#writing things

[tokkibean]

"work in progress" is actually so misleading like it assumes that im actually making progress on my work

[writers-bane]

[mmelete]

i wish ao3 allowed people to give kudos per each chapter. These 100k word NOVELS need more love than 200 tiny digital hearts ☹️

[glitchedoutpxie]

How to use Em Dash (—) and Semi Colon ( ; )

Since the ai accusations are still being thrown around, here's how i personally like to use these GASP ai telltales. 🦄✨

Em Dashes (—)

To emphasize a shift / action / thought.

They're accusing us—actually accusing us—of using AI.

To add drama.

They dismissed our skills as AI—didn't even think twice, the dimwits—and believed they were onto something.

To insert a sudden thought. Surely they wouldn't do that to us—would they?

To interrupt someone's speech. "Hey, please don't say that. I honed my craft through years of blood and tears—" "Shut up, prompter."

To interrupt someone's thoughts / insert a sudden event.

We're going to get those kudos. We're going to get those reblogs—

A chronically online Steve commented, “it sounds like ai, idk.”

Semi Colons ( ; )

To join two closely related independent sentences / connect ideas.

Not only ChatGPT is capable of correct punctuation; who do you think it learned from in the first place?

Ultimate pro tip: use them whenever the fudge you want. You don't owe anyone your creative process. 🌈

[kazzzistired]

Feeling inspired... Might put off writing and think about it the whole time

[thecalloffantasy]

Writing Villains

✧ If you want to write a villain that actually keeps people up at night, you’ve got to move past the idea of just making them "dark." The scariest villains aren't the ones who are pure evil; they’re the ones who feel uncomfortably human. Think about a character who has a weird contradiction, like someone who is genuinely kind to animals but completely heartless toward people. It makes them so much harder to deal with because you can see that flicker of humanity, which makes their cruelty feel even more deliberate.

A great example is someone like Tony Soprano—he’s a brutal mob boss, but his genuine love for the ducks in his pool or his dog makes him feel real in a way that’s almost more disturbing than if he were just a monster.

✧ You want them to have that same level of conviction, where they aren't just being "evil" for the sake of it, but because they truly believe they’re the hero of their own story. They aren't twirling their mustaches; they’re "correcting" the world.

Look at Thanos in the MCU—he’s not trying to destroy the universe because he hates it; he thinks he’s the only one with the will to save it. That kind of absolute certainty is way more terrifying than any random act of violence.

✧ You can also make a villain memorable by giving them a normal habit that becomes unsettling in the wrong context. Maybe they hum off-key while they’re doing something terrible, or they have a weird obsession with straightening objects mid-argument. It’s those small, domestic details that stick in a reader’s brain. Think about Hannibal Lecter and his obsession with etiquette and fine dining—the fact that he’s so refined and polite while being a cannibal is what makes him legendary. Even their kindness should be selective. If they’re great with kids but totally absent for their own, or if they’re loyal to a fault to one specific person while burning the rest of the world down, it adds a layer of backstory that you don't even have to explain. Their presence should change the vibe of a room without them even having to say a word. It’s not about theatrics; it’s about the tone. When Gustavo Fring walks into a room in Breaking Bad, the air just gets thinner because you know exactly what he’s capable of behind that calm, professional exterior.

✧ When you’re moving into antagonist territory—the characters who aren’t necessarily "evil" but still make you want to cry at 3 a.m.—it’s all about the shared goals. Some of the best antagonists want the exact same thing as the hero, they just have a different, more ruthless way of getting there. If the hero wants peace through unity, the antagonist might want peace through total control.

Think about Magneto from X-Men—he and Professor X both want safety for mutants, but their methods are worlds apart. It stings when the antagonist is actually right about something, because we want our heroes to be the ones with all the answers. When the hero almost agrees with them, like when Killmonger points out the flaws in Wakanda’s isolationism in Black Panther, it creates a level of complexity that makes the conflict feel so much more personal.

✧ Let these characters have glimpses of softness that feel earned. Maybe they keep a child’s drawing tucked in their coat or they break their own rigid rules for one specific person. That instant complexity is what makes a character feel three-dimensional. They should be able to change the rules of their own world to fit their momentary whims, which makes them unpredictable and fascinating. If you can make your reader feel a pang of sympathy for the person trying to stop the hero, you’ve hit the jackpot. It’s about creating someone who isn't just an obstacle, but a person with their own weight, history, and heart—even if that heart is a little bit broken or twisted.

[kcrabb88]

I feel like we really lost something when we started looking at writing as a reader-centric product meant to appeal to the desires of a specific audience rather than a writer-centric approach of someone writes whatever particular thing particular compels them/whatever weird thing the demons in their head want to talk about, and people out there who are also compelled, and/or relate, find that writing. A lot of discussions of writing really center around what readers want rather than a writer's exploration. Sometimes as a reader I don't know what I want. I click on a fic or pick up a book I'm not sure about but that looks interesting, and I love it. Reading what I expect to get is it's own joy, but we always need to expand our horizons and not get mad at creators for not always writing what we want/expect.