#writersofig

[five-sided-dice]

Tips for Beginner Writers

1 - Make a chapter out line as you go, so if you need any sort of information about what's happened in the book, you don't have to scroll through each and every paragraph you wrote.

2 - Your first draft is not Your published book, you're gonna have to revise it and edit it a lot over the while, so Let it Suck. It'll turn into a second, third draft, and published book in the end.

3 - What matters is that you wrote, not how much you wrote. Try to set a daily number of words for you to write, that way you get consistency and it gives you a routine to follow.

4 - Remember that many books have been written, many with the same premise, but by different people. If you worry that your idea is too average or too oversaturated remember this:

5 - Don't make scenes too long, dont detail what you don't need to. If your character is going to develop via an event, detail it where needed, don't detail every little thing because it makes the scene unnecessarily long.

This Idea has been written before, but not by you.

[bunnyswritings]

Some meet cute prompts

A power outage traps two strangers in an elevator together.

A accidentally sends a text meant for their ex to a wrong number, and the recipient, B responds.

Two people both reach for the same book at a bookstore, striking up a conversation about their shared interests.

One person accidentally spills coffee on another while rushing to catch a train, leading to an unexpected conversation.

Two acquaintances from high school years ago end up sitting next to each other at a wedding reception and bond over their mutual dislike of weddings.

Two people both end up waiting for the same delayed flight and strike up a conversation to pass the time; it turns out that they are also plane seat mates.

[justthoughts03]

This year I’ve prepared myself to lose a lot of people in my life

Because I finally have the courage to say out loud that

Even though I am loved I don’t like the way some people love me.

They may think they are doing a good job but I don’t feel that’s what I deserve.

I deserve to be loved better.

And if you can’t do that and commit to it… there’s the door

-this is what courage looks like-

[queerism1969]

[pillofmoonlight]

it's weird how when a child screams they don't feel loved at home and don't feel safe around their family, the first thing that a parent might do is list the number of things they have done for their child instead of asking themselves what made their child feel that way. parents aren't supposed to be strict and feared. when a child walks into this world, they are naive and parents are supposed to be the home and safe space the child looks for when they need help or when things get messed up instead of going "my parents will kill me for this". by engraving your fear into your child's mind, you are just making sure that they to lie to you. i don't know what kind of cruelty we are forcing onto generations by making them fear their own parents. how would they learn love when they never knew what it is? and in a world so cruel and unkind, love is the most important thing we need. not fear.

Parents scare the hell out of their children and then have the audacity to ask "why you put your friends on such a pedestal". well maybe because they taught me love and maybe you should learn how to parent. you can begin from going to therapy and getting your traumas and misconceptions resolved.

[writerthreads]

How to write a gripping fight scene

By Writerthreads on Instagram

Context

Provide the readers with preliminary details about the basics:

When is the fight? Where is the fight? Who are the characters involved in it?

Before you write the scene, it would be helpful to pre-plan the events and know the basic "itinerary" of the fight. This could be how it was initiated, which characters fight each other and how, and the way the fight ends.

Identify the backstory

The key to how to write a fight scene or battle scene is Goal, Motivation and Conflict (GMC). 

Ask yourself:

Why is this fight or battle taking place? (This supplies motivations, what each fighter or army has to gain or lose)

What each party wants (the goals). Goals may differ for the same conflict. One soldier may want to prove themselves worthy of promotion, for example. Another may just want to survive to see family or a lover back home. In a battle scene, what does the unit want, versus the individual?

What are the potential conflicts in the scene? For example, an argument might break out within ranks, or a sadistic leader might find themselves without aid at the peak of battle because their troops secretly despise them. A single, larger conflict could have smaller, breakaway conflicts that add further, lesser tensions to an already dramatic scene.

(From NowNovel)

Use characterisation in action

A fight scene can seem long and boring. To spice things up, you can provide readers with a bit more insight to the character as they fight.

Why does the character make the choices that they make in the fight?

How does each choice reinforce their characterization?

How does each choice impact their internal and/ or external goals?

Is this conflict getting the character closer or further away from their goals? How?

What are the stakes for each character? What do they stand to win? What will they lose?

