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etherealwaifgoddess · 5 years

Text

To Give Him The World, Chpt.3

Main Characters: Thor x Ellie (original female character)

Summary: Ellie and Thor wake up together and receive an unexpected guest before breakfast. Thor learns to make pancakes.

Warnings/ Content: None really in this chapter.

Word Count: 1.8k

Author’s Note: Hello lovelies! Hope you’re all having a good start to your week. I have a serious case of the Monday’s but I’m excited to get this chapter out to ya’ll. I’m going to try and keep posting every other day, the final outline is now 8 chapters + an epilogue. Thank you for reading, I truly appreciate all the love and comments for this fic so far ❤

To Give Him The World, Chapter Three

The sun shone in the bedroom window directly into Ellie’s eyes waking her with a start. She looked around disoriented for a moment until she realized where she was. Thor snored softly, pulling her eyes to him. The morning sun cast a golden glow to his skin and she imagined his hair would have been equally beautiful had it not been so dirty. Memories of the previous day flooded back to her and she smiled to herself. Ellie moved back into his arms to steal a few more minutes of quiet before he woke and they had to start their day. She had just gotten comfortable when she realized he was staring down at her.

“Good morning.” Thor rumbled. He moved forward to kiss the top of her head in sleepy affection.

“Morning.” She echoed, “You seem to have slept well.”

“Yes, first time in a long time. I could use more nights like that.”

“I’m glad. You deserve some rest.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Mmm yes, you make a wonderful pillow.”

Thor laughed at that and curled his arms around her a little more snugly. For the first time Thor was thankful for his heavier body since it gave Ellie a pleasing spot to sleep. Ellie wiggled, needing to get up to use the bathroom. On her way back she grabbed her cellphone and sent a quick text to Valkyrie letting her know she wouldn’t be in. Ellie resumed her spot in Thor’s arms and they laid quietly together, absently stroking any skin they could reach on one another. Ellie heard her phone ringing but refused to leave the bed to get it, assuring Thor she could just check her voicemail once they got up.

A few minutes later a loud bang came from inside the cottage followed by Valkyrie’s yell. “Odinson! Where are you, you bastard?” she bellowed.

Thor and Ellie’s eyes met, both surprised and a little guilty. They could hear Valkyrie stomping around the cottage and Ellie pulled the blanket up over her head, feebly trying to hide against Thor’s side. The bedroom door opened with another bang and Valkyrie stood holding onto the door jams on both sides. She lived up to her namesake, looking every bit an avenging Valkyrie ready for battle.

“What in the name of the Allfather have you done now?” She demanded.

Thor tried his best to play dumb, “Good morning to you too, Valkyrie. Now, what are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Don’t tell me you cleaned this place yourself. Ellie came over to clean and make sure you were alive yesterday. Sweet girl, short, blonde, curvy. Now she texts me that she’s not coming in today and isn’t picking up my calls. This has you written all over it.”

“I have done nothing untoward to that girl. She did a wonderful job cleaning while I napped yesterday.”

“Really, Odinson? Because she didn’t go home last night. And there seems to be an Ellie sized lump next to you in that bed.”

Thor looked down, guilty.

Ellie gave herself up, knowing it was inevitable. “Hi Valkyrie” she gave a small wave as she emerged from the covers.

Valkyrie threw her hands up, exasperated. “Really, Odinson? You couldn’t leave this poor girl alone? And what now, you’ve sexed her brain away and into spending the day in your bed?”

Thor did his best to look offended but he wanted to laugh at his friend’s outrage. “If only I possessed such powers. Did you know Ellie and I grew up together on Asgard?”

“You know this oaf?” Valkyrie turned her wrath on a startled looking Ellie.

“Yes, my mother ran the palace kitchens. We played together as children.” Ellie admitted.

“So that’s why you jumped at the chance to come see him. I wondered why you were so excited to go clean but honestly you were the best bet. The others would have been bitches about it. How bad was it when you arrived? It looks spotless now.”

“It wasn’t... terrible.” Ellie lied and Valkyrie saw right through it.

“Yeah, sure it wasn’t.” Valkyrie pointed a finger at Thor, “You know the deal big guy. You take care of this place and yourself or you’re out. I’m not going to have you self destructing up here again.”

“Yes, I’m quite aware.” Thor grumbled, “And I’m doing just fine. Never better now that Ellie and I have reconnected. She was going to teach me how to make pancakes before you so rudely interrupted our morning.”

“Yeah, sure ‘making pancakes’. I’ll leave you two be, but Ellie I will need you back on Monday.”

“Not a problem boss. I’ll see you then.” Ellie assured her.

“I’m off. You two behave yourselves.” Valkyrie headed out without a goodbye and Ellie rolled over, hiding her face against Thor’s chest.

“We got in trouble.” She giggled.

Thor’s chest shook with a laugh, “She can be terrifying when she wants to be. But she let me keep you so I consider this a win.”

“Mmm, agreed. Did you really want to learn how to make pancakes?”

“Yes, of course. Ready to get up?”

Ellie nodded and pulled herself away from Thor begrudgingly. She stretched as she stood up and Thor couldn’t help but enjoy the way the shirt pulled up exposing more of her thighs. He wished it was just a little shorter so he could have a glimpse of her well rounded bottom as well. Ellie turned to catch him staring and his cheeks heated in embarrassment.

“Enjoying the view?” She teased.

Thor coughed, clearing his throat before he could speak, “Ahh… yes, I am. I hope you’re not offended.”

