#plotter Bible

[eggbunni]

Last week’s plans. 🕶️

[amelias-calamity-quintet]

Feeling like I should write these down cause eventually I'm gonna post a screenshot of my Word docs and y'all are gonna see all my weird formatting, so let's get ahead of it! Writing tips with me! I hope some of these help folks, this is just what helps me. I've produced like 500k words of relatively edited work in two months using these, so. I shouldn't horde them in case they can help more folks. There aren't a lot, but I hope they help.

Reformat your doc to the page size you'd want to print the work in if you're working in a word processor that can do that. Even if it's fanfic! Figure out the size you'd want to hold the book at and work from there. I promise you, it feels way more motivating to get work done on a 6x9 doc than 8.5x11.

Another format tip, reformat your work in a font and font size that makes it easy to read. I write in Comic Sans myself! Writing already takes up a huge amount of brain power thinking of words, don't add to the challenge by adding hoops to rereading them for edits. You can always reformat after.

Get some kind of notes app. World Anvil, Campfire, I recommend Obsidian, which is free! World bible docs are great, but nested wikis are way easier to sift through.

If you prefer writing linearly, like I do, make sure you have a doc to write down other scenes when you think of them. This has saved me so much heartbreak, even just having an outline of ideas and quote ideas.

If you're going to write a series, pick how many books are in it by overcount, not undercount. It is typically more noticeable that a series has been stretched than it has been shortened.

Try the other side of plotter/pantser just a little. I used to be a hardcore pantser, but my writing improved scores when I started doing even just a little more plotter work. I still do mostly outlines, and I have presaved templates in Obsidian to help make notetaking easier on thin notes, but I promise it helps.

Don't compare yourself to others! I know I led with the 500k figure (because it is impressive) but everyone writes at different paces. Mine is influenced in no small part by autistic hyperfocus on my story at the moment. In amount of writing is still creating and still holds value.

Make a habit, and set it low. I tell myself I need to get a sentence done in a day. Convincing myself that getting something, even low, has pushed me more to get back to work than setting incredibly high word counts ever did. It's ok to have low inspiration days.

[four-of-them-showdown]

Propaganda under the cut!!

Uriel, Sun Wukong, ABFD, Secretive Plotter:

"Okay so like imagine that you're bored as hell looking through livestreams until you come across this fucking insane man with no face. You then preceed to essentially cyberbully/stan him for all eternity. And this happens to three other people who also wont shut the fuck up about this man, so you more or less become a fanclub for this cringefail maniac. Also, yes, that's Uriel from the Bible except she's wlw and keeps shipping the insane faceless guy with his super hot extremely murderous companion. ABFD is a 14 year old chunni, Sun Wukong is THAT Sun Wukong and ends up adopting the crazy guy as his brother. And then Secret Plotter [■ ■ ■] [■ ■ ■] [■ ■ ■] and ends up becoming the adoptive father of [■ ■ ■] and raises [■ ■ ■] with his companions from [■ ■ ■]. They don't rly have a group name (although three of them DO form an idol group) from what I remember so you can just call them the Kim Dokja fanclub."

Crow, Aion, Yaiba, Rom:

"They’re all so stupid (affectionate)"

[somer-writes]

Write-A-Thon game!

Are you a pantser, a plotter, or something in between? What does that process look like for you?

im a pantser!

its actually something i used to be pretty insecure about. all my life i was told that outlining is the *only* way to write anything effectively or of quality. its just not something that clicks for me no matter the method. ive done timeliness, beats, plot rollercoasters, pen and paper, digital--none of its ever connected for me.

i think people who outline are really amazing though! theyre so good with details and intricacies in a way thats definitely a personal weakness for me. people who have world bibles...i want whatever youre taking...

my process is really REALLY simple. i open a blank doc and i start typing. usually i have some bit of dialogue or one visual i want to incoporate and i write around that little snackage. this is ofc detrimental when i get interrupted bc it can throw off my groove but for me its a good way to convey the feelings i want. like i can enchant the words or charge them up somehow while im writing them!

[findroleplay]

Hello fellow Christians and Christianity enjoyers. ✝️

I (18+) am currently on the hunt for some Christianity inspired rps. I recently watched Paranormal Activity: Next of kin and it has me itching for a little world building project around churches, cults, demons, angels and God(s).

I'd love to incorporate elements from the Bible or popular portrayals of religion in the media. Plot wise this can go anywhere. Maybe an isolated cult in the middle of nowhere summons a demon or angel and now live with the consequences of their actions. Perhaps this will follow the lives of church members as they grapple with their faith.

