my writing hideout

Hello, and welcome to my writing blog. Here I stock up on references, inspiration, as well as tips & tricks for my writing. Maybe once upon a blue moon I'll share some of my own work, that is if I ever feel confident enough. I usually write original stories, but once in a while I like to create some good ol' fanfiction. My fanfiction is usually with characters from games, kpop groups & anime/manga. Enjoy your stay!

[lindiswrites-blog]

This is a story dedicated to our lovely and creative friend, Alexis, on her birthday. Helen and I hope you had a wonderful day! (And we’re so so sorry that this is late!)

The beginning She stood outside in the dark early morning hours, looking up at the tall glass building in front of her. There's a long time still until they opened, however she found herself unable to sleep this night. Feeling both nervous and excited, how could she rest? Today was going to be a nerve-racking day, to be sure. The chill had settled in the air, leaving her to pull her coat closer around her. Luckily, she had the key, so she could walk on in before the staff got here...

The door swung shut behind her with a clank that echoed into the big dark room, spreading effortlessly like rings in water. Walking in, the automatic lights detected her presence and switched themselves on - revealing that the empty room wasn’t quite as empty as one would think. Lining the walls and standing on the floor in all their glory was art work... Her own art work. It was odd to see them decorating a room other than her own studio, and that they're in an established art gallery like this still felt like a dream.

Her latest creation stood like a big centre piece, supposed to catch the visitors eye as soon as they walk in. She was going for a different style on a larger scale this time around... and dearly hoped the visitors would like it, since she worked hard on it for a long time. She run her fingers along the sign underneath the painting, feeling the crevasses from the stamped-in words - "The Beginning" by Alexis Water. Alexis Water... her alias, keeping her real identity unknown to most. And soon, very soon, hopefully the name will be known throughout the art community... It all depends on this exhibition today.

­­­­It was time. The hustle and bustle had begun. A surprising amount of visitors showed up to her exhibition, even people she knew as somewhat famous artists were there. It was all very humbling to walk around the crowds and hear them comment on her work. You see, nobody knew that the artist herself was walking amongst them. She seemed to be like any other visitor there, and that's what she was going for. Honest opinions and criticism is something she valued.

After taking a few laps around the room to listen, she had gotten familiar with a few faces of the visitors. Two people in particular, on each side of the exhibit hall. Every time she passed each one of them, they said nothing. They must be the select few who were silent in the buzz. However, taking a glimpse at their expression... awe was present. There was a genuine wonder in their eyes that spoke volumes. Vastly different people who shared the same feeling as they looked upon her pieces... It struck a chord deep inside of her. She never knew that she had that ability, to actually touch people like this.

Time was running out and the crowds thinned. Groups of people left in chunks at a time as the sky changed colour. Eventually, the room had once again gone silent. She walked to close the door to signal that the exhibition was now over. A satisfied sigh left her lips, and a good day it was. She turned back around to the room, and noticed to her surprise that not everyone had left after all. Like shadows that move with the sun, the two that started in separate places of the hall now stood together in front of her latest work at the centre.

"It's beautiful." The tall red-haired girl said. It must have been the first words she had heard the girl say today.    The shorter blonde at her side looked up to her as she spoke. "Mmm, it really is... It kinda makes you..."    "Feel something?"    "Yeah, exactly... It's an odd yet comforting feeling."    "I wonder what the artist wanted to convey. Because... I feel the same thing." Said artist now walked up to the two. "I see you've found her newest creation." When her words reached them, they turned.    "Yeah..." The blonde turned back to look at the painting. "There's just something about it."    "Something that you can't quite place... but you're still familiar with." The red-haired continued.  At this, the now proud creator, Alexis, smiled. "Then what do you think she wanted to express? Say the first thing that comes to mind."    "Loyalty."    "Kindness."    "Understanding."    "Laughter."    "Love."    "...Friendship." The two looked at each other as they uttered the word in unison.    "Wow," the blonde said. "That is so cheesy, I can't believe we did that." Nonetheless, it spread a smile. "Oh, and my name's Linda, by the way." She continued, reaching out a hand for the two of them.    "Hi, I'm Helen." Helen shook the hand when it reached her.    "And I'm Mihaela, it's nice to meet you both."

