matter when you're asking questions, and you should research what effects all of these will have, but short version: fighting to kill is easier than fighting to capture, and its very rare, despite what the movies say, that any force will fight to the last man rather than retreat.

[lyralit]

switch up your verbs (part one) ~

walked - hiked - moved - shuffled - toddled - sauntered - ambled - tiptoed - meandered - strolled

laughed - chortled - chuckled - giggled - snorted - guffawed - howled - snickered - shrieked

wanted - ached for - wished - craved - coveted - fancied - pined - aspired

ran - sprinted - galloped - scampered - bolted - trotted - dashed - raced - jogged

jumped - bounced - hopped - leapt - hurtled - vaulted - barged - bounded

[love-me-a-good-prompt]

50 WORDS TO USE INSTEAD OF “SAID”

Do you ever find yourself over-using the word “said” in your writing? Try using these words/phrases instead:

stated

commented

declared

spoke

responded

voiced

noted

uttered

iterated

explained

remarked

acknowledged

mentioned

announced

shouted

expressed

articulated

exclaimed

proclaimed

whispered

babbled

observed

deadpanned

joked

hinted

informed

coaxed

offered

cried

affirmed

vocalized

laughed

ordered

suggested

admitted

verbalized

indicated

confirmed

apologized

muttered

proposed

chatted

lied

rambled

talked

pointed out

blurted out

chimed in

brought up

wondered aloud

(NOTE: Keep in mind that all of these words have slightly different meanings and are associated with different emotions/scenarios.)

[lovelykatblogs]

Please, writing gods of tumblr! How do you write a fight scene that doesn’t suck ass? 😭

[j-r-eirian]

First things first, you need to know the sequence off events. The more players on the field, the harder it will be to keep track off. So, figure out how many people, where they're starting at and where you intend to have them end up. Drawing it might help, I'm not talking big graphics just a roadmap or what have you, so you can choreograph it.

Which leads to the next and most important stage, choreographing. Planning a fight sequence is no different than planning a dance routine. Each fighter will have a partner, or multiple partners/opponents, especially if it's one or two people fighting several others. Make every action count!!

When you're in the midst off fighting for your life, your adrenalin spikes, your heart rate increases, fear (without panic) makes time slow down and you begin to notice every detail. Your brain works incredibly fast and, especially if you've had battle training, means that you can work out how you react and respond on the fly.

So, decide from what characters perspective you're gonna write from, unless you're writing the scene as if viewed from a far, which changes the rules.

From a single, or maybe two, characters perspectives: what can your character see? Obviously, they'd be focusing on who is attacking them and where they're enemies are placed. But, at some point, they might look to their allies and see if they can help/receive help, or simply to gauge how the battle fairs as a whole. This might be done if they get a few seconds rest between opponents.

From a wider viewpoint: you would still be focusing on one character at a time, but rather than staying with that character throughout the whole fight (unless you only have one protagonist), you would be switching perspectives after every, say, 3 actions.

I'm assuming that this will be a swords and shields kind of fight, but this all works for any type of fight, be it hand to hand or with guns. For every action, there will be a reaction and subsequent action. Making a mistake can result in minor to serious bodily harm, or death.

For an example of how a fight is like a dance, I'll use a sword fight used from the POV of a single character, let's call him Aaron. He has a single ally, both off whome are fighting against 6 adversaries (so should be taking out 3 each, but nothing is ever that simple in a fight)

With both hands clenched around the handle of his long sword, Aaron took in the opponents before him. The enemy, thugs and bandits armed with axes and swords that had seen better days, spread out around Rob and himself, blocking any chance of a quick exit.

If they had still had their horses, this wouldn't have been an issue, but stuck on the ground and surrounded, they had one chance. They had to fight. But with six adversaries, it wouldn't be easy. Rob drew his own sword and the pair stood back to back, dropping down into fighting stances as their foes fell upon them.

Two came at him from both sides. Aaron parried the one to his left, twisting to the right so that his sword could block the axe decending to his shoulder. As he held back the blow, Aaron stamped on the fellas instep. The distraction worked and he was able to push back and crouch. Just in time, too.

