LYL Hazel

Writer in Progress

[cosleia]

I love ideas, and story tropes, and headcanons. But what I really love is the fanworks that explore these things. The idea, the trope, the headcanon…those alone don’t give the work value, for me. What I love is your unique perspective.

I would never tell the story the way you would. We all have completely different lives and experiences and values. You’ll think of things I’d never think of, and beyond that, you have skills I don’t have. Your craft has developed differently. The way you structure your story or render your art…it’s unique to you. No one else can do it your way.

I love seeing creators leverage their individual skills, the culmination of their lives up to the point of creation, to bring forth a wholly unique work.

It doesn’t matter to me if there are 500 bedsharing fics. I’ll read yours because it’s yours. It doesn’t matter if a thousand people have drawn a bridal carry. Yours will delight me because it will show me you.

You don’t need to have a completely unique idea. That’s impossible. What you need to do is put the effort into developing it and creating a finished work. That work will be yours, a work only you could have made, regardless of the original idea.

“There’s already a fic about…” Doesn’t matter. There isn’t already your fic about it.

Show me your art. Show me your craft. Create something.

[entitydark]

I agree with this completely. If you look at my fanfiction account (yes I use fanfiction.net) you will see my favorites list has over 6000 works in it. You will also see a lot of the same ideas popping up between the different fandoms that having read over 6000 different works implied I was in at some point. Most all the ideas are the similar in some way, but each one still manages to be wholly unique.i keep reading Dreaming of Sunshine because it does something I’ve rarely ever seen with the SI/OC trope. I read Recreated fire because it did something amazing with the reincarnation trope. I read Shadow Justice and all it’s sequels because it turned a garden variety Yu-Gi-Oh/Justice league crossover into something amazing and made the Shadow Realm into a concept I could never have even imagined before. I don’t read stories online because all the ideas are new. I read them because the take old and over done ideas and turn them into something unique. Send me your fanfiction and I will appreciate it because you made it and you did a good job telling the stories you set out to tell. Whether or not the premise you used is a completely original one.

[iamnmbr3]

When you’re writing and you can clearly see in your mind the exact expression a character is wearing or hear the exact nonverbal sound they are making, but completely fail at coming up with a way to explain it.

[bookwisebriggy]

And he was smiling very smiley-like, you know, like a smile except even more smiley.

[lylhazel-writerinprogress]

IKR

[sad-wizard-writes-deactivated20]

The fact that the unpublished book series that only exists in my head doesn't have a fandom yet may be one of the greatest crimes in literary history.

[thepenspointofview]

How to Accomplish Good Word Choice:

1. Don’t use a Thesaurus–use a Dictionary.  

While a Thesaurus can come in handy, it is really only useful if you have a very good vocabulary to start off with and just need a garage to keep them all in. A dictionary, is more useful in writing because in the definitions, it often says other synonyms in the description, as well as decreasing the chances of having those slight differences a Thesaurus will give you. For example, a smile is different than a smirk or grimace, two examples in a Thesaurus for “smile.” If “smile” is going by a definition, it is, “Form one’s features into a pleased, kind, or amused expression, typically with the corners of the mouth turned up: “smiling faces”; A pleased, kind, or amused facial expression, typically with the corners of the mouth turned up and the front teeth exposed.“ This gives you a lot more information to go off of, and could also give you some more ideas as a bonus. 

2. Think about the tone of the piece. 

If you are writing a piece in a particular tone, be careful of the words you use. Make sure your word choice matches what is occurring in your story. For example, if a house is haunted or "bad news” for the characters, you typically don’t want the house to be described as “welcoming and bright,” unless you are attempting a sort of “Hansel and Gretel” plot-twist. Also be aware of the tone of your piece–make sure the way you want the story to head is the same as your words are suggesting. 

