All Things Fiction

Stories I love. Stories I wrote.

[daily-prompts]

Write a scene in which your character starts thinking about the future they'd always imagined and how their present path is not going to get them there. Write long, not just one paragraph, but several.

[creativepromptsforwriting]

good traits gone bad

perfectionism - never being satisfied

honesty - coming off as rude and insensitive

devotion - can turn into obsession

generosity - being taken advantage of

loyalty - can make them blind for character faults in others

being dependable - always depending on them

ambitiousness - coming off as ruthless

optimism - not being realistic

diligence - not able to bend strict rules

protectiveness - being overprotective

cautiousness - never risking anything

being determined - too focussed on one thing

persuasiveness - coming off as manipulative

tidiness - can become an obsession

being realistic - being seen as pessimistic

assertiveness - coming off as bossy

pride - not accepting help from others

innocence - being seen as naive

selflessness - not thinking about themself enough

being forgiving - not holding others accountable

curiosity - asking too much questions

persistence - being seen as annoying

being charming - can seem manipulative

modesty - not reaching for more

confidence - coming off as arrogant

wit/humor - not taking things serious

patience - being left hanging

strategic - coming off as calculated

being caring - being overbearing

tolerance - being expected to tolerate a lot

eagerness - coming off as impatient

being observant - being seen as nosy

independence - not accepting help

being considerate - forgetting about themself

fearlessness - ignoring real danger

politeness - not telling what they really think

reliability - being taken advantage of

empathy - getting overwhelmed with feeling too much for other people

[deniselavestal-deactivated20231]

Once again here to remind you that everything you write has value regardless of how many comments you get.

I know it can be discouraging and you deserve recognition but lack of it does not diminish your worth as a writer nor does it define your skills as one.

[no-crap-fm]

❤️

[alex-wrtng]

Dialogue tips that actually work:

You are not writing a movie (ignore this if you are). The reader doesn't need to know every word the characters say for the duration of the story. Less is more.

Dialogue can happen within the prose. "And they awkwardky discussed the weather for five minutes" is way better than actually writing five pages of dialogue about the weather.

Balance your dialogues. Surprise yourself with a monosyllabic answe to a dialogue that's ten sentences long. Don't be afraid of letting your character use half a page for a reply or nothing at all!

Don't write accents phonetically, use slang and colloquialisms if needed.

Comma before "said" and no caps after "!?" unless it's an action tag. Study dialogue punctuation.

Learn the difference between action tags and dialogue tags. Then, use them interchangeably (or none at all).

Don't be afraid to use said. Use said if characters are just saying things, use another word if not. Simple. There's no need to use fancy synonyms unless absolutely necessary.

Not everyone talks the same way so it makes sense for your characters to use certain words more often than others. Think of someone who says "like" to start every sentence or someone who talks really slow. Be creative.

Use prose to slow down the pace during a conversation.

Skip prose to speed up the pace during a conversation.

[star-studded-whales]

ADHD friendly writing tips from and ADHD author

Write in a notebook to start out. We all know that sinking feeling of dread when we open up a blank google/word document. Circumvent that writer's block inducing fear by jotting things down in a notebook. Honestly, transferring from page to computer helps me catch a lot of simple errors and awkward wordings. Its like a secret first round of editing.

Make lists for everything. If you're anything like me, you lose yourself in the details all the time. A good way to keep your head on straight when ironing out plot points (or really any fiddly aspect of your story) is to make lists. Seriously, make them for everything if your heart feels called to do so. There is something about the repetition of it that helps me organize things in my mind, even if I never look at the list again.

You are your own worst critic. Nobody else is as harsh on your work as you are, I promise.

Constructive criticism is NOT an attack. When you get solicited constructive criticism from peers, they are not attacking your work, your skill, or you personally. Rejection sensitivity can be a real struggle with this one, so I like to periodically remind myself that good faith con crit will make my writing better if I let it.

