myfuturescratchbook - Tumblr blog

[myfuturescratchbook]

How can I lengthen my scenes exponentially? I often begin a chapter and I usually give myself a minimum word count — yet I find that I move too fast paced between points of events in the scene. I work with being descriptive, but I feel like I can only do so much description before I run out of things to say. Should I focus more on internal thoughts? What else can I use as “filler” so to speak?

You never want to include "filler" in a scene. Readers don't want their time wasted by filler. :)

Have a look at my post How to Increase Word Count (Meaningfully!)

My posts Pacing Feels Too Fast, Balancing Dialogue with Action and Narrative, Exposition, Action, and Dialogue, and How to Pace Your Story, and Slowing the Pace within a Chapter might also help. ♥

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[myfuturescratchbook]

For all those who are average, like me

My name is Alina (let’s assume it’s my real name for a second. The name doesn’t matter.) I live in Germany. I try to be a good person, but I am average. I am privileged. Sometimes I forget.

 I try to make the world a better place as much as my weak arms reach, but I’m not particularly good at that. For example, I’m aware of racism, but not enough to call myself an activist. My actions don’t change anything. But I try to spot my own racist thoughts and subconscious patterns, I go to demonstrations, I like and share tumblr posts and listen to podcasts. I’m average. Maybe less than that.

 My concerns are those of every privileged girl, woman now, in her mid-twenties in a first-world nation that expresses “serious concerns for the situation” in the less privileged ones while importing the product of underpaid work and child labour. I’m angry at dictators and angry at my own government that only addresses dictators if it fits into their policies.

 I am average. I have a family, a roof over my head, I’m safe. My mother’s growing old and her patience is running thin, my father’s not perfect, but I am part of a privileged family with loving parents and annoying siblings.

I worry about the climate crisis and my exams, I think about the good and evil and the clothes I need but I’m too lazy to buy. I worry about rising gas prices, but not enough, because I’ll probably be able to pay. I am average. I am boring. I am privileged.

 I woke up today. It’s an average day. For me.

 I checked my Instagram feed before I checked my WhatsApp notifications. I saw the blown-over card houses first. I saw my uncle’s messages in the group chat after that. Messages about him, his wife, his children, and my grandmother being unharmed, they came after that.

 He asked about his siblings. And their families, of course, that part is implied. He doesn’t ask about my mother, that is also implied. My mother is sleeping in, after calling in sick from work. She hasn’t checked her phone yet.

 I am average. I woke up, checked my phone, and prepared my breakfast bowl. I use blueberries for topping. I like the colours.

 My cousin is three. I don’t know if he’s ever had blueberries. They are rare over there, and very expensive. I don’t know if he ever will. His mother hasn’t answered yet.

 I am average. I worry about the amount of milk in my bowl. My throat feels dry.

 My display lights up. The spoon was halfway to my mouth. It’ll wait for another second as I forget that I am average and boring for a second.

 It’s another cousin. They say it came from Antep, from the East. She forgot to say if she is alright. If her husband and toddler are alive. I assume they are.

 Another cousin says they felt it, too. Badly. (Of course, they did. She lives closer to the epicentre. She lives more east.) I assume her baby’s alive, too.

 My cousin writes again, five minutes later. It’s still going on. No, it’s not. It’s an aftershock. One of the hundreds to come.

 My cousins, another uncle, the wife of another uncle. They spam with messages that don’t matter. The assumption that they are all fine, their families are fine, matters.

 Kahramanmaraş, Pazarcık. 7,4.

Kahramanmaraş.

The people left their homes.

We did, too.

We didn’t.

We went down, we went outside. (The first cousin, the one with a toddler. I can be sure by now they’re fine, right?)

 It’s still shaking. (No, it’s not. It’s shaking again.)

 Another cousin, almost as average as I am, -

No, wait. He is not in a privileged first-nation. His apartment isn’t as stable as mine, although his is much more probable to shake like a drunkard on a white line. He could have been one of them if he had visited his mother in his hometown. That aunt is closest to the centre.

