( pick a quote + a feeling + a trope ! let’s see what fic you end up with. )
author's addition: this lil build-a-fic is inspired by @scealaiscoite ’ s adorable idea ! her prompt lists are literal perfection. go stalk her blog pls she’s the best ever 🧸 you’re welcome to tweak phrasing as needed, but please don’t add to or rewrite the original post. give credits to @fawndrip / @suprclark if using.
— QUOTE
❛ stop smiling like that. it’s distracting. ❜
❛ you make it really hard to stay just friends. ❜
❛ why does it feel like a goodbye? ❜
❛ you’re blushing. ❜ — ❛ no i’m not. ❜
❛ just friends don’t look at each other like that. ❜
❛ i missed you. that’s all. ❜
❛ you remember the little things. that’s what gets me. ❜
❛ tell me to stay. and i will. ❜
❛ my hand fits so perfectly in yours. it's like i'm made for you. ❜
❛ do you want me to leave? ❜ — ❛ no. i want you to stay forever. ❜
❛ i think i knew it was you. even back then. ❜ — ❛ then stay. ❜ — ❛ but that's the thing. i don't know if i know you anymore. ❜
❛ i don’t know how to stop wanting you. ❜
❛ this means something. don’t pretend it doesn’t. ❜
❛ you’re not just anyone. you’re you. ❜
❛ if we kiss now, everything changes. ❜ — ❛ i know but that's a risk i'm willing to take. ❜
❛ i’ve been in love with you since the night we met. ❜
❛ tell me it meant nothing. lie if you have to. ❜
❛ i was easy to leave, wasn’t i? ❜
❛ you don’t get to miss me now. you lost that right when we broke up. ❜
❛ say something. anything. please. ❜
❛ i loved you. that should’ve been enough. ❜
❛ i wish i didn’t remember everything. ❜
❛ don’t look at me like you still care. ❜
❛ i’m tired of pretending this doesn’t hurt. ❜
❛ you said forever. i believed you. ❜
❛ if you didn’t mean it, why did you say it? ❜
❛ you chose them. you always do. ❜
❛ i don’t hate you. i just wish i’d never met you. ❜
❛ you let me go like i was nothing. ❜
❛ please don’t make this harder than it already is. ❜
❛ are you sure? cause whatever this is it doesn’t feel like love. ❜
❛ it’s always been you. i just didn’t know how to say it. ❜
❛ say that again. i dare you. ❜
❛ you really don’t see it, do you? ❜
❛ i think i like you. like, like like you. ❜
❛ do you always look at people like that? ❜
❛ you make it really hard to think straight. ❜
❛ oh my god. you’re blushing. ❜
❛ this means something. don’t pretend it doesn’t. ❜
❛ i should’ve kissed you when i had the chance. ❜
❛ you’re not helping. you’re being pretty. it's distracting. ❜
❛ you make me nervous in the best way. ❜
❛ every time you look at me, i forget what i was saying. ❜
❛ just admit it. you like me. ❜
❛ if you don’t kiss me right now, i might explode. ❜
❛ you’re dangerously good at that smile. ❜
❛ only one bed ❜
❛ mutual pining ❜
❛ fake dating gone real ❜
❛ friends to lovers ❜
❛ strangers to almosts ❜
❛ found family ❜
❛ rivals with tension ❜
❛ the “oh” moment ❜
❛ confessions at 2am ❜
❛ sunshine x grump ❜
❛ forbidden ❜
❛ hurt / comfort ❜
❛ secretly in love ❜
❛ reunion after years ❜
❛ accidental domesticity ❜
❛ slow burn ❜
❛ “just friends” denial ❜
❛ second chances ❜
❛ love letters never sent ❜
❛ childhood friends ❜
❛ exes ❜
❛ soulmates who don’t believe in fate ❜
❛ enemies on the same side ❜
❛ sleep talking confessions ❜
❛ one falling first, the other falling harder ❜
❛ patching up wounds with shaky hands ❜
❛ “who did this to you?” ❜
❛ dancing in the kitchen ❜
❛ jealousy over nothing ( but also everything ) ❜
❛ late-night phone calls ❜
❛ caught in the rain ❜
❛ almost kissing but someone interrupts ❜
❛ waking up next to them ❜
❛ fixing each other’s tie / collar ❜
❛ taking care of them while they’re sick ❜
⇸ eyes darting all over your face, trying to figure out which part of you they want to set their eyes on the most (it's impossible)
⇸ gazing at you like you're miles away only when you're a few feet away, standing with another person. their stare is hard, intense, but also melting and blank.
