For the Love of Turtle's Cake

This is Not My Main Blog I throw writing crap on here sometimes. Usually stuff I find on my dashboard lol

[reveriesystem-backup]

🌿🍄✨

[batsandboba]

mutuals I am sneaking up behind you and gently placing this on your head

[writingprompts365]

hi,can you suggest what unique personalities to have in a story?

Make a list of your favorite characters from your favorite stories and for each one, list the core aspects of their personality.  Then mix and match and see what you come up with!

And here are a some resources that should help you get some ideas:

List of character tropes

Character quirk random generator

Character personality random generator

[staff]

🚨This is a Red Alert for net neutrality 🚨

Last December, the FCC voted to to kill net neutrality. If we do not take action, this will kill the free and open internet as we know it. The internet needs you—all of you—to make sure your voices are heard NOW.

We need all hands on deck for this one. It may be our last chance. If you’re feeling under-informed and overwhelmed about why net neutrality is so incredibly important, we have this handy guide just for you.

Here’s what you can do to save the internet:

In mid-May, the Senate will vote on a resolution to overrule the FCC using the Congressional Review Act (CRA). We only need one more vote in the Senate to win. Write or call your Senators or Representatives. You can also text BATTLE to 384-387 to get more information on how to write to your reps. You can do this, Tumblr.

Join us and dozens of your other favorite companies like Etsy, Vimeo, Reddit, and GitHub to raise awareness with the Red Alert campaign being run by Battle for the Net. Just add this small widget to your Tumblr to let your followers know how they can contact their reps. It’s as easy as copying and pasting the small line of code right into the customize theme page on the web.

This is important. This matters. It’s up to you to help. 

[skittlejerky-the-second]

The Exception

It's not like I asked you to stay.

Except, I did.

It's not like I needed you.

Except, I did.

It's not like I was lonely and sad and crying because I missed you.

It's not like you cared anyway.

It's not like we talked about this for hours. With tears rushing down our cheeks and sobs rocking our bodies.

It's not like you broke the only promise I ever expected you to keep. The only promise I wanted you to keep.

You left.

And it's not like that changes much.

Except, it changes everything.

[skittlejerky-the-second]

What I Promised The Stars (Part 1?)

It's funny how no one ever looks up at the sky, even though it's right there. Even funnier how it took me lying in the snow, bleeding out to finally do exactly that.

My vision blurs and I realize that I'm dying. I'm finally dying... All the pain and heartache, it can end now.

The tears surprised me. I didn't expect that I'd be afraid. That I'd still want to cling to my pitiful life.

But I did. And now, it was too late to do even that.

