#writing advice

[luna-azzurra]

Real talk, dialogue is where your characters come alive. But here’s the thing, people don’t speak in perfectly crafted sentences. They stutter, they pause, they cut each other off. If your dialogue reads like a speech, you’re doing it wrong. Write conversations that feel like actual people talking, not robots exchanging ideas. Give them quirks, slang, and awkwardness. Sometimes the silence between the words says more than the words themselves. Don’t just use dialogue to tell the reader something, use it to show who your characters really are.

[novlr]

Don't stop at your first draft

If your first draft doesn’t feel finished, that’s because it isn’t. Your finished project will look very different.

Don’t like what you read? Edit it! Then keep editing until you have a book you’re proud of. A great work of fiction is only an edit away.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Editing Your Own Novel

Questions to Consider

Character Development & Motivation

Are the goals and motivations of the protagonist clear?

Are the characters authentic and three dimensional?

Are the characters proactive about achieving their goals?

Are the relationships between the characters well-developed and believable?

Are the character’s voices distinct from one another, and consistent throughout?

Plot & Pacing

Are the stakes high enough to drive the tension throughout the narrative?

Are the plot twists believable, yet unexpected?

Do the characters react realistically to the events of the novel?

Do the events unfold naturally, or are there events that jar or confuse the reader?

Are there sections that lag or bore the reader?

Does every scene drive the story forward?

Are the hooks at the beginning and ends of each chapter effective?

Does the book start and end in the most appropriate places?

Is the story free of info-dumps that slow the action?

Setting

Is the reader provided with a clear sense of place/location?

Is the period of time, and the sense of time passing, clear throughout the manuscript?

Are there sections where there could be more (or less) description of setting?

Voice

Is the voice appropriate for the genre and target audience?

Is the point of view the most appropriate and effective for the story that unfolds?

Is the voice and tone consistent throughout the manuscript?

Is the voice fresh and engaging?

Source Writing References: Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Worldbuilding

[writingwithfolklore]

There's only one reason I didn't give up on my manuscript

For those of you that don't know, I recently finished Draft 13 of my manuscript which was a big one because unlike drafts 1-12, I didn't see a huge glaring problem with it.

Someone in my replies said once, "I keep editing until it 'works'..." and I was like, yes exactly that. I can't explain how I know that it isn't 'working' but I know, and I need to keep going until it does.

So long story short, Draft 13 was that draft--where things finally 'worked' and fit together and read like a story. It took 7 years, and it very nearly didn't happen at all.

Around Draft 4 or 5 I got frustrated with all the major problems I kept running into in each draft. I thought it would just never 'work', that the story I wanted to tell was impossible somehow (??) and I put it away for good. I tried writing something else but my confidence was so shot that I could barely get words on the page for fear of suffering another failed manuscript, and I basically stopped writing altogether for like two years.

I had always told my friends and family that they could read my story when it was finished, but because I had given up on it, it was about as finished as it would ever get, so I relented and sent it to my best friend.

And thank god I did.

She loved it. It was unfinished, and in my eyes a total mess, but she saw through the flaws into the story and exactly what I was trying to do, and told me over and over again that I couldn't give up on it. It took a year of nagging encouragement, a whole lot of cheerleading and getting me excited about my own manuscript again, and a boost to my confidence before I tried to pick it back up again.

And you know what? After all that time, I read over it, and it was not as messy as I had thought. Every problem that felt so insurmountable before had suddenly become small, fixable, workable. It wasn't ruined. It wasn't impossible. I went on to Draft 6 to fix it.

And then Draft 7, 8, and 9 when I got some major feedback that led to 10, 11, 12, and now 13.

All because I sent it to a friend that could see the good in everything and was stubborn enough to keep on me about it until I saw it too.

[novella-november]

Fantasy Discrimination, and The Implications

A post on my dash reminded me to share some more writing advice, so here is a very good article by @mythcreantsblog , about how to make sure you're not dehumanizing a species or culture in your writing, which is a good guide on how to avoid accidentally writing racist or ableist tropes:

In particular, I want to talk about the ever-present racist trope in a lot of fantasy and scifi fiction, and that is the decision a lot of creators make where the villains are not just a single person, a faction, or a kingdom -- *its an entire species* who is not only the villain, but are outright, inherently *evil*.