Ellie shook her head. “Not at all. I’m enjoying the view from over here as well.”

Thor looked down and realized he was shirtless and the color drained from his face. It was one thing under the covers in the dark of night, but in daylight his self consciousness grew once again.

Ellie noticed his reaction and could guess at the thought process going on in his head. “Thor,” she drew out his name slowly, cautiously, as she walked around the bed to stand in front of him. “Don’t get lost in those thoughts, okay?”

Thor’s beautiful mismatched eyes met hers, his uncertainty clear.

She pressed both of her palms against his chest and he inhaled sharply. Ellie continued, “I like what I see Thor. Truly, I do. If I had to pick a perfect type, your body would be it.”

“But… why?” Thor was at a loss, years of self loathing clouding his judgement.

“I don’t know. I like what I like. It’s like asking someone why they prefer chocolate ice cream over vanilla. It’s a preference.”

“And I am your chocolate ice cream?”

“You are a chocolate sundae with sprinkles on top.” Ellie went up on her tiptoes to pull Thor down into a deep kiss.

Thor groaned a little at her words and the kiss. “I’m glad then.” And he was. It was going to take time and Thor wasn’t sure he would ever really be comfortable in his own skin again but he liked pleasing Ellie. Her enjoyment of his body made it a little harder to hate it himself. Thor’s stomach growled and Ellie raised an eyebrow at the sound, “Come on you.” She pulled at his hand, “Pancake time.”

Thor resisted the urge to put on a shirt and followed. Ellie was moving around the kitchen as if it were her own. Thor watched her pull out the ingredients and supplies, setting everything up on the counter top. “Okay, this is pretty simple.” She began, handing him the box. Thor was entranced watching Ellie move around with such ease and grace, as if she was dancing. He listened attentively as she explained how to measure ingredients and how to mix things without making a total mess. Thor did his best but still ended up covering himself, and then her, with a dusting of pancake mix. He winced as the air cleared waiting for her to scold him as he was doing to himself mentally. Instead she laughed and wiped her hands down her shirt. “We’re going to need a shower after this.” She told him.

Thor let out a relieved breath, “I suppose we will. I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t be, it happens. Cooking can be messy work. Hang on though, I’ll get you a towel to brush yourself off.”

Ellie returned with a checkered dish towel and Thor tried to wipe the pancake mix off his chest and belly. He had been sweating a little and it didn’t all come off much to his dismay.

Ellie took note of his forming distress, “We can take a shower later. The pan is hot, let’s just get moving on this.”

Ellie patiently walked Thor through the steps to measure and pour the batter on the hot pan, and then how to flip it over. After the first one Ellie had him give it a try and after four misshapen, too raw, too burnt, and then completely collapsed pancakes, Thor flipped one perfect golden round disc over. Ellie gave a cheer and high fived him. Thor beamed under her praise as he flipped the pancake onto the waiting plate. The next one wasn’t as perfect but Ellie was a patient teacher and by the time the last of the batter was used Thor had become proficient at making them. Thor divided the pancakes between two plates and handed one to Ellie. She joined him at the small wooden kitchen table and they started in on their creations.

Ellie gave up halfway through, the stacks they’d made were huge and she couldn’t even come close to finishing. Thor eyed up her plate and Ellie could tell he was still hungry as he took the last bite of his own. She pushed her plate to Thor, not wanting him to have to awkwardly ask when his inner dialogue seemed less than kind.

“I really shouldn’t.” Thor rubbed his stomach self consciously but didn't look away from the food.

“Thor, if you’re still hungry you can have them. I’m not going to judge you.” She said calmly.

Thor still looked conflicted but his hunger finally won out and he accepted the offered plate. “I am. And they’re so good.” He admitted quietly.

Ellie smiled at his sheepish admission. She stood up to take his plate and started loading the dishwasher while Thor quickly polished off the last of her pancakes. He handed her the empty plate and she added it to the rest of the load.

“I could have done that.” Thor said giving Ellie’s shoulder a rub.

“I know. But just let me take care of you a little, okay? I enjoy it.”

“You’re going to spoil me.”

“Oh absolutely. You deserve it too. Now, we need a shower.”

“Do you want to go first?”

Thor was missing her point and Ellie groaned internally, “Or we could save water and take one together?”

Thor was caught between anxiety over being fully naked and raging desire to see all of Ellie’s perfect body. Desire won out in the end. “Well, we wouldn’t want to waste water.”

Tag list lovelies: @thorfanficwriter @lancsnerd

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thosedamnsmoshkids · 6 years

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YOU'RE ONLY A THIRD OF THE WAY THROUGH??? I mean, I'm glad about that. I was worried that I was gonna run out of CDP content soon, but NOPE! Have you got it all planned out, chapter by chapter or are you just creating it as you go along?

I KNOW RIGHT?!

When I originally started cdp, it was going to probably be roughly 30 chapters, but as I expanded the world and the places I wanted the characters to go....it became a hell of a lot longer. (I just checked back on my document and I’d actually written 7 chapters before I wrote down what the main plot would be). I have everything Smosh-fic related in a document on my drive, and the current outline for CDP is 8 pages long.

To give just the barest bit of perspective as to exactly how long this might be, CDP is broken up into three separate ‘arcs’. We’re currently on arc one, and as of last night, we are 2/3 of the way through it. I wrote down the rest of the plot for arc one, and it will end at chapter 30, and we can start into the really juicy stuff plotwise.

