#writersblockhacks

[obscuresquirrel-writer]

Pacing Your Story: Factors!

Hey, I’m @/obscuresquirrel on Instagram! ✌

The pace, or the speed, that your story is told, is important for a few reasons. Too slow, and your audience may get bored if the story does not move along. Too fast, and your audience will quickly have no idea what the hell is going on.

Here are a few things to consider when finding the correct pace:

Genre and Style

Different genres require different speeds. For example, you may want a mystery novel to move slowly: building suspense, raising questions, adding twists, etc. 

Adventure stories, however, may move speedily, keeping the audience on edge and constantly having things happening that moves the plot along. On the very first page, you could shove the reader right into the scene.

Character

Your character can also have a big impact on the pacing of your writing. If your character is the type who takes in their environment in a slow, observant way, the plot can move along with the character, and this tells the reader more about the person themselves.

The same goes for the opposite. However, keep in mind that having an occasional fast scene or a turning-point for a character where the novel is narrated in a different way, can provide a fresh moment for the reader and SHOW that aspect of personality!

Plot and Series

This one pretty much goes without saying, but imma talk about it anyway.

If you have a very detailed, hundreds of chapters long plot, the novel will need to be placed in a suitable way that everything happens soon enough into the beginning, as well as spacing out events so that there is a little bit of breathing time. This is slightly easier with series, as you have more books to spill over.

The recommended time to begin ‘the change’ - the thing that triggers the plot to commence - is within the first 10% of the novel. 

YOO I made a post! It’s average and pretty basic but I did it y’all! Sad news: my A key is frickin stuck. Anyway, I hope this helped a little!  Follow my Instagram @/obscuresquirrel for more. Peace out dudes! 👏

[obscuresquirrel-writer]

Writing Styles

Hey, I’m @/obscuresquirrel on Instagram! ✌

Every author has a writing style. I have one, you have one. Stephen King has one. J.K Rowling has one. Poets have them, novelists have them. The way that they tell the story is a writer's unique writing style.

Identifying Styles

One way to define someone’s writing style is to read multiple texts by them, and listing the various reoccurring ‘tics’, or ways things are said and described. The style is mostly beyond the genre, so (for e.g) between romance and horror, these are the traits that will remain. 

There are special cases to this. Some authors take up a different ‘voice’ when writing in different genres, so may sometimes their books seem, at first, like it was written by someone else. 

Identifying Your Style

I’d say that the best way to figure out your style, is getting someone else to read a sample of your works. This works better because the qualities that make your work distinctive often goes unnoticed when you read it back. 

Reading a combination of genres/types of text, etc, can give an even more precise list of characteristics. 

Changing Your Style

So now, you have a good idea of your style. If there are some elements about it that you don’t like, finding an author whose style you do like can be used to influence yours. 

Record the styles of other people, and try to adjust those bits you don’t like so much around the model subject.

Remember: There is nothing wrong with having a ‘different’ writing style. Everyone has preferences, and there will always be someone who enjoys your work! Also, do not copy other authors style exactly. It is always good to be unique and your genuine self through any type of writing.

Thanks for reading this VERY hodge-podge post that took me way too long to write judging by the quality, but I MADE ONE and thats the important thing now to stop doing so for another 3 months im KIDDING or am I oh god but I hope you liked it and make sure to follow my Instagram -@/obscuresquirrel!! peace out dudes ✌

[obscuresquirrel-writer]

How to Get Story Ideas

Hey, I’m @/obscuresquirrel on Instagram! ✌

Every writer has gone through a phase where they just have no inspiration, no ideas, no material. Hopefully, some of these ideas will help you know where to find some!

Society

Society as a whole is a fishing pond full of ideas and plots. Think of a societal aspect, and mould it into something you can build into a story. Turn conventions on their heads, add rules to normal events. 

For example, a world where you can only become a parent if you kill someone.* 

I literally just thought of that right now. There are millions of different ways to interpret society and humankind. 

*if you use that idea, send your story to me! sounds cool :)

Personal Experiences

Everyone’s life is different. Take inspiration from something that has happened to you, or someone else, that you think is interesting or thought-provoking. 

This could be life-changing events, or maybe even just a tradition you have.

You’d be surprised how much material you can find!

Characters

You could actually come up with an idea or concept for a character before you even begin to think about the plot. 