What type of fighter is the character? What are their physical or mental abilities? (Remember that not every protagonist will be a trained assassin, so they’re prone to make sloppy mistakes during a fight.)

Use the fight scene to reveal necessary information about the characters. Be sure to give the reader a glimpse into the character’s soul and not just into their fighting skills.

(From NYBookEditors)

Use all the senses

To make the scene truly gripping, you have to make it visceral. Hit the readers with all the senses other than just sight. Sounds and textiles are particularly helpful and make the scene much more memorable.

So, next time you want to write one person's sword hitting another, you can describe the clang of the two steel pieces hitting each other, the smell of fresh blood in the air, and how heavy the sword welder's arm feels after parrying for ages.

Know the limits of each weapon and magic (if applicable)

Before you start writing, do some research about the "code of conduct" fighters in your time period had and how the weapons work. If you're very dedicated, you could try some classes in martial arts or fencing to get a rough idea of what the specific fight scene should feel like.

The ending

Let the readers know what the results of the fight are. Did one side clearly win? Were the results unclear (not in the sense of bad writing but of a draw-like scenario), or was it a Pyrrhic victory that incurred so much loss that it wasn't worth it?

One pet peeve of mine is a fight that ends when a Super Boss Weapon is revealed and ends the fight immediately. It's a quick way to finish the scene with no hassle, but in my opinion, it seems lazy and makes me wonder why the Super Boss Weapon wasn't used in the beginning. Unless it's justified, eg. the Super Boss Weapon had to be charged up, I get very mad when it happens. (But this opinion is very personal and you can obviously ignore it!)

Conclusion and disclaimer

Hopefully these tips will help you pen the perfect fight scene! I have minimal experience in fight scenes and all the fighting I do in real life is fencing (badly).

And as always, our tips are just tips and not rules -- you obviously don't need to follow them since they're just a guide to make your writing better! Good luck in writing your fight scene! :)

Sources: NowNovel, NYBookEditors

[knbpoetry]

Glow ✨

[ellesliterarycorner]

Tips for Writing Plot Twists

Well, after a very long, unexpected House of the Dragon fandom break, we are now back to our regularly scheduled writing program! Funnily enough, this is kind of House of the Dragon related because today we are talking about writing plot twists. And not just any plot twists, plot twists that make sense and don’t leave your reader wanting to pull their hair out and throw your book across the room. Writing plot twists is a lot harder than it looks. I know that when I read a book with a great plot twists that I actually didn’t see coming, I always wanna give the writers a little round of applause because that is impressive my friends. Especially in the day and age of super common tropes and readers’ having particular expectations, it’s always nice when there’s a new innovative twist out there. Worry not, here are a few simple twists that will help you on your way to writing the best plot twist for your story!

WWTRD??

What would the reader do, my friends? In order to write a good plot twist, you need to try and put yourself in the shoes of the reader who will actually be reading this. This might seem like a pretty obvious tip, but it’s one of the most simple and effective ones out there! As you’re going through your story or even your outline, write down all of the ways that you would normally expect the story to go. What potential twists and turns immediately come to mind? Write every single one of those down and then make sure that your plot twist does not include any of them. Especially if you read and write in the same genre (like I do, fantasy and sci-fi all the way), then your brain probably works in the same way as most of your readers. Like I mentioned above, people who always read in the same genre are used to the conventions and standards of their genre. Unfortunately for us writers, that makes it a lot harder to come up with a plot twist. I recommend looking at the list of plot twists that we’re going to throw out and writing down the opposite of all of those. That’s always good advice, imo. If you feel like your story is getting too predictable, take it in the complete opposite direction. When even you’re surprised by what’s going on, you’re on the right track!

