livi-the-writer - Tumblr blog

[livi-the-writer]

Honestly? My main piece of advice for writing well-rounded characters is to make them a little bit lame. No real living person is 100% cool and suave 100% of the time. Everyone's a little awkward sometimes, or gets too excited about something goofy, or has a silly fear, or laughs about stupid things. Being a bit of a loser is an incurable part of the human condition. Utilize that in your writing.

[livi-the-writer]

[livi-the-writer]

Me: Okay, Brain. Think about what happens next in this chapter.

Brain: *Skips three chapters ahead*

Me: No, no. This one, this chapter, the one we are writing right now.

Brain:.......*47 scenes forward*

Me: NO

[livi-the-writer]

Every writer seems to have their own words to go seek out and destroy during line edits. A lot of them are pretty common: "just", "was", present progressive tense, "now", "suddenly", etc.

One of mine is "there was/there were/there is/there are"

You almost never need it. Virtually the only times I keep it are in dialogue, because that's when it sounds most reasonable. But mostly? It's dead weight of words that aren't doing anything and could be doing....well, anything.

Example from today:

Same amount of words, in this case, but instead of the records simply...existing...someone was keeping them. Pretty small, simple change. And yet slightly more info. Slightly better read.

A bigger change! This change focuses more attention on "the he" and his experience. It actually describes the situation, instead of the situation simply. Happening.

This cut more than just "there were" this time, but the overall effect is more concise, more to the point, more urgency. Less meandering. Good.

Hey, look at that. I took out the tunnel simply existing and added why the tunnel existing was even relevant.

More specific, more relevant.

Shorter, more concise.

You can see in these last couple examples that a lot of what "there were" is doing in sentences is not quite passive--technically, the "there" is doing the acting of. Um. Existing. And yet it's just as meaningless and just as weaselly and just as worthless to keep most of the time.

I look at the original piece of the dialogue compared to what I changed it to and want to punch the first version in the face for taking forever to say something.

"No other place" is just much more evocative to me than "there wasn't another." Because. Fuck the phrase "there were."

"There was a time" oh shut the fuck up, Character, why are you speaking like a pretentious asshole from an old movie.

Fuck off, Marr, why did you even write that first sentence like that.

Anyway, perhaps you, like I, got fed up with the way these sentences read the more of them you were forced to see.

Perhaps you, like I, will consider consigning this phrase to hell.

[livi-the-writer]

Seven years after, I see you again 😚

[livi-the-writer]

the one thing i want to be able to do as a writer is make people come back to something ive written. i want that piece of text to haunt them, i want their thoughts to be briefly consumed by this. i want this to be something they remember long after its time. thats the one thing i want to do

[livi-the-writer]

Shoutout to oddly specific probably-projecting headcanons hell yeah your favorite character has back problems and a peanut allergy

[livi-the-writer]

[livi-the-writer]

"Idiots to lovers" works best when the idiots in question are extremely intelligent

[livi-the-writer]

With NaNo approaching please remember:

💌 It's okay to work hard to meet a wordcount.

💌 but it's also okay to write at your own pace.

💌 Being able to write a lot in a short amount of time is not every writer's goal.

💌 It's great if you feel motivated by writing challenges.

💌 but it's perfectly fine if writing challenges stress you out.

💌 There is no one way to get writing finished.

💌 As long as you are writing what you want to write, when you want to write it, you are winning!

[livi-the-writer]

poetry and musical theater get similar accusations leveled at them in terms of not being realistic, i.e. “no one fucking talks like that” or “people don’t randomly burst into song in real life” and sometimes i just want to take people by the shoulders and say. there are forms of art that are not aiming for perfect realism. are you capable of handling that

[livi-the-writer]

we really fucking popped off with words for being up to no good. scam. fraud. swindle. nefarious. dastardly. ne'er-do-well. diabolical. scheme. rogue. knave. there are real classics.

[livi-the-writer]

potato

[livi-the-writer]

Every 21st century piece of writing advice: Make us CARE about the character from page 1! Make us empathize with them! Make them interesting and different but still relatable and likable!

