#formatting tips

[the-slaylus-parable]

Very shameful question here but wtf did texts look like in 2005. Formatting and such. Google won’t tell me. I have a vague idea of “1990-2014” but that’s about as specific as it gets. Please. Please. Please.

[m0thman-after-dark]

fic readers and writers a like!!! I beseech thee to answer my formatting questions!

When writing a long, more serialized story on ao3, how do you prefer for things to be broken up?

Each distinct arc is its own fic? It’s all one fic all the time that keeps being built onto? Certain more similar arcs are grouped into fics but after a big change it’s a new one? Or maybe each similar arc is a fic in a series, with the entire story also being part of a bigger one? Or something else entirely because seeing things in 2 series could be discouraging or less likely to be picked up.

I’m curious where people fall on this

[physalian]

How to make your writing sound less stiff

Just a few suggestions. You shouldn’t have to compromise your writing style and voice with any of these, and some situations and scenes might demand some stiff or jerky writing to better convey emotion and immersion. I am not the first to come up with these, just circulating them again.

1. Vary sentence structure.

This is an example paragraph. You might see this generated from AI. I can’t help but read this in a robotic voice. It’s very flat and undynamic. No matter what the words are, it will be boring. It’s boring because you don’t think in stiff sentences. Comedians don’t tell jokes in stiff sentences. We don’t tell campfire stories in stiff sentences. These often lack flow between points, too.

So funnily enough, I had to sit through 87k words of a “romance” written just like this. It was stiff, janky, and very unpoetic. Which is fine, the author didn’t tell me it was erotica. It just felt like an old lady narrator, like Old Rose from Titanic telling the audience decades after the fact instead of living it right in the moment. It was in first person pov, too, which just made it worse. To be able to write something so explicit and yet so un-titillating was a talent. Like, beginner fanfic smut writers at least do it with enthusiasm.

2. Vary dialogue tag placement

You got three options, pre-, mid-, and post-tags.

Leader said, “this is a pre-dialogue tag.”

“This,” Lancer said, “is a mid-dialogue tag.”

“This is a post-dialogue tag,” Heart said.

Pre and Post have about the same effect but mid-tags do a lot of heavy lifting.

They help break up long paragraphs of dialogue that are jank to look at

They give you pauses for ~dramatic effect~

They prompt you to provide some other action, introspection, or scene descriptor with the tag. *don't forget that if you're continuing the sentence as if the tag wasn't there, not to capitalize the first word after the tag. Capitalize if the tag breaks up two complete sentences, not if it interrupts a single sentence.

It also looks better along the lefthand margin when you don’t start every paragraph with either the same character name, the same pronouns, or the same “ as it reads more natural and organic.

3. When the scene demands, get dynamic

General rule of thumb is that action scenes demand quick exchanges, short paragraphs, and very lean descriptors. Action scenes are where you put your juicy verbs to use and cut as many adverbs as you can. But regardless of if you’re in first person, second person, or third person limited, you can let the mood of the narrator bleed out into their narration.

Like, in horror, you can use a lot of onomatopoeia.

Drip Drip Drip

Or let the narration become jerky and unfocused and less strict in punctuation and maybe even a couple run-on sentences as your character struggles to think or catch their breath and is getting very overwhelmed.

You can toss out some grammar rules, too and get more poetic.

Warm breath tickles the back of her neck. It rattles, a quiet, soggy, rasp. She shivers. If she doesn’t look, it’s not there. If she doesn’t look, it’s not there. Sweat beads at her temple. Her heart thunders in her chest. Ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba- It moves on, leaving a void of cold behind. She uncurls her fists, fingers achy and palms stinging from her nails. It’s gone.

4. Remember to balance dialogue, monologue, introspection, action, and descriptors.

The amount of times I have been faced with giant blocks of dialogue with zero tags, zero emotions, just speech on a page like they’re notecards to be read on a stage is higher than I expected. Don’t forget that though you may know exactly how your dialogue sounds in your head, your readers don’t. They need dialogue tags to pick up on things like tone, specifically for sarcasm and sincerity, whether a character is joking or hurt or happy.

If you’ve written a block of text (usually exposition or backstory stuff) that’s longer than 50 words, figure out a way to trim it. No matter what, break it up into multiple sections and fill in those breaks with important narrative that reflects the narrator’s feelings on what they’re saying and whoever they’re speaking to’s reaction to the words being said. Otherwise it’s meaningless.

—

Hope this helps anyone struggling! Now get writing.

