#CreativeWriting

[s-soulwriter]

Writing Angsty Scenes Without Making Them Cringe

Alright, so we all love a good angsty moment, right? That scene where everything feels like it's falling apart, emotions are running high, and your character's world is just burning around them. But… writing those scenes without slipping into "oh no, not this again" territory? Yeah, it can be tricky.

Angst is powerful, no doubt, but it can get cringey fast if you’re not careful. So, how do you make your readers feel the hurt without rolling their eyes at the drama? Here are some thoughts (because we’ve all been there)

1. Keep It Real No one—and I mean no one—has perfectly poetic, life-altering thoughts while they’re in the middle of an emotional meltdown. If your character’s going through it, make sure their reactions feel raw, maybe even messy. Show us their confusion, anger, and fear in a way that makes sense for them. Don’t just throw in a monologue about the meaning of life or have them collapse in a rainstorm. (Unless it’s really necessary. Then, okay, fine, but be careful!)

2. The Little Details Hit Harder Sometimes, it’s the small, unexpected details that pack the biggest punch. Instead of a dramatic sobbing fit, maybe your character’s hands shake as they try to make a cup of tea or they notice a tiny crack in the wall that they never noticed before because they’re spiraling. It’s those little, relatable moments that make the angst feel real, not overdone.

3. Embrace the Quiet Moments It doesn’t always have to be yelling or crying to show that your character is struggling. Silence can be loud. Sometimes it’s the things unsaid that carry the most weight. Maybe your character withdraws, or they’re stuck staring at the ceiling for hours. A pause in the conversation, a long sigh, or a blank stare can be just as gut-wrenching as full-on breakdowns.

4. Avoid the Obvious Clichés (If You Can) Okay, this one’s a bit tricky. It’s not that you can’t ever have rain scenes or broken mirrors (I see you, “symbolism”), but if you’re gonna go there, give it a twist. Maybe instead of staring out a window during a storm, they’re in a brightly lit, overly cheerful room that just doesn’t match how they’re feeling. Play with contrasts. Make the environment work against their mood rather than mirroring it perfectly.

5. Let the Angst Breathe Don’t feel like you need to dump all the angst in one scene. Let it stretch out a bit. Give your characters space to process (or fail to process) over time. A lot of times, readers will feel more for a character who’s quietly unraveling over several chapters than one who explodes all at once. It makes the eventual breakdown hit harder when it does happen.

6. People Are Weird When They’re Hurting They joke at the wrong times. They say things they don’t mean. They shut people out, or they get way too clingy. Don’t be afraid to make your characters react in unexpected or contradictory ways—people do that when they’re feeling too much. Let your characters be complicated, because real people are.

7. Subtle Can Be Stronger Not every angsty scene needs a screaming match or someone running away dramatically. Sometimes, a single line of dialogue or a character’s slight change in expression can hit like a freight train. Try letting things simmer. Hold back when it feels like you should go big, and you might surprise yourself (and your readers) with how much more intense it feels.

[jaggedjawjosh]

In the quiet storm of his resolve, he led with a heart aflame, weaving dreams into paths unseen, his determination a lighthouse in shadowed seas.

[beforeyearning]

after the sunset.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

3 Writing Mistakes That Make Your Scenes Fall Flat

so you wrote a scene. it exists. but it kinda… just sits there.

you’re not alone 😭 i just dropped a carousel post on insta about: “3 Writing Mistakes That Make Your Scenes Fall Flat”

it’s giving tough love + practical fixes for scenes that: — feel like filler — are technically fine but emotionally hollow — have movement but no change

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TheWriteEdvice | Writing Tips | Writer Coach (@thewriteedvice)

📊 poll time: which mistake are YOU guilty of?

