Lady Violet Hummingbird

Outlander | British Murder Mysteries | Reader & Writer of Fanfic | IG: @lady_violethummingbird | TW: @LVHummingbird

[mariabeatrizmalta]

[beautifulwilduniverse]

[concerningwolves]

If I could only share one (1) thing that I have (re)learned about creative writing this year, it's that sometimes it's easy to get into a rut with writing because you're too fixated on one specific idea/version of a story. There might be another way to tell it that works even better – if you just give yourself permission to fuck around with it a bit and remember how fun the "finding out" can be in the creative process.

[luna-azzurra]

Ways to write Shy Characters!!

By the way, I'm a really shy person! Actually, that means I'm describing myself here, lol. :9

✧ Shyness is about fear of judgment and negative evaluation, not energy. Shy people WANT social connection but they're afraid of being embarrassed, rejected, or judged. It's not that people drain them (that's introversion), it's that social situations feel dangerous. They want to join the conversation but can't make themselves. They want to be included but are terrified of saying something stupid. Show the conflict between wanting connection and fearing rejection.

✧ They rehearse social interactions beforehand and replay them afterward. Planning what to say. Imagining the conversation. Then afterward analyzing every word they said, every reaction the other person had, looking for signs they messed up. The conversation happens three times (in preparation, in reality, in anxious replay.) Show this mental process of over-preparation and over-analysis.

✧ Physical symptoms are visible and make them more self-conscious. Blushing. Voice shaking. Sweating. Looking down. Fidgeting. And they KNOW people can see it, which makes it worse. They're not just internally anxious, their body is broadcasting their discomfort and they're mortified about it. The visibility of their shyness creates a feedback loop of embarrassment. Show them being painfully aware of their physical responses.

✧ They're often more comfortable one-on-one than in groups. Groups are overwhelming, with too many people to monitor, too many potential sources of judgment. One-on-one feels safer because there's only one person's reaction to track. They might be quite talkative and comfortable with close friends in private but go silent in group settings.

[a-tangled-mermaid]

Sigh. At least I have this.

[autistichalsin]

Bad writing is great!!!!

Bad writing means you took the time to write something, you, a real human being. It means you created something! And you have the awareness to see that there's room for improvement, too!!!

Bad writing is wonderful!!! Bad writing is a platform from which you can build your masterpiece! Bad writing is the backbone of good writing!

Give yourself permission to write badly. No, actually- give yourself permission to write something TERRIBLE. Give yourself permission to write such drivel that you can barely read it.

Nothing comes out a masterpiece the first time!! You think Isaac Asimov never wrote a total stinker he had to rebuild from the ground up? You think Jules Verne never wrote utter slop for a first draft?

WRITE SOMETHING AWFUL!!! Write something so bad you cringe about it years later!!! And then when that's done, write some more!!!!!

[bat-cat-reader]

Event pics...

[thebrochtuarachs]

This image of Caitríona Balfe and Sam Heughan was taken in 2014. It is from a portrait session at the Winter TCA (Television Critics Association) Tour on January 17, 2014, in Pasadena, California. The photoshoot was conducted for TV Guide to promote the upcoming first season of the Starz series Outlander. 

[wanderthewood]

Dunluce Castle, Antrim, Northern Ireland by robert_le.ph

[writingdose]

a writer’s struggle

[unheardoracle]

If Your Scene Feels Lifeless, Someone Is Being Too Polite

Stories stall when everyone behaves. Real tension appears when someone:

• asks the wrong question • says something they shouldn’t • notices something uncomfortable • refuses to drop the topic • misunderstands something important • interrupts at the worst moment

Conflict doesn’t always look like shouting.

[the-haven-of-fiction]

Tom Hiddleston after the first Broadway preview of Betrayal ~ August 14, 2019

[luna-azzurra]

If you can doomscroll for three hours, you can write for ten minutes. Don’t lie to yourself.

[sdreamersc82]

Jamie and Claire forever 💕

[luna-azzurra]

Quick Tips for Writing Time Skips

°˖➴ SHOW THE EVIDENCE, not the time!! don't say "three months later" and have everything exactly the same. Show the evidence: the houseplant is dead now, there's a new coffee shop, their hair is longer, the season changed, the relationship shifted

°˖➴ People don't pause their lives!! during your time skip, other characters didn't freeze. They got new jobs, started dating someone, developed opinions, had experiences. When we come back, there should be GAPS in what your POV character knows

°˖➴ Anchor it with a CONCRETE detail!! "The last time she'd been in this room, there'd been snow on the ground. Now the garden outside was screaming with roses." Give the reader something tangible to mark the passage

°˖➴ What DIDN'T happen is interesting!! "Six weeks and still no word from him" or "Another year of birthday candles she didn't make wishes on" sometimes the time skip is defined by absence and waiting

°˖➴ Compress boring stuff, expand important stuff!! "The trial took three months" can be one sentence. But the five minutes after the verdict? That might be three pages. TIME IS ELASTIC in fiction, use it!!!

°˖➴ Characters should FEEL differently about the skip !! time passing changes perspective. Something that felt devastating last year might feel trivial now. Or vice versa. What seemed certain became a mistake. SHOW THE SHIFT

[luna-azzurra]

Not every scene deserves the same amount of page time. Sometimes you need to summarize three weeks in a sentence. Sometimes five minutes takes three chapters. Pacing is about emphasis. Slow down when emotions are high, when decisions matter, when everything could fall apart. Speed up through the boring necessary stuff. Your reader doesn't need to experience every meal and every conversation, just the ones that change something.

[fuckyeahjamieandclaire]

_sophia_spring_ only peripherally heard of Outlander, but after being asked to shoot the main leads earlier this year I went on a deep dive and realised how huge and beloved the show is. In preparation for the shoot I even started watching it, and although historical fantasy romance isn’t normally my bag I was bewitched by Sam Heughan and the mesmeric Caitriona Balfe. After 11 years and 8 seasons the finale airs this week, and the press interest has been huge. . . I photographed Caitriona and Sam at the end of a long press junket day - by the time they came to me they had already done a staggering 8 shoots at the Soho Hotel. [...]

But my goodness they were PROS 💪 - not the merest hint of any tiredness after a gruelling day of press. They were also just unfailingly polite and professional (and gorgeous) and so well deserving of their legions of die-hard fans.

[ariesrin]

20 ways characters can show sadness without saying it

Habits change: suddenly no energy or motivation to do so.

Rereading old texts from someone that used to be special.

They let their hot drinks go cold beside them.

They apologize for things that aren’t their fault.

They linger after everyone else has already left.

They keep checking the door wishing that anyone will walk through.

They sit in parked cars for a long time before going inside.

Avoiding eye contact; gaze never lingers for long. Staring at the floor, instead of at people.

Rubbing the back of their necks or holding one arm with the other. Closed body language & posture shrinks.

They take deep breaths like they’re steadying themselves.

Hesitation before letting go of a hug.

Movements feel slower than usual.

Trembling fingers and limbs and shaky breath.

Sitting on the shower floor, contemplating.

Voice cracks when they speak & hesitate before responding to simple questions.

Avoidance and deflection when speaking such as “It doesn’t matter now” / “Don’t worry about it” / “I just need some sleep.”

Lingering in doorways instead of entering or lingering at the edge of the group.

Sleeping with noise or lights on to avoid feeling alone. Or as a distraction.

Fixating on small, meaningless tasks to keep busy.

A smile when being spoken to, but it fades when the other person looks away.