#writers block
Prospective:
Have your readers “walk in your character’s shoes”.
It’s attractive to read about a worse situation than your own. Your annoying neighbor next door or your upcoming doctors’ appointment.
One way you can do this is by putting your characters in tough situations, allow the unimaginable to happen to them.
Ideas:
▪️A character loses leg/legs
▪️A character contracts a rare, uncuriable disease
▪️A character is forbidden to ever marry but is desperately in love
▪️A character watches someone close to them suffer and die
▪️A character accidentally kills someone they love
▪️A character’s life is threatened
▪️A character contracts a psychopathic stalker
▪️A character gets amnesia
▪️A character forgets how to speak
▪️A character that’s a millionaire suddenly goes bankrupt
▪️A character is blackmailed into committing crimes
▪️A character is sentenced to death for saving someone’s life
▪️A character loses their job and can’t find employment
▪️A character goes into a coma for five years and suddenly wakes up
▪️A character is cheated on repeatedly but fights for their partner regardless
▪️A character loses their beauty to a horrible accident
▪️A character goes to a mental ward but they’re perfectly sane and can’t prove it
Escapism:
1. seeking to escape from reality
2. seeking to escape from reality by form of books
▪️your readers want to escape from the worry and unpleasantness of life.
▪️keep this in mind and you’ll write great stories that your readers won’t be able to put down.
This is especially easy if you add suspenseto your book.
How to create suspense:
▪️start scenes and chapters with urgency
Example:
Molly woke up.
She yawned and stretched and moseyed into the kitchen to make her cereal.
She found her favorite kind (cinnamon toast crunch) and poured it into a bowl with milk.
Now, she sat down in front of the window to watch the morning birds pecking the ground.
Let’s say someone is about to break into Molly’s house and kidnap her. Well… your readers will probably never make it to find out because this scene started out with no promise and no urgency what so ever. It’s just a boring morning routine that no one wants to hear.
Let’s try it another way…
Molly woke up with a strange feeling in her gut.
The house was quiet and she remembered that her parents had left on vacation.
Maybe she was just nervous about being alone. Yeah, that was it.
She started breakfast but the feeling wouldn’t leave her so she decided to lock all the windows and bolt the front door.
But the strange feeling persisted.
Suddenly, she remembered that she had forgotten to lock the basement door.
She sat down her bowl of cereal and slowly headed down the dark stairs…
Synonyms for “Looked”:
▪️Heglanced at the girl.
▪️Shegazed at the horizon, unaware of how much time had passed.
▪️Shespotted him in the crowded airport.
▪️Shepeeked through the curtain, giggling.
▪️He saw a glimpse of the cabin through the trees.
▪️Hewatched her car disappear down the road.
▪️Shesurveyed her child’s arm for any scratches.
▪️Shestudied the words on the page.
▪️Hespied the dog in the bushes.
▪️The girl eyed the boy, crossing her arms.
▪️Shechecked her purse to make sure nothing was missing.
▪️His eyes focused on hers, his heart fluttering.
▪️Heinspected her expression, seeing that she was upset.
▪️Hescanned the church building. It was empty.
▪️Sheogled the cake, licking her lips.
▪️Hepeered up at the balcony, seeing her there.
▪️The child squinted at the ocean against the sunlight.
▪️Heviewed the blood on the carpet.
For more, try this book with impactful synonyms that will bring your writing to life ☺️ link below:
Synonyms for “Walk”:
▪️Theystrolled through the garden hand in hand.
▪️Shetramped through the mud, her legs aching.
▪️Hehiked up the hill.
▪️The cat awoke and moseyed to her food bowl.
▪️Heprowled around the corner as the girl neared.
▪️Hemarched around the school yard, feeling proud.
▪️Sheambled into the kitchen with a yawn.
▪️Hewandered through the hallways, staring down at th map.
▪️Shetrodslowlyacross the old bridge, watching her feet.
▪️Heproceeded on his way after stopping for a drink.
▪️The boys trooped into the locker room after a long game.
▪️The boy and girl sauntered down the road.
▪️Sheplodded toward the house, having finished her jog.
▪️Hepatrolled up and down the street.
▪️The dogs roamed the open meadows.
Describing Setting:
Don’t overload:
The bluebird was singing soft melodies and flapping its wings. The breeze was blowing sweet scents from the flowers that were red, blue, and purple. The sky was clear with only a few thin clouds. The tall dark trees were creaking and echoing against the woods. ✖️
Vs.
The rose-scented wind blew breezes against the forest. Bluebirds sprang into the air with songs of summer. ✔️
Writing Better Books:
▪️Use dialogue to move your story along
▪️write tension: your story should be full of struggle. Even after resolving one conflict, quickly introduce the next. This keeps things interesting for your reader.