He could have been one of them if it had happened on another, equally likely spot.

He’s not average like me, I’m sorry for my thought.

Whatever.

 He says, “Geçmiş olsun.“ It means, “I hope it becomes the past soon.” You can say it when someone’s sick. Or after they went through a bad thing. Or a horrible thing. A traumatic event. Usually, it’s cute to say it, hopefully you don’t suffer from that anymore, hopefully it’s over. Now, it’s just wrong. It’s the first dozen of a hundred.

 Another aunt writes. I heard Melisa’s house is down.

 Melisa is another relative. The daughter of my mother’s cousin. She’s got a brother and a sister closer to my age. I remember spending a lot of time with them in the summers. We used to play hide-and-seek and volleyball past midnight. Melisa’s a police officer, her sister is studying law, just like me.

 But I’m average. My sister’s house hasn’t collapsed. I don’t have any nieces and nephews, but if I had, I would not be wondering if they were alive. They’d be privileged, like me and my siblings.

 Another hour later, I learn she’s fine. Her family is fine. Someone got a hold of her on the phone.

 No. Wait. Something fell on top of one of her kids- But they are fine.

 I realize I don’t remember Melisa’s kids. I just know they caused a couple of fights among the younger cousins. If I’m not confusing the memories.

 I remember that I’m fine. I’m privileged. I am boring. I go to the mall, I have errands to run. My mind is swinging back and forth between brands of clothes and damaged buildings, my head’s calculating sales and death tolls.

 I get mad over impolite people on the train and irresponsible construction companies. My anger rises at the plastic around my bubble tea and a nation that keeps building unstable high-rise buildings on the borders that keep continental plates apart.

 Sorry. They don’t keep them apart. They are the line where they crash.

 There’s a child next to my table in a cafe, tiny curls, and candy in her hand, charming the waiters for more sweets. She understands the same language the girl with straight hair and blue eyes spoke until a couple of minutes ago.

The death toll is rising.

 I’m average. Boring. The girl with the candy probably is, too.

 I am average. I don’t understand what the death toll means. I think, so many people died. How horrible.

 Then I see a video on Instagram. The caption might have been fake. I’ll never know. The clip shows a baby, around six months old. I can’t tell if it can sit straight on its own. I see the caption. “If I knew this was the last video I took of you, I would have…”

 I continue scrolling. I don’t know if it’s because it’s so horribly sad, or if I am scrolling on autopilot.

 I blink. I have frozen on the next article, I realize. I blink again. It’s an advertisement for a sizable backpack for travellers.

 I don’t scroll back. I’m too scared to see the baby again.

 I think Instagram will assume that I care more about the backpack than the baby that –

 I read the next article about the death tolls in detail, although I know there won’t be more information than what I already have.

 There’s another wave.

 They write again. They are all safe.

My aunt sends a screenshot of a prophecy of another shake. There’s a scientific expression in the reasoning. My cousin tells her not to believe it. He says it’s fake news.

 I don’t dare to form an opinion on it. I am privileged. Even if it is true, I will have a roof over my head tonight. I will have a heater and multiple blankets, all for myself.

Even if I didn’t have, it won’t be snowing in Germany tonight. There won’t be hundreds of people freezing to death around me, some wishing for something to cover themselves with, others praying for people to uncover them.

 I am privileged.

Someone writes something about not entering any buildings yet. My sister rings the bell. She was at school.

 There’s silence for hours. In the group chat, I mean. The death tolls and news reports and clips with sad music and smiling children with bloody faces and missing reports are deafening.

 Not really. It’s silent when I turn my phone around. I am privileged, remember?

 I see a message from the wife of one of my uncles. An audio. My heart rate picks up. It’ll be good to hear her voice, maybe even that of my cousin, only a year older than my eight-year-old brother. At the same time, it scares me. Why does it have to be an audio? Is it bad?

