A Dead Fish.

[shatteredsouls28]

After The Letter

Sorry I can't keep doing this any longer. It's too much for me to bear. The thought of it puts too much weight on my shoulders.

Sorry That feeling came back to haunt me. The fear of missing a text, The fear of saying something wrong, The fear of needing to always be perfect in your eyes, The fear of facing the truth: you were never mine, The fear of knowing you're just one more thing that i have to lose.

Sorry That was the last time we shared our time together. When I listened to your stories: About how dumb your boss was, About how I worried someone might come to hurt you, About your friends’ drama, About your dreams, About how easily I could fall in love with you all over again, About how tomorrow might be the day I finally do.

Sorry That was also the last time you listened to mine. Stories about how dumb I am, About my lovely but exhausting job, About my dreams, About my so-called “love life,” About how tomorrow I might still be in love with you.

Not sorry I'm not sorry for writing this down. I need to let you go. I know it sounds pathetic. Cowardly, Selfish. But whenever we share a moment, My heart keeps craving that fantasy where we end up together.

Not sorry Because this isn't healthy. I can’t force you, And I never wanted to. That’s not what love is. I just need to escape, from this feeling that refuses to accept what’s already been said.

You are not mine. And I’m not yours. Somehow, writing that line shattered me. But we both know it’s true. Sorry This will be the last time I let myself feel you. The last time I let you stay in my thoughts. The last time I let your memory make me ache. This will be my last poem for you… And to you.

It has been a long time since I wrote that letter, About my desire for us to be together. But it doesn’t even matter ‘Cause I won’t be here forever.

Tomorrow is a new day.

[writingwithoutconfidence]

More Writing Tips

Alright, Tumblr writers. Sit down. Drink some water. I’m back with more writing tips I learned the hard way, usually at 2am while questioning every life choice I’ve ever made. Take what helps. Leave what doesn’t. Argue with me in the comments if you must.

1. Your tone doesn’t have to stay consistent to be good. You can be funny and devastating. Soft and brutal. Whiplash is sometimes the point. Life doesn’t stick to one genre — your writing doesn’t have to either.

2. Trauma shouldn’t only explain behaviour; complicate it. If a backstory only makes a character quieter, sadder, or “stronger,” it’s underused. Trauma creates contradictions: wanting closeness but flinching from it, craving stability but sabotaging it. That tension is the point.

3. If you’re exhausted by your own story, take that seriously. Burnout while writing isn’t a sign that your story is bad — it’s usually a sign that something is off in the process. You might be editing while drafting, forcing the plot to go somewhere it doesn’t want to, or circling the same emotional beat without letting it change. Before you delete anything or decide you “hate” the story, step back. Distance fixes more drafts than starting over ever will.

4. If you suddenly lose all motivation halfway through a scene, don’t push — jump. That drop usually happens right before an emotional beat you haven’t figured out yet. Instead of forcing filler, jump past it. Write the aftermath. Write the reaction. Once you know where the scene lands, going back to fill in the middle is way easier.

5. Don't be afraid to kill your darlings. Sometimes, you write a line or a scene that you love, but it doesn't fit the story. It's okay to cut it. Maybe it can be used elsewhere, or maybe it just needed to be written to get you to the next part. Your story will be stronger for it. But make sure to save it somewhere else for later.

6. Let characters surprise you. Sometimes, a character will do something unexpected. Don't fight it. Let them surprise you. Maybe they'll reveal a hidden side or take the story in a new direction. Trust your characters—they might know where they're going better than you do.

7. If your dialogue sounds stiff, check how the character answers. Real people dodge, deflect, misunderstand, and answer questions with different questions. If one character asks something important and the other responds clearly and honestly on the first try, it can feel fake. Add friction. Let them avoid the point. That’s usually where the tension lives.