I’m going to work on plot stuff for arc two today (hopefully), and that one will move significantly quicker time-skip wise because that’s how the plot’s slated to work. I’m actually really excited for this one because it’s a lot of really interesting conversations and I get to introduce someone new that I’m STOKED to write dialogue for. It will probably also be roughly 25-30 chapters long.

The third arc though. That one will be very long. Compared to arc one and arc two, the actual bare plot is roughly a page and a half longer than the others. It’ll probably be the most angsty out of all three. The very beginning starts with a bang, as does the end. It also touches more on the pasts of 2 or 3 characters that haven’t gotten much of their backstory fleshed out, AND I get two other new characters to explore.

So, you got a much longer answer than you expected, but yeah, you’re gonna have CDP content for a while.

send me some asks!

#question #answers #cdp #crime does pay

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shitmygaywifesays · 7 years

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your wife is a writer!! do you think she'd have any writing tips for a young aspiring author who's only recently started planning for an original book?

This is the Gay Wifeanswering herself!

Some disclaimers:

1.This turned into amonster, I am so sorry. I apparently had a lot to say on the matter.

2. I assume you readthe blog and don’t have a huge problem with cuss words. I normally wouldn’t dothis to a stranger online, so…

3. I am so fuckingpretentious. Lord. I added a bunch of links to things that have caused me topause and think about writing, and some of them are just??? I am so sorry,please don’t judge me too harshly.

Thank you so much for this ask! I was surprised,admittingly, that you’d ask for my writing tips despite the fact that I haven’tpublished anything online for you to read. But I am glad you did! My wife (theblog owner) is so very kind and supportive of me. Maybe a bit too much? Shetalked me up quite a lot in her answer to that ask. Because I don’t think I amall that special. Nor do I think myself and the spaceman living and my head area wellspring of great ideas, BUT HERE GOES. [Note from the blog owner: I neverexaggerate baby’s talents 😉]

I have hadthoughts on writing advice blogs/posts in the past, as in, they aren’talways useful. K J Charles, an author Ireally like, recentlymade a post about writing advice that is really worth a read if you wouldlike to seek out advice in the future.

That’s not to say I am not totally willing and excited toanswer you! This might just be a weird tip list, that’s all, because all ‘tiplists’ are biased to one writer’s processes. My ideas on writing might not workfor you, may be disastrous, or may be where you set your flagstones. I’ll trymy best to communicate what I think will help. But with that, take it with agrain of salt.

Writing a story, byits nature alone, is a product of desperate translation of something that isintangible; emotions, moments,places one has never been, experiences one’s never had. A story becomesgood when the translation of ideas switches from the surreal to the profoundlyrelatable. That might be something to keep in mind as you write; that youaren’t telling a story, you’re translatingthis idea in your mind and heart into words – into language, into a story,into a pathway to follow, into this brand new experience that will sit with areader for long time after they finish the story.

The writing process is labyrinthine and elaborate andintricate. I’m going to list a couple of things that have helped me, specifically what I did when I wasfeeling uninspired or frustrated with what I was writing. Again, these workedfor me, so if they don’t for you, don’t use them. Try something else! Explore!Innovate! Grow! And allow yourself mistakes!

I constantly think about classic writers and how theydiffer. I’m kind of a nerd for quotes and delight in spending hours pouringmyself over them. And writersso vastlydiffer fromeach otherwhen it comesto how they approachedtheir craft (I think about that last one a lot because it directlycontradicts every ‘writingadvice’ blog post I’ve ever seen). You’ll have to do that, too, or riskbeing drowned out by the static of how you think you should be writing. You should neverlet your unique way of writing be chained down by all that bullshit out there.

Plotting/Outlining/and the dirty work—

I try to do NanoWriMoevery year and fucking hate it to shards and jagged pieces. If there was oneoverwhelming thing I have learned, it is that I need an outline to function. Thiscame as quite the surprise to me personally because I am such a messy bitch. Butdear merciful Lord in heaven, if I don’t have an outline I can’t move forward.So I embraced that and outlined my scenes like a motherfucker on a lone motorcycle, reaching for that burning redsunset, running from my sordid past, man!Here is just three notebooks from the last year’s NaNo:

Now that is three notebooks, not including the forth one Ialso filled up. One of them is initial notes; themes I had in mind, characteroutlines, a summary of the plot – basic stuff. I also wrote out some rules.This was a supernatural/horror/comedy, all three of those genres I have nopractice in. So I wrote out tropes that I wanted to avoid, points that I wantedto greatly impress, character traits I had etched in stone (for instance,“Edwidge will stay a kind person.”)

Then I dive into outlining by chapter with a rough first go,then another notebook where I re-wrote that outline, then a forth with fleshed-outdialogue exchanges, character movements (both in detail, such as the hands, theeyes) and within the constructed space (sits on a desk, leans against a wall,observes the pictures on the wall), and with random details I decided whileoutlining. In that same vain, the nightmarish scribbles off to the side of thenotebook pages are products of an idea striking me and the muses directing myhand. Muses have horrible handwriting.

Now I know there are people out there in the great greenworld who can write with vague outlines, or no outlines at all (I’m looking atyou, @onedamnminuteadmiral, you wicked ho). And those people are witches andheathens that must meet with the pyre. I’ll bring the gasoline if you bring thematches. [Note from the blog owner: Heeeyyyyyyyy!]

