Reading & Writing

Bloggin’ about Books and Writing (Follow as thaliawho)

[hoardofbecca]

Femme Fatale

Ana 'Athena' Wilson was the best player in the world at massive mmorpg Midnight Solstice. She led her team, Rising Phoe...

Check out my new esports fiction Femme Fatale on Wattpad! It follows esports pro Ana as she attempts to reclaim her championship title after a humiliating defeat years prior.

[concerningwolves]

today’s writer mood is: i was running through a scene in my head walking home from college, and got so into it that i was whispering dialogue and making small gestures/facial expressions. a lady saw me and veered away across the road.  

[druzydabbles]

Okay but this happens constantly to me. Every time I walk to class I go on autopilot mode and start daydreaming scenes and such. I have to pay close attention to what I’m actually doing because my facial expressions are apparently exceedingly obvious, and I often whisper dialogue as well. It’s even worse because my University is super crowded so I don’t just have to worry about one lady seeing me.

Wacky writers unite!

[lovelysuggestions]

we are a generation of sleepy lovers, of big-hearted rebels, of tired fighters. we are a generation worn out, but unwilling to back down.

[writingbox]

Describing Characters Through 'Showing'

Describing characters can be a little bit of a ‘telling’ minefield. While you are almost certainly going to end up with some ‘told’ description of a character, try to keep it to a minimum, ‘showing’ things about their appearance through action and dialogue instead.

Examples:

Instead of ‘She was short’, use ‘She clambered onto the chair, her legs dangling several inches above the floor’

Instead of ‘He was tall’, use ‘He ducked under the doorway’

Instead of ‘He was a smoker’, use ‘He shook my hand, his yellowed fingers leaving the scent of cigarettes on mine’

Instead of ‘She had bad teeth’, use ‘She laughed, instinctively covering her open mouth with her hand’

So you see how a lot of information can be shown to your readers rather than simply told to them.

And remember that your readers have imaginations, imaginations that they enjoy using. Let them fill in the gaps - don’t give them a detailed head to toe description laying out mole and strand of hair.

[heartlessharless]

5 ways to increase/decrease suspense in your writing

Suspense is one of the trickier parts of writing to manage effectively because, as the author, you can’t experience your story the way a reader does. If you don’t have enough suspense, it can be difficult to keep your readers interested. If you have too much, frustrated and stressed-out readers might throw your book against the wall. Too much suspense can even backfire - if you try to keep your readers constantly on edge, they can stop taking things seriously and the end result is as though you never included any suspense at all.

So how can you tell if you’ve reached the right balance? Unfortunately, I can’t answer that for you. Some things really do require feedback from honest and insightful readers. Once you have that feedback, however, there are easy tricks to adjusting the level of suspense without a drastic re-write. Here are my five favorite methods.

Promises and Payoffs

INCREASE SUSPENSE by promising something huge and then giving your reader something unexpected. To borrow an example from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, imagine a teenage boy and girl sneaking into an empty building. Everything from the costumes to the lighting is designed to make you uneasy about the girl’s safety but, in the end, she’s the vampire. Give the audience something sensational and they won’t be disappointed that you didn’t deliver on what you originally promised.

DECREASE SUSPENSE by promising less than you plan to deliver. For example, if you plan to kill off a character as they walk through a dark alley, let them worry about being mugged rather than murdered. Not only is it less suspenseful, the payoff is more shocking.

Characters are Crucial

INCREASE SUSPENSE by shifting the focus to a character who’s more involved in the action or one who has more at stake. Even if you have a single POV character, another can come in and demand that character’s attention, along with the readers’.

DECREASE SUSPENSE by focusing on a character who’s more concerned with a secondary goal. Subplots are a fantastic way to give your readers some room to breathe.

Calm vs. Chaos

INCREASE SUSPENSE by cutting back on the action. Suspense flourishes in the quiet moments when your characters have time to think and to anticipate what may be in store for them.

DECREASE SUSPENSE by giving your characters a big, exciting mess to deal with. Even when that mess causes more problems and puts more pressure on your characters in the long run, you’ve still created an oasis where both they and the readers are too distracted to worry about how the big picture will pan out.

Devil’s in the Details

INCREASE SUSPENSE by concentrating on the details of the setting. Horror movies are great at this - every creak of a door, every shadow across a wall keeps the audience immersed in the experience and tense with anticipation.

DECREASE SUSPENSE by breaking the “show, don’t tell” rule and allow exposition to help you move things along. You don’t need to take readers through every aspect of your story in excruciating detail. It’s okay to gloss over some things and it helps readers relax because they know you’re not going to be springing any surprises on them just yet.