💬 let me know in the tags or replies which one called you out the most 🕯️ or tag your writer mutual who needs a scene intervention

[shanswriting]

pockets are empty, dreams on hold

bills stack high, and the nights feel cold i chase the hours, but they slip away working for pennies, day after day

i need the money, it’s all i can see freedom’s a price that’s too high for me counting the minutes, waiting for more but the struggle’s the same as the day before

[koreanthroughfiction]

할아버지의 인터넷 정복기 - Grandfather's Internet Conquest Chronicles

"내 손녀가 '시대에 맞춰가야 한다'고 했어. 3주가 지난 지금, 200만 명의 십대들이 나를 '홀섬 킹'이라고 부르는데, 둘 중 뭐가 더 모욕적인지 모르겠다."

[My granddaughter said I needed to 'get with the times.' Three weeks later, I'm being called a 'wholesome king' by two million teenagers, and I don't know which part insults me more.]

이 모든 난리는 에밀리가 내 폰에 그 빌어먹을 틱톡이란 걸 깔면서 시작됐다. 그게 "정신을 ���발하게 해줄 거"라고 했다. 마치 40년 동안 폭탄 해체하는 일이 내 정신을 충분히 날카롭게 만들어주지 않은 것처럼 말이다. 하지만 그 애가 그런 표정을 지었다 - 할머니가 예전에 짓곤 했던 그 표정 - 그래서 난 고개를 끄덕이고 관심 있는 척했다.

[The whole mess started when Emily installed that damn TikTok thing on my phone. Said it would "keep my mind active." As if forty years of defusing bombs hadn't kept my mind sharp enough. But she had that look—the same one her grandmother used to give me—so I nodded and pretended to care.]

내가 올린 첫 영상은 열리지 않는 피클 병에 욕을 하는 거였다. 녹화되고 있다는 것도 몰랐다. 에밀리가 내가 그 병과 씨름하는 동안 폰을 세워뒀는데, 내 헝클어진 회색 머리는 여느 때처럼 아인슈타인처럼 보였다. "군대에서 30년을 있었는데," 난 그 병을 향해 으르렁거렸다. "네가 날 이길 수 있을 거라 생각해? 난 음식물 분쇄기도 겁먹을 만한 걸 먹어봤다고."

[First video I posted was me cursing at a jar of pickles that wouldn't open. Didn't even know I was being recorded. Emily had propped up my phone while I wrestled with the thing, my wild gray hair doing its usual Einstein impression. "Thirty years in the military," I growled at the jar, "and you think you can outlast me? I've eaten things that would make a garbage disposal nervous."]

결국 그 병이 이겼다. 고무 그립을 써야 했다.

[The jar won. I had to use the rubber grip thing.]

24시간이 지나고 에밀리가 전화해서 내가 바이럴이 됐다고 소리를 질렀다. 난 내가 코로나에 걸린 줄 알았다.

[Twenty-four hours later, Emily called, screaming something about me going viral. I thought I'd caught COVID.]

"아니야, 할아버지! 트렌딩이에요! 조회수가 50만이나 돼요!"

["No, Grandpa! You're trending! Half a million views!"]

알고 보니 사람들은 이 늙은이가 절인 오이와 싸워서 지는 걸 완전 재밌어했다. 댓글엔 "이분 꼭 지켜드려야 해" 랑 "할아버지 에���지 뿜뿜" 같은 말들이 가득했다. 도대체 그게 무슨 뜻인지 알 수가 있나.

[Turns out, people found it hilarious—this angry old coot losing a battle with preserved cucumbers. The comments were full of things like "protect him at all costs" and "grandfather energy intensifies." What in the sam hill does that even mean?]

정신을 차려보니 에밀리는 날 "리액션 비디오"라는 걸 찍게 만들었다. 내가 백플립하는 사람들을 보고 (멍청이들), 요즘 은어를 이해하려 하고 ("노캡"이 거짓말 안 한다는 뜻이라고? "솔직히"라고 하면 될 걸), 에너지 드링크를 리뷰하는 ("배터리를 설탕물에 녹인 맛이군") 영상들이었다.

[Before I knew it, Emily had me doing what she called "reaction videos." Me watching people doing backflips (idiots), trying to understand modern slang ("no cap" means they're not lying? What happened to just saying "honestly"?), and reviewing energy drinks ("Tastes like someone melted a battery in sugar water").]

