Iām about to embark on the fast writing train by signing up for GoodNovel. Anyone have any opinions on the whole process? Did it help anyone build an audience outside of GoodNovel?
(Yes, I know that itās not really recommended on writerās beware but it seems pretty fair when it comes to the shady side of things.)
So... I found this and now it keeps coming to mind. You hear about "life-changing writing advice" all the time and usually its really notābut honestly this is it man.
I love the lawyer metaphor, because whenever I see āJohn knew that...ā in prose writing I immediately think āhow?Ā How does he know it?āĀ Interrogate your witnesses.Ā Cross-examine them.Ā Make them explain their reasoning.Ā It pays dividends.
First, let me preface this with something very important: you can treat all of this advice as SECOND-DRAFT ADVICE. It is so much easier to rewrite this kind of stuff once you have words on the page. Telling yourself the first draft is totally appropriate and acceptable.
What weāre talking about here are FILTER WORDS (and to some degree verbs of being). Yes, āthoughtā words are included. But so are āheard, saw, looked, tasted, smelledā etc.āmost words having to do with the senses.
This isnāt black and white advice; sometimes youāll use these words and thatās okay. Theyāre not WRONG. Theyāre just weaker. And theyāre weaker because they create distance between the reader and the experience of the character.*
If you want your reader to feel like theyāre experiencing the story right alongside the character, you want to cut down on filter words.
*This is particularly important with first person and close third POVs. The reader always knows whose eyes theyāre seeing through and thoughts theyāre privy to. So you donāt need to tell them āI saw X.ā Or āI heard X.ā Or āI thought Y.ā You can just jump into the action/observation as itās happening.
This is also where you want to pay attention to verbs of being.
āIt was rainy.ā Versus: āThe rain pounded against the roof.ā Or āThe rain howled like an injured animal.ā Or āThe rain tapped against the window like an anxious lover.ā All of these are inviting the reader deeper into the experience of the story by using stronger verbs and similes. And, at the same time, they stir feelings (instead of TELLING feelings). And feelings keep your reader engaged. Engaged readers keep turning pages; engaged readers become FANS.
The most valuable advice that Author Ex gave me through the years that we wrote together was this: the problem with all these filter words is that they create distance in the POV.
That means that when you read a line like
John saw that the curtains were open.
It immediately takes you OUT of the character's perspective and instead tells you what they experience as a secondhand observation.
You don't have to get fancy or purple with how you rephrase things like this. Not everything needs a ton of breathing room.
You wanna know what's perfectly impactful while keeping a tight POV?
This was one of my all time most powerful writing lessons! This mindset shift makes you a stronger writer immediately in a way that just keeps getting easier and better for you.
The take I always have on advice like this is that "John saw that the curtains were open." and "The curtains were open." are sentences that are telling you two different pieces of information.
Some of this, yes, is about POV distance--but some of it is also about the information being conveyed by the sentence. If you are using a sentence like "John saw that the windows were open" it should be because the information you are seeking to convey is that John saw it.
Maybe this matters because the next time John looks back they are closed, and so he's doubting what he saw. Maybe it matters because he later has to recount information about the room he was in, and it's notable that he specifically saw that the windows were open. The fact and method of his observation is part of the point of the sentence, rather than simply the observation itself.
When we are using sense verbs, it should be because part of the point is the sense. Same with "thought", "felt", etc.: "Mary thought that Susan looked a little thin" is telling us a different piece of information than "Susan looked a little thin."
Contrarily, at least in my opinion, simple telling phrasing like "It was rainy" can sometimes bring us more into a character's head than something showing like "The rain howled like an injured animal." I have read books when a relatively plain-spoken/plain-thinking character suddenly starts having elaborate descriptions of things like scenery or weather, and it is abundantly clear that the author wanted to spruce up their writing and avoid "telling." The problem is that it drags me as the reader out of the character's head and shows me where all of the strings are. I'm suddenly thinking about how the author is worried about being yelled at for "telling" instead of just reading the story.
Your writing, down to the sentence structure and word choice level, should be about what you are trying to accomplish. Is the point to tell us that the window was open, or is it to tell us that John saw that the window was open?
Trying to figure out how to draw armour.
These are some of my notes I uploaded on patreon. A lot more to come since I really want to figure this one out.
This is a great reference for mid-15th-century plate armor. I'm going to add a few things that aren't meant as corrections but rather, like, additional info.
That type of bevor seen in the first picture wouldn't usually go with an armet-style helmet, but rather with a helmet without its own built-in neck protection, such as (what is neologically called) a sallet or kettle helm.