8. If you get a sudden burst of inspiration for a totally different scene, write it immediately. Don’t worry about continuity. Don’t worry about spoilers. Don’t worry about “doing it out of order.” That excitement is your brain handing you something important. You can always stitch it in later — you can’t always get the feeling back.

9. If you ever catch yourself thinking, “I should probably explain this,” pause. That urge usually shows up right after you’ve written something subtle and start worrying the reader won’t get it. Before you add explanation, ask: is the clue there? If the emotion, action, or detail already points in the right direction, trust it. Over-explaining often flattens moments that were already working.

10. If you don’t know how to start a scene, start a few seconds late. Writers often open scenes too early — characters entering rooms, greeting each other, settling in. Skip that. Start where something is already happening: mid-conversation, mid-thought, mid-tension. Readers will catch up faster than you think. (A LOT of my writing starts like this, but lots of people like it... so it works I guess.)

11. If you write your main character as “normal,” don’t abandon that the second they're thrown in a difficult situation. If you establish a character as ordinary — awkward, untrained, unsure — they shouldn’t suddenly start moving smoother, or reacting like a seasoned fighter the moment things get hard. Stress doesn’t usually make people cooler or more competent; it makes them messier. If you want them to survive a difficult situation, let it be through panic, luck, instinct, help from others, or small, clumsy decisions. The moment they act like a different person, they stop feeling real — and readers will notice.

12. If your redemption arc starts with instant forgiveness, it isn’t redemption. Redemption requires effort, discomfort, and time. The character should change before they’re accepted again — not after. Forgiveness is a result, not a starting point. Saying the character did some bad things but the second they apologise everything is forgiven (or to an extent) not only sounds unrealistic, but simple too.

-

Okay, that’s it. No more tips. I’ve run out of wisdom and it’s past the hour where good decisions are made.

If even one of these made you go, “oh. that explains a lot actually,” then this post did its job. You don’t have to use all of them. You don’t have to agree with me. Writing isn’t a checklist — it’s trial and error and accidentally discovering your best scenes while doing something “wrong.”

So write out of order. Let the tone shift. Let your characters be complicated and a little inconvenient. Skip the boring parts. Trust the moment before you explain it to death.

And if your draft feels messy or unfinished or emotionally confusing?

Good. That usually means you’re close.

Go write something that surprises you. Something that hurts a little. Something you’ll reread later and realise you were braver than you thought.

You’re not doing it wrong.

You’re writing.

by writingwithoutconfidence (you all make me more confident <3)

Writing Tips

My Writing (very long though)

Writing (certain) Situations and Tropes

[pantserspen]

How to Write a Character’s Breaking Point (+Sensory Details Cheat Sheet)

1. Strip Away Their Last Defense

A breakdown only lands if the character has nothing left to protect themselves with. Take away the coping mechanism they’ve relied on — their pride, their control, their relationships, their denial, or their hope.

The breakdown isn’t caused by pain. It’s caused by the loss of what kept them standing in that pain.

2. Make the Trigger Small but Devastating

The moment that breaks them should often be quiet, personal, and specific, not just the biggest explosion. A single line of dialogue, a realization, or a tiny betrayal can hurt more than the obvious disaster.

3. Let Them Resist the Fall

Don’t drop them instantly into collapse. Let them try to hold it together first. That resistance creates tension and makes the fall feel earned and painful.

4. Show the Internal Shatter Before the External One

Start with the internal fracture — the belief that dies, the truth they can’t ignore, the hope that finally gives out — then let the external breakdown follow.

5. Let the Breakdown Change Them

A real breaking point permanently alters the character. After this moment, they don’t return to who they were before — even if they heal.

✦ Sensory Cheat Sheet for Writing Breakdowns

Use 2–3 of these at most so the scene stays sharp and not overloaded.

Physical Sensations

Chest feels tight, hollow, or painfully heavy

Hands shaking, numb, or clenched too hard

Throat burning, closing, or unable to form words

Sudden weakness in knees or limbs

Feeling too hot or too cold all at once

Emotional Sensations

Sudden exhaustion rather than loud sadness

A sense of “what’s the point anymore?”