To start out, here's a political cartoon by Tom Gauld you've probably seen all around tumblr with the name cropped out:

[ID: a political cartoon by Tom Gauld, showing two identical cities and boats mirrored on a river, each with a purple or yellow flag; one side is labled "Our Blessed Homeland, Our Glorious Leader, Our Great Religion, Our Noble Populace, Our Heroic Adventuerers", The other side is labled "Their Barbarous Wastes, Their Wicked Despot, Their Primitive Superstition, Their Backwards Savages, Their Brutish Invaders. End ID]

This political cartoon is a very good tool for testing your writing for the trope of demonizing/glorifying your fantasy/scifi species.

Let's use a classic example: your fantasy setting is made up of the following species: Elves, Dwarves, Humans, and Orcs.

Your Elves are a long-lived, ethereal people who live in secluded, perfect cities, all of them tall, blonde, and blue-eyed, who are extremely wise and making plans that can stretch out over dozens of human generations, and they're the deciders of 90% of politics in your world. Your Dwarves are a short, squat, species who spend their lives working in forges, mines, and laboratories, tirelessly toiling (because they enjoy the hard work, of course!) and selling their products to the Elves who are their largest and wealthiest customer base; Dwarves work hard and studiously for decades at a a time to complete a piece of work in order to fufill the intricate orders from their Elven customers, which is how the majority of them provide for their families, working 16 hour shifts each day for decades per order. Your Humans are far more seperated, and often live on the fringes of what their longer-lived compatriots consider "Civilized Society", often living as Subsistence farmers and hunters, not out of choice, but often due to poor land and lack of resources; the wealthiest of Human cities are usually the capitals where the royals reside and may live in luxury with rich markets and high-quality products and running water, but the vast majority of Humans live in small, poor villages that must rely on traveling merchants to sell what produce and livestock they can spare from their farms in order to buy the supplies they need to live out another year. Your Orcs.... well, they don't really live anywhere, do they? Orcs strongholds can only maintain their grip in hellish wastelands where living is nigh impossible, with all food and water only obtained from outside sources; occasionally, Orcs will attempt to establish base camps in more fertile land, invading neighboring Human, Dwarf, and Elven territory to do so, who quickly unite to expel these vile, dark, brutish invaders lest they steal their daughters, destroy and taint all of the natural resources and steal the few jobs available to the Humans in Dwarven and Elven cities as manual labour and servants.

And Now, take a step back from this world, and take a long, hard look at these species (outside of humans who are just kinda there in the middle and the only ones capable of change because Humans Are Always Special) and societies and what ideas are being reinforced here, especially when the above descriptions are framed as Hard Facts which are both Just and True?

(archived read-more Here)

Elves are morally superior and are always Perfect and Correct,

Dwarves are happy to spend their entire lives toiling in the forges and mines to please their Elven patrons,

and Orcs are Evil Monsters who will rob, murder, and rape any hapless victim who comes their way, so it's better to slaughter them all on sight and kick them out of your cities and towns, and this is the 100% correct morally right choice every single time and the narrative and characters themselves support this?

Did you spot them already, or does the above just seem like a cool, fun fantasy world where Elves are the cool wise good guys and Orcs are the devil's army and can be used as canon fodder any time your main character needs to mow down some enemies for a Badass Scene?

Let's retrace our steps a bit, shall we, and examine this "perfect" world through a critical lens?

When your elves are all portrayed as Perfect Ethereally Beautiful Blonde and Blue-Eyed wise leaders of the civilized world, what idea is being reinforced here? Who does it harm, and what real world ideas is this mirroring and enforcing? Who is going to have their own biases reinforced by this narrative?

When only the longest-lived people are allowed to decide politics, what group biases are being enforced? Is portraying "young people" as "being incapable of making political decisions" as a correct, logical choice in your story something you wish to enforce? Are there any real world issues this trope mirrors?

When your Dwarves are all Happy Workers and Slaves, bound to and reliant on the superior Elves to live, spending the majority of their life purely in service to these Superior Beings while happy to do it, what idea is being reinforced here? Who might see themselves in the plight of the Dwarves and feel alienated and insulted by the Dwarves happily slaving away in the dark? Who might have biased ideas reinforced by seeing the Dwarves treated in such a way?

When your Orcs are portrayed as evil, dark skinned, brutish savages who will kidnap and rape poor helpless women from the "pure" species, when Orcs are incapable of creating anything of their own and can only steal, what racist messages are being enforced and upheld? Who are the real people and cultures being demonized when you perpetuate this? What real world peoples and cultures have faced *decades of propaganda framing them as such*?

If you spotted these harmful messages in the initial indented description, good job!

