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Psyche Before the Throne of Venus - Henrietta Rae, English (1859-1928).

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🦋 ✨

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Home is where the heart is ♡

x - x / x - x

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How I Wrote A Novel.

This, in a nutshell, is what I did to get a book with my name on it.

NOTE: This is just my personal way of making the words go. Other people have different ways to make their words go. In the world of words, there are no right answers. There’s just lots and lots of tea/coffee/tear stains.

1). The Idea

When I get an idea for a story, I open up a document, label it “Brainstorming,” and start making a bullet list of events that consist of the plot.

It has to be an idea with tangible weight. A stray bit of dialogue or something vague like Halloween, that doesn’t give me much to work off of. Halloween creatures living on the same street where it’s Autumn every day- now that’s something I can build from.

What kinds of creatures are they? What do they do? What do their houses look like? The best ideas are the ones that spark more.

2). First Draft

This is the easy part- and the most challenging. Easy, because there’s literally no bar. I just sat there and typed. But it’s a huge mental challenge.

When I was in first draft mode, I wanted that story out. I thought that by making it such a rough, far-away version from the concept in my head, I was only delaying the day where I’d hold it in my hands. Turns out, that’s what got it to take on physical form in the first place. So I quieted down, grabbed my laptop and some hot tea, and typed.

3). Dissecting the First Draft

After I finished draft one, I printed it all off and highlighted the scant amounts that were passable for the next phase. Dialogue, descriptions, setting- anything that didn’t look like it was up to par was scratched out and omitted.

I call the above pictures A Slow Descent Into Madness.

4). The Second Draft

On a fresh document, I rewrote the story altogether- and it make a difference. I was coming up with things I hadn’t even thought of previously. And it was surprising how much better the plot was than the first time around. But it was still rough.

5). Draft Three

My method was to start with the bigger, more obvious issues and work my way down. Any plot holes I found were noted, and my outline was constantly under revision. I cut out entire scenes and made mental notes on ways they could be fixed/replaced.

This is where I started cutting chapters in half to make the story flow better- but I didn’t bother writing in usable chapter titles. Instead, I improvised:

6). Drafts Four and Five

These were dedicated to correcting the smaller, less obvious plot holes. This was the point where the story finally started to look close to what would become the final version.

7). Drafts Seven Onward

With the story line looking how I wanted, I then moved on to sentence structure. That one song that looked terrible? Rewritten. Over-the-top descriptions and excessive prose? Gone.

8). Editing and Proofing

This is where I had outside help. Besides this useful tool, I had two people check for spelling issues and the overall story. Once it was in decent shape to be made public, I asked for some additional help.

9). Betas

My betas were in the age range that my novel was geared toward, along with a couple of teachers and parents (as it was middle grade). I gave them the full manuscript, along with seven basic questions like “Which characters were your favorite/least favorite and why?” and “Was there a part of the story that didn’t make sense?”

I gave my betas three months to read a 42,590 word story, and by the end they gave me back the review sheets.

10). Final Adjustments

After I read over the reviews, I let the comments sit for three days so that I could proceed with a clear head. I smoothed out any flaws, scanned over the MS twice to make sure everything was right, and that is how I got to the end of writing my first novel.

Next comes publishing- which is a different beast entirely.

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me for 3 years straight: “sorry i haven’t been myself lately”

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To Tired Writers. To the people out there whose hearts very, very much want to write and work on WIPs, but who are just mentally and physically exhausted right now. It’s okay. It is okay to rest sometimes. Allow yourself time to rest. 

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Yoongi's evil clone, pointing at Yoongi: Shoot him! he's the clone

Seokjin, aiming at the clone: The real Yoongi would never pass up an opportunity to die

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It’s late at night, the sky is starless but the moon is soft and it reminds me of yoongi.

Yoongi is such a soft spirit, he is like child on his first day of school, excited but timid, eager to love and care for others but at the same time he keeps to himself because he’s terrified of giving his all and then getting hurt because, well, unlike a child, he actually had been through a lot of darkness. there has been times where the people closest to him had failed him and that left him to his own thoughts and it felt lonely, and he doesn’t like to be lonely.

He’s just so pure and loving and I want him to be happy, I want him to be surrounded by people who aren’t affraid to show him how much they like his presence and that can understand that when he plays tough it’s just an exterior because he’s affraid of showing his emotions and struggles too much, that support is a lot to ask from his loved ones.

I hope he always has a hand to hold, and arms to fall into, I hope he’s endlessly loved.

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Im actually crying they’re so cute-

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taehyung is a fairy that had been sent by the heavens to bring yoongi back, a fallen angel that had forgotten his past. #뷔슈

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I want to write, and I have to study for a test, and I want to read the books waiting on my shelf but my eyes hurt so fucking bad because I need a new glasses and I still haven’t had the time to go to the optician