Feeling disconnected from their body or surroundings

A sharp wave of shame, guilt, or self-loathing

Emotional numbness replacing intensity

Mental Experience

Thoughts looping uncontrollably

A single devastating realization repeating in their mind

Trouble focusing on anything except the pain

Feeling like time has slowed or stopped

A sense of being very small, trapped, or exposed

Behavioral Tells

Going silent instead of crying

Laughing at the wrong moment

Snapping at someone who doesn’t deserve it

Making a reckless or self-destructive choice

Withdrawing completely from others

Environmental Mirroring (Optional but powerful)

A room that feels too quiet, too loud, or too small

Harsh lighting or deep shadows

Weather that contrasts their emotion (sunny during despair, storm during numbness)

A comforting object that now feels meaningless

✦ Final Tip

A breakdown isn’t about how dramatic the moment is — it’s about how personally devastating it is for that specific character. The more tailored the pain is to their fears, flaws, and desires, the harder it hits the reader.

DIVE INTO YOUR WORLDBUILDING! SHOP!

[shatteredsouls28]

Alive

No. They can’t do it anymore. The world can’t hurt me anymore. The pain I once drowned in made me stronger than before. Too much to say in a sentence I ended up losing myself more and more.

No. The world can’t hurt me anymore. The pain subsided as I looked up to the sky. No pain can teach me how hard it is to say goodbye. Too much to say in a stanza I ended up losing myself in a world full of lies.

No. The world can’t hurt me anymore. I thought I couldn’t reach forty when I was young. Now I know I won’t reach thirty I’m more certain than before. Too much to say in a verse I ended up losing myself in the night’s tongue.

The wind blew, whispering: "Let it go, there’s nothing you can do to make it differ." The earth trembled, reminding me it would be the final place I go. So, no the world can’t hurt me anymore. I love death more than you love your tomorrow.

When I was young, I thought I would achieve my dream. I would be the best in my field. I would carry them on my shoulders through the stream. When I was young, I thought I knew everything. Now I do know everything: everything means nothing, when you don't feel alive even when you are still breathing.

Tomorrow is a new day.

[shatteredsouls28]

Until My Last Breath

I did wish I could time travel. A lot of things I left behind, a lot of things I regret. Left some promises I thought I’d never walk out on. I did wish I wasn’t bound by it that I could always go back and fix things, be more present in my studies, or maybe be more patient in the hardest of times. Suddenly, time travel seems so unnecessary. Here I am, screaming out loud to the world: “I found her! No money or time could buy her out of me!” Truly, I feel complete. Your voice soothes me, your presence warms me, your smile moves me, your eyes bloom within me. Importantly, I don’t care about regrets anymore. I don’t care about my past mistakes anymore. I don’t care about what I should’ve or could’ve done anymore.

Endlessly, I have you with me, standing here beside me, holding my arms like we were meant to be. Eternally, I love you to the ends of the earth, until God sets upon the end of time, and until my last breath leaves me.

Time does not wait, but it always allows.

[shatteredsouls28]

“If you say time heals you, I guess time works differently for me…”

[shatteredsouls28]

Our Final Stay

I always told myself that I am strong enough, strong enough to deal with those voices, telling me that I deserve to be lonely, telling me that I am nothing but a burden to my family.

I accepted it. I have made peace with it. I know that I will end in the grave with it, and I know that I am ready for it.

But here I am, still wondering if this is the right path, still wondering if anything can be done to fill the void in my heart. No matter how hard I try, the voices just keep piling up until they hit the sky.

Here I am, with loneliness I thought I was ready for, thought that I could get through its core, preaching it to others as if I understood it more.