I'm looking for a diverse cast no matter the plot. I want us to write several characters that we can explore and flesh out together. In terms of ships I'm open to all gender pairings. Additionally, this could go in a 🕊️ direction if we so choose.

All I ask is that you're above 18, an active plotter and writer and an open communicator. Like this ad and I'll come seek you out.

Amen!

-

[rainbowuniversepageantsys]

Inner Beauty Tip Piggyback: Enjoy Your Life!

Be too blessed to be stressed!

Joyce Meyer has a show called “Enjoying Everyday Life” so Christians will remember that life is to be lived to the fullest and not to be wasted on sadness and grief. Her Bible verse she uses to illustrate her meaning is from John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I come that they may have life and have it to the full”. This is what God wants for all of us.

Live your life to the fullest!

*Enjoy means to take delight or pleasure in (an activity or occasion; have fun with whatever makes you happy)

*Too many people are waiting for something before they really enjoy life

*Too many people are also sour pusses and negative nancies so they have a negative outlook on life and so this sis what they get – a negative life.

*Some people have made horrible mistakes and they think they don’t deserve to be happy so they sabotage love opportunities, friendships, solid amazing connections and avoid fun events.

When you don’t enjoy life you can become:

An ugly person

A depressed person

A mean person

A violent person

A thief

A jealous person

A lazy person

A settler (settle for less than you know you deserve)

A hater

A racist

An egotistical person

An arrogant person

An immature person

A stick in the mud, dull and boring person

An angry person

A doormat or “yes” person

A weak person

An abusive person

A selfish person

A person with poor hygiene

A plotter and schemer

A conniving person

A mischievous person

A needy person

A whiny person

A self-hating person

An ignorant or dumb person

*If this sounds like you, then you need to get out and have some fun!

*When it comes to fun make sure it’s sincere and real and not coercion or a phony attempt at having a good time

Some tips:

Do what you want to do

Try something new

Take some chances and risks

Beat fear up and pronounce it dead

Learn to embrace the weather

Change things up and realize variety is interesting

Learn something new

Hang out with diverse people

Learn about different cultures

Visit museums, parks, theaters

Have a love of different genres of movies, music and other

Accept invitations

Learn how to paint, draw, sketch

Take up a new hobby

Get to know your sign

Be genuinely interested in other people (give friendship to get it)

Use the laws of money to open financial doors for others and opportunities will open for you (be a giver)

Use your creative brain and create something

Write stories and poetry

Pick one of your favorite songs and learn all the lyrics so you can sing it in the shower, while you are working or cleaning, while you are driving, or whenever it strikes you to sing or join a choir

Plan some things on the calendar and other times just wing it on go on joy rides or be spontaneous

Get in a festive mood and have fun decorating, dress up for holidays

Be a giver of gifts

Celebrate all your birthdays no matter how old you are and even if you don’t have a party or anyone around, celebrate that you were born and you blessed the world with your presence (that means take yourself out and buy yourself a gift)

Try the cake or pie and determine if you like it before you say no (have a sweet tooth for just one day)

Have slumber parties or sleepovers, girls nights in and boys nights in

Learn how to cook and then invite some friends or family over and let them try out your new dish or cooking skills

Dance or sing when you work, cook or drive

Go to concerts, plays, movies, ballets, and community events

Watch a variety of t.v. shows and movies

Make phone calls, texting and emails fun (use bitmoji’s, avatars, emoji’s, stickers, gif’s, videos, etc.)

Start a gratitude journal and write down what you are grateful for every day

Fall in love and vow to stay there by doing the work you need on your end to keep the flame burning and your love interest coming back for more

Take a course that interests you at your local college or online

Have fun with fashion and accessories

Go to game nights, movie nights, join clubs

Get to know your God and find a church you like, join small groups, prayer groups and Bible studies, do missionary work or help out with activities for the poor, sick and homeless

Volunteer and have fun with it getting to know your peers volunteering for people who need you

Be playful and laugh every day

Play with kids, babies and animals

Get a coloring book and crayons and use it when you feel inspired to be a kid

Learn how to go fishing, camping and gardening

Visit the Griffith Observatory, Aquarium of the Pacific and Sea World no matter how old you are so you stay young at heart with discovery, adventure and wonder in your spirit

Go to amusement parks and try at least one roller coaster while you are alive (put it on your bucket list)