I probably shouldn’t admit to it, but I would often getreally frustrated with outlining and resort to stick figure storyboards. Yes,like I’m a writer for derivative cartoon about a wacky suburban family. My stick figure storyboard was surprisinglyeffective (???I guess???). I got a sense of space, of movement, I made notesabout the way the eyes moved. This, coupled with the far more wordy outline,added a lot of hot sauce to that beef.

I also saw this methodof storyboarding today and I am thinking I might take it up. It looksfantastic!

So, yes, either outline or don’t. I really worked for me,but it might come more natural for you to fly by the seat of your pants. Ifthere is one thing I would do, it would be to make notes on how the charactersmove within the space. Specifically, placement of hands, how their eyes move,the lighting, anything that gives the characters a solid weight in their world.

SPEAKING OF

A slice of characters—

Human nature, by the definitions divined by humankinditself, is fucking absurd. A personleft unobserved will always devolve into subtle rule-breaking based purely andthe common, everydayswerves their free will dictates (ie. I never wear lipstick, but thismorning I was feeling kicky by no outside influences what-so-ever, so, fireengine red?). There is more glorious spark and untold, unfolding of brilliancein a real person sitting quietly in a chair for a half and hour than there willever be in a fully-realized, well-rounded, fictional character. That might be aharsh statement, but it is something I constantly have buzzing in my bonnetwhen I write characters. It causes me to strive for something more from my characters.

I bring up that (jfc am I pretentious) philosophy videoabout fate/free will because in writing characters, you’ll constantly have tothink if your characters are acting as youbelieve they will, or how they would more naturally behave.

People are series of moments with great contradictions.Characters who are well developed, compounded and complex, and interesting toread, should also be weighed at the center in how they contradict themselves. I find this to be a really important standard in writing characters. This is so damnhard to explain, so let me give some silly examples.

Characters tend to have traits/characteristics/personalityrules cemented by the author. I see it constantly in books, and it reallysteams my vegetables. For example:

Valen was raised in a polite society—he is a politeand considerate man – he will act politely as a matter of keeping thecharacter consistent.

Valen was raised to be strong — he would be calm in thissituation— he would not be afraid at the climax of the book.

It’s… not a wrong way of writing character. Constancy iscertainly important. Its just flat? ‘Uninteresting’ may be a bit too much.Writing a character as a series of set rules can be this transitive, it justfeels manufactured, distant from reality.

For example, consider at how I act:

Gay wife spent her formative years in the South —she was trained to be a polite person, professionally— she calls hercustomers Mr. Meyers and Ms. Linda and her boss solely as Ms. Jeanne—she workshard to be a polite person – she always uses ‘pardon me’ and ‘excuse me’. Thatis honestly who I am.

BUT ALSO

Gay Wife had a weird home life growing up—she had a rocky,religious upbringing— this manifests in reallyvulgar humor at home— shecalls her wife whore-tits and expressesreligious terror to her cats. This is also honestly who I am.

Am I vulgar person? Am I cautious and polite? Thosecontradict each other, and they are both true about me! I try to be as politeas possible, but at home where I am comfortable and unobserved (other than bymy wife, who is now stuck with me so whatever), I turn into a total asshole.

When I read a love story, for example, I get concerned whena character stays exactly the same as when they started out. I’m notspecifically talking about character growth, per say, but in the way the carrythemselves, in the way they behave. I read one fantastic book where a characterspoke differently with the other servants than he did to the lord of the house,even after they started a relationship together. As you proceed to write yourcharacters, I would recommend thinking about how differently people behavedepending on their current situation, and contradict the rules you have set forthe character. Everyone act different around their grandma than they do aroundtheir high school friends. Both those situations, the person is stillthemselves, just affected by compulsions lent to them by the situation.

So consider writing a character that is both compassionateand open-minded, but is also bigoted towards someone/something. It tells thereader where that compassion ends, the lines that character draws. Or acharacter that is brave, but only because he is a coward (that is one of myfavorites.) A character that is a brilliant genius, but a fuckin’ idiot. I’vepersonally known plenty of real people I would describe as genius fuckin’idiots.

Please consider how funny, upbeat people are so fucking sad inside. Or rather, theytend to be. Within two weeks of knowing the funniest person I’ve ever met, Iwas asking him if he was okay. And he was fuckin’ not, and I knew to askbecause despite this blog making people laugh (of which I am proud), I’ve haddepression since I was a child and have struggled with it to the extreme(aside: if anyone needs to talk, feel free to message me @thewaltzrio). I’veborrowed that so many times when writing. [Triggerwarning on this link, but it is worthreading.]

You play your cards right, you’ll also be subverting tropesleft and right.

Compound contradictions, add in swerves of free will, mix ina pinch of chaos caused by fate (that you have set for them), and you’ve got ainteresting, more real and weighty character on your hands. People will relateto that. The best compliment I’ve ever received was, “Hadrian [one of mycharacters] has really stuck with me.” That meant a lot to me, more thananything I’ve heard about the story or the setting or the world building I’vedone for the story.

The second best thing I’ve heard is when I let someone readwhat I have written, and the first question I ask is “which was your favoritecharacter?”. I’ve done it dozens of times with the same work and I’ve gotten adifferent answer every single time.If you do the same, you will know you’ve got a good cast of characters on yourhands.

It is only my personal opinion that characters are worthmore than the story itself. You connect with characters, you believe in them,you root for them, you love them with an unhealthy dependency. Look aroundevery fandom — it is characters that draw people into a show, make them stickwith it, make them care about the 2nd season getting greenlighted.The plot is a series of situations done tothe characters. It happens to them.The interest in the story is cultivated from the perspective of a character andhow they react.

