Little Writing Helps

I wanted to create a blog to give a little help to writers. Just so you know, I have no right to tell you what to do. I am nineteen years old and I am still learning what it means to be a writer, but if I can help just one person, then my little blog will have been worth it. :) Anyways, I'm writing a book with very little experience on the subject, so I have googled and stumbled and flipped tables, but I have found some things that are useful and that's what I want to focus on in this blog. Interested?

[littlewritinghelps]

I'm writing a sci fi story that includes different alien races. I want one of the races to be genderless, but I'm not sure how to refer to them using personal pronouns. I've been told to use singular they, but it doesn't work in every situation and makes things confusing when more than one character is in a scene. Is there a non confusing way to write about these characters or should I just scrap the idea and make them all male or all female?

Ermm… so tumblr isn’t giving me notifications whenever I get a message so I have no idea how old this ask is… (I’M SORRRRYYYYYY)

But I do have some ideas to help here. For starters, you can be like this guy and invent your own gender neutral pronouns: http://www.urticator.net/essay/0/30.html

Or you can use "it", though I don’t suppose it’d feel too nice to be called an “it”. Then again, an alien might not feel offended by that or might not know to feel offended.

Orrrr you can use a title like “the alien” or “the creature” or “the thing with the face” or “the mysterious figure” or “the timid little fluff-ball” or “the almost-male-thing-but-not-quite” or “the whatever the alien species name is”.

Another solution to overusing both “it”, “they”, and whatever titles you’ve decided to use is by using the cool alien names you must have invented, because aliens need names too, right? Unless they are ruled by an evil (or actually just misunderstood) dictator who demands that no creature under its rule is allowed any sort of individuality, your aliens are probably unique beings too.

*Ahem*

Mr. Squack Scrunchface inputs very interesting characters into a very interesting computing system at a very interesting time. Thinking this would be the best way to be very interesting, they also drink a very interesting drink while wearing very interesting glasses. Are aliens meant to be very interesting, this creature of an unknown galaxy asks itself? Well, ve thinks it can’t hurt to try.

Edit: I know my example is named Mr. Squack Scrunchface and that defeats the purpose of gender neutral pronouns, but I wanted to make it clear that Squack Scrunchface was a name and not a title.

*whoop whoop* boys can be pretty too

[thestasher]

I would say using the singular “they” is going to get mega confusing when using it with an entire race. Personally, I can’t think of any situation where just playing around with the sentence can’t make it possible to exclude pronouns, provided the subject either has a name or is referred to as “the alien.” Think of new ways to phrase things to keep pronouns out of things as much as possible.

[littlewritinghelps]

this^^

especially if all the aliens are really super similar like in Galaxy Quest

but if you can make them with defining features, those can be used for titles to avoid pronouns. The one with the wide forehead. The one without hair over it’s eyes. The one with small ears. The one with cleavage.

Those kinds of titles can also be made into temporary names (my favorite!). Big Forehead. No Eyebrows. Small Ears. Female-like-thing.

[littlewritinghelps]

I'm writing a sci fi story that includes different alien races. I want one of the races to be genderless, but I'm not sure how to refer to them using personal pronouns. I've been told to use singular they, but it doesn't work in every situation and makes things confusing when more than one character is in a scene. Is there a non confusing way to write about these characters or should I just scrap the idea and make them all male or all female?

Ermm… so tumblr isn’t giving me notifications whenever I get a message so I have no idea how old this ask is… (I’M SORRRRYYYYYY)

But I do have some ideas to help here. For starters, you can be like this guy and invent your own gender neutral pronouns: http://www.urticator.net/essay/0/30.html

Or you can use "it", though I don’t suppose it’d feel too nice to be called an “it”. Then again, an alien might not feel offended by that or might not know to feel offended.

Orrrr you can use a title like “the alien” or “the creature” or “the thing with the face” or “the mysterious figure” or “the timid little fluff-ball” or “the almost-male-thing-but-not-quite” or “the whatever the alien species name is”.

Another solution to overusing both “it”, “they”, and whatever titles you’ve decided to use is by using the cool alien names you must have invented, because aliens need names too, right? Unless they are ruled by an evil (or actually just misunderstood) dictator who demands that no creature under its rule is allowed any sort of individuality, your aliens are probably unique beings too.

*Ahem*

Mr. Squack Scrunchface inputs very interesting characters into a very interesting computing system at a very interesting time. Thinking this would be the best way to be very interesting, they also drink a very interesting drink while wearing very interesting glasses. Are aliens meant to be very interesting, this creature of an unknown galaxy asks itself? Well, ve thinks it can’t hurt to try.