내 가장 인기 있는 영상? 이 어린 녀석들한테 병원식 모서리로 침대를 제대로 정리하는 법을 가르쳐주는 거였다. "동전을 던졌을 때 튀어 오를 정도가 돼야 해. 그래도 아직 부족해!" 내가 카메라를 향해 고함을 쳤다. "그리고 네 목숨이 걸린 것처럼 그 모서리를 단단히 접어. 언젠가는 진짜 그럴 수도 있으니까!"

[My most popular video? Me teaching these young punks how to properly make a bed with hospital corners. "If you can bounce a quarter off it, it's still not tight enough," I barked at the camera. "And tuck in those corners like your life depends on it, because one day, it might!"]

댓글들이 미쳤다:

[The comments were wild:]

"화가 난 게 아니라 우리 침대 정리 실력이 실망스러우신 거야 😭"

["He's not mad, he's just disappointed in our bed-making skills 😭"]

"2025년에 우리에게 필요했던 에너지다"

["This is the energy we needed in 2025"]

"POV: 너의 할아버지가 몰래 주인공이었음"

["POV: Your grandpa is secretly the main character"]

에밀리가 POV가 무슨 뜻인지 설명하려고 했는데, 난 내 뇌가 귀에서 새어나오기 전에 그만하라고 했다.

[Emily tried explaining what POV means, but I told her to stop before my brain started leaking out my ears.]

지난���엔 마트에서 어떤 애가 내 사인을 해달라고 했다. 난 그 애한테 침대를 제대로 정리하는 걸 보여주면 영수증에 사인해주겠다고 했다. 불쌍한 녀석, 마치 내가 다빈치 코드를 해독하라고 한 것처럼 보였다.

[Last week, some kid at the grocery store asked for my autograph. I told him I'd sign his receipt if he showed me he could make his bed properly. Poor kid looked like I'd asked him to decode the Da Vinci Code.]

이제 에밀리는 "수익 창출"이니 "브랜드 딜"이니 하는 얘기를 하고 있다. 어떤 매트리스 회사가 자기네 제품을 홍보해달라고 한다는군. 나한테 말이다! 평생 반은 돌덩이 위에서 자면서 그걸 호화로운 숙소라고 불렀던 바로 그 사람한테.

[Now Emily's talking about "monetization" and "brand deals." Apparently, some mattress company wants me to promote their products. Me! The same guy who spent half his career sleeping on rocks and calling it luxury accommodation.]

진짜 웃긴 건? 내 옛 부대에서 이 소식을 들었다는 거다. 존슨 상사한테 문자가 왔다: "상관님, 죄송하지만, 이제 틱톡 스타가 되셨다고요? 세상이 정말 미쳐가나 봅니다."

[The real kicker? My old unit caught wind of it. Got a text from Johnson, my former sergeant major: "Sir, with all due respect, you're a TikTok star now? The world really has gone to hell."]

난 에밀리가 가르쳐준 그 바보같은 춤을 추는 영상을 보내줬다, 그저 그를 고통스럽게 하려고.

[I sent back a video of me doing that stupid dance Emily taught me, just to watch him suffer.]

아마도 이 "시대에 맞춰가는" 것도 그렇게 나쁘진 않은 것 같다. 하지만 누군가 날 한 번만 더 "베스티"라고 부르면, 인터넷을 통째로 지워버릴 거다. 젠장맞을 인터넷 전체를. 방법은 찾아내겠지.

[Maybe this "getting with the times" thing isn't so bad after all. Though if one more person calls me "bestie," I'm deleting the internet. The whole damn thing. I'm sure I can figure out how.]

적어도 그 피클 병은 이제 유명해졌다. 아직도 안 열린 채로 내 선반에 트로피처럼 놓여있다. 어떤 싸움은 품위 있게 지는 거고, 어떤 싸움은 콘텐츠로 만드는 거다. 에밀리 말로는 ���렇다나. 난 그냥 복수라고 부르지만.