 There is no voice in the audio at all. It’s a loud, consistent note with even breaks. I think about it. What could it be? A siren? Was the background too loud for her voice to make it into the mic? I realize I’m thinking about it like it’s a riddle to solve. I remember I am average.

 It hits me after I have already put my phone down with a frown. It’s exactly what I hear. A loud noise. She probably sent it to all her contacts, just in case someone is stuck and needs to draw attention. My fingers go cold.

 I don’t need it. If everything goes according to statistics, I never will. Hopefully, I never will.

 Hours go by. One of my aunts announces that they’ll be turning in for the night.

I wonder what that means. Are they going back inside? She has four kids. The youngest is 7. Too young to freeze to death in a car. Too young to get crushed under his own roof.

I am too shy to ask.

 My other aunt asks an unrelated question. Did you just feel the shake?

 The first one answers, the one with four kids. We don’t feel anything anymore. We’re numb.

 It could be a bad joke. It could be helplessness. It could be the cold.

 They all write.

 We felt it.

We didn’t.

 Someone asks, are you going back inside?

 Some are, some are staying in their cars.

 I’m already sitting on my bed. I’m average.

 But tonight’s not average. I’m too scared to go to bed because I’m afraid of the news of the morning. I’m too scared to let go of my phone because I am still privileged enough for my family to be alive. I haven’t lost anyone yet. I’m too scared that tomorrow will be even less average.

 I scroll on Instagram. I see posts of people calling for help, of people offering help, of people gathering donations.

 There’s a screenshot of a WhatsApp message written by an alleged medical expert.

 Be careful in your cars. Even if it is not running, there will be a small leak of carbon monoxide. If you do not open your windows every 20 minutes, you might get poisoned and die in your sleep.

Stay safe. He’s added a prayer emoji.

 I put my phone down.

 My stomach churns. I am average.

[myfuturescratchbook]

Donations

Turkey:

https://ahbap.org/disasters-turkey

Syria:

https://www.icrc.org/en/donate/syria-emergency

(Please consider that international help is especially needed in Syria because of the effects of war and the political situations)

Red cross offers ways for donations in every country (I think), so you could just see for your self in e.g. Red Cross UK

Both donations in kind and monetary donations are welcome, though for those of us who don’t live in Turkey money might be the more helpful option.

I’m not trying to guilt trip anyone into donating, please keep your own situation in mind. But please also remember that 1 € is worth about 18 TL (local currency), dollar is slightly less, pounds is slightly more. Literally, every dollar matters.

[myfuturescratchbook]

Characterization

Bilingual Characters

Note: I am not bilingual, so please add or correct me if you can. This is what I have observed/learned from friends who are.

❃

➸ forgetting terms in [language A] and trying to explain with context clues or hand gestures ; it’s common to forget terms even in their primary language, not just a secondary one

➸ usually it’s just repeating “the thing” while trying to remember the term or using a synonym even if it doesn’t make as much sense

➸ inner dialogue switching between languages depending on connotation of thought and which language they have been conversing in lately

➸ counting in [language A] and then translating the final number into [language B] because it’s easier that way

➸ translating slang terms from [language A] that do not actually translate with the same meaning or make sense in [language B]

➸ speaking with grammar rules from [language A] that are incorrect in [language B]

➸ asking non-bilingual person if there’s a translation for a word before realizing they would have no idea

➸ never say something like “oops, it’s hard to switch back sometimes” — that’s lazy writing and doesn’t happen in real life

➸ language is a conscious action so when speaking [language A] people aren’t just going to throw in words from [language B] unless they are struggling to find a translation and then that struggle will be obvious

➸ if a character throws in a word from [language A] while conversing in [language B] it’s on purpose, usually because they’re messing with the other person or the word in [language B] doesn’t have the same connotation

➸ for example, curse words, nicknames, or other exclamations from [language A] may commonly be thrown in while conversing in [language B] but it is purposeful

➸ the only exception could be children who grew up bilingual; they may genuinely combine languages without thinking about it