If you wanted to get more neck protection out of an armet, you'd use what is usually called a "wrapper plate" which is kind of similar to a bevor but shaped to fit armets.
Arming jackets/doublets (usually also called gambesons - the thing about the Middle Ages is that they didn't actually have a lot of standardized words for things at all and many words we use today to refer to specific pieces of equipment are either completely new, or they refer to something specific today but a medieval person would have used the same word to refer to many different things) have strings all over them not just to keep them tied together but because that's how you attach the plate armor to the body. Their padding also not only acts as padding, but also offers some basic resistance to blades in the event that a blade gets between the plates and through the maille (chainmail) armor that usually fills the gaps between the plates. There is almost no chance at all of a blade penetrating the plates themselves.
Bigger thicker gambesons were worn as a form of armor themselves for poorer soldiers who couldn't afford anything better. They are surprisingly cut-resistant and cushion the body against blunt force as well. Stabbing weapons will go straight through them, but even then it's better to have it than not, because if you're wearing 2 inches of padding and get stabbed by a 5-inch blade in the heat of battle when everyone is constantly moving around and your opponent has no time (or desire) to drive it all the way in, that's only 3 inches deep into your actual flesh instead of 5.
Oh one tip I will give that technically is a correction is that that belt in the bottom-left picture is anachronistic. It's hard to describe how 15th century belts buckle but it usually looks something like this.
Magical healing and comfort, but not just healing magic
A character with fire/heat powers massaging a knotted muscle with hot hands, being able to dig in nice and deep as the warmth relaxes the area
A character with ice/cold powers carding their fingers through someone's hair, soothing a headache
A character with hypnotic powers lulling someone into a trance and clearing their mind, easing their anxieties so they can hopefully get some sleep
A character with plant magic keeping a bouquet fresh and vibrant by their friend's bedside, knowing the colors will at the very least cheer them up and give them something beautiful to look at
A character with water magic combining it with a soft cloth washing away tears, sweat, or blood from another character's face
A character with electricity magic frantically grabbing someone near-death and shocking them, refusing to move until they hear their heart leap back to life and pulse under their hands
03.04.2026 "The wizard is easily my most annoying suitor."
Video up! I really liked writing from this prompt! It goes with the theme of the book I'm working on, so, it was nice to see a little bit of my book reveal itself today. I am still having quite a bit of trouble settling on my character's personalities, but I still had a lot of fun writing this one.
"Er, well," Tesoro smiled taut, wringing her hands. "He is quite overzealous but-"
"Find me another suitor. The best one. Why has that been so difficult? Is that not the service you advertise?"
"Yes, however-"
Mr. Portia rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue in disgust as she rose from her seat.
"This is ridiculous. Fawna!"
"Yes, my lady."
"Oh, wait. Please-"
"Fetch the carriage. And, you." Ms. Portia rounded on Tesoro. "I'd like a full refund before I leave."
"Please, just give me another moment-"
"Hurry up! I haven't another moment." Ms. Portia spoke in a mocking tone, causing Tesoro to close her eyes for a moment.
Tesoro pressed her lips together and opening her eyes to send a look over to Ezra, eyes pleading. Ezra remained unmoved. Tesoro went back to Ms. Portia to continue her vain efforts at placating the heiress.
"Why haven't you gone? I want my money!"
"I will get it, but, please-"
"Sit down, Ms. Portia."
Both women froze mid- sentence. Tesoro shivered hard from the warmth radiating into her back paired with the direct contrast of the cool clipped words spoken over her shoulder.
Swallowing hard, Tesoro followed Ms. Portia's suit in quickly seating herself in the opposite love seat.
The room went quiet for a moment. Tesoro chanced a peek to where Ezra stood only for her face to resemble a flash fire in response to Ezra's quizzical brow. "Ah, right!" Tesoro cleared her throat whilst tucking her springy curls behind her ears. "Ms. Portia, the wizard has asked me to send his apologies for his...explosive energy." Tesoro reached in her apron pocket to hand over a thick rosy colored envelope. "He also left this for you."
Ms. Portia rolled her eyes and sighed as she opened the letter. Tesoro's eyes rounded as Ms. Portia pulled out wads of cash. The heiress stuffed the envelope into her bosom with a bored expression.
"Alright. I accept."
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Went with a "no talking/ straight to the point" approach with this video. Today's prompt came from urfriendlywriter on Tumblr from the "Conflict Dialogue Prompts" list under the "Enemies to Lovers" link on their master post. I think I might actually use this scene in my book. It needs much more shaping, but it wasn't bad for this warm-up.
