lunaescence-blog

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Writers! Here’s your daily reminder!

Take a minute-long break from Tumblr and add just 1 new sentence to your WIP RIGHT NOW!

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Writing Tip

Rough Draft Writer’s Block?

Try the NO BACKSPACE Game.

There are only two rules: type whatever comes to mind, and you can NEVER HIT BACKSPACE.

I suffer from Believing Everything I Write In My Rough Draft Has to Be Final Draft Quality Disease. One of the best things that helped me get over that was to ACCEPT that imperfect ideas HAVE to go down on paper in order for you to blaze the trail to your best draft. You set your fingers to the keys and type the slightest idea that comes to your mind for what word comes next. Then, no matter what, you keep typing and move FORWARDS ONLY. NEVER BACKWARDS. Even to fix mistakes. Before you know it you’ll be writing again.

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“A story should entertain the writer, too.”

— Stephen King (via writingdotcoffee)

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Opening paragraph of Brave New World

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the one good thing about having poor memory is rereading your favourite books and being surprised by the twists all over again

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Prompt #657

“And your favorite flower?”

“Forget-me-not.”

“I could never. And I don’t plan to.”

{Submitted by: gavitnoonday}

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You have any cat-themed writing prompts?

Hi :)

Just with cats involved or from the perspective of a cat?

Here are some prompts that have cats in them:

Prompts about cats:

I like cats but no one should love their fur balls as much as you do, but now there’s a storm outside and the cat’s not at home and you’re devasted, so now we run through the rain, screaming for your cat (Roommate AUs)

There was a cat sitting in my kitchen. I don’t know where it came from because no one of my neighbors ownes a cat. She just sat there on my kitchen table and stared into my eyes. (Prompt #4)

Place: parking lot; Time: Sunday night; Character(s): a girl, a man and a cat (Prompt #125)

Use the words forklift, cat and band aid in your next story. (Prompt #77)

Write about someone finding a stray animal. (Dog, Cat, Dove, Sheep, etc.) (Prompt #46)

Let me know, if you were looking for something else, otherwise have fun! :)

- Jana

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You ever write a sentence thats fifteen lines long and just go: thats a problem for future me.

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Open up your manuscript.

Search for “there is” or “there was.”

Find all the description or action that starts with “there” and change it.

“There is a strike of lightning” becomes “lightning strikes the sky.”

“There is panic building in his chest” becomes “panic builds in his chest.”

Helps declump the writing

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Writing hack: actually use your fancy notebooks

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Editing Junk Words

There are words that (most of the time) are best to be left out of or changed in your draft. So CTRL+F your draft and get into the nitty gritty!*

*what you keep or change is up to you and your writing style. :)

Very

Would you rather someone say you’re very good or that you’re AMAZING. Changing “very ____” to one word usually hypes it up and gets the point across better. Check out my list of alternatives!

Just

Good to keep some in 1st Person especially, but it can saturate your writing very quickly. So be careful! 

Really

Can be replaced by alternatives of “very ___” in a lot of cases. More likely to appear and seem natural in 1st Person, but you do you.

Said

Not always the bad guy, but if you need something new, check out my alternatives for “said”!

In order

“In order to achieve this plot…” can be “To achieve this plot…” and perform the same effect, if not more effectively. 

That

A typically casual and informal filler word. If you don’t need it or don’t feel it fits, cut it!

Quite

Works best in dialogue, not really anywhere else.

Seemed

This is pretty boring and lacks intricacy IMO. Check out my alternatives for “seemed”!

Thing

Not always a junk word, but it can be. Use your discretion and focus on maintaining specificity in your work.

Utilize

“Utilize” is a more pretentious version of “use”. But if it’s put in a pretentious character’s dialogue/narration and the shoe fits… utilize it.

Got

“She got bananas” is way less interesting than “she bought bananas” or “she stole bananas” or “she harvested bananas”. The word “got” cuts out an opportunity for details/characterization. Replacing it lessens repetition as well.

Went

Shares similarities with “seemed” and “got”. It kills a chance for more detail. Check out my alternatives for “went”!

Some

This is a very vague word that can lower the specificity of your writing.

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Writing Prompts in 5 Styles

1. Write a scene at a funeral.

2. A dog, a missing person’s flyer, and three shots of tequila

3. “But you were always mine.” “Was I?”

4. What happens when two exes find themselves at the same divorce lawyer office?

5. Write about everything that reminds you of balloons in one story. 

6. Write a scene inside a failing ice cream shop.

7. a bouquet of roses, several restraining orders, and a Lego set

8. “This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.” “I can tell.”

9. What happens when a bookstore owner befriends his mysterious customer?

10. Write about everything that reminds you of snow in one story.

11. Write a scene at a private beach.

12. a messy room, explosives, and one smart cat

13. “You are like gold to me. Expensive yet boring.”

14.  What happens when several con artists fight over the same mark?

15. Write about everything that reminds you of cardboard boxes in one story.

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Person A: It’s nice to be wanted, you know?

Person B: Not by the law!

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When you write 3 words on your project and decide to take a break

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reminder to all writers

you are talented, and more than capable of creating something extraordinary

your way of telling a story is unique, there’s not a single story in this world that could, or would, ever be told the same way, by any writer;

meaning, you bring something remarkable to the table, a story that never would have been told, if it wasn’t for you

and no amount of self-doubt is going to change that

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Writing Mini-Tip: Don’t write a lot. Write often.

If you want to get in the habit of writing every day, don’t worry about how much you write. Try to write as often as you can instead. Practice makes perfect.

If your brain is done for the day, don’t push yourself. As long as you’ve written something, that’s enough.

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WORD CHALLENGE #11

I challenge you to use one, some, or all of these words in your next piece of writing:

middle

occasion

unexpected

trustworthy

create

satisfied

table

manage

flight

concern