The third man charged at him with a viscious cry, his sword making a wide arch, whistling through the air towards his head, but Aaron was too quick. From his crouch, he thrust forward, the point of his blade going through the man's stomach. The charge continued, impaling him further, but his sword dropped from his hand.

Aaron pulled back, face splattering with blood as his foe fell to his knees, clutching the wound in his belly. From the look on his face, he knew the wound was fatal. Leaving him to his fate, Aaron stood back up and stepped forward, sword already swinging up to the left to block the next sword. He hadn't seen the axe coming towards him, but he heard the thud as it smacked into the ground behind his feet, in the place he'd just been standing.

His heart thudded as he registered how close he'd come to death but didn't dwell on the fact. He turned his head quickly to see that his foe was still behind him. With a twist of his body, Aaron angled the blades handle to his side and pulled back. The pommel smacked against the man's head with the sickening sound off crunching bone and the man crumbled.

Out off the corner of his eye, he could just make out Rob. His friend had his dagger in one hand, sword held tightly in the other, and one foe on the ground. The other two charged from both sides, ready to kill. Aaron kicked his leg out with a snarl, catching his remaining thug in the knee. Hopefully, it would buy him enough time to make it to Robs side before it was too late.

Ok, so that's pretty basic, not my best work but I think it gets the point across. Fight scenes can be a pain to write and can take quite a while, despite the fact that most fights last only a handful of minutes, unless it's a long battle like in a war.

A lot goes on, and because of adrenaline, most of it can be done in varied amounts of detail. They get more complicated, or perhaps less, if the protagonist is injured or disoreintated. You also have to factor in how varying degrees of wounds would affect your characters abilities to keep on fighting.

Don't get too bogged down in emotional detail when writing fighting scenes. Fighting is about action, too much emotion (unless someone dear to your character dies, which would likewise hinder their ability to fight/to focus on fighting) can cause the scene to become slow, creating gaps which make it harder to follow what's happening. Save deep retrospection for when the fighting is done.

And most importantly, think of your fight scene as something you're seeing on tv. If you can't picture it yourself, can't follow the actions as you write them, how will your readers? That's how you plan a fight well, visualise it, then write what you're seeing.

Once you can do that, you'll be able to make sure that the fight seems realistic. That each movement is logical and flows into the next with relative ease. Like a dance. Watch fight scenes and you'll be able to see how they're choreographed. The fight scenes in Daredevil are perfect examples of how to choreograph a fight well. Watch them, break them down, and learn. For sword fights, Game of Thrones will help a great deal too.

This was a good deal longer than I intended but I hope it helps you and anyone else who decides to read it. Happy writing :)

[lyralit]

show, don't tell:

anticipation - bouncing legs - darting eyes - breathing deeply - useless / mindless tasks - eyes on the clock - checking and re-checking

frustration - grumbling - heavy footsteps - hot flush - narrowed eyes - pointing fingers - pacing / stomping

sadness - eyes filling up with tears - blinking quickly - hiccuped breaths - face turned away - red / burning cheeks - short sentences with gulps

happiness - smiling / cheeks hurting - animated - chest hurts from laughing - rapid movements - eye contact - quick speaking

boredom - complaining - sighing - grumbling - pacing - leg bouncing - picking at nails

fear - quick heartbeat - shaking / clammy hands - pinching self - tuck away - closing eyes - clenched hands

disappointment - no eye contact - hard swallow - clenched hands - tears, occasionally - mhm-hmm

tiredness - spacing out - eyes closing - nodding head absently - long sighs - no eye contact - grim smile

confidence - prolonged eye contact - appreciates instead of apologizing - active listening - shoulders back - micro reactions

[writingmaz]

World Building

Creating Land

❂

⥇ agriculture

⟿ what is grown in abundance? how common is farmland? where is the farmland?

⥇ architecture

⟿ what kind of buildings? how tall/spacious? what are they made of? how well made? how well planned?