3. Don’t get too fancy with impressive words. 

While having a big vocabulary is definitely an admirable trait, especially as a writer, it is a good idea to be wary of clunky, huge, or strange words when writing your story. Not only does it disrupt the flow of your piece, but often jolts the reader out of the story. There is nothing more strange than reading a word like “anathema”  when the reader could have said “taboo.” Keep in mind the fact that you don’t need to dumb down your story for the audience, but be aware of who your audience is, and the words most in that range are going to use or at least be aware of that word in their everyday lives. If you looked up “SAT words” on the internet, then there’s a good chance you are trying to make your story be more than it really is. 

4. Use words that do more than just fill up space. 

In a story, every word is important. So make sure you aren’t just paying attention to a word limit, and make sure the words do more than just state the obvious. “He was sad, disappointed and alone, sitting on the curb watching cars on the highway zoom past him,” does very little for the reader. “He sat by the concrete curb with hands covering his chapped lips, as he glanced at the passing cars with a glance common to beggars” says much more about the character.

5. Make sure you understand the connotation of a word. 

A good example are the words “skinny” and “slender.” Both words mean almost the exact same thing, but generally speaking, “skinny” is more negative, and “slender” is more positive. Understanding the connotation of a word can make the story less confusing and more consistent. 

[writersblockbecomesunblocked]

How To End Your Story

The Circle Ending- A story that does a full circle and comes back to the beginning

The Moral Ending- An ending where you learn a lesson and see the character develop

The Surprise Ending- A big plot twist last minute

The Reflection Ending- The Character looks back on their past achievements and experiences

The Emotional Ending- Leave your readers feeling sad, bittersweet, or happy

The Cliff Hanger Ending- End on something that will leave your readers at the edge of their seat

The Humor Ending- Finish in a funny or humorous way

The Question Ending- Make the reader wonder what will happen next

The Image Ending- Show, don’t tell

The Dialogue Ending- Finish with a quote from one of your characters

[lizard-is-writing]

Writing is Rewriting: How Rewriting Can Better Your Craft

Revision has got to be, at least for me, the most cringeworthy part of writing just about anything. I get to the end of a first draft and I look back over the great, wide mess of the thing I just wrote and I don’t want to do it. I think well, maybe the next new story will be better from the beginning, but that’s not logic. That’s not really how writing works.

Keep reading

[galactic-kosher-ace]

Being a writer is like. Having one scene in your head that’s so good you have to create an entire world and story around it, because you’ll be damned if you let that awesome scene go to waste.

You still fuck up writing that very scene.

[lylhazel-writerinprogress]

Where's the lie

[heywriters]

I'm feeling a bit stuck. I'm trying to write a YA series with teen-aged protagonists but I'm not sure how to give them center stage in the conflict/conspiracy without making the adult characters just seem incompetent.

Make the adult characters competent, but uninterested in anything the youths have to say. Even if they do listen, care, and apply, show how the adult world is similarly stacked against them. Mom hears her daughter say she thinks her best friend was kidnapped, so she goes to the police. The police ignore both of them, or the police assure them they’re on top of things and mom takes that for granted. Police care more about their own stacked circumstances than the opinions of kids, even if they have the best intentions and are perfectly competent.

Oddly enough, good examples of how this works are “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and “Stranger Things” season one. A bad/good example of “smart kid vs doddering adults” would be Wesley Crusher on “StarTrek: Next Generation.” Nothing but complaints about how he was always solving the adults’ problems.

Hope this helps.

