Writer's block

[prokopetz]

Historically, one of the most reliable sources of widespread banditry was rulers ramping up military recruitment for major wars, then cutting their soldiers loose afterwards without pay, leaving a bunch of heavily armed men with military experience floating around broke and homeless.

Knowing this, whenever someone jokingly refers to raccoons as "trash bandits", I get a vivid mental image of, like, a raccoon succession crisis leading to a raccoon civil war, the aftermath of which forced the former soldiers of the losing side (who are all raccoons) to take up the life of the raccoon outlaw.

[prokopetz]

#I've seen the soldier thing in historical Cdramas! #what a bad idea #but also lol (via @fake-married-my-dead-fiance)

The interesting thing about this particular phenomenon in Chinese history is we've got multiple recorded cases of the winner of a civil war going out of their way to make sure the losing side's soldiers got paid; having them all rounded up and executed was politically untenable – in a civil war, the losing side's soldiers are your loyal subjects' friends and neighbours! – so the only real options were either to pay them or to have to deal with an explosion of bandit activity a few years down the road.

[xenomutt]

Another Chinese option is to fight the bandits (or pirates) for a while, then pardon the strongest group of bandits and hire them to fight the remaining bandits. All enemies will be brought to heel by bureaucracy!

[no-longer-another-bondi-blonde]

[milk-and-meat]

And more fully :

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”

A Cult of Ignorance

Isaac Asimov

21 January 1980, Newsweek

https://aphelis.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ASIMOV_1980_Cult_of_Ignorance.pdf

[writer5-blogk]

Ok. Hot take: this is definitely elitist though.

There are definitely some premises and conclusions I can get behind:

There is in our world a culture of ignorance. Having social networks and cultures to promote/advocate for having a positive relationship to knowledge and intellectualism would be beneficial to our society.

Ignorance isn't equal to being informed.

But like.... The conclusion shouldn't be that people are wrong to be where they are nor should the reaction be to fault them for being too tired/uninterested in the world around them. This alienation doesn't get fixed by us shaming others towards growth/betterment.

This article that the renowned Mr Asamov wrote is speaking to an audience of intellectuals and saying ~ 'yes intellectuals are better than others, but don't worry we can fix them'

Things like road signs being simplified to symbols isn't to keep others from engaging in texts. Road signs being individually recognisable in widely variable road conditions is incredibly important. Prescriptions change over time, as people age, or due to other health conditions; road signs being recognisable by people whose prescription may have shifted within safe levels but can't see an eye doctor regularly is important.

Utilizing high-contrast iconography quickly communicates complex ideas, in ways that provide far more advanced notice than would be provided in words.

Do you really think we could tell the difference between "slow slippery" and "slow animals" at a hundred kilometres an hour, in the dark, from across the far side of a straight stretch?

You probably could with our current road signs.

Taking people where they're at is important. Having an announcer read what is on the screen helps those with disabilities or impairments as well as those who may struggle with literacy. What is so wrong with supporting people who need it?

Judging someone for needing something read to them is the surest way to keep them from reading or developing their literacy. Not everyone can benefit from quality education or attentive parents who can develop this skill with them at an early age.

People won't feel welcomed into intellectual communities when others say their knowing something is meaningless.

Not everyone is destined to be Einstein, that really is ok, and you won't have a fish learn to read if you assume it can't then judge it for not already being able to do so to your standard

Once more this is incredibly dismissive of people who may have experienced weaponized intellectualism.

In the last several centuries, in white European culture: entire regimented forms of culture and modes of speech were created then enforced to create a superior and an inferior, massive social and institutional forces were constructed to relegate outside modes of thinking, and hegemony was intentionally created as a tool through which to exploit

People in our society have been tired, traumatised, and exploited for a long time. Alienated people don't spend time on self actualisation or intellectualism and that isn't their fault. Forces have intentionally created a culture where folks have an insecure relationship to satisfying basic needs, and it is hard to tell who is deserving of trust when you are worried about putting food on the table and keeping yourself and your family safe.