Edit: I know my example is named Mr. Squack Scrunchface and that defeats the purpose of gender neutral pronouns, but I wanted to make it clear that Squack Scrunchface was a name and not a title.

*whoop whoop* boys can be pretty too

[littlewritinghelps]

Writing Storytellers

Someone sent me an ask about how to write a storyteller character/how to describe a voice (as their character will obviously be using theirs a lot). They asked the answer be sent privately due to tumblr issues, but the info could be helpful elsewhere and it would be a shame to lose this resource for me, personally, because how am I ever going to remember all this again later?

Here's what I came up with:

Think really hard about those times you were told stories - by friends as they spur on excitably about something you have absolutely no interest in, by parents/guardians who might have spoken in a warm, low voice as you lay in bed waiting for sleep, by your old teachers who tried their very hardest to make the stories interesting with unique voices for each and every different character (that really just sounded either super high-pitched or super low-pitched), and by yourself - the stories you share with others because you have to or because you just can't stop yourself from sharing an experience important to you. Keep those memories close as you brainstorm and get to writing, because it can really help you focus.

Also, take the time to imagine yourself as a storyteller - either in modern times or in the past - and think about how you would tell a story that is scary, funny, strange, wild and fantastic, warm and sweet, nonsensical (yet still amusing in some odd way), mysterious, dark, enlightening, beautiful, horrific, informative, inspirational, just plain goofy, and anything else you can think of!

What kind of storyteller is this character? Where are they from? How much money do they have? Is their life awesome or severely sucky or downright depressing? Will they be dressed with furs and feathers, robes and walking sticks, gowns and fine jewelry, suits and diamond cufflinks, tweed jackets and horn-rimmed glasses, pocket protectors and braces, overalls and checkered shirts, short skirts and tight tops, the skins and teeth of their enemies/conquests, tie-dye socks and paisley shorts, shirts down to their knees and pants also down to their knees, or even nothing at all as they strut around nude? Remember that what the storyteller wears doesn't have to make sense or even coincide with what kind of stories they tell; it can be fun messing with people by talking in a fashion completely different to one's outer appearance. But also figure out how to write the way your character speaks and not just how their voice sounds as they do it.

Some people don't like using certain words. My best friend hates the word moist. I personally don't care to use the word giggle if the person laughing isn't either on drugs or just being harshly judged for chuckling to themselves like an idiot. Some people do not use contractions and sound very grounded and mature when they speak because of it. Others use slang and are a-okay with contractions, as it isn't like staying formal is super important or anything. You can also work accents into your writing, but it's ridiculously difficult to do if you aren't Mark Twain or J.K.Rowling.

Some people also like using certain words or phrases too much. I use some, just, kind of, enthusiastically, really, and a whole bunch of other words too much (including bunch, but how can you not use bunch without bunches of editing?). In figuring out speech patterns, you will notice also that people tend to repeat themselves by accident because they've repeated the same story so many times that it comes naturally to them to tell it again, or they repeat words or phrases in new sentences to sound poetic. I do that. I do that bunches. Yup, yup.

And as if you didn't have enough to worry about when writing: you may also want to take into account how your storyteller's storytelling feels to other characters. One may hear a soft tone and feel relaxed and safe. Another could hear the same soft tone and think the teller is spineless and weak. Yet another could hear that soft tone and get lost in the simple, alluring sounds of the voice - forgetting to actually listen to the meaning of the words the voice is telling them.

I couldn't find much in terms of good resources, but these could help:

Words to describe the sound of a voice

8 tips on writing dialogue (you gotta talk normally somewhere in your story, right?)

Definitions in Wikipedia for cadence and idiolect (I'm scrambling for sources at this point, sorry!). Also idioglossia, because it's fun to think about.

OOH JUST FOUND THIS ONE: different words for way of speaking!

A quick note: I read a book where a character told a story to another character and the whole story was told in a new, narrative chapter as opposed to the usual third person chapters before. That could be a fun way to throw your readers off.

[aidendorian]

I hate setting goals for myself. I tell myself every month that I’ll write a chapter of every story I’m working on or even focus on one story and what do I get…an unfinished chapter from the previous month. Why does writing have to be so hard?

[littlewritinghelps]

*cough*

Oh, sorry. Sometimes I just show up out of nowhere and cough on people. How rude of me.

[littlewritinghelps]

They say in order to write, you mst read. I am trying to write a novel about two teenagers being kidnapped and held against their will. I've read a couple of memoirs, like The Jaycee Duggard story but what else can I do, or read, to prep myself?