➸ switching between languages may take a second for their brain to compute, even if they’re switching back to their primary language ; especially if they’ve been using one language consistently for a while

➸ when in an adrenaline-rush situation (like being panicked or in pain) a person will usually fall into their first language

➸ don’t try to transcribe accents — if your character has one, describe it and move on ; messing with dialogue too much will confuse readers

➸ there are different kinds of bilingual: fully (speak, read, and write), conversational (speaks fluently but does not read/write as well; this is common with immigrants), and comprehensible (can understand what someone says to them, but struggles to speak back; common with those who took school classes)

➸ people who grew up speaking primarily [language A] will commonly get anxious conversing in [language B] even if they are fluently bilingual ; this is something people can overcome with time

➸ when researching a language you do not speak but your character does, make sure to understand the culture too because it will influence how they speak

➸ culture affects expressions, idioms, forms, even basic vocabulary — you’ll need to understand this because every language breaks formal rules while in casual conversation & using this will make your character more realistic

➸ find a bilingual beta reader!

[myfuturescratchbook]

Seven years after, I see you again 😚

[myfuturescratchbook]

do u have any sort of website that can tell me jobs in a small town? trying to write a story set in a small town but i cant come up with any ideas for jobs apart from the essential ones like police or hospital

Jobs in a Small Town

Government: mayor, city manager, city council member, city attorney, city clerk, code enforcement officer, customer service representative, finance director, fire chief/firefighter, paramedic, human resources manager, information technology department, librarian, municipal court clerk/administrator/judicial specialist/court security officer, parks and recreation director, planning and zoning director, police chief/officer or sheriff/deputy, public works director, utilities clerk, wastewater plant operator

Business: business owner/operator or employee (such as a clerk, receptionist, manager, or administrator) at a shop, restaurant, cafe, gas station, mechanic, tow truck, locksmith, landscaper/lawn care, handyman, florist, funeral home, pool cleaner, daycare center, grocery store, feed and pet store, car dealership, clothing boutique, ice cream parlor, liquor store, bar, nightclub, community theater, "big box store" (like Walmart), warehouse store (like Costco), movie theater, mini-golf course

Medical Services: hospital (administration, doctor, surgeon, nurse practitioner, nurse, nurse's aide, respiratory therapist, anesthesiologist, orderly, receptionist, lab worker, security, etc.) Doctor's office or urgent care (administration, doctor, nurse, nurse practitioner, receptionist, etc.) Dentist or orthodontist (administration, dentist/orthodontist, dental assistant, orthodontic assistant, receptionist, etc.) Nursing home/assisted living facility (administration, doctor, nurse, orderly, etc.)

Random: country club employee, dog walker, babysitter/nanny, home nurse, museum director/curator/specialist/employee, town archaeologist (if area is rich in history), industrial jobs (mining, factories/manufacturing, farming/crop production, fishing/fisheries), wedding coordinator, convention center director, attorney, judge, taxi driver, utility repair technician, railway worker, bus driver, school jobs (principal, teacher, teacher's aide, librarian, cafeteria worker, counselor, security officer, custodian), airport jobs (administrative, security, service provider/employee, airline worker, pilot, flight attendant, plane mechanic)

That's all I've got at the moment, but keep an eye on the comments in case others come up with ideas! :)

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[myfuturescratchbook]

some sibling rivalry prompts

thank you for this beautiful ask :) <3 i tried to make this as accurate as possible as someone with siblings. feel free to use.

baiting them into asking them more questions and it working

^like “yeah… that one question is really hard. it took forever to get the answer…. but i’m glad i did…. sigh. anyway…” “………………. which question?”

“if you come into my room one more them i’m literally going to beat you up.”

“have you seen my notes?” “why would i steal your notes when i’m literally smarter than you.”

“it’s exhausting being around you.” “do you mean that?” “stop making me feel bad omg. fine i take it back.”

“i’m gonna kill you.” “MOM!”

one sibling whose love language is touch and words of affirmation and the other literally cringes at touch

“i love you, you know.” “blegh.” and the other one is holding their collar aggressively like “SAY IT BACK.”

