“i’m so so sorry oh my god i should definitely not have done i’m so so sorry i-“ “name” “if you don’t even want to talk to me again i get i-“ “name” “i’m just so-” *pulls them by their shirt and kisses them again and the other character is like oh OH”
whispering “can i kiss you?” and the other character nodding vigorously
“that was..that was sudden” “yeah um..”
“i realise that i am clearly irresistible but..why did you choose to act on all the flirting now” “i…you look hot with that hair/your glasses on/ some other feature what can i say”
“wanna do it again?”
“should we like. talk about it” “aboutwhatnothingweirdhashappenedlatelywhathahaha- “ oh really? let me see if i can jog your memory”
“you’re..extremely red” “shut up” “like actually vermillion” “go to hell”
“are we about to kiss right now” as a joke, but then the other character actually leans in
“look since the events of last night i can safely say that i have discovered multiple new techniques to shut you up, and i am not afraid to use them”
hand placements jskwkhdjd
“this never happened” “consider it forgotten” proceeds to happen many times after
their friends being like “A and B sitting in a tre-“ “i swear to GOD-“
“i need to test out a theory” “..okay?” “i require your help” “how so” “you need to kiss me”
I thought I would put together a master list of all the questions to ask your alpha and beta reader to help you improve your story.
You can choose to ask questions every chapter, every few chapters or after the whole book. This list of questions will be more generic and all encompassing for you to tailor to your needs.
Reminder: Beta readers typically receive a completed and polished version of your story. They give feedback on any last improvements based on the reader’s perspective. Alpha readers read your story or manuscript before it’s completed, usually a rough draft. Alpha readers are best if they also have some writing experience to give reader and writer feedback.
Choose some of the following questions to ask your readers:
Start:
When did you first feel the story was truly starting?
Do you like how the story started? If not, why?
Do you find characters were introduced slow enough to learn them all?
Did you find settings, different languages, and cultural differences were introduced slowly enough to not be confusing or overwhelming?
Were there any moments you found yourself going back over old exposition just to understand what was happening?
When, if at all, did you find yourself being pulled into the book?
Did the first sentence grab your attention?
Did the first few pages draw you into the story?
Did you find the opening paragraph/page interesting enough to continue reading?
Characters:
What do you like about the MC? What don’t you like? Can you name at least one relatable trait between yourself and the MC?
How did you feel about the character(s)’s growth from the start to finish of the story? Did you find there was enough? Was it believable?
Are the MC’s motivations and goals clear and strong enough?
Did you feel the MC’s fears, hopes, excitement, passions, etc.?
Did you get confused between the characters?
Were the characters believable?
Are there any characters you wish were more interesting? Why and how?
Do you feel each supporting character had their own motivations and contributed to the plot?
Are there any characters that seem cliché, underdeveloped, or stereotypical? If so, why?
Were the character relationships believable?
Did the romantic relationships build naturally, or did it feel forced?
Are there any character names that were too difficult to read or sounded too similar to others?
Were there any parts where the characters seemed to be acting out of character?
Who was your favorite character?
Which character, if any, did you wish was more present?
Which character do you care for the least?
What are your thoughts/feelings on the MC’s character arc?
Do you feel like the antagonists and/or villain is just as fleshed out and relatable as the MC?
If you had to remove one character, who would it be, and why?
Which character would you like to meet, and why?
Did you hope or dread any character relationships?
Are there any characters you found annoying and frustrating?
What are your general thoughts and feelings about the MC or supporting characters?
Which character did you find least developed?
Plot:
Which moments in the book did you find the most suspenseful?
Were there any moments in the book you found boring, lagging, or uneventful and unnecessary?
Did you find the pacing to suit the story well? Are there any areas you found moved too fast or too slow?
Was there ever a time you felt like you weren’t excited or intrigued enough to want to continue?
Did you find any plot holes? Any discrepancies in timeline, characters, descriptions, or other details?
Were there any scenes you found did not further the plot at all?
Are there any scenes or events you found to be too long or too short?