▪️outline:I personally don’t use this method but everyone has what works for them. At least have a goal in mind and constantly ask the question “what if”.
If you are like me, ask these questions for each scene:
▪️write detail: don’t forget the senses, especially sound, sight, and smell.
▪️read other books and ask yourself why you like that book or what keeps you interested and try to learn from it.
▪️it’s okay to vary chapter length, it keeps things interesting.
▪️write hand gestures
▪️let your characters’ personalities speak through action.
▪️there doesn’t always have to be a moral
▪️delete “very” and be precise:
instead of “very good”say“excellent”.
▪️delay plot twist reveals, allow suspension to build
▪️avoid clichés
These are common clichés:
▪️show don’t tell
▪️captivate your readers from the start: pose a question:
Mary would never walk again. Why?
Peter’s heart was shattered.Why?
The day he came, my life drastically changed. Why? Who?
▪️use similes when appropriate
▪️don’t stress it, you’re doing great ☺️
Clarity:
She went all the way to the store by the way of a car in which she had just purchased. ✖️
Vs.
She went to the store in a car she had just purchased. ✔️
He very much loved the sounds that the cars made as they made their way passed his house at a very fast pace.✖️
Vs.
He loved the cars’ sounds as they quickly passed his house. ✔️
▪️Avoid run on sentences:
He bought a dog from the shelter because he wanted to give a homeless dog a nice new home and that made him feel like a good person. ✖️
Vs.
He bought a dog from the shelter because he wanted to give a homeless dog a nice new home. This made him feel like a good person.
▪️Cut out “was” when possible:
Courtney was smiling. ✖️
Vs.
Courtney smiled. ✔️
▪️Try using one sentace paragraphs:
She liked how the rain felt on her bare skin.
So, she chose to walk home, her feet crashing through puddles.
It took longer than it would have in a car.
But she didn’t regret it.
▪️Try shorter sentences:
Ann’s heart felt sad.
She didn’t know what had caused it.
All she knew was that she woke up one morning feeling sad.
▪️Be conside:
I like carrots. Carrots are better than broccoli.✖️
Vs.
I like carrots better than broccoli. ✔️
▪️Be Specific:
She ate a snack.✖️
Vs.
She ate peanut butter crackers. ✔️
She went out for entertainment.✖️
Vs.
She went to the theater.✔️
▪️Paint pictures:
The sun was yellow. The sky was blue.✖️
Vs.
The sky was a blanket of gold, fluttering through the pale blue. ✔️
▪️Express don’t impress:
Scintillating gold fulgrated across the sphere it was a quintessential evening.✖️
Vs.
Sparkling gold mixed through the navy sky. It was the perfect evening. ✔️
Best Writing Tip EVER:
- If it’s boring to you, it’s boring to your reader.
Otherbest writing Tips:
▪️Write what you love
▪️throw away guidelines (if you want to write about a character that passes out every five seconds for no reason, GO FOR IT)
▪️stop writing for other people
▪️stop worrying ☺️
▪️fall in love with your story, characters, and setting
▪️allow writing to be fun again
▪️don’t write for money, popularity, or anything other than YOU (you’re not an accountant, you’re a writer! But if money follows your passion, yay you!)
Questions to ask yourself:
If bores me, why am I writing it?
What do I love? Hobbies, places, food, subjects, events, eras, etc.
What do I not love? Don’t write it.
What do I know? Homeschooling, raising animals, career, art, cleaning houses. (You’d be surprised what others don’t know and how interested they would be to just read about a character that mops floors for a living )
Am I writing about a subject I’m unfamiliar with?
Do I love my book?
Does my book excite me?
Do I love my characters?
What books do I like to read?
Testimony:
Once upon a time, a writer that loved to write couldn’t write any more.
She tried everything in her power but ended up hating her book just as much as a runny nose and sore throat.
She wondered why this had happened to her.
She realized she had been writing for others, what she thought they wanted and liked.
But in reality, her stories were boring like watching rain out the window.
Especially to her.
So she decided to take a break from internet writing and wrote a private story for herself.
She quickly realized she had never lost her writing gift and she felt so happy that she finished an entire novel and published it.
Many people loved and commented on her book, telling her it was the best book she had ever written.
Now she realized that her own passions also interested others so she kept writing for herself. And others enjoyed it, too!
Now she writes for a living, it’s not boring, and she has fun everyday.
Theend.
Writing Snacks:
Sitting down to write with a bag of chips or a slice of cake is… well, let’s face it. You’re probably going to eat too much. And yes, I have been very guilty of this.
Here’s an alternative:
▪️sliced veggies + dip
▪️yogurt(non-dairy is my fav)
▪️pretzels
▪️smoothie
▪️your favorite nuts (almonds!!!)