Be careful with hyperfocuses. It can feel so satisfying to really dig into your writing for hours and hours at a time, letting time pass by without a second thought. However, you are in possession of a human body that needs food, water, and sunlight. When you're in a hyperfocus, it can be really hard to remember to take care of these things. Ask a friend to check in on you every now and then, set timers to remind yourself to take breaks, keep water and snacks nearby to make it easier if you have to, and all of this is doubly recommended if you take daily meds (for any reason.) Put up a system of checks to make sure you're taking care of yourself while you're hyperfocused.

Pomodoro timers are your friend. If I am really struggling to get words on a page, I will turn to a pomodoro timer to give me an extra boost of productivity. The concept is that you're supposed to work for a certain amount of time and then take a short break before jumping back in and then repeat. My favorite pomodoro timers go for 25 minutes of task with 5 minutes of break. Some pomodoros go for 50/10. These are easy to find on YouTube. If you like to work with music, look up one with your preferred type of instrumental (lofi, classical, Zelda and Chill, video game sound tracks.) When the music stops, it's time for a break!

There is no such thing as wasted writing. I repeat, there is no such thing as wasted writing. If you write out fifty pages of something that will never see the light of day, or an entire chapter of unusable plot, it is still good that you wrote something. Every time you write, you grow your skills. Even if you dislike something right now, you may refine and use parts of it later on in your creative practice. Seriously! Don't beat yourself up for "wasting time" when you are learning and growing. And as always, even the pros learn and grow. Get out there and write!

~ Nomi

[em-dash-press-deactivated202410]

Tips for Writing Interrupted Scenes

Scenes don’t always happen from start to finish. When you need to write interruptions, use these tips to get more confident about breaking up plot points and stitching them back together.

Pick an Emotional Cliffhanger

When your character gets the phone call about the job that could change their life, they hesitate to answer it. 

A new chapter begins on the next page from another point of view. 

But what happened with the phone call??

Your readers will keep going through the next chapter because they were left on an emotional cliffhanger with a character they love. The break won’t seem as natural as others, like ending a chapter when your character goes to bed or leaves a venue.

Plot Your Scene Breaks

Write a rough plot line, even if you don’t normally plan any outlines. It helps to know where your story is going so you can insert the rest of the scene more effectively.

Picture your character—they’re running a marathon and they’re starting the final mile. Their focus gets interrupted by something in the treeline to their left. It’s the childhood version of themselves, hanging upside down from a branch and waving. They have to go find out what that is, so the protagonist interrupts their race by sprinting into the woods.

Although the rest of the story may involve spooky moments and weeks or months of drama, the race never gets finished. Maybe the protagonist runs the same last mile after the event is over, when it’s back to being a regular street. They conquer the mile after completing the lesson or purpose of the plot.

That’s much easier to keep track of if there's a rough plotline to follow. Using bullet points can help or try writing a one-sentence description of each big plot moment on a sticky note.

Add More While Editing

If you have multiple moments that get interrupted, like broken dialogue or plot points, you may not remember to tie them together or make the break essential to the plot. That’s okay!

That’s what editing is for.

While you’re re-reading, make a list of every moment when something gets interrupted and another of when those moments get completed or resolved. You’ll easily tell what’s left unsaid that would otherwise feel like a plot hole.

-----

You may not always have interrupted scenes in every story. When you feel like they’re necessary, I hope these tips help you feel more confident about writing and editing them. 💛

[itsmoonpeaches]

Title: More Than Whales

Made for the EAW Whaletastic Valentine's Day Fest 2023. Prompts: Kiss, Confession

Word count: 2,068

Rating: G

Summary: Young-woo realizes what it's like to love someone.

There were things that Woo Young-woo did not understand. She tried to, of course. Who would she be if she did not try at making sense of the world?

One of the things she could not understand was the obsession with texting applications when someone could just use the regular texting feature on their phone. She did however understand whales.

She had scrolled through the application store on her phone and downloaded Cha-Cha Talk because Su-yeon urged her to. (Urged or begged? She could not tell.)

“This is how everyone texts now,” Su-yeon had said. Then, she had pointed to her screen as soon as Young-woo’s phone chimed that the download was complete, tapped a few buttons, and added, “Look see how cute the stickers are! There’s a whole whale package I saw the other day that I knew you would like.”