[coqueverette]

i can’t even be bothered making a funny ironic post for april fool’s day because my subconscious mind literally april fooled me this morning by making me have a dream that we were getting a new twdg-adjacent video game centered specifically on ben. the premise makes waaaaay less sense now that i’m awake and rational but it was like… a character study esque thing with a vague fantasy setting? and it was supposed to be an adventure game as opposed to a choice oriented one 😭 so obviously completely different from the actual original games both conceptually and visually (hard to describe the change in art style but the models were a lot less comic-esque and more whimsical and slightly… cutesy/simplistic in comparison? for lack of a better word? but it looked nice!) and probably set in an entirely separate universe. but travis was a major character (my friends were showing me every leak and promo they could find with him in it, thanks guys) which meant new content of both of my faves as well as the rest of the s1 cast

woke up thinking “i’m so excited!!!” and then as i gained consciousness it started dawning on me like a dramatic slow realization in a horror movie or smth. and then my stomach started hurting and then i got a brief headache because i was so pissed. never recovering from this. why would i do that to myself. sick and twisted

[moastudiess]

03.29.2025~ Some of it's pretty, some of it's ugly. Many a computer graphics lecture and algorithm's videos later I've learned to find peace in finishing my assignments early. Such is the conundrum of pushing off things till later, because the peace is something I've unfortunately learned to create for myself regardless of the presence of pressing matters

[nyoomerr]

You gave me some writing advice a while back, and I published my first fic!! :D I knew writing was difficult, but I didn't really expect myself to struggle with something that wasn't even 5k words. I truly gained more respect for fanfic authors, and I really want to focus now I'm developing my writing skills since I'm still pretty mediocre. Also I didn't expect to be so confused when it came to publishing on AO3 lol but I'm learning everyday. Tagging is hard...

that's awesome !!! but don't put yourself down - i think there's an important distinction in thinking to yourself "my work is mediocre" vs "i'd personally like to develop my work in X ways" - in my own experience, framing things in the later way helps keep motivation and joy in what i do.

EITHER WAY THOUGH CONGRATS !!! i hope you enjoyed it and that it can be a fulfilling hobby for you :>

[oros-ash3s]

writer advice ‎꜀( ꜆-ࡇ-)꜆ ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

I’M IN DIRE NEED OF ASSISTANCE

the poll has finally been decided for which character bios I’ll do for my 100 follower special (Metamorphosis yippee)!! but now that it’s decided, it hit me I’m not sure what all to include with them??

I want them to be fairly detailed and lengthy, to really give you an insight on the character and who they are. but also not TOO much that would give away potential spoilers for stuff I want to include in future fics

help??

༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚

calling my moots:

@cepheusgalaxy @inky-anathemata @mitchell-nihil @birdfrenchforbird @wildwrites @icantthinkofablognameatm @shadow-of-tea-and-tea @cacophonyofwords @corinneglass @whump-ohmy @begthouorborrow @robinshandhurts @nosebleedgirlpunch @heavenly-halcyon @ieppiq @charlachan @fangedcinnamonroll @silly-scroimblo-skrunkl @leave-her-a-tome @sunflowerrosy @thebookishkiwi @mapplesand @write-with-will @sugaredparchment @melodxi @blackboxwarrior-mkultra @aalinaaaaaa @ryns-ramblings @iamheretohurt @vesanal @whump-till-ya-jump @novasorbit @seastarblue @ashdoeswhump @bedtime-scenarios @bioniclechronicles @laika-is-writing @lancedoncrimsonwings @ifmasonbasonwasawriter @revenantlore @illarianrambling @fizzydreamz @yourpenpaldee @lunaeuphternal @overwhelmedfernfrond @begthouorborrow @avdlwriting @softlyartsy @oliolioxenfreewrites @indoorghost

[omegasmileyface]

LOADING...

TIP: hey. yknow that fandom you dont care abt thats clogging up your dash because your beloved mutual wont shut up about it and you would never unfollow them over something like that? have you ever thought "oh my god shut up" with just a little bit of vitriol toward them? block the tag! this will prevent you from building up a quiet hatred toward your friend over a long-time minor annoyance they didnt do on purpose

[novlr]

Save formatting for last

Try to avoid formatting while you’re drafting — it’s a distraction.

Your first draft will never look the same as your final one, so formatting takes you away from the important business of writing. For many writers, it’s the reason they struggle to get words on the page.

[moths-in-a-sweater]

would you believe me if i said this was originally just supposed to be a sketch? also my first time drawing slasher!Sun

i wasn’t joking about the comic thing. its happening its in a rough sketch stage rn but its happening i made a script (that will be tweaked) and everything.