Which brings me to thedetails. Fuck yeah DETAILS.

Write details when it comes to character creation beyondhair color, zodiac signs, or height and weight. Now, you’re on tumblr andwithout a doubt a smart and well informed person, so I don’t need to go intothe importance of a diverse cast of characters. So here are some of my favoriteways of meshing the character into the world, and making them seem more like people.

I like mentioning the condition of their fingernails. Youmight find something else that works for you, but I like fingernails. I mademention that my main character has “acres of real-estate under his fingernails.”Now that is a handful of words that tells the reader that: He works hard, hedoesn’t have time to clean them, he isn’t vain, he doesn’t consider clean nailssomething worth his time worrying about. Everyone in his community probablycarries the same kind of dirt and grime around with them.

I adore using verbal ticks as markers of a character’spersonality. I probably go overboard with this; I go out of my way to add atick to each character. My character Hadrian ended up saying ‘in any matter’ toswitch topics. He is the only one who says that, and it’s a nice verbal tick. Mycharacter Raif is trying to be seen as a poor tradesmen, so he uses impropergrammar when speaking on the daily, and (in exposing his true background) uses expressly proper grammar when in a stressfulsituation. If a reader picked up on that tick, then they would feel so damnclever when Raif is exposed as the lost prince! That is satisfying payoff!

My favorite one I’ve written so far is Seymour, a 15-year-oldwho was raised mostly in isolation, without a real home or community to callhis own. So he parrots other people, he borrows from his friends and those headmires. It tells a reader than he lacks a sense of self, of place, of how tointeract with people. I never actuallysay he does this, but he constantly repeats phrases he hears from hisfriend Raif. And, by the end of the book, he is also saying ‘in any matter’ toswitch topics. It is a satisfying way of showing how Seymour interacts withother characters.

Mentioning the condition of a character’s clothing is sobaseline it might as well be chapter one, line one, in the guidebook of how towrite characters. But you can really have fun with this one. For example, Imade of point of introducing my main characters in very particular ways. WhenDouglas meets Hadrian, they are at a costume party. Douglas is in his Fleet cadetuniform (which tells the reader he is the type of person who didn’t feel theneed to change his out of his everyday uniform for the sake of a costume — Ishe too proud of it? Is he too shy to dress in something bizarre? Is it alreadya costume to him?) and he sees Hadrian across the way. Hadrian is wearing thedraping robes and ivy and burning candle crown of a pagan god of mischief(which tells the reader damn neareverything they are in for with him. That he pays attention to ancientpagan god history in a religious society, that he isn’t concerned with lookingridiculous in public, that he is a huge fuck-head.) [note from the blog owner:I love him.]

That is different! That isn’t going into details aboutfineries/tatters/tailored clothing vs. hand-me-downs.

Clever segue to thenext section!!

A student of curiosity—

So you may notice that I am not going to mention a very hugepart about writing in this bullshit thing I’m claiming as writing advice, andthat is how you construct your plot. Who gives a shit? Sorry that was harsh.But we’ve all seen that chart in school about rising action and climax andfalling action and UGH.Because seriously, who gives a shit? You write what you want, there are no rules.

But! I can add a few words about how to help your story getswol. Or at least, what worked best with what I do. Like I said earlier, humansare fucking absurd. And human history is so broad and sweeping and fantasticthat you can find endless sources for inspiration to draw upon. It is importantto stay curious and make a habit of studying the bizarre. I utilize my love ofhistory to find inspiration. History pulls from and contains so many other topicsto learn about and utilize; superstitions, unsolved mysteries, trends, deadreligions, all sorts of niches that have wedged their way into the buildingblocks of history.

If you find history dry, that’s fine! Loads of people do.The point is, if something really grabs you, take the time to think about whyit did. Those wiki binges that last until 3am? What is it about those subjectsthat drew you in that you could borrow for your story? (I once based an entireromance novel on a wiki binge about the quartering of soldiers in the colonial UnitedStates.) Podcasts are fantastic for this! I’d recommend Lore if you haven’t already checked itout. Even though Aaron Mahnke drives me fucking crazy with that “well, yousee, maybe human beings were the monsters the whole time” bullshit, I stilllove this podcast.

But remain curious as you write. Think about moments inbooks and movies that have stuck with you and you don’t know why. Some cleverlittle thing that made you pause. Like, for me, the kitchen scene in JurassicPark. I’d never seen kids under such threat before, just pure terror, and thatis my very first thought upon thinking about that movie. I know that I writenotes (usually when I’m at work) on what about a thing made me sit up and payattention. Then I break it down and mold it into something new. Who knows,maybe it will help add a great twist into the plot that you didn’t think of.

The literal scene, a quick note—

I’m also a huge nerd for movies and the way movies are shot.I know this is coming out of the blue, and may seem odd to add in a monsterpost about writing, but stickwith me on this. Movies and writing have some overlap if you’re willing tospend time thinking about constructing a scene in your book the same way adirector frames a shot. I swear, it works if you let it.