Some small talk later, with arrangements to maybe see each other at another time, Mihaela said: "The staff is just about to close the gallery now though, so I'm afraid you'll have to be on your way unless you want to get locked in."    "That would be kind of cool... and creepy." Helen chuckled.    "More scary than anything," Linda pitched in. "Alright then, time to go. It was nice meeting you!" They waved their goodbyes as Helen and Linda made their way out the door. Just before they got out, Mihaela called out to them.    "Oh, and by the way, girls..." She started, the two by the exit stopped. "Thank you for coming to my exhibition, I'm glad you enjoyed my work." Their facial expression went from questioning to a dawning realisation as the door closed on them. Alexis, the artist, had brought them all together and Mihaela, the person, was going to keep it that way.

[maxkirin]

★ Daily Character Question ★

The Poisoned Mind Not so long ago, your Antagonist jumped to conclusions and ended up hurting someone who was innocent. Write a scene where your Antagonist comes face-to-face with this person, years later. How do they react to meeting once again after what happened?

Any work you create based off this prompt belongs to you, no sourcing is necessary though it would be really appreciated! And don’t forget to tag maxkirin (or tweet @MistreKirin), so that I can check-out your stories!

Want more writer inspiration, advice, and prompts? Follow my blog: maxkirin.tumblr.com!

[dreamsinmanhattan-blog]

Stop looking for happiness in the same place you lost it.

Oh my fucking god. READ THAT SHIT OVER AND OVER (via forebidden)

[boilingheart-archive]

Y’all little writers go on and have fun now

[flamingomediapr]

Right. Here is it everything you ever wanted to know about fashion cuts, trends, style, all in one post.

Every example of a trend that existed is list in the above post. So get to know your styles, perfect your image and enjoy mixing trends and different eras together. 😍👌👌

[fixyourwritinghabits]

You want fashion? 

[rpthemehelper]

This is not a bio format template, it’s more of a character development writing template that I use when it comes to creating my characters. This format works for me personally but you can obviously add/remove anything you find relevant. You can download a formatted (.rtf) version here for easier use.

[rpthemehelper]

Read More

[maxkirin]

Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.

Ray Bradbury (via maxkirin)

[writeworld-blog]

How many times am I going to dig you out of this grave?

Writer’s Block

In one sentence is the spark of a story. Ignite. Mission: Write a story, a description, a poem, a metaphor, a commentary, or a memory about this sentence. Write something about this sentence. Be sure to tag writeworld in your block!

[papercraneswriting]

The First Line #027

Prompts are for anyone and everyone, but if you use them, please link back to this blog. Also, if you post something based on this prompt, tag me…I’d love to read it! Thanks!

[nimblesnotebook-blog]

How do I make a reader care about a character very quickly?

Take away something at the beginning. I saw a comic on Tumblr a long time ago about a woman who discovered she wasn’t real. The comic was short and it was just her inner thoughts. Just a few panels of her inner thoughts were able to make the reader sympathetic because something so integral to her was taken away and now her identity is shattered while everyone around her has something that she doesn’t. Do that to your character. Take something away from them that makes the reader feel bad for them.

It can be difficult to do this with everyday situations unless you show what it was like before that something was taken away. You can show your character in “the everyday world” at the beginning of the story and the inciting incident can happen right away. A common theme that makes readers care for a character is loneliness.

Give them something at the beginning. Or you can do the opposite. Show your character in a situation that makes the reader pity them and then fix it in a way that makes the reader feel happy for them. Again, a common theme for these situations is loneliness. The lonely rejected kid on the playground who is approached by another reject kid is a familiar scene that achieves this.