But if you didn't, it's time to find and read critical reviews and essays written by marginalized communities of works that include these damaging tropes, because if it your Evil Species are Weird Aliens, because when you characterize and describe your Evil Species, you are undoubtedly going to be drawing heavily on your own internal biases of what makes people Other and Wrong.

Are your Evil Species all dark-skinned, physically-strong and animalistic? Congrats, you have just regurgitated centuries-old racism that justifies slavery, segregation, and discrimination *to this day*

Are your Evil Species all nomadic ~cannibals~ who are incapable of creating anything of their own and have to loot and steal from others to have anything of value? Congrats, you are once again regurgitating racist propoganda that has been used against countless cultures and minorities for centuries.

Are your Evil Species reknowned for kidnapping and raping the women of your Good Guys in order to create Evil Twisted Halfbreed Offspring for ....uh, reasons? Congrats, once again, this is literally just racist propaganda being reinforced by your writing.

Anything you come up with to make your Species Inherently Evil is going to most likely be something that is weaponized against real world minorities that you are now reinforcing with your writing, from racism to ableism to queerphobia and all the ways they intersect.

How do you fix this?

It's incredibly simple!

Don't make an entire Species be Inherently Evil.

They need to be just as varied as real living people.

Your Species should not be a Monolith, let alone of *Evil*.

Your Species should not have their only "decent/civilized/kind people" examples come from ""crossbreeds"" [and this term itself should be used only by bigots as a deragatory term] or random orphans who were raised by one of the Good Species(tm)-- this is how your story starts advocating for *eugenics*, which is not something you want to do!

So, instead of having an entire Species be "Inherently biologically" Evil, consider instead:

Making your villain group diverse instead of all one Species.

if your villain group is a Species Supremacist, they're probably still going to have underlings and lower castes who do their dirty work, or have been taken in by the cult ideology.

Making the villains of this Species be a small fraction of a larger whole, who are part of a violent cult, ideology, or political party that not only puts them in conflict with your main characters, but also with the rest of their Species.

Having your main character or their friends be the same Species as your villain group, and they represents the vast majority of the Species, instead of hailing them as "the Paragon of Goodness who emerged somehow pure from of a species forged in hell" or anything similar.

You should also sit down and not only think about the harmful, racist tropes that would come from writing Inherently Evil Species, but also consider:

Why do you want to include an entire species of people who are inherently evil in your novel?

Is your novel gaining anything for including these tropes uncritically?

Does it make it a better, more interesting story to include these tropes uncritically?

What message are you trying to send with your story?

Does including these tropes uncritically in your story *undermine* your intended message?

Another trope in the opposite direction, is talking about "Oppression" and "Fantasy Racism" from the perspective of a character who is part of the oppressed minority, only to spend the entire novel talking about how your Opressed Class are Literally and Factually threats to the population that "discriminate" against them, usually by being rightfully wary in their prescence.

if the Oppressed Minorities in your story in anyway resemble the Orcs in Bright, the Predators in Zootopia, or the Khajiit in the Elderscrolls, where the Racism these peoples face in based on hard proven facts that these people have been and still are threats to most of the population..

... you're less writing a story about how "Racism Against Vulnerable Minorities is Bad"

and sound more like you're saying

"It's bad to be "mean" (afraid of) Nazis who literally want you dead and who can kill you with impunity and no consequences."

If you are writing a story about Fantasy Discrimination, and the basis of your Fantasy Discrimination is based on *cold hard facts that your narrative supports and upholds*, instead of actually basing it on and talking about what leads to discrimination in the real world

(xenophobia and the fear+hatred of The Other, economic gain, mainly),

then you are not making the progressive stance that you think you are, and instead are enforcing the ancient propoganda that racism is based on fact, that racism is "for a good reason", and you need to take care that you are not upholding this idea in your works.

TL;DR:

Instead of making an entire Species of people a trope of Wise Good Guys or Evil Incarnate, consider using *Factions not Races* for your groups, and think long and hard about the implications of your world's politics and how it mirrors our own world, especially in ways *you may not intend it to.* If your story is meant to be progressive and inclusive, but your villains are an entire race of black orcs who slave and rape the good guys species, you need to go back to the drawing board.

[hold-on-a-little-longer-whump]

Whump and writing community - I'm seeking your input.

Hopefully there'll be some responses waiting for me when I get off work, but here's the question:

What is a valid reason for a team to drop off one teammate to go rescue another teammate that was left behind due to injury, instead of them all going together?

(for context: it's for a Call of Duty fanfic, so take that as you will)

[luna-azzurra]

Date Gone Wrong Prompts

The restaurant forgot their reservation, leaving them stuck outside in the pouring rain, but neither wants to admit they’re frustrated.

