pharmacistwithaheart - Tumblr blog

[pharmacistwithaheart]

Learning everyday!!

Find love in the simple tasks.

Nicole Addison

[pharmacistwithaheart]

No matter how you try to love & make other people wanted, it still wont guarantee for them to love you back. Not even a small feeling of appreciation. Something's wrong with their being. Not your intention. Remember that love. 🤗💖

[pharmacistwithaheart]

[pharmacistwithaheart]

“The power of the gospel can forgive the biggest sinner, transform the hardest heart, and secure the greatest future.”

—

Steven Lawson

[pharmacistwithaheart]

“There are three kinds of love; unselfish, mutual, and selfish. The unselfish love is of the highest kind; the lover only minds the welfare of the beloved and does not care for his own sufferings. In mutual love the lover not only wants the happiness of his beloved, but has an eye towards his own happiness also; it is middling. The selfish love is the lowest. It only looks towards its own happiness, no matter whether the beloved suffers weal or woe.”

— Ramakrishna

[pharmacistwithaheart]

"1 AM Weeping"

I was fret with worries and sorrow upon waking up around 1:30 AM. I couldn't seem to feel God's assurance in my battle with Covid-19 uncertainty. Had been quarantined for 14 days in an isolated facility and was told that swab test kits are out of hand at the moment. Being confident of not having any symptoms of the said virus, I then go on with the plan of finishing the quarantine period and go home after. The situation is already in the palm of my hands hence i would've spare myself of worries upon staying at home. I got home not knowing my health status. Held on to God's promises at the same time clothed with fear of what might go wrong not for myself but for my loved ones. My mom, dad, 2 senior sick lolas, my young niece and nephews, brothers, sisters and workers. The lives and health of these people at risk because I wasn't able to assured myself of the test that would declare me to be covid free. The day I got home I tried to live with the usual attitude and gestures i had with my family. Underlying worries and frustrations consumed me everytime I feel something wrong with my body. Day after my quarantine period I began to have dry cough up to this moment. I know for a time being cough like this usually visits me . But a different kind of fear strucked me that i had to go through this fear. Surrounded by my family yet a feeling of emptiness and hurting continued to haunt me. For the longest time i feel fighting alone. It seems no one in here could calm my raging storms inside. But never once I forgot to consult the great physician up there. His grace and mercy constraineth my weary soul. Once and for all my self made painful experience is a burden He has to bear once again for me. I remember Jacob's story in the Bible how he wrestled with an angel to give him the blessing He needed. The way I approached God's assurance and promises in fighting everything in my head. I have to Claim this and believe. That No one in my family is covid afflicted no one will ever will. Not even me. God is good God is Great God is Almigthy. Not because we are worthy, but because He is faithful in keeping His promises. Perfect love casteth out fear indeed.

[pharmacistwithaheart]

The things that you are most passionate about are not random. They are your calling. Pay close attention.

[pharmacistwithaheart]

girls wear lipstick even during pandemic and have to wear mask is solid reasons that girls do it for themselves not for men ✅✅

[pharmacistwithaheart]

something that’s been on my heart . . .

My, oh my, does this world just seem to be getting crazier each and every day? It seems like every time I turn around, there’s something new. Whether it’s record-breaking death rates due to COVID, racial injustice, warnings of earthquakes, job losses and financial strains, or any of the other hundreds of things that are going on right now, it just seems like everything is falling apart. And it is. This world is temporary. Death will come. Money will fade. Things will continue to spiral downward. But God. Two of the most important, life-altering words in the Bible. But. God. He is above it all. He sees the end from the beginning. He holds life and death in the palm of His hand. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. When things change day by day or even hour by hour, it seems, He is constant and sure. He is the solid rock on which we stand. He is unshakeable, immovable. And He offers that same peace and stability to those who trust in HIm. Thank you Lord that we do not have to navigate these circumstances alone. Thank you Lord for your word that we can hold onto, for your promises that were true thousands of years ago when they were written, that are still true today, and will remain true throughout eternity. Lord, I confess that I have allowed fear to creep into my heart. I have focused my attention on the circumstances of this world rather than on you. Forgive me for that, Jesus. Pull me back into your presence, keep my mind stayed on you, for you promise to fill those who do with your perfect peace. And that is what I need right now, Lord. Peace. Your peace. Peace that surpasses all understanding. Replace my fear with faith. You are my solid rock and my firm foundation, Lord. I trust in you. Heal my unbelief. Lead me in your ways. Fill my mind and my heart with your truth. Strengthen me by your spirit. Help me to be a light, Jesus, in this world. Help me to spread light and peace where you are not known, that people may come into relationship with you, the author of peace. And Lord, help me. As I walk through this life, may my eyes remain focused on you. Give me what I need to run the race that you have set before me, that I might finish strong, being counted a victor and conqueror in Christ. Amen. 

