Text
sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four
167K notes
·
View notes
Text
Show, don’t tell
"Show, don’t tell" means letting readers experience a story through actions, senses, and dialogue instead of outright explaining things. Here are some practical tips to achieve that:
1. Use Sensory Details
Tell: "The room was cold."
Show: "Her breath puffed in faint clouds, and she shivered as frost clung to the edges of the window."
Tell: "He was scared."
Show: "His hands trembled, and his heart thudded so loudly he was sure they could hear it too."
2. Focus on Actions
Tell: "She was angry."
Show: "She slammed the mug onto the counter, coffee sloshing over the rim as her jaw clenched."
Tell: "He was exhausted."
Show: "He stumbled through the door, collapsing onto the couch without even bothering to remove his shoes."
3. Use Dialogue
What characters say and how they say it can reveal their emotions, intentions, or traits.
Tell: "She was worried about the storm."
Show: "Do you think it'll reach us?" she asked, her voice tight, her fingers twisting the hem of her shirt.
4. Show Internal Conflict Through Thoughts or Reactions
Tell: "He was jealous of his friend."
Show: "As his friend held up the trophy, he forced a smile, swallowing the bitter lump rising in his throat."
5. Describe the Environment to Reflect Mood
Use the setting to mirror or hint at emotions or themes.
Tell: "The town was eerie."
Show: "Empty streets stretched into the mist, and the only sound was the faint creak of a weathered sign swinging in the wind."
6. Let Readers Infer Through Context
Give enough clues for the reader to piece things together without spelling it out.
Tell: "The man was a thief."
Show: "He moved through the crowd, fingers brushing pockets, his hand darting away with a glint of gold."
7. Use Subtext in Interactions
What’s left unsaid can reveal as much as what’s spoken.
Tell: "They were uncomfortable around each other."
Show: "He avoided her eyes, pretending to study the painting on the wall. She smoothed her dress for the third time, her fingers fumbling with the hem."
8. Compare to Relatable Experiences
Use metaphors, similes, or comparisons to make an emotion or situation vivid.
Tell: "The mountain was huge."
Show: "The mountain loomed above them, its peak disappearing into the clouds, as if it pierced the heavens."
Practice Example:
Tell: "The village had been destroyed by the fire."
Show: "Charred beams jutted from the rubble like broken ribs, the acrid smell of ash lingering in the air. A child's shoe lay half-buried in the soot, its leather curled from the heat."
19K notes
·
View notes
Text
The point of fiction is actually to put that guy in a situation™️, and he might try to tell you the point is to then get him out of the situation, WRONG, second situation
69K notes
·
View notes
Text
sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four
167K notes
·
View notes
Link
After a whole year, chapter 6 is finally here!
Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Naruto Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, Yamato | Tenzou, Uchiha Itachi Additional Tags: Suicide Attempt, Multiple Suicide Attempts, Survivor Guilt, Pre-canon and then follows canon timeline, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hatake Kakashi is Not Okay, Obito’s going to punt him in the face (with his weird dysfunctional love but also just to punt him), It’s gonna hurt a lot before it gets better, actually that’s probably a lie, Slow Burn, It’s just gonna hurt Summary:
Death won’t welcome him, open arms or otherwise. Unfortunately, someone else will.
22 notes
·
View notes
Text
me: *writes fic*
me: great! time to post to ao3-
ao3 summary box: *exists*
me:
ao3 summary box:
me:
ao3 summary box:
me:
127K notes
·
View notes
Note
hi! i really enjoy ur fanfics!! i was wondering if u would write another shisui x obito fanfic?
Aw thank you, this is really sweet!! I actually have several ShiObi fics that I'm working on. Heretic, Honey & Harvest, and Golden Veil of Autumn are just a few of them! If you're interested, the amazing @tbh-logic actually did a few pieces based around ideas we tossed around (and that I subsequently started writing) here (she also drew a piece for Golden Veil of Autumn and one that helped inspire Honey & Harvest!)
