brianno-mango

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A comic about the spectrum of responses to stress - we talk alot about the more extreme ends of this and trauma, but the more subtle and every day responses can be harder to spot. if we can understand our own and other’s responses better, problems Are easier to confront and blaming is less likely to happen :) hope it’s helpful!!

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story outlining methods, pt. 2:

simple story structure!! (eight questions you should know the answer to)

a simple, basic story structure to plan your novel plot. don’t look at how short it is and dismiss it for something lengthier! you will have a hard time planning your story out in depth if you don’t have a good idea of what its basic elements are.

ONE: who is your hero, and what predicament are they in at the start of your story? aka act 1 set up

TWO: what happens to make them need to take action? aka inciting incident

THREE: what changes things as your character starts to take action? aka what drives the story to act 2

FOUR: how are things different for your character now? aka act 2

FIVE: what happens to swing the story in a new direction? aka act 2 midpoint

SIX: how are things getting worse for your character now? during the second half of act 2, the conflict should escalate and stakes should raise

SEVEN: what happens to force your character to make a final push to win? aka the act 3 plot point, setting up for resolution

EIGHT: what happens at the end of the story? where the final conflict happens and the story is resolved

simple as that! once you can answer these vital questions, filling in the rest of the blanks should come quick enough.

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Reblog the writers’ fortune cookie for luck!

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Skirting Around the Awkward Block

Kon-El Week day 5: Young Justice | Villain AU

Summary

“Operation: Kiss the Robin is a go.”

Seguir leyendo

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350+ names that make you/your baby really awesome and cool

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Dami - rough paint to just get some art down

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A Writing Cheat Sheet: for linking actions with emotions. 

As always, click for HD.

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Bruce Wayne would absolutely be the biggest meme in the DC world.

Just imagine it.

A really old picture surfaced from like fifteen years ago. It’s Bruce Wayne yelling at a middle school basketball ref while Dick Grayson face palms in the background.

Jason Todd and Bruce Wayne both flipping off the paparazzi. Jason could be a teenager or everyone could be wondering if it’s Bruce’s dead son. Better yet a side by side image conspiracy.

Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake both asleep at Wayne Enterprises meetings while the board pretends they aren’t there.

Bruce trying ballet with Cass and just failing completely goes up on vine.

Bruce being swarmed by Damian’s pets when he walks downstairs because Alfred was off and no one fed them yet.

A really old picture of a teenage Bruce and Kate slouching against a wall at a gala looking like they’d rather be in a sewer.

Duke trying to explain some new meme to Bruce while he just stares in visible confusion.

Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen smiling at a press conference like their mouths have been wired open and obviously attempting to break each other’s hand as the handshake goes on for an uncomfortably long time.

The possibilities are endless

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how to draw arms ? ? 

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Taking Flight

Pairing: Damian/Jon Timeline: Teenage years Summary: While at his father’s engagement party, Damian indirectly helps Jon fly for the first time. 

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a Concept™ ~

*at Wayne Manor*

Bruce, with a pained expression on his face: i know i’m going to regret this, but what are you doing?

Tim, hiding behind a potted plant with a video camera: ssshhh!! im watching the baby gays interact in their natural habitat

*a few feet away*

Jon: so…you come here often?

Damian: i

Damian: it’s my house

Jon, voice cracking: sO tHaT’s A yEs???

Tim, in that Nature Documentary Voice™: and that…is observed attempt #23 at establishing non-platonic bonds…but unfortunately…it seems to have been ineffective…this adolescent homosexual will have to retreat…and try again…another day…

Bruce:

Bruce: why are you like this?

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not sure what should happen next in your story?

Embarrass your protagonist. Make them seem weak and vulnerable in some way.

Shoot someone. That always takes the reader by surprise. 

In relation, kidnap someone. Or, rather, make it seem to your protagonist like someone has been kidnapped. 

Have one of your side characters disappear or become unavailable for some reason. This will frustrate your protagonist.

Have someone kiss the wrong girl, boy, or person, especially if you’ve been setting up a romance angle. It’s annoying.

If this story involves parents, have them argue. Push the threat of divorce, even if you know it won’t ever happen. It’ll make your readers nervous.

Have someone frame your protagonist for a crime they didn’t commit. This could range from a dispute to a minor crime to a full-blown felony.

If this is a fantasy story involving magic or witchcraft, create a terrible accident that’s a direct result of their spell-casting. 

Injure your protagonist in some way, or push them into a treacherous scenario where they might not make it out alive. 

Have two side characters who are both close to the protagonist get into a literal fist-fight. This creates tension for the reader, especially if these characters are well-developed, because they won’t know who to root for.

Make your protagonist get lost somewhere (at night in the middle of town, in the woods, in someone else’s house, etc.) 

Involve a murder. It can be as in-depth and as important as you want it to be. 

Introduce a new character that seems to prey on your protagonist’s flaws and bring them out to light.

If it’s in-character, have one of your characters get drunk or take drugs. Show the fallout of that decision through your protagonist. 

Spread a rumor about your protagonist. 

If your protagonist is in high-school, create drama in the school atmosphere. A death of a student, even if your protagonist didn’t know them personally, changes the vibe. 

If your story involves children, have one of them do something dangerous (touch a hot stove, run out into the road, etc.) and show how the protagonist responds to this, even if the child isn’t related to them. 

In a fantasy story, toss out the idea of a rebellion or war between clans or villages (or whatever units you are working with). 