When I get frustrated with how a scene is playing out whileI am writing, I try approaching it based on how it would be framedcinematically. Every reader has (what my wife calls) the theater of the mind,and you can use that to your advantage as you write. Think about how acharacter would view a room upon entering it for the first time. What draws theireye, what piques their interest, what is central to them. Film directors to thesame thing when they frame a shot. They carefully plan how the light falls overa character’s face. They deconstruct and reconstruct the layout of a room. Theyblock the actors. They pan over book titles to show a character’s interest.They they keep important things out offrame to remind the viewer that it will come back into play in a few moments. You can do that all, too, when you write!

I recommended once that my wife and I watch a very well shottv show when we were both frustrated with writing. We got sketchbooks and drewwhat caught our eyes. I remember I latched on to the way a character’s earringsmoved every time she did; it was subtle, but vibrant, kinetic, and a detail Idon’t think I would have thought to add if I was writing that same scene. Iliked how the bloodshot eyes of a character didn’t come into view until thescene grew tense and they filmed a closeup of the actor. I thought that wouldtranslate well in writing; add tension when my character got too close and sawthat the other character was influenced by something yet unseen. I detailed theway shadows fell over a staircase, and how the beam of light was on only themost enlightened of the characters in an ensemble cast.

This is something you can do on days when your brain is afried pancake and yet you still want to work on advancing your story. Take a TVshow or a movie that left an impression on you and take notes on the environment,or the actors’ expressions, etc. As strange as this sounds, it works well withanimation. Every single thing in awork of animation was purposely chosen to be there. Every single thing wascreated – like your writing will be. I’d say look at Satoshi Kon’sanimation process. Not only is his work a fantastic exploration of writingand storytelling, he is very purposeful in what is seen, shown, understood, andthen subverted. Think about how you’d write that, how you’d describe it. How a “quickcut” can translate into writing the impressions and feelings in a character.(ie. The smoke clouds, into a clear sky, how a character looking at one can getthe impression of another).

I’d recommend looking at Every Frame aPainting YouTube page. I know I got a swell of inspiration on how to paceout and detail a scene based on the importance of subtle details in this video.Or, if you want to think about how to construct a plot, Lindsey Ellis on YouTubeand her video essays are fantastic, too. For example, if you want to think ofhow your characters address and interact with your narrative, consider what shehas to sayabout RENT. The last minute of this video is gut-wrenchingly powerful and saysmore about the dissonance between characters and their narrative/the event thatnarrative was based on in that ONE MINUTE than months of research could tellyou. (Note, don’t watch this if you love RENT. If you love RENT, that’s okay,my wife reeaaallly does.) [note from the blog owner: I do love RENT, but thisis a really great video and I don’t disagree with anything she had to say. Stilllove RENT, but boy it’s got its problems, haha]

Aaaaand that’s all I think I have to say about that! Thank youso much for sticking with me this far! I hope something in this mess helps you.Thank you again!

In final—

Your voice moving forward with your manuscript is unique,and your voice is powerful. There will never be one like it again and there hasnever been one like it before you. There has never been a day of your life that wasn’t aproduct of chaos and mayhem from unseen struggles of the universe, and yet youmade it through some boring Tuesday! Good luck, and I’ll be rooting for you!

Sincerely, The Gay Wife

#writing #snufflypuffly #long post #too long really #the gay wife answers #sorry i am not really that funny when i sit down to write stuff out

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resetmypatientviolence · 6 years

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How is your writing process? Do you organize your ideas first or do you have an insight and write it down easily? And do you have any writing advice?

Oh my gosh, thank you for this stellar question, @beanieboynoah! I’m literally taking a class on the creative process, so this is been stewing in my head for weeks now. I love this. This also turned into a novel, so it’s under the cut. Like, this is basically about to be my final essay for my class about process.

My writing process from fics and and original work isn’t that different, surprisingly. (My editing process? Not even going into that. Totally different.) Overall, I have to sit down, play music, and then I just write anywhere from a couple hundred to thousands of words in a single sitting. It’s incredibly draining if I do this for for hours without a break-- and then do it again the next day.

I did this last week for those two chapters I released and I was emotionally, mentally, and physically drained on Sunday even though I sat on a couch or chair and wrote. I did this in October and November for my thesis. I wasn’t getting work done in my apartment, so, I had to force myself to go to a dark coffeeshop and just write. I had a legit thesis hangover. I still do, tbh.

Another part of my process is what happens before. I like to have a clean space, so sometimes, I’ll clean my apartment up. Sometimes I’ll cook. But I’m playing music and am constantly daydreaming or planning out what happens in my mind. Scenes often come alive and characters kinda just... hang the fuck out in my head and do their own thing while I do this. It’s amusing, except when something dramatic af happens (in my head) and I’m panicking. (Ie: Realized I needed to kill off a character in my book who was supposed to live till the end of the 3rd one... while driving. Not fun.)

As for how I organize my ideas, I’ve never been one for outlines and I was forced to make one for a class and hated every bit of it. They often come to me and I have a good memory to keep them stores. Lately though, I have learned that writing shit down is a good idea, so I have post-it notes at work of when I was struck by a scene, dialogue, or a new idea that came to be.

Supposed To Be is a curious thing that happened. It was one idea, one angsty moment, then it snowballed with new idea after new idea after I really got into the story and was in the moment, my “preconscious”, as we say in class, really working in overdrive and outweighing the “conscious” mind, who is my inner editor. I’ve found in class that I work best with writing while in the preconscious mode because my inner editor shuts the fuck up and that’s where I can sit down and write thousands of words in one go. (Then be completely drained and do it again the next day because I’m excited.) It’s a state I like to be in while writing, and for class we had to create a creative process experiment, so mine is basically writing everyday and setting the stage and getting into that mode to access that legitimate writing high I get. Like, literally, I don’t even eat if I’m in the moment. I almost cried in the coffeeshop a couple times as I wrote. I was shocked at what happens. If my process works, I’m a woman possessed.

