Character Study: Ningguang, the Eclipsing Star Part I
The biggest secret in Liyue, is not a secret in of itself, but Ningguang, who herself knows all the secrets of Liyue.
Liyue knows her by many names: the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, the Lady of the Jade Chamber, socialite, ruthless businesswoman whose wealth is unsurpassed in all of Teyvat, Liyue's most beautiful and unsolvable enigma.
Fast-forward two years of Genshin, however, and while the titles still remain, we as her friends have witnessed her being more often than not simply "Ningguang". In this essay we'll attempt to chart her character arc over the last two years in chronological order, her relationships with her inner circle (most notable is Beidou, who brings out a lot of her character), and where this puts her now before the beginning of 2023 and our third Lantern Rite in Liyue.
A/N: Events will feature both EN and CN dialogue due to translation nuances. The Archon Quests, for the most part, were translated accurately.
Archon Quest Chapter I: Act I - III
When we first meet Ninggguang, she appears aloof, mysterious and cordial. Traveler observes that she certainly doesn't lack in ambition.
We also get a sense of her power in Liyue - from the Jade Chamber to the intelligence network of the Liyue Qixing, and this is further reinforced by the way the scenes frame her face and body. Typically, high camera shots are used in film to evoke a sense of authority, danger, fear and tension, which is a good allusion to how the traveler feels about meeting someone whom they've heard only whispers about.
Ningguang is the only character who uses a lot of idioms and metaphors in her Chinese lines - even Zhongli is more direct than her. In CN, she comes across as a very indirect person because of this, and one whose true motives are not clear from the start.
During the battle against Osial, we see a slightly different side of Ningguang - the side of her that is willing to sacrifice her life's work to protect Liyue Harbour. But Tianquan or no, there is a severity in her expressions after the Jade Chamber is destroyed, and a curtness in her tone that wasn't there before. She's clearly carrying on her duty and compartmentalizing what she's lost.
The way this particular shot is framed (bottom) as Madame Ping speaks of how the Jade Chamber was constructed, Ningguang's eyes are not shown on purpose, although you do see the rather polite smile she still wears.
We're left to guess what kind of emotions danced across those eyes when Madame Ping was speaking, referring to her not just as a businesswoman but the "backbone of the Liyue Qixing". Through it all, Ningguang still wears that cordial smile - the mask that she has learned to wear through years of practice in Liyue's marketplace.
We'll also see that although she still holds that smile, her eyes don't seem as vibrant as they were in her introduction to the Traveler (top - post-Osial, bottom - pre-Osial). Clearly the loss of the Jade Chamber has hit hard, but she has duties to a nation and to the people.
We don't get to realise the significance of this loss until much later during her hangout, which we'll get to later. But notice how after this quest, Ningguang never speaks of the Jade Chamber or Osial ever again to us, even during Moonchase, not until it rises once more and survives Beisht.
Chapter II: Act I
After the events of Osial, we finally meet Beidou before we head to Inazuma, after seeing 10293890321 voicelines about her in Ningguang's profile and vice versa.
We are given our first look at a person Ningguang seems to trust, more so than the traveler, because she's told Beidou all about Osial. This is significant as we, as the traveler, are turned away by Bu'yun post-Osial when we inquire about Ningguang - who is "tied up with administrative tedium".
As far as we know, Ningguang shut herself away after Osial, disappearing from public view - until Chapter II Act I, where Beidou mentions that she spoke with Ningguang about Osial. This is at odds with what we know of her in her introduction - the Liyue Qixing's primary focus is to lay low. But of all the Tianquans who have governed Liyue's laws, Ningguang is an exception.
Ningguang is a socialite; she revels in being the talk of the town, and yet after Osial and losing her Jade Chamber, she all but disappeared from the public limelight.
The loss of the Jade Chamber hit her harder than we know, especially when we remember that she values the Jade Chamber more than anything else in her life - it was her life's work, it was designed to be infinite, it was a symbol of her wealth and power, but she gave it all up in a fleeting moment.
To have her world views shattered by a single decision - this was most likely one of Ningguang's lowest moments. Zhongli describes her as someone who "always presses on" in his voiceline about her.
And yet, despite her relative seclusion post-Osial, she allowed Beidou to meet with her.