Also, purely curious, how do you show anger? I'm the type to get real quiet or start shooting verbal barbs. (ĖµĀ¬ā¤Ā¬Ėµ")
"You used me," it came out quiet, barely above a whisper.
"You don't understand..." Ezra slowly moved behind the counter.
"You used me." It came out stronger then. Tesoro's body beginning to tremble, her fists closing, a heat creeping throughout her body.
"N-no! I- That's not it." Ezra lightly shook her head, body beginning to press against the wall.
Tesoro took measured steps until she was on the opposite side of the counter. "Ezra, you used me."
"I- I didn't steal," Ezra's voice wheezed as she spoke.
"It's not about the money, Ezra. Although, yes, that is another thing, but lying to me? Making me think that we were a team. Ezra, you made me feel things." Tesoro clutched a handful of flesh and fabric just above her left breast.
"I- I didn't-"
"Yes!" Tesoro slapped a hand on the counter top. Ezra yelped and pressed harder into the wall. "Yes, you did, Ezra. You knew exactly what you were doing." Tesoro made a move toward one side of the counter and Ezra bolted out the kitchen door.
Tesoro banged a fist back into the counter, but did not follow. Instead, Tesoro laid a cool gaze on the little bandit scurrying about the compound gathering her things. The taller woman calmly walked toward the front gate after a few moments, Ezra barely squeezing through before Tesoro grabbed the door.
"I- Tessy. I-"
Tesoro slammed the door hard enough for the heavy golden hoops to clang against the pine.
Ezra refused to let her tears fall.
But, she did flinch.
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02.27.2026 "Do you think they would be proud of me, if they saw what I've become?"
Video up! Possibly getting better at it, but I really don't think I ever want these to get too polished tbh. Idk. I'm *quirky*....Right. Felt better about this one. Felt truer to my characters, but still missing something. We're getting there though people!!
Prompt of the day comes from Speechprompts on Tumblr.
It was a question neither were expecting judging by the look on Ezra's face.
"Er, well, I mean..."
Tesoro merely continued to place the fruits into the light wicker basket. It seemed she waited a touch too long to respond since Ezra stormed off into the storage shed.
Knowing the little bandit's nasty habit of running off and hiding out somewhere for a few days, Tesoro meandered over with the large, heavy basket blocking the entrance of the storge shed.
Tesoro ignored the water and red rims of averting dark almond eyes. "Hey, can you carry this?"
Ezra wordlessly retrieved the basket. They stood there staring at each other. Ezra's gaze went from questioning, to suspicious, to exasperated.
"Are you gonna tell me where to put this or...?"
Tesoro smiled and outstretched her arms. "No, it's alright. I'll take it. I only wanted to prove a point."
Ezra echoed, speaking to Tesoro's back. "What point?"
"You asked me if they would be proud. I answered your question."
Ezra scoffed and blustered out the storage shed, "I don't have time for this."
Tesoro shrugged before settling down and beginning to sort through the day's pickings.
Ezra returned by nightfall.
"Okay, I give. What was the point?"
Tesoro smiled and motioned for the bandit to sit at the table.
"Supper, first."
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02.25.2026 Write a piece about someone building a birdhouse
Video isn't much better from last time, but slowly, a plan is forming lol. Since I'm trying to write a book of my own, I'm using these exercises to get to know my characters more. Honestly, I don't really like how this came out. I don't think this is how they'd react BUT that's not a bad thing. Now that I know how they're not, it might make it more clear of who they are. That's the lesson from today's 10 minutes ą“¦ąµą“¦ą“æ ĖĶĢź³ĖĶĢ )ā§ noice
Prompt is from dropkickwritersblock on Tumblr.
"I don't really think it goes that way."
Perhaps it was the heat.
Perhaps it was the way Ezra said it.
It could've been many things, anything and everything, but it wasn't nothing.
Tesoro threw the pieces of wood from her hands screeching in an unholy way.
"I've had it! You've always got something to say, but do you ever come and help? Huh? Why don't you come and put it together then?"
" 'Cause Mimi's not my pet."
"Then why do you feel the need to put in your own two cents now?"
Tesoro furiously scrubbed at the salty water leaking from her eyes. It was getting harder to tell whether or not Ezra's smile was more smug than apologetic. "Sorry, I was tryna help-"
"Careful now. You might actually get your voice stolen if you do end up cursing."
Any other time, it might've been funny. However, it wasn't right now. Tesoro couldn't even handle the thought of being laughed at, not with everyone already laughing.
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