[rivalwrites]

I think the best piece of character design advice I ever received was actually from a band leadership camp I attended in june of 2017. 

the speaker there gave lots of advice for leaders—obviously, it was a leadership camp—but his saying about personality flaws struck me as useful for writers too. 

he said to us all “your curses are your blessings and your blessings are your curses” and went on to explain how because he was such a great speaker, it made him a terrible listener. he could give speeches for hours on end and inspire thousands of people, but as soon as someone wanted to talk to him one on one or vent to him, he struggled with it. 

he had us write down our greatest weakness and relate it to our biggest strength (mine being that I am far too emotional, but I’m gentle with others because I can understand their emotions), and the whole time people are sharing theirs, my mind was running wild with all my characters and their flaws.

previously, I had added flaws as an after thought, as in “this character seems too perfect. how can I make them not-like-that?” but that’s not how people or personalities work. for every human alive, their flaws and their strengths are directly related to each other. you can’t have one without the other.

is your character strong-willed? that can easily turn into stubbornness. is your character compassionate? maybe they give too many chances. are they loyal? then they’ll destroy the world for the people they love.

it works the other way around too: maybe your villain only hates the protagonist’s people because they love their own and just have a twisted sense of how to protect them. maybe your antagonist is arrogant, but they’ll be confident in everything they do.

tl;dr “your curses are your blessings, and your blessings are your curses” there is no such thing as a character flaw, just a strength that has been stretched too far.

[inatiernanbailey]

Nanowrimo: Twenty-Five

Ladies and gentlemen, I made it. I won my first ever NaNoWriMo.

Was it easy? Absolutely not. Was the stress of a daily count worth it? Yes.

Though I might have lost more hair than usual throughout this month, and had a smaller average of sleep per night, I now have a first draft of my own novel, which had been nothing but my daydreams twenty-five days ago.

Since the event is completed for me, my blog will return to aesthetics and poetry. In the meantime, I will be revising the first draft in preparation for beta readers.

If anyone who’s followed my progress would like to be a future beta reader, message me anytime and I’ll make arrangements.

How’s everyone else doing in the trenches? Fight even if you’re down to the skin of your teeth friends! And for those who’ve decided this year isn’t quite their year, what do you plan on doing next year to win? I know I’m making next year easier by having a complete outline for my story. Pantsing is fun until you hit a wall 🤣

@janicelikesstuff @studentsbattling @waywordwriter @katabasiss @focusdumbass @speedilyfamousfury @youngdumbxlit @lylhazel-writerinprogress @vivwriteshere @latia876 @fangirl-moment-x @siriuslyprocrastinating @wellwthmonica @blinkdoge @chibipsycho-v3 @whatsanwritepocalae

[lylhazel-writerinprogress]

Congratulations!! You had really worked on this book :)

For me, I know that I'm definitely not winning. Pantsing had never been my strong suit and, ever since realising that my characters had to be aged up, I had spent most of this month writing out my ideas for the changes (who knew that aging up characters change so much stuff). So yeah.

The good news is that I now have a daily writing habit (except for maybe like, 3 days) and have a better structure, world and characters for my book!! :D

Either way, I'm pretty content with the way this NaNo had turned out as this had been the most productive for me, writing-wise. If only I didn't have school, I'd definitely be finished with all my planning by now.

Anyway! I'm at least glad that you made it all the way to the end :D

Good luck with all the editing! I'm really interested in becoming a beta reader but, at the moment, I don't think I can cope, sorry :(

[mercyandcruelty]

RB if you have lesbians in your WIP

[earnestlyidiotic]

“The fact is, I don’t know where my ideas come from. Nor does any writer. The only real answer is to drink way too much coffee and buy yourself a desk that doesn’t collapse when you beat your head against it.”

— Douglas Adams (via writeontheedge)

[theimportanceofbeingbookish-dea]

A totally original The Collectors themesong that isn’t at all a spoof on Pokemon AT ALL

For @forlornraven for being my muse and inspiring this

They wanna be the very best

Like no one ever was

To catch fangs is their real test

To kill them is their cause

They will travel across Ashmourne

Angsty and terrified

Teach themselves to understand

The power that’s inside

Sad Boys Club! Gotta kill ‘em all

It’s you and me

Brambles and his love, Teddy!

Sad Boys Club! Oh, you’re my best friend

In a graveyard called Dead End

Sad Boys Club! Gotta kill ‘em all

A heart so true

Our courage will pull us through

You save me, and Fax stabs you

Sad! Boys! Club!

