Let’s go work for our dreams and kick some butt while we’re at it!

How I got a handle on my mental health

In honor of mental health awareness month, I thought I’d finally share the story of how I dealt with my anxiety and depression.

My review of Anna K. by Jenny Lee

Sex, drugs and Newfoundlands: my review of Jenny Lee’s take on Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. Click the link above to read all about it

Happy Buddha Day ☸️️

“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”

–E. B. White

A Guide to Slashing Word Count

A while back, I posted a compilation of advice that I’d received from other writers before trying to cut down my 120,000 word YA fantasy manuscript. Six months later, it’s at 100,000 – a far more acceptable number. It was a brutal task, but a necessary one and I’m here to share the key strategies that helped me cut the big chunks:

• Cut Characters – Big cast? Remove subplot-only bois and mains who either don’t influence the plot or whose role could be carried out by another.
• Cut Scenes – If they don’t directly advance the plot, cut completely. If they serve some purpose, try merging scenes to reduce intro/outro/location content. One long scene is shorter than two short scenes.
• Reduce Locations – Within a chapter, visit as few locations as possible to avoid extra descriptions. This is also relevant across the book, as you won’t need to go into detail about a location more than once.
• Cut Pre Scene and Post Scene – This can either be by starting the scene later (getting straight to the point) and ending it earlier or condensing the pre and post scene content. As a rule of thumb, a pre-scene should be 500 max.
• Have Clear Motivations – If your characters’ motivations are too complex, explaining/showing them will take up too much space. Nuance can grow over time.
• Get to the Heart of Your Story – Carrying on from the last point, maybe try writing a pitch and synopsis so that you better understand what’s at the heart of your story, that way you can whittle down anything outside of that with the brutality needed for reducing word count.

Now, go forth and kill your darlings!

Then come back for part 2 where I’ll be talking about the line-level (micro) cuts that really do add up!

Tips for New Writers

After some time off to finish uni and recover, the writing tips are back! I had some requests for this post so whether you’re new to writing or looking to start, here are my top tips.

1. Start a Passion Project

If you’re hung up over your first story getting published, you’ll start to hate it. Your first project should be something you love enough to finish it for you. I honestly recommend fanfiction as it’s a great way to get early feedback and become used to critique, but an own story is just as good as long as you join a critique group.

2. Join a Writing Community

Whether that’s on Instagram, Tumblr, a real-life society, or somewhere else entirely, there are many reasons to join the writer’s community with a platform of your own. It’s the best way to find Critique Partners (CPs), Beta Readers, as well as a wealth of tips that will improve your writing.

3. Explore Planning Methods

You’ll need to use trial and error to decide what works best for you. Try fully outlining, diving straight in, Beat Sheets, Flash Cards, Ten Steps Ahead, or even just making lists of what you want to show. One will work for you, but it’s different for everyone.

4.Write

Write as often as you can. Nothing makes writing stronger than practice. It doesn’t have to be “good” or neat or pretty, but words should go on the page. Don’t let your insecurities keep you from filling that blank page.

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Hi everyone! My apologies for the inactivity! I’ve been busy adulting but I wanted to pop on here and say thank you so much for 1.2K! I’ve been growing followers despite the hiatus!

I will start posting tips soon! I promise!

I got 1K followers!? I know it’s not a lot to some of you but it is to me!

Thank you everyone who follows! It means millions!

Dive in Deeper: Cliffhanger

hello, hello. how is everyone doing? I hope you’re all doing fantastic!

I have done a topic before on cliffhangers, but if you haven’t checked it out link is below!

How to Write a Cliffhanger: 14 Tips for Writing Page-Turning Cliffhangers With Dan Brown and R.L. Stine

Let start shall we?

What Is a Cliffhanger?

• is a plot device in which a component of a story ends unresolved, usually in a suspenseful or shocking way, in order to compel audiences to turn the page or return to the story in the next installment
• usually fall into two categories:

1. The main character comes face-to-face with a dangerous or possibly life-threatening situation.
2. A shocking revelation comes to light, threatening to alter the course of the narrative.

There you have it you guys! A short post only because i already had an entire post dedicated to cliffhangers!