The Crux Fleet wasn't home to protect Liyue once, and it's likely that they set sail for home after hearing the news. We also know Beidou immediately went into Liyue Harbour from Guyun and didn't return for a long time - and the next time we see her, she has already spoken with Ningguang about Osial.
Ningguang doesn't trust easily, nor is she a direct person, but despite her disagreements with Beidou, the captain is someone she definitely trusts and confides in. We can only imagine the kind of conversations they would have had about what happened but it certainly plays a part in how Ningguang behaves later during Moonchase, when we next see her.
It's also the first time in-game that we know for sure Beidou and Ningguang do converse about other things apart from Beidou's unending list of fines to the Qixing. The severe expression on Beidou's face throughout this is up for contention of course, but I like to think it's because Ningguang confided in her about the pain of losing the Jade Chamber.
Character Voicelines: Ningguang & Beidou
Before we move into the events that eventually shape Ningguang's growth as a character, let's first talk about the stories and two voicelines she has about Beidou, and vice versa. These tell us the history they share before the current events of Genshin Impact, before the traveler wakes up.
They view each other as opposites, agreeing to disagree - however, as we do know, Beidou and Ningguang are also a reflection of yin/yang (deep-dive here!).
And yin/yang is not about forces that complement each other: yin/yang is about opposing forces that balance each other. They will never complement each other like missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. They only balance each other, like a scale in equilibrium.
Beidou admits to this off-handedly in Moonchase when Paimon observes that she seems to have a good relationship with Ningguang, especially in CN:
派蒙Paimon: 可上次看你们聊天，总觉得你们关系很好呢。
When we saw you talking the other day, it felt like you had a really good relationship.
北斗Beidou: 势均力敌也算是一种平衡吧。虽然我对她的开水白菜实在无话可说。
I suppose being evenly-matched is also a form of balance. Although I have no words for her plain cabbage soup.
The EN translation opted for "evenly-matched" as a translation for the word 平衡 Pínghéng. But it's also commonly used to mean "balance".
The idiom for "evenly-matched" (势均力敌 Shìjūnlìdí) is usually used in context of a game/polls/tournament/etc. If you break down the etymology, it literally means "power/influence are equal (in a situation), (so our) strengths match".
Also worth noting is the fact that Beidou knows Ningguang's favourite food. From Ningguang's voicelines and Teyvat's Food Guide, a series of Chinese posts on HYV's official site, not many people know her culinary preferences, and would wrongly presume that she enjoys food befitting of her station.
In Teyvat's Food Guide (linked above!), the writer mentions this about Ningguang, having made Golden Crab (her least favourite food) for her:
I thought that a businesswoman like Ningguang would prefer some expensive cuisine, but Ningguang didn't eat that, and simply said:
"I've seen people order "golden crab" at every banquet, but I have no desire for such frivolousness. If you want to treat me to such a dish, you might as well just give me the Mora.
People sometimes have an inexplicable stubbornness.
Though I think Ningguang will not change her opinions because of me, I'm confident that Ningguang will not think negatively of my craft because of this.
My betting dice has been tossed down.
With Ningguang generally being a distrusting person, who keeps her suitors at arm's length to take advantage of them - there is someone she trusts implicitly after all, someone who just happened to be absent during the Archon Quest.
Moonchase: Moonlight Merriment
The next time we see Ningguang again is much later, during the Moonchase celebration in Liyue. And lo and behold, Beidou is back, too! Seems like she's stopping over at Liyue a lot more than she did before Osial.
We get our first glimpse of the dynamics between Beidou, a member of Ningguang's inner circle, and Ningguang herself here, when Keqing asks if there are any objections to her taking control of figuring out this big rock.
The conversation that follows gives us a first look into what Ningguang is like when she is among people she can trust, and also how she now behaves post-Osial. Enough time has passed, as well, that the shadow of Osial no longer hangs as heavy as it used to over Liyue.
She has let down her guard considerably more by the time of Moonchase, electing to engage in playful banter instead of remaining cordial and formal. Her somber mood from before seems to be gone and she's appearing in public once again. Clearly she has come to terms (on some degree) with her loss, although we're not privvy to what happened. But based on timeline and inference, we can assume she certainly did not manage to do this on her own.
Ningguang's playful side is most clearly defined in the original CN lines of this banter scene (my comments are in indents):
北斗Beidou: 刻晴办事向来雷厉风行，交给你我就放心了。
Handing this to you, I can be at ease.