I closed my eyes, probably for the last time, and let myself sink into the darkness. Already too tired to fight it off....

~~~

A light. A buzzing. What?

I didn't have time to think about any of it before a loud, cheerful voice called out.

“Good morning, #268378. You have served your sentence and are now free to go. Please check in with your department representative before leaving. Thank you."

In an instant, I’m shoved forward and onto the grated floor. What the hell? I go to get up, but my arms give out almost immediately. I land hard, groaning.

“It’ll take a few minutes for you to get used to moving your muscles again.” My head snaps in the direction of the voice. Or at least that’s what would have happened if I could have moved my head that fast. But before I even looked at them, they bent down and picked me up. It’s only when I felt their hands on my skin that I noticed that I was completely naked. I let out a yelp and struggled wildly to get away, successfully smacking the person in the face. They dropped me and I limply crawled away, making a not-so-successful attempt to cover myself up. “For the love of—I was trying to put you in the NavChair!”

"What the hell is that?!"

"This is why I hate dealing with you people!"

"I-I don't... I don't understand!" It was slowly coming back. The blood, the cold, the darkness... "I-I died! I should be dead!"

I could feel the onslaught of tears coming,"This isn't possible! I should be dead!"

"Well, you're not! You're in the Gramston Correctional Facility, and you've just been released from your two year AR sentence."

"W-what...?"

[justawritingaid]

do you have any advice on writing three-way friendships in which the three characters involved are all best friends? because i’m having trouble not making one of them the third wheel.

This is essentially coming down to working with character chemistry and the balance (or imbalance) it creates in groups.

I’ll start with a small warning that applies to any sort of group dynamic and is good to keep in mind during the drafting process: Your characters don’t always like your ideas as much as you do. You can have an idea for a story, then when you write it down it can go a way you don’t intend. This is not necessarily bad, as a lot of ideas work better as theories and putting it on paper is essentially a stress-test, but a good writer learns to work with the variability and can locate the parts of their idea that cause the idea to not flow as well on paper.

For the case of three-way friendships, there could be two main things that could be causing the issues (likely a mix of both, too):

The character chemistry doesn’t allow for the idea you’ve set up. (This is more likely if the same character is the one third-wheeling a majority of the time, or if one-on-one interactions seem more natural with specific combinations rather than all combinations.) 

The situations you’re writing about show off the same characters and the narrator fails to draw attention to the third person.

Dealing with issue 1:

Something (someone) needs to change. It is possible to explore a character well enough that you can find the points of connection and work with those, but it’s also possible that everything can come off as forced if the natural chemistry isn’t there. A smart writer knows that sometimes they have to tweak their characters to fit their goals, or they know to loosen those goals and “go with the flow” of how character relationships naturally unfold on paper.

When something isn’t working, it doesn’t always mean the writer doesn’t know how to write a situation, but rather the characters don’t actually want to be in it. To fix that, you have to change the situation or you have to change the characters– often only with minor tweaks instead of entire overhaul. (You can also keep it the same and accept that things aren’t going to be like you planned.)

Dealing with issue 2:

The characters need different relationships with each other. That doesn’t mean they can’t be a group of close friends; it means those connections need to be formed with different elements of who they are and what their life is. No two friendships are the same, even in group situations, because each character should connect to the other characters in a different way. Make sure you can identify the reasons why each of those characters have a strong bond with each other AND why they can work together in a group.

From that identification comes group chemistry, which is a little different from character chemistry. Character chemistry is the way in which two people naturally interact, and it can be positive or negative, as long as there is some sort of strong feeling. Group chemistry covers the same thing, but then takes it a step further by having character involvement change depending on situation and personality. (Character involvement still changes with one-on-one interactions, but it’s less noticeable as a problematic imbalance.)

There’s no such thing as an always-perfectly balanced friend group, and that’s okay. The quieter character is naturally not going to talk as much as the more social ones; that’s not a bad imbalance, that’s group chemistry. The physically active characters are naturally going to take the spotlight in sports and leave the sedentary ones on the sidelines. The artist is going to dictate aesthetic endeavors. The most decisive one may take change when it comes to making decisions for the group– the characters will naturally fall into roles that “overtake” others or create participation rankings during situations that play to their strengths of personality and skills. This is why you need to be able to identify the bonds between everyone, so you can show a balance over time with multiple interactions rather than just one. One group interaction is never enough to how people truly get alone because of the natural imbalances that specific situations create.