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

- Psalm 18:2 NKJV

[pharmacistwithaheart]

don’t forget: God has a unique calling and purpose for your life. You will face opposition and trials. You will have days when you want to walk away from your faith, but trust me, God knows what He is doing. He has been faithful all this time, so what makes you think He will leave you stranded? Even when the enemy tries to bring you down, God is bigger and stronger than any giant you will face. Trust me, living out your calling is worth it. It isn’t easy, but it’s worth it.

[pharmacistwithaheart]

Outlining and plot development

Wherever you fall on the spectrum of pantser to plotter to throwing pens at your computer and hoping your story will write itself (that’s a self callout) here is a guide (that no one asked for!) to plotting your story! 

Is this going to be an exhaustive list of everything you have to do to write the next NYT bestseller? no. This is, like everything else on this blog, a summary of ideas. They won’t all apply, they won’t all work for everyone, they won’t cover everything, but it’s a start. That’s the best part of the writing prompt business, you supply the inspiration and other people do the hard work! 

Okay, let’s get into it 

1. What story are you telling? 

Now, I’m going to be really honest with you here. If you don’t know this, you have a lot of work to do. And that’s okay! 

Take some time to flesh out your idea. Wherever you start, I promise you there’s more in your head waiting to be discovered. Take out a piece of paper, open up a new document, write it on your walls! (we will NOT be covering lost security deposits!) and do some brainstorming. 

The basic elements of a story are 

- characters 

- conflict 

- resolution 

- plot twist(s) 

- setting/background (think physical setting where the story takes place and informational setting, worldbuilding, context, etc) 

We have a post on developing characters here and posts on the other elements are in the works! I wish I could say they’ll be posted in a timely manner but … they won’t, they just won’t lmao I’m sorry 

You don’t have to have all of these points completely figured out before you move onto plotting! In fact, you shouldn’t! Or, if you think you do, be open to change because it’s important to remember that all these points, especially characters, are heavily affected by the plot! 

2. How are you telling this story? 

This is for the technical stuff. 

What does the formatting look like? Are you breaking it up into chapters? Parts? Not everyone writes drafts like this so that’s okay, maybe you’re going to write out of order, maybe you’ll break it up after, whatever works for you though I highly encourage you to switch it up every now and then and see if anything works better for you than what you’ve been doing. 

3. Consider the usual structure of a story 

There are a lot of these, try not to get overwhelmed or too snagged on any of them but here are two interesting ones! 

The first is the three act structure, we’re all pretty familiar with this. 

Think of an action movie, it starts with a small introduction, it introduces a main character, side characters, stakes, a setting. Then the conflict happens! 

BAM! the beloved spy is thought to be a traitor, their family is being held hostage and they have to betray everyone they work with to save them, they have a horrible secret that’s coming back to bite them in the ass. Whatever it is, this moves us into the second act, the journey, the trials, whatever you want to call them. 

This is the largest part of the story and the tension continues to build until we reach the climax of the story. They save they world, or their family, or themselves, or they don’t. Whatever it is, this results in the final act where the action falls, everything is resolved, and the story is over (unless a sequel is set up but that’s a whole other issue), you get the idea. 

(image found here) 

Another popular structure is the hero cycle which echoes the three act structure but focuses particularly on, you guessed it! Heroes! 