He’s running late, and she’s stuck awkwardly waiting at the restaurant alone. Just when she's about to leave, he shows up, soaked from the sudden downpour.

Their car breaks down on the way to the fancy restaurant, and they end up sitting by the side of the road, trying to laugh through the bad luck.

He tries to impress her by choosing a trendy restaurant, only for both of them to discover they can’t stand the food. They end up ordering pizza at her place instead.

She trips and spills her drink all over him during the dinner, her face turning beet red, but he just starts laughing, telling her it's the most memorable date he's ever had.

His ex works at the restaurant they’re dining at, and things get awkward fast when she keeps dropping by the table, not-so-subtly trying to make conversation.

She excitedly drags him to a karaoke bar for their date, but halfway through her song, she notices he’s cringing hard, too embarrassed to participate.

They end up in the wrong theater and sit through the entirety of a horror film when they were expecting a rom-com.

He gets lost trying to drive her home after the date and stubbornly refuses to admit it, resulting in a very awkward silence in the car as she navigates.

She gets sick halfway through the date but tries to play it off, until she’s forced to admit it when she nearly faints at the table.

[novlr]

How can I write an effective argument between characters?

Conflict and convincing dialogue are the keystones of any good character argument. But you also need to know your characters pretty well. Here's a checklist to make sure you're writing the most effective argument possible:

What is the purpose of my argument that benefits my story overall?

What causes the argument and why?

What is each character’s goal at the beginning of the argument? Do the goals conflict with each other?

What is the main point each character wants to get across while arguing?

How willing is each character to get their point across (whether they win or lose the argument)?

How willing is each character to win their side of the argument?

Is each character willing to hurt another character physically or mentally?

How are your characters actively acting and reacting to the pressure and argument? Why?

Does each character’s goal change during the argument? If so, to what and why?

What is the end outcome of the argument? Did a character “win?” Did each character get their point across? Did each character achieve their goal(s)? Why or why not? How does each character feel now after the argument?

We go into a lot more detail in the post linked below:

[literaryvein-reblogs]

More Writing Notes: On Fight Scenes

5 Tips for Your Novel’s Fight Scenes

Only Choose to Fight Characters That Your Readers Care About

In order to create an effective, heart-tugging scene, your reader needs to actually care about at least one of the people in the fight scene.

Choose the Right Perspective

When penning your fight scene, think of the reader’s perspective.

Even if you’re writing from third person universal, you should choose a specific character and describe the actions from his or her perspective.

The reader needs to have someone to root for and again, this is best done by choosing the point of view of one character.

Bring the Reader Into the Action

Because the reader will need to use your cues to reconstruct the fight scene in their mind, you should invite them to actively participate in the story.

Set the scene, provide minimal stage direction, and then leave the fine details up to the reader’s imagination.

Don’t get too precise with the fight descriptions.

Avoid Confusion

Fights can get confusing quickly.

Make it clear what’s happening in the beginning by showing exactly who’s involved in the fight and their physical relation to each other.

Also, remove extra characters that can negatively impact the pacing of your story.

Discuss the Aftermath

Now that the fight is over, what happens next?

How did the characters fare?

Remember to explore characterization and how the fight has affected each character’s internal and external goals.

Source Writing Notes: Fight Scenes (pt. 1) Word Lists: Fight ⚜ Poking/Hitting ⚜ Panting ⚜ Running ⚜ Pain

[olis-inkwell-symposium]

The Power of the Unseen: Embracing Ambiguity in Fantasy Writing

In fantasy writing, ambiguity and the unknown are powerful tools that allow readers to dive deeper into the story’s world, using their own imaginations to fill in the gaps. When handled skillfully, ambiguity can create an immersive and personal reading experience, drawing readers in not just as spectators but as co-creators of the universe you’ve built. By leaving some things unsaid, unexplained, or hidden, you invite readers to explore the mystery and magic that lie just beyond the page.

The Role of Ambiguity in World-Building & Narrative Tension:

Ambiguity enriches world-building by offering glimpses of larger mysteries without spelling everything out. A half-revealed prophecy, a land shrouded in myth, or a character with an unclear past can make your world feel vast and lived-in, suggesting depths beyond what’s explicitly written. Narrative tension thrives on the unknown—by keeping certain elements hidden or open to interpretation, you engage the reader’s curiosity and imagination, encouraging them to lean in and speculate.