Introduce an antagonist. If you introduce an antagonist that the reader ends up hating right away, they’ll be more inclined to side with the protagonist.

Make them relatable. It’s quite difficult to make a character that almost anyone can relate to, but you can make a character a good chunk of people relate to from the very beginning. Think about the age of your character and relatable problems that surround that age. For example, identity, individuality, and relationships are important to teenagers. Introducing a character dealing with one of those issues from the very beginning can draw readers within that age group into the story.

Torture your character. Put them in a physically and/or emotionally painful situation at the beginning of the story. The trick is to make the scene honest and genuine enough that the reader wants this character to come out victorious. 

More:

Do I Care? Make Me! How to Create Sympathetic Characters

Donald Maass Talks About How to Make Your Readers Care About Your Characters on the First Page

Make Your Reader Root for Your Main Character

[maxkirin]

✐ DAILY WEIRD PROMPT ✐

LIVING SHIP

Write about a character who lives in a world terrorized by an enormous sea monster. The catch? During an attack, this character is ‘swallowed’ by the monster. Double catch? This so-called ‘monster’ is not what it seems.

Want to publish a story inspired by this prompt? Click here to read the guidelines~ ♥︎ And, if you’re looking for more writerly content, make sure to follow me: maxkirin.tumblr.com!

[maxkirin]

★ DAILY CHARACTER QUESTION ★

XV

Write a scene were your Antagonist is seduced by a stranger. How do they take this? Will they allow themselves the pleasure of  this distraction?

Want to publish a story inspired by this prompt? Click here to read the guidelines~ ♥︎ And, if you’re looking for more writerly content, make sure to follow me: maxkirin.tumblr.com!

[madisonsmagazine]

MY WRITING MASTERPOST

I just have a lot of writing tips and masterposts and just stuff in my likes and I decided to put them all into this. All rights goes to the people who made them.

Cool Other Masterposts:

Writing Specific Characters

Writing References

Writing Masterpost

Character Guides

Writing Help for Writers

Ultimate Writing Resource List

Lots of RP Guides

Online Writing Resources

List of Websites to Help You Focus

Resources for Writing Bio’s

Helpful Links for Writing Help

General Writing Resources

Resources for Biography Writing

Mental Ilnesses/Disorders Guides

8 Words You Should Avoid While Writing

The Ultimate Writing Masterpost

General:

The Official Ten-Step Guide to Becoming the Next Gatsby

The Periodic Table of Storytelling

Joss Whedon’s Top 10 Writing Tips

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

34 Writing Tips that will make you a Better Writer

50 Free resources that will improve your writing skills

5 ways to get out of the comfort zone and become a stronger writer

10 ways to avoid Writing Insecurity

The Writer’s Guide to Overcoming Insecurity

The Difference Between Good Writers and Bad Writers

You’re Not Hemingway - Developing Your Own Style

7 Ways to use Brain Science to Hook Readers and Reel them In

8 Short Story Tips from Kurt Vonnegut

How to Show, Not Tell

5 Essential Story Ingredients

How to Write Fiction that grabs your readers from page one

Why research is important in writing

Make Your Reader Root for Your Main Character

Writing Ergonomics (Staying Comfortable Whilst Writing)

The Importance of Body Language

Fashion Terminology

All About Kissing

Genre Help: Romance

187 Mental Illnesses

Types of Mental Illness

Eye Color List

Spectral Groupings

Do you have trouble creating your titles?

On being a co-writer || Additional tips on effective co-writing 

The length of a chapter

How to deal with too many story ideas

On writing two stories simultaneously || a similar ask

When a story stops working

Copyright

Reading critically for writers

The question of outlining

Avoiding publishing scams

Finding story ideas

Tips on building a platform [guest blog]

How much does writing “in genre” matter?

