incertiscriptoris

[incertiscriptoris]

Can anyone give some sound tips on how to start into poetry? I think my problem is that I think too much about what I’m meant to write and so I never really start.. anything to help me get going would be fantastic :)

[incertiscriptoris]

Shhhhh

[incertiscriptoris]

I didn’t even know that I needed to know this, so blessed rn

Formatting your Manuscript

If you’re planning on one day turning your manuscript in to literary agents and publishing houses, you need to make sure it’s formatted correctly. In many cases, your manuscript will be skipped over if it isn’t done to industry standard, so here’s the basics that you’ll need if you don’t want to be ignored. Before I get started, please know that this is aimed specifically at fiction manuscripts. If you’re writing non-fiction or a memoir, the expectations will be different, so it would be wise to Google what you need.

The Basics

Make sure your font is 12 point Times New Roman, Courier New, or Arial. These are the only three fonts you are allowed to pick from.

Your spacing should be 1 inch on all sides of the text. This is the default on most word processors, but double check your settings just to be sure.

Your text should be double spaced.

All of your indentations must be a half inch. Do not press indent. Instead, drag over the top arrow on the ruler to have every new paragraph automatically indent.

The Title Page

The top left-hand corner of your title page will have all your personal information. They want to see your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, the novel’s genre, and word count.

Your novel’s title is allowed to be between 20-24 point font if you want. Bold is also an option, but not necessary.

The title will appear halfway down the title page.

“A novel by [your name]” will be about three quarters of the way down the page.

The Next Pages

If you have a dedication, it will be on its own page.

If you have some sort of verse or quote, those will also need their own pages.

Do not include a page for acknowledgements.

The Chapters

Chapter titles will be 12 point font. No bolding or italics.

Chapters will start from one quarter to halfway down the page.

An easy way to format chapter headings is to press enter five or six times

Make sure you always start your chapters the same way every time.

When you start a new chapter, make sure you use a page break to bump the new chapter onto a new page. This will keep it in place so that it will never budge, no matter how much you cut out or add to the previous chapter.

Page Numbers

Page numbers will start with 1 on Chapter 1 of your manuscript. Page numbers will not appear on the title page or dedication page.

Page 1 will be labeled in the footer of Chapter 1. It should be centered.

Page 2 will be in the header of the next page.

From page 2 onward, your headers will be labeled like this:

If you insert a section break after the title and dedication pages, it will make it easier to insert the page numbers.

For the most part, this is the most important of what you’ll need to know for formatting your manuscript. I used this video as reference, so I’m trusting everything it says is true because it was made by an author who has several novels published, and because it was uploaded this year, it should be up to date.

But just remember, whenever you go to turn in a manuscript, make sure you check the website of the agent or publisher you’re trying to contact. They might have specifications that differ with the ones stated in this video, and you should always do whatever you can to abide by what they want.

[incertiscriptoris]

“He took something from me. He took little pieces of me. Little pieces over time. So small I didn’t notice. You know? He wanted me to be something I wasn’t. And I made myself into what he wanted.”

— Christina Yang

[incertiscriptoris]