⇸ a featherlight touch to your arm with their eyes softly peering up at you. they can't believe that you're allowing them to touch you like this—so innocent, so softly.
⇸ late nights where its just the two of you in a car. they turn over to look at you but immediately turn. for the safety of the both of you, they can't stare at you any longer
⇸ when you're teasing them, they have to bite down extra hard to not release that smile from their lips. their eyes are squinted more tightly than usual. still, they're glued onto you.
⇸ meeting their eyes from across the room, and the two of you have the exact same thought. you turn away first to hold back your laughter, but their eyes are pinned onto you.
⇸ a softened gaze in a random moment. there's no reason for them to be looking at you like that—with slightly hooded eyes and parted lips—except for the fact that they just love seeing you
⇸ you're twirling around in your new outfit, showing the 360 angle. their pupils look like they're completely taking over the iris of their eye. suddenly, breathing becomes a lot more faster than they remember.
⇸ tears run like thrashing rivers on your face, dripping onto your pants and soaking the sleeves of your shirt. but they don't care. even when wiping your tears, they still can't get over how you look absolutely angelic like this.
⇸ eyeing you in the middle of the night, feeling incredibly lucky that they are the only one who can look at you in this state. a smile dawns upon their face as they trace the shape of your jaw, press their fingers in your cheekbones, and kiss you on the cheek.
⇸ a make-out session that seems like it will never stop until they pull away, and the reason being, "i needed to look at you like this," with swollen lips and a red flush.
⇸ laughter dying down into silence. looking at each other and bursting into laughter again.
⇸ being completely bare in front of each other after a long night. shameless admiration where their eyes move up and down your face and body. there's a mix of lust and adoration in their eyes.
⇸ watching you storm off, and all they can do is stand there, focused on your fleeting figure. their face is contorted—not in an angry way—but a look of concern flashes across their features. did they just lose the one they loved the most?
⇸ getting food with the other person and realizing that this is all it takes for you to be content. this is what happiness feels like, you think.
⇸ a gripping hug that makes you feel so seen. that one second during the embrace where you two both look at each other, and time stands still. you want to frame the expression on the other person's face.
⇸ seeing you, and a beaming smile immediately breaks out of their face.
Thoughts on flipping from "TV brain" to "prose brain" when writing fiction
Lincoln Michel Dec 12, 2024
I’m using “TV” as a shorthand for any visual narrative art from feature length films to video games. A lot of fiction these days reads as if—as I saw Peter Raleigh put it the other day, and as I’ve discussed it before—the author is trying to describe a video playing in their mind. Often there is little or no interiority. Scenes play out in “real time” without summary. First-person POV stories describe things the character can’t see, but a distant camera could. There’s an overemphasis on characters’ outfits and facial expressions, including my personal pet peeve: the “reaction shot round-up” in which we get a description of every character’s reaction to something as if a camera was cutting between sitcom actors.
[...]
My theory is that we live in the age of visual narratives and that increasingly warps how we write. Film, TV, TikToks, and video games are culturally dominant. Most of us learn how stories work through visual mediums. This is how our brains have been taught to think about story. And so, this is how we write. I’m not suggesting there is any problem in being influenced by these artforms. I certainly am. The problem is that if you’re “thinking in TV” while writing prose, you abandon the advantages of prose without getting the advantages of TV.
[...]
When I talk with other creative writing professors, we all seem to agree that interiority is disappearing. Even in first-person POV stories, younger writers often skip describing their character’s hopes, dreams, fears, thoughts, memories, or reactions. This trend is hardly limited to young writers though. I was speaking to an editor yesterday who agreed interiority has largely vanished from commercial fiction, and I think you increasingly notice its absence even in works shelved as “literary fiction.” When interiority does appear on the page, it is often brief and redundant with the dialogue and action. All of this is a great shame. Interiority is perhaps the prime example of an advantage prose as a medium holds over other artforms.