Every piece of classic literature: Hi. It's me. The bland everyman whose only purpose is to tell you this story. I have no actual personality. Here's the story of the time I encountered the worst people I ever met in my life. But first, ten pages of description about the place in which I met them.

[livi-the-writer]

If it doesn't have grumpy x sunshine, I didn't write it, sorry

[livi-the-writer]

WEIRDLY SPECIFIC BUT HELPFUL CHARACTER BUILDING QUESTIONS

What’s the lie your character says most often?

How loosely or strictly do they use the word ‘friend’?

How often do they show their genuine emotions to others versus just the audience knowing?

What’s a hobby they used to have that they miss?

Can they cry on command? If so, what do they think about to make it happen?

What’s their favorite [insert anything] that they’ve never recommended to anyone before?

What would you (mun) yell in the middle of a crowd to find them? What would their best friend and/or romantic partner yell?

How loose is their use of the phrase ‘I love you’?

Do they give tough love or gentle love most often? Which do they prefer to receive?

What fact do they excitedly tell everyone about at every opportunity?

If someone was impersonating them, what would friends / family ask or do to tell the difference?

What’s something that makes them laugh every single time? Be specific!

When do they fake a smile? How often?

How do they put out a candle?

What’s the most obvious difference between their behavior at home, at work, at school, with friends, and when they’re alone?

What kinds of people do they have arguments with in their head?

What do they notice first in the mirror versus what most people first notice looking at them?

Who do they love truly, 100% unconditionally (if anyone)?

What would they do if stuck in a room with the person they’ve been avoiding?

Who do they like as a person but hate their work? Vice versa, whose work do they like but don’t like the person?

What common etiquette do they disagree with? Do they still follow it?

What simple activity that most people do / can do scares your character?

What do they feel guilty for that the other person(s) doesn’t / don’t even remember?

Did they take a cookie from the cookie jar? What kind of cookie was it?

What subject / topic do they know a lot about that’s completely useless to the direct plot?

How would they respond to being fired by a good boss?

What’s the worst gift they ever received? How did they respond?

What do they tell people they want? What do they actually want?

How do they respond when someone doesn’t believe them?

When they make a mistake and feel bad, does the guilt differ when it’s personal versus when it’s professional?

When do they feel the most guilt? How do they respond to it?

If they committed one petty crime / misdemeanor, what would it be? Why?

How do they greet someone they dislike / hate?

How do they greet someone they like / love?

What is the smallest, morally questionable choice they’ve made?

Who do they keep in their life for professional gain? Is it for malicious intent?

What’s a secret they haven’t told serious romantic partners and don’t plan to tell?

What hobby are they good at in private, but bad at in front of others? Why?

Would they rather be invited to an event to feel included or be excluded from an event if they were not genuinely wanted there?

How do they respond to a loose handshake? What goes through their head?

What phrases, pronunciations, or mannerisms did they pick up from someone / somewhere else?

If invited to a TED Talk, what topic would they present on? What would the title of their presentation be?

What do they commonly misinterpret because of their own upbringing / environment / biases? How do they respond when realizing the misunderstanding?

What language would be easiest for them to learn? Why?

What’s something unimportant / frivolous that they hate passionately?

Are they a listener or a talker? If they’re a listener, what makes them talk? If they’re a talker, what makes them listen?

Who have they forgotten about that remembers them very well?

Who would they say ‘yes’ to if invited to do something they abhorred / strongly didn’t want to do?

Would they eat something they find gross to be polite?

What belief / moral / personality trait do they stand by that you (mun) personally don’t agree with?

What’s a phrase they say a lot?

Do they act on their immediate emotions, or do they wait for the facts before acting?

Who would / do they believe without question?

What’s their instinct in a fight / flight / freeze / fawn situation?

What’s something they’re expected to enjoy based on their hobbies / profession that they actually dislike / hate?

If they’re scared, who do they want comfort from? Does this answer change depending on the type of fear?

What’s a simple daily activity / motion that they mess up often?

How many hobbies have they attempted to have over their lifetime? Is there a common theme?

[livi-the-writer]