Laugh at yourself because everything should not be taken so seriously

Be willing to have fun by yourself

When it comes to sex explore your own body before you touch anyone else’s, get to know yourself so you can be brave and assertive about letting your significant other give you pleasure (be safe, be cautious and say no when you want to and do your best to wait for full sex until marriage – it’s more fun to anticipate what it will be like when you finally say I do and consummate your nuptials you can still have fun without engaging in fornication just use your imagination)

Play Marco Polo in the pool when you go swimming

Get on the swings at parks

Play at the park with kids, dogs or play alone

Have picnics regularly

*We age swiftly, and life passes us by so fast so you owe it to yourself to have some fun and make memories that will allow you to smile and look back on your life when you are old and gray and tell amazing stories to your grandkids and be comfortable when God calls you home

What not to do:

Don’t waste your life feeling sorry for yourself

Don’t hate on other people

Don’t be a jealous person – it’s a waste of time and you become possessed if you don’t let it go – you can’t have what someone else has so appreciate what you have already

Don’t be a nosey person - people deserve their privacy and it’s sacred so don’t break this honor code or you may lose someone dear to you

Don’t try to be someone you are not

Learn to let go and don’t hold people hostage (let them com back to you when they are ready and that means you need to learn to be comfortable in your own skin and remember that it’s ok to be alone sometimes)

Don’t hold on to unforgiveness

Don’t live out your trauma every day – move forward so you can heal and be mentally well

Don’t be a doubter, faith brings you more of what you want and doubting brings you what you don’t want or nothing at all

Don’t ignore your heart, it matters and it breaks easily so take what you feel seriously but bring it to surface slowly so you can process it safely and timely

Don’t abuse your body or your brain, they are all you have so take good care of both every day

Don’t be greedy for everything; moderation is key and keeps you from cracking up and having a cluttered mind and cluttered heart

Learn to say no to invitations that you are not interested in otherwise you may get caught up in something that’s not fun or enjoyable for you and miss things that are fun and enjoyable for you

Don’t be afraid of everything or don’t show fear because people will see you as an easy target to mess with if you do; life is not as scary as we make it, keep up you momentum of having fun and the fear will go out the window

Learn to trust so you won’t be a suspicious person all the time

Don’t use people; we are all put here to be loved and to love so using people for personal gain at their expense or broken heart will only cause karma to knock on you door one day and you will get used too

Enjoy your life and be beautiful!

[theglitchywriterboi]

Plotters I've never made a series Bible [I'm generally a pantser], does this look good or is there other things I should add to this [I'm gonna copy & paste this to the other books & also change the fonts, do underlining, headers, & bold some of the stuff, etc so this doesn't look too good but I made it really quick]

Other books as in other books in the series-

[tonysolomon4jc]

According to the Qur'an, Allah is the "best of deceivers" (3:54; 8:30). The phrase is often translated into English as "best of planners," "best of schemers," or "best of plotters," but the root word (makr) means "deception." Hence, the following Qur'an verses should be rendered as follows:

Qur'an 3:54 And they (the unbelievers) planned to deceive, and Allah planned to deceive (the unbelievers), and Allah is the best of deceivers. 

John 14:6 KJV Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

God said don't lie. God can not lie. God is truth and holiness. Allah and satan are the greatest liars. According to the Qur'an, Allah is the "best of deceivers" (3:54; 8:30) & the Bible declares that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44).

Jesus said that he is the truth and Satan is the Father of Lies. The Bible calls Satan the Father of lies and the greatest deceiver. The quran says that Allah is the greatest deceiver.

Allah is Satan.

Research Nabil Qureshi. He was a devout Muslim that debated Christians and ended up converting to Christianity. He wrote a very popular book called Seeking Allah Finding Jesus. His testimony is on YouTube.

Friends should draw you closer to holiness & Jesus Christ. If they pull you towards sin more than holiness then you should walk away. Obey Jesus Christ over every person.

[fountainpenday]

The @plotter_jp & @conklinpens_official getting together in downtown #NYC Orange Bible size Plotter & Conid Minimalistica. . #fountainpenday #pen #journal #writing #style #penaddict #fountainpenday2022 #calligraphy #paper #fountainpen #ink #write #celebrate #fpn #plotter #orange #handwriting #journaling #nib #love #notebookaddict #pencollector #friends #photooftheday #styloplume #writingcommunity #万年筆 #만년필 (at Fountain Pen Hospital) https://www.instagram.com/p/CltxccLOot7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[eggbunni]

Watching YouTube and sketching in my Plotter Bible.

[nanowrimo]

When Should You Worldbuild for Your Novel?