How is someone supposed to tell the difference between the good hearted, competent, knowledgeable doctor who wants to best treat their patient and the money hungry doctor who is looking to shill for a kickback from pharmaceuticals by using big words when neither of them speak in a way that is understood.

The meta-narrative of this article by Asimov contributes to the feeling of alienation that people have when around intellectuals. It speaks down about the state of folk while paradoxically saying everyone can be a part of the intellectuals' elite. If you don't consider yourself a part of that elite while reading the article feels pretty shitty.

[dogpuppy]

[beardedmrbean]

[luna-azzurra]

FACIAL MICRO EXPRESSIONS FOR WRITERS <3

[tobiasdrake]

Something I'm fond of saying is "The villain drives the plot but the hero sets the tone." Something that's very important about this is that the resolution to the conflicts presented need to match the hero's tone. If your story doesn't believe problems can be solved the way the hero wants to solve them... why is this the hero?

If you want your problems to be solved with brutal catharsis, then your hero should be someone who believes in brutal catharsis.

If you want your problems to be solved with forgiveness and reconciliation, then your hero should be someone who believes in forgiveness and reconciliation.

They don't have to begin there. This can be something they come around to over the course of the story, as they grow and change per their character arc. But by the time of their ultimate encounter with the villain, their values should be the values that drive the story forward.

There's this thing in D&D that some DMs do. Where, when you roll enough damage to deplete the monster's hit points, they'll turn to you and say, "That's a kill. Describe for the group how you take the monster down." And you're allowed to come up with some cool maneuver or something that your character did in order to deliver the finishing blow.

The hero's ultimate triumph over the villain is a lot like this. More than any other part of the story, this moment is their apotheosis. It should be a celebration of everything they are and everything they stand for.

You have defeated the villain; Now describe for the group what form that victory takes.

[fitzdyke]

also as a 22yr old who has been on tumblr basically daily for the last six years or so

i’m thinking it’s time to start weaning myself off of this goddamn shitstorm of a website

[betanoiz]

how’s that going bestie

[fitzdyke]

[abalonetea]

my writing fundamentally changed forever ten years ago when i realized you could use sentence structure to control people’s heart rates. is this still forbidden knowledge or does everyone know it now

[dreamtofswallowingcoins]

?????? *raises hand* I’ve been writing for years and don’t know this trick by these words! do tell?

[abalonetea]

Okay, so a few people have asked for me to cite the dark magics at them, and i’m super happy to share because it’s my favorite thing ever. 

so, let’s see if i can explain this the same way that i learned. read a sentence out loud. you come to a full stop when you hit the period, and you take a normal, breath. but, when you hit a comma, you take a slightly longer pause. and when you hit a dash - you take an even longer pause. 

this is a natural rhythm that we pick up when we’re first taught to read; we do it without even thinking. but when you start to think about it, you realize that it can become a tool.

think of your heartbeat. a period is badump. a comma is badump-dump. and a dash is thump badump. one breath. a longer breath. two breaths.

that means what you read automatically affects the rhythm of your breathing and your heartrate. which means that you can control the amount of physical tension your reader feels… by altering your punction and your sentence structure.

for fast paced scenes, you use short sentences. a lot of hard stops. mostly periods, with just a few comma’s thrown in for the full breath. your reader’s heartrate accelerates. their breathing is slightly and unintentionally, on their end, quicker. you hit the dramatic ending of the scene - and your reader’s body phsyically feels the gasp, the breath of fresh air, of these longer sentences.

now, read that paragraph again ant take note of your natural pauses, and how it subtly affects your breathing. 

the same thing can be said of comma’s and dashes. while they can be used as a breath of fresh air, they can also cause a new line of tension as they lead your reader to hold their breath. during this section, you should use longer sentences; breaking up the harshness of the pauses by using variations of punction. read this paragraph out loud from the start and take note of how long you go between pauses and full breaths. 

