Where Berry WHINES about her writing. Expect anecdotes, helpful guides, occasional Plot Posts, and a whole lot of complaining. Also character stuff. (fnet: LainaInverse AO3: Laina_Inverse)
One of the things that breaks my heart on this site is the tendency for new writers to survey their mutuals: “I have the urge to write this story, if I did would you guys read it?”
I’m an old with long-ignored rejection sensitivity issues. I’ve lived a long life forcing myself to find a glimmer of joy in the things I was good at to avoid failure (or some kind of flavor of this, I’m still trying to work it out). I know it’s scary to put your whole soul in the form of art out into the world. Honestly, if I had known how bad my rejection sensitivity was BEFORE I started writing and publishing, I likely would have never done it. Denial, my old friend, ironically served me well in this regard.
BUT.
Don’t put your art’s merit out for survey like that. Don’t ask people if they’d read it. Because, honestly, most will say yes and just not. Because life and a million others reasons that get in the way and the fact that people love to be supportive but also don’t always have the time to do the actual supporting. And then there’s the fact that these are strangers on the internet.
Share your art because you made it. Share your art because you were moved to create something from nothing. Share your art to immortalize the inner workings of your heart and soul. Don’t share your art because people said they would read it.
I understand wanting people to read and love your work. Every artist does. Just don’t start out asking for that reassurance. Be sure and reap joy from the reception you do get, don’t be unsure and tether the worth of the work to other people’s intentions to engage with it.
🕳️ What to Write When You Have No Idea What Happens Next
aka: you’re staring into the creative abyss and the abyss is not only staring back, it’s asking for a rough draft
hi writer. welcome to that fun little liminal space in your project where ✨absolutely nothing✨ makes sense. you wrote the last scene. you know you’re not at the end. but suddenly your characters are just standing there like NPCs waiting for a quest marker and your brain is doing the spinning beachball of death.
so. what now?
let’s break down some actually useful strategies for when you hit That Point™️. not vibes. not ✨manifest your way out✨ energy. not the “just keep writing” slog. here’s what to do when your story is refusing to tell you what happens next:
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zoom out: do a “scene audit”
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you don’t need a full outline to do this. take five minutes and sketch a bullet list of every scene that’s happened so far. not just what happened, but why it mattered.
like this:
MC lied to their boss (sets up stakes re: trust/power)
antagonist shows up at cafe (establishes tension + location crossover)
best friend gets suspicious (emotional complication, adds pressure)
this gives you a birds-eye view of what you’ve set in motion. often you’re stuck because you’ve lost sight of the threads you were pulling, your own story has momentum, you just need to feel it again.
open a doc. start typing what would happen, if you were writing. super casual. something like:
“okay i think the next scene is maybe them at the train station?? or wait--maybe we need to see the fallout of the argument. i don’t really know what x character wants rn but i think y might be planning something…”
this trick works bc it removes pressure. no fancy prose, no perfect structure. it’s literally you telling yourself what might happen. and weirdly? your brain will often finish the scene for you without asking. (the number of times I’ve ghost drafted myself into 800 usable words… witchcraft.)
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pin your characters to a corkboard and interrogate them
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not literally. (unless you're into that. i don’t judge.)
but seriously: when you’re stuck, it’s often because your character has no immediate goal or emotion. pause and ask:
what does this character want right now? like, in this moment?
what are they trying to avoid?
what’s keeping them from getting either?
character-driven scenes are rarely static. even if it’s just an awkward dinner or walking to the store, someone’s always trying to do or hide something. if everyone in the scene is just reacting or waiting, you’ve got fog. bring in the fire.
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don’t skip the “boring” stuff--weaponize it
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sometimes we’re stuck because we think the next scene is dull. like “ugh i guess they just… travel to the manor” or “they regroup at the safe house.” but these slow beats are GOLD if you embed purpose.
try giving the “boring” scene:
a time limit or interruption (they’re hiding but someone knocks)
a secret (someone is lying about something small but important)
a reversal (what they expected is the opposite of what happens)
even if it’s a quiet scene, layer it. conflict isn’t just yelling or action. it’s discomfort. it’s misalignment. tension between what’s said and unsaid.
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when all else fails: write the next emotional beat
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strip it back. forget plot. forget pacing. ask yourself:
then write that. a monologue. a journal entry. an outburst. a line of whispered dialogue.
sometimes it’s not that you don’t know what happens next. it’s that your character hasn’t processed what just happened, and until they do, the story can’t move forward.