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. World Anvil, a 2020 NaNo sponsor, is a writing software that helps you develop and organize your characters, plot and world setting. Today, World Anvil Director Janet Forbes shares some tips for worldbuilding at all stages of your novel:

As a writing and worldbuilding expert, and the director of the award-winning worldbuilding and novel writing software World Anvil, I get asked this question a lot: at which stage during the novel writing process should you be worldbuilding? Should you be worldbuilding as you plot, as you draft, or as you edit? And—I see you out there, you glorious pantsers—what if you don’t plot? When should you be worldbuilding?

A quick disclaimer & explanation:

EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT! (Isn’t it beautiful?) This post is full of suggestions. If in doubt, try things out! But not everything will work for everyone. Experiment with these ideas, and develop a novel writing process that works for you!

Some of the best worldbuilding articles are only a few sentences—just long enough to document your ideas! You’ll probably expand them a bit through the drafting process as you discover or decide more details. But don’t feel you have to write the entire “Silmarillion” for your world! Longer articles often just mean more to read through when you’re in a hurry.

When to worldbuild as a Plotter?

Are you a plotter? Prefer to take a run at a first draft with a solid plan? Then here are some of the best places to work worldbuilding into your novel writing method!

Worldbuild the big stuff during the plotting phase

As a plotter, a lot of the big worldbuilding ideas probably come as you plot your novel. You’ll need characters who live in settlements, and were probably educated in organizations. They may or may not adhere to certain traditions or religions. You might add magic systems,  supernatural powers, and/or futuristic technology (which you’ll need to know the limitations of!). Writing down your ideas NOW means that you have them safe, and won’t lose them!

Worldbuilding your organizations, like Nations, Religions, Jedis, Police Forces and Universities, will help give them more impact, and make your world feel more dynamic and real!

Image Credit: Davina, made on World Anvil.

If your novel is an event novel—aliens invade, the Earth quakes, or a zombie virus is let loose—then write a bit about the nature of the threat. If you’re creating a character novel, make sure you have some notes on your main character’s background, mentors, relationships, education and skills. 

Worldbuilding these elements of your plot—even in just a few notes—before you start the first draft will really help you down the line! You can plan all of these out using the worldbuilding templates in World Anvil. They give you the freedom to create WHATEVER you want, help you connect everything together, and make everything searchable when you need it!

Worldbuilding during Draft 1—character experience and juicy details!

So, if you’re anything like me, you’ll probably find that something magical happens during your first draft. You start to consider your world through your character’s eyes! This means adding a lot of details to your worldbuilding—both SHOWING rather than TELLING, and sensory detail.

For example, you won’t tell your readers that an organization is evil. Instead, you can show a poor man in the stocks because he couldn’t afford his tithe or tax. Add that punishment to the  worldbuilding article about the evil organization, so you can remember it for later (or for book 2!).

Also, as your characters interact with places and people, they’ll feel, smell and hear (and maybe taste) details which heighten the experience. This makes your writing more evocative, and invites readers to feel they’re living in your novel, too! 

Add these details—you can even copy-paste relevant paragraphs as quotes—into your worldbuilding articles. Some Plotters prefer to do this scene by scene as they write their first draft. Others (like me!) prefer to do this as a separate stage, once the first draft is done. Read through the first draft, and add quotations or details into your worldbuilding articles. Future-you will thank you!

A fantastic example of a quick character profile! Hotlinks (shown here in red) help you link everything together in your world, so you can find things easily! 

Image Credit: ShyRedFox, created on World Anvil

Worldbuilding as a Panster!

If you’d rather fly by the seat of your pants than plot out each step of your novel, then congratulations—you’re a Panster! You probably love the exciting feeling of discovering your story as you write your first draft. So here are some ways you can work worldbuilding into your novel writing process!

Characters are worldbuilding too!

Most pantsers I know love to craft characters, even if they don’t know what will happen to them over the course of the story! And characters are full to the brim with worldbuilding opportunities! 

For example, the places your characters were born, went to school, travelled—they are all important locations to worldbuild in a few sentences. Which country is your character from? Do they fit in and, if not, which traditions or view points do they chafe against? These are all excellent places to start your worldbuilding, even before NaNoWriMo has started. You’ll still be pantsing—just Pantsing with Purpose! 

And remember, none of these ideas are set in stone - you can always change them later. It’s just a jumping off point, to give you inspiration. 

Characters are worldbuilding too! Writing out a detailed character profile is a great way to discover more about your main character. World Anvil provides prompts to help you flesh out your characters even more.

Image Credit: Dhelian, created on World Anvil

Plan worldbuilding using the “Jot, Bin, Pants” method!