and then, comes the biggest trick.

the hard stop.

the paragraph.

because while the periods, commas, and dashes are variations on a short stop, the paragraph is a hard stop. you take a full breath. you pause for a moment, then move to the start of the next paragraph.

which means you can create an entirely new sort of dramatic tension. read the sentences that are in bold. see how you take a naturally longer pause at the end of each paragraph?

see how it makes you feel? 

how it makes you breath different? 

how doing it once, twice, or three times creates a different line of tension? 

this little magic trick can be used to cause a reader’s heartrate to speed up during a fight or chase scene. it can be used to cause their breathing to slow down during moments of dramatic tension, sorrow, or softness. and it can be used to create hard breaks that add a new level of physically felt emphasis to your written work.

i hope these examples make sense! it’s my favorite writing trick!

[yoggybloggy]

THIS. when i write i think about my paragraph breaks/sentence length all the time, first time i encountered this kind of advice was this quote which has stuck with me for years since:

anyway i really like your advice/demonstration on just how effective pacing can be if you manipulate it well - it’s really great for this kind of writing style, especially if you want to get up close and personal with whatever POV you’re writing in, to feel how the character feels through the rhythm of how they’re experiencing the moment

[cadaverkeys]

It's really hard to explain what I mean but yknow that moment in the show where the protagonist realises who is pulling all the strings and it all clicks into place. But it implicates their companion in the process? And they turn around to tell their companion about their revelation and the shot changes and you can just see the companion is already 5 steps ahead of them. They're got this knowing look and a smarmy smile on their face. And before the protagonist even gets to speak they have a silent moment of "we both know what we know." LITERALLY MY FAVOURITE TYPE OF VILLAIN REVEAL.

[cadaverkeys]

illustrated example of what i mean

[beeftony]

This is called Anagnorisis.

[normal-horoscopes]

Liminal Space: A place of motion and transition. Doorways, arches, gates, crossroads, rest stops on the highway. Borders and roads. Places where the veil is thin.

Proximal Space: "This Side" of the Liminal Space. Comfy bedrooms. Your home town. Holy spaces. Kitchens. Places where the veil is thick.

Distal Space: "Far Side" of the Liminal Space. Frontiers. Destinations. The wilderness, the grave. An amusement park. A mall. A ghost town. A monument. Places where the veil is deep.

[avi-why]

every writing tip article and their mother: dont ever use adverbs ever!

me, shoveling more adverbs onto the page because i do what i want: just you fucking try and stop me

[quarter0master]

May I add something, because I will never shut up about this book (Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark):

[jackironsides]

Finally, some good fucking advice

[x-write-z]

THIS. CHANGES. EVERYTHING.

[nanbookinsp]

[ID: Text highlighted in yellow reading, “To understand the difference between a good adverb and a bad adverb, consider these two sentences: ‘She smiled happily’ and ‘She smiled sadly.’ Which one works best? The first seems weak because ‘smiled’ contains the meaning of ‘happily.’ On the other hand, ‘sadly’ changes the meaning.

Remember the song ‘Killing Me Softly’? Good adverb. How about ‘Killing Me Fiercely’? Bad adverb.

Look also for weak verb-adverb combinations that you can revise with stronger verbs: ‘She went quickly down the stairs’ can become ‘She dashed down the stairs.’ ‘He listened surreptitiously’ can become ‘He eavesdropped.’ Give yourself a choice.” /End ID]

[electronswrites]

*bangs my pots and pans together again* Some adverbs are good!

[ratsetflummi]

“give yourself a choice” is some of the better writing advice i’ve heard. don‘t just rigidly follow the rules someone else has made for you. look at your options and choose what works best in your situation

[avi-why]

every writing tip article and their mother: dont ever use adverbs ever!

me, shoveling more adverbs onto the page because i do what i want: just you fucking try and stop me

[quarter0master]

May I add something, because I will never shut up about this book (Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark):

[jackironsides]

Finally, some good fucking advice

[x-write-z]

THIS. CHANGES. EVERYTHING.