Often, when creating backgrounds or personality, the story will begin to piece together and become a basic outline. 

Give it a try sometime!

Thanks for reading! Hopefully, this post gave you some new methods of coming up with book ideas. If you are struggling, look up some writing prompts too! Good luck :)

Peace Out Dudes! @/obscuresquirrel on Instagram! ✌

[obscuresquirrel-writer]

How to Become A Better Writer

Hey, I’m @/obscuresquirrel on Instagram! 👏

Everyone wants to be the best writer they can be. Here are a few tips that will help you maximise your confidence and skill. But just one thing: you are a great writer. write for yourself. i'm proud of you :) 

My last proper post is a little inspiration if you’re down in the dumps rn. Let's get started!

- Write as Often As You Can!

This is rather obvious, which is why I put it first. But the important thing with this is that you don’t have to write every single day. If you do, you may get burnt out and stressed. Don’t feel pressured. Feel free to take a break for a week and come back to it!

- Watch Youtube Videos & Podcasts About Writing!

In my spare time, if I can’t or I don’t want to write, watching YouTube is how I get my writing fix. A YouTuber that I love right now is ShaelinWrites. She’s awesome, a great writer herself, and gives amazing advice. 

I also recommended a podcast a while ago (Writers Block Hacks) - they work great too! 

- Talk to Other Writers!

I made my Instagram account because I wanted to share my writing, get advice, and maybe even help others with theirs. 

I’ve learned so much since I joined the community, I’ve made some wonderful friends, and I’ve managed to create and develop my first book. 

You don’t even need a writing account, but engaging with other writers is the best decision I’ve made in a long time. 

- Join Writing Competitions! (NaNoWriMo)

NaNoWriMo is my clear example, but writing 50k in one month can be daunting to some people and new writers. However, it can help motivate you, and you can really make huge progress. 

Even just joining writing contests on Instagram can help you improve your writing, as well as expose you to different prompts and genres. 

- Read As Much As You Can (and as many genres)

Reading is an obvious and easy way to grow a writing style, vocab, examples of grammar, formatting, etc. from a professional! 

Make sure to experiment with a host of different genres. You’ll learn a lot from the variety and themes. 

You may be writing a romance novel right now, but if you change your mind to a horror later on, having that knowledge helps tons. 

- Believe in Yourself.

The most important thing you can do as a writer is believe you can write. Writing is an art, and there are no rules to art. Do what makes you happy. You are good enough. <3

[obscuresquirrel-writer]

Beta Readers!

Hey, I’m @/obscuresquirrel on Instagram! 👏

Beta Readers are people who read your drafts as you write, and help you edit. They give suggestions based on your writing, and help you get along with your book!

The Importance of Beta Readers:

Beta readers are super important when it comes to improving the way you write your novel. Sometimes mistakes or faulty concepts don’t register to us as authors, and having an outside mind that hasn’t read your work before can provide fresh insights.

I know that reading your work over again and again can be boring or tiring, so having someone do it for you and tell you what to edit takes a whole weight off your shoulders. 

Beta Readers should not only point out any flaws, but they also should make you aware of the great things in your writing! Powerful sentences may start to lose their importance or strength after we get used to the line. 

Don’t limit yourself to just one. Everyone has different opinions, so recruiting many people with varying interests will give you many perspectives!

Basically, Beta Readers are on your side. Have some on your team, and you’ll end up with an even better book!

Where to Look For Them:

I recently started to look for my own Beta Readers, and they are super helpful - here is a list of places to look for them!

- Your friends and family!

My family doesn’t know I write, but my friends do. Some of them have super good opinions in terms of books, and I know they’ll be very honest! Don’t be afraid to ask them. 

- Beta Reader Groups

I did some research, and if you do some light googling, you will find some groups with beta readers available that you can join! You could read their story, and they could read yours.

- Writers on Instagram/Tumblr 

Most Instagram or Tumblr accounts that get back to DMs quickly will be glad to become a beta reader. They will give solid feedback, and are sure to be constructive. 

Thanks for reading this post about Beta Readers! Feel free to DM me on Instagram (I’m a lot more active over there!) if you’re interested in my Beta scheme, or my book! Hope you liked the post, peace out dudes! ✌

[obscuresquirrel-writer]

Naming Your Work (Titles!)