Ticking Time-Bomb

INCREASE SUSPENSE by imposing a deadline that your characters struggle to meet. It’s one of the oldest and most obvious tricks in the book, but very effective.

DECREASE SUSPENSE by allowing your characters to believe that the deadline has been met or pushed back. If they (and the readers) believe that they’ve accomplished their goal or bought themselves more time, it relieves pressure and allows everyone to relax until the truth’s revealed.

[writingcircus]

when you write a dialogue which flows naturally

[vieliwrites-deactivated20191023]

looking for more writeblrs

I’m a new writeblr looking for more like-minded souls to follow. My name is Victoria, from sunny, ol’ England, and I’ve been writing stories since my early teens. Most of my stories stemmed from a deep love of fanfic (anyone else remember Quizilla?) and as a result, I do have a soft spot for romances. I’m currently working on a fantasy novel that has been taking over my daily thoughts for weeks now. I’m still in the planning phase–world building is hard, but that’s part of the reasons I created this blog: to give me the push I need to continue, and to not get distracted by other stories that my head thinks is a good idea to conjure up mid-writing session. 

Much of what you’ll find on this blog are inspirational and motivational posts, as well as writing tips and resources. I’ll also post the occasional word dump about my story or characters.

Like or reblog this post and I’ll give your blog a look!

[ravenreadswrites]

"I'm not just going to sit idly by and let my world burn," -Alvina from Reclaiming Lavia

[kiramartinauthor]

“I’m a writer,” I say as I stare at the page without writing for the 2nd hour in a row.

[himbolukeskywalker]

First body paragraphs: Eloquent, lovely. Unparalleled beauty in both diction and grammar. Thesis is strongly supported. Wide vocabulary. A semicolon is used. 

Last body paragraph: Short. Ugly. The crops are dying. Using the word “because” 56 times in only a few lines. Sentence structure whomst’ve? Forgot what my thesis says. In the distance, screaming

[skullwrites-deactivated20181105]

my writer-dudes, if planning a plot outline on your own is too daunting, find a plot worksheet! if one is too detailed, try another. here are some at different levels of detail:

Novel-Factory — The Premise

Novel-Factory — The Skeleton

Writer’s Digest — At-A-Glance Outline

Save the Cat by Blake Snyder — Beat Sheet

Story Engineering by Larry Brooks — Story Structure

Jami Gold — Basic Beat Sheet

Annie Neugebauer — Novel Plotting Worksheet

happy plotting!

[vasilisapeadarsan-deactivated20]

My tl is really dead rn so if ur a writeblr who writes fantasy, urban fantasy, anything with kings and queens and lots of fighting and shit (doesn’t have to have all of these elements …btw!)

That’s my jam, reblog so i can follow u and check ur rlly cool shit out

[cawolters]

Hmm.

Have I done it? Have I followed all the writeblrs on here?

If you see this, and you’re a writer, then interact with this post so I can mutual you on the spot ⚡️⚡️

[mcfrankauthor]

The Robin Hood WIP diaries (21) - It’s here!

My book is finally being released into the world! After writing it for 5 years on the computer and for more than 20 in my head, and after rewriting the ENTIRE thing all over again from scratch… it’s time.

WARNING: This book isn’t like anything else I’ve ever written. It’s dark and funny and crazy and tortured and epic. Just a heads up. The only reason I’m unleashing this mad thing into the world is that it won’t. Leave. Me. Alone. If you’ve read the excerpts I posted on instagram, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Title: Everythind I Do 

Author: M.C. Frank

Release Date: April 17th, 2019

Series: Outlaws, Book 1

Preorder link: here

Synopsis: 

Thief. Assassin. Cripple. Girl. Traitor. Prisoner. Prince. She is the only one who can kill him.

Robin Hood, hidden deep in the Sherwood Forest, is fighting to restore the land to its rightful king, surrounded by his faithful friends, green leaves and clear skies. He is also fighting to keep himself and his company alive, but that comes second. Burdened with secrets, betrayal and an incredible responsibility, this is what keeps him awake at nights: Survivor’s guilt. The girl he was in love with as a lad died saving his life five years ago. Robin has exhausted himself looking for her with no hope of finding her alive, when he meets a slender youth who surprises him with his courage and skill with the bow and arrow. Little knowing that both their lives will be irrevocably changed.

In the grand castle in Nottinghamshire lives an unhappy and tortured lady, forced to obey the wishes of a tyrannical Sheriff and his ruthless assassin, Guy of Gisborne. They have trained her for years, with one purpose in mind only: she is to be disguised as a boy, and sent to the forest to assassinate Robin Hood. On their orders, she pretends to sneak out to the forest in danger of her life, to come to the aid of the outlaws. When, in reality, it is she who will destroy them.