[nanbookinsp]

[ID: Text highlighted in yellow reading, “To understand the difference between a good adverb and a bad adverb, consider these two sentences: ‘She smiled happily’ and ‘She smiled sadly.’ Which one works best? The first seems weak because ‘smiled’ contains the meaning of ‘happily.’ On the other hand, ‘sadly’ changes the meaning.

Remember the song ‘Killing Me Softly’? Good adverb. How about ‘Killing Me Fiercely’? Bad adverb.

Look also for weak verb-adverb combinations that you can revise with stronger verbs: ‘She went quickly down the stairs’ can become ‘She dashed down the stairs.’ ‘He listened surreptitiously’ can become ‘He eavesdropped.’ Give yourself a choice.” /End ID]

[electronswrites]

*bangs my pots and pans together again* Some adverbs are good!

[ratsetflummi]

“give yourself a choice” is some of the better writing advice i’ve heard. don‘t just rigidly follow the rules someone else has made for you. look at your options and choose what works best in your situation

[frognonbinary-deactivated202412]

i’ve been doing my homework on how to break into a writing career and honestly. there’s a Lot that i didn’t know about thats critical to a writing career in this day and age, and on the one hand, its understandable because we’re experiencing a massive cultural shift, but on the other hand, writers who do not have formal training in school or don’t have the connections to learn more via social osmosis end up extremely out of loop and working at a disadvantage. 

[frognonbinary-deactivated202412]

like, i didnt know about twitter pitch parties!! i didnt know about literary agents and publishers tweeting their manuscript wishlist, in hopes that some poor soul out there has written the book they really want to read and publish!! this isnt some shit you learn about in school! you really need to know the ins and outs of the writing community to be successful! 

[frognonbinary-deactivated202412]

for anyone interested, here’s what i’ve learned so far in my quest for more writing knowledge:

1. Writer’s Market 2019 is a great place to start– it gives you a list of magazines and journals that you can send your work to depending on the genre as well as lists a shit ton of literary agents that specify what genres they represent, how you can get in contact with them and how they accept query letters. this is a book that updates every year and tbh i only bought it this year so i dont know how critical it is to have an updated version  

2. do your research. mostly on literary agents because if you listed on your site that you like to represent fluffy YA novels and some asshole sends you a 80k manuscript about like…gritty viking culture, you will be severely pissed off. always go in finding someone who you know will actually like your work because they’re the ones who will try to advocate for you in getting published.

3. learn how to write a query letter. there are slightly varying formulas to how you can write an effective query letter. you’re also going to want to get feedback on your query letter because its the first thing the literary agent will read and based on how well you do it, it could be the difference between them rejecting you outright and giving your manuscript a quick read

4. unfortunately, you’re gonna want to get a twitter. Twitter is where a lot of literary agents are nowadays, and they host things like twitter pitch parties, where you pitch your manuscript in a few sentences and hashtag it with #Pitmad #Pitdark, some version of pit. a lot of literary agents and publishers will ALSO post their manuscript wishlists, which is just the kind of books they’d like to represent/publish, and they hashtag this with #MSWL (it is NOT for writers to use, only for agents/publishers)

5. connect with other writers, literary agents, publishers at book events. you will absolutely need the connections if you want to get ahead as a writer. thats just kind of the state of the world.

[promptsforthesoul]

[lupine-dreams]

Important info is important -.-

[frognonbinary-deactivated202412]

UPDATE: so i just got signed by an agent bc of twitter pitch parties. for any aspiring writers, you dont HAVE to go the twitter pitch party route, its just another way to get noticed a bit faster 

[multiple-characters1-acct]

Rebloging for my own benefit, but anyone else who wants to be a writer needs to know this too.

