The Writer's Line

Call me Twill. I post prompts, memes, and other writerly things.

[promptsforthestrugglingauthor]

Writing Prompt #4064

"You're grinning every time you think of her. You bring her up constantly. Do you realize you've fallen in love? Everyone else has."

"I...what?"

[hallownest-archive-deactivated2]

imo the best way to interpret those “real people don’t do x” writing advice posts is “most people don’t do x, so if a character does x, it should be a distinguishing trait.” human behavior is infinitely varied; for any x, there are real people who do x. we can’t make absolute statements. we can, however, make probabilistic ones.

for example, most people don’t address each other by name in the middle of a casual conversation. if all your characters do that, your dialogue will sound stilted and unnatural. but if just one character does that, then it tells us something about that character.

[jauntylittlefrillyboy]

[radioactive-earthshine]

Writing tips for long fics that helped me that no one asked for.

1.) Don't actually delete content from your WIP unless it is minor editing - instead cut it and put it in a secondary document. If you're omitting paragraphs of content, dialog, a whole scene you might find a better place for it later and having it readily available can really save time. Sometimes your idea was fantastic, but it just wasn't in the right spot.

2.) Stuck with wording the action? Just write the dialog then revisit it later.

3.) Stuck on the whole scene? Skip it and write the next one.

4.) Write on literally any other color than a white background. It just works. (I use black)

5.) If you have a beta, while they are beta-ing have them read your fic out loud. Yes, I know a lot of betas/writers do not have the luxury of face-timing or have the opportunity to do this due to time constraints etc but reading your fic out loud can catch some very awkward phrasing that otherwise might be missed. If you don't have a beta, you read it out loud to yourself. Throw some passion into your dialog, you might find a better way to word it if it sounds stuffy or weird.

6.) The moment you have an idea, write it down. If you don't have paper or a pen, EMAIL it to yourself or put it in a draft etc etc. I have sent myself dozens of ideas while laying down before sleep that I 10/10 forgot the next morning but had emailed them to myself and got to implement them.

7.) Remember - hits/likes/kudos/comments are not reflective of the quality of your fic or your ability to write. Most people just don't comment - even if they say they do, they don't, even if they preach all day about commenting, they don't, even if they are a very popular blog that passionately reminds people to comment - they don't comment (I know this personally). Even if your fic brought tears to their eyes and it haunted them for weeks and they printed it out and sent it to their friends they just don't comment. You just have to accept it. That being said - comment on the fic you're reading now, just do it, if you're 'shy' and that's why you don't comment the more you comment the better you'll get at it. Just do it.

8.) Remove unrealistic daily word count goals from your routine. I've seen people stress 1500 - 2000 words a day and if they don't reach that they feel like a failure and they get discouraged. This is ridiculous. Write when you can, but remove absurd goals. My average is 500 words a day in combination with a 40 hour a week job and I have written over 200k words from 2022-2023.

9.) There are dozens of ways to do an outline from precise analytical deconstruction that goes scene by scene to the minimalist bullet point list - it doesn't matter which one you use just have some sort of direction. A partial outline is better than no outline.

10.) Write for yourself, not for others. Write the fic you know no one is going to read. Write the fic that sounds ridiculous. You will be so happy you put it out in the world and there will be people who will be glad it exists.

[memepocalypse]

Hidden Injuries

"Wait - you're bleeding."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Okay, I have you, I have you -"

"Don't you dare pass out on me."

"You good? You look a little pale."

"Your shirt... is that blood?"

"Oh, my god, are you serious? I think it's broken!"

"Why would you hide this from us?!"

"Okay - okay, breathe. We're going to help you."

"You idiot! You could have died!"

"I'm - I'm calling an ambulance -"

"Why are you breathing so shallowly?"

"You can barely stand."

"Sit down. Right now."

"I'm going to fix you up, but you have to sit still."

"I've had worse."

"It's not that bad, really..."

"I'm just a little... light headed...."

"It's barely bleeding at all."

"Aw, man, I liked this shirt."

"Oh, yeah that's... huh. That's a lot of blood."

"I'm just gonna sit right here... for a minute..."

"My chest really... hurts..."

"I can't really breathe -"

"Ow. It's fine. Ow."

"I can handle it myself."

"Oh, that? Yeah it's just... it's just a little blood..."

"Barely touched me."

"Why are there two of you?"

"I'll be fine. I'm great. I'm - I'm fantastic. Don't worry about me! I'm just gonna go... into this really nice... warm light..."

[memepocalypse]

Gentle Care

Taking care of them...

"Hey, it's okay. Show me?"

"What did they do to you?"

"Don't cry - I've got you."

"That's okay - get it all out."

"Deep breath, I have you."

"Sh, sh, I'm going to patch you up."

"I've got a bandage for you."

"This is going to sting, but we have to clean this."

"Oh - okay - we're hugging about this, okay."

"It'll all feel better in the morning."