(image found here) 

Let’s take a popular storybook hero as an example here, Percy Jackson. (Needless to say, there will be spoilers if you, for some terrible reason, have not read Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) 

All of these milestones are a little debatable but I’ll pick a few to use as examples. 

Percy begins his story, he is introduced as a character, I could write a whole essay on Percy’s development and the incredible writing of Rick Riordan (lmao, I have) but I’ll try to keep this brief. 

When his mother is kidnapped, he has a call to action, a goal: to save his mother. 

He crosses a very literal threshold into Camp Half Blood and his story begins. 

He goes through many trials and tests, Medusa, St. Louis, Waterland, the Lotus Hotel, and so on. 

It’s called abyss here but I learned it as the final battle, in PJO Percy faces Ares. This is very similar to the climax and falling action of the three act structure. Following this, loose ends are tied up, characters complete their journeys and their arcs, and the hero returns. 

It’s very fascinating, I highly recommend reading up on it. Again, you’ll find many many stories you read follow this structure. 

There are literally so many of these and if you’re interested, here’s a link to some more. Keep in mind, your story doesn’t have to fit these perfectly but even if you’ve planned out a story without these in mind, you’ll probably find most, if not all of it, fits pretty well within these lines. They can also help with pacing, if your first act is most of your story, you may need to move your conflict and stakes up earlier in the story to maintain interest. 

4. Now you outline 

Obviously not everyone outlines. Personally, I cannot understand this at all. Now, since this entire post is about plotting and outlining, we’re not really going to talk about pantsing because … that kind of defeats the point of this post. But! If you have anything to say about pantsing, tips, tricks, personal experiences, by all means, reblog this and add them! I don’t have any experience with pantsing so I really don’t have much to say on the topic. 

There are lots of different ways to outline a story. Personally, I recommend starting big. Think acts and parts, find your conflict and your stakes, you know you have to introduce your character and the world, how are you going to do that? That goes first, then stakes, so we care and then conflict, so the thing we care about is, well, at stake. 

Chronologically, you have the journey now, but let’s take a minute to talk about the end. 

4.5. How does it end? 

Even if you’re a pantser, I really, really recommend that you know how your story ends. Having a point you want to get to can make a world of difference in the process of planning and writing a story. Sure, you can run a marathon without setting an end point, but it’ll slow you down if you’re always checking to see what mile you’re on. 

So how does it end? Happy? Sad? Who is there? Logically speaking, your antagonist and protagonist should usually be present, supporting characters? How does it end, does the protagonist prevail and save the day? Is it a cliff hanger? If it’s a race to an end, who gets there first and what does it mean? 

Find your ending, and then work on your middle. 

5. The smaller picture 

If you have the main points (a beginning and an ending, the conflict and the stakes, your characters), now you can start thinking about the smaller details. 

You have an ending so what needs to happen to get your character(s) there? Consider your minor characters, where do they come in? Make sure they have a purpose! 

Keep in mind, in the first draft and even the second and for as long as you need it to be, your outline is fluid. You may very well be writing your project and realize the pacing isn’t right, or that something needs to happen later in the story, or that you need to add a scene. Then, when it comes to editing and redrafting, it’s likely that you’ll change it even more. 

Try not to get caught up in it being perfect, that’s not what first drafts are for. Make it workable and approach it with an open mind, things are going to change, that’s a given. 

6. Write your story! 

A few notes on this. As one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman says, “the process of doing your second draft is the process of making it look like you knew what you were doing all along.” 

So once you’re done with your first draft and the time comes to redraft it and you’re working on your outline, now is the perfect time to add your foreshadowing and rework your plot twists. This isn’t to say they don’t have a place in your first draft, they do, give it your best shot! But your story is fluid and your outline and plans are bound to have changed and your editing stages are the best stages to really make sure foreshadowing, plot twists, and all or acts or hero cycle, or whatever you want to call it, works together. 

And this concludes another guide that no one asked for. I hope you enjoyed it and if you have any suggestions for ones you’d like to see we currently have plot twists, endings, motivation, and more in the works! 

Happy writing! 

- Mod S 

p.s. these can be found on our blog under the tag story development series! 