Gotta kill ‘em all, gotta kill 'em all

Yeah

[forlornraven-deactivated2019042]

I will begrudgingly admit that this made me laugh. 

And then proceed to glare at the screen and pretend it did not, in fact, amuse me. 

[lylhazel-writerinprogress]

Are you kidding me this is AMAZING XD

[leave-her-a-tome]

I’m actually enjoying nanowrimo I don’t know what y'all are suffering about

[leave-her-a-tome]

I am thousands of words behind and have joined the suffering

[quillwritten]

a narrative arc

[therestlessforest]

I know I should use em dashes but like….god they look so fuckin u g l y

Don’t even get me started on semicolons. They don’t look ugly but holy shit there are too many rules that don’t actually matter regarding how you’re allowed to used them

[typeaadventures]

*gathers both pieces of punctuation into my arms*

Dont ever talk to me or my wonderful sons again.

[rwby-rose]

writing multi-chapter fics be like

character: it’s like I said-

me, scrolling through to seven chapters ago, muttering under my breath: yeah, what DID you say

[eric-fi]

Giving Your Character the Introduction They Deserve

The simple directness of Neil Gaiman

Shadow’s Introduction from American Gods

I think the way Gaiman introduces Shadow is just near perfect.

“He was big enough and looked don’t-fuck-with-me enough that his biggest problem was killing time. So he kept himself in shape, taught himself coin tricks, and though a lot about how much he loved his wife.

The best thing — in Shadow’s opinion, perhaps the only good thing — about being in prison was a feeling of relief. The feeling that he plunged as low as he could plunge and he’d hit bottom. He didn’t worry that the man was going to get him, because the man had got him. He was no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, because yesterday had brought it.”

In the opening page, Gaiman describes:

Shadows appearance.

Shadow’s passion.

Shadow’s Mentality.

I think the way Gaiman introduces Shadow is just near perfect. It’s nothing too flashy and Gaiman just comes out and states “Shadow loved his wife.” 

Now you try! Emulate shadows intro. What does your character look like? What is his passion, how do they think? Write two sentences about each and mold them into a paragraph. See how it turns out. What? You already have an agent?? Good job.

Bod’s Introduction from The Graveyard Book

“Bod was a quiet child with sober eyes and a mop of tousled, mouse colored hair. He was, for the most part, obedient. He learned how to talk, and, once he had learned, he would pester the graveyard folks with questions”

From this we have.

Bod’s appearance. (Sober eyes/ mouse-colored hair)

Bod’s actions. (Obedient)

Bod’s mentality. (He loves to ask questions and learn about the world around him)

Again, three characteristics all rolled up into a direct introduction. 

It’s ok to be direct with appearance, but show how your character thinks when you are introducing them. It can be as simple as, “so and so loved to ask questions.“

Richard Mayhew’s Introduction form Neverwhere

“The night before he went to London, Richard Mayhew was not enjoying himself.”

If you don’t see that pattern yet, then I’ll tell you. Neil Gaiman is simple and direct. This is really all we need to know about Richard: “He was not enjoying himself,” because once Neil contrasts Richard’s mood with the scene (they are in a bar celebrating), then we get an idea of what type of person Richard is. So the advice from Neverwhere is:

Be direct

Contrast how your person is feeling and thinking about to what is going on around him.

Final Thoughts:

It’s ok to be simple. It’s ok to tell.

“Bod was a quiet child.”

“Richard Mayhew was not enjoying himself.”

“[Shadow] kept himself in shape, taught himself coin tricks, and though a lot about how much he loved his wife.”

Here are some examples I wrote just now:

The thing Susan thought about the most, was how she was going to die.

Elliot liked to punch people in the gut. Elliot was an asshole.

Woah, slow down there Neil

More!

How to tackle the middle of the book - 4 tips from Neil Gaiman Novels