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[thescarlettstarlet]

My Archive <3

thescarlettsoldat

[aquilacalvitium]

Write it badly or it'll never be written

Write it badly or it'll never be written

Write it badly or it'll never be written

Write it badly or it'll never be written

Write it badly or it'll never be written

[aquilacalvitium]

Please keep interacting with this post because when I come to tumblr to procrastinate, this shows up again in my notifications and guilts me into writing again

[bizcuitzcrumbz]

Writer's block is a pain in my ASS

[vancruejovi]

[write-on-world]

[tardigradesinspace]

I love how the minute ao3 goes down everyone's first thought is "time to go to Tumblr"

[thescarlettstarlet]

and if I said Annabelle Dinda is this generation’s version of Jewel?

[luna-azzurra]

On writing sexual tension

⊹ standing too close. like just barely not touching. why are their shoulders breathing on each other??

⊹ conversations that sound normal but feel like foreplay. “pass the salt” has never been so loaded.

⊹ one of them says something flirty and the other freezes for 0.2 seconds like “oh.”

⊹ eyes dropping to lips and then—back up. with effort.

⊹ holding eye contact just a little too long. like... are they gonna kiss or duel??

⊹ unintentional physical contact that lasts one second too long and now they’re both broken

⊹ a hand on the small of the back. that’s it. that’s the tweet.

⊹ tension so thick that other characters start noticing like “hey are you two okay?” (they are not)

⊹ “accidental” sleepovers. “oh no there’s only one bed.” yeah. suuuure.

⊹ biting back a smile. biting back a moan. biting anything really.

⊹ one of them walks away and the other has to physically restrain themselves from watching the hips

⊹ lots of sighing. frustrated sighs. horny sighs. “i want to kiss you but I’m emotionally unavailable” sighs.

[i-will-write]

how i sleep knowing i write shitty fiction but at least don’t use chatgpt

[harleyquillao3]

I may write dumb trash. But at least it’s MY dumb trash 🚮 🙃

[writercultureis]

Writer culture is this

.

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

a reminder all of us (including myself) could use

maturity in fandom space is understanding that people will have their own characterization and interpretation of the fictional characters you love, sometimes you will see their opinions on your favorite fictional characters that you don’t agree with or outright believe is wrong, but instead of getting into an argument with them or insulting them, you choose to scroll past things you don’t like and mind your own business. it’s all play pretend anyway. I promise you it won’t affect your life in any way, shape or form if a random stranger doesn’t sympathize with a misunderstood villain you love (and I say this as a villain lover who loves and sympathizes with so many misunderstood villains)

let’s keep fandom a kinder and less toxic space.

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

small things in life that are actually worth living for

your favorite people

your loved ones

your pets

animals

nature

the smell of rain

your favorite fictional characters

your favorite movies

your favorite tv shows

your favorite games

your favorite food

your favorite books

writing fanfics about your favorite fictional characters

reading fanfics about your favorite fictional characters

gay people

old man yaoi

archive of our own

[ellipsus-writes]

We're seeing communities across the US organizing to keep each other informed about... ICEy winter conditions.

First off: if you’re helping to circulate and maintain this info—thank you. Mutual aid, alerting, and sharing information could save lives.

Second: please please please protect yourselves while doing this work.

We don’t know what information Google may share with law enforcement (voluntarily or otherwise), and recent history gives very little reason for confidence there. Especially from Google products, whose leadership have implicitly (and explicitly) supported the administration.

There are safer options out there. Look for services that minimize data collection, host servers in jurisdictions with robust privacy laws (e.g., the EU), and are explicit about not surveilling your documents.

If you’re sharing sensitive information, protect it using privacy-focused tools—ideally ones that store data outside the U.S. and operate under strong data-protection laws.

(FYI: Ellipsus is based in Germany; our servers are located in Ireland and France; and you can read our Privacy Policy here.)

As always—remember to use secure communication tools (like Signal, Proton, etc.; not Meta’s WhatsApp etc. etc.), good digital hygiene, and a big dose of caution.