How to Balance Clarity with Mystery in Your Writing:

While ambiguity can add depth and intrigue, it must be balanced with enough clarity to ground the reader in your world. Too much mystery can frustrate, leaving readers lost or disconnected from your story.

A strategic approach is to reveal enough detail to keep the reader anchored while leaving tantalizing threads that provoke thought. Carefully choose which aspects of your world or characters remain in the shadows and which are brought into the light, ensuring that ambiguity serves your narrative rather than detracts from it.

Embracing ambiguity in your fantasy writing can make your world richer and more immersive, inviting readers to engage their imaginations and become part of the story. By leaving room for interpretation and wonder, you give your readers space to explore the unseen.

So, as you craft your worlds, consider: “How do you use ambiguity in your writing or creative work? Where do you leave room for mystery?”

[morallysuperiorlips]

How I Approach Pacing and Tension in Writing (with graphic!)

(Fuck the gremlins, we're posting things TODAY)

Hi, welcome to the first actual post on my Tumblr page in where I ramble about how to write the goodest things.

Today's lesson is on PACING AND TENSION!

Hard to explain in many words, so behold my crudely drawn graph of how I handle this shit in my own writing (and I apologize in advance for my chicken scratch kekw)

I tend to have very high-stakes plots, but I feel like this could end up applying to any sort of genre or plot. I know a lot of these graphs I saw in school were a single bell curve with a gradual incline into the climax, but in my experience, the best way to build tension, keep pacing as even as you can, and really build into the peak of a story is to have small points of buildup to smaller peaks (aka the tension points) with sharper curves down into downtime (allowing the character to breathe), before building up again. Each tension point gets more and more intense, with the downtime acting as the small buffers between the gradually increasing intensity of the tension until SURPRISE, SHIT HITS THE FAN, IT'S THE BIG BAD ISSUE COME TO A BOIL.

But of course when shit hits the fan, things aren't the same as they were before (or at least, they won't be for a while), so the shape changes. Instead of sharp curves up and down, you're looking at a more gradual downward incline, with dips for moments of recovery/acceptance before there's little spikes in tension as a result of whatever occurred in the climax. This isn't an exact science and definitely can be toyed with, but this is a model I like to attempt to adhere to when I'm focusing on coming up with my story beats and creating the groundwork for the big climactic explosion.

Happy writing!

[thewatcher727]

Writing A Review Tip: What To Look For When Writing A Review

More writing a review tips

Writing a review isn’t just a matter of saying, “Good job, nice work!” While it’s a nice sentiment, it’s not really helpful in terms of actual criticism. There are a lot of things to look for when you’re writing a review.

Spelling & Grammar:

This should be at the top of your list. Too many spelling and grammar errors can really take the reader out of the immersion. When you spot words that are misspelled or incorrect, point them out and suggest the correct form. However, also keep in mind that some words can be spelled differently depending on the language. For example, in the UK, "color" is spelled "colour." So, it’s not incorrect—just a different regional variation.

Descriptions:

A big rule in writing is to show, not tell. Check if the descriptions are clear and engaging. The amount of description depends on the type of writing, but generally, as long as they paint a clear picture without overwhelming the reader, that’s the way to go.

Pacing:

Pacing refers to how fast or slow a story moves. The pacing can vary depending on the context. For example, the story might slow down during a heartfelt conversation between characters, or it might be fast-paced during scenes of non-stop action.

Characters:

Are the characters acting consistently? For example, if John is always happy in one chapter but suddenly becomes constantly angry in the next without explanation, that would be inconsistent.

Dialogue:

There are two important things to remember with dialogue. First, it should be clear who is talking and who they’re talking to. Second, the dialogue should sound natural. If it doesn’t sound right when you read it out loud, it probably doesn’t sound natural on the page either.

Progression:

The story should flow nicely. While there can be room for filler depending on the context, you generally want to make sure the overall story is moving forward.

Tone:

Tone refers to how the story feels. Is it lighthearted, or does it tackle darker, more mature themes? You want to make sure the tone is mostly consistent. Sometimes a character may joke or make a quip to ease tension, but that shouldn’t disrupt the overall serious tone of the story.

Engagement:

Is the story keeping you engaged and excited to read more? As a general rule, if a story doesn’t capture interest within the first few chapters, there’s a good chance the reader won’t stick around for the rest.

Continuity:

Is everything consistent? For example, if the chapter begins in the morning and there’s only one scene, but by the end it’s suddenly night without explanation, that’s going to raise questions.

...

So, there you have it! When you’re writing a review, just keep these things in mind and you’ll be good to go!

