sadgirlours

let’s be sad.

[sadgirlours]

Salvation under the Stars

without each other, they would’ve found themselves burning in the morning light. but with each other, standing side by side, they shielded one another from the fiery sun and consumed themselves with the love that killed.

she must have really loved him, he thought often. otherwise she would have left to burn.

-izza malik

[sadgirlours]

Smile at me Darling

they suffered from each other’s frowns. he looked at her safe and steady and it was the only way for him to breathe without choking on his own mistakes. she, on the other hand, wanted to choke him with her own hand and see the light die out of his eyes.

did my love really mean nothing to him? it hurt to think about. so she spent time planning ways to destroy him. but all she really wanted was for him to smile at her.

-izza malik

[sadgirlours]

Strangers & Friendships

he stays two steps behind her, three even, to make it less awkward—to make it bearable for himself. the soft thud of their shoes against the marble floor, the flickering light of the candle from the outdoor torch, and the hammering beat of his heart against his chest stops him from removing the space between them.

she smells of lilacs, of a summer he never got to experience, and it pains him to love her, it pains him to be near her ‘cause he knows can never have her. even if she thought he didn’t love her.

-izza malik

[sadgirlours]

Lovers & Masquerades

your hand slips around my waist, pulling me closer to the warmth against your chest. there’s no music other than the soft hum exposed to my ears.

our shoes have been discarded and the cold grass eases the blisters from the heels i was wearing before. you told me you loved me just then. with your eyes looking into mine, and your smile replicating mine. i never knew how precious love was until i saw you holding it.

-izza malik

[sadgirlours]

they all but listen to the sounds of chaos unleashing all my sins. their sharp teeth sink into my neck, sucking any of the good deeds left. i am alone with myself, with this awful version of what everyone else doesn’t see.

[sadgirlours]

betrayal feels almost as beautiful as night. the silence as you walk behind them and when they least expect it, you stab them with a knife you created out of the love and respect they had for you.

my dearest friend, i hate your smile, your existence, and your love. you stole them from me, you created a monster out of me. but even as i pierce your skin, i’m crying out:

i love you, i love you, i love you.

[sadgirlours]

[sadgirlours]

if lovers, like us, were meant to be beautiful creatures, then why are they hidden? why are we kept a secret from the world? you keep telling me i mean everything to you, but the world doesn’t know that, and i want the world to know who i am to you. that is, if i am something.

- izza malik

[sadgirlours]

in some other world, in some other lifetime, could i have been the girl you loved?

[sadgirlours]

you’re turning a little fuzzy in my head, like summer five years ago, like a story from childhood, like a dream after a nightmare. there’s still an ache swimming inside and biting me, but i can barely feel it, barely care for it, barely pay attention to it. am i healing? or is my heart piecing itself together so when i give it back to you, it’s pretty enough to break again?

- izza malik

[sadgirlours]

tiptoe across my heart, into the deadly part, a place of kindness, a place of lust, oh darling it’s mainly dust. you must be sick to love me whole, to a love a woman whose story goes untold. my darling lover, you just be a fool, to love a woman so wholly and untrue.

- izza malik

[sadgirlours]

the world around me scream into the quiet chaos of my heart. i feel myself drowning into the darkness, getting lost in the light, and losing myself to the blood on my sleeve. then i feel a tap on my shoulder, soft and light, i turn around and see you. my safety net. my human shield. my home. i want to lose myself with you, never without you.

- izza malik

[2soulscollide]

WEBSITES FOR WRITERS {masterpost}

E.A. Deverell - FREE worksheets (characters, world building, narrator, etc.) and paid courses;

Hiveword - Helps to research any topic to write about (has other resources, too);

BetaBooks - Share your draft with your beta reader (can be more than one), and see where they stopped reading, their comments, etc.;

Charlotte Dillon - Research links;

Writing realistic injuries - The title is pretty self-explanatory: while writing about an injury, take a look at this useful website;

One Stop for Writers - You guys... this website has literally everything we need: a) Description thesaurus collection, b) Character builder, c) Story maps, d) Scene maps & timelines, e) World building surveys, f) Worksheets, f) Tutorials, and much more! Although it has a paid plan ($90/year | $50/6 months | $9/month), you can still get a 2-week FREE trial;

One Stop for Writers Roadmap - It has many tips for you, divided into three different topics: a) How to plan a story, b) How to write a story, c) How to revise a story. The best thing about this? It's FREE!

Story Structure Database - The Story Structure Database is an archive of books and movies, recording all their major plot points;

National Centre for Writing - FREE worksheets and writing courses. Has also paid courses;

Penguin Random House - Has some writing contests and great opportunities;

Crime Reads - Get inspired before writing a crime scene;

The Creative Academy for Writers - "Writers helping writers along every step of the path to publication." It's FREE and has ZOOM writing rooms;

Reedsy - "A trusted place to learn how to successfully publish your book" It has many tips, and tools (generators), contests, prompts lists, etc. FREE;

QueryTracker - Find agents for your books (personally, I've never used this before, but I thought I should feature it here);

Pacemaker - Track your goals (example: Write 50K words - then, everytime you write, you track the number of the words, and it will make a graphic for you with your progress). It's FREE but has a paid plan;

Save the Cat! - The blog of the most known storytelling method. You can find posts, sheets, a software (student discount - 70%), and other things;

I hope this is helpful for you!