We stand in solidarity with people organizing for their neighbors’ safety. Thank you for fighting the good fight, and take care of each other. - The Ellipsus Team

[melodicwriter]

[nyatzsche]

some of you need to put down chat gpt and pick the magic 8ball back up

[ariesrin]

Writing Tips Masterlist

20 ways characters show emotions/feelings without admitting it🧡

Guilt

Fear

Longing

Trust

Love

Jealousy

Vulnerability

Shame

Writing Angst 🖤

Things characters say when they've given up

Write angst without killing any characters off

Subtle signs a character is breaking

Writing Romance 💜

Steamy scenes

Enemies to lovers: why do they hate each other?

Friends to lovers: the moment everything changes

Unrequited Love Prompts List

Motivate Yourself to Write💙

Don't measure success by motivation

Cheat Sheets💚

Create character personalities

Relationship Dynamics

Writing & Dialogue Advice ❤️

Is the tension fizzling?

What does this sentence do?

Read your dialogue out loud

Let them be wrong / Let your characters have flaws

Writing is rewriting

Show Don't Tell

I'll be updating this every week or so! If there's anything you want to request I write about, please feel free to ask❤️

[thecalloffantasy]

Writing villains people actually fear (and remember)

It’s not about darkness. It’s about precision.

1. Give them a contradiction. Villains are scariest when they’re almost human. “He always apologised before hurting someone.”

2. Let them think they’re right. No moustache twirling — just conviction. “I’m not saving the world. I’m correcting it.”

3. Give them a normal habit that becomes unsettling. • humming off-key • straightening objects mid-argument • collecting people’s abandoned pens

4. Make their kindness selective. Kind to dogs. Cruel to friends. Kind to children. Absent to their own.

5. Make their presence change a room. Not with theatrics — with tone. “The laughter thinned when he stepped inside.”

How to make antagonists who aren’t evil (but still hurt you)

Some of the best antagonists are just… people.

1. Give them the same goal as the hero — different methods. Hero wants peace. Antagonist wants peace. Hero uses unity; antagonist uses control.

2. Let the antagonist be right sometimes. That stings.

3. Make the hero almost agree with them. “You’re not wrong,” she admitted. “But you’re not right either.”

4. Show glimpses of softness. “He tucked the child’s drawing into his coat.”

5. Let them break their own rules. Instant complexity.

[pantserspen]

How to Fix Underwriting

1. Slow down at emotionally important moments.

Big emotions need space to land. If a scene feels rushed, pause the plot briefly to show how the moment affects the character.

2. Add reactions, not explanations.

Instead of explaining what a character feels, show it through physical responses, hesitation, or small actions that reveal emotion naturally.

3. Ground every scene in the senses.

If a scene feels thin, add one or two sensory details—sound, texture, smell, or temperature—to make the moment feel lived-in.

4. Let thoughts interrupt action.

A line of internal thought can deepen a scene without slowing it too much. Thoughts show stakes, fear, longing, or conflict beneath the action.

5. Expand consequences, not events.

You don’t need more things to happen—you need to show what matters. Focus on how events change relationships, decisions, or self-perception.

6. Strengthen setting where emotion peaks.

The environment should echo or contrast the emotion of the scene. Setting is not decoration—it’s emotional reinforcement.

7. Add specific details instead of general ones.

Underwriting often relies on vague language. Swap “they argued” for one sharp line of dialogue or a specific breaking point.

8. Let dialogue breathe.

Short dialogue exchanges without pauses can feel flat. Add beats—silence, gestures, interruptions—to give the conversation weight.

9. Show transitions between scenes.

If scenes jump too quickly, readers feel disoriented. A brief transition helps establish time, mood, and emotional continuity.

10. Clarify stakes early in the scene.

If readers don’t know what can be lost, scenes feel empty. Make sure the character wants something specific and fears losing it.

11. Use the “what are they feeling right now?” check.

After each major beat, ask what emotion is dominant in that moment. If it’s missing on the page, the scene is likely underwritten.

12. Expand scenes that feel “too clean.”

If a scene resolves too neatly or quickly, it probably needs more tension. Messy emotions and unresolved feelings add depth.