Friends sometimes “third wheel” in groups when the situation doesn’t cater to them. It happens in real life all the time and it’s unavoidable unless that person only chooses to go to things that cater to them (which would typically make someone not the best friend if they’re that selfish about a group situation). You don’t want to force that person to participate or act out of character, so instead give them their own time to shine at a later event.

It can also help to have the other characters check on them or try and include them when they can. A good part of the “third wheel” issues is when the character actually feels left out, not when they recognize that they’re not going to be as popular today and accept it. Some people are fine with not interacting with others as much as someone else, and not all friendships are built on the exact same amount of communication and interaction. If the other character doesn’t show any signs of feeling bad about their lack of spotlight, then the audience can infer that they’re comfortable with the group and their relationships. 

These group interactions are also all part of a plot, so a character (even as a best friend) that has a lesser role in the plot will not directly come across as being as close to the others. That’s fine. That’s the way the story is set up based on the plot and forcing non-plot interaction just to show a meaningless relationship status isn’t good storytelling.

You can also use some character thought with a bit of showing to explain the dynamic here, particularly if you’re in a situation where managing to show all the relationships takes away from the plot. This is not exactly the same as “telling”, particularly if you write with rich character voice and include it contextually, so it enhances the story rather than detracts from it.

They were all best friends, even though Eric didn’t join the conversation that much. (Telling)

Sitting at the end of the table, Eric raised his eyebrows as Marlene continued her vibrant story (Showing). He always favored to listen rather than talk, claiming years ago that the sidelines kept him safe from being whacked by one of her dramatic gestures (Telling, but framed as thought to give background in a less-boring way).

Part of writing with a group dynamic is not forgetting about who’s in the scene. Even if they don’t directly interact, they exist, and sometimes all you need is a bit of focus on how that character is participating in their own way. When you know someone to a best friend level, you can notice the small things that show who they are and how they feel, even if they aren’t directly interacting. Don’t let the narration forget about the person who is not as vocal/physical and cater it to draw attention to them once in a while. Also make sure to show that the different reactions are just based on personality rather than a poor relationship.

Good luck with your group dynamic!

[sophiaelainehanson]

Hey. You there. Aspiring author. Keep writing. The world needs your words. Every single author - big and small, indie and trad, young and old - once stood where you stand, wondering if they were kidding themselves. Keep going. You got this.

[quietpinetrees]

[drachenmagier]

I couldn’t resist this. The idea of space sirens and starmaids just make me want to grab pen and paper instantly. So, this is how I enjoyed my free Sunday. <3 My thanks for @quietpinetrees for the wonderful inspiration.

Scanned and coloured version, traditional media, A4-ish

[quietpinetrees]

As a writer, very little brings me as much joy as being the inspiration for someone else’s creativity. I want to thank @drachenmagier for sharing this magnificent art with the world.

I hope everyone inspired by my writing to create something of their own is kind enough to share it.

[mypoorfaves]

If you're a creator and you needed to hear this today:

You have no idea how many people lurk on your work. No idea how many times people go back to revisit your work. How big they smile when they simply think about your work. How fast their heart beats, how excited they get when they see that you posted something.

People are shy with their feedback. Sometimes it’s because they’re simply shy. Other times it’s because they assume you already know how great and talented you are. Could be both.

My point is, even if you barely have any likes or reblogs, don’t get discouraged. You have a lot of silent fans, but they are still your fans. Keep on creating. Because there is always someone out there who will love what you have made.

[skittlejerky-the-second]

Uh... I made a thing.

“You don't care. Not really. Because if you really cared this wouldn't keep happening,” I sighed in exasperation,”The truth is you put being right over me. And that's okay. I never thought much of myself anyway.”

She sat in silence, almost smug at seeing my misery. She said nothing, didn't really have too. She knew I was right, and she wanted it that way.

“You like hurting me, don't you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Don't be stupid.”

It's my turn to roll my eyes. “If only that were true. You never did make any sense.”