Young-woo had to admit that she did enjoy the sticker package. She used them all the time to react to things said in the Hanbada chat group but was particularly fond of the humpback whale holding a bright pink heart. She sent that one to Jun-ho quite often, and she realized after a few days that she sent that sticker to him exclusively. No one else had the privilege of seeing her favorite sticker.

Continue reading on ao3.

[no-crap-fm]

This is so cute! Give it a read. ❤️

[wilwheaton]

(via sjfak5qhedu91.jpg (JPEG Image, 700 × 874 pixels))

[no-crap-fm]

I read a mafia EAW fic. I kept picturing a tough guy Jun Ho with little blue bandages covered in whales 🐳 all over his fingers at Young Woo’s insistence that he could get an infection without first aid. 🤔 That is such a nice detail and a memorable image.

I wish there was more dialogue between them. I just wanted to read what they said to each other and what they thought about each other. I was more interested in that than the vendettas and gang violence.

When I first read something about a “bike” I imagined a bicycle; not a motorcycle. That took me a minute. ☺️

[ohthalie-art]

here it is, my first eaw fic!!!! *yaaaay*. you can't imagine how happy i am right now.

it took me a while to write and share it with you because i was (and still am) a bit nervious about letting others to read my stuff (mostly because english is not my first language and i'm sure that i made mistakes. SORRY, i'm quite insecure and a bit shy *blushes*).

so, without nothing more to say but that i hope you enjoy it if you read it, here is the fic: a whisper of the heart

[no-crap-fm]

I’ll read this today. 🐳❤️

[no-crap-fm]

I read this adorable WIP about Lee Jun Ho being an actor shadowing Attorney Woo. I immediately thought, “Yay! They’ll have loads of time ALONE while she works on cases and he studies her.” Welp, there were a few short chapters, some descriptions of their lunches together and BAM Lee Jun Ho’s off to film the project he was researching for and I was like…

[no-crap-fm]

I am currently hunting down and reading, sometimes repeatedly, all the Extraordinary Attorney Woo fic I can find. It’s so fun, but I am DYING to correct so much funky grammar, spelling, and cultural gaffes. It’s proving challenging to not offer myself as a Beta. Folks NEED an editor!

[greenangelheart]

Show Me Heaven

Here is my little Valentine’s gift to all you lovely MMFD peeps.  A little smutty, very fluffy.  But hey if you can’t fluff on Valentines, when can you eh?

This is inspired by the picture Ollie posted a few weeks back. 

Keep reading

[ililypop-deactivated20160730]

Old fics

Can I ask a favour? Does anybody know of any great really old mmfd fics, I desperately need my S1 feels and I’m more in the mood for reading rather than watching the series again. Thanks :)

[bitchy-broken]

Have you seen all of these http://bitchy-broken.tumblr.com/Fic%20Rec ?  I would say more than half are S1.  

[endemictoearth]

Some of my favorite fic authors only wrote for series 1. If you want to delve back into the archives, there’s always the old Fanfic Masterpost, but I’d recommend:

@howlinchickhowl – Fics - I especially love the series of short fics she wrote to fill that tantalizing gap between Episode 4 and 5: Shake Those Windows Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4 - Pt. 5 - Pt. 6 - Pt. 7 - Pt. 8

@nicrememiralleggro – Fics – Really, just read all her stuff, but I’ve read this AU about Finn being jealous an embarrassing number of times, and everyone should read Agadoo, which is how any leavers’ ball episode of MMFD should have gone.

Of COURSE, @adaftmyriad‘s stuff is legendary – Fics

If you want S1 feels without rewatching, you can’t do better than @blobwithagob‘s epic Inside the Eye of Your Mind.

And the amazing @greenangelheart favored us with some fab FICS. Specific fics I recommend: Love is the Drug Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Truth or Dare - Hanging on the Telephone - Prompt about Rae visiting Finn at university (A hundred times better than all S3 put together)

I’d also recommend anything by @rebelfell (Fics) or @fwnsias  (Fics), and it hardly needs to be said, but @sassy-curmudgeon is ALWAYS worth a re-read.