Of note here is how Beidou describes Keqing’s work ethic with this idiom: 雷厉风行 léi lì fēng xíng, lit. “strict/strong as thunder, moves fast like the wind” — they are swift to enforce policies and are decisive.
凝光Ningguang: 这话说的，是不放心我的手腕？
That said, does that mean you don’t trust in my skills/abilities?
北斗Beidou：哈？刻晴不管风吹雨打都在外面跑，跟你大不一样吧。再说，你又不在乎这事，计较什么呀！
Keqing runs around whether it’s windy or raining, she’s very different from you. Also, you don’t mind these things, what are you fussing about?
Personally I think “not giving a wooden Mora about this whole thing” is a little too harsh a translation for 不在乎 bùzàihū, it's more akin to "don't mind" or "don't quite care". Similarly, 计较 jìjiào is typically used to say someone is "kicking up a fuss".
凝光Ningguang：开个玩笑而已，你倒是打蛇随棍上，数落起我来了，把人家旅行者都给晾在一边。
I was merely joking. You often seize the opportunity to criticise my flaws while leaving others like the Traveler hanging.
Ningguang describes "seize the opportunity" with a Chinese idiom, of which there is no EN equivalent.
This idiom is 打蛇随棍 dǎ shé suí gùn or lit. “hit the snake with a stick”, which is a modern version of the full phrase 木棍打蛇，蛇随棍上 Mù gùn dǎ shé, shé suí gùn shàng. i.e. “hit the snake with a wooden stick, and the snake will follow/creep around the stick.”
This idiom was born from ancient times where a snake was very dangerous, but you could hit with a stick (bamboo at that time), and it would see the stick as a danger and follow it.
It’s used to indicate a person who is able to act at a good moment (stick) to attack another person’s (the snake) weaknesses, making the situation very difficult for the other person. TLDR; Ningguang is telling Beidou: "You attacked my weakness and made it difficult for me here."
Let's go back to analysis for a bit - this whole section reflects how close they are on several levels:
Beidou has no issues "criticising" Ningguang, Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, in public. This is of course in part due to her nature as a law-breaking pirate, but HYV took great pains to show us the level of power and authority that Ningguang held in Liyue during her introduction in the Archon Quest.
Ningguang indirectly tells her, in Ningguang-terms, that Beidou has hurt her feelings. Beidou keeps quiet after this and doesn't push the issue, indicating she understands.
We know from Ningguang's way of speaking, and from Beidou's voice lines, that she is a very indirect person. So it does speak volumes that Beidou can grasp her hidden meanings quite quickly - a nod to Beidou's ability to easily understand people.
Fast-forward a bit, to where Ningguang asks the "great sea-faring Captain Beidou" to explain how this rock came about:
北斗Beidou：这女人。。。哼，也好。Zhè nǚrén... Hēng, yě hǎo。
This woman… hmph, very well.
也好 yě hǎo is used to indicate that although this person’s request was not what you had in mind, you’re OK with it.
Fast-forward again, to after Ningguang describes her ideal food as precise, pure, and sophisticated, Beidou immediately retorts:
北斗Beidou：到海上待几个星期，保证治了你这身富贵病。Dào hǎishàng dài jǐ gè xīngqí, bǎozhèng zhìle nǐ zhè shēn fùguìbìng。
Stay at sea for a few weeks, and you’ll be cured of your wealth disease.
I call 富贵病 fùguìbìng "wealth disease" for easy reference, but it's actually termed "diseases of affluence", and is commonly used to refer to illnesses that result from increasing wealth in society, such as poor digestion, obesity and bad posture.
This is the first look we have at anyone giving a damn about Ningguang as a person - before this, our eyes were on her as Tianquan, as the backbone of the Qixing, as a powerful businesswoman, but never quite as simply "Ningguang" until Beidou comes along.
Finally, we get to spy on them a while longer after this cutscene ends, where Ningguang addresses Beidou's little "wealth disease" jab - a relatively different line in CN than what was shown in EN:
凝光Ningguang: 你方才那番话有欠妥当。就算是我，每天也会在玉京台来回散步，道理月港内走走看看的。
What you said just now was inappropriate. I take walks along Yujing Terrace everyday and walk around Liyue Harbour.