Now I am conflicted. We all know that we will end up alone under, we all know that, in the end, we will have our own sufferings. But I’ve started to wonder:

Should I have opened up my heart to others? Maybe I should let someone fill its void before I go under. We all know that we will end up alone in the grave, but maybe we should fill our hearts before our final stay.

And maybe we should let them feel love before our final say.

Time does not wait, but it always allows.

[shatteredsouls28]

The Scenery of the Rain

Some things are just not meant to be,  like the feelings I have for you and me.  I miss the scenery of the rain when it would come.  When it does, it would be my tears that are coming down.

Tomorrow is a new day.

[shatteredsouls28]

Time is an interesting topic

Time is always an interesting topic. A topic with regrets or hope. A desire to go back to fix or to know. An impulse to break free or to grow. A place to hide or to show. To show how much we have lost and how much we have grown. To show how good it was and how was it worse. To show how did we survive or how did we lose. Full of things we want to be that we can’t do. To show how much the time was precious when we are together. To show how much the time was gold when we are together To show how much i regret of letting you go. To show how much i loved you. Time is always an interesting topic. No matter how hard i’m trying to move on, it will always be about you. Tomorrow is a new day.

[shatteredsouls28]

Love

What is love? "Love was never existed, it was just a trick of a weak and a fragile heart that didn't know what to do until it finally fell into that self-righteous trap." -PapaBison    That writing was written by my cousin, i would say he is a really good writer (better than me for sure) and when i saw his writing about love, i was pretty confused that a guy like him who has more deep feelings than me, have that thoughts about love. So, i have prepare some stuff to write about my own thoughts on this matter. Still, he is a really great writer, but i have to say something about this.    Personally, i disagree on some part of it, but i do agree where it says “It didn’t know what to do so its trying to find something.” Sometimes, we tend to forget where we came from, we tend to forget what is our purpose, so when our heart is at lost, we trying our best to chase on that ‘glimpse of hope.’ For some people, it’s love, for some people, it’s money, for some people, it’s throne. Well, for some people they can’t catch that glimpse of hope and the darkness stays with them.    Love is a weird, stupid, and most beautiful thing in this world that we can do as a human being. But yet, even when we found it, we still have that naive way of thinking that love would stay forever, that there will be no goodbyes, no pain, and no sadness.    This would be a very hard pill to swallow, when there is love, there would be hate and pain. You may ask, “why? You just said that it is the most beautiful thing we can do.” Well i did, but i also said that it is the most dumbest and weirdest thing we can do, yet. We did it anyway.    This would take long to explain and i don’t have any other way to explain it. When i’m talking about love, the first thing that i think about is my Mom and my Dad. For me, their love is the most purest and real thing i have ever seen, like every other household, they fight. When they do, i felt the pain too, because i see them as a pure love, so when they fight, i felt sick.    Then of course, that is the part of love, whenever they do fight, they get it through together, so i asked my Mom “How can you guys keep fighting over and over, don’t you guys feel tired? Cause i am.”    A simple answer was given by my Mom, she said “Who says we don’t? But we have to get it through, when you have something to fight for, you can’t run from it, if we think running is the only solution, then what’s the point of this 20+ years of marriage?”    And i stumbled, i never thought that love could be so hard and painful, never thought that love is way harder than making a bowl of spaghetti (please, it is pretty difficult, don’t judge me.)     I always thought that love is full of romantic, passion, and colorful stories. Well, it isn’t. If there is ever a love like that, then this life would be in a much better place don’t you think?    My Mom and my Dad are a prove of ‘Love is about going through the storm together and survive from it together.’ Then, i found (i think) my own answers to ‘What is love?’    Love is where you feel the storm of the river, where you feel alive when you are not breathing, where you stand in the dark but you keep on walking, where you believe in faith and hope of everything. Love is an art that we paint through happiness, sadness, anger, and last but not least. Pain.    Pain of suffering, pain of knowing goodbyes, pain of blindness, pain of tears dropping down your eyes. The greatest of suffering, when we get it through, we felt alive more than before.    Love is not only when you feel happiness, love is when you feel all of emotions all at once and drain it down to your deepest heart. Then the next day you realize, this world is a beautiful place when you have love.    And there you go, to be honest with you, i never have any relationship before, so it’s basically like you listening to someone who is talking about culinary but they don’t even know what is culinary all about. Even though, i think that love is not about having relationship with your significant other, i think love is just a form of we showing our compassion to something or someone in a way that people could never understand, they would call us crazy, nuts, idiots, self-centered pricks, then again, we did it anyway.    So, why don’t i want to have any relationship if you may ask? Simple, i can’t get through the pain yet, but i know one day i can. For now, i’m a dead fish who is following the flow, one day i would make my own waves and ride with it along with ‘The One.’ When? Who knows, timing sucks, but i know it’ll come. When it does, i’ll love her with all of my heart.   And i know one day, my perspective of love would change. Again. Tomorrow is a new day. P.S  Love sucks tho not gonna lie, and spaghetti is actually pretty easy but it takes too long that sometimes i just pull it out and realized that it still not cooked very well. Sorry Gordon Ramsay, i’ll try better next time.

