Melissa McKinnon

Writing Duo. Elder Millennials (of the Oregon Trail variety). #PitchWars Alums. Mega Anxious. Very Queer. Fandom Nerds. Unapologetic Feminists. Kill Your Darlings Enthusiasts. Oxford-Comma Obsessed. [twitter] [instagram] [website] [goodreads] [youtube]

[lord-des-fleurs]

[the-melissa-mckinnon]

[oh-theatre]

me coming back to a WIP after not looking at it for months:

[michaelbjorkwrites]

How to write a character-driven plot

The Character-Driven Plot Wheel

1. Emotions drive actions.

Make your hero act on their deepfelt emotions. This not only adds meaning to their actions, but also helps communicate to readers your hero’s core emotional struggle.

2. Actions trigger consequences.

When your hero acts, give their actions consequences that affect the plot, themselves, and/or the surrounding characters. For example, driven by curiosity, maybe your hero opens Pandora’s box; maybe they act recklessly and someone dies; or maybe they stand up for what they believe in, but at great personal cost. Consequences raise the stakes and empower your hero with agency.

3. Consequences compel change.

Use the consequences of your hero’s actions to create a crucible of growth — challenges and situations that force them to take the next step on their character journey. That step may be forward, or backward, and it may be large or small; but something inside them changes.

4. Change influences emotions.

When a character goes through a change, even a small one, allow it to affect them emotionally. Maybe they feel increasingly frustrated or guilty. Maybe they’re afraid, having just taken another step closer to abandoning their old way of seeing the world. Or maybe they finally feel peace.

Regardless of the form it takes, remember to reflect your hero’s change in their emotions. Then let their emotions drive action, to trigger consequences, which will compel further change.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

And there you have it! That’s how you write a character-driven plot.

So what do you say?

Give the wheel a spin.

— — —

Your stories are worth telling. For tips on how to craft meaning, build character-driven plots, and grow as a writer, follow my blog.

[oh-theatre]

Me: *has a plan for my story while writing*

Me: *suddenly goes in a completely different direction*

Me:

[writingdotcoffee]

It’s hell writing and it’s hell not writing. The only tolerable state is having just written.

Robert Hass (via writingdotcoffee)

[onamountaintop]

[the-galaxy-collector]

Save The Cat! Writes Fanfiction

All right, so some of you fanfic writers out there may not be ready to hear this, but the reason some of y’all never finish your stories is because you had no idea where they were going in the first place. Being a ‘pantser’ is totally fine, for a traditionally published or indie author, but for fanfiction, you need something other than Character A and Character B do the things and there’s a Happily Ever After. 

Since I am a screenwriter first, I am VERY familiar with the Save The Cat! formula, so I’m going to apply it to fanfiction below in hopes that we see more finished stories out there and less abandoned WIPs. 

P.S. You only really need a few sentences in each of these slots, but the more you have, the more helpful it’ll be later. 

P.P.S. Not having the emotional bandwidth to finish a project is NOT the same as not knowing where a character is going. Not having that bandwidth is (as far as I’m concerned) the only legitimate reason to pause or never finish a fanfiction. But don’t use that as an excuse for lazy plotting. It’s not a cute look. And readers everywhere don’t trust new authors because all the others they read just quit because ‘the muse wasn’t talking to them anymore’ or they abandoned a fandom entirely. Don’t do this! 

Story Starts

Opening Image: This is the before snapshot of your Main Character (MC) and their world. As this is fanfiction, this part is probably fairly short, but you could put something about where in canon you’re placing it, if you are at all, or if it’s going to be an AU. 

Theme Stated: This is what your MC must learn before the end of the story. It’s either hinted at or explicitly stated, but not by the MC themselves. It’s usually a friend, a sidekick, a mentor, etc. If they are self-aware enough to state it, they already learned it. 

Set-up: This is where we see the MC’s status quo (e.g. their life before they learn the lesson). It’s important here to show their reluctance to change. In romance, if it’s friends-to-lovers, for example, it’s the point in the narrative where your MC is saying things like, “Oh my God, they’re just a friend.” And even though the reader knows what’s up now, it doesn’t matter. If it’s exciting, scary, upsetting to the MC, it’ll be that way for the reader too IF you’ve done your job as the writer. 

Catalyst: This is what catapults them into a whole new way of thinking or sometimes a whole other world. It can happen in the first chapter, but whatever happens, make sure it is irrefutably the thing that makes it impossible for them to go back to their status quo. 