What a “real writer” is

Pennames and aliases

A series of thoughts on series titles

The self-pub miniseries: the why

The self-pub miniseries: the what

Rewriting fanfiction into original fiction

Formatting long quotes and songs 

Characters:

10 days of Character Building

Name Generators

Name Playground

Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test

Seven Common Character Types

Handling a Cast of Thousands Part 1 - Getting To Know Your Characters

Web Resources for Developing Characters

Building Fictional Characters

Fiction Writer’s Character Chart

Body Language Cheat

Body Language Reference Cheat

Tips for Writers: Body Language

Types of Crying

Body Language: Mirroring

Character Building Workshop

Tips for Characterization

Character Chart for Fiction Writers

Villains are people too but…

How to Write a Character Bible

Character Development Exercises

All Your Characters Talk the Same - And They’re Not A Hivemind!

Medieval Names Archive

Sympathy Without Saintliness

Family Echo (Family Tree Maker)

Behind The Name

100 Character Development Questions for Writers

Aether’s Character Development Worksheet

The 12 Common Archetypes

Six Types of Courageous Characters

Kazza’s List of Character Secrets - Part 1, Part 2

Creating Believable Characters With Personality

Angry

Bad Asses

Bitches (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Childishness

Emotional Detachment

Flirtatious

The Girl Next Door

Introverts (2)

Mean Persons (2)

Psychopaths

Party Girls

Rich (2) 

Rebels

Sarcasm

Serial Killers (2)

Shyness (2, 3)

Sluts

Villains (2)

Witt

Body Language Cheat Sheet

Creating Fictional Characters Series

Three Ways to Avoid Lazy Character Description

7 Rules for Picking Names for Fictional Characters

Character Development Questionnaire

How to Create Fictional Characters

Character Name Resources

Character Development Template

Character Development Through Hobbies

Character Flaws List

10 Questions for Creating Believable Characters

Ari’s Archetype Series

How to Craft Compelling Characters

List of 200 Character Traits

Writing Characters of the Opposite Sex

Making Your Characters Likable

Do you really know your characters?

Character Development: Virtues

Character Development: Vices

Character Morality Alignment

List of Negative Personality Traits

List of Positive Personality Traits

List of Emotions - Positive

List of Emotions - Negative

Loon’s Character Development Series - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Phobia List A-L (Part 1), M-Z (Part 2)

30 Day In Depth Character Development Meme

Words for Emotions based on Severity

Eight Bad Characters

High Level Description of the Sixteen Personality Types

How Not to Write Female Characters

Writing Female Characters

How to write empowering female characters

Why I write strong female characters

Red Flags for Female Characters Written by Men

Writing strong female characters

The Female Character Flowchart

Eight Heroine Archetypes

Eight Hero Archetypes

Help on picking character names

A tip about realistic characters

Strategies to create believable characters

Additional tips on writing PoC characters

Advice on writing genders

Creating unstable characters

Ambiguous Antagonists

A tidbit on psychological trauma [trigger warnings]

On writing accents

What makes characters stick with me

Sweetening up character description

Making an introverted character stand out

Conveying too much or too little character “inner reflection”

Revealing a character’s asexual orientation

Revealing a character’s gender & orientation

A habit of killing characters

When characters aren’t standing out

Breaking hearts with character deaths

Quick tips on expressing character 

Character development versus pacing 

A mini guide to character voice

A Description Resource

55 Words to Describe Someones Voice

Describing Skin Colors

Describing a Person: Adding Details

Emotions Vocabulary

90 Words For ‘Looks’

Be More Descriptive

Describe a Character’s Look Well

100 Words for Facial Expressions

To Show and Not To Tell

Words to Describe Facial Expressions

Describing Clothes

List of Actions

Tone, Feelings and Emotions

Writing A Vampire

Writing Pansexual Characters

Writing Characters on the Police Force

Writing Drunk Characters

Writing A Manipulative Character

Writing A Friends With Benefits Relationship

Writing A Natural Born Leader

Writing A Flirtatious Character

Writing A Nice Character

Fiction Writing Exercises for Creating Villains

Five Traits to Contribute to an Epic Villain

Writing Villains that Rock

Writing British Characters

How To Write A Character With A Baby

On Assassin Characters

Disorders in general (2, 3, 4, 5) 