So... basically... I don’t write down ideas unless that bilt of lighting hits, or in this case, since my novel is a triology, I’ve got to outline and start planning that, even though I like flying by the seat of my pants.

As for advice, just note that every experience is different! For me, honestly, it’s simple and some of the greatest I’ve learned being a grad student. First, keep writing. Don’t stop. I stopped a lot in college, due to taking a pretty intense sociology based workload for my minors (and uh, talking about how you can fuck up childhood and how shitty America’s education systems are to the underprivileged for semesters on end kills you), and I regret that I didn’t keep writing more, even when I didn’t have a creative writing class. Even if it’s two words. It’s writing.

Second, don’t beat yourself up. What I mean by that is: oh, you planned to write today but didn’t? Don’t feel guilty. Life happens. A professor I had, time and time again, taught us the “Writing Cycle”. You know what the first quarter of that is, and what she would consider still part of the process? “Active Dreaming”. Yes, it’s thinking. It’s maybe writing down fragments of ideas. It’s simply BUILDING the world, even if in your head. And you’re still doing work.

Honestly, writing as much as I could and when I can has helped my creativity and to keep pushing forward. This fic has done a lot. When I wrote everyday in November for Nano, the ideas refused to quit. They kept coming. It was empowering. Challenge yourself here and there. Don’t get upset if you don’t reach something you wanted to do. That’s the magic of creativity, you can do anything at what works for you.

Oh, and-- HAVE FUN! That, my friend, is the most important piece of advice I can offer. If you’re not having fun, throw it to the side and write something new.

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naomi-l-tiessen-blog · 7 years

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Tips on Planning out your Novel

Hellllloooooooo everybody ~

Happy Thursday Blogday!

If you’re in the same boat as me, the writing world is completely foreign territory. Every single day you are presented with a brand-new challenge, and like a puzzle, you need to figure out how to solve it. But you’ve made this far, and there is no fucking way you are backing down, right? You’re involved now, committed. You’ve joined the writing cult, and are in much too deep to back out now.

But here’s the thing: you don’t know the first thing about being a writer…or writing a story.

Hooray, me neither!

Don’t worry, from one newbie to another, I’ve got you covered. Don’t be afraid…the writing cult can smell fear….

So, you want to write a novel, but don’t know where to begin? I’ve got your back! In today’s blog, I’ll cover 5 essential points on planning your novel up to the writing phase.

So, without further ado, here are 5 tips on planning your novel and getting you started on the path to success:

1) The Brainstorming. This is generally the most exciting part of the writing experience itself, where the birth of magnificent ideas take place. They can come to you in dreams, while reading or watching TV, or randomly when you are, say, taking a bath and day dreaming about mermaids (may or may not be speaking from experience). This is, needless to say, the most vital part of the novel-writing process. Because, let’s face it, without an idea, there’d be no story, right? So, say you come up with an idea that you know, deep in your bones and heart of hearts, needs to be written by you and you alone. So, now what? Well, things to consider: 1) does the idea have substance? Can it carry the weight of an entire story, or would it be stretched thin from beginning to end with the threat of developing holes and breaking? And 2) are you going to be just as passionate about this idea in 2 months’ time? 6 months’ time? A year? Now I know that’s sort of a trick question, and unless you are a psychic, you aren’t really going to know the answer to that question. But sometimes it’s good to write down an idea, and then put it away, out of sight, out of mind. Allow the initial excitement to die down a bit, the glamour, the glare from your rose-tinted glasses. If, after a week or two, this idea is still as captivating as the day you thought it up, then you might have a story on your hands!

Once you are able to answer these questions, the fun begins! Keep a notebook handy, and start jotting down your thought dumps. Scenes that keep playing in your head nonstop, lines of dialogue, characters and their aesthetics. Create a name bank, pay attention to street names for inspiration (that’s how I got my MC’s last name), and unless your story takes place on Earth, maybe start daydreaming up things you might want to include in your new world (ie: language, terrain, wildlife, inhabitants, main food staples, etc). Write down things you’d like to have happen in your story. It could be anything…a coffee date, playing Marco Polo quietly at a bookstore, singing horribly at karaoke (ah, just learnt that I can’t, in fact, spell karaoke without spell check saving my ass), or a romantic picnic that ends in disaster when a rogue rain cloud unleashes its inner Poseidon and drenches everything. Some of these ideas you might be able to incorporate, some of them you might not, but it’s always safe to keep of list of ideas handy to give texture to your story. By the end of this, you should have a pretty good idea of the gist of your story. Having said that, never STOP brainstorming; it’s ok to come up with ideas for the beginning of your story, even as you write the end. I mean, it’s a bit difficult, and you might need to revise the shit out of your manuscript, but hey, that’s what drafts (and drafts, and drafts) are for!