Look for old news stories for inspiration and a few details you may never have even thought about.

I’m sure there are things you could learn from them - like what the police used to find the kidnappers and what kinds of things they look for when they come across that kind of situation or even different methods of restraining another person back like zip-ties, handcuffs, and ropes. Maybe you'll come across a more fascinating way to escape too. It might turn out to be a little sickening just how much these kidnappers were capable of, but if you have the stomach for it, here are some sites you can try (just type ‘kidnap’ in the search bar):

The New York Times

The Huffington Post

CNN

There is also a book I would like to recommend, not just because it could help you think about what a kidnapping would be like, but because it’s a pretty good read. It’s funny, it’s a little cheesy romantic, it shows a lot about what it’s like to really rough it when you don’t have a shower or toilet or clean water or any nice luxuries similar to this that we take for granted.

I warn you, this book is mostly about travel, but I still think it could help a little (and maybe I’ve just been dying to share it with someone).

Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell

Also, at the same site that describes that book, you could type ‘kidnap’ in the search bar and find other books that you could check out at a library.

[littlewritinghelps]

Does my villain have to have character development? I think yes but I'm not sure.

I’m sorry! I never saw the notification for this message for some reason. At least it’s only been a couple days (whew!).

Your villain doesn’t need to have character development.

Mr. Evil Bunny Fluffikins eats carrot people.

However, it is a very, very nice thing to read when villains change throughout the story, even if they change for the worse. I think it makes the story far more interesting.

Mr. Evil Bunny Fluffikins eats carrot people, but he becomes sympathetic towards them and regrets his full tummy when a baby carrot person starts to cry.

or

Mr. Evil Bunny Fluffikins eats carrot people, but he tortures them first because they started to fight back and he wants to teach the others a lesson.

You could also make a character that doesn’t change, but the character’s backstory is revealed more and more to change the reader’s opinion about the awful things they do.

Mr. Evil Bunny Fluffikins eats carrot people, but it turns out that the carrot people killed his wife, Mrs. Evil Bunny Fluffikins.

[nanocafe]

[littlewritinghelps]

tips for writing book reviews?

Hmm... I've never written a formal book review before. There were school assignments that require details from the book to prove we read it, but it seems like in a formal review you should focus more on the execution of themes, the writer's style, and your overall impression of the book's content.

A review is an opinion - a reaction, not a summary.

Also, they should be fairly short. Readers don't want to read a whole novel of a review just to see if the actual novel itself is worth reading or not.

There are a lot of things you could write about in a review like the character development, plot pacing, tone, mood, lessons learned, and so on. It'd be best to just pick the points that stand out the most to you. This gets really difficult if you like everything about a book. In this case, just pick your favorites.

If I were to make an example: I really love the Harry Potter series and there are so many great points I could make about it, but my favorite would probably be the whole concept of every human having a different place on the spectrum of right and wrong. There are grey areas to her character's moral alignment and I think she pulled off that theme really well with characters like Draco and Dumbledore, who at first seem very much black and white until you learn more about them later on.

And because it's hard to remember all the points of a piece that you should think about and consider putting in your review, here's a link that could help.

Since your review is an opinion, you are completely free to state everything you find that isn't quite your cup of tea~

[littlewritinghelps]

Who vs. Whom

READ THIS

Don't even read it because you want to know the difference between using "who" and "whom"; just read it because it's cute and hilarious.

[littlewritinghelps]

Emotional Perfection

When you are reading something really heartbreaking and beautiful or just severely intense, the worst thing to happen is getting wrenched out of the story by a phone call or a nagging parent or the cat scratching at the door to let you know that he wants outside again but will probably just stand there, clueless when you get all the way out of your chair to let him outside.

Yes, I know that feeling.

Being pulled out of that incredible moment and then trying to get back into it again is like cutting a sandwich and expecting it become whole again if you mush the pieces together.

What is my point? Where is the writing tip in this ramble?

Do what you can so the reader isn't pulled out of the story.

The biggest thing that bugs me when I read something is when I get to the most amazing part of the story with all the love, the angst, or the action and there are typos. It isn't just one or two though, this is where there are the most typos in the entire piece.

This happens in a lot of pieces I've read and my best guess is that this part was also very powerful for the writer to get through when they created it and they didn't want to spend too much time dwelling on the raw emotion. These feelings will always be stronger in their mind as they go over it because they know everything left unsaid and can picture the image perfectly.