Author rant incoming, but I don't know what pisses me off more: lazy assholes who act like they're 'the real deal' because they have an AI make a book or story for them.
Or actual authors who have no class solidarity & use AI slop for their covers.
I can't be the only one who gets pissed at that. There is just so much here to say about how little solidarity there is between different types of creatives, how easily one group will get rid of another because they can save up on money or they already get most of the money. The recent strikes for actors and animators are proof enough that some people got theirs so they don't care about other creatives.
But as a writer who's dirt poor & STILL would never consider using AI for a book cover, I can't help but be bloody disappointed in these people.
It's like that adage of 'if you couldn't be bothered to make it, why should I be bothered to consume it?' Except it's 'if you couldn't be bothered to support a fellow creative, why should I support you?'
am suffering a severe case of Rereading My Wips And Getting Excited But Realizing That in Order For Me To Read “The Rest” I Have To Write It-itis. please respect my privacy during these trying times
I think we all know by now that therapy speak is irritating and unrealistic, especially if you are writing in a fantasy world that doesn't even have modern psychology.
Part of the reason that it is so annoying is that it is the definition of telling instead of showing: characters are just plainly informing us of their feelings rather than making us work for a better understanding. It's cheap and boring. Instead of making your characters seem like complex individuals with their own hangups and difficulties, they seem like plot points programmed to tell us things.
But obviously, you want to put these people in situations and have them talk about it! How do you do that without sounding maudlin? Here are some options.
Listen to real arguments/conversations
I cannot stress enough how important it is to listen to how actual real human beings talk to each other during heightened emotional states. They don't have to be nasty abusers, and they don't have to be perfect angels, just everyday people doing their normal thing.
Of course, I'd hope you're not seeing people argue all the time, but if you do happen to see it, listen carefully and notice how people actually address their problems. Think back to tough conversations that you have had, even if you wouldn't classify them as arguments. Consider how people acted and reacted to one another. Notice how normal humans talk about issues outside of therapy, even intelligent and emotionally evolved people.
I've had years of therapy, and even I do not talk in therapy ways about my issues when I'm talking to my family or friends. It just feels cheesy and fake outside of that particular setting - plus, it freaks other people out and can seem kind of manipulative. Try talking like that in a real conversation and see how uncomfortable it is. You'll understand why avoiding therapy speak is important.
Consider the character's own hangups
Just as everyone has their own unique speaking style and mindset, so do we all have our own argument styles. These are often informed by our pasts and upbringing; they are as varied as our own histories. However, there are a few different options.
Someone with a happy upbringing may be more assertive and willing to address their problems because they had that demonstrated to them as children.
A spoiled child will grow up to be a demanding adult who refuses to give any quarter.
Those who got yelled at a lot as children may shut down and fawn to avoid getting hurt.
Someone who grew up in a violent household may mimic that behavior and get incredibly aggressive when upset.
Individuals whose parents didn't teach them emotional regulation will lash out and get loud.
Manipulative people may stay very calm and gaslight the other person, or they may get hysterical to garner sympathy and make people focus on comforting them.
Someone who has gone to therapy may revert to their original argument style, or they may imperfectly apply what they have learned in a way that feels a bit unnatural. They may start out with rage, then force themselves to calm down through grounding techniques.
People who have been coached through previous emotional outbursts could demand a time out, then fail to actually calm themselves down.
Some may refuse to acknowledge they are upset and insist, in increasingly forceful terms, that they are fine.
Others may get quiet or crack a joke to ease the tension, but it doesn't really help.
Keep each confrontation short
IRL, emotional confrontations are generally not that long. They don't go on for hours and hours, though it can feel that way. No one is going on and on about their feelings and sharing every little detail of how they feel (at least not that I know of personally, maybe other people are different).
Even the worst arguments I have had, the real nexus of the argument was maybe an hour or two, though the fallout lasted much longer. I'd say there was an hour maximum of real, active confrontation, preceded or followed by hours/days/weeks of simmering frustration.
Why? Because arguments are exhausting. You don't have the energy for that in the heat of the moment. Yes, feuds and fights can last years, but each actual confrontation is short.