[maelancoli]

PADDING OUT DIALOGUE SCENES

in another round of very unprompted writing advice i thought i figured i'd share my two cents when it comes to the topic of struggling to fill out conservational scenes. another thing i see a LOT of lately is a general fretting among writers who find that dialogue comes easily to them but the rest is a struggle. for me it's often been the opposite, i had to work at honing the talking part but description? i've always done a little too much tbqh. but funny enough the solution for both is not disconnected.

a lot of it will come down to knowing your character. what are their ticks? what are their filler words? are they bold and expressive when they're speaking? or are they withdrawn and shy? deciding the behavioral quirks of your character will improve your instincts when trying to be more descriptive. do they fidget with their clothes? do they pick up objects and toy with them? do they fold their arms around themselves or have other defensive posture? where do their eyes go when they speak? do they look around a lot? do they have an intense, unwavering gaze? do they zone out to look at other objects? what are they looking at when they do look away to think or listen? (this is also where having a faceclaim to build characteristics and mannerisms around can be helpful, not just in rp settings but any kind of fiction.)

"i guess...i don't really know how i'm supposed to feel about it," he admitted.

okay so we already have information here to expound on. the character is uncertain and conflicted. how would that effect their demeanor outwardly?

"i guess..." he trailed off with a sigh. he shook his head and his gaze grew unfocused, wandering away from his companion to stare blankly at a clock on the mantelpiece. his index finger tapped lightly at his knee. "i don't know how i'm supposed to feel about it, ya' know?" amir admitted with a shrug. he finally looked at the other man again, but there was a vulnerability which brought a sheepish shadow to his tumultuous gaze.

we've shown he is pensive with a wandering eye and that he's a little uncomfortable with his nervous tick of tapping. the next step is to consider the inner workings of their PoV. what does the scene itself call for them to be doing and thinking between lines? what does the emotion and tension of the scene—or even the comfort and familiarity of it—reflect inside them?

"you don't have to know right now," malik pointed out. he lifted his hands from where they had rested on the surface of the table to turn his palms outward, leaning in closer. "it's okay not to know." they held one another's gaze for a silent moment. amir's lips pressed together and he swallowed down the lump which had formed in his throat. he was not an emotional man. he had always prided himself on his restraint. but it was all beginning to be too much and the empathy in his friend's eyes was only another weight upon his already bowed shoulders. "...maybe you're right," he mumbled thoughtfully.

here we have shown his friend's gesture, adding more presence to the environment around them. and then we have given a little space for the character to feel. we have given a little information about who he is, or at least how he thinks about himself. by bringing his eyes back to his companion we have shown he is opening up, he is actually leaning into the intimacy of comfort and listening. but the mumble shows he is still not confident in admitting the need for help. it shows he has not even accepted fully the grace he's being given.

it isn't just what a character is saying, it's how they're saying it. it's how they're carrying themselves. it's how they're receiving the other characters' words. and showing how they're carrying themselves along with their inner feelings will also help show what is driving their dialogue. it will create a contrast if they're not being a reliable narrator, if they're contradicting or if they're withholding etc.

taking time and being patient with yourself to expound upon these things and to develop your character will make them more real. the more you practice and get to know them, the more instinctive and natural it will become!

[aurinavenir]

“You may not always write well, but you can edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”

— Jodi Picoult.

[physalian]

On Writing a Compelling Fetch Quest, as told by TFP

Save for a single recap episode, season two of Transformers Prime is one long high-octane fetch quest, gunning for weapons and tools and eventually the keys to restoring Cybertron.

See this post where I’ve already gushed about this show but I just rewatched season 2 and it does absolutely everything right when so much of the tension could just come from the macguffin of the week.

Full Spoilers Ahead.

—

Season 2 begins with an amnesiac Optimus convinced he’s still best buds with “Megatronus” and that he’s still Orion Pax, factory reset to before he became a Prime with no knowledge of the war or Autobots or Decepticons. In this version of the lore, he was an archivist, the skills of which come into great use as he can decode ancient encryptions that Megatron’s had sitting locked in a vault and unable to crack for, seemingly, eons—unknowingly helping the enemy murder all his friends.

The information contained in this “Iacon Database” prompts the fetch quest that takes up the entire season. After the three part season debut (6 part if you count the 3 part season 1 finale as one long movie) where Team Prime ventures on their own fetch quest to restore Optimus’s memories, the board is nearly set. But first, a couple other episodes catching up with C-tier villains and bringing in some shiny new characters.

