The Write Life

Writing is my life, and this is what it's all about.

[robstenkr]

— Do you think that if you were falling in space that you would slow down after a while or go faster and faster?

[pearwaldorf]

[A tweet from Lauren DeStefano:  Writing is like reading except the book is trying to kill you] (source)

[skittidyne]

#also it’s screaming the entire time#and so are you

[deducecanoe-deactivated20161213]

Oh god. It is.

[smallblanketfort]

A Person, A Paper, A Promise

Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines he wrote a poem And he called it “Chops” because that was the name of his dog And that’s what it was all about And his teacher gave him an A and a gold star And his mother hung it on the kitchen door and read it to his aunts That was the year Father Tracy took all the kids to the zoo And he let them sing on the bus And his little sister was born with tiny toenails and no hair And his mother and father kissed a lot And the girl around the corner sent him a Valentine signed with a row of X’s and he had to ask his father what the X’s meant And his father always tucked him in bed at night And was always there to do it Once on a piece of white paper with blue lines he wrote a poem And he called it “Autumn” because that was the name of the season And that’s what it was all about And his teacher gave him an A and asked him to write more clearly And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door because of its new paint And the kids told him that Father Tracy smoked cigars And left butts on the pews And sometimes they would burn holes That was the year his sister got glasses with thick lenses and black frames And the girl around the corner laughed when he asked her to go see Santa Claus And the kids told him why his mother and father kissed a lot And his father never tucked him in bed at night And his father got mad when he cried for him to do it. Once on a paper torn from his notebook he wrote a poem And he called it “Innocence: A Question” because that was the question about his girl And that’s what it was all about And his professor gave him an A and a strange steady look And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door because he never showed her That was the year that Father Tracy died And he forgot how the end of the Apostle’s Creed went And he caught his sister making out on the back porch And his mother and father never kissed or even talked And the girl around the corner wore too much makeup That made him cough when he kissed her but he kissed her anyway because that was the thing to do And at three a.m. he tucked himself into bed his father snoring soundly That’s why on the back of a brown paper bag he tried another poem And he called it “Absolutely Nothing” Because that’s what it was really all about And he gave himself an A and a slash on each damned wrist And he hung it on the bathroom door because this time he didn’t think he could reach the kitchen.

Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

[write-like-a-freak-deactivated2]

Leaving Holes

Your story is 50% reader. It’s that mixture of reader and writer that makes the magic.

Which means your story needs to have holes for the reader to fill in. You need that negative space for the puzzle pieces to fit.

I’m not talking about plot holes, I’m talking about giving one sentence the power of two. A book that means what it says is a mediocre book. A book that means more than what it says is a great book.

Don’t over-develop your characters, having them analyze every feeling, or spelling out what every character in a scene is thinking. Don’t follow up a powerful line with an explanation with what makes that line powerful.

Let your words imply as much as they state.

[rederthere]

it can be so so hard sometimes, cuz i gotta remember i can trust my readers

[write-like-a-freak-deactivated2]

And it can be hard to know WHICH holes to leave. You don’t want to leave any ‘this doesn’t make sense’ holes, but you do want to leave ‘insert your interpretation here’ holes.

[redheadedwritergal]

THANK YOU THANK YOU MY WRITERS BLOCK JUST DISSOLVED AFTER TWO YEARS OF BLANKING ON MY NOVEL I HAVE TO REWRITE EVERYTHING THANK YOU

[fixyourwritinghabits]

So, I'm writing a story about two childhood friends (both girls) that fell in love. I already have some stuff planned for the end, but my friends that read the story hate the antagonist, and my plan for the ending is to make everyone cry because of her death. But how can I make them cry after the antagonists's death if basically everybody hates her?

You’re going to have to re-write the antagonist. If she’s chewing the scenery, dial it down. Make her more realistic. People can and will care about an antagonist, but you need to meet some basic requirements first. 

[nemesiswheel-deactivated2012111]

[johnpaulbrammer]

George R. R. Martin everyone.