Did you find all explanations and revelations came out naturally and at appropriate times?
What was your favourite scene in the book? Why?
What was your least favourite scene in the book? Why?
Are there any chapters you found lacked conflict?
Did the action scenes make sense as you read them? Did you understand how they came to that action scene (or did they feel random)?
Where there any moments or scenes that made you feel emotional? Happy, sad, cringy and disgusted, etc.
Do you find the plot moved logically and naturally between scenes and chapters?
Are there any moments you felt detached or pulled out of the story? When and why?
Are there any events or scenes you found confusing? Either what was happening or how the characters came to that point?
Where you surprised by the plot twist?
Settings:
Which setting in the book was the clearest for you to visualize? Which do you remember the best?
Did you find the setting interesting, with vivid and real description?
Were there any scenes you thought lacked description?
Were there any moments you thought there was too much exposition, or not enough?
Did you find there were moments you didn’t know where the characters were unless stated?
Do you find the culture and historical events are realistic and add depth to the story?
Is there any exposition you found unnecessary? Are there any moments you wish you had more exposition?
Did all technology and science, or magic, make sense or seem believable?
Was there ever too much or too little description?
Dialogue:
Did you find that each character had their own personal voice when speaking?
Are there times where you couldn’t figure out who was talking solely based on how they spoke?
Is there any dialogue that sounded unnatural?
Could you see what the characters were doing and where they were while talking?
Was there any dialogue that seemed to not fit well with the story?
Was there any dialogue that you thought had too much exposition or explanation?
Did you find the dialogue kept your interest?
Ending:
Did you find the ending to be satisfying and emotionally fulfilling?
Are there any questions you had left after the story ended? (Mostly for stand-alone)
What did you hate most about the ending?
Did you find the ending believable?
Did you feel the tension building to the climax?
Was the climax worth the read, or did it feel weak?
Do you feel the ending came on naturally, or did it feel forced or rushed?
Did the book feel too short or too long?
General:
Were there parts where you found yourself skimming?
Which parts of the story did you find it easy to put the book down?
At what moment did you decide you wanted to finish the book? (If not DNF)
What are some of your favourite lines/quotes from the book?
Do you have any predictions for what you think will come next? (Good for chapters or end of book)
Is there something you hope will happen?
Is there anything you hoped would happen and was sad when it didn’t?
Did you find the map and glossary helpful? Is there anything you think would be beneficial to add, such as terms or names?
Are there any moments or scenes you found ethically and socially problematic and unacceptable.
Were there any moments in the story that made you stop and think?
Were you able to identify the story themes? Did you find the themes well developed throughout the story?
Did you think about the story when you weren’t reading it? If so, what were your thoughts?
Were there times during the story where you felt description was told instead of shown?
Does this book make you feel the same as other books in the genre when reading?
Is there anything you really enjoy from this genre that you found lacking in this story?
Did you find the story kept your attention with enough action, conflict, intrigue, and tension?
Do you find the story or writing style like other books you have read?
Are there any moments you found confusing, irritating, annoying or frustrating?
Are there any moments in the story you thought, “this could/would never happen”?
Did you have any questions after reading the book?
What are your general thoughts and feelings about the story?
Is there anything you wish there was more or less of?
What do you think were the best/ strongest aspects of this book?
What do you think were the worst/ weakest aspects of this books?
How would you describe this book to a friend?
Would you recommend this story to someone?
How likely/ eager are you to read the next book in the series?
Chapter specific
On a scale from 1-5, how much did you enjoy this chapter?
On a scale from 1-5, how eager are you to read the next chapter?
What predictions do you have for the next chapter?
What do you hope will happen next?
Please keeping in mind: Don't let another writer tell you what to change or how they would write it. You are the writer, and any changes are your decision. This feedback is only to give you an idea on which areas to improve.