▪️juice
▪️sliced apples with nut butter
▪️dark chocolate
▪️popcorn
▪️dried fruit
▪️seed mixes
▪️hot tea
If your anything like me, you’ll sit down at your laptop for hours at a time working on your story… so it’s good to prepare your snacks in advance, so it’s an easy grab and go option.
How To Write Paragraphs:
To make interesting paragraphs you need an even balance of the following:
▪️Conjunctions:(But, and, etc.)
▪️Short sentences:She went to the store.
▪️Long sentences:She went to the store, hoping she could get the bread she wanted on sale.
Example:
What would happen?Lily had never been left alone before, because she had super bad anxiety. But this time, her mother felt it would be good for her.No. It was the worst mistake.
Vs.
Lily had terrible anxiety and didn’t want to be left alone. But this time her mother felt it would be good for her, so she left to the store. This was a bad idea and a horrible mistake.
Lily had terrible anxiety. She didn’t want to be left alone. Her mother felt it would be good for her. She left to the store. This was a bad idea. This was a horrible mistake.
Spice up your dialogue:
“I can’t,” she said.
Or you could say…
“I can’t,” she said, slowlyand moved away from him.
“Will you come?” He asked.
Or…(adj.)(Action)
“Will you come?” He asked, timidlywith his head down.
Balance your tags like this:
Tags: pink
Adjective: orange
Action: blue
“I’m tired,” Mia said with a yawnand crawled into bed.
Daniel lowered the book he was reading. “It’s too early for sleep.”
Two seconds later, Mia’s snores echoed through the room.
“Oh well.” Hechuckledand turned off the light.
Prompts:
She said, softly and looked down.
She said, timidly stepping away.
She said, robustly and met his eyes.
She said, angrily with a flushed face.
She said, quivering and fell to the ground.
He said, laughing and holding his stomach.
He said, stiffly and turned away.
He said, bitterly and his jaw flared.
How to Have Confidence in Your Writing:
▪️post your story online for feedback
▪️read everyday
▪️write everyday
▪️put your story aside and then come back later (this helps you see it more clearly)
▪️read writing tips
▪️download Grammarly (there’s a free version)
▪️try not to edit as you go (this slows you down and makes you question everything. It can be quite frustrating. So, it’s better to wait until the end of the book to edit.)
▪️keep in mind that no one writes a perfect first draft - they are going to suck.
▪️actuallyfinish a story. (This builds confidence like crazy. You’ll feel so accomplished.)
Word count: 13,140
How is yours going?
shame…
today might be the first day I don’t fill my Cairo Day prompt on time……I was doing so good…
1. Write a scene at a funeral.
2. A dog, a missing person’s flyer, and three shots of tequila
3. “But you were always mine.” “Was I?”
4. What happens when two exes find themselves at the same divorce lawyer office?
5. Write about everything that reminds you of balloons in one story.
6. Write a scene inside a failing ice cream shop.
7. a bouquet of roses, several restraining orders, and a Lego set
8. “This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.” “I can tell.”
9. What happens when a bookstore owner befriends his mysterious customer?
10. Write about everything that reminds you of snow in one story.
11. Write a scene at a private beach.
12. a messy room, explosives, and one smart cat
13. “You are like gold to me. Expensive yet boring.”
14. What happens when several con artists fight over the same mark?
15. Write about everything that reminds you of cardboard boxes in one story.
whenever people ask me how my writing’s going:
disclaimer for whenever I’m introducing a new oc to someone
A bunch of different dialogue prompts #64
- “This isn’t going anywhere.”
- “This is making me very uncomfortable.” “Good, I’m glad.”
- “Move along, move along, nothing to see here!”
- “Where have you been?”
- “My will to live is dwindling at an alarming rate.”
- “Don’t get confused, you are disposable.”
- “Do you maybe wanna be friends?” “Go away!”
- “Yeah, that tracks.”
- “A friend of theirs is no friend of mine.”
- “Why did you cut it like that?”
me: *calls myself a writer*
also me: *doesn’t write anything*
everyone else:
A bunch of different dialogue prompts #63
- “Since when are you part of the group?” “Since I can beat up all your asses, that’s when.” “…I’ll give you that.”
- “Any questions?” “Several. First of,”
- “Pay attention, this is important.”
- “I get the feeling that you don’t like me very much.” “I don’t.”
- “This feels illegal.” “It’s not, I checked.” “That doesn’t make me feel better.”
- “Are you two fighting again?!”
- “On the bright side, it can’t get any worse.” “I strongly doubt that.”
- “You can keep telling yourself that, but it won’t change what happened.”
- “And who’s going to pay for this?”
- “Coming from you, that doesn’t really mean much.”