⥇ animals

⟿ what wild animals are lurking in the area? hunting? any animals affecting the livestock or agriculture?

⥇ biomes

⟿ desert? tundra? grassland? forest? savanna?

⥇ bodies of water

⟿ seas? lake? ponds? rivers? fresh water/salt water? fishing? keep in mind, settlements are often built near bodies of water

⥇ climate

⟿ dry? rainy? temperate? tropical? polar? how have people adjusted to this climate?

⥇ elevation

⟿ altitude? how does the altitude affect lifestyle?

⥇ geology

⟿ rocky? types of rocks?

⥇ landforms

⟿ mountains? valleys? plateaus? plains? hills? glaciers? peninsulas? volcanos? canyons?

⥇ latitude / longitude

⟿ location on planet? how does it affect other elements of land?

⥇ livestock

⟿ common domesticated animals? common animal usages?

⥇ minerals

⟿ any valuable minerals / metals? are they mined regularly? how are they used?

⥇ natural disasters

⟿ earthquake? tornado? volcano? duststorm? flood? hurricane? tsunami? how often do these occur? protocols?

⥇ population

⟿ how many people? how dense is the population? how does the population affect surrounding nature?

⥇ resources

⟿ what is abundant? scarce? how are they used? how available are they?

⥇ sacred land

⟿ religiously important land? historical importance? widely accepted as sacred? how is it honored?

⥇ soil

⟿ good or bad for vegetation? rocky?

⥇ tectonic activity

⟿ earthquake frequency? volcano frequency? trenches?

⥇ topography

⟿ how common are maps? how accurate? how long have they been around? who makes them?

⥇ vegetation

⟿ what is abundant? scarce? what grows easily? with difficulty? what is commonly foraged? who forages? plant types? tree types?

[em-dash-press-deactivated202410]

Character Types for Your Next Story

Great ideas for characters will come and go, but there are always concrete character types that you can count on to carry a plot.

Check out the most common types to see if they're what you need to make your next story come to life.

The Protagonist

This is your main character. They're the central focus of the story, the person who resolves the main conflict, or the individual who grows with or from the story's theme.

You can also have multiple protagonists! 3rd-person POV stories/books often have at least two main characters because switching between their points of view furthers the plot, adds tension, or develops their world for the reader.

Examples: Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit; Claire Randall in Outlander

The Antagonist

This is your main character's opposition. They'll be the force against which your protagonist clashes to experience the conflict that results in their growth. Sometimes the antagonist functions as an obstacle for the protagonist to overcome. Other times, they're a lesson the main character needs to learn by the end of the story.

You can create multiple antagonists for one protagonist or multipel antagonist for a cast of protagonists. It depends on the story you have in mind and what POV you'll be using.

Examples: The White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Pennywise in It

The Central (Major) Characters

Central characters are what you would call the individual protagonists who make up your cast of characters. They all grow throughout your plot and are essential to the backbone of your story.

Examples: the seven demigods in the Prophecy of Seven in The Heroes of Olympus series; the multigenerational protagonists in Homegoing

The Secondary (Minor) Characters

Secondary characters are often called sidekicks or companions. They're part of your protagonist's life and is along for the ride with them. Although your plot might not be the same without them (if they're a love interest, family member, or another person close to your protagonist), they primary exist to develop the protagonist.

Examples: Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes series; Cinna in The Hunger Games series

The Static Characters

Writers need static characters to essentially remain the same for plot purposes. These characters are typically unaffected by what's happening in the protagonist's life because they're one or two steps removed from it.

Alternatively, your static character can also be antagonist. They're actively involved in your protagonist's life, but they don't undergo any inner changes that result in character growth.

Examples: Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter series (she remains unchanged because she has to be a constant source of conflict); Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (he remains unchanged because he represents morality and reason to Scout)

The Dynamic Characters

Dynamic characters change throughout a story. They're most often the protagonist or one of the main cast of characters because they are actively involved in the plot.

