cceanvvaves

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Rumira has my heart

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GOLDEN soty idc idc

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when they said gabriela had a lot of hip movement THEY MEANT THAT i need a hospital

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Tips for describing setting:

As a past sufferer of white-room-syndrome, here are a few things I like to keep in mind when describing setting!

1- It doesn't have to be the first part of a scene. Everyone writes differently, everyone introduces things differently. If you feel it's unnatural to make setting the first thing you describe, don't do it! Maybe add some dialouge, inner monologues, character descriptions or description of the overall scene, then add setting. Do make sure that setting is described early on in the scene, though, so your reader can visualize it better.

2- You don't need to always go into great depth. Personally, I only go into great depth when the setting I'm describing will appear multiple times in the story. If this setting is only for a short scene, describe it, but not so much it steals away from the scene. Unless the setting is a core element in this specific scene, in which case do describe it.

3- How important is this setting? Important refers to several things, most importantly, how often will this setting appear, and how much will characters interact with it? A setting like a living room may appear several times, but it may not be interacted with a lot. In a situation like this, you might wanna describe how the character feels about certain aspects of the setting, rather than the setting itself.

4- Senses. The best advice I was given in describing setting is using senses. I like to start with what a character can smell, then what they can see, then what they can hear, and finally what they can touch. Taste can go anywhere, because my characters don't really eat a lot in my writing, but in the rare occasions they do, I put it after what they can smell.

5- Feelings. I said it above and I'll say it again, how your character feels about the setting is the most cruical element you can use to describe it, and it will influence how your reader views the setting more than any other descriptions. So use all the descriptive words your heart desires when your character feels strongly about a place.

I can't say I've fully healed from white room syndrome, I'm a very character-focused writer, and have a tendency to put writing characters above all else. But I generally am making an effort to describe setting more, and the above tips have really helped me put things into perspective!

Maybe some of this advice will help, maybe it won't, either way, I hope this feline has enlightened you!

[cceanvvaves]

Sparking Chemistry Between Characters #1

⇢ Emotional Timing ( When One Opens Up and the Other Isn’t Ready, Yet)

There’s something so devastatingly real about when characters miss each other, not physically, but emotionally. One’s finally ready to be honest, to be seen… and the other? Still hiding. Still pretending. That emotional dissonance creates a whole different kind of electricity: one rooted in vulnerability, silence, and the ache of almost.

“I trust you,” she said, voice low, eyes steady. He looked at her, and for a second, he almost said it back. But then his smile cracked, soft and sad, and he looked away like the words were burning holes in his throat.

This isn’t the moment they fall into each other’s arms. This is the moment they could have. And those moments still haunt.

Use this when:

You want slow burn that hurts a little

Your characters are stubborn, scared, or emotionally constipated (bless them)

The closeness builds from not-quite-connecting, until one of them finally breaks

⇢  Silent Support ( When They Don’t Say It, But They Show It)

Sometimes the most romantic thing a character can do is just… be there. No speeches. No dramatic gestures. Just showing up, quiet, consistent, unwavering. The kind of person who notices when your laugh sounds tired.

He didn’t say anything when he found her curled up on the kitchen floor. He just sat next to her, their shoulders barely touching, and slid his hoodie off without a word. A minute later, she was wearing it. Five minutes later, she was breathing again.

This isn’t about grand declarations. It’s about the kind of love that doesn’t demand to be acknowledged. The kind that waits. That steadies. That speaks fluent silence.

Use this when:

You want to show love without “I love you”

You’re building intimacy through actions, not words

Your characters aren’t the touchy-feely, talk-it-out types

⇢ Emotional Whiplash (When Conflict Turns Intimate Too Fast)

This is the classic “We were fighting five seconds ago and now I want to kiss you” moment. Because nothing stirs up feelings like frustration mixed with closeness. When characters clash, especially if there’s emotional history or denial involved, it creates heat. They’re already fired up. Already in each other’s space. Now throw in a little vulnerability and BAM, you’ve got magnetic chaos.

“Why do you care what I do?” she snapped, stepping closer. “Because I...” He bit the word back, jaw tight. His fists clenched at his sides. She stared, breath caught in her throat. “Because I do,” he said finally, quieter this time. “More than I should.”

Enemies to lovers. Friends to what even are we. That line-blurring, heart-pounding tension where the air is thick and the truth almost slips out, that’s where this trope lives (I Love It).

Use this when:

You want chaos, angst, and chemistry all at once

Your characters are in denial and one good argument away from kissing

You want something to break open and then immediately regret it

[cceanvvaves]

✏️ Writing Dialogue That Sounds Like Real People, Not Theater Kids on Red Bull

(a crash course in vibes, verbal economy, and making your characters shut up already)

Okay. We need to talk about dialogue. Specifically: why everyone in your draft sounds like they’re in a high school improv group doing a dramatic reading of Riverdale fanfiction.

Before you panic, this is normal. Early dialogue is almost always too much. Too polished. Too "scripted." So if yours feels off? You’re not failing. You’re just doing Draft Zero Dialogue, and it’s time to revise it like a boss.

Here’s how to fix it.

─────── ✦ ───────

🎭 STEP ONE: DETOX THEATER ENERGY I say this with love: your characters are not all quippy geniuses. They do not need to deliver emotional monologues at every plot beat. They can just say things. Weird, half-finished, awkward things.