Her eyes flashed in a short lived rage. “I make plenty of sense. It's you who doesn't understand.”

“Well, of course. No one can understand what doesn't make sense.”

She stood abruptly, and rushed towards me, violently spitting out a reply. “Stupid little girl! Don't belittle me because you lack the comprehension to figure out the simplest of things!”

By now, she had reached me, and upon doing so, she clenched her wrinkled fingers around my throat. Pressing harder into the flesh of my neck, she whispered vehemently, “Learn. Your. Place.”

I gripped her hand, trying hopelessly to pull it off. My vision clouded and tears sprung to my eyes. The only thing clear to me was the joy in her eyes. The pure euphoria she felt at seeing me suffer.

The betrayal was expected. I wasn't surprised, but… it hurt. It hurt more than the burning in my lungs. More than the hand around my neck. It hurt.

So when the darkness of sleep came to me, I fell into its clutches willingly, wishing only for the pain to end.

[writerguy870-deactivated2018011]

Escape into fiction writing…

I have enjoyed the journey of fiction with others in the past and am looking to revive a long dormant and rewarding hobby. It’s simple, we take turns progressing a story. 

On your turn, you are in control. You decided who lives, dies, falls in love, what they think, what they do, what they say, ect… 

I just ask that you have a basic grasp of grammar and stay true to the continuity of the tale, respecting what the person before you has already written. This is fun because you never know where the story will take you as you pick up where the last person left off.  

This story can take place in any genre, time period, or location.  

Examples, but not limited to: 

Epic Fantasy- This is where we step into the land of gods, monsters, magic, swords, bows, creatures, quest… 

Deep Space- This can include stories about generational spacecraft, wormholes to new parts of the universe, exploring with alien technology that crash landed on Earth given humans the ability to travel faster than light speed. 

Apocalypse- Zombies, nuclear fallout, an underground ocean that slowly swallows Earth after released by an Earthquake, the sun moves further away or gets closer…. 

Modern Romance with a Twist- This can be a significant age difference, rich/poor, cultural difference. This can be taken slow. How did they meet? What caused them to be more to each other? What is the meeting of family and friends like? How does their relationship progress? 

These are just some ways in which I have taken a journey with others. 

So if this idea has peaked your interest, e-mail me at ​[email protected]​ and lets get started. 

You can write a start, or ask a question, or request I start a certain idea. So if your looking for a distraction and escape from everyday life, please join me. 

[character-prompts]

For any of our writers out there! Collaborative writing is awesome for creativity!

[writing-ideas-inc]

Mind if I ask something? Whenever I'm writing I struggle with balancing out the action. When I'm thinking of a new chapter I always think about at leats one gun fight or murder or at least something with extreme action in it. I feel like not having a major action event won't make the chapter intresting to read. Like it will just be my characters talking to each other for 10 pages straight. Any advice?

Hey hey, 

I disagree strongly with your premise. I don’t think that you need a super intense action scene in every chapter, and in fact, I think that having a super intense action scene in every chapter will have the opposite effect that you want it to. Doing that will make it so that either the reader feels that there’s no breathing room between tense moments or, more likely, that the reader will feel that the work is melodramatic and there’s no stakes. 

An outline can really help you with this. Consider the plot of your novel and write down what needs to happen in order for the plot to happen, beginning to end. Get more and more specific–sometimes I plot novels down to every little thing that happens. If you can plot out your novel, you can see where your action scenes are and where you maybe have a story hole that you need to patch up. 

In art, there’s this technique called chiaroscuro (bear with me). To my limited understanding, it’s where you darken up parts of a painting in order to make the brightness in the painting stand out more. It ups the contrast, and makes for a more dynamic image. If everything is bright, then nothing really looks particularly bright. 

Similarly, in novels or film or TV, if we have nothing but tense action scenes, nothing looks particularly tense. If Baby Driver were nothing but chase scenes, the chase scenes wouldn’t stand out as tense and awesome. There’s not a correct number of action scenes in your novel, but it is important that there’s buildup and release from really action-packed moments. For one, it gives the reader time to catch their breath, and for another, it gives the action scenes more of spotlight when they do show up. 

So, your homework: outline your novel. There are plenty of different methods; research them (I recommend Jenna Moreci’s YouTube video on How to Outline) and find one that works. Then, see where your action scenes are, and make sure that you’re not lumping all the action into one places and are instead making for a dynamic, contrasting reader experience. 

Art people if I got chiaroscuro wrong leave me alone i’m not an artist i’m just doing my Best to Make a Metaphor 

Good luck ! 

–mod Gloria @gloriawriting