Bread Crumbs a la Hansel and Gretel

The original versions of fairytales are absolutely terrifying. I had to look into them for one of my English classes and boy, oh boy, childhood = ruined. Anyways, just like Hansel and Gretel with their little bread crumbs, you want to subtly guide the readers’ attention away from any potential plot twist, so the twist is all the more surprising. You always want to make your readers think they know what’s going on, then flip all of that on its head. There are a lot of different tools that you can use to do that like red herrings, false flags, or other types of MacGuffins. These decoys deliberately plant false clues, or other misinformation that leads the reader in the wrong direction. Sometimes, they even lead the reader to even think they have reached the happy ending only to reveal their devious nature. HOWEVER, you will noticed that subtly is bolded above because please remember the subtly. This is another one of my big problems with YA fiction because some YA writers seem to think that kids are like legitimately stupid. That’s why I don’t think, imo, there’s been a YA book with an absolutely great plot twist in a while because YA writers tend to spoon-fed their readers everything and try too hard to steer readers in the wrong direction. Readers notice when writers do this, and you don’t want it to happen.

BFFR

Be fricken for real, guys, and that means not only ensuring that your plot twist is believable and necessary but also MAKES SENSE. Plot twists making sense is a problem that seems to have popped up in the last five years in all genres not just YA, I would say. Authors seem to focus a lot on the part of the definition of plot twists that says sudden, unexpected and shocking change of direction whilst ignoring the part that includes realistic and reasonable. To me, the realistic and reasonable part is almost more important. If a super unpredictable plot twist pops up out of nowhere without even relating to the story, of course I’m gonna be surprised. Does that mean I’m going to be surprised? No, it does not. Which leads us to the most important lesson: SHOCK VALUE FOR THE SAKE OF SHOCK VALUE IS NOT GOOD. It’s just not. That means not resorting to gimmicks or having a plot twist just to have one. Just like everything else in your story, plot twists should serve to further the story in some way. Not every story needs a plot twist, and some stories are far better off without them!

Phone a Friend!

When in doubt, phone a friend! Writer’s block, phone a friend! Need advice on character development, phone a friend! Struggling with plot twists, phone a friend! In this case, beta readers. Like I said above, stepping into the reader’s shoes is a great way to think of ideas for plot twists, and getting beta readers to read your story is a great way to test out the believability of your plot twist once you’ve written it. Ask them wether or not they thought it was effective within the overall plot, did they believe it, did they see it coming, and overall what about it worked and didn’t work for them. But, don’t ask them about any of this until after they’ve already read the book. You don’t want them to go into the story hunting for a plot twist because they won’t react the same way that an actual prospective reader would. If they immediately come to you, gushing about how amazing the plot twist was and how much they loved it, you know you’re doing something writer. And on the flip side, if they say, wait what plot twist, you know you still have a little work to do!

[wordsofaworld]

When I Look At You, I See Me.

For quite some time now,

Eye contact has really freaked me out.

Looking into peoples eyes I tend to get lost.

So I try to glaze myself over, if that makes sense.

I don't want to see into your soul.

I don't want to connect.

I'm afraid,

Terrified actually... of people.

But that one person...

Whose eyes I look into

And I feel the whole world unfolding inside me,

I feel like a flower losing all its petals at once.

I break free from the straight jacket that is social masking.

Looking into your eyes is freedom.

I am me again.

My mind unwinds,

And I am unafraid, like a child,

Unaware of the harsh realities of life.

[yulia-inferis]

Porn Is A Mans Best Friend

Porn is a mans best friend Whether alone or within his girlfriend Inside her fleshlight adversary Or as her dildo mortuary Adding to his fleshlight cemetary On a swipe away for the next veiled arbitrary For when the best of friends he can have is porn Is when the sanctity of intimacy is halved and torn

[msafflictus]

Give Your All

[five-sided-dice]

"Answer three questions for every character: - Who is this character, - What do they want, - And How can I stop them from getting it."

-Someone once said something like this

[bunnyswritings]

A few Bookshop AU ideas

A works at a small hole-in-the-wall bookstore, where they meet B one day, a new customer who just moved to this part of town. They bond over their shared love of books. But both are unaware that B has actually moved into the apartment unit opposite A, and that they were already neighbours from the get-go. (Bonus: B is an actually the author of A's favourite book series; overtime, B realises that A has been a huge fan of their books for years, but tries to keep his identity a secret.)

A works in a book subscription service where subscribers are linked up with an employee for personalised book recommendations, based on factors like personality traits, TV show / movie preferences, hobbies etc. B joins as a subscriber, and A and B communicate with each other through email to find out B's book genre