These could be your protagonist, antagonist, or any other character that undergoes some time of fundamental change.

Examples: Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol; Celaena Sardothien in Throne of Glass

The Flat Characters

Flat characters experience no change throughout a story. They may arrive at the end with a different opinion or goal, but they're almost identical to who they were at the beginning of the story.

Don't assume flat characters are boring or unnecessary! They always represent something for the protagonist or the reader. They can also be the antagonist!

Examples: Marmee in Little Women (she's a role model for her daughters and remains their true north throughout the book); Suzy Nakamura in American Born Chinese (she helps Wei-Chen face his complicated feelings about feeling like an outcast for his race by being vocal about hers, but that remains her sole purpose in the plot.)

The Round Characters

When someone talks about a round character, they don't mean the character's physical appearance. Instead, this phrase refers to a protagonist or antagonist's internal depth.

Round characters have complex personalities. They may contradict themselves sometimes or the people they love the most. These characters typically have full backstories and embody the phrase, "they contain multitudes."

Examples: Amy Dunne in Gone Girl; Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice

The Stock Characters

Stock characters are flat characters that resemble a stereotype easily recognized by readers. They're your geek teenager with oversized glasses or the best friend who is only there to be the punchline.

Sometimes these characters are written so well that readers don't mind the stereotype. It depends on their relationship with other characters in your story and if they only embody the stereotype up front. Successful stock characters eventually reveal the depth of their hearts or undergo developments that push beyond the limits of their stereotype.

Examples: Rapunzel (the damsel in distress); Alaska Young in Looking for Alaska (the manic pixie dream girl)

The Anti-Hero

Readers love anti-heroes because they're protagonists who start off as the worst version of themselves and grow into the best they can be. There are always external and internal obstacles for them to overcome, which may or may not clash.

They can also start off as versions of themselves that are inherently good, then become more like an antagonist but for the right reasons. Readers may still cheer them on and hope they revert to their previous good ways or read your story to watch your anti-hero follow their worst instincts until the world crumbles around them.

Examples: Dexter Morgan in the Dexter series; Patrick Bateman in American Psycho

The Foil

Typically, the foil in any story is someone who's opposite of the protagonist. They encourage the main character to grow throughout the plot by holding reverse opinions, world views, or values.

Examples: God and Satan in Paradise Lost; Lennie and George in Of Mice and Men

The Symbolic Character

Characters can be great by themselves, but many times they will represent something the author is trying to talk about through their work. A symbolic character is the representation of an aspect of society, an idea, or theme.

Examples: the raven in The Raven (symbolizes the narrator's grief and the presence of death in general); Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia series (symbolizes God/Jesus)

The Deuteragonist

Deuteragonists are also called the secondary characters. They're the closest characters to the protagonist throughout their journey. They give the story more depth, either through their close relationship with the protagonist or by working against them as or alongside the antagonist.

Examples: Edward Cullen in the Twilight series; Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio

The Tertiary

You'll rarely see a tertiary character more than a few times in a story. They're background characters that most often create minor conflict on the protagonist's journey with their primary conflict. Tertiary characters add depth to a story's world, but aren't essential to the plot.

However, tertiary characters are important! Without them, there would be no nosy server at your protagonist's favorite coffee shop or supportive librarian at your main character's library.

Examples: Parvati and Padma Patil in Harry Potter; Madame Stahl in Anna Karenina

The Love Interest

Ah, the love interest. They are the secondary integral part of any romantic plot line and may challenge the protagonist to grow through introducing new experiences or points of view.

Examples: Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games series; Will Traynor in Me Before You

The Confidante

Characters who are confidants are literary devices that help the protagonist reveal their secrets, state of mind, intentions, flaws, and feelings while all of those things are actively changing throughout a story. They can also represent real-life relationships by maintaining a healthy friendship or a manipulative friend.

Examples: Horatio in Hamlet; Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings series

---

Many of these character types merge to create stories with more depth. Defining your existing or future characters with these terms could help you figure out their role in the plot and how to make your story stronger by flexing the purposes of each type.