*Alpha and Beta readers should be readers in the same genre that you write. People who mostly read mystery will not be good a/b readers for a romance novelist, or any mismatch. If you write romance, find a/b readers who love to read romance. Otherwise, any advice they give may not be as valuable or useful as you hope.*
If you have other questions you think would be useful to ask your readers, message me or add them in the comments so our list is comprehensive.
Fanfiction writer here. How do you stop your writing from feeling stale? Like, a week ago I felt really hyped up about a certain scene that I was working on— now though, in retrospect, it doesn’t seem as exciting or weighty as I thought I was.
(TLDR; 4.5k words in, starting to feel stale.)
Do you cook at all?
Because if you do, I wonder if you've ever had the experience of spending a lot of time cooking something really delicious that you're excited for, but when you finally take a bite.... It's just not that good. But the people around you think it's amazing.
This is a pretty common experience among people who cook. One possible explanation of this phenomenon is that as we cook, we're tasting and smelling it a lot to the point where our nose and tastebuds get desensitized to it. When we finally eat it, it doesn't taste that good because our senses have dulled it. People who haven't cooked it however, think it tastes really good because it's their first time smelling and tasting it.
This applies to writing too.
As the writer of our stories, we are absolutely immersed in our projects all the time. We're thinking about it, planning it out, writing it, reading it over and over and over again... Because we're so heavily steeped in it, our senses also get a bit dulled and desensitized to it. That really cool scene that we were super hyped for, spent a lot of time thinking about it and finally writing it out, then reading it over multiple times? It doesn't taste as good anymore.
But just because we think that our writing has gone stale doesn't mean that it actually has. Whoever is reading it won't have that same reaction, simply because they're reading it for the first time.
Funnily enough, I think the advice for both cooking and writing is actually the same: You want to cleanse your palate.
Spend some time away from that particular project; work on another part, or something else entirely. Make some moodboards or playlists instead of writing. Read other books, watch some TV shows, play some video games. Go outside and take a walk. Take a break and breathe in something that's not that particular project or scene for a bit.
Once you've given it time to rest, and once your palate is cleansed, you'll be able to go back to your project with refreshed senses. Then, when we take that first bite back into our project again, we won't be desensitized to it anymore and can fully appreciate it.
We can't ever really stop our writing from feeling stale — it just happens as we spend a lot of time on it. Eventually, you'll run into this problem again. That's why it's important to take breaks every now and then, and fill your creative cup with other things instead of internalizing it and attributing it to our own skill (or lack thereof). When it begins to look boring, stale, or like there's nothing good about it, taking a break can be a lifesaver and make us fall in love with it all over again when we get back into it.
(I've also found that adding something new to a WIP can really spice it up. For me, it was attempting to write a sex scene for the first time, and it really transformed not only my project, but also my writing in general. It was ridiculously effective, but that's a post for another time.)
Remember, all advice is subjective! So don’t take this too seriously. This is just one person’s opinion.
If you’d like to ask me for advice on writing or running a writeblr, please check out my Ask Guidelines and FAQ first.
2 cups of Things that must be in the story (this can be characters, specific scenes, settings, subplots etc.)
1 cup of Vague plot ideas I may not use
1 tbsp of Central Themes
1 tsp of Ending (either happy, tragic, or bitter-sweet)
1 tsp of Protagonist's Primary Motivation
2 lbs of Brick Wall
Time, as needed
Instructions:
In a large bowl, mix Things that must be in the story. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, sift together Vague plot ideas I may not use. Discard the excess and set aside.
Add Themes, Ending, and Motivation to a small jar. Screw lid on tight and shake until mixture becomes Conflict.
Pour Conflict and Vague plot ideas into Things that must be in the story. Blend on medium until Plot Points form.
Taste.
If it is still missing something, smash head against 1 lbs of Brick Wall for one to six hours.
Let marinate for one to 365 days. Add more Things and Vague plot ideas as desired.
Smash head against the rest of the Brick Wall for one to six hours.
Scream.
Repeat steps 5 through 9 as needed.
After sufficient marination, the mixture will form an idea. This will tell you what specific action must happen in order to resolve your story's conflict. Write this down and make appropriate sacrifices to thank whichever deity took pity on you.