Attention Deficit Disorder

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Anxiety (2, 3, 4, 5) 

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Alice In Wonderland Syndrome

Bipolar Disorder (2, 3)

Cotard Delusions

Depression (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)   

Eeating Disorders (2, 3)

Facitious Disorders

Histrionic Personality Disorder

Multiple Personality Disorder (2)

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Night Terrors

Kleptomania (2)

A Pyromaniac

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Psychopaths

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (2) (3)

Sex Addiction (2)

Schizophrenia (2)

Sociopaths (2)

Aspergers Syndrome

Apathy 

Autism

Someone Blind (2)

Cancer (2, 3)

Disability

Dyslexia

Muteness (2, 3)

Stutter

Actors

Ballet Dancer (2)

Christianity

Foreigners

Gamblers

Hinduism

Hitmen

Satanism

Smokers

Stoners

Taoism

Journalists

Vegetarians

Alcohol Influence (2, 3, 4, 5)

Cocaine Influence

Ecstasy Influence (2)

Heroin Use

LSD Influence

Marijuana Influence (2, 3)

Opiate Use

Tips on Writing Dialogue:

It’s Not What They Say…

Top 8 Tips for Writing Dialogue

Speaking of Dialogue

The Great Said Debate

He Said, She Said, Who Said What?

How to Write Dialogue Unique to Your Characters

Writing Dialogue: Go for Realistic, Not Real-Life

Tips on Writing Point of View:

Establishing The Right Point of View

How to Start Writing in the Third Person

The I Problem

Style & Craft of Writing:

The literary “weak verb”

Do you have word tics?

Victoria’s Vitamins: vague descriptive words

Victoria’s Vitamins: mood

Breaking writing habits

Varying sentences

Describing colors

Sweetening up character description

Purple prose

Grammar is a tricksy thing

"Smartening" the language of your narrative

Building suspense and making readers sweat

A couple tips about description in fast-paced scenes

Content:

The story of exposition

10 ways to hit your reader in the gut

Make your reader root for your main character

Make your reader hold their breath

What’s the big deal about intros?

A tip about description

The word count of your manuscript

Things that make me keep reading

Choosing ideas and endings

When to describe setting

Battling cliches

Is your story YA, NA, or adult?

When a plot isn’t strong enough to make a whole story

Flashbacks with multiple POVs

Bulking up your word count

Avoiding cliches

Conquer that opening line || response || discussion

Tips on revealing setting awesomely kind of

Deciding between different ideas for the same story 

Revision:

You’ve finished your manuscript! Now what?

Revision sucks but doesn’t have to suck

Where to find beta readers/critique partners

Tips on taking critique

Tips on giving critique

What to do with bad writing advice

Additional insight on bad writing advice

Five quick steps to get into revising that manuscript

When to say you’re done revising

Beginning the awesome journey of revision

Friends are not always the best readers 

Plot, Structure, & Outline:

Writing A Novel Using the Snowflake Method

Effectively Outlining Your Novel

Conflict and Character Within Story Structure

Outlining Your Plot

Ideas, Plots and Using the Premise Sheets

How To Write A Novel

Creating Conflict and Sustaining Suspense

Plunge Right In…Into Your Story, That Is

Tips for Creating a Compelling Plot

36 (plus one) Dramatic Situations

The Evil Overlord Devises A Plot: Excerpt from Stupid Plot Tricks

Conflict Test

What is Conflict?

Monomyth

The Hero’s Journey: Summary of Steps

Outline Your Novel in Thirty Minutes

Plotting Without Fears

Novel Outlining 101

Writing The Perfect Scene

One-Page Plotting

The Great Swampy Middle

How Can You Know What Belongs In Your Book?