Then, Robin and the “boy” meet. Two worlds collide, resulting in unimaginable danger and intense romance. Maybe, just maybe, they can be each other’s salvation. But will they survive the unimaginable truth when the past comes back to haunt them both? In honor of the girl who saved his life, Robin has vowed never to hurt a woman. So it’s only a woman who can kill him. But what if his assassin falls in love with him? What if she’s never stopped loving him, not for a single moment?

Filled with adventure, intrigue and wild romance, this is a Robin Hood story unlike any you have ever read before!

Perfect for fans of:

Girl pretending to be a boy

Disabled characters

Pining and slow burn romance

Bromance

Adventure

Intense danger and rescue scenes

New Adult (but with a twist, as this is a historical novel)

Historical/Medieval fiction

Robin Hood

Cats

Tortured heroes

Survivor’s guilt

A racially diverse cast of characters

Kickass heroines

Female assassins

Lovers to enemies

Childhood friends turning mortal enemies

The underdog fighting crime

Justice

Being extra heroic and then tripping over a branch and falling on your face

Dying for your friends

Ok, this is getting too descriptive, I should stop

Also, sibling love

Also, Kpop (BTS and other groups were a huge inspiration for Robin and his company okay)

And kisses. Did I mention kisses? Cause kisses

Excerpt: 

The boy who wasn’t a boy woke up slowly, feeling disoriented. He was lying down on what appeared to be a torture device, made of needles and sharp knives, the sun was in his eyes, his whole body on fire. “Oh, you’re awake, then!” a voice cried happily next to the boy’s-who wasn’t a boy-head. “I’ll murder you,” the boy-not-boy tried to say, with a tongue thick as molasses. “Easy now,” the happy voice chirped infuriatingly. A cool hand cupped the boy-not-boy’s neck, sending a hellish shower of pain. “You’ve been ill, boy.“  

 Well, you don’t say, the boy-not-boy wanted to say, but couldn’t. He felt his eyelids drooping, and sleep begin to pull him under. Maybe it would be better to sleep some more. Before his skin exploded into a million ashes from pain. Before he did something stupid, like murder the owner of the happy voice. Or say something even more stupid. Something like… I’m not a boy. 

When next the boy who was a girl woke up, there were stars blinking above her head. Her body felt heavy, her mind lethargic, her limbs numb, but not painful.

There were more stars above her head than was possible. Maybe she’d finally died and gone to heaven. Maybe she’d suffered enough. They’d told her she’d be hit, probably by an arrow, but she not that she’d descend into hell. But this wasn’t hell. A soft breeze cooled her sweating brow, and her aching head was lying on the softest pillow of grass. That was much better than the needles she lay on before. Or had she? Maybe that had been a dream. Up above, a sliver of the moon was filtered through a cloud of leaves, framing the night sky. Such nights existed only in dreams, it was true, yet the smells of fresh grass, the mild dew on her skin, it all felt real. Or maybe she was dead, for there was no rational explanation for this paradise she found herself in. One part of her screamed, no, this wasn’t supposed to end in death. At least not my death. But another part of her… Felt relieved. It was finally over. The pain, the dread, the injustice. Over. At last, peace. She closed her eyes again.

Source

Does it sound like a story you’d love to get lost in and devour?

Preorder it here.

Add it on Goodreads.

Read all the Robin Hood WIP diaries

Read all my Robin Hood WIP snippets

Join my Street Team

Please reblog or share this post, to help me get word out about my brave, tortured, cat-loving, goofy outlaw. Thank you!

[mcfrankauthor]

Here is John Lytte to kill you with an axe thank you for sharing the news about my Robin Hood book! 

(Excuse him, he has no manners, and is under a LOT of stress).

[ravenreadswrites]

I lost my WIP's timeline...

So I lost my old phone. And my WIP's timeline and plot ideas I stored on it's notes 😭

[ravenreadswrites]

~*~*~ It's the release party for Salt for Air by M.

Check out my newest blog post <3

[kitwillan-deactivated20181205]

It’s okay to read through your first draft and realize that 75% is terrible. That’s why we refine. That’s why we have second, third and fourth drafts. The trick is to not give up and just lay on the floor when you come to that realization.

[kaylewiswrites]

It was a big shock when I found out that writing one (1) book actually requires writing several (so many) books.

[youriiswriting]

I’m so glad that this message is spread around, because it’s such a reassurance for all the plotholes that occur when unplanned parts are being written