[wordsnstuff]

A Guide To Tension & Suspense In Your Writing

– This is a guide to creating tension and suspense in your writing. A lot of this information can be found elsewhere, but had helped me immensely so I’ve decided to share it with you. There will be a small list of more in-depth resources for the tips I supply here at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

Balance & Offset

Balance the tension with other tones, such as humor. Soften the blow of the tense scenes with little bursts of laughter and this will keep your reader in suspense.

Be Intentional With Pacing And Timing

Make scenes fast paced when you’re building suspense, slow it down when you want your reader to feel the tension build and simmer in their chest. Be mindful of how you turn up the notches of tension and suspense throughout the story.

Create A Really Good Antagonist

A good villain will take away the reader’s sense of “heroes always get happy endings” which builds suspension. Taking away this common source of comfort for readers will keep the tensions high and their minds constantly guessing with every unexpected turn. Avoid cliches when it comes to villains, such as giving the hero a convenient amount of time to escape their constraints while the villain monologues. Smart villains are far more interesting.

Create A Really Good Protagonist

Avoid tropes like the normal person who gets thrown into a situation. Deepen their personalities in order to take away the reader’s sense of knowing what the protagonist will do. Avoid hero cliches and make them interact with the villain. Deeper stories and meanings within the plot make twists and turns more interesting, which keeps the readers in the dark.

Use The Setting

The character should always be in a place that serves to move the story forward. The setting should not be background noise. It should be an important part of the scene. Contrast in setting can also keep your readers on their toes.

Be Unpredictable

Your readers won’t be in suspense if they can accurately guess what’s going to happen next. Surprise them. That’s the point. Also, avoiding common tropes is very important. Tropes are just another way for your reader to get bored. They don’t provide any suspense.

Manipulate The Reader’s Emotions

The readers are, hopefully, emotionally invested in the characters and the storyline, so, while they know that something is going to happen, they don’t know exactly when, so utilize this. Strike at the precise moment where your reader expects it the least. This is difficult, but possible. 

Components Of Underlying Tension & Suspense

Conflict: Make your readers desperate for more stable conditions for the characters they hold so dear to their hearts.

Uncertainty: Your reader has to (to some extent) have some confusion sitting in the back of their mind.

Anticipation: Your readers should have a feeling something bad is going to happen. Negative events create feelings of fear.

Emotional Significance: Create outcomes that prey on the emotion your reader has to the characters or plot to create tension and suspense.

Lack of Control: Your reader should feel desperate for some sense of control of the situation, but ultimately should feel the reality of only being able to sit and watch as things play out. 

Temporal Aspects: Stakes should be added to the situation, such as a set time in which the character has to solve a problem.

Other Resources For You To Use:

Writing Suspense The Hitchcock Way

6 Key Components of Underlying Tension & Suspense

41 Ways To Create and Heighten Suspense

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[nimblesnotebook-blog]

Academic Writing Resources

General:

The Five-Paragraph Essay

Using Punctuation Marks

Deadly Sins Checklist

Formatting Your Paper

Writing About Literature

Basic Essay

Revision Checklist

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In The Beginning

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How to Write an Intro

Body Paragraphs:

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Transitions

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Body Paragraphs

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Thesis

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Thesis Statements

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Writing About Poetry

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College Application Essays:

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Application Essays

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10 Tips

Application Essays

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College Application Essay

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Narrative Essays:

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Narrative Essay Writing

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Narrative Essays

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Narrative Essay

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Tips on Writing a Narrative Essay

[nimblesnotebook-blog]

I thought I’d reblog this since the school year is starting for many of you.

[writers-are-writers]

Thank you to whoever made this cute thing, very helpful. Here’s some advice to anyone who wants it!

[xiaq]

Me to my student: You need to pare things down. Just, like, Marie Kondo this whole paragraph. Student, softly to herself: Does this clause spark joy??

[theprissythumbelina]

EXCELLENT WRITING ADVICE