[wainwrightjakobshammerlock]

Did You Know?

The story of Borderlands does not actually revolve around Handsome Jack, Timothy Lawrence and Rhys Strongfork. Other characters exist.

[physalian]

How to Make Your Writing Less Stiff Part 3

Crazy how one impulsive post has quickly outshined every other post I have made on this blog. Anyway here’s more to consider. Once again, I am recirculating tried-and-true writing advice that shouldn’t have to compromise your author voice and isn’t always applicable when the narrative demands otherwise.

Part 1

Part 2

1. Eliminating to-be verbs (passive voice)

Am/is/are/was/were are another type of filler that doesn’t add anything to your sentences.

There were fireworks in the sky tonight. /// Fireworks glittered in the sky tonight.

My cat was chirping at the lights on the ceiling. /// My cat chirped at the lights on the ceiling.

She was standing /// She stood

He was running /// He ran

Also applicable in present tense, of which I’ve been stuck writing lately.

There are two fish-net goals on either end of the improvised field. /// Two fish-net goals mark either end of the improvised field.

For once, it’s a cloudless night. /// For once, the stars shine clear.

Sometimes the sentence needs a little finagling to remove the bad verb and sometimes you can let a couple remain if it sounds better with the cadence or syntax. Generally, they’re not necessary and you won’t realize how strange it looks until you go back and delete them (it also helps shave off your word count).

Sometimes the to-be verb is necessary. You're writing in past-tense and must convey that.

He was running out of time does not have the same meaning as He ran out of time, and are not interchangeable. You'd have to change the entire sentence to something probably a lot wordier to escape the 'was'. To-be verbs are not the end of the world.

2. Putting character descriptors in the wrong place

I made a post already about motivated exposition, specifically about character descriptions and the mirror trope, saying character details in the wrong place can look odd and screw with the flow of the paragraph, especially if you throw in too many.

She ties her long, curly, brown tresses up in a messy bun. /// She ties her curls up in a messy brown bun. (bonus alliteration too)

Generally, I see this most often with hair, a terrible rule of threes. Eyes less so, but eyes have their own issue. Eye color gets repeated at an exhausting frequency. Whatever you have in your manuscript, you could probably delete 30-40% of the reminders that the love interest has baby blues and readers would be happy, especially if you use the same metaphor over and over again, like gemstones.

He rolled his bright, emerald eyes. /// He rolled his eyes, a vibrant green in the lamplight.

To me, one reads like you want to get the character description out as fast as possible, so the hand of the author comes in to wave and stop the story to give you the details. Fixing it, my way or another way, stands out less as exposition, which is what character descriptions boil down to—something the audience needs to know to appreciate and/or understand the story.

3. Lacking flow between sentences

Much like sentences that are all about the same length with little variety in syntax, sentences that follow each other like a grocery list or instruction manual instead of a proper narrative are difficult to find gripping.

Jack gets out a stock pot from the cupboard. He fills it with the tap and sets it on the stove. Then, he grabs russet potatoes and butter from the fridge. He leaves the butter out to soften, and sets the pot to boil. He then adds salt to the water.

From the cupboard, Jack drags a hefty stockpot. He fills it with the tap, adds salt to taste, and sets it on the stove.

Russet potatoes or yukon gold? Jack drums his fingers on the fridge door in thought. Russet—that’s what the recipe calls for. He tosses the bag on the counter and the butter beside it to soften.

This is just one version of a possible edit to the first paragraph, not the end-all, be-all perfect reconstruction. It’s not just about having transitions, like ‘then’, it’s about how one sentence flows into the next, and you can accomplish better flow in many different ways.

4. Getting too specific with movement.

I don’t see this super often, but when it happens, it tends to be pretty bad. I think it happens because writers feel the need to overcompensate and over-clarify on what’s happening. Remember: The more specific you get, the more your readers are going to wonder what’s so important about these details. This is fiction, so every detail matters.

A ridiculous example:

Jack walks over to his closet. He kneels down at the shoe rack and tugs his running shoes free. He walks back to his desk chair, sits down, and ties the laces.

Unless tying his shoes is a monumental achievement for this character, all readers would need is:

Jack shoves on his running shoes.

*quick note: Do not add "down" after the following: Kneels, stoops, crouches, squats. The "down" is already implied in the verb.

This also happens with multiple movements in succession.

Beth enters the room and steps on her shoelace, nearly causing her to trip. She kneels and ties her shoes. She stands upright and keeps moving.

Or

Beth walks in and nearly trips over her shoelace. She sighs, reties it, and keeps moving.