Real people:

interrupt each other

trail off mid-thought

dodge questions

contradict themselves

repeat stuff

change the subject randomly

Let your characters sound messy. Not every line needs to sparkle. In fact, the more effort you put into making dialogue ✨perfect✨, the more fake it sounds. Cut 30% of your clever lines and see what happens.

─────── ✦ ───────

🎤 STEP TWO: GIVE EACH CHARACTER A VERBAL FINGERPRINT The fastest way to make dialogue feel alive? Make everyone speak differently. Think rhythm, grammar, vocabulary, tone.

Some dials you can twist:

Long-winded vs. clipped

Formal vs. casual

Emojis of speech: sarcasm, filler words, expletives, slang

Sentence structure: do they talk in fragments? Run-ons? Spirals?

Emotion control: are they blunt, diplomatic, avoidant, performative?

Here’s a shortcut: imagine what your character sounds like over text. Are they the “lol okay” type or the “okie dokie artichokie 🌈✨” one? Now translate that into speech.

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🧠 STEP THREE: FUNCTION > FILLER Every line of dialogue should do something. Reveal something. Move something. Change something.

Ask:

Does this line push the plot forward?

Does it show character motivation/conflict/dynamic?

Does it create tension, add context, or raise a question?

If it’s just noise? It’s dead air. Cut it. Replace it with a glance. A gesture. A silence that says more.

TIP: look at a dialogue scene and remove every third line. Does the scene still work? Probably better.

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💥 STEP FOUR: REACTIVITY IS THE GOLD STANDARD Characters don’t talk into a void. They respond. And how they respond = the real juice.

Don’t just write back-and-forth ping pong. Write conflict, dodge, misunderstanding. If one character says something vulnerable, the other might joke. Or ignore it. Or say something cruel. That’s tension.

Dialogue is not just information exchange. It’s emotional strategy.

Try this exercise: A says something revealing. B lies. A notices, but pretends they don’t. B changes the subject. Now you’ve got a real scene.

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🔍 STEP FIVE: PAY ATTENTION TO POWER Every convo has a power dynamic, even if it’s tiny. Who’s steering? Who’s withholding? Who’s deflecting, chasing, challenging?

Power can shift line to line. That shift = tension. And tension = narrative fuel.

Write conversations like chess matches, not ping pong.

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✂️ STEP SIX: SCISSORS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND The best dialogue is often the second draft. Or third. Or fourth. First drafts are just you figuring out what everyone wants to say. Later drafts figure out what they actually would say.

Things to cut:

Greetings/closings ("Hi!" "Bye!"--skip it unless it serves tone)

Exposition disguised as chat

Obvious thoughts spoken aloud

Explaining jokes

Repeating what we already know

Readers are smart. Let them fill in blanks.

─────── ✦ ───────

🎧 STEP SEVEN: READ IT OUT LOUD (YES, REALLY) If you hate this step: too bad. It works. Read it. Mumbling is fine. Cringe is part of the ritual.

Ask yourself:

Would someone actually say this?

Does this sound like one person speaking, or a puppet show with one hand?

Where does the rhythm trip? Where’s the breath?

If you can’t say it out loud without wincing, the reader won’t make it either. Respect the vibe.

─────── ✦ ───────

🏁 TL;DR: If you want your dialogue to sound like real people, let your characters be real. Messy. Annoying. Human. Let them interrupt and lie and joke badly and say the wrong thing at the worst time.

Cut the improv class energy. Kill the urge to be ✨brilliant✨. And listen to how people talk when they’re scared, tired, pissed off, in love, or trying not to say what they mean.

That’s where the good stuff is.

—rin t. // thewriteadviceforwriters // official advocate of awkward silences and one-word replies

P.S. I made a free mini eBook about the 5 biggest mistakes writers make in the first 10 pages 👀 you can grab it here for FREE:

[cceanvvaves]

tropes i eat up every. damn. time.

these are mostly confessions but do with that what you will :)

taking a walk/ending up in a private space (i.e., a balcony) to escape a party, realizing that there's more to the other person than you previously thought

when they're silent, together. just appreciating each other's presence - esp if they're absentmindedly playing with the hem of the other's shirt, or something of theirs (like running their hands through the other's hair)

any sort of coming-of-age/ya piece of media where they have one last night to go wild before graduating/moving on

that moment where one realizes that they're in love with the other bc of something small/ordinary they did

one drove across town to see the other and they're breathless and when they get to the door all they can do is smile and softly say "hey." when the other opens it. jesus.

one drunkenly confesses their feelings to the other (completely sober) one and totally forgets about it

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I slept 12

you’re never gonna catch me lacking

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good job!!

you are officially better than me

you’re never gonna catch me lacking

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well what about the water ,':I

you’re never gonna catch me lacking

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there are bugs on my fucking ceiling ❌️

there are bugs fucking on my ceiling ✅️

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youre lacking some sleep and maybe water, go take a nap

you’re never gonna catch me lacking

[cceanvvaves]

what's the first movie you remember seeing in theaters? don't try and be all edgy and cool and say like tetsuo: the iron man. be honest.

Go!!

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i don't cook but i got good taste, dont drive but i love the chase

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AND YES GOD BLESS EVEN THE MEAN GIRLS 🗣🗣

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saw this cute post and now I'm not going on reddit for the rest of the day. quit while you're ahead