behaviourist

[behaviourist]

Most anti phone advice is so inane and regurgitated to me but one thing I’ve been thinking about for days is “social media is okay, but the real danger comes in when you think your phone should be your go to during your limited pockets of leisure” like that’s literally the truest thing ever

[behaviourist]

use, and i cannot stress this enough, thriftbooks

[behaviourist]

What to Worry About in Each Draft

Your first draft is never going to be your best one. That’s why we’re often told to be prepared to write your worst version first—but what does that really mean? Here’s a (non-strict) guide on what you should really be worrying about in each draft—and don’t move on until you feel you’ve achieved it.

Draft 1: Foundational Scenes

This draft is only about getting the basics of the scenes in the right order and onto paper. You may start exploring who your characters are on a deeper level, but all you’re really focusing on is getting them from their A to B.

Draft 2: Developing the Characters further

Start developing your characters and imbuing those foundational scenes you’ve already written with their motivations and heart. We’re not worried yet about voice or anything, just the bare bones of their arcs and making sure that the conflict they face will eventually form who they become.

Draft 3: Theme

Theme should develop through the character arcs, but I always set aside a draft to ensure that it’s coming through and the ending is working for me. I tend to leave it for a bit later because the theme isn’t always apparent from the get-go, but usually jumps out at the end of my protagonist’s arc. Before you move on, really ask yourself if the message you’re sending is one you like. If not, you may need to adjust your ending.

Draft 4: Pacing

Now that we have the scenes and the heart within them, we want to make sure that there’s nothing extra. You should have a good idea of what’s important after developing your characters and theme, and now’s a good time to cut out the excess.

Draft 5: Voice, Tone, Motifs

Voice I tend to leave pretty late in the game since dialogue is pretty easy to go through and edit altogether, and it’s helpful to know what the characters mean before I add subtext and voice quirks that make them individual and add more interest to the dialogue.

This is also a good time to do the same with your narrator’s voice—the overall tone of your piece—and make sure that you have those key things that continue to come up throughout your writing to make it feel cohesive.

Draft 6: Grammar

You should never edit for grammar/spelling until you have totally locked in your story and are happy with how it reads, because if you need to add or remove any scenes, all that work on grammar you had done will be wasted. This is always the very last thing I do before I move onto beta readers.

Draft 7-??: Feedback!

I try to send out my pieces to at least 3 people, so if there’s any discrepancies there’s a tie-breaker. Also, two could be seen as a coincidence, but three is a pattern—if all three people point out something, I usually take that as a sign that it needs work.

This isn’t usually one draft but several as you talk with your beta readers and have them take second and third looks (if they are willing!)

As well, you may get feedback from editors or agents, and will definitely get feedback and need to write subsequent drafts if you get far in the trad publishing process. Everything before Draft 7 is your baby, and you get to keep that forever, but you should know that afterwards, this baby is being raised by the village and may no longer look exactly how you thought it would. That’s okay, that’s part of it, and while you may not see it at first, it does make the work better.

Anything I missed?

[behaviourist]

Rrreeeally hot

For more follow @menfkme7

@xxxstudssss

[behaviourist]

Bro who is the bottom?! Yall talkin about this Oscar-Ashton character like I ain’t seen 1000 toned guys w a 7-incher but that mouthwork?! I will follow this curly babe into a volcano…

*update: it’s Shamu Azizam

[behaviourist]

[behaviourist]

losing my mind at this

like. something not soooo fun was happening in brazil in the late 60s

[behaviourist]

austin powers was so fucked for doing this

[behaviourist]

Switching between these every day

[behaviourist]

me entering a group chat

[behaviourist]

Ariana Grande performing “Be Alright” on SNL

[behaviourist]

When trying to ghost ride goes wrong

[behaviourist]

mariah carey on: paying your electricity bill

[behaviourist]

Please remember that almost everyone around you is traumatized. I didn’t understand this when I was younger. I wondered why people acted so strangely and irrationally. Maybe all children wonder this. The author Robert Anton Wilson said (paraphrasing), “We have never seen a completely sane adult human.” No one makes it out of this life alive. It’s not their fault. Mercy, kindness, forgiving — these are what makes one human. They are other names for love. People break in the strangest of ways.

[behaviourist]

Source: poeticalphotos