The Jot, Bin, Pants method (originally developed by Cassandra Lee Yieng) is a way to plan without plotting! Once you have those scenes, scan through them quickly. You’ll already spot elements you can write short worldbuilding articles about! If a scene takes place in a ship, a smart townhouse, or an abandoned castle, write a few sentences about that space. What material is it built from? What feelings does it conjure up? 

Now you have a few notes on that location, you’ll be able to recapture the feeling much more quickly during crunch time, and get your words written!

Keep worldbuilding notes during Draft 1

Another helpful moment to make notes is at the end of each writing session during Draft 1. Try spending 5 minutes documenting the people, places and things you came up with. World Anvil’s tree layout can give you a lot of inspiration when you’re glancing over your setting to decide what should happen next! So if you mention a creature, a character, a location or a technology, scribble down a few notes about your ideas. You never know - it might save your character’s life!

With World Anvil’s novel writing software, you can easily reference your worldbuilding and update your series bible either AS you write, or after each writing session! 

The worldbuilding review phase 

Regardless of Plotterism or Pantitude, you should eventually have Draft 1 of a book! Granted, it probably needs some tweaks right now. But there’s a story there, characters, ideas, and an ending. Congratulations!

Now is a great time to take stock of your worldbuilding. As you read through your novel, build up your world bible or series bible. Make sure you have articles for each major character, for the places and things you’ve introduced - just a few sentences is fine. But as you edit and flesh out your novel, these will be great references to have, and it’ll speed up the next phase no end!

Worldbuilding and Structural Edits

During structural edits, i.e. re-editing the actual story and big ideas of your book, you’ll find that keeping an updated version of your series bible is really useful! You can do this as you edit (which is what I prefer) or at the end of each draft. 

By the time you’re at line edits, you’ll be done with your worldbuilding… and ready to get on with your novel’s sequel! And I can promise you - you’ll be thanking past-you for keeping such good worldbuilding notes in your Series Bible! 

If you want to keep your worldbuilding organized and instantly available in your novel writing software interface, then check out World Anvil! We’re recommended by Writer’s Digest, as well as bestselling authors like Brian McClellan, Chris Fox, Jenna Moreci, and literally a million other writers and worldbuilders! You can also pick up a 25% discount with the coupon code NANOWRIMO!

Become the ultimate writer and worldbuilder : NaNoWriMo participants get 25% off World Anvil!

Whatever you’re writing, and whenever you worldbuild, World Anvil will help to develop and organize your characters, plot and world setting, link everything together, and write your novel in our integrated novel writing software! 

And right now you can bag 25% off 6 & 12 month memberships of Master Tier and above, using the coupon code NANOWRIMO on checkout! 

Janet Forbes (pen name J.D. Blythe) is a published author and the Director of World Anvil, the ultimate worldbuilding and novel writing platform! This award-winning software helps you organize, store and track your worldbuilding as you’re writing your novel. Our novel writing software, accessible from anywhere, integrates stunningly with your worldbuilding. And when it’s time to publish, you can export, or publish directly on the World Anvil platform and monetize YOUR way! Check it out at World Anvil.

[spottheantisemitism]

Absolutely Moon Knight. The reveal that the reason he’s so macho is to compensate as being seen as weak and because he constantly encountered antisemitic abuse from his neighbors and the reason him and Steven constantly scoff at the accusation of only being in it for the money is because that’s a trope used against Jews for centuries. Moon Knight also shows us plenty of other Jews who have different levels of observance including one issue where we see a room full of ultra orthodox Jews that were friends of Moon Knight’s late father. While Steven and Marc aren’t especially practicing anymore, Jake seems to be the most observant one of the three.

since y’all beat me to it

I’m gonna say Kitty Pryde whose very concept by John Byrne wad “teen girl, chipper, walks through walks, Jewish”. This was the days when people added ethnicity to a character for nuance and exoticism. Thankfully, Chris Claremont his co-plotter was Jewish himself and delighted at the very idea. They ran with the concept having Kitty wear a magen david, light memorial candles for fallen team members. Later Claremont (sans Byrne) had Kitty throw the bible right back at Christofascist reverend Stryker and occasionally celebrate Hannukah. Kitty was Jewish from the very inception which sets her apart from characters that were revealed or even retconned as Jewish later

Jumblr tag game:

Favorite media with a Jewish character who actually felt Jewish to you.

Ill go first: the calculating stars (lady astronaut series) the casual way Judaism fit into her life, from Shiva to trying to do something for Shabbos. She may have been mostly secular but the way Judaism fit into her life and worldview was wonderful.