[krfbooks]

tag yourself: writers edition

[skittlejerky-the-second]

Honestly, I'm a mix between all of them, but god complex is fairly accurate. I'm an evil writer lol

[stephaniegrand]

Elmore Leonard’s Ten Rules of Writing

THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE THAT SUMS UP ALL TEN: If it sounds like writing, re-write it.

1. Never open a book with weather. If it’s only to create atmosphere, and not a character’s reaction to the weather, you don’t want to go on too long. The reader is apt to leaf ahead looking for people. 

2. Avoid prologues. A prologue in a novel is backstory, and you can drop it in anywhere you want.

3. Never use a verb other than “said” to carry dialogue. Because “said” is far less intrusive than grumbled, gasped, cautioned, lied.

4. Never use an adverb to modify the verb “said”… …he admonished gravely. To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange.

5. Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.

6. Never use the words “suddenly” or “all hell broke loose.” This rule doesn’t require an explanation. Writers who use “suddenly” tend to exercise less control in the application of exclamation points.

7. Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly. Once you start spelling words phonetically and loading the page with apostrophes, you won’t be able to stop.

8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters. In Ernest Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants what do the “American and the girl with him” look like? “She had taken off her hat and put it on the table.” That’s the only reference to a physical description in the story, and yet we see the couple and know them by their tones of voice, with not one adverb in sight.

9. Don’t go into great detail describing places and things. Long descriptions often bring the action and the flow of the story to a standstill.

10. Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip. Think of what you skip reading a novel: thick paragraphs of prose you can see have too many words in them. In those moments, the writer is often writing for the sake of writing, perhaps taking another shot at the weather or going into the character’s head, and the reader either knows what the guy’s thinking or doesn’t care.

[legit-writing-tips]

Very good rules. Except they can all be broken, and occasionally should be broken. Here are some examples that can help you identify when to break these rules. 

1. Don’t open with the weather - unless you have a very good reason to do so. 

For example, you might expect a funeral scene to be dark and dreary, overcast, even raining. But what if you open on a bright, sunny, summer day - with a group of people gathered in a cemetery wearing all black? That immediately subverts the readers expectations and creates an interesting dynamic. And of course, if the weather is very unusual or extreme, like a tornado hitting your MC’s house, that works too.

2. Avoid prologues - unless the prologue helps create an interesting dynamic or atmosphere, relays info that couldn’t be relayed any other way, or is in a different POV/setting/etc. than the rest of your novel.

Maybe your prologue reveals information that your MC wouldn’t or couldn’t know, but you want the READER to know that information to create dramatic irony. Maybe the prologue takes place 1000 years before the main story takes place. Maybe your prologue is like a mini “history lesson” that helps set up the atmosphere for the rest of the novel. A prologue isn’t always a bad thing - you just have to use prologues judiciously. 

3. Said is dead - unless you use other, unobtrusive dialogue tags.

I’m really a fan of just using said. But sometimes, characters do speak in other ways. Don’t use something other than said just to create a more “dynamic” reading experience, but do use it if you really need to point out the way a character is speaking - for example, “he whispered,” “she murmured,” etc., are all fine and most readers won’t take much note of them, so it won’t pull them out of the reading experience like other dialogue tags might.

4. Don’t modify “said” with adverbs.

I’m mostly in agreement with this one, but the occasional modifier doesn’t hurt if you only do it occasionally, and to really highlight the way a character is speaking - for example, if it’s very unusual and doesn’t fit the actual words. 

“He’s dead,” said James giddily. 

5. Use exclamation points sparingly. 

In total agreement with this one, unless you’re writing a book for small children.

6. Don’t use “suddenly,” etc.

In total agreement with this one as well, but I’d like to explain why it’s a bad idea. “Suddenly” is usually a form of telling rather than showing, and avoiding it forces you as a writer to describe the scene in more detail and actually show what’s happening.

7. Use regional dialect sparingly. 

This is honestly something that comes down to readability. But in most cases you do want to avoid it, and especially avoid writing out accents, especially when this could be potentially offensive. My French friend absolutely hates “ze accent” used by Fleur Delacour in Harry Potter.

8. Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.

Again, in most cases this is true, but there may occasionally be a moment when it works to describe a character in detail. For example, if your MC is taking notice of a very odd or out of place character. Even here though, it’s best to pick out one or two striking characteristics. We don’t need to know every minute detail down to their hair color, eye color, height, weight, etc.