北斗Beidou: 哈，只是不想发胖而已吧。
Haha, you just don't want to get fat.
Ningguang takes more offense at Beidou accusing her of not having good taste than "attacking her weakness" - the latter is something she's used to in Liyue's marketplace, while the former is more of a jab at what she likes.
Lastly, the ending of Moonchase Merriment - where Ningguang narrates a line of the cutscene speech (bolded):
Zeroing on what she says as she looks out to the Alcor: 功名在我，百岁千秋，毋忘秉烛夜游。
"My glory will be remembered for thousands of years, but (what's important) is to cherish the time (I have)."
Italicised line can actually be translated as simply "carpe diem" in English - to enjoy life while one can.
This is a stark contrast from Ningguang's original views that she will not be bound by anything finite. Seizing the day, living in the now - this is something new, something that is finite, that she cannot quantify in terms of Mora.
She has lost what was infinite - the Jade Chamber - and in turn, gained a legacy. She will be remembered for her actions for centuries to come, and her name will make it into the annals of Liyue's history.
That is infinite.
So, what now? It seems everything she loves can be lost at the whim of gods. If so, then there is only one way for her to stand strong - she must savour every moment of her life, lacking for nothing.
What's truly important, then, is not what comes after, but what comes now - to live every moment, to live in the now.
Ningguang says this while looking out at the Alcor in the ending cutscene (screw this 30-image-per-post-limit!!) - a small nod to the person who taught her to understand this.
Seeing Ningguang as a human instead of an enigma
So what does all of this mean? Moonchase tells us a few things about Ningguang's growth:
Ningguang has a sensitive and delicate side, which Beidou seems to know about.
Ningguang appears less guarded by the time of this event, likely because she now trusts the traveler, Beidou, Keqing and the others.
Beidou has access to the Jade Chamber any time she wants - she mentions she can go up any time for a game of chess during this event.
Ningguang appears to be quite enamoured by Beidou, what with her "great sea-faring captain" flattery and attempting to be direct (which is not in her nature).
Time has healed the wounds of losing the Jade Chamber somewhat, though she still does not appear much in public (not as often as implied in her introduction at least), instead sending guards to summon Keqing and only showing up in her capacity as a judge for the cooking competition.
There has been a shift in Ningguang's beliefs, now that the Jade Chamber, which she believed infinite, has been lost. Now she realises that she has left a legacy, that she will be remembered for ages to come, but what's truly important is to live.
This event is the start of what appears to be relationship developments in Ningguang's character growth. She is beginning to display attachment to Beidou, likely because of what happened in the Archon Quest, and is also displaying more trust in the traveler and by extension, the traveler's friends.
In other words, she is descending from the heavens - becoming less of an icon and an enigma, and becoming more human.
Part II will come soon because I hit the 30 image-per-post limit... 😭😭
Preview:
We'll cover the following events in Part II, along with how they show Ningguang's exponential growth leading up to the last event she appears in:
Interlude Chapter: The Crane Returns On The Wind
Lantern Rite: Fleeting Colors in Flight
Orchid evening gown
Hangout: The Jade Chamber's Returning Guest
Event: Of-Drink-A-Dreaming
Links:
Beiguang masterlist
LyurGG: Moonchase ss | AQ Chapter II ss
Bluemeat: AQ Chapter I ss
She was looking at him intently. Expectantly. She was inviting him.He shut the door behind himself and faced her. The firelight played over the hollows of her face, her hair, her eyes. So beautiful.She reached up with both hands to run her fingers through his damp hair. She pulled him to her, mouth to mouth, in the most perfect, gentle kiss. Amazon princess, soldier. Champions. This was not about that. This was about love, and goodness. They would not wait for this evil war to be over. This was their time.Their pact was made.
Wonder Woman: The Official Movie Novelization by Nancy Holder
Falling for the Moon (on Wattpad) https://my.w.tt/AY8noCSWtcb "You love her very much, don't you?" His broken body lay sprawled on the ground. His gaze, much like his mind, was far, far away. "Yes," he blinked, a lone tear slid down his grimy, blood-smeared face, "Yes I do." In a world of gods, magic and monsters, Percy Jackson must fight. He fights to protect, for survival, and for love. But when everyt…
Excuse me, can you give me advice on how to write an action scene with jumps and parkour in it? Please and thankyou
Hey there! And yep, I can try!