(Also, check my blog if you want to!)

[sadgirlours]

he shuts his phone and allows it to dangle from his hand as his eyes trace over the lines of paint. it’s silent all around him, but the painting is deafening. he breathes in, it whispers to him in big ways and screams at him in small ways. he simply is a being in love with the pain in the feelings of someone else. it’s where he finds peace. it’s where he surrenders to his art.

- izza malik

[sadgirlours]

follow me to the dark side of our love and let us pretend it is the light. for one day, i want to see what our feelings aren’t rather than what they are, it’s the only way i won’t cry, it’s the only way i won’t die.

- izza malik

[sadgirlours]

my darling lover, there is a gun to your head, there is blood bottled up in your eyes, and there is sorrow in the depth of your mind. you asked of me and i ignored your cries. you wrapped a bond around us then tore it apart and made me die. a human shield, you said, but i am simply your secret weapon hidden inside.

- Izza Malik

[coffeebeanwriting]

One of my story ideas that I've become really attached too just isn't working no matter which way I spin it... any advice?

What To Do When Your Story Just Isn’t Working

I can really relate to this (and I'm sure every writer out there can as well). My advice would be to figure out where the problem is rooted: Is your structure the problem? Is every scene important and pushing the plot forward? Are your characters doing purposeful actions, or just wandering about?

When I get stumped in my writing, it's usually my structure, pacing or my backstory having holes, therefore leaving me clueless as to why things are happening in my own story.

Consider the timeline of your story. Loosely following a structural guide can help keep your story on track and making every scene important to the story as a whole. There is Save The Cat, The Hero's Journey, The Three Act Structure and more.

Here's an image that I got from Pinterest (Three Act Structure) that I look back on when my story hits a wall or I feel like my scenes aren't making an impact. You don't have to follow it religiously, but it's a good tool to make sure that your story is actually progressing (rather than just a bunch of scenes with no forward movement towards the end).

Larger Image  More things to consider would be:

Character Goals

Does your character(s) have goals that they are perusing, therefore pushing the plot forward? The goal can be simple or extreme, but it is what begins their journey. They want to assassinate the king, or they just want to get a new job.

Passive characters are led by the events/plot of your story, whereas active characters have goals make decisions that force the story forward.

Begin to Fix Plot Holes

Find any contradictions, missing pieces of information that the reader (and you) need to know for it to make sense or add laws and rules. Sometimes our stories go through rough patches of not working because we haven't flush everything out enough.

Writing Prompts

Take your characters and put them in a scene that is completely separate from your story. You can follow a writing prompt or just explore a random event that you place them in. This can get your juices flowing, can be a nice stress reliver as it's just for fun and even bring to birth new ideas you never would have considered in the first place.

Scene Structure

Are you following a scene guide that ensures every part of your scene is important and needed in your story? Every action should have a reaction.

Your character needs to be in pursuit of something (a goal) in every scene, no matter how small or basic it is. Are they searching for an ancient relic, do they want a bowl of cereal from the kitchen or do they just want some peace and quiet on their day off?

They then face a conflict while trying to obtain their goal which leads to a negative or positive outcome (they get it or they don't). They find the ancient relic (positive), they are out of milk (negative), someone is outside mowing their lawn (negative).

They then have a moment to react which can be a quick display of emotion or a drawn out one. They kiss the ancient relic, in an upset motion they grab their keys to go to the grocery, the man who wanted quiet starts yelling out the window at the neighbors.

Then comes the reflection which can be as small as a single sentence or a long inner monologue on how your character feels about what just happened. They think about what they'll do next. The journeyman considers the possibilities of what he can do with the relic, the girl hungry for cereal curses herself for not remembering to get milk, the angry man considers going somewhere else to find quiet.

Lastly, there's the decision. What are there next steps, what have they decided to do? This sprouts a new goal and the cycle repeats. He's decided to use the relic's magic to help people in need, the cereal enthusiast goes and buys two cartons of milk instead of one, the angry man leaves to go to the library.

All those decisions set in motion new scenes.

I recommend looking at the page I linked because it goes into better detail. Once I started understanding scene structures, my story started flowing better and didn't have much room to get lost or astray.

Read More Books

When in doubt, read. Sometimes we're just out of brain juice and need to feel the excitement of a good book. See how they do things successfully (not unsuccessfully) and try to integrate that into our own writings.

I hope that helps and isn't too long and rambley. Thanks for the question! Instagram: coffeebeanwriting