For longer, more serious issues, hash it out over a few sessions rather than all at once. It's rare to get everything out of the way immediately unless the characters already have a strong, loving relationship.
Show incongruencies
Especially for more reserved people, they will likely have their emotions leaking all over the place but won't actually say anything. As such, focus on body language while keeping the conversation more focused on the plot. For example, Character A might be crying but still trying to argue their point about whatever is going on.
Address physical complaints instead of emotional ones
In many cases, people will use "I'm tired" or "I didn't sleep well" or "I'm not feeling great" as shorthand for whatever is actually bothering them. It relieves pressure by not making them talk about upsetting matters while still addressing their discomfort in some form.
You should also consider the fact that some people can't connect physical sensations to feelings, so they may genuinely feel ill and not really understand why. This is especially common in people who can't emotionally regulate or have been through trauma.
For myself, I tend to somatize my feelings, so I might not feel upset, but I will feel physically sick. My stomach will hurt, my chest will get tight, or I'll get a headache, but my emotional state will seem calm. This isn't all that unusual, and many people experience this to different degrees.
As such, you can have your character say that their stomach hurts, or that they have a headache and can't discuss this anymore, or that they need to go lie down because they're dizzy. If we know they're relatively healthy, this can be a clue that they're getting overwhelmed but either cannot pinpoint their emotions or don't want to discuss them.
Let characters advance and retreat
A lot of the time, someone will address a scary emotion and then retreat again, sometimes over a period of hours, days, or even weeks. This is normal: most of us don't have the emotional fortitude to forge ahead through something difficult all in one go. Character A may say something vulnerable, then change the topic, laugh it off, say they're done discussing it, or even leave the situation.
Leave emotions partially unaddressed
Again, it's rare for someone to spill out everything they're feeling all in one go. As such, have Character A address the most important thing - or the least important, depending on their level of emotional maturity - and let it be done for then.
They might say their small piece, but when someone tries to probe deeper, they don't have an answer, or they get "stuck" on that one emotional level and cannot go further.
If Character B keeps pushing, then they may get incredibly upset and push back, or retreat.
Have Character B point out the feelings
Works especially well if the other character is a close companion or a parental figure. Often, people who know us really well will have better insight into our emotions than we do. Or, we might have good insight into our emotions but are still too afraid to open up. Having Character B point out the issue gives Character A grace to be more honest.
I can't tell you how many times I've been really upset, so I've distracted from the issue by getting angry about something completely different. Then, my mom will gently point out that I'm not actually crying about my new plastic cup being broken or whatever; I'm actually upset about XYZ. In that moment, I realize I've been caught out and admit that yes, that's what I'm really upset about.
Have Character A address it with a third character
Who among us hasn't gone to someone else to talk about our feelings? Having a third party serve as a sounding board is normal. Sometimes, Character A will feel such catharsis from this conversation that they don't address it as thoroughly with Character B.
Of course, you can use this to your advantage and create more tension if the third character gives bad advice or is biased.
Remember that just because the third party responded well does not mean that Character B does. You also have to avoid omniscience and remember that Character B wasn't privy to that conversation.
Have one confrontation be a stand-in for a larger one
I always think about the "The Iranian Yogurt Is Not the Issue" post when I think about this. Often times, things like not doing the dishes or whatever aren't actually the big deal: it's lack of boundaries, communication, or respect. A minor argument can be shorthand for a larger one that is too challenging for the characters to tackle.
This isn't just creating drama for the hell of it, though; it's about exploring the larger issues without making the characters lay it out on the table. A good reader will be able to see it's not about the Iranian Yogurt as long as you set up the relationship well.
Currently, I am writing a story where Uileac and his sister Cerie go to rescue Uileac's husband, Orrinir. On the way there, Uileac idly comments on how he wonders where a waterfall comes from because he's trying to distract himself from thinking about the fact that his husband is kidnapped and possibly dead.
Cerie, being pretty wound up too, starts arguing with him about it because she's like "why is this relevant? We're kind of too busy to think about geology right now!" Uileac gets annoyed at her for being so aggro, and she gets annoyed at him for being so irreverent. Both of them are upset about something completely different, but they're too scared and panicked to actually address that, so they release their frustrations by complaining about waterfalls.