The bad thing about this is that these intense scenes are the ones that stick to the reader's mind the most, so every typo stands out glaring and ugly, yanking them from the world they were imagining and back into the chair they're sitting on and the air they're breathing in a room that is bland in comparison. It just takes away from the whole experience.

In conclusion: be extra picky when you edit the emotional parts, even if you have to take breaks to calm down or pretend you are an unfeeling robot to get through it.

[chelseigh-deactivated20200605]

Things I do:

Make in depth and diverse characters with no idea what the fuck I can do with them, or where the hell to put them.

[littlewritinghelps]

At this point, I think that using a simple generator or coming up with your own simple idea/theme/scenario would be best.

Using that one simple thing, let the story write it's self. Think about how your complex character would react in this given situation.

Take your character and make them find a box.

What's inside the box? What would make this character think, flinch, roll around in happiness, jump out the window of a forty-foot building, cringe, blush, fling themselves at a wall, and/or laugh until they cried?

Is the box filled with photos? Memories to tug at the heart and remind it that good things existed in the past or bad, hurtful things are out to get you forever and always.

Is the box filled with unknown goop? Maybe a type of food that had rotten and stuck to the edges? That's sure to make your character flinch.

Is the box bigger than it needs to be, containing something small/delicate? Maybe you want them to find something not from this world, like that unknown goop or a little fairy.

There's also the possibility that there is something horrible and traumatizing in that box, like hacked off limbs and nasty bloody stuff I'd rather not describe right now.

Or maybe the box is empty. Maybe it's even empty when it's not supposed to be.

This is what I like to do with my characters and sometimes I can find something I want to use this way. Other times, I just have fun messing with them (you don't have to write something lengthy and serious every time you write).

[littlewritinghelps]

nooooo i dont want to write my essay my thesis sucks my conclusion is weak and my body paragraphs are all over the place not to mention I HAVE NEVER BEEN LESS MOTIVATED TO DO A THING

*ahem*

DO THE THING

IT HURTS BUT IT MUST BE DONE

It helps if you try to find something interesting about what you're writing about, even if you force yourself to think "HEY THIS WHOLE MUSH OF WORDS SURE IS INTERESTINGHAHAHAHAAA". Pick apart some of your research and make a checkpoint for any interesting bits so you have something to look forward to as you write.

And if you think something you wrote is sucky, reread it and try what you can to mix it up, whether it's the sentence structure or the information that's lacking.

The best thing you can do though, is to know your subject because then you don't have to rely heavily on several papers in front of you to get down what you need.

All in all,

GOOD LUCK OMG YOU CAN DO THIS

PS. Unless the grade on this essay will determine if you graduate or not, you can go a little easy on yourself if it really really really just hurts too much to produce words. You can allow a bad essay in your life.

[greenwithenby-deactivated201609]

Idea Notes

I want to write out my story ideas, but I’m worried they’ll just be embarrassing once I see them on paper.

[littlewritinghelps]

do it *cue fireworks* anyways!~

A. You need to get those ideas out of your head to make room for new ones

B. If you don't write it down, you might forget it. Forgetting whatever idea this was (which your brain will tell you was a really great one) will haunt you in waves of regret.

C. No matter how embarrassing they are, who else has to see them? You can crumple it, tear it to pieces and leave bits in different trashcans, burn it, or if done on a computer, simply delete it. Besides that, these are only vague ideas. They don't have to be perfect and no one expects them to be.

[on-the-ning-nang-nong]

I just can’t motivate myself to write. It’s been like two months maybe more since I’ve written. I want to write but i just can’t. Why must this be so hard?

[littlewritinghelps]

*coughcough*

[aunclesquishy]

coughCOUGH

But do stories really need beginnings?

[littlewritinghelps]

*Ahem* I believe this may answer your question (all the same ideas apply)

[ghostymituna-deactivated2013112]

Side Characters Vs. Main Characters

why do i always end up loving my side characters more than my main characters

[littlewritinghelps]

Side characters don't have as much baggage to drag along behind them.

Think about it. It's ridiculously easy to write about your side characters because they don't all have a butt ton of past memories that you have to remember all the time as your write.

You can literally take your side characters in any direction you want without having to worry about plot holes as much as with your main. That feeling of creative freedom inside that mush of words is so nice, isn't it?

If this really bugs you and stops you from writing comfortably, try creating something about your main character's past that you can see at a glance the things you need to remember--> keeping specific notes for separate chapters could help too.

[redbeautyskimmonsftw]

I’ve been trying to write for three days…

You know what I’ve got?

….nothing.

[littlewritinghelps]

*cough*