Create A Plot Outline in 8 Easy Steps

How to Organize and Develop Ideas for Your Novel

Create Structure in your novel using index cards

Choosing the best outline method for you

Hatch’s Plot Bank

Setting & Making Your Own World

Magical Word Builder’s Guide

I Love The End Of The World

World Building 101

The Art of Description: Eight Tips to Help Bring Your Settings to Life

Creating the Perfect Setting - Part 1

Creating a Believable World

Setting

Character and Setting Interactions

Maps Workshop - Developing the Fictional World Through Mapping

World Builders Project

How To Create Fantasy Worlds

Creating Fantasy and Science Fiction Worlds

Helpful Tools & Software:

Tip Of My Tongue - Find the word you’re looking for

Write or Die - Stay motivated

Stay Focused - Tool for Chrome, lock yourself out of distracting websites

My Writing Nook - Online Text Editor, Free

Bubbl.us - Online Mind Map Application, Free

Family Echo - Online Family Tree Maker, Free

Freemind - Mind Map Application; Free; Windows, Mac, Linux, Portable

Xmind - Mind Map Application; Free; Windows, Mac, Linux, Portable

Liquid Story Binder - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $45.95; Windows, Portable

Scrivener - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $39.95; Mac

SuperNotecard - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $29; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable

yWriter - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free; Windows, Linux, portable

JDarkRoom - Minimalist Text Editing Application; free; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable

AutoRealm - Map Creation Application; free; Windows, Linux with Wine

Grammer & Revision:

How To Rewrite

Editing Recipe

Cliche Finder

Revising Your Novel: Read What You’ve Written

Writing 101: Revising A Novel

20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes

Synonyms for the Most Commonly Used Words of the English Language

Grammar Urban Legends

Words Instead of Walk (2)

Commonly Confused Adjectives

A Guide on Punctuation

Common Writing Mistakes

25 Synoms for ‘Expession’

How to: Avoid Misusing Variations of Words

Words to Keep Inside Your Pocket

The 13 Trickiest Grammar Hang-Ups

Other Ways to Say..

Proofreading

300+ Sophiscated and Underused Words

List of Misused Words

Words for Sex

100 Beautiful and Ugly Words

Words to Use More Often

Alternatives for ‘Smile’ or ‘Laugh’

Three Self Editing Tips

Words to Use Instead of ‘Walk’, ‘Said’, ‘Happy’ and ‘Sad’

Synonyms for Common Words

Alternatives for ‘Smile’

Transitional Words

The Many Faces and Meanings of ‘Said’

Synonyms for ‘Wrote’

A Case Of She Said, She Said

Creativity Boosters:

*Creative Writing Prompts

*Ink Provoking

*Story Starter

*Story Spinner

*Story Kitchen

*Language is a Virus

*The Dabbling Mum

Quick Story Idea Generator

Solve Your Problems By Simply Saying Them Out Loud

Busting Your Writing Rut

Creative Acceleration: 11 Tips To Engineer A Productive Flow

Writing Inspiration, Or Sex on a Bicycle

The Seven Major Beginner Mistakes

Complete Your First Book with these 9 Simple Writing Habits

Free Association, Active Imagination, Twilight Imaging

Random Book Title Generator

Finishing Your Novel

Story Starters & Idea Generators

Words to Use More Often

How to: Cure Writer’s Block

Some Tips on Writer’s Block

Got Writer’s Block?

6 Ways to Beat Writer’s Block

Tips for Dealing With Writer’s Block

Improvement:

Improve Your Writing Habits Now

5 Ways to Add Sparkle to Your Writing

Getting Over Roleplaying Insecurities

Improve Your Paras

Why the Right Word Choices Result in Better Writing

4 Ways To Have Confidence in Your Writing

Writing Better Than You Normally Do

How’s My Driving?