Like, comment and share if you find this helpful!

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Oh, wow crazy! I just noticed I reached 900 followers! Thank you all! I’ve been busy to post but I will never forget about all of you!

Dive in Deeper: Anachronism

hello, hello! bonjour! hope everyone had a wonderful past weekend! I know I haven’t been posting and I apologize, but I haven’t forgotten about all of you!

today we dive in deeper to a past post I made:

22 Essential Literary Devices and How to Use Them In Your Writing

go check out this post and be caught up to speed!!

let’s begin!

What Is An Anachronism?

• is a literary device that places someone or something associated with a particular time in history in the wrong time period

There are two literary terms that are closely related to anachronism:

1. Juxtaposition. Similar to anachronism, juxtaposition means placing two things side by side for comparison.
2. Archaism. The use of outmoded language for a stylistic effect. For example, replacing “you” with “thou.”

3 Different Types of Anachronism

There are three different types of anachronisms; each serves a different purpose.

1. Parachronism. Anything that appears in the wrong time period. This could be an object, a colloquial expression, or a social custom associated with a specific time period appearing in the wrong era or outside of its general use. For example, a modern-day person using a washboard to clean clothes instead of a washing machine.
2. Prochronism. Considered an impossible anachronism, this relates to something—an object or concept—used in a literary work or movie long before its invention (like a microwave in the Stone Age).
3. Behavioral or cultural anachronism. Bringing archaic objects or ideas into the modern-day as an aesthetic choice. For example, a person carrying a conversation in Latin in the twenty-first century.

3 Different Uses for Anachronism

Anachronisms appear in literature, film, and everyday life. Here are three popular uses for anachronism.

• Make a statement. For example, a Russian commemorative coin depicting the 1945 meeting of Soviet and American troops at Torgau, in Germany, depicts a 50-star U.S. flag. However, at the time, the real U.S. flag only had 48 stars.
• Add humor. The 2004 movie Napoleon Dynamite took place in 2004, but the characters were dressed in clothing from the eighties. They had VCRs, cordless phones, and danced to eighties music—which all added to the protagonist’s social anxiety and sense of displacement.
• Break the fourth wall. In the Western satire film Blazing Saddles, set in the year 1874, director Mel Brooks has the characters break through a wall—both real and metaphysical—to reveal a Hollywood production set.

there you have it folks! if you find this useful like, comment or reblog!

feel free to repost on Instagram and tag me perpetualstories

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Dive in Deeper: Allusion

hello, everyone! Long time no post! I haven’t forgotten about all of you! I’ve just been very busy!

What is an Allusion?

• an allusion is a figure of speech that refers to a famous person, place, or historical event—either directly or through implication
• are used as stylistic devices to help contextualize a story by referencing a well-known person, place, event, or another literary work

6 Different Types of Literary Allusions

1. Casual reference. An offhand allusion that is not integral to the plot.
2. Single reference. The viewer or reader is meant to infer the connection between the work at hand and the allusion.
3. Self-reference. A reference by the writer to another work of their own.
4. Corrective allusion. A comparison that is openly in opposition to the source material.
5. Apparent reference. An allusion that seems to recall a specific source, but challenges that source.
6. Multiple references or conflation. A variety of allusions that combine cultural traditions in a single work.

How Do You Use Allusion in Writing?

• Character development. Using well-known figures as character inspiration can help to define characters and associate familiarity with the reader. For example, King Triton in The Little Mermaid bears resemblance to Poseidon, the god of the sea.
• Context. An allusion to another work can delineate differences or similarities between the two. The 1999 film The Matrix draws parallels with Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. The film’s protagonist, Neo, follows a character called the “White Rabbit Girl” to a mysterious underworld, much like Alice’s journey to Wonderland.
• Exposition. Allusions can be used to help piece together thrillers or mysteries, offering readers clues that intimate other stories. In Charles Dickens’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood, allusions to Shakespeare’s Macbeth foreshadows the story’s plot and the motivations of its characters.

There you have it! If you found this useful, please like, comment and re-blog.

If you re-post on Instagram feel free to tag me at perpetualstories

Feel free to follow me on Tumblr for more writing and grammar tips and more!