Feel free to share if you want to. (Enjoy the positivity if not) @aguineapigcouldntdothis @edenfenixblogs

[confirmed-for-trash]

watched Shaun's hairy plotter™ video on youtube last night and holy fucking shit this goes deep. tl;dr what a hateful nasty book series for children to read.

remember how bible thumpers hated these books and forbade their kids to read them? I'm very sad to say that this time they were right...but for the wrong reasons sgshshfkhkgl. cuz these books have neo-liberalism all over them and white xtians LOVE neo-liberalism. personally, I think if my lefty progressive queer ass even touched one of these books at this point, I would spontaneously combust.

I remember trying to read these books back in the early aughts even though I was already like 20. I thought the concept of Wizard School sounded pretty neat and I wanted to know why even grown adults loved these books so much. I got through the first three all right; didn't get the hype but I just thought maybe I was being too cynical. then books 4 and 5 happened.

I skipped book 4 and just watched the movie because holy damn have you seen that book? it's thicker than Lord of the goddamn Rings. would make good kindling for the bonfire BUT ANYWAYS

around 2006, I actually did attempt to read book 5. and that's what finally finally made me put the series away forever. because it's dismal and miserable in every way. every single fucking character including Harry Protagonist is an insufferable, unlikeable little bitch, and Jay Kay killed off the one fucking guy who actually seemed interesting, and in a stupid way to boot. so I said Fuck These Books and moved on with my fucking life...

but other adults in my age group kept insisting that this was some kind of literary masterpiece. getting tats of the fuckin triangle symbol and car stickers that say 'baby muggle on board' and other silly shit. I don't begrudge folks having their silly shit; I have my own silly things, we all do. but for the love of god I still can't understand why they picked THIS.

it's not just the hatred and pettiness and capitalism that seeps out of every page. though that is... definitely telling and off-putting, to say the least. it's the simple fact that there's very little to latch onto here in terms of character and plot. and where the hell is the sense of whimsy and magic and wonder? where are the clever solutions to sticky magical situations? where's the humor and fun? cuz it certainly isn't in this book series. I don't get what people saw in it other than their own nasty hateful reflections.

it's wild to me that the fantasy genre tends to be like this. fantasy isn't about wonder and whimsy and fun. so much of it is thinly veiled allegory for The Real World™ in which the author is free to say all kinds of racist shit but it's okay because it's not really real. sigh.

and that's just disappointing as hell. do yourself a favor and read Discworld instead. Mr. Pratchett knew what was up and he wasn't afraid to say it. also his books are actually hilarious and clever.

[portiaofbelmont]

How to Preptober

So.

It's October. Spooky season, pumpkin spice...and frantically attempting to create and organize character sheets and/or scene cards and/or series bibles and/or nano survival kits. You know the drill. (And if you don't, in fact, know the drill, allow me to redirect you to nanowrimo.org, because I highly suggest you learn the drill.)

Whether you're going for the traditional 50k, joining me in the 100k club, or editing the seventh draft of your latest manuscript, (or any other way of approaching Nano,) prepping is an essential step of getting there. Yes, even for pantsers -- Nano is 10x easier once you have at least a beginning, middle, and end. I myself have started to go to ridiculous amounts of plotting, but how do we get from the general bleh of story ideas to a beautifully constructed story bible?

While the Nano website has great resources, here is my self-constructed step-by-step for lazy people. As long as you do the first three steps, I'd say you're prepared for Nano, and you can continue on as many steps as you'd like.

Story idea (arguably the easiest part. and the one that requires the least explanation.)

Brief shitty synopsis (seriously. be shitty. i write a sentence for my set up and beginning, a sentence for my middle, and a sentence for my resolution. that's all you need. if you'd like, you can also make a title, writing playlist, pinterest board, etc..)

At least name the characters (this is not a prescription for character sheets. they're great, but unwelcome here. write a list of characters you're probably going to include - this might (will) end up being added to or deleted from - and maybe a few words describing their role. go further than "side character" and "antagonist". I personally like "bitchy bff" and "snarky child with a large hammer".)

Plot (this is where it gets fun. fun obviously meaning "grueling and easy to procrastinate". I'm currently stuck in this step right now. the easiest way to do this, at least for me, is to choose a formula -- save the cat, seven act structure, katytastic's outlining method (which is the one I use), etc. etc.. fill in the formula, change it where necessary, and voila, you're a plotter.)