Even then, unless Beth is a chronically clumsy character or this near-trip is a side effect of her being late or tired (i.e. meaningful), tripping over a shoelace is kind of boring if it does nothing for her character. Miles Morales’ untied shoelaces are thematically part of his story.

Sometimes, over-describing a character’s movement is meant to show how nervous they are—overthinking everything they’re doing, second-guessing themselves ad nauseam. Or they’re autistic coded and this is how this character normally thinks as deeply methodical. Or, you’re trying to emphasize some mundanity about their life and doing it on purpose.

If you’re not writing something where the extra details service the character or the story at large, consider trimming it.

—

These are *suggestions* and writing is highly subjective. Hope this helps!

[babyysoka]

Ok so i do not have a full set of headcanons to post (yet) BUT i just remembered these things exist - the mesh/silicone baby food feeder (fruit feeders?) pacifiers!! and yknow what? CG!Hera is 100% the type of CG to give you some meiloorun fruit in those if ur feelin super teeny tiny like-

Idk this just stuck in my head, continue on as u were

[cptsdstudyblr]

2025 goal: for other people to actually read my emails

[yujeong]

are the timelines overlapping? because the scenes we saw is dome being alive (great rescued him) he's well at the hospital and then at the same time we see tonkla grieving for his brother which is dome so what is real ?!

because i believe the real one is the one dome being killed, right? because that is what really happened before great sees the future

now, we saw win knowing that tonkla is a suspect (so this time, he's still on the case unlike what we saw on the past episode) and then scene after was tonkla calling him. what timeline is that?

so it'll be like;

dome died, tonkla grieving, win & tonkla met, korn doesn't answer tonkla, win getting off the case, win & tonkla fucking, korn & tonkla ’break up’

dome is alive— (what do we know about this timeline?)

where in those timeline happening the one where win knew that tonkla was a suspect because he's (dome) still dead, but this time he was still working on the case

THIS IS SO MESSED UP IM SORRY JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IM SHOOK someone explain it to me please 😅

Anon, as I said in the previous ask, I'm not the suitable person to answer questions about the plot and what's really happening. I do, however, have to make one thing perfectly clear because I see a lot of people confused about it, you included: Win is NOT working on Dome's case. The beginning scene of Episode 4 hasn't happened yet! Same with all the previous episodes: all the scenes before the opening titles are from the future. This means that 1) Great and Tyme haven't died yet - or have they? (Episode 1), 2) Tonkla hasn't killed anyone yet (Episode 2), 3) the cops haven't found the second body yet, which is Tonkla's victim (Episode 3) and 4) Win hasn't been given the case for body No2, which leads to him finding out Tonkla's fingertips were on the rock (Episode 4). The phone call we saw at the end of the scene was a distraction - Tonkla did NOT call Win to help him with his brother's funeral then. Win is too nonchalant in the rest of the episode to have had the knowledge of Tonkla's involvement in any sort of serious crime. Seeing Win's supervisor being so demanding of Win to be quick and find out who killed victim No2 suggests they are of high importance. It strengthens the theory that the person Tonkla will kill is Title, after finding out Title killed Dome - another theory which is basically confirmed in the show, as we literally saw Title hit Dome with a rock repeatedly to the head before Great "went back in time/saw the future". And I say it this way because, even though Great says he "sees the future 4 minutes ahead", the show's presentation makes it seem as if he's going back in time 4 minutes in order to prevent stuff from happening. Or, everything Great has achieved with his power is an illusion - he never truly changed anything. In the "Dome is alive" timeline/reality/whatever it is, the only people involved are Great, Tyme, Den and Korn. Title too, since he fought Great after he saved Dome. Now, Korn is interesting, because he's in the middle of the two realities; he found out Dome died in Episode 4, but he's also hanging out with Great who's reality is that Dome survived. I'll be keeping my eyes on him and how the show will utilize this dichotomy. I will also be keeping my eyes on Tonkla, because of his scene in Episode 1 with the cat: that's Tonkla's cat without the collar on, which Tonkla keeps in his drawer. The significance of the scene, to me, is that Tonkla has a role to play in the whole timeline fuckery - which was also proven by the ending scene of Episode 4. By being able to sense his cat's presence and Dome's, he's the only one so far who has shown evidence of being connected to both realities somehow. And the cat is interesting to me, because it was killed YEARS before Great's powers "started" (we don't know that fully yet, the rest of the show will make a case for it being true or not). I'm just rambling at this point but this were important points to make in my opinion. I just can't wait to become even more confused with Episode 5.

[lesbiancolumbo]

Diane Seuss, frank: sonnets