[pharmacistwithaheart]

write a story including a set of three things

1. a handmade quilt, something blue, a faked death 

2. a controversial tell-all novel, a group of friends who haven’t spoken for 10 years, a secret hidden in the back of a picture frame 

3. an engagement ring, a city-wide power outage, a song 

4. a prophecy, an unexpected villain, a kingdom reduced to chaos 

5. the death of a parent, a locket, a calendar with a countdown 

6. a summer camp, a fiery explosion, a government secret 

7. an urban legend, an empty field where nothing is ever built but people claim to see buildings, police tape 

8. an old suitcase, an unread manuscript, a bicycle 

9. a popular television program, a walkie talkie, a code 

10. a photo album, a break in, a bridge 

[pharmacistwithaheart]

write a story including a set of three things

1. a trash bag, an expensive watch, a crew of thieves 

2. a dream, a storm, an open window 

3. a storybook with secret messages hidden in the pages, a train station, a struggling writer 

4. a detective, a cold case, a key that unlocks any door 

5. a family with a dark secret, a small town that idolizes them, a shadow that consumes all that it touches 

[pharmacistwithaheart]

Write a story including a set of three things

1. a popsicle, climbing a tree, a broken window 

2. a suit jacket, blood-stained silk, a knife with an unusual curse 

3. a secret message, a family heirloom, a garden 

4. a city that blends magic and science, a ghost who doesn’t know they’re a ghost, a daisy 

5. notes from a failed experiment, someone long assumed dead, an open door 

6. a pair of broken glasses, three cats, a priceless stolen jewel 

7. a disguised doorway to another land, a handmade blanket, a cup of cocoa 

8. a coffee shop, an eccentric author, a missing persons flyer 

9. a fire, amnesia, a smashed window 

10. a threat, a blue light, a taxi that never arrives 

[pharmacistwithaheart]

Write a story including a set of three things

1. a lantern, a dog’s howl, a path that leads deep into the forest 

2. an abandoned building, graffiti that seems to shift and change, a will 

3. a set of priceless jewels, a makeshift group of thieves, a plot to start a war 

4. a castle, a prophet, a forbidden place 

5. a group of rebels, a cursed prince, a maid with a deadly secret 

6. a computer with many hidden secrets, a hacker working for something unusual, a sister with a murder to solve 

7. a shield with a message hidden in the carved decorations, a village burnt to the ground, a vow to get revenge 

8. a desperate plea for mercy, a tentative alliance, a plot to kill a corrupt ruler 

9. a humble store owner, a mob boss, a sick child who is more than they seem 

10. a garden that consumes all who enter, a diary with confusing entries, a child’s music box 

[pharmacistwithaheart]

More quotes about enjoying the process here.

[pharmacistwithaheart]

Don’t make decisions out of fear, whether it is fear of people, fear of the future, fear of present struggles and circumstances. I learned this during my time with the Lord this morning. When Nehemiah was being challenged about rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, taunted and harassed by enemies who were trying to manipulate him into making a mistake, a wrong decision, to entrap him, discredit him, and thwart the work God had called him to do, he didn’t listen to them. Instead, he pressed on, he focused on getting the wall done. And he finished it, leading the people, as governor, to complete it under-time despite the attacks. Who got the credit? The Lord.

Nehemiah was wise enough to recognize that fear was being used as a tool against him. Here’s what he said...

“He was hired for this reason, that I might become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach me. Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these works of theirs, and also Noadiah the prophetess and the rest of the prophets who were trying to frighten me. So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations surrounding us saw it, they lost their confidence; for they recognized that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.”

‭‭(Nehemiah‬ ‭6:13-16‬)

Similarly, if we are facing a trial, a difficult situation or person, if we are in the trenches of a personal battlefield, God is reminding us not to fixate on our enemies or the problems that confront us. He is telling us to keep going, keep pressing on, to do our best and to do our part. He will be our protector, champion, vindicator, redeemer, and our success.

“No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.” (Isaiah‬ ‭54:17‬)

Good morning to all! And I hope that gives you the courage and confidence you need today! 😘

#teachwithjoy #refreshedbytheword