Writing Intense Action Scenes with Jumps and Parkour
There comes a time in almost every story were the character is running. And they’re running the cool way, leaping over all obstacles in their path and even jumping between buildings.
But there is a slight problem.
You, yourself, have most likely never done any of these things - but need to make it sound good! Here is my advice -
1. Why is the character on the move?
Are they just out for a bit of fun, with no pressure? Or, are they chasing somebody? If this is the case, then the will have their eyes fixed ahead of them at all times. They don’t get to determine the route, so they may have to make some choices in terms of jumps etc that they wouldn’t normally be comfortable with. If your character is the one being chased, then things are a little different. They can play the terrain to their advantage, using the path that plays to their strength - and remember, if they’re doing it right, then they shouldn’t be looking behind them as they run.
2. Is the character actually good at this stuff?
If your character is a parkour pro, then you can use all of the brilliant skills and terminology - a list of which I have put below. But if they haven’t a clue what they’re dong, then you need to show their ability as so. An inexperienced runner maikng a 4m jump? Yep, that’s a broken bone.
3. Their mind should moving quickly
Now is not the time for your narrator to give us a beautiful Tolkien description of the wall they’re about to jump. In an action scene like this, they should be looking around for where to go next, all whilst they are calculating an upcoming jump. To pace this, we use short, concise sentences. Take a look.
A wall was coming up. Teresa examined it as she sprinted. Red graffiti faded into blue before the colour was in fact overtaken with moss and mildew. Some words were still shining through, though, most of them explicit. The wall seemed to be from the ruins of a house, crumbling away in some places, to reveal rough stone. The cement between the bricks had certainly seen better days, now green and grey with age and decay, years too many of exposure to the elements. Sun, rain, hail, snow, this wall had seen it all.
Did you fall asleep? Maybe not, but you’ve almost certainly forgotten that our character is fleeing CERTAIN DEATH.
Instead, try this.
A wall was coming up. Teresa flexed her wrist in anticipation. Hand on concrete, spring off foot, up and over. The minute her feet hit the ground, she was at it again. Running. Sprinting. Straight through here was the faster route. Only a second to brace herself before falling down, down. Even landing in a roll pain split her leg. It wasn’t a priority. She had to keep running.
This sounds much better, right? I love descriptions, don’t get me wrong, but they don’t fit into an action scene like this. The concise sentences help to convey the urgency of the situation.
4. Educate yoself,
Know how parkour/free running actually works if your’e going to be doing a lot of it.
Find a comprehensive list of parkour terms here
Don’t have them defying gravity, or any of the laws of physics. Know what sort of heights are actually realistic for your character to jump. Also, think about where they are landing. Stone or cement isn’t ideal,and character will have to take extra caution.
5. Executing a basic jump
A guide by your resident parkour expert. (That’s not true. This is from my small bit of research.)
1. Character’s eyes should be on exactly where they want to land.
2. If char is jumping from a higher pace, they don’t want to jump up much higher than they already are. They should keep their elbows close to their body, and their chin tucked in. They should bend their knees and lunge however much as necessary, all of this to minimize injury.
3. If they’re doing it right, their limbs should not flail wildly. They should keep their eyes up, and hold their form, but not become so stiff that they have no flexibility for the landing.
4. The body needs to adjustable on the landing, and the knees should bend to absorb some shock.
5. Allow the body to relax. Tense muscles maximize the chances of injury.
6. Character should land on both feet, and should not use their hands to break the fall.
________________________________________
I hope this was helpful! As always, if anybody has any writing related questions, feel free to ask me,
Aoife @writingguardian
Also!! I’m having a 1000 followers give away - check it out!
Do you have any narrative summary, or are you bouncing from scene to scene without pausing for breath?
Characterization & Exposition
What information do your readers need in order to understand your story? At what point in the story do they need to know it?
How are you getting this info across to your readers? Is it all at once through a writer-to-reader lecture?
If exposition comes out through dialogue, is it through dialogue your characters would actually speak even if your readers didn’t have to know the information? In other words, does the dialogue exist only to put the information across?
Point of View
Look at your descriptions. Can you tell how your viewpoint character feels about what you’re describing?
Proportion
Look at descriptions. Are the details you give the ones your viewpoint character would notice?