#you know I gotta shout out my girl cause she made me write SO MUCH in a single month. It was insane.#This ask is really really sweet thank you so much anon!#ask
0 notes
Text
May Writing Challenge
This May I want to get back into writing. I’m not at all consistent. I’m at a point where I don’t feel like I can work on bigger things, because I can’t guarantee myself to keep working on it in a week from now. So I will take this month as a training month to get back into the habit of writing. I will do this by writing (or trying to write) 200 words every day. Topic is irrelevant. How great my writing is that day is irrelevant. Just 200 words written down. A habit taking 21 days to form was debunked, it does take a lot longer, but 31 days are a start I would say. These are already 140 words, so 200 words every day are hopefully manageable. You're more than welcome to join me if you like 😊
8K notes
·
View notes
Text
PSA to fan creators who don't have a lot of regular contact with children: They are almost always bigger than you think. A 1-year-old baby may already be walking. A toddler is likely already hip-high. A 10-year-old may already be taller than at least one of their parents. A 14/15 year old may already have reached their adult height.
34K notes
·
View notes
Text
How To End Your Story
The Circle Ending: A story that does a full circle and comes back to the beginning
The Moral Ending: An ending where you learn a lesson and see the character develop
The Surprise Ending: A big plot twist last-minute
The Reflection Ending: The character looks back on their past achievements and experiences
The Emotional Ending: Leave your readers feelings sad, bittersweet, or happy
The Cliffhanger Ending: End on something that will leave your readers at the edge of their seat
The Humor Ending: Finish in a funny or humorous way
The Question Ending: Make the reader wonder what will happen next
The Image Ending: Show, don't tell
The Dialogue Ending: Finish with a quote from one of your characters
5K notes
·
View notes
Text
if anyone wants the secret to writing: you have to break your leg and then drink a thermos of coffee and then drink an apple martini and then listen to a playlist of Japanese synth music while ignoring your bladder. after all that, you will be able to write 500 words
7K notes
·
View notes
Text
Resources For Writing Deaf, Mute, or Blind Characters
Despite the fact that I am not deaf, mute, or blind myself, one of the most common questions I receive is how to portray characters with these disabilities in fiction.
As such, I’ve compiled the resources I’ve accumulated (from real life deaf, mute, or blind people) into a handy masterlist.
Deaf Characters:
Deaf characters masterpost
Deaf dialogue thread
Dialogue with signing characters (also applies to mute characters.)
A deaf author’s advice on deaf characters
Dialogue between deaf characters
Mute Characters
Life as a Mute
My Silent Summer: Life as a Mute
What It’s Like Being Mute
21 People Reveal What It’s Really Like To Be Mute
I am a 20 year old Mute, ask me anything at all!
Blind Characters:
The 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Blind Characters.
@referenceforwriters masterpost of resources for writing/playing blind characters.
The youtube channel of the wonderful Tommy Edison, a man blind from birth with great insight into the depiction of blind people and their lives.
An Absolute Write thread on the depiction of blind characters, with lots of different viewpoints and some great tips.
And finally, this short, handy masterpost of resources for writing blind characters.
Characters Who Are Blind in One Eye
4 Ways Life Looks Shockingly Different With One Eye
Learning to Live With One Eye
Adapting to the Loss of an Eye
Adapting to Eye Loss and Monocular Vision
Monocular Depth Perception
Deaf-Blind Characters
What Is It Like To Be Deafblind?
Going Deaf and Blind in a City of Noise and Lights
Deaf and Blind by 30
Sarita is Blind, Deaf, and Employed (video)
Born Deaf and Blind, This Eritrean American Graduated Harvard Law School (video)
A Day of a Deaf Blind Person
Lesser Known Things About Being Deafblind
How the Deaf-Blind Communicate
Early Interactions With Children Who Are Deaf-Blind
Raising a DeafBlind Baby
If you have any more resources to add, let me know! I’ll be adding to this post as I find more resources.
I hope this helps, and happy writing! <3
119K notes
·
View notes
Text
Many fanfic writers and artists are just one bad day or one discouraging experience away from throwing in the towel and leaving your fandom.
If you don't want to risk this happening to a favorite creator of yours, today might be a good day to let them know how much their work means to you. :)
3K notes
·
View notes
Text
583 notes
·
View notes
Text
I hate the whole discourse of: "fanfic writers need to accept criticism so they can improve". Look, I did not post 5k of men blowing their loads so that I can become Hemingway or something, just don't read it if you don't want to, or do read it and drop your damn thanks in the tin.
20K notes
·
View notes
Text
(special occasion kiss on the temple?)
275 notes
·
View notes