Hey, I’m @/obscuresquirrel on Instagram! ✌

It goes without saying, titles are important for your writing. Whether it’s poems, prose, or anything else, it adds a name that makes your work recognisable. 

Why Are Titles Important?

Titles are important because they’re the first thing the reader sees and reads when they pick up your book. 

It has to be intriguing, raise questions, and prompt the reader to open to the first page. 

Titles are the first point of judgement and the way you refer to your work. 

Titling Methods

Your Characters

Your characters make the plot flow, and they are often a major element to consider for a title. 

If a title is a name, it draws attention to that character, and make us wonder: what’s so different and important about them?

As well as their name, you could also title the story something related to the character: something important to them, or their personality.

The Main Plot Incident

I named my book after the main ‘thing’ that the whole story revolves around. It’s a cult, by the way, so the book is named after the said cult. 

It’s straight to the point, and often is a topic for interest. 

A Metaphor or Reoccurring Symbol 

I left this till last because it’s the most common, and in my opinion, is the most intriguing. 

A symbol in my book is the repeating image of an owl. I could name my book something to do with owls, and it will be a subtle nod to that image. It can be poetic, dark, or obvious. 

Plus, it gives that lightbulb moment when the reader figures it out!

A quote

Sometimes, characters say something that could make a great title. Definitely don’t rule out the option of a quote because you could have some really good content there!

Also, quotes can be from your description or imagery too. Scan your work if you’re stuck for a title, and see if anything fits!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you manage to title your novel easily! Good luck coming up with ideas - follow my Instagram for more! Peace out dudes! 👏

[obscuresquirrel-writer]

Creating Characters - Tools I Use

Hey, I’m @/obscuresquirrel on Instagram! 

Creating detailed characters with intricate backgrounds come easy to some people, but others struggle. So this post has some resources I find useful that you may too!

PSA: If you’re viewing this on Instagram, you can follow my Tumblr (obscuresquirrel-writer) to click the links! some may be google-able :)

Name (and character profile) Generator!

There is this super cool website called Character Generator that lets you enter in the basic details of your character, like where they’re from, their parents' nationalities, their birthday, etc, and they apply those facts to create a list of as many names as you need!

As well as the names, every generated person comes with a randomised character profile! Its super fun to play around with! 

Link: https://www.name-generator.org.uk/?i=1cb6grk3

Family Tree Creator!

If a character has a huge family, it may be good to have a visual diagram of the males, females, deaths, etc. Also, marriages and birthdays. 

So I like to make family trees to compare the various relatives. I struggled to find some at first, so this is the one I use!

Link: https://www.familyecho.com/

Timeline Generator!

This isn’t just for characters, it can be for general plot development or an overview of your story. But let's say, like me, you wanna see how long it was after this person died that another person was born. 

Make a timeline! I found it helpful when I was doing a load of character dev. This is the only link I found that didn’t seem too official.

Link: https://time.graphics/

Names with Meanings!

I didn’t use this website, but I cannot remember which one I did use. However, if you are looking for a name that means something specific, there are some good websites out there, like this one:

Link: https://www.babycenter.com/baby-names

Zepeto!

This isn’t a website, and I know a lot of people that may not like it, as well as many that love it - including myself!

Instead, it is an application that allows you to create cartoon-like, animated characters. I can’t draw, so it really lets me experiment with my characters style, looks and how they all interact. 

Check it out! I recommend it :) 

App: Zepeto (on iPhones and android)

Thanks for reading my post! Hopefully, you’ll try out some of the things I shared. Maybe they might’ve helped! Follow my Instagram @/obscuresquirrel for more :) Peace out dudes! ✌

- I forgot one, maybe it'll come back to me. maybe ill do a part 2 lol -

[obscuresquirrel-writer]

Why You Should Keep Writing:

You created these words from nothing. You summoned these letters and metaphors from the creative wands we call fingers. Someone, somewhere, is waiting for an author to write about all the characters and worlds you have hidden in a compartment of your brain. Someone could need your book, just think - you could change someone's life with those legible ink blots on a fresh paper page. 

Why did you start writing? Finish for the same reason. 

Writing is a passion; Writing is an art.

- You are an artist. Continue your calling, and create. 

Brought to you by @/obscuresquirrel on Instagram :) ✌