2) The Researching. Maybe not as fun as the brainstorming part, but important. At this stage, you are diving deeper than just ideas. What sort of story are you telling? What genre is it going to fall under? If you don’t know much about that genre, learn about it. Read and watch movies that fall under the same category, and take notes (if anyone judges you for watching hours upon hours of Doctor Who, just declare it in the name of science. And if that fails, just tell them Scarlette made you). If your novel isn’t taking place on Earth, hit up tutorials on world building and stage setting. Dive into workshops about dialogue, chapter structures, and making believable characters. You know the bare bones of your story at this point. With that in mind, can you describe it in a single sentence? Can you explain it, start to finish, on a single page? These exercises help train your mind into getting the meat and potatoes of your story, the nitty-gritty. What is so important, so prioritizing, that you simply HAVE to mention it vs. what is, meh, maybe not that heavy duty, and can sit on the sidelines. It’ll help produce plot points, subplots, potential climaxes, and maybe even the mythical theme (le gasp!). Doing these sorts of exercises well help give your story shape, and point you in a solid direction.

3) The Creating. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve been creating this entire time. But this is sort of a different level of creating. In this part of the planning, you should no longer be picking ideas out of thin air. Your ideas should be taking structure…you should have a general idea of what your characters look like, what your world looks like, and the direction your plot is going. This “creating” process is dedicated to further solidifying those features. Your characters should have names, a vivid description, and profile pages full of their likes and dislikes, fashion sense (or lack thereof), fears, goals, where they start in the story vs. where they end up, etc. This is where the internet is your friend. Find pictures that best resemble your characters, and keep them around for inspiration. But try not to be creepy about it. Trust me, a lot of weird shit comes up when you type in things like, “7-year-old girl with blond hair and green eyes,” blah blah blah. Don’t want the cops paying you a visit!

You should be creating character profiles for your main characters (protagonists and antagonists), and at LEAST half-assed ones for your side characters. Side-note: create a cheat sheet for your character descriptions and names close by just in case. You don’t want Sir Maxwell McFeelya’s hair color to change from shoulder length, greasy dirty blond, to a crew cut with a totally-there bald spot in the middle of his more-pepper-than-salt hair. Talk about awkward. Or if your Sue-Ellen McAlister in chapter 2 suddenly becomes Virginia Davies in chapter 10. Oops. Once again, may or may not be speaking from experience here. During this stage, your new world should be really taking shape. Once again, don’t be afraid to use pictures as references and inspiration. You should know the main ins and outs of your world, such as language, professions, climate, terrain, food staples, religion, etc. There are some great templates explaining things you need to consider when creating a world from scratch...seriously, a ton. At this time, you should also be thickening up your plot, figuring out the main points, subplots, and climaxes. If you know the beginning, middle, and end, but don’t know how to piece them together, that’s ok. That’s what the next step is for.

4) The Outlining. This is on the list?? Shocker. Ok, before you pantsers get all up in my face about this, I stand firm in my belief that this stage is freaking CRUCIAL to the planning and writing process. To begin writing without an outline, you are more than likely going to end up with plot holes, inconsistencies, and a hell of a lot of frustration. Granted, there are a lot of people that don’t outline, and that works just fine for them. I am not one of those people, and therefore outlining is on my list. Plus, I kind of sort of love outlining. This is the point of the process where we have all (or at least most) our ducks, and now we are going to get them in a row. It’s time to organize your story, getting it in order. THIS is where you need to figure out how to glue the beginning, middle, and end together.

Think of outlining as a puzzle: you have all the pieces, and now you need to figure out where they all go. Don’t force the pieces into spots where they don’t belong, because you will end up with bent edges and something that is bumpy and doesn’t flow well. If a certain piece doesn’t fit anywhere, it might be for a different puzzle; take it out, and keep working. If you can’t find all the pieces, that’s ok too, just keep working, and when you’ve used up all your pieces, go back and focus on the holes. Maybe the piece is under the couch with the rest of your cat’s toy hoard. Or, much more likely, the piece hasn’t been discovered yet, because you haven’t thought it up. That’s totally fine. It’s also fine to push forward despite having holes in your outline (as long as they are nothing too major, of course). Often, I find that while I’m writing, solutions to those holes come to me at random. It’s sort of like your fur baby suddenly wanting cuddles the fucking second you stop pleading for their attention. Keep in mind that this part of the planning will take some time. Seriously, it can take weeks, and that is a-ok; it’s not a race. Just make sure that you don’t lose your passion during this time, because if you lose it now, then your story might be hooped. And on that happy note, we move on!

5) The Writing. Ah, yes, the stage where we actually do the thing. No more dancing around the subject, no more planning, no more outlining (yet, anyways). At last, you are ready, young Padawan. So, the first most important thing here to keep in mind is to write first, edit later. Seriously, that’s it. Don’t stress yourself silly about how shitty it sounds (newsflash, it probably does sound shitty), because if you let this fear consume you, your story will never leave your brain. Just get it all out of your noggin. Convert brain vomit into word vomit. Some people like to edit after every couple chapters, and if that works for you, then go for it. But don’t be picky, because if you get really down and dirty with the editing now when you don’t have the entire image in front of you, you might remove or change things that 1) don’t need it, or 2) are actually super freaking important. And while some don’t agree with me (HOW DARE YOU…just kidding *not really*), I highly recommend trying to write in chronological order to save yourself the misery of discovering holes and time inconsistencies and having to re-write a shit ton. Not fun.

And there you have it! Easy peasy right? Well, easy in theory, anyways. Lord knows that this is actually a shit ton of work. But with these tips in your tool kit, you are now one (or 5) steps closer to destroying the pipe dream of being an author, and actually becoming one! Hooray you!

With that said, I post new blogs every Thursday, and if there is anything you’d like me to discuss, feel free to message me on here, or tweet me @ScarletteStone

Until next time,

Happy Writing!

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