“i always felt like i was being compared to you, you know? i thought i needed to be better.”

older x younger sibling

^ the older one always like “grow up” and the younger is like “you’re literally pushing retirement please leave me alone.”

“i am not your competition.” “then why are you acting like it?”

and i’d like to add that siblings are siblings no matter how old. there no expiration date for tattling and being immature when it comes to sibling bonds

when they finally grow and mature in a sense that they can communicate way better and talk things out

PSA to everyone writing siblings; no one refers to their siblings as “big bro/little bro.” please don’t do it.

[myfuturescratchbook]

Descriptions are my least favorite part of writing, particularly setting descriptions. They’re very important but I always feel like time drags when I put them down on paper and that they break up the flow of my work. But, like I said, they’re NEEDED and don’t break up the flow at all! I just dislike doing them so intensely that I feel that way

To combat this, I’ve been doing a writing exercise lately where I choose a mundane object (like “dish” or “leaf” or “street”) and write at least three separate descriptions about them, usually in three separate states.

I described a broken plate, an ornate plate, and an old plate with knife scratch marks on it.

For leaf, I described a leaf caught under a chair, a bright green leaf in a tree, and a half-eaten leaf in a garden.

For street, I described a busy intersection, a street at night after rain, and a street in an abandoned neighborhood.

By doing this, I’ve expanded my range of “ready made” descriptions. When I write an urban scene at night, I can recall this exercise and reference the description I already made for “street”. I’ve found this helps me get through descriptions quickly so I don’t feel like it’s breaking up the work.

I’ve also found that it’s helped me find more joy in describing specific elements of the scene. By taking the time to look at objects around me and very intentionally looking for descriptions, I’ve found that I like looking at leaves/streets/dishes! I think some of that joy translates into my writing now.

Doing daily exercises like this is what helps me stay consistent in my writing practice and develop my technical skills. This particular exercise is about setting, but I also have a few for syntax, narrative time management, dialogue, etc

Writing is a skill! Nobody wakes up and writes the perfect story with all the perfect tricks of the craft. It takes analysis and practice.

[myfuturescratchbook]

Possessive/Intimate Whumper prompts

1. Fingers their whumpee’s mouth

2. Washes/brushes/dyes/cuts the whumpee’s hair, or instructs someone else while they do it

3. Punching/slapping the whumpee and kissing them while they are dazed

4. Getting the whumpee drunk to make them vulnerable

5. Drugging the whumpee with aphrodisiacs

6. Deciding what the whumpee wears/is allowed to wear, or having them wear the Whumper’s clothes

7. Hand feeding the whumpee - bonus if they can’t feed themselves because they are too weak or tied up!

8. Forcing feigned domesticity

9. Cheerfully teasing the whumpee for being “messy” or “clumsy” while they clean up their blood/wounds

10. Making them do “trust” exercises - trust falls, trust tests, etc

11. Forcefully dressing the whumpee

12. Casually mentioning something about the whumpee’s life that indicates they have been stalking them for a long time

13. Forced cuddling - bonus if the whumpee is tied up or drugged

14. Bathing a whumpee

15. Teaching the whumpee something new - swimming, cooking, archery, and using it as an excuse to keep touching them to “correct” or “help” them

16. Making the whumpee miserable or uncomfortable “for your own good” - posture collars, enforced diets, isolation, etc

17. Spanking them for disobedience

18. Forcing them to sleep at the foot of their bed or on the floor

19. Forcing them to be still and quiet while they entertain guests or visit others, keeping them as eye candy to be on display

20. Having the whumpee wear a necklace or collar with the whumper’s name on it

21. Giving the whumpee a massage or forcing the whumpee to give them a massage

22. Giving the whumpee a gift they will despise

23. Giving the whumpee a gift that brings them some comfort, just so they can threaten to take it away

24. Making the whumpee hand-feed the whumper

25. Forcing the whumpee to sing love songs to them

@ me if you use one, I’d love to read it!