Reread your first fifty pages, paying attention to what you spend your time on. Are the characters you develop most fully important to the ending? Do you use the locations you develop in detail later in the story? Do any of the characters play a surprising role in the ending? Could readers guess this from the amount of time you spend on them?
Dialogue
Can you get rid of some of your speaker attributions entirely? Try replacing some with beats.
How often have you paragrapher your dialogue?Try paragraphing a little more often.
See How it Sounds
Read your dialogue aloud. At some point, read aloud every word you write.
Be on the lookout for places where you are tempted to change the wording.
How well do your characters understand each other? Do they ever mislead on another? Any outright lies?
Interior Monologue
First, how much interior monologue do you have? If you seem to have a lot, check to see whether some is actually dialogue description in disguise. Are you using interior monologue to show things that should be told?
Do you have thinker attributions you should get rid of (by recasting into 3rd person, by setting the interior monologue off in its own paragraph or in italics, or by simply dropping the attribution)
Do your mechanics match your narrative distance?(Thinker attributions, italics, first person when your narrative is in third?)
Easy Beats
How many beats do you have? How often do you interrupt your dialogue?
What are your beats describing? Familiar every day actions, such as dialling a telephone or buying groceries? How often do you repeat a beat? Are your characters always looking out of windows or lighting cigarettes?
Do your beats help illuminate your characters? Are they individual or general actions anyone might do under just about any circumstances?
Do your beats fit the rhythm of your dialogue? Read it aloud and find out
Breaking up is easy to do
Look for white space. How much is there? Do you have paragraphs that go on as much as a page in length?
Do you have scenes with NO longer paragraphs? Remember what you’re after is the right balance.
Have your characters made little speeches to one another?
If you’re writing a novel, are all your scenes or chapters exactly the same length? -> brief scenes or chapters can give you more control over your story. They can add to your story’s tension. Longer chapters can give it a more leisurely feels. If scene or chapter length remains steady while the tension of the story varies considerably, your are passing up the chance to reinforce the tension.
Once is usually enough
Reread your manuscript, keeping in mind what you are trying to do with each paragraph–what character point you’re trying to establish, what sort of mood you’re trying to create, what background you’re trying to suggest. In how many different ways are you accomplishing each of these ends?
If more than one way, try reading the passage without the weakest approach and see if it itsn’t more effective.
How about on a chapter level? Do you have more than one chapter that accomplishes the same thing?
Is there a plot device or stylistic effect you are particularly pleased with? How often do you use it?
Keep on the lookout for unintentional word repeats. The more striking a word or phrase is, the more jarring it will be if repeated
Sophistication
How many -ing and as phrases do you write? The only ones that count are the ones that place a bit of action in a subordinate clause
How about -ly adverbs?
Do you have a lot of short sentences, both within your dialogue and within your description and narration? Try stringing some of them together with commas
Writing is a craft. It takes time for anyone to learn and improve. But there are some shortcuts you can try, maybe adapt to your own needs. Here are 11 writing problems and their solutions, or hacks.
Too many ideas syndrome
Problem: You have too many equally good story ideas and can’t pick just one to write.
Solution: Select your top 3 favorite stories and write the first scene of all three. If you can’t decide, write the first chapter. The right project will be easier to work with, you’ll have fun writing it, you will be daydreaming about the story, you will love the characters. So, give away three chances instead of one.
Outline spoiling the fun
Problem: Whenever you outline a story idea, it completely spoils your will to write it. The mystery is gone.
Solution: Instead of outlining the whole story, just make a clear goal on how your characters should end. Will they succeed? Will they fail? Will they be happy? Will they find redemption? Will they be wronged? Decide how your story should end and explore the plot as you go. Remember, no one will read your first draft, so just write.
Lost midway
Problem: If you are a pantser, you might get lost in the middle of the story, especially after the first plot point.
Solution: Give your story an ending. If you know where your characters will end up, you’ll have a better understanding of which routes to take. Always keep in mind how the story will end. Use it as the beacon of a lighthouse to guide you through stormy waters.
Creative block
Problem: You don’t have story ideas. Or nothing you have so far excites you enough for a novel.
Solution: Read a book or watch a movie completely out of your genre. This works like magic, I promise. I’m not a sci-fi person, but Akira has given me more story ideas than any movie and book from my own genre.
Writing anxiety
Problem: You are scared of writing, scared of starting a new story, or just scared of not doing a good job.