[greenangelheart]

Mmmmm - I cannot recommend @howlinchickhowl‘s fic series highly enough.  Will be rereading that asap. I might have to have a trawl through the beginning of my blog as MMFD fanfic was why I joined tumblr in the first place, check if there are any forgotten gems lurking there

[dissoluteways]

positions - Chapter II

❧

Chapter I / Chapter II

PAIRING: Hyuk/OC RATING: PG WARNINGS: Office AU. WORDCOUNT: 7350

Notes: Wanted to post this yesterday but my internet stopped working again -_- but here is chapter two! i’m so happy with this whole fic tbh, the longest slow burn i ever wrote. This chapter is still PG, but get ready for more guys c:

Keep reading

[ironinkpen]

When writing couples, I like to use the Kiss Rule:

If they have to kiss for you to know they’re in love, you’re not writing a romance right.

[demytasse]

I couldn’t agree more with this. As someone who has been married for 7 years (together for 9), kissing hardly proves anything of love, at least on its own. The starry-eyed lover type of intimacy is cute, but using it exclusively is like eating fondant off a cake. It’s sweet, looks polished and pretty, but lacks robust the flavour of combined elements — fillings, frosting, toppings, and the cake itself.

It’s gestures often overlooked, silent acts of respect without calling attention to them. Subtleties mixed with the obvious.

The good, bad, and the ugly.

playful banter, ribbing, insults/backhanded compliments

recognising ticks/tells and how to respond (e.g. specific throat clear before they speak)

tolerating inconsequential bad habits (e.g. puts dishes beside dishwasher, not in it)

listening to the same stories multiple times as if they were new

developing similar quirks (e.g. particular laugh)

inside jokes

mock fighting, mini competitions

blatant honesty, humble apologies, knowing when to drop an argument

saying nothing/talking for hours

tending to illness or injuries

pokes, pet/pats, head/shoulder bumps, bites, tickles, cuddling, long gazes, stroking hair

grooming, restraighten clothing, touch up hair, brush off crumbs

singing and dancing together

understanding your partner’s hurt rather than just apologising

trust and respect

knowing how to cheer the other up, how to piss them off, humour them

reassurance (e.g. I’m here to talk, you’re doing a great job, your insecurities don’t define you)

associating sights, smells, touches, songs, phrasing, etc with them (e.g. “I saw a pigeon today and thought ‘is this my partner?’”

hating dumb things they do, but finding them hard to live without and secretly loving them

compromising, sacrificing, reciprocation

Love is unspoken, tolerant, and a spectrum of emotions.

It’s accepting that you’ll fuckin’ hate their entire being at times, exclaim with vitriol, “god, you’re so fucking annoying” while you smile and know that it’s trivial in the grand scheme.

It’s real. It’s healthy. It’s fun. That’s what I try to encapsulate in my sappy romantic fiction because realistic fluff is so much more gratifying.

I hope this helps.

[xingelic]

Crimson Desires Series 

Crimson Desires I: Love and Lust Have they ever told you not to wander in the middle of the night? They said that they’ll come and get you. Feed on you. Drain you of your blood. Baekhyun: “You owe me this much, for turning me.”  Chanyeol: “I don’t regret it.”

Crimson Desires II: Howling A man had appeared claiming them as one of his kins and the fact that they were half blood.  Baekhyun: “Chanyeol wake up…please…Chanyeol, I haven’t told you that I have forgiven you for turning me right? At least before I die…I would only regret not seeing my friends one last time…I just want to find a way to wake you up. It ended here with me, lying on my own blood.

Crimson Desires III: Black Rose Academy  Chanyeol asked Kyungsoo, Kai and Sehun to find a cure to wake Baekhyun up.  Chanyeol: “Baekhyun where are you? I don’t know myself anymore. I don’t know what’s happening to me anymore. It’s uncontrollable. I can’t stop killing, I can’t stop crying. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Please read the warning before reading this fic. This is very dark