sandersstudies:

suburbanjustice:

immortalfool:

podcastwizard:

little used fantasy trope i love: when two people are playing cards in a shady bar and it’s the tense moment where they show their hand but it’s a fantasy so they can’t say things like “full house” or “royal flush” so they same some nonsense like “three crowns and a dead crow” and the crowd is like “oooOOHH” so we know that’s good

Other character smirks: “Well, I’ve got a castle on four omens.”

The crowd “oohs” louder, so we know that it’s Much Better™️

thats how i feel watching scenes with regular cards

I once invented a whole card/token game for a fantasy world and made sure I understood ALL the rules despite the fact I can barely grasp solitaire in real life and then as I was typing I was like “nobody gives a fuck. Nobody knows that guards beat thieves.”

Well, now I do, you funky little world builder you ❤

Not my brain giving me the urge to write but Not telling me which document to open in order to fulfill The Urge

morganwriteblr:

How am I supposed to write anything, when any time I open one of my (many) documents I am overcome with rather intense feelings of Cringe, and something that feels remarkably like Dread?

(actual question. suggestions welcome. please help.)

Seen a surge of interactions with this post so;

I hope everyone who sees this only feels positive feelings about their creative endeavours the next time they open them/look at them

Don’t give up, darlings.

Apparently all my creativity needed for a kick-start was for me to simply decide to try my hand at a writing contest 150 words today is the most I’ve written since January!!

theliteraryarchitect:

Writers: If you enjoyed writing it, that’s enough. Writing can be an end in itself. It doesn’t have to be “good” by anyone else’s standards. It doesn’t have to be published or validated in any way. Delight in putting words on the page. Delight in falling down pretty rabbit holes that might not “make sense” to others. IT’S OKAY TO WRITE JUST TO WRITE, just to have fun, just to please yourself. This is your permission slip. Go forth and create nonsense. I’m cheering for you. xo

hokkyokuro:

Writing mistakes that editors will call you out for!

Disclaimer: this is a harsh and mean informative post on mistakes that make your writing amateurish or fanfiction-like. In the professional world, editors will call you out on them in a much harsher way that here.. but hey, they’re easy to fix! Of course, the quality of writing is often a matter of individual taste and experience, though there is a theory to it and ways to make your work clear and interesting to your readers.

And yes, as cruel as it sounds to admit—most fanfiction writers are amateurs who will not help you improve your own writing. You might have to close your Good Omens AO3 fanfic for a few hours to read the actual work by Neil Gaiman. That said, fanfiction is an amazing gateway to becoming a pro author because it gives you insight on what the audience likes, and the practice you need to improve! There are many fanfiction writers who’ve taken the time to learn from professionals about their craft, and are in a place where they could become successful published authors themselves.

That aside, here are 7 writing mistakes that hinder your writing!

1 – Dialogue tags

This is BY FAR the most common mistake that amateur writers do, and particularly prelevant in fanfiction. Alternative dialogue tags (whisper, shout, murmured) should be used VERY sparingly. “said”, “replied”, and “asked” should build up the majority of the tags you use.

Oftentimes, the reader will understand the tone based on what the character says or by their actions.

2 - Tense changes

Pick a tense and stick to it. Many times, amateurs waver between past and present which leads to awkward reading. Choose which tense you prefer and stick to it. An extra caution should be taken when using past tense, however, to correctly use past preterite (I ate) vs past perfect (I had eaten). While both can be used, they are different so make sure you understand when to use which.

3 – Pointless dialogue

It’s time to cut the small talk. While chitchat and banter may be fun to read, particularly in fanfiction, editors will ask that you remove it if it doesn’t advance the plot. What you want to do is cut down on the filler in your story, and if that means your characters NOT having an argument about macaroni cheese, then so be it. Save dialogue for important and meaningful conversation only—your readers will prefer it, I promise.

4 – Pointless description

Hand in hand with the previous point, description should be kept consise and relevant. We don’t need to know what your character is wearing or the details of their “black, leather, zebra-print sofa under the wide windowsill in the master bedroom”. Keep the descriptions short, fed into the plot little-by-little and relevant to what is happening. Your readers are smart—they can imagine the rest for themselves! That’s what makes reading fun!

5 – Use the character’s name

The blue-eyed boy has a name for the great purpose of you using it! Literal writing, nine times out of ten, is better! Green orbs are distracting, but green eyes are to the point and clear. It’s the same with names! The name, title, role (butler, governess etc), or pronouns should always be the default. Any other term should be used sparingly when there is no other alternative.

6 – Abandon the pet names

Yes, pet names are cute and fun, but not when they’re in every sentence of conversation. Things like “babe”, “baby”, “sugarpuff sunshine fairy” should be used SPARINGLY. I can assure you, the love interests saying it once or twice in the novel will have a far greater impact on the reader than if they say it every time they call their partner. An overuse of pet names becomes distracting and make the character seem both immature and a caricature. It also has a similar effet to repeating the other person’s name during a conversation—it leads to unnatural dialogue as we only really say the other person’s name to them in order to get their attention.

7 – Immature characters

This is a biiiiig one in fanfiction. You may see characters who are adults in their mid to late twenties but who still behave like teenagers. Granted, if you are a teenage writer, this can’t always be corrected, though it does become apparent to any reader over the age of eighteen.

Truth be told, adults mature and don’t react as overtly as many poorly-written characters do. A twenty-eight year old is very unlikely to tell two teenagers who are making out at the kitchen table to “get a room”, nor are they likely to be victim of some horrible miscommunication that leads to a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers situation. Of course, it is still possible, though it does read as unrealistic and makes it apparent that the author has not yet reached the age of the character they are writing about. Take reference from real people around the age of your characters and if all else fails, you could always look for the possibility to age them down.

The point of correcting these mistakes is to create a novel that is easy to understand without the reader feeling as though they’re swimming through mud. Publishers look for clear, consise books that tell one story from start to finish!

Good luck!

Me: omg I’m so hyped about this new story idea!! I can’t wait to write this is gonna be epic!!!

Me when I sit down to write: wait, what? Why do I do the thing what why?

You know when your friend brings hot cocoa spiked with Bailey’s Irish Cream, it’s going to be a kick-ass December hike. Thanks for a great day, Jody A. Kessler! And you too, Courtney Farrell! ❤️

mikmusings:

what she says: I’m a writer

what she means: I have approx 2647 plot/character ideas floating around my head at any given time but there is no way in hell my disorganised ass is getting any of this down on paper any time soon

When someone (who doesn’t write) complains about how hard it is to write something:

Tomorrow, Demon Age begins. Follow the story on MediumandWattpad. 

Find out more about the debut digital fantasy from E.B. Johnson. 

When that character isn’t quite turning out how you wanted:

When that character isn’t quite turning out how you wanted:

The 10 Secrets to Character Development

I get a lot of questions about how to create well rounded characters, so — here you go!

Check out this list of the 10 best ways to create memorable characters. Researched especially for you, my lovely #Writerblr family.

The 10 Secrets to Character Development