Add a scenario where your protagonist has to make a choice. We all have watched movies where we have screamed don’t go in there! at the top of our lungs at the main character. Make them go in there. 

Have your protagonist find something, even if they don’t understand the importance of it yet. A key, a document, an old stuffed animal, etc. 

Foreshadow later events in some way. (Need help? Ask me!)

Have your protagonist get involved in some sort of verbal altercation with someone else, even if they weren’t the one who started it. 

Let your protagonist get sick. No, but really, this happens in real life all the time and it’s rarely ever talked about in literature, unless it’s at its extremes. It could range from a common cold to pneumonia. Maybe they end up in the hospital because of it. Maybe they are unable to do that one thing (whatever that may be) because of it.

Have someone unexpected knock on your protagonist’s door. 

Introduce a character that takes immediate interest in your protagonist’s past, which might trigger a flashback.

Have your protagonist try to hide something from someone else and fail.

Formulate some sort of argument or dispute between your protagonist and their love interest to push them apart. 

Have your protagonist lose something of great value in their house and show their struggle to find it. This will frustrate the reader just as much as the protagonist.

Create a situation where your protagonist needs to sneak out in the middle of the night for some reason.

Prevent your character from getting home or to an important destination in some way (a car accident, a bad storm, flat tire, running out of gas, etc.)

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CH

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They’re not allowed to get interviewed anymore

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movie tropes that will never get old to me:

a thing happens + two people exchanging money in the back

fourth wall breaking

“give up all your weapons” and that one guy that spends the entire evening taking his weights worth out his pockets

*a terribly loud crash* meowing/ car sirens heard offscreen

alternatively: a terribly loud crash and one of the characters going “oops” in the most casual voice

“fuck you” “well if you insist”

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Sé que ahora Dami tiene nuevos trajes pero yo amo este traje de Robin y no pude evitar dibujarlo. Igualmente estoy pensando dibujarlo con los nuevos como el fashionista que es (?

I know Dami has new costumes but this one is my favorite and I couldn’t help but draw it. I’m thinking in drawing the new ones tho.

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Why your book isn’t working

So, you’re working on a book, or maybe you’ve finished it. But you know something just isn’t right, or the first readers didn’t like it. What could be the problem?

1. Story not plot

The issue could be that you have written a story and not a plot.

A story is a string of events occurring one after the other. It’s basically: this and then that and then that etc.

Plot is a series of events/occurrences that are interlinked in a cause-and-effect manner. A happened because of X, which resulted in Y.

Oftentimes, the idea for a new WIP comes to us as snippets of happenings that are random. However, that does not a book make.

A book needs plot. Your events need to follow some pattern or logical consequence of cause and effect. One plot point must give rise to another in a structure that makes sense and ensures maximum interest.

There’s a reason there are so many pre-determined plot structures out there.

If your book is just story and not plot, try to outline the events in a more organised way. Maybe you can consult guides like the 3-Act arc or Save the Cat if you need help.

2. Pacing

Maybe you have a structured plot, where each occurrence is logically and entertainingly linked to the rest, but you don’t pace out those events correctly.

Apart from good structure, the most important aspect of plot is pacing. 

There is an art to writing good stories, and a lot of that involves good timing. You should not litter big event after big event with no space to breathe. You also shouldn’t write 500 pages of nothing.

It’s a difficult balance, but plotting aids could once again help.

I also have a post on conquering pacing, if you want to check that out.

3. Weak characters

This is a fatal mistake.

If you have flat, one-dimensional characters that do not interest your readers, no amount of plotting will save the book.

I know this comes across as harsh, but it really is true. Character is key.

So, if you have no problems with your plot per se, but something still isn’t working, you might want to review your characters.

Are they three-dimensional enough? Do they have strong, identifiable motivations? Do they have interesting combinations of traits and interests? Are they diverse?

You can check out my post on designing a simple character arc if you feel really stuck.

I would also recommend creating character sheets in which you flesh out each character. Personality tests such as MBTI and Enneagram are also great ways to create complicated characters.

4. Too many overused tropes

Everything has been done before. I’m sorry to break it to you. However, not all variations/combinations of things have been done.

It’s okay for your book to feature a cliche or a popular trope. What might be damaging is using a bunch of overused ideas in one book.

There are some elements, like the “wise old wizard” or “the chosen one” or “the answer was inside you all along” that have become distinctly predictable. This is because most people have seen them a thousand times.

This means that your readers won’t be interested in reading further, since they’ll feel like they already know how things will play out. It’s old and boring. The market for these types of stories is also saturated.

So, make sure that you combine elements of storytelling in a somewhat unique and surprising way. No, you don’t have to set out to write something absolutely revolutionary. There should just be some originality - even if it’s just in your writing style.

5. Messy prose

Sometimes the premise, plot and characters of a book are amazing. But you just can’t enjoy reading it. Why? Because the writing is terrible.

Writing inundated with spelling errors, run-on sentences, boring word-choice etc. is very difficult to find entertaining.

Do not allow your good story to be discarded because of messy prose and grammatical errors.

Grammar, spelling and syntax exist for a reason. They facilitate ease of reading.

So, before you put writing out there, use ProWriting Aid or Grammarly, at the very least. If you’re putting it out in a professional capacity, hire a qualified editor.

You don’t want to be labelled a bad writer because of something that is easy to fix.

There are probably many more reasons something could feel off, but these are some of the main ones. Keep in mind that these problems can be fixed. 

Reblog if you found this post useful. Comment with the problems you’ve noticed in writing. Follow me for similar content.