"I can't believe someone would do this to you..."

"I'm going to protect you."

"Get some rest. I'm not going anywhere."

"You're safe now."

"I'm just going to wipe your face."

"When's the last time you cried like this?"

"There's nothing wrong with you, I promise."

"One day, you'll be okay. For now? It's okay to hurt."

"You want a hug?"

"I've got a blanket for you."

"Nice and cosy..."

"It's okay if you fall asleep."

"Just get some rest. You need it."

"Hey, I made you food."

"I know it's easy to forget to eat when you feel like this."

"You don't need to feel guilty."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Do you want a hot chocolate?"

"There's nothing better than a toasted marshmallow."

"Just hold onto me. There we go."

[vocedellamorte]

'i am just... in love' random prompts. adapt as you wish.

"I've waited so long just to hear you say those words. Did you mean them?"

"Every time I see you, it's like a piece of me aches for something I can't have."

"I don't want to just be your friend anymore... I want to be so much more."

"Every time you smile at me, I wish I could tell you how much it means."

"I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I can't help it... I want you."

"Do you ever think about what it would be like if we were together?"

"I tell myself I'm over you, but every time I see you, my heart disagrees."

"It hurts to want you this much when I know you don't feel the same."

"I keep dreaming about us, and every morning, it feels like I've lost you all over again."

"When you look at me like that, I start to believe that maybe... just maybe, you could love me too."

"I've tried to move on, but no one else makes me feel the way you do."

"I wish I could just reach out and hold your hand, but I'm scared you'd pull away."

"What if I told you I've been in love with you for years?"

"You have no idea how much I want to be the reason behind your smile."

"Every song, every sunset, it all just reminds me of you."

"I see the way you look at them... I wish you'd look at me like that."

"I keep telling myself to let go, but my heart just won't listen."

"Is it crazy that I want to spend every moment with you, even if you don't feel the same?"

"The hardest part is pretending I don't care when I'm dying to be with you."

"I don't need you to love me back, I just needed you to know that I do."

[outlawsmusings]

Betrayal || Broken Trust || Heartbreak Prompts

“You knew where it would hurt the most, and you went there anyway.”

“I trusted you with my back, and you put the knife there.”

“Funny how the ones who swear loyalty are always the first to leave.”

“You promised you’d never be like them.”

“I defended you when everyone warned me.”

“Was any of it real, or was I just convenient?”

“You watched me fall and called it fate.”

“I would’ve bled for you. You couldn’t even tell me the truth.”

“You broke me with the same hands that once held me.”

“Loyalty meant nothing once it stopped benefiting you.”

“I mistook comfort for safety.”

“You were home… until you weren’t.”

“I didn’t lose you — you left me on purpose.”

“You taught me that love can still be a lie.”

“I trusted you with my silence. You turned it into a weapon.”

“You chose them, and called it survival.”

“I stayed when it was hard. You ran when it was inconvenient.”

“You knew my scars and still added to them.”

“I would’ve followed you into hell. You pushed me in alone.”

“You made promises like they were disposable.”

[writersisland]

Dialogue for Best Friends

“Alright, let's workshop your outfit for the date. I'm ready for some nieces and nephews.”

“Come on, you're basically family at this point.”

“Ever wonder where we would be if we never met?”

“Hell, you know me better than my family at this point.”

“I'm so glad we're friends.”

“No offense, but you look awful. What happened?”

“Okay, don't tell anyone, but…”

“Promise that we'll never grow apart.”

“Tell me everything, I'm so ready.”

“Think we're best friends in every universe?”

“Time for some tough love. And please understand I am coming from a place of care: You are a giant idiot.”

“Why am I even friends with you?”

“You're my best friend. Of course I have to laugh at you before we look for solutions.”

“You're such a bad liar. This is why I always made the excuses when the teacher caught us skipping.”

“You know you can always talk to me, right?”

[promptcalender]

Notes exchanged by Academic Rivals

“Congrats on being loudly wrong at 9am.”

“Did you really just try to show off and get shut down by the prof? Embarrassing.”

“Here is a drawing of you crying after I beat you in the pop quiz.”

“I have literally no idea what that note was supposed to mean, your handwriting is a crime.”

“Next time you flick a note to me, make sure your spelling is correct.”

“Pay attention, dumbass, or you're not gonna have a chance during our next test.”

“Stop kicking my chair.”

“The title of your notes have a typo.”

“Would you stop tapping your stupid pen??”

“You got one answer wrong, but I'm not telling you which.”

“You look dumb.”

“You look like you're about to cry. Realizing you can't keep up?”

[Prompt Calender: February 7th, National Send a Card to a Friend Day]

[mightymur]

The final, brilliant word on passive voice.

“She was killed [by zombies.]” <— passive

“Zombies killed [by zombies] her.” <— active

[christinaroseandrews]

This is legit one of the best ways to identify passive voice.

[luna-azzurra]

Possible answers to “Have you ever loved me?”