Now actually flesh out your characters (this may or may not be where character sheets come in. of course, I'm quirky and don't use character sheets. I write a paragraph of biography for each character and find a picture to represent them.)

Scene cards (scene cards always seem mysterious to me, although I've used them before. they're a great tool and make writing much faster and much easier, so why wouldn't you use them? I don't have a specific method for making scene cards; I really just go through my outline and write a paragraph or two about each scene. then, later when I'm writing that scene, I make that paragraph visible to me and write. it keeps me from having to write on a blank page.)

Worldbuilding (for me, this happens as I outline, but you might want to do it after you plot. that's good and well, just please please please don't do it before you plot. do not fit your story to your world. story and characters come first!!! I'll do a separate post on worldbuilding - it's a complicated topic - but for now just know that everyone worldbuilds differently.)

And there you go! Go through all of this and you are just as (if not more) prepared for Nano as I am. I will see you in November! (No, I won't, because no tumblr during Nano. This rule applies to both me and you, alright? Tough love.)

Happy writing!

[queenofchaosandwords]

MILANOTE FOR WRITERS

Please tell me I’m not the only one who is obsessed with organizing my book. Like, I have never been a big plotter, but I like to have my research, mood boards, and character profiles in one place, where I can find them. Most people use Scrivener for this, but as much as I love it for writing, I like to visualize more than scrivener allows me. Plus - the app is really expensive and I have already paid for the desktop version, so I don’t feel like paying for a mobile app.

But what is Milanote?

Imagine your favorite corkboard, except it's digital and you can access it both from your mobile and computer. Milanote allows you to make and personalize mood boards, to-do lists, write posts, add links to resources, add Spotify playlist, create boards within boards, add photos, and documents, sends you reminders when a certain task has to be done... and much more.

Milanote’s boards are extremely flexible. Besides writing I use it to organize my commissions, school, and finances. The Milanote itself even has plenty of templates for almost everything and I store almost anything in it these days. My family trees, interactive maps, notes, random ideas, character profiles.

It’s super easy to use and perfect if you are looking for something to make your story bible in. The app is available for both ios and android and any computer. You can also invite another person in and share your documents and your notes.

You can also convert your boards to pdf or a word document and download it later.

The only catch probably wood be, that Milanote only allows you to add a maximum of 200 objects for free. If you want more you have to pay a monthly subscription (i think 15 USD a month) - btw. the best purchase I ever made - but maybe the free 200 is enough for you, who knows?

also... did I mention dark mode?

[pumpkinpaix]

9, 13, 14, 20? :O

9. Are you more of a drabble or a longfic kind of writer? Pantser or plotter? Do you wish you were the other?

ALAS I AM APPARENTLY A LONGFIC WRITER,,,, or like, a very short tiny vignette, no in-between.  I used to be incapable of writing anything long (all my shit from like 2007-2012 was under like 5k pretty much), but now it’s like. fuck! every story i want to write ends up spiralling out into like 50k+ projects /o\ I’m definitely a plotter. I wish I could be more spontaneous, but I do much, much better when I have some kind of endgame in mind. I can kinda fudge the middle, but the beginning and end have to be set :/

13. Do you share your writing online? (Drop a link!) Do you have projects you’ve kept just for yourself?

yep! here’s my ao3, which is pretty much just mdzs right now, but I’ve got some Saint Seiya stuff planned 👀 truly getting ready to return to my roots. saint seiya was the first fandom i wrote for! :D if you’re looking for my tumblr ficlets, I believe the tag is #myficlet

however, in terms of original prose and poetry, it mostly all just stays in folders on my hard drive. :’D I’ve entered some poetry and prose into local writing contests and won before, so my work exists out in the ether, but one day I’d like to have published books :’) I have so much poetry that kind of just sits around, and i’m like maybe?? it would be cool to share some of it? but all of it needs more editing and refining, I almost never edit my poetry it just kinda comes out in a mess and then I don’t look at it for years, so none of it is like good. a lot of it has potential, I think, but I have like, maaaaybe one poem that I would say is almost good lol.

I have like five nano novels hanging out as well, so just like. hundreds of k of words stacked up over the last decade and a half :’D

14. At what point in writing do you come up with a title?

depends! sometimes I think of a title and a concept at the same time and try to weave them together. sometimes it comes in the middle, and sometimes I’m scrambling right at the end. sometimes I’m struggling for the whole fucking time (me with lxc fic right now good god this title has been eluding me for MONTHS)

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

okay, since you’re the one asking, I’m going to talk about my painting selections in this little tumblr not-fic i wrote about hyoshun even though I know you don’t really do the classic series, but hey.