Motivation:

Backhanding procrastination

On habits and taking care of yourself || Response

More troubles with writing motivation

The inner critic and ways to fight it

The writing life is hard on us

For troubles with starting your story

Writing to be published

"You’re a writer, will you write this for me?"

Writing a story that’s doomed to suck

Writing stamina builds slowly

When depression goes and writing goes with it

Additional inner critic strategies

Tips on conquering NaNoWriMo (or any project, really)

You will change as a writer

Ways to keep writing while in school

13 quick tips when you’re starting your novel

First draft blues

Getting in your own way 

Writing an Application:

How to: Make That Application Your Bitch

How to: Make Your App Better

How to: Submit a Flawless Audition

10 Tips for Applying

Para Sample Ideas

5 Tips on Writing an IC Para Sample

Writing an IC Sample Without Escaping From the Bio

How to: Create a Worthy IC Para Sample

How to: Write an Impressive Para Sample

How to: Lengthen Short Para’s

Prompts:

Drabble Stuff

Prompts List

Writing Prompts

Drabble Prompts

How to Get Into Character

Writing Challenges/Prompts

A Study in Writing Prompts for RPs

Para Prompts & Ideas

Writing Prompts for Journal Entries

A List of Para Starters

[maxkirin]

Always make the audience suffer as much as possible.

Alfred Hitchcock (via maxkirin)

[maxkirin]

I pretend that I’m sitting across from somebody… telling them a story, and I don’t want them to get up until it’s finished.

J. Patterson (via maxkirin)

[maxkirin]

★ DAILY CHARACTER QUESTION ★

The Falling Tower

What is the one thing that could ruin your Protagonist’s life? Write a scene where this happens, and your Protagonist can’t do anything about it.

Want to publish a story inspired by this prompt? Click here to read the guidelines~ ♥︎ And, if you’re looking for more writerly content, make sure to follow me: maxkirin.tumblr.com!

[victrstone-deactivated20180802]

What To Do When You Can't Settle On A Story Idea

There’s writer’s block, and then there’s writer’s overload. Sometimes being flooded with ideas can be just as bad as having none, and it definitely stops many writers from working and fulfilling their creative impulses. If you can’t settle on an idea, you’re only four steps and a half an hour away from writing your story.

1. Pick three concepts for your story.

Narrow your thoughts down to three story ideas. If you’re a varied writer, your three stories can each be of a different genre. When I’m planning submissions or comic scripts, sometimes I’ll figure out the basic ideas for a scifi story, a fantasy, and a realist story before I figure out what I want and get to work. If you already have a specific genre you’re inspired for, you can think up three story directions for the same overreaching concept.

2. Spend five minutes thinking about each one.

Imagine the characters and concept for each, and take fifteen minutes and develop their stories a little. Imagine the characters and concept for each, and familiarize yourself with the tone. Confining this step to five minutes will keep you from spiraling into another few hours of story concept hell, but should still give you enough time to consider your stories before you move onto the next step: writing.

3. Start writing all three.

Pick a story at random and write an establishing scene, describing the setting. Spend five minutes or so (set a timer!) writing for each concept. Describe the setting or the central theme, or anything that can pull you in. The already fleshed the idea out in the previous step, now you’re going to find out if you care or not. To really test your devotion to an idea, start writing on one of the smallest details of it that would still be necessary to the story telling.

4. Abandon the stories.

If the last exercise gave you a clear winner, start working on it. If you’re still unsure, take out a die or pull up an automatic die online. Assign each story a number 1-3, and promise yourself you’ll write the story that you roll and you’ll abandon the other two until that project is on its feet.

This process is more to test your mind than it is to punish you - leaving a choice like this up to chance will force your subconcious to tell you which you’re most invested in. If you’re disappointed over “losing” one of the stories more than the rest, then that’s the story you’re going to write.

Do you ever get stuck on a dozen story ideas? How do you get yourself out of that funk?