Now you have your conflict, climax, and resolution. You just have to figure out how to get there. Good luck with the damn middle section dork!!
It was a sunny day, the absolute opposite of what it should have been.
It should have been cold, wet and miserable. Or better yet, sunny and warm and the whole affair hadn't happened.
But it wasn’t. It was insultingly sunny as if the world had no care that she was alone. As if it didn’t know that every day from now on would be cold and wet.
She had no-one to guide her, to tell her where to go, what to do next; no-one to hug her when she was scared and tell her that everything would be ok. No more unconditional love to fall back on when everyone else hated her. Just the judgment of unknown’s and the fear that comes hand in hand with loneliness.
Of course, she still had her sister. Her sister, driven away by sibling rivalry and jealousy, kept away by bitterness and a pursuit of normality. None of which changed the fact that Lily was now alone.
But, she thought as she made an attempt to cheer herself up, she still had Hogwarts and all the friends she had there. She still had the whole of 7th year to look forward to. And then, she supposed, life would follow. She wrapped her arms around her midriff to try and suppress the butterflies that appeared inside of her at the thought of doing all of it without the guiding hand of her parents.
His breath tore harshly from his throat as he heaved his trunk up the Potter’s stupidly long drive. His back ached terribly, drowning out his painful feet and the pain from where pulling his trunk had blistered his palm. The house was just emerging from the trees ahead. He could feel the waves of magical wards washing over him every couple of laboured steps. Yet it was only when he was just outside of the porch light’s beacon that the door was flung open and a wand appeared.
He staggered into the light, dark hair falling loose from his ponytail and framing his face. Upon seeing who it was, the wand disappeared and was replaced by the kindly, yet concerned face of Mr Potter. He stumbled forward a few steps more, catching himself on the porch railing. Then suddenly James was there, slipping under the elbow of the arm not carrying his trunk and taking half, if not more of his weight.
Tiredness was beginning to settle in his bones as he was relieved of his trunk and he gratefully sank into a plush, yet well-worn armchair. Yet still, he remained awake, knowing that the Potter’s deserved at least an explanation of why he had turned up out of the blue with no word of warning. It was only when they were all sat across from him, that he began to tell his story, leaving nothing out of the tale of curses and hatred he had fled from. As he spoke, he hesitantly assessed the expressions on Mr Potter and James’ faces, he was shocked by the amount of anger that appeared on their faces on his behalf. When he finished and was busy avoiding everyone's’ eyes Mrs Potter got to her feet and held out a hand, indicating that he join her. He got to his feet shakily only to be pulled into the most gentle hug he had ever experienced. As soft, greying brown hair filled his vision he was hit with a thought. This was what home was meant to be.
Sirius: Prongs! Please, I've said I'm sorry, what more do you want?
James: Sorry on it's own isn't going to be enough this time Sirius. You could have killed him! What would that have done to Remus? Hell! what has this done to Moony? I've never seen him so down and upset.
Sirius: What do i have to do?
James: You don't have to do anything.
Sirius: I do, Prongs. I need my friends back.
James: Then you need to accept the gravity of your actions, beyond that, its up to Remus.
Remus: Lily? James is in a grump about something and I need to know what he said to you so I can help him.
Lily: I'll tell you Remus, if you tell me why you look so sad, and what I can do to help.
Remus: I can't tell you, Lily.
Lily: James didn't tell me anything apart from to mind my own business. He doesn't deserve your help, Remus. You're too good for him.
Remus: I don't need to fall out with you as well, Lily, he's my friend and at the moment, he's hurting and in need of my help.
Lily: I get that Remus, I really do. What about Black? I haven't seen him near any of you for about a month.
Remus: Sirius is... a difficult one Lily, he betrayed my trust but even then he was protecting James, not that James knows that.
Lily: Why is he so difficult? Everyone in the school knows that the famous Marauders have fallen out, why haven't any of you fixed it?