[redheadedwritergal]

This is beautiful I'm tearing up

[quietpinetrees]

[starship-goldfish]

Our good friend @quietpinetrees has brought his microfiction to tumblr and it is achingly beautiful.

[andisupreme]

oh this is gorgeous

[maddeningscientist]

at first i thought these were all from the same story and i really wanted to read it

[smallblanketfort]

.:in creative writing we did an exercise where we had to use a photo we had saved on our phones as a prompt so i used this from my private/diary instagram.

i plum(b)et in a sea of noise

cold counter on my soles soaks through my painted toes and my heels drop off the back behind me as i lean toward the sink below me a basin of rotting toothpaste smells like vomit and lavender bar soap sitting on the counter beside my feet as, i swear, God speaks through the bathroom mirror. “no,” He says, and i’m not sure to what but it’s something to do with the knife at my throat and the basin below, gaping before me as a canyon. my canyon. my death and life and my final words are these. but they slither down the back of my throat down the drain through the basin of my mouth. i’m a bathroom sink - that’s the piece i was missing all along. i throw myself off the edge and am lost in the bitter metallic of silver pipes below my surface.

@mssmistyeyed

[smallblanketfort]

Black sheep, black sheep

Have you any woes?

Yes sir, yes sir

More than you know.

@thelittlebox

[redheadedwritergal]

I love this. Permission to paint on wall? (W/ credit) 🙏🏼 @thelittlebox

[smallblanketfort]

my head hurts my eyes hurt, the screen is too bright

I am desperate to find my kitchen sink it has to be somewhere, out there

my bed is making strange noises they scare me it’s night I’m tired my back hurts but I won’t go to sleep because

am I waiting for something

? deep breath, the nose is dripping just like my possibilities

I had to say something, I had to say something!

but I forgot

headphones carved not only my (y)ears my thoughts certainties

but, I’m thinking too much aimlessly

far away, right now, a thunder thunder means light light means energy energy means life light means hope

I’m no longer tired and my eyes don’t hurt that much after all I have to say thank you

because now I see:

the stars are just holes, there’s light far above

@herfss

[isfjwallflower]

Fun Things To Call The MBTI Types

Based on stereotypes. PS it’s a joke.

ESTJ: Consistent Helper

ISTJ: Alert Cat

ESFJ: Encouraging Monkey

ISFJ: Child Magnet

ENTJ: Tall Flower

INTJ: Quiet Sage

ENTP: Debate Bird

INTP: Afraid Origami

ESTP: Wild Child

ISTP: Technical Collector

ESFP: Friendly Parrot

ISFP: Flower Bunny

ENFJ: Cheerful Bean

INFJ: Mystical Rowboat

ENFP: Care Bear

INFP: Sleepy Adventurer

[redheadedwritergal]

Yes CHEERFUL BEAN

[redheadedwritergal]

me: *has plans for entire human race*

me: *has no plans to study for school*

[myersandbriggs]

why ENFJs are incredible

Note to self: When you’re feeling down or doubting yourself, read this! (from an ENFPs perspective)

Okay, this is long overdue and I really need to ‘fess up. I tried post a different thread to you but I think what I was trying to say was in it’s feeble stages. What I really want to convey is how grateful I am that ENFJs are in the world. ENFJs are absolutely wonderful people and I’m not sure you know your gifts to those around you. I think you have an “idea” but I think you like things “confirmed” by others. So here it is. Forewarning: I am very emotional and honest about this so expect this to be a long post.

Keep reading

[samsketchbook]

Need a special critter to help you in your magical pursuits? Here’s the best pet mutant for you, based on the mbti scale!

(part 4 of 8)

[jhbrd-old]

Unlike any other creature on this planet, humans can learn and understand, without having experienced. They can think themselves into other people’s places. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.

J.K. Rowling (via jhbrd)

[logicaldreamer]

[writerswritecompany]

Writing Humour