[shatteredsouls28]

Drowning

With this tears, i healed my wounds with this smile, i hid my wounds With this fear, i held on to you with this desire, i devoted myself for you Does it ever drive you crazy? over this love that we should let it be My soul needs some cigarette over this love that keeps alive in my head A cup of coffee to keep me awake so i wouldn’t fall asleep and dreaming about you I just want to let all of this go and let my self drown in hatred alone.

Tomorrow is a new day.

[shatteredsouls28]

The Book of Us

I just want to close the chapters of me loving you Doesn't mean that i never actually in love with you I've been fallin' when i'm thinking about you Fallin' down from the sky because i got no wings nor parachute.

The one thing i shouldn't do Just like a sore loser, i'm a sucker for you You were there for me when i needed you So, i'll be here when you need me if things get worse for you.

I said “Chapters” not the whole book Along through the pages, maybe it could be you But for now i'll put it on the “bookshelf of us” Till the day where the time will be clear to us. Wish you could stay till the epilogue Wish you’d see me while i’m in the fog. The fog indicates the chapter of me loving you Then, the wind blew me away, far away from you.

And i wish that i could lie About my afraidness of goodbyes I know the truth I know that you are just one more thing that i have to lose.

Tomorrow is a new day.

[shatteredsouls28]

Hope

They never listened to what is going on with me That’s why i keep on running back to you hoping to fix me. And now i’m hoping too much from you My heart told me to find someone new.

Tomorrow is a new day.

[shatteredsouls28]

Questions

Overthinking over something i shouldn't be worry about Cause i always seeing this people getting stomp by life and they tryin' to find a way out. Honestly im scared, i really do What if it actually happen to me someday and there's nothing i can do?

Tomorrow is a new day.

[shatteredsouls28]

Loneliness

I feel so down, sometimes i forgot how to breathe The lights getting darker, it hurts but it dont bleed. Trying to cope it, but i know it doesn't even matter I'm still a shatteredsoul, one way or the other.

Getting beat up by life, i can’t see a way out. Built up a wall but it failed and i stumbled down. There is not a glimpse of hope that i can see They say it is a light that brings truth and love. I say it is a light that blinds me.

Tomorrow is a new day.

[shatteredsouls28]

Cold Feet

She is getting cold feet everytime i texted her, i have a lot of things that i wanted to share with her. I never know when to give up for something so grey, i guess it's time for me to fade away. Tomorrow is a new day.

[shatteredsouls28]

Overthinking

Time passing by but i feel stuck All coming at once and it sucks Like everything i did was for nothing All i need is just a time to think But i guess you can't have everything Maybe i just need to keep moving instead of overthinking. All i have is pity. Tomorrow is a new day.