Those bad vibes have to go somewhere, but neither of them are very good at talking about their feelings (though very good at stuffing them down). As such, they take the pressure off by sniping at one another. You've probably done this too, when you get into a dumb argument about something absolutely pointless because there's something you don't feel strong enough to discuss.
There's also the fact that if you're mad at someone about something but feel it's too stupid or petty to discuss, that frustration will leak out and everything else they do will annoy you, leading to a bunch of irrelevant arguments.
Use "reaffirmation" gestures
I talked about this in a different post, but after an argument, the "make up" stage doesn't always involve going "ohhh I forgive you" and big hugs and kisses, especially when the two characters aren't emotionally mature.
Instead, Character A makes gestures that reaffirm the relationship. This could be offering to do something Character B needs, making plans for later, or changing the topic to discuss something the other character cares about ("how are your cats doing?") etc.
Note that these "reaffirmation" gestures aren't the same as the cycle of abuse. This is more when two characters have had a difficult emotional conversation but aren't really sure how to continue being emotionally open, so they revert to something safer that still shows they care. They're not over-the-top gestures either, but more a special attention to something the other person loves. Knowing what the other person loves also demonstrates the depth of their relationship.
As always, I can't tell you what to do with your writing.
You are the crafter of your own story, and if you want people to talk like therapists for whatever reason, that's your choice. However, we want characters to feel like real people, and most real people don't lay it all out on the table every single time they're upset. If they do, they might be trauma vomiting, which is icky in and of itself.
Healthy communication isn't always perfect communication. People can have strong, loving relationships and still get things wrong - we're human. Having people calmly and rationally and easily talk about their feelings every single time is not only kind of boring, but it also feels weird, because unless we're primed to discuss those difficult topics and know we're perfectly safe, we're not going to do that.
People don't even do that in therapy, where they are paying for the service of talking about their feelings! Therapists also don't always do that IRL!
We're humans, and your characters need to feel like humans as well. That means letting them be imperfect communicators and using context clues rather than making them do all the work for the reader.
If you liked my advice, consider purchasing my book, 9 Years Yearning, for $3!
( a collection of shipper dialogue prompts. ) you’re welcome to tweak phrasing as needed, but please don’t add to or rewrite the original post. give credits to @fawndrip / @suprclark if using.
❛ i know love when i see it. and i see it. all over your stupid faces. ❜
❛ if you don’t confess soon, i will. on your behalf. ❜
❛ i saw you brush shoulders. that’s legally binding where i’m from. ❜
❛ just kiss already, i’m aging over here. ❜
❛ every time you flirt and then say you’re ‘just friends,’ i lose a brain cell. i don’t have many left. ❜
❛ i am not saying i ship you but i’ve already made a wedding playlist and picked out your first dance song. ❜
❛ i’ve shipped fictional people with less chemistry than you two and they still kissed. ❜
❛ i blinked and missed the moment you fell in love. can you reenact it? ❜
❛ are you flirting or do you always make heart eyes while handing someone a pen? ❜
❛ you make me believe in love. which is rude. and confusing. ❜
❛ i am this close to handcuffing you together. don’t test me. ❜
❛ they smiled at your joke. i’ve never smiled at your jokes. that’s love. ❜
❛ stop acting like you’re not in love. it’s embarrassing for me. ❜
❛ you’re basically dating. just without the benefits. or the kissing. or the honesty. ❜
❛ have you considered: me, being right, about you two, being in love. ❜
❛ i saw the hand graze. i saw it. don’t gaslight me. ❜
❛ every time you deny your feelings, a fairy dies. think about that. ❜
❛ you literally said, ‘i care about you more than anything.’ friends don’t say that! i say that to cake! but because i love it! ❜
❛ you’re blushing. they’re blushing. i’m blushing. just kiss, you cowards. ❜
❛ friends don’t look at each other like that. enemies don’t look at each other like that. only soulmates do. ❜
❛ when you finally get together i’m going to sob. and then say ‘i told you so.’ ❜
❛ i love love. specifically your love. now get it together and be the main characters you were meant to be. ❜