[myfuturescratchbook]

[myfuturescratchbook]

Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime, I make memes on company time.

[myfuturescratchbook]

It’s cleaning time again only instead of using just the faucet I decided to try the shower head instead. I left him like this for 20 mins while I cleaned out and scrubbed his cage.

[myfuturescratchbook]

Good Types of Tropes For H/C

No Pain Killers Available

Gotta Stay Quiet To Avoid Discovery

Feverish Delirium And Mumbling

Cowboy Medicine: Whiskey Internally & Externally Applied

Huddling For Warmth

Desperate Hand-Holding

“Breathe, Just Breathe”

Protectively Cradling A Broken Arm

The Word ‘Winced’

Whimpering

“Easy, Easy There”

Being Carried; Bridal, Fireman’s, Two-Person, Doesn’t Matter- Being Carried

Coughing, or, God-Forbid, Sneezing, With Broken Ribs

Fainting

Waking Up Not Knowing Where They Are

Animal Attack

DIY Bullet-Removal

Field-Medicine in General

Blankets/Shirt Collar Shifting Just Enough To Have Bandages Peeking Out

Gentle Shushing

Needing Help To Drink From A Glass

Brushing Hair From Brow

Collapsing Off Of Horse

Dramatic Irony Injury Reveal (Audience Knows About It But Other Characters Do Not)

Frantically Feeling For Breath Or Pulse

(feel free to add on!)

[myfuturescratchbook]

hey do you have any tips on plot development? how to do come up with relevant but dramatic things to keep the plot going? i also don’t want to make it too intense?

I actually have quite a lot of resources that I’ve created over the years surrounding plot development. I’ve linked as many as I could find for you:

Resources For Plot Development

Useful Writing Resources

Useful Writing Resources II

31 Days of Plot Development

Novel Planning 101

How To Write A Good Plot Twist

How To Foreshadow

What To Cut Out Of Your Story

Tackling Subplots

Things A Reader Needs From A Story

A Guide To Tension & Suspense In Your Writing

How To Turn A Good Idea Into A Good Story

Planning A Scene In A Story

21 Plot Shapes and the Pros and Cons Of Each

How To Outline Effectively

Tips On Writing Intense Scenes

Writing The First Chapter

Tips On Starting A Scene

Plot Structures

Finding & Fixing Plot Holes

[myfuturescratchbook]

Step by Step Plan: Editing Your Own Writing

So you have your first draft done. You must be thinking, what now? Editing of course! Here is a step by step plan to edit your draft to A+ perfection! 

~ Step #1 ~ Rewrite

Rewrite the whole damn thing. This step is completely optional but I definitely recommend it if you want the best product possible. If you like your first draft better, you can always go back to it.

Weiterlesen

[myfuturescratchbook]

Captured whumpees being found:

-“Oh my god, what’ve they done to you?!”

-“No, no, hey, look at me. It’s me. I’m real. We’re getting you out of here.”

-“I’m so sorry I let this happen. Nobody will ever hurt you again”

-“Hey, please, c'mon, keep your eyes open, just a little longer. Please.”

-“Shh, shh, it’s okay, I’ve got you. You’re safe now”

-“Oh they are going to regret the day they ever laid eyes on you. I’ll rip them apart for this!”

-“Oh god that’s a lot of blood.”

[myfuturescratchbook]

Do you have a list of good words to use to describe pain, or know where to find one? Nothing super specific really, but I'd love if you had a list of good words to use while writing about someone experiencing pain

As in adjectives to describe the pain itself? I gotcha! (Just fyi I’m not really feeling better yet, this is just an easy question to answer)

- Dull

- Raw

- Throbbing

- Burning

- Aching

- Tender

- Sharp

- Shooting

- Nagging

- Stabbing

- Gnawing

- Raging

- Stinging

- Excruciating

- Tingling

- Nauseating

- Blinding

- Dizzying

- Piercing

- Radiating

- Wrenching

- Crushing