I’ve seen both Aivazovsky’s Ninth Wave and Repin’s Sadko in person, but I’ve studied all of the paintings that were included. I’ve never been to the Tretyakov, so I haven’t seen any of those in person, but GOD i want to. All of the paintings that I talked about are some of my favorite 19th century russian works except Sadko, which is nice, but not like, one of my favorites. I just like it.

here is why I chose those works in particular:

1. Aivazovsky’s Ninth Wave is a fucking experience to witness. It’s impossible to convey the presence of it, the size of it, on a computer screen. you feel swallowed up by the ocean and the light and the terror and the beauty of it--even as you face death, you also face the sun. you know, just like. peak sublime. I really think Shun would find the concept of the sublime very moving, given what we see of his character in canon: he cares, deeply and viscerally about the inherent value of life, but sees himself as small within it. And I don’t necessarily think that scares him so much as it awes him sometimes. He knows his own value and strength, respects risk, and respects sacrifice. I think would relate a lot to the Romantic artists who looked out at the vastness of the world and reacted with wonder and terror.

I think Shun very much feels a deep sense of wonder at being alive, of existing, and that he takes that very seriously. idk, there’s that moment at the 12 temples, when he stops to smell the roses at Aphrodite’s temple. it’s like, yeah, we’re in the midst of fighting for our lives, but god. there is such beauty here. facing the sun even as you face death. I think he would like that painting a lot.

2. Knowing Repin’s other work, I find the Sadko really beautiful and charming and surprising! It’s such a fun subject for a painting--instead of painting a religious scene, it’s a scene from a bylina, about a man named Sadko. I believe here is the scene where he’s asked to choose a wife from a line of beautiful sea maidens, but all he wants is to return to the surface and live with his human wife that he loves so much. and it’s okay! he does! the painting is lovely and just really visually stunning. and there’s something really moving about the way that sadko has eyes only for his wife on the surface, dressed in plain clothes, out of reach, even as these dazzling women laden with jewels parade before him. aaaaaaaaaa. anyways, I think Shun would like this painting too, for those reasons!!

3. Now the Tretyakov paintings that I’ve never seen, but GOD they just. they get me right in the heart. first, Conscience, Judas, by Nikolai Ge. it’s hard for me to describe exactly what I’m feeling when I look at it, but that really vicious white on Judas’s robe, the coldness of it, the alienation of a traitor. I want to weep for judas. I am not christian, so my interpretations of the bible are largely moot and uninformed, but I’ve always been intrigued by the thought that like--without judas’ betrayal, christ could not have risen. without the fall, there cannot be a triumph. that doesn’t mean that judas was acting for that reason, i certainly don’t know enough about biblical studies to make any kind of interpretation, but in the sense that like--christ had to fall and judas was the instrument of it. imagine the remorse of knowing. there’s something very human and sad about watching everything you loved and betrayed walk away from you into the darkness while you are left behind. without you, it could never have happened. i don’t know. there’s something about the nature of unforgiveable sins in there. i think about Shun’s speech to Balron Lune and I think he would feel some kind of way looking at this painting.

4. Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, by Perov--this painting kills me every time i see it. again, not christian, but like. the agony of christ. god. the nature of sacrifice. knowing that you must suffer and die, but oh! you would rather live, please if only you could live. let this cup pass me by. that on its own is already so much to sit with. and I think Shun, as well as the other saints, for very obvious reasons, probably have a lot of complicated emotions surrounding the concept of sacrifice and doubt. and idk, whenever there’s a moment when you feel like you are reaching through time and space to realize that someone out there has felt the way you are feeling, it’s like. that’s a lot. it hurts.

5. The Demon Seated, Vrubel: aaaaaaaaaaa. one of my favorite paintings!!! the demon is beautiful, and the demon is terribly melancholic, and the demon is alone, and the demon is powerful sitting amidst the blooming flowers and the setting sun. the gentle face in contrast with the muscular body. the inherent negative aspect of a demon in contrast with the subject’s heroism. I think that this would remind shun very much of his own brother, who is so angry and violent and dark, but whom he still sees as gentle and loving still. i think shun would look at this painting and see ikki sitting there, alone, watching the sunset on some distant shore. as for hyoga, I think it would be hard for him to see this without seeing shun after the hades arc: a kind and beautiful man, a demon by nature not by choice. someone soft made unwillingly hard. a murderer who would ferry even centipedes out of the house to safety.

ANYWAYS. I LOVE ART and i project all my feelings onto shun thank you for coming to my ted talk

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