Remus: Because I'm not sure I'm ready to forgive him yet. But I am going to tell/trick Sirius into telling James that he was protecting Mr and Mrs Potter. You do know you can't tell anyone about this, right?
James: Try telling Remus that, after all it was his secret you told our worst enemy. He and Dumbledore could both be kicked out of the school if Snape leaks!
Sirius: But I've tried talking to Remus, he won't reply and just walks in the other direction if you try talking to him out loud.
James: Thats your problem, not mine. You shouldn't have done it.
She sighs, the wind mirrors her, lifting and tangling her red ponytail . Lily doesn’t notice, but James does. Ignoring her huff of irritation he reaches out and tucks a loose piece of hair behind her ear. Despite the annoyance, there’s a slight uplift to the edge of her mouth and her expression is one of teasing annoyance, not actual irritation.
“Do you have to do that every time the wind blows?” she asked smirking slightly.
“What? This?” James asked, playfully tugging on the end of her pony tail.
With a slight squeal Lily jumps out of reach only to step back into his arms when he gives her his best puppy dog eyes (Padfoot would later insist that they couldn’t have been as good as his version).
When Lily was safely back in his arms, he ducked his head to her ear.
“I don’t want it to escape.”
Lily stepped out of the shower, her towel wrapped tightly around her. James was due back at literally any minute but it had been one of those days where she had just needed a shower. Her pursuit of becoming a healer was mostly rewarding but sometimes, as in the case of today, was fraught with the stories behind the injuries. Recently especially, many had been a result of a brewing fight between a select group of the countries 'elite' and the rest of the countries magical population. Only today she had helped to heal a newly orphaned teen who had been forced to watch as his mother had carved 'Mudblood' into his arm with a hot poker before stepping into the fireplace herself. The reduction of these physical scars did nothing to reduce the mental scars he would no doubt carry for the rest of his life. That fact alone destroyed Lily. That no matter what she did she could never completely erase his pain - that was shocking for the muggleborn. Magic could fix so much, that it couldn't help this boy shook her world to the foundations. That someone was even capable of such a monstrous act shattered all of her worldly illusions. She didn't understand; even the thought of a lesser act made her feel dirty and nauseous. To actually commit an act as cruel and baseless as this was beyond imagining. The front door opened, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Lil's? I'm home, sorry I'm so late. Moody kept us for flipping ages running the same drill... Constant Vigilance... I'll tell him where he can stick his Constant Vigila-" James said, dumping his keys on the table and spinning to face a crying Lily coming out the bathroom. He stopped speaking, his bespectacled eyes taking in her wet hair and red eyes. "Oh Lil's, come here, are you ok? What's happened?" With a strangled sob she dove into his arms, burying her face in his chest. "How could they do that, James? What did they do that was so bad that they deserved that? Nobody deserves that." She broke off into fresh sobs. James held her, eyes staring off into the distance. Despite his occasional irritation with Moody for the seemingly useless drills eating into his Lily-time, he more than knew the importance of the training. "I don't know Lily, I really don't know. Bit I do know that to do what they have done and feel no remorse, they have to be a foul kind of creature because they are not human. No one in possession of a shred of humanity could possibly do something like that." Unable to find anything beyond that. Lacking the capability to understand or think of any reason behind the actions of the 'Death Eaters' the two simply held each other, comforted by the knowledge that someone other then themselves thought it beyond words.
Thunder rings through the air, the temperature aiding its path. Moisture permeates every breath to the extent they may as well have been drinking the air as opposed to the drink each had in front of them. The onset of rain seems inevitable and yet it hasn't appeared beyond the occasional polka dotting. Despite all of this, the good looking couple sitting at the best table in all of Venice completely ignore the change in weather. Absorbed completely in their conversation and the intricate winding and entangling of their fingers. The rest of the world obsolete. All that matters is the subtleties of the other; the way their lips close around the glass as they take a sip, the frequency of which they tuck their hair behind their ear and how fast it escapes after. Nothing else matters but them - even when the heavens open.
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izzy806
jacobvanloon
