cr1ngetherapyyy

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

sometimes your brain really just offers you one banger of a sentence and then that's it for the entire rest of the day. creativity expired, the ability to think has clocked out for the day, context for as to how we even get to this sentence? sorry we're all out. this one sentence is all you get.

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

I have no outline tho, just vibes

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

Is there a reason why a lot of fanfics on Ao3 will have like huge empty gaps between paragraphs?

Is it for clarity? Is it cuz it didn’t translate well from whatever program it was originally written in? Is it a stylistic choice? Is it just an Ao3 thing?

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

The list of free resources for writing

My current list of things I keep recommending everywhere. I may expand it at some point, but I don't want to make it overwhelming.

These are the basics. This is my answer to the question "I want to be a writer, where should I start? Anybody have tips?"

Yes, I do. It's this list.

2025 Creative Writing Lectures at BYU by Brandon Sanderson

College level creative writing course, free on youtube. Incredible learning opportunity. Go watch it and take notes. Do it now.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSH_xM-KC3ZvzkfVo_Dls0B5GiE2oMcLY

K.M. Weiland 

Website and books, specifically story structure and archetypes for characters:

https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/secrets-story-structure-complete-series/

https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/how-to-write-archetypal-character-arcs/

Structuring Your Novel https://kmweilandstore.com/b/wkAVC

Next Level Plot Structure https://kmweilandstore.com/b/next-level-plot-structure

Podcasts

https://writingexcuses.com/, especially Season 10 is a full writing course https://writingexcuses.com/category/season-10/page/6/

Ink in your veins (formerly How do you write?) http://www.howdoyouwrite.net, especially http://www.howdoyouwrite.net/episodes/259 How Do You Actually Fast-Draft a Novel?

The QuitCast for Writers. YouTube channel and audio podcast created around the content of Becca Syme’s “What to Quit, What to Keep, and What to Question” model of coaching writers. https://betterfasteracademy.com/podcast/

Developing a story

https://www.eadeverell.com/idea-to-story/

https://www.valleyofwriters.com/writing-a-novel-using-the-three-chapter-slingshot-method/

https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/seven-tips-for-intuitive-writing-the-heart-hand-connection

https://blog.reedsy.com/plot-generator/

Tools

Browser based writing: https://ellipsus.com/

Browser based writing and formatting: https://editor.reedsy.com/

Organizing worldbuilding: https://www.worldanvil.com/

Organizing everything: https://www.notion.com/

Free writing program, full office suite: https://www.libreoffice.org/

Cover design, header graphics: https://www.canva.com/

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

"just write a little every day" ok but what if i write nothing for 3 weeks and then suddenly type like i’m being hunted by god

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

You can and should write fanfiction that isn't perfect. You can and should write whatever fanfiction you want. You can and should write fanfiction that brings you joy even if it's silly or goofy or weird.

Except for me. My fanfic has to be perfect and read like a novel and ruin at least one person's sleep schedule.

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

Do you always have to “show don’t tell?” Because what if I’m trying to get to the meat of a scene but I’m getting caught up in describing the details of the set up that I don’t care to elaborate on?

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

👀

I finally understand what writers mean when they say that their characters have taken over the story. Like I am trying so hard for an enemies to lovers arc, but apparently my characters don't want to hate each other, cuz they just 'don't like the vibes' and want to become good friends so that it's awkward as fuck when they start having romantic feelings for each other.

Guess I have to just go with it now...

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

“no one wants to read this” ok but you do. and that’s enough. and also wrong. i want to read it. hand it over

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

✨ HOW TO ACTUALLY START A BOOK

(no ✨vibes✨, just structure, stakes, and first-sentence sweat)

hello writer friends 💌 so you opened a doc. you sat down. you cracked your knuckles. maybe you even made a playlist or moodboard. and then… you stared at the blinking cursor like it personally insulted your entire bloodline.

here’s your intervention. this post is for when you want to write chapter one, but all you have is aesthetic, maybe a plot bunny, maybe a world idea, maybe nothing at all. here’s how to actually start a book, from structure to sentence one.