The Debate: This is when the MC literally debates what they’re going to do in response to the catalyst. Again, this needs to reinforce their reluctance to change before they eventually embark on their metaphorical (and sometimes literal) journey. 

ACT I ENDS

Break Into Two: This is when the MC finally agrees to leave their comfy status quo world for the upside down one. 

B Story: This is when we usually meet a new character who will help the MC learn the overall theme we stated back in Act I. For fanfiction, this is usually a mentor-type person, but it can be anyone. 

Fun and Games: This is your hook. This is what everyone came to your story to read. Also, at this point, the MC either loves or hates their new world, but they’re in it now and they can’t go back. 

Midpoint: THIS DOES NOT NEED TO BE THE LITERAL MIDPOINT OF YOUR STORY! You don’t need to count out chapters or scenes or whatever and figure out what the middle is, but it is the point where your MC has a false victory (or false defeat) and it pushes them toward real and actual change. No more of that superficial crap! 

Bad Guys Close In: DUN DUN DUN! Now we’ve got the MC dealing with things getting worse (or better, depending on your story), but their flaws are starting to show. You’re literally setting them up to fail. And, as with everything, sometimes it can be super literal and involve a group of actual bad guys closing in. 

All Is Lost: This is rock bottom for the MC and my personal favorite part. It’s the section of the story where it looks like nothing is going to get better, they’ve said or done something horrible, and there’s no way out. But then… 

ACT II ENDS

Dark Night of the Soul: The MC is being forced in this scene to learn their lesson. Since it’s a fanfiction, they are going to learn it. You, as the author, decide whether it’s the easy way or the hard way. 

Finale: If they’ve decided to go catch their true love and confess their feelings at the airport (ps. I love this trope!), then this is where they do that. It doesn’t only apply to action-oriented stories. All stories have a finale. The MC is enacting their brilliant plan and the bad guys (or their stubbornness) are vanquished. 

Final Image: This is our fluffy epilogue section. It’s the ‘after’ snapshot of the MC, their world, and their new view on life now that they’ve learned their lesson. 

[the-melissa-mckinnon]

STC has a whole book for novel writing for those of you who follow me and don’t write fanfiction also. 

[willowofthehearth]

A Guide to White Privilege by COURTNEYAHNDESIGN

1. White Privilege doesn’t mean your life hasn’t been hard. It means your skin tone isn’t one of the things making it harder! There’s plenty of other privileges (socio-economic, male, heterosexual, cisgender, christian, able-bodied) but white privilege is perhaps the most enduring throughout history.

2. White Privilege exists as a direct result of both historic and enduring racism, biases, and practices designed to oppress people of color.

3. White Privilege means you actively benefit from the oppression of POC You are the dominant representation on all media No on questions your citizenship Products are designed for you 1st People at work look like you You don’t get harassed for existing in public locations Inherited power and wealth Your actions aren’t perceived as those of all your race

4. Systemic racism exists at every level of society. The wealth gap (90% White owned vs 10% POC owned) Black graduates are 2x more likely to be unemployed Black americans are 30% more likely to get pulled over Black students are 3x more likely to be suspended Black americans make up 40% of the prison population Black americans are shown 18% fewer homes Black women are 4x more likely to die from childbirth And this is only a small port of the oppression

5. What would I do with my White Privilege?

Teach other White folks the barriers to success for POC Promise to listen to and amplify the voices of POC Be more than “not racist” but actively anti-racist Confront racial injustices even when it’s uncomfortable.

[the-citrus-scale]

Don’t run away from your privilege! Wield it to shield Black voices from harm so they can be heard. This isn’t a difficult concept. 

[the-melissa-mckinnon]

I will not built a platform on silence. If you do not understand the violence, you are privileged. No one is asking you to understand it, though. They are asking you to get out of the way as they respond to their trauma how they see fit. 

YOU DO NOT GET TO TELL OTHERS HOW TO RESPOND TO THEIR TRAUMA!

Also, white people, you don’t have to say anything to be helpful. You don’t have to always be talking. You’ve had the mic for a long time. I am talking right now, yes, but I am talking to other white people. I am not talking to POC about their experience. Stop whitesplaining. You will never understand. I will never truly understand, and that is why it is inherently racist for you to tell people how they can and cannot respond to violence in and against their community. 

That is an uncomfortable statement. I am aware. But it’s time to sit in our uncomfortableness and change. There is no other option here. Sit in it. Stew in it. Check your privilege and change, if necessary. Help where you can. And listen. Just listen. 