[At least the pickle jar is now famous. It sits on my shelf like a trophy, still unopened. Some battles you lose with dignity, and some you turn into content. That's what Emily calls it anyway. I just call it revenge.]

요즘 애들이 뭔가를 알고 있는 것 같다, 비록 침대는 제대로 정리할 줄 모르지만. 하지만 에밀리한텐 내가 이런 말 했다고 하지 마라. 내 명성을 지켜야 하니까.

[The kids these days might be onto something, even if they can't make their beds worth a damn. But don't tell Emily I said that. I've got a reputation to maintain.]

이제 실례하지만, 난 "POV: 군대 할아버지가 너의 게이밍 셋업을 평가한다"라는 걸 찍어야 한다고 한다. 그게 뭔진 모르겠지만. 이 녀석들 케이블 정리가 제대로 안 돼있으면 혼쭐을 내줄 거다.

[Now, if you'll excuse me, apparently I need to film something called a "POV: Military grandpa rates your gaming setup." Whatever that means. These kids better have their cables properly managed, or they're in for an earful.]

[laurachouettepoetry]

I cannot write in the stillness of life. My ink must be drawn from chaos And utter difficulty. The page must tremble in unsteady hands, While the lips quiver words of unrest — Truth lies in uneven lines. - Laura Chouette

[mpalimpsest]

Hummingbird Nectar

The tentative kindness… sheltered gift In the nook of your arm softly cocooned beckoning… As if to say reserved for you…

Nectar…

Structured Rooted Strength All together a more robust Presence… Softness in dimmed spaces Where mushrooms grow… Amusing the forest sprite.

N e c t a r

The consistency of speed Feels One note… Dimension lies within the transition Of Every Single Movement Yet, holding still primed to receive

Nectar E C T A Ratcen

Made of honey. . . dew

Brooding obsidian eyes a l m o s t… lighten by sunlight, b e c o m i n g toasty brown Surprise, Surprise,

Nectar.

[halimamis]

Who relates?

The plot ideas in my head: incredible, beautiful, award-winning

My plot ideas when I write them down: dumpster fire

[citate]

@citate

[s-soulwriter]

Things Real People Do in Dialogue (For Your Next Story)

Okay, let’s be real—dialogue can make or break a scene. You want your characters to sound natural, like actual humans talking, not robots reading a script. So, how do you write dialogue that feels real without it turning into a mess of awkward pauses and “ums”? Here’s a little cheat sheet of what real people actually do when they talk (and you can totally steal these for your next story):

1. People Interrupt Each Other All the Time In real conversations, nobody waits for the perfect moment to speak. We interrupt, cut each other off, and finish each other's sentences. Throw in some overlaps or interruptions in your dialogue to make it feel more dynamic and less like a rehearsed play.

2. They Don’t Always Say What They Mean Real people are masters of dodging. They’ll say one thing but mean something totally different (hello, passive-aggressive banter). Or they’ll just avoid the question entirely. Let your characters be vague, sarcastic, or just plain evasive sometimes—it makes their conversations feel more layered.

3. People Trail Off... We don’t always finish our sentences. Sometimes we just... stop talking because we assume the other person gets what we’re trying to say. Use that in your dialogue! Let a sentence trail off into nothing. It adds realism and shows the comfort (or awkwardness) between characters.

4. Repeating Words Is Normal In real life, people repeat words when they’re excited, nervous, or trying to make a point. It’s not a sign of bad writing—it’s how we talk. Let your characters get a little repetitive now and then. It adds a rhythm to their speech that feels more genuine.

5. Fillers Are Your Friends People say "um," "uh," "like," "you know," all the time. Not every character needs to sound polished or poetic. Sprinkle in some filler words where it makes sense, especially if the character is nervous or thinking on their feet.

6. Not Everyone Speaks in Complete Sentences Sometimes, people just throw out fragments instead of complete sentences, especially when emotions are high. Short, choppy dialogue can convey tension or excitement. Instead of saying “I really think we need to talk about this,” try “We need to talk. Now.”