—

🌶️ STEP 1: THE SPICE BASE ~ “WHAT’S CHANGING?”

start with this question:

what changes in the protagonist’s life in the first 5–10 pages?

doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. they could get a letter, lose a job, run late, break a rule, wake up hungover in the wrong house. what matters is disruption. the opening of your book should mark a shift. if their day starts normal, it shouldn’t end that way.

🏁 opening chapters are about motion. forward movement. tension. momentum. if nothing is changing, your story isn’t starting, you’re just doing a prequel.

—

⚙️ STEP 2: THE CRUNCHY BITS - CHOOSE AN ENTRY POINT

there are 3 classic places to start a novel. each one works if you’re intentional:

The Day Everything Changes most popular. you drop us in right before or during the inciting incident. clean, fast, efficient.

pro: immediate stakes con: harder to sneak in worldbuilding or character grounding

The Calm Before the Storm starts slightly earlier. show the character’s “normal” life, then break it. useful if the change won’t make sense without context.

pro: space to introduce your character’s routine/flaws con: risky if it drags or feels like setup

The Aftermath drop us in after the big event and fill in gaps as we go. works well for thrillers, mysteries, or emotionally heavy plots.

pro: instant drama con: requires precision to avoid confusion

📝 pick one. commit. don’t blend them or you’ll write three intros at once and cry.

—

🧠 STEP 3: CHARACTER FIRST, ALWAYS

readers don’t care about your setting, your magic system, or your cool mafia politics unless they’re anchored in someone.

in the first scene, we need to know:

what this person wants

what’s bothering them (externally or internally)

one trait they lead with (bold, anxious, calculating, naive, etc.)

that’s it. just one want, one tension, one vibe. no bios. no monologues. no “they weren’t like other girls” essays. put them in a situation and show how they act.

—

⛓️ STEP 4: OPEN WITH FRICTION

first scenes should create questions, not answer them.

there should be tension between:

what the character wants vs. what they’re getting

what’s happening vs. what they expected

what’s being said vs. what’s being felt

you don’t need a gunshot or a car crash (unless you want one). you need conflict. tension = momentum = readers keep reading.

—

✏️ STEP 5: WRITE THE FIRST SENTENCE - THEN IGNORE IT

okay. now you write it.

no pressure. you’re not tattooing it on your soul. this isn’t the final line on the final page. you just need something.

tricks that work:

start in the middle of an action

start with a contradiction

start with something unexpected, funny, or sharp

start with a small lie or a weird detail

💬 examples:

“The body was exactly where she’d left it - rude.” “He was already two hours late to his own kidnapping.” “There was blood on the welcome mat. Again.” “They said don’t open the door. She opened it anyway.”

once you’ve got it? keep going. don’t revise yet. don’t edit. just build momentum.

you can come back and make it ✨iconic✨ later.

—

📦 BONUS: WHAT NOT TO DO IN YOUR OPENING

don’t start with a dream

don’t info-dump lore in paragraph one

don’t give me three pages of your OC making toast

don’t try to sound like a Victorian cryptid unless it’s on purpose

don’t introduce 7 named characters in one scene

don’t start with a quote unless you are 800% sure it slaps

be weird. be sharp. be specific. aim for interest, not perfection.

—

🏁 TL;DR (but make it ✨useful✨)

something in your MC’s life should change immediately

pick a structural entry point and stick to it

give us a person, not a setting

friction = good

first lines are disposable, just make them interesting

and if you needed a sign to just start the damn book, this is it.

💌 love, -rin t.

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:

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

this can also apply to real life, which is why it's so impactful now that I think about it.

The real tragedy isn’t when a character dies. It’s when they survive—but they’re never the same. When the people around them keep waiting for them to “get better,” not realizing that this is better. That this is all that’s left.

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

my fave writing reminder

honestly, this phrase has been on my mind more times than i can count. i've kidnapped it, taken it as a hostage with no ransom money because i need it to live permanently in my head.

[cr1ngetherapyyy]

I long to kill the writers block fairy