Solution: Write a fanfic. No one expects a fanfic to be a masterpiece (although many are). Fanfics are done for fun and for passion. So, write your book in fanfic format. You can even use fandom characters and aus in the process. When the story is completed, change back to original characters.
Editing as you write
Problem: You keep going back to previous paragraphs and editing instead of moving forward with your writing.
Solution: Write your novel by hand. This might sound like a lot of work, but it’s quite the opposite. The white screen of the computer urges you to review, to make it perfect, academic like perfect. The paper however, brings you back to the craft, to the urge of filling lines and pages. Handwriting also gives you the opportunity of sketching and doodling.
Solution: Go offline. Turn off your wi-fi. Use a device without internet connection. Or, if you keep fooling yourself and turning the internet back on, write your novel by hand. Give yourself a daily hour of internet, but live offline. And if you take unnecessary trips to the fridge or the bathroom, try the pomodoro technique.
Lack of plots
Problem: Nothing relevant is happening, your story looks kind of boring. Or the main plot is too weak for a whole novel.
Solution: Take a few days off. Just relax. When you are ready to go back, read what you have written so far. Maybe you were just tired. But, if the story really sucks, go back to basics. Ask yourself two questions. What type of story am I writing? How will this story end? Follow the answer like a map. Change what needs to be changed, even if you have to delete the whole progress. If you lack plots, don’t add fillers, just go back to basics.
Weak main character
Problem: Your character lacks personality, voice and/or visuals.
Solution: Give your main character three things. An external battle. An internal battle. And an unique feature. The external battle is their goal, what they want to achieve, what they dream about. An internal battle is their fears, traumas, doubts, mental issues, prejudices and triggers to overcome. An unique feature is what sets them apart from other characters, maybe they have piercings, or tattoos, or pink hair, or lilac eyes, maybe they wear neon boots, or a mask, or mittens, maybe they are left-handed, or blind, maybe they have a scar, or a birthmark. Every amazing main character has external battles, internal battles and unique features.
Depression
Problem: You have no will to write. The passion is gone. You feel empty.
Solution: If you don’t have access to medical help, reading is a good way to reevaluate your career and regain your passion for the words. Read lots of books. Don’t worry about writing, just read. Lose yourself in fictional adventures. Read sci-fi, romance, horror, fantasy, crime, family saga, classics, foreigner fictions, fanfics, shorts, poetry. Immerse in literature. Literature can save lives.
Strange dialogues
Problem: Dialogues seem too formal, or too much like the narration, or characters lack individuality.
Solution: Read your dialogues out loud while acting as your characters. You can find a quiet empty room for that. Be an actor. Go for the emotions. Record your acting sections, after all, you might improvise at some point.
Hey, if you don’t mind,could you walk me through your outlining process? Like do you have a specific criteria or bullet points? I’m trying to learn to outline and it would help a lot. Thanks!
My Outlining Process
There are lots of ways to outline a story. You’ll need to mess around with a few before you find one you really like that fits your style. For me, there are four main steps to how I outline.
1. Brain Vomit
I think of everything I want to put into a story and write each event down on a piece of paper, making a completely disorganized list. It doesn’t matter what order I write my ideas down in, all that’s important is getting my ideas out of my head and onto a piece of paper. This includes major plot points, minor story moments, and character/relationship development.
2. Categorize the Vomit
Once I have everything I can think of onto a piece of paper, I get a bunch of different colored highlighters and start categorizing the events. Each type of event (plot point, character A development, characters A and B relationship development, etc.) gets marked with a different color.
3. The Notecard Method
After everything has been categorized, I write each event down on an individual notecard. Different categories of events will go on different colored notecards. At this point, I start laying out the order that I want things to occur. I like using the notecard method because it allows me to easily move events around if I decide to change up my story. The main plot events will get strung together first. Then I build the subplot underneath, and then the character development points, and so on. I try to line up the cards so that they build a clear timeline and match up with the main plot notecards.
4. Detailing
On the back of the notecards, I’ll write small notes that detail the specifics of each event. I’ll include things like location descriptions, dialogue lines, anything that I will use to fill out that scene more.
Once all that is done, I start writing. Remember that outlines are a guide and not something you have to stick with throughout the entire writing process.
Thanks so much for your question! If you need help with anything else, just send in another ask.
~AIT
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