In these episodes, Megatron’s second-in-command, Starscream, who’s been rogue for quite some time, loses his ability to transform after trying to screw over Bumblebee. A “loose cannon” for Team Prime returns not quite as a main character, but more present than his lone episode in season 1, and Starscream’s replacement, Dreadwing, makes his debut. And, the other rogue character, Airachnid, is temporarily disposed of.

The board is now set: Autobots, Decepticons, and Starscream.

We begin at episode 11, where Megatron decides it’s a grand idea to infect his ship with zombie fuel to speed up some repairs, and the ship gains a life of its own, decoding the rest of the Iacon Database that Optimus left sitting behind, a job left to a different ‘Con, Soundwave, who’s no Optimus but doing his best. In that episode, the humans of Team Prime sneak aboard the wayward ship, steal the only four coordinates of the Fetch Quest that are available, and get the heck out of dodge.

Episodes 12-15: Four whole episodes occurring simultaneously, everyone available on both teams, every major player, Starscream included, all racing to these four locations to pick up either mystery weapons or tools of varying mass destruction. Each episode is intercut with dialogue and details from the other units, all coming to a head with the near-death of the Team Prime “Tank,” Bulkhead.

What’s in these four episodes is just a taste of the tension that the rest of the season will take on, kind of like a tournament arc pitting unlikely foes against each other over the MacGuffin of the day. My favorite is Wheeljack (robot cowboy samurai) and Ratchet (grumpy medic) vs Soundwave (aforementioned decrypter replacement who does not speak). The episode is visually gorgeous with a showdown on a cliff at sunset with the most beautiful golden hour for the fight (pictured above).

Every MacGuffin brings a new twist to the fight of their episode, of the four, 1 goes to the Bots, 1 goes to the Cons, 1 goes to Starscream, and 1 gets destroyed.

In the Wheeljack episode, Ratchet comes up with an idea to sneak a virus into Soundwave so they can steal the rest of the Iacon Database from the Cons, which proves a success.

Enter episodes 16-19, where we take a break from the pacing of the fetch quest to bring in another new character, Smokescreen, let Bulkhead heal up, let Wheeljack almost get murdered horrifically by giant bot beetles, and teach a little girl about how revenge does not bring peace. Oh and do away with the C-tier villains, they (almost) all die.

Episodes 20-23 are the last five coordinates for the quest: A fancy new sword to sell toys for Optimus in an absolutely badass episode where he cuts a whole mountain in half, and the 4 literal keys to restoring Cybertron.

The new tension comes from both making sure that Team Prime gets all four keys, and making sure that Megatron does not find out how important they are.

Team Prime gets 1, Megatron gets 1, Team Prime gets another, and then Starscream comes in out of nowhere to steal the 4th, and then sneaks into the base of Team Prime to steal the other 3.

I cannot remember the exact quote but after a yell of absolute anguish and frustration, Optimus collects himself enough to say: “The fate of our world now lies with Starscream, whatever his intention.”

Because, Starscream can’t do shit alone. He just has a very powerful bargaining tool to either buy back the Bots favor, or buy back his place with the Decepticons. Underscoring the importance of who has the keys is this: Whichever side restores Cybertron will have effectively won the war, able to then brand the other side officially as traitors, for a whole new reign of absolute authority. The stakes could not be higher.

Episode 24: The second and far superior flashback episode taking a look exclusively at Starscream’s role throughout the series and all his fabulous shenanigans, as Megatron puts him on trial to decide whether he should just kill his traitorous little SIC.

While these flashbacks are being displayed literally on a screen like they’re connected via HDMI cable, Dreadwing (Starscream’s interim replacement) finds out that not only did Starscream get his twin killed way back in season 1, but then raised his corpse and left the zombie wandering around the fifth dimension, and Megatron knew about it, and lied. (Dreadwing is a fantastic lawful evil character, this post is just ridiculously long already without giving everybody bios)

The episode ends with Dreadwing betraying his whole side to give Team Prime intel, and a magical MacGuffin hammer (that they initially lost in the earlier stages of the Fetch Quest) to level out the playing field, he then goes back to his team and monologues a bit too long before trying to kill Starscream himself (as Megatron still won’t) and gets murdered for his efforts, when he was absolutely right.

At this point, Starscream is back with the Decepticons, they have all they keys (but not yet the knowledge of how they work or where they go to), and they believe that they have a free shot to fly back to Cybertron as the Autobots don’t have any way to get there themselves.

Enter the finale: Episodes 25 and 26. We’re almost there.