⊹ Yeah. I did. And it scared the absolute shit out of me.

⊹ I don’t know. I wanted to. I thought I did. But I was a mess back then.

⊹ I did. I just didn’t show it right. Or enough, or in time...

⊹ Yes. God, yes. I just didn’t know how to hold onto it.

⊹ You were the first person I ever actually loved, and I ruined it.

⊹ I think I did. But I also think I was in love with what we could’ve been.

⊹ I don’t even know what love is half the time. But when I was with you... yeah, I felt it.

⊹ I loved you in the only way I knew how. It just... wasn’t enough, was it?

⊹ I loved you more than I let on. I just didn’t think I deserved you.

⊹ It was real for me. Even if I didn’t say it, or show it like I should’ve.

⊹ I didn’t know I loved you until it was too late.

⊹ I thought I did, and maybe I did, but I was so damn scared of being close to someone.

⊹ You were everything. And I treated you like you were temporary. That’s on me.

⊹ Yes. But I buried it so deep I almost convinced myself I didn’t.

⊹ I don’t know how to answer that without crying.

⊹ I did. But I pushed it down because I didn’t want to need anyone.

⊹ I loved you. I still do, in ways I probably shouldn't.

⊹ I keep telling myself I didn’t. Because it hurts less than admitting I did and lost it.

⊹ You were the one I compared everyone else to. Still are.

⊹ I was in love with you, and I pretended I wasn’t. I thought I was protecting myself.

⊹ You were the safest place I had. I loved you for that.

⊹ I don’t think I’ve ever loved anyone the way I loved you.

⊹ I didn’t say it back because I didn’t think I was worth loving.

⊹ You were home. And I f**ing walked away from it.

⊹ I didn’t know how to be with someone who actually cared about me. That was never your fault.

⊹ Yes. And I hate that I still do.

⊹ I loved you in all the wrong ways and all the wrong timing. But yeah... I did.

[bookished]

( a collection of ROMANTASY dialogue prompts. adjust phrasing as necessary.) feel free to make edits to better suit your muse.

"You wished for a happy ending," he said, brushing a silver coin across his knuckles. "But you never specified whose."

"They told me you were dead." “They always say that about people who escape.”

"Don’t trust her smiles. She only wears them when she’s hiding blood on her hands."

"Magic is a debt, not a gift. You’ve already paid in pieces of yourself... you just haven’t noticed which ones."

"You can kiss me," she said, the corner of her mouth trembling. "But it won’t make you forget her." "No," he whispered, "but it might make me wish I could."

"I wasn’t born to be anyone’s tragedy." “No. You were made to be their punishment.”

"The stars are liars," he said, throwing the constellation map into the fire. "They promised me you’d love me back."

"He’s not a villain," she whispered. "That’s what makes him dangerous," the masked girl replied.

"Tell me you’re not in love with her." "I’m not," he lied, and the chandelier above them cracked.

"If you walk through that door, your name will be forgotten." "Good," she said. "Then I can finally become someone worth remembering."

"This dress is stitched with memories. Are you sure you want to wear it to a funeral?" "Whose funeral?" "Yours, if you're not careful."

"You cannot steal fate," he said, voice rough as midnight wind. "I’m not stealing it," she replied. "I’m rewriting it."

"He kissed me like he was trying to erase a prophecy." "And did it work?" "No. But I stopped caring what the prophecy said."

"The last girl who made a wish like that turned into a star." "That doesn’t sound so bad." "She burned for a hundred years before anyone noticed."

"You only love me because of the curse." "Then curse me again. I’d rather be damned with you than free without you."

[luna-azzurra]

Late-Night Confessions Prompts

⤚ “can i tell you something? it’s been clawing at me for days.” ⤚ “i don’t say this when the sun’s up, but... i think i’m in love with you.” ⤚ “the dark makes it easier to be honest, doesn’t it?” ⤚ “you’re the thought i can’t shake at 3am.” ⤚ “if i whisper it now, will it count less or more?” ⤚ “you asked me what i wanted most—this. just this. you and me and quiet truth.” ⤚ “no one else makes silence feel this safe.” ⤚ “i’m scared of how much i need you. does that make sense?” ⤚ “you look beautiful in moonlight. cruel, how soft it makes everything.” ⤚ “if i fall asleep now, will you still be here in the morning?”

[thewritersline]

"Do you really expect me to believe that what you did was out of the goodness of your heart?"

"No. But it's the truth."

[akwardsilince]

Person A: "You've managed to invoke feelings in me that I don't have words for. Literally. I don't think our language has the proper vocab."

Person B: "Good feelings?"

Person A: "No."

[thewritersline]

There was just the slightest chance that he hadn't, perhaps, thought this through properly.

[maggotslove]

Appreciation post to everyone who writes ANYTHING. Poetry, original stories, fan fiction, creative writing, etc YOU’RE ALL SO AMAZING !!!?!!