Resources For Describing Emotion

Emotions

Without Making Your Character Feel Too Self Aware

Showing Emotion Without Telling About It

Emotions Associated With Body Language

Telling Readers What The Character Doesn’t Want To Show

Hiding Emotions

Expressing Cardinal Emotions: Masculine vs. Feminine

Writing Extreme Emotion Without Melodrama

Specific Emotions

Conveying Shock

Conveying Embarrassment

Conveying Disappointment

Conveying Love/Attraction

Conveying Annoyance

Conveying Relief

Conveying Uncertainty

Conveying Impatience

Conveying Shame

Conveying Resentment

Conveying Panic

Conveying Guilt

Conveying Desperation

Conveying Sarcasm & Verbal Disrespect

Conveying Confusion

Conveying Stubbornness

Conveying Frustration

Conveying Indifference

Conveying Indignation

Conveying Confidence & Pride

Conveying Smugness

Conveying Enthusiasm

Conveying Curiosity

Conveying Hopefulness

Conveying Unease

Conveying Reluctance

Conveying Worry

Conveying Humility & Meekness

Conveying Happiness & Joy

Conveying Amusement

Conveying Disgust

Conveying Resignation

Conveying Jealousy

Conveying Anticipation

Conveying Contentment

Conveying Defeat

Conveying Excitement

Conveying Fear

Conveying Hatred

Conveying Hurt

Conveying Being Overwhelmed

Conveying Sadness & Grief

Conveying Satisfaction

Conveying Somberness

Conveying Sympathy & Empathy

Conveying Wariness

Conveying Defensiveness

Conveying Desire

Conveying Doubt

Conveying Energy

Conveying Exhaustion

Conveying Hunger

Conveying Loneliness

Conveying Physical Pain

Emotional Wounds

A Role Model Who Disappoints

A Sibling’s Betrayal

A Speech Impediment

Becoming a Caregiver at an Early Age

Being Bullied

Being Fired or Laid Off

Being Held Captive

Being Mugged

Being Publicly Humiliated

Being Raised by Neglectful Parents

Being Raised by Overprotective Parents

Being So Beautiful It’s All People See

Being the Victim of a Vicious Rumor

Being Stalked

Being Trapped in a Collapsed Building

Being Unfairly Blamed For The Death of Another

Childhood Sexual Abuse (by a family member or known person)

Discovering One’s Parent is a Monster

Discovering One’s Sibling was Abused

Experiencing a Miscarriage or Stillbirth

Failing At School

Failing To Do The Right Thing

Financial Ruin Due To A Spouse’s Irresponsibility

Finding Out One’s Child Was Abused

Finding Out One Was Adopted

Getting Lost In a Natural Environment

Growing Up In A Cult

Growing Up in a Dangerous Neighborhood

Growing Up In Foster Care

Growing Up In The Public Eye

Growing Up In The Shadow of a Successful Sibling

Growing Up with a Sibling Who Has a Chronic Disability or Illness

Having Parents Who Favored One Child Over Another

Having To Kill Another Person To Survive

Infertility

Infidelity (emotional or physical)

Losing a Limb

Losing a Loved One To A Random Act of Violence

Making a Very Public Mistake

Overly Critical or Strict Parents

Physical Disfigurement

Rejection By One’s Peers

Telling The Truth But Not Being Believed

The Death of a Child On One’s Watch

Victimization via Identity Theft

Watching A Loved One Die

Wrongful Imprisonment

Spending Time In Jail

Suffering From a Learning Disability

Motivation

Achieving Spiritual Enlightenment

Avoiding Certain Death

Avoiding Financial Ruin

Beating a Diagnosis or Condition

Being Acknowledged and Appreciated by Family

Being a Leader of Others

Being the Best At Something

Caring for an Aging Parent

Carrying on a Legacy

Catching The Bad Guy or Girl

Coming To Grips With Mental Illness

Discovering One’s True Self

Escaping a Dangerous Life one Doesn’t Want

Escaping a Killer

Escaping a Widespread Disaster

Escaping Confinement

Escaping Homelessness

Escaping Invaders

Finding Friendship or Companionship

Finding a Lifelong Partner

Having a Child

Helping a Loved One See They Are Hurting Themselves and Others

Obtaining Shelter From The Elements

Overcoming Abuse and Learning To Trust

Overcoming Addiction

Protecting One’s Home or Property

Pursuing Justice For Oneself or Others

Realizing a Dream

Reconciling with an Estranged Family Member

Rescuing a Loved One From a Captor

Restoring A Name or Reputation

Righting a Deep Wrong

Seeking Out One’s Biological Roots

Stopping an Event From Happening

Trying Again When One Has Previously Failed

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[incertiscriptoris]

This helped today

If you write about 25 words a day on your project, eventually you’ll find yourself in an easier part of the story. 

Hammers can break rocks, but so can a slow drip of water. 

[incertiscriptoris]

I can feel you seeping into every one of my waking thoughts like ink into paper. So now every time I cry, lines of ink run down my face and stain my cheeks.

[incertiscriptoris]

I've been trying to write something for years but I can never seem to commit to one idea. Any tips for sticking to one project?

Hello Nonny!

So, managing one idea is something that people have asked me quite a few times in the past, and I like to give the same answer each time: you don’t have to. Having two, three - (or more) - projects on the go at once is a great way to keep your productivity and creativity flowing.

If however you want to stick to one exclusive project, then I would reccomend a few things

Digital savings - keep a file on word, google docs, evernote or whatever else you like to use and save all of your ideas. You can add to them when the inspiration comes back, but they’re only notes. This allows you to continue with one main project while not losing sight of the ones that you also have inspiration for.

Change your focus - are you trying to write full-length novels or novellas? Then perhaps you’ll find that short stories are the way that you want to go. Authors like Niel Gaiman churn out books of short stories and enjoy just as much success as more traditional novellists.