✨✨✨
the void is normal. getting stuck doesn’t mean you failed or picked the wrong idea or that the muse packed up and left for a better writer’s house. it just means your brain needs space to regroup.
writing isn’t linear. stories aren’t built in perfect lines. they loop. they stall. they circle back. and that’s okay.
if you’re in the middle of nowhere, here’s your sign to sit on the side of the metaphorical road, open your weird little notebook, and write anyway. write wrong. write messy. write ghost drafts. the path shows up when you start walking.
🕳️ you got this, writer.
tag me if you end up crawling out of your stuck scene with a little victory paragraph. i’ll bring snacks for the next one 🧃✨
P.S. I made a free mini eBook about the 5 biggest mistakes writers make in the first 10 pages 👀 you can grab it here for FREE:
✦ A free (and actually helpful) guide to leveling up your first 10 pages ✦If you're unsure whether your opening is ✨doing enough✨ to hook re
To anyone who's ever been worried that your OC is too Extra... don't be.
The thing is, in any RPG, the protagonist is often meant to be a bit of a blank slate, with room to implement one's own OC, personality, and headcanons. The fact that game dialogue can sometimes feel noncommittal, or the fact that the responses can vary so widely, speaks to this: you can be anyone, so you are not forced to be any one thing specifically.
But when you carry that OC with you, out of that game? The role of the protagonist in the narrative shifts: it is yours. It belongs not to everyone (which is how they build the game) but to you, to your iteration and interpretation of the game's events. The protagonist goes from being the vessel through which we experience the story to being the main character of a narrative.
When we write, then (though this is also true for non-writers with OCs!) the protagonist - be they Tav, Rook, the Inquisitor, the Rogue Trader, anything - benefits from having more detail, and especially more extravagant detail. They are (most often) the POV character of the narrative. They are the lens through which we, as readers in fandom, experience your story.
So yes: make them special.
Yes: make them unhinged.
Yes: make them go on whatever emotional journey you like.
That's what they're there for, and these details enrich the story every single time.
Heey, I was the anon that asked for advice about a dance scene 🖤
I should've worded that ask better. I think I need advice or some prompts on how to describe dance moves without being weird, like describing a character copying a video with a choreography, but I didn't have an specif type of dance in mind.
I'm really sorry that the first ask wasn't clear, and thank you so much for answering 🖤🖤
Sure thing, my friend :)
How to describe dancing
Show emotions through movement
A character feels something when they are dancing. Let that emotion shape how they move.
Don't just describe what the character is doing ("She spun around"), describe with more detail into how they feel or how the reader should acknowledge their emotions ("The way she spun around looked nothing like her usual controlled movements. She was like a wild animal, caged in, dreaming of being free, but finding no exit.")
Use imagery and metaphors
Describe the dancing by comparing it to other imagery or use metaphors.
Examples:
- Their body moves like water finding its way through cracks, a force that couldn't be stopped.
- She moved like a marionette, forced by an unseen outsider to dance for him, but one whose strings are slowly being cut. One by one, they got loose and her movements become more open, like she was finally freeing herself.
Use specific, sensory details
Do you remember my How to describe an atmosphere series? That's what we are doing here. Describe what they hear, what they feel, what they see... Alternate between the big picture and some very small details.
Write about:
- The scraping of shoes on the wooden floor
- The sunlight coming through the window
- The pull of muscles in the dancer's body
- The tempo of the music
Examples:
- The rhythm of the music went through their body like a second heartbeat.
- When they spun around they were temporarily blinded by the sunlight coming through the big windows. They hadn't noticed how much time had gone by.
Use sentence rhythm
A fun fact about writing: you can use the length of sentences to pace the story and make the reader feel like they are stuck in time or in a rush. And you can also use that to mimic the dance.
- Use sharp and short sentences to show energy, passion, a fast dance with sharp movements
- Use longer and flowy sentences to show someone getting lost in a slow and graceful dance
Show interactions with their surroundings
Are they dancing with someone? Who else is in the room? Are they interacting with an object nearby?
Last tip: Don't use overly technical terms, especially if you're not specifically writing for a dancer audience. Using terms the reader doesn't know or use often can make the reading feel dry or pull the reader out of the story.
Your character is unarmed and all they have left to fight with is their bare hands. If they hope for the enemy to catch their hands, you will have to write an effective scene. So how can we write a good hand to hand combat scene?
Most Common Moves
Now, I’m not going to list 30+ martial arts moves. Most of your characters will not be masters of kung fu or mixed martial arts. Most people who get into fights are novices.
Punch: a punch is probably to go to strike. Try not punch anybody in the face because one, they will expect it and two, it will hurt your hand. If you can aim for the soft parts of an opponent, kidneys or gut.
Kick: Kicking isn’t pretty but it is effective. A good swift kick to the back of somebody’s knee will fold them like a lawnchair.