9. Don’t go into great detail describing places and things.

…unless it’s to create mood, to slow down pacing, to show that a character is fixated on something… This works best if the place or thing has a striking or unusual appearance, same as describing characters. And also like describing characters, it’s still best to pick out the most striking aspects appearance-wise of the thing you’re describing. 

10.  Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

This is very good advice and I won’t touch it. I’ll just point out that the best way to find these sections is to reread your writing and take note of what you’re skipping as you reread.

[agwitow]

In general, if someone tells you “it’s a mortal sin” to do something in your writing, then they simply aren’t a good enough writer to know when to use that tool appropriately

[radicalrevisions]

This is all great. Especially @legit-writing-tips‘s exceptions. 

[curiousscientistkae]

50 Questions for your oc

(i got bored and made some questions to ask for ocs. Not much but something to get gears going. Ask away please).

Personal

1)      Age?

2)      Gender?

3)      Romantic/Sexual Orientation?

4)      Height?

5)      Race?

6)      What do they look like? (i.e, hair color, eye color, etc).

7)      Any disabilities?

8)      Is there a meaning to their name?

9)      What makes them, them? 

10)   What do they want to be when they grow up/what do they want to do with their lives?

Family

11)   Do they have parents? What are they like and how do they act with their child(ren)?

12)   Do they have siblings? How do they interact with them? If not, do they wish they had siblings?

13)   Extended family? Do they see them often?

14)   Do they like where they live? (Is it a safe place?)

15)   Where do they live? Are they wealthy? Poor? Middle-Class?

16)   Do they have a lot of expectations/pressure on them from family to do great?

17)   Do they have pets?

18)   Who do they look up to the most/are the closest to in their family?

19)   This there anything special about their family?

20)   Do they wish they lived in a different family/household?

Friends

21)   Best Friend(s)?

22)   Who was their first friend?

23)   What is their friend group like?

24)   Do they have a love/hate relationship with any of them?

25)   Do they consider any of their friends to be like siblings?

26)   Have they ever hurt a friend or lost one?

27)   Do they have a crush on any of their friends?

28)   Do they share classes with good friends?

29)   Whom do they go to the most when they need a shoulder to cry on?

30)   What would this person do without their friends in their lives?

School

31)   What grade are they in? If they aren’t in school, how come?

32)   Do/Did they like their teachers? Was there a good one? Bad one?

33)   Do/Did they listen to their teachers or are/where they goofing off a lot?

34)   Are/Where they a good student grade wise?

35)   Do/Did they need extra help?

36)   What is/was their school like?

37)   Do/Did they have bullies in school?

38)   Have they ever gotten into a fight at school?

39)   Have they ever done something stupid/embarrassing at school?

40)   How far do they plan to go with school? If they dropped out, do they want to go back?

Other

41)   Are they dating anyone? Do they want to date? Are the married? Divorced? 

42)   What is their favorite hobby? Do they keep it a secret?

43)   If they could have one thing in life, what would it be?

44)   Do they work? If so, what is it? If not, are they looking for one or even want one?

45)   Do they use social media?

46)   Have they ever been in the hospital?

47)   Do they believe in the supernatural, that there is more than the eye can see?

48)   What do they do when they get angry, stressed, or upset?

49)   Would they consider themselves as a good person, bad person, or morally grey?

50)   Does this OC have any part of you in them? (I.e, personality traits, similar background, etc)

[hklunethewriter]

hi hk. how the hell do you focus long enough to write that big a novel

Hi, Anon. I have no idea.

To answer you seriously, it’s really just a matter of liking the material enough to commit to it. The thing about the first book, the length of which I’m trying to match in this sequel, is that I didn’t set out to write a 265k epic. It’s more tiring when you DO set out to do so, but so long as you can keep the ball rolling and make sure there’s a plot and point to everything, it can be done.

That said, here are a couple of tips which might help:

Have plots and subplots intermingle and create consequences. This’ll keep things interesting.

Have an idea of where things are headed. Believe me, it’s harder to get that word count up when you don’t!

Make time for writing. Otherwise it won’t happen.

Hope that answered your question.

[scripturient-manipulator]

Another thing: find out how much planning is good for you!

I had to beat my own ass recently to get back into writing something I genuinely enjoy because I overplanned and thus made myself lose interest because I already knew what was going to happen. Do you work best just knowing the core of an idea? Having an outline that only covers four broad happenings, or maybe something super detailed? Try it out.

Maybe you have a scene or a character you love but nothing else and that’s why you’re failing. Knowing only a handful of things can be killer. So branch out from the character or supplement your world.

Gotta go, but hope these help!