7. Body Language Is Part of the Conversation Real people don’t just communicate with words; they use facial expressions, gestures, and body language. When your characters are talking, think about what they’re doing—are they fidgeting? Smiling? Crossing their arms? Those little actions can add a lot of subtext to the dialogue without needing extra words.

8. Awkward Silences Are Golden People don’t talk non-stop. Sometimes, they stop mid-conversation to think, or because things just got weird. Don’t be afraid to add a beat of awkward silence, a long pause, or a meaningful look between characters. It can say more than words.

9. People Talk Over Themselves When They're Nervous When we’re anxious, we tend to talk too fast, go back to rephrase what we just said, or add unnecessary details. If your character’s nervous, let them ramble a bit or correct themselves. It’s a great way to show their internal state through dialogue.

10. Inside Jokes and Shared History Real people have history. Sometimes they reference something that happened off-page, or they share an inside joke only they get. This makes your dialogue feel lived-in and shows that your characters have a life beyond the scene. Throw in a callback to something earlier, or a joke only two characters understand.

11. No One Explains Everything People leave stuff out. We assume the person we’re talking to knows what we’re talking about, so we skip over background details. Instead of having your character explain everything for the reader’s benefit, let some things go unsaid. It’ll feel more natural—and trust your reader to keep up!

12. Characters Have Different Voices Real people don’t all talk the same way. Your characters shouldn’t either! Pay attention to their unique quirks—does one character use slang? Does another speak more formally? Maybe someone’s always cutting people off while another is super polite. Give them different voices and patterns of speech so their dialogue feels authentic to them.

13. People Change the Subject In real life, conversations don’t always stay on track. People get sidetracked, jump to random topics, or avoid certain subjects altogether. If your characters are uncomfortable or trying to dodge a question, let them awkwardly change the subject or ramble to fill the space.

14. Reactions Aren’t Always Immediate People don’t always respond right away. They pause, they think, they hesitate. Sometimes they don’t know what to say, and that delay can speak volumes. Give your characters a moment to process before they respond—it’ll make the conversation feel more natural.

Important note: Please don’t use all of these tips in one dialogue at once.

[jaggedjawjosh]

In nurturing my health, I find balance; in balancing my life, I find strength. I choose harmony over haste, growth over perfection.

[beforeyearning]

a victim of my own want.

My tongue knots itself in grief—the body is the physical embodiment of

tragedy. Given a choice, in the afterlife, I think I would like to spend some

time as a tender ghost, not a wailing one. I love what I can’t have. I would

like to fall in love with the beauty of the mundane things—I want to see

someone bite into a crisp juicy apple on a summer evening in delight. I

want to see someone fall in love for the first time. I want to see someone

fall in love for the last time. I want to see a dog curled up at the foot of a

bed in a deep sleep. I want to see the evening light through your eyes.

I want. I want. I want.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

✨ new carousel post just dropped on @.thewriteedvice 🕯️

if your scenes feel… flat? limp? like they exist but don’t do anything?? yeah. this one’s for you.

🎯 “3 Writing Mistakes That Make Your Scenes Fall Flat” (it’s giving: harsh truth but make it fixable)

🔎 what’s inside: — the reason your scenes drag — the line writers cross right before they lose the reader — how to actually write conflict without over-explaining everything

plus: a lil save-worthy checklist at the end (you know i got you)

📌 read it on instagram → https://www.instagram.com/thewriteedvice

tag a mutual who starts every scene with “she woke up” or save it for the next time you’re rewriting chapter 4 for the 7th time 😭

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TheWriteEdvice | Writing Tips | Writer Coach (@thewriteedvice)

[lorienfae]

Blur of a whirl, swirling in a murmur of voices, cacophony strewn forth in v-shaped wing-flight —

love is just an echo shaping energy into rain and haloes, water running down my face, like tears, as heart effaces the silence in orbit —

pulsing

— and we all forget to spin, because love feels so still, love feels so still.

© Anna S. 2024