Go for the groin: Man or woman getting kicked in the nether regions is no picnic. A good swift kick with your foot or your knee can incapacitate your opponent. Its not the most honourable of moves but it works.
An Elbow strike is effective: The elbow is your strongest point of attack. Drive it in to a windpipe or a gut and you can but yourself valuable time to retreat or stall your opponent from answering back.
Eyes: they are weak points. Jab somebody in the eyes with a thumb and they will stop in their tracks.
Throat: You can end any fight by going straight for the throat either grasping it in a headlock or jabbing it with a fist which can collapse the windpipe.
Bite: If you are unable to snack your opponent, use your teeth. The human bite is perhaps not as strong as a hyena’s but it is strong enough to shorten your opponent by a finger or two.
How to Escape from Grips and Holds
Pinned from behind with your arms pinned: You have to stop your opponent from getting to a headlock. Move your hips to one side and strike backwards toward the groin or gut. This should weaken the hold of your opponent. Once the grip is loosened, turn toward your opponent and snack them into the nose with the heel of your hand.
Held from behind: Bend forward as far as you can making it more difficult for your opponent to lift you. Jab with your elbows back into your opponent’s chest or face. Turn toward your opponent once the grip loosens and strike at the face or the groin again to subdue your opponent.
Headlock: If your opponent has you in a headlock, DON’T STRUGGLE. You could break your own neck. Turn into your opponent’s side as close as possible. With your hand that is furthest away, hit your opponent into the groin or gut.
Pinned down on the ground: Most likely your opponent is using their own hands and weight to keep you down. If you can move your knees, try to jab them in the side or the groin to unbalanced them.
Things to Remember
1. The whole 6-10 minute bout only happens in films or controlled sporting events. Fights are usually over within a few minutes. (when writing effective fights, keep the pace short.)
2. Girls are vicious. I’ve worked in nightclubs and broke up a fair few fights. Boys will knock the shit out of each other but girls will tear shreds out of each other. I have known grown men to break up fights between guys but nobody wants to break up a catfight.
3. One wants the fight to end quickly. If you keep slugging at each other, you’ll get tired pretty fast. Have your character try end the fight as soon as possible.
4. Nobody emerges from fights unscathed. Even winners may come out with black eyes, broken noses or at very least a broken lip. If you punch someone, you will likely bruise your knuckles if not split them.
5. If your character is fighting to survive, they don’t have to stick to etiquette. They will have to do anything to survive even if it means doing something unpleasant like fishhooking or hairpulling.
✧ Broken ribs suck. You don’t just “walk it off.” Breathing hurts. Laughing hurts. Existing hurts. Characters with rib injuries won’t be doing heroic sprints.
✧ Concussions aren’t instant naps. Dazed vision, nausea, dizziness, maybe even personality changes, but they’re not going to collapse neatly like in the movies.
✧ Blood loss is sneaky. It’s not just about dramatic pools of blood. It’s dizziness, confusion, and the body getting cold as circulation tanks.
✧ Adrenaline lies. Someone can take a serious injury and not feel it until the fight’s over. That “I didn’t realize I was bleeding until later” trope? Very real.
✧ Twisted ankles are brutal. One bad step and suddenly running is off the table. Even walking hurts like hell. Perfect way to ground a chase scene.
✧ Burns linger. Even small burns hurt more than most people expect. Blisters, infection risk, constant pain, it’s not just a cool scar later.
✧ Dislocated shoulders = useless arm. Characters can’t keep swinging a sword or firing a gun. They’re basically fighting one-armed until it’s fixed.
✧ Shock is a thing. Pale skin, trembling, rapid heartbeat, and eventually disorientation. A character might not even realize how bad their wound is.
✧ Stitches aren’t magic. Getting sewn up is painful and recovery takes time. They’re not instantly battle-ready after a needle and thread.
✧ Scars tell stories. Some fade, some don’t. Some stay sensitive forever. Don’t forget the aftermath when the wound becomes part of the character.
Some Anti-AI banners i made, anyone is free to use them, no credit necessary. Light mode and Dark mode versions.
Art and writing and people’s rights need to be protected, and AI has been used already to steal, plagiarize, and be used to threaten people using deepfakes.
As an artist and a writer, it’s an insult to my craft to see AI “works” along side mine.
Like i said, anyone is welcome to save/put these banners on their blog, or on posts, please just reblog this if you do.
It's a pithy little thing, but I have to remind myself that tomorrow is a holiday in teh states, and therefore people will not be reading fanfic at their usual rate, nor leaving comments.
But the one and only comment on todays chapter update was a *bot* and that makes me salty.