Dip a toe in first - there isn’t any pressure to launch in and write a full book or anthology of short stories straight off the bat. You might find it helpful to go back and focus on the basics first, rather than putting everything into one project. Find workshops, chat with fellow writers, submit stories to magazines and enter writing competetions. Get a feel for the market and the community, and take your mind off that One Idea for a while.

Sharing - Try putting some of your ideas on a site like Wattpad, and see how they are accepted. Having feedback and finding people to bounce ideas off of is incredibly useful.

Merging - Can you combine any of your ideas? Take the elements that you like best from each one and mash them together. You have draft after draft to figure out all of the kinks and see what works and what doesn’t. It’s trial and error, with no consequences for the error.

Patience - This last is often the hardest to accept, but it’s true. You do have to be patient. The ability to stick with just one or two ideas is something that comes only as you mature as a writer. I’ve been writing for almost eleven years and still, I’ve only just begun to develop the patience, maturity and dedication needed to stick with a project.

Thinking about maturing: you’re likely to hit a turning point or a learning curve, but it’s so important that you don’t stop writing just because you can’t stick to one thing, and never get rid of your old projects. I said that I’ve only learned how to settle down on one idea recently, and by that I mean early 2017/end of 2016. I realised that the way that I had been working my entire life wasn’t right for me, scrapped all of my ideas (but didn’t get rid of them. They’re in a box) and started again.

Everyone’s process is different however, and what worked for me may not work for you. Although I can advise you of different steps that you can take to grow as a writer, a lot of the discovery is up to you. On writeblr alone there are hundreds upon thousands of resources and advice blogs like myself willing to help, and I’d bet you my last packet of Walkers that almost all of them have been (or still are) in the same position that you’re in now.

Good luck! I hope that at least something here will be helpful for you ^^

[incertiscriptoris]

"When we were first starting to talk, you spoke about many things. Quickly, you became a good friend. From music to books, to the omniscient nature of words but, what really nudged at my heart was how you spoke of your friends. Deep within your subterranean eyes, they were these glowing radiant creatures in the tale that you had made your life. Tales of jousting, jostling and jokes that I never seemed to get. Journeys that I never would have imagined myself embarking upon, but there I found myself listening to and gorging on every single word. There was this friend, one that you mentioned far more than any of your others. He was the one that led you on all your journeys, he was a shepherd to synthetic flock. He was, to my very limited understanding, your very best friend, your greatest hero, therefore my greatest rival."

~This is a segment from a larger piece that I wrote for university, it dwelves into a broader issue of connection and missed opportunity. I had my heart broken by a boy, whose heart was already too full; I had to learn to accept that and love myself instead.

Let me know if you want to read more of the story, or if you have questions etc etc~ A

[incertiscriptoris]

This subterranean atmosphere, it fills my throat and I begin to choke. I can't yell for help, I cant speak at all; I can't even breathe... The darkness seeps into my vision like the dirt drawing its way down my wind pipe, the world before me is slowly smudging into obscurity. My porcelain skin, before my withering sight becomes one with the crud encompassing my frail frame. Nails chipping and warping, they elongate and sharpen, the fine lines that track my hands and arms build and strengthen in their vitality. I can feel my very bones and tendons snap and reform into something that I've never felt before. 

Wilting and folding in on myself, my muscles go lax, my limbs hanging like rotten leaves at my side and nails digging into my dirtied flesh. From my toes, spreading, I begin to feel the decay. Lower and lower I sink into my tomb, while for brief flashes I can still feel the beating rays of the sun above, the dirt flows over me more and more, a caress into slumber. Shielding my failing sight, I manage to shut my eyes, the particles of dirt and muck sheet my lids and tickle my eyelashes into their state of rest. The talons that sprouted from what used to be my hands continue their path through my skin, their trek through the intermode of my thighs ravage whatever was left of my human vessel and leave way for the new skin sprouting underneath.

~Hey guys, this is my first time posting a piece of writing on any kind of platform.. I am looking for advice, comments, criticism, anything that helps me become a better writer and more confident in doing so :)~ A

p.s if you could reccommend any specific tags that I could use? I would be the most grateful <3

[incertiscriptoris]

A remarkable Jacobean re-emergence after 200 years of yellowing varnish Courtesy Philip Mould

[incertiscriptoris]

There’s something mystical about the whereabouts of the tops of buildings, I hope no one discovers their secrets.

[incertiscriptoris]

[incertiscriptoris]

My cinema did a thing

[incertiscriptoris]

I found the coolest chair today *insert chair pun*

[incertiscriptoris]

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow; but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.

Agatha Christie (via wordsnquotes)

#author #mystery #amazing

[incertiscriptoris]

“Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices - today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.”

Kevyn Aucoin