The magic MacGuffin hammer Dreadwing gave the Bots can fix or craft almost anything (with limited uses) and they use it to make their wormhole portal into a much beefier version—a space bridge—to portal themselves to Cybertron with every single weapon they’ve collected over the course of the Fetch Quest in their arsenal.

This is a mission they’ll either win, or die trying, they have to steal back the keys and reach the lock before Megatron does, and Megatron just figured out where the lock is.

The Bots manage to do it all, get the keys, take out hoards of faceless minions in their way, they’re a the lock, all they have to do is turn it on.

When out of seemingly nowhere, Megatron executes his backup plan: The whole season, he’s had Soundwave quietly scoping out the Bots’ secret base, and the homes of their human allies. Due to a grave mistake on Ratchet’s part, those humans are not protected at the worst time possible, and they get kidnapped.

Megatron delivers an ultimatum: Cybertron, or three human children?

Rather controversially, Optimus chooses the children, but destroys the lock so Cybertron can’t be revived by either side.

Episode 26 then ends with the reveal that Megatron discovered the location of their base, and as they all scramble to different corners of the earth, Megatron nukes it, and Optimus with it.

—

What I think TFP does really well with the MacGuffins is that, by and large, they themselves are never the point of their episodes. The writers knew audiences wouldn’t be sated with just the objects themselves carrying the story, which is what every fetch quest story should be:

The MacGuffin itself does not mean shit to the audience, 9 times out of 10. It could be swapped out for something else and largely not impact its purpose in the story. What matters is what it means to everyone who wants it, and what they’re willing to do to get it.

In TFP's case, these MacGuffins cannot be replaced. Several show up more than once to give unique advantages to different fights or become incredibly useful 11th hour tools—the setup and payoff with them is fantastic.

Yes, some of these “relics” are dangerous weapons, but in the background of the whole season there is so much subtext. Optimus’s guilt and Megatron’s manipulations over what he did while he had no memory. Various rivalries between sides coming to a head. The Starscream wild card that continued to take everyone by surprise again and again. Optimus’s increasing impatience to finally end this war and set aside the rivalry to try and kill Megatron for real this time, several times.

Regardless of who had what item, the balance of power between both sides was shifting constantly. The Bots would get a slight advantage, and the Cons would match it immediately. The Cons would win a battle, but then infighting would cost them the next one. Optimus’s fancy sword was shattered the very next episode when Megatron made his own using a stolen hand of a dead Prime to power the magic creation hammer—a nice bit of commentary on mutually assured destruction. Megatron never would have gone that far if Optimus didn’t get his own uber powerful weapon first.

Nor was every battle over the MacGuffin-of-the-day the same. Different players, different environments, different rules at play depending on the power of the MacGuffin itself, or the ulterior motives of either side.

And there were consequences, too, as this series is pretty mature. Dreadwing dies pretty graphically, a different dead Bot gets turned into a ghoul and his (totally canon) husband loses his shit over seeing a filthy human wearing his metal skin around.

If you won’t watch this show because you think the franchise is lame, I can’t change your mind, but if ever there was an entry into the franchise that proved how good it could be—and there is a time and a place for the camp of G1—TFP would be it.

[faunusrights]

some fics really have a habit of over explaining in ways that would be better resolved by just not saying anything at all. like okay. there's This Fic on ao3 right now with an interesting premise. but to get to the premise they've chosen to skip over a LOT of the interactions needed to get to that point. all the talking and building trust and all of that shit is in the past. and the thing is that isn't a BAD thing! you CAN skip over the parts you don't need to get to the part you want to write!

the problem is that they instead choose to summarise the part they skipped.

see summaries, even ones with a lot of personality, are very dry to read, and more importantly they make the reader sit there and be told all this stuff that happened instead of letting them... you know, READ IT. i feel like i'm being cheated out of an entire story; you are effectively summarising a fic that doesn't exist! so don't!

you'd be better off not mentioning it. let the reader go 'wait, how did we get here? why are you two cooperating?'. readers LOVE to answer questions and it puts you in a great position by just... keeping it to yourself. then, over the course of the actual story, have characters refer BACK to those things you would have summarised! have them go 'hey remember when [event]?' and sprinkle all that backstory in over time. or, fuck it; flashback intermissions! take a pause in the downtime of your story to tell that other story. there's loads of ways to tell people all of this information without infodumping at the beginning, and it's a skill you SHOULD cultivate if you ever wanna go pro; in an actual novel or short or whatever, you can't just infodump and move on. you have to be able to give your readers information intelligently. this is a great way to practise it.