[gahdamnpunk]

Yoooo lemme bless your dashboard

(Feel free to add your pics too 😏😏)

[mareep-is-transfem]

the good energy in this post,,,

[write-on-world]

[kashimalin-fanfiction]

50 Types of Kisses - Writing Prompts

Send in a number and a pairing!

Small kisses littered across the other’s face.

A small, fleeting kiss - which is immediately followed by a passionate, hungry kiss.

A breathy demand: “Kiss me” - and what the other person does to respond.

An accidental brush of lips followed by a pause and going back for another, on purpose.

Throwing their arms around the other person’s neck, hugging them close before kissing them passionately on the lips.

Wild, breathless kisses brought on by a heartfelt gift.

French kisses where they trace every tooth with their tongues as though trying to memorize them.

Laying a gentle kiss to the back of the other’s hand.

A kiss that lasts so long, they are sharing each other’s breaths.

A hello/good-bye kiss that is given without thinking - where neither person thinks twice about it.

Morning kisses that are exchanged before either person opens their eyes, kissing blindly until their lips meet in a blissful encounter.

Sneaking away to a hidden corner to share a secretive kiss.

Butterfly kisses against the other’s cheeks.

A kiss so desperate that the two wind around each other, refusing to let go until they are finished.

A fierce kiss that ends with a bite on the lip, soothing it with a lick.

One person pouting, only to have it removed by a kiss from the other person.

Tucking their hands beneath the other person’s shirt, just to watch them break the kiss and gasp in surprise at the sensation of cold/warm hands on their skin.

Teasing kisses where one person blows air into the other’s mouth and runs away.

One person stopping a kiss to ask “Do you want to do this?”, only to have the other person answer with a deeper, more passionate kiss.

Kissing in a stairwell, giving them an artificial height difference.

A chaste kiss given to each other because they are in mixed company.

A kiss that is leading to more, but is interrupted by a third party.

A kiss that tastes of the food/dessert they are eating.

Deep kisses where they have their hands tangled in each other’s hair to pull them closer.

Wet kisses after finding refuge from the rain.

Brushing a kiss along the shell of the other person’s ear.

Kisses exchanged while one person sits on the other’s lap.

One person tracing the other’s lips with a fingertip until they can’t resist any longer, tilting their chin towards them for a kiss.

Staring at each other’s lips for a moment before moving closer, as if drawn together by some unseen force.

Weak, sweaty kisses because it’s unbearably hot.

Pulling away from a kiss, whispering words of love against each other’s lips.

A kiss so passionate, so perfect - that after they part, neither person can open their eyes for a few moments afterwards.

An unexpected kiss that shocks the one receiving it.

Kisses that start on their fingers and run up their arm, eventually ending on their lips.

An awkward kiss given after a first date.

Starting with eskimo kisses before moving on to soft kisses.

Cleaning the other person’s lips with a lick and a kiss.

Whispering “I love you” before a chaste, delicate kiss.

Kissing tears from the other’s face.

A gentle kiss that quickly descends into passion, with little regard for what’s going on around them.

Kisses shared under an umbrella.

Distracting kisses from someone that are meant to stop the other person from finishing their work, and give them kisses instead.

A kiss pressed to the top of the head.

Tentative kisses given in the dark.

Kisses exchanged as they move around, hitting the edges of tables or nearly tripping over things on the floor before making it to the sofa, or bed.

A lingering kiss before a long trip apart.

A kiss paired with a tight hug, knocking the breath out of the person being hugged.

One person has to bend down in order to kiss their partner, who is standing on their tip-toes to reach their partner’s.

Short and sweet kiss after meeting up for a date.

A kiss, followed by more that trail down the jaw and neck.

[marsplanetpalace-deactivated202]

I need to get back into writing so feel free to request these with Esperanza and an Li or apprentice! Or reader x an Li! I write a short drabble about it!💜

[the-melissa-mckinnon]

[ajbrooks-writes]

When you realise your side characters' backstories are more tragic than your protagonist's.

[adventurecore-suggestions]

i love all the words we have that mean traveler. i love the shades of difference between wanderer and rambler and rover. i love the boldness of adventurer and the purposefulness of explorer, the lawlessness of vagabond and the capability of wayfarer, the quiet reverence of pilgrim and the wild rootlessness of nomad.

[badwriterpositivity]

Things that make you a writer:

You enjoy writing

You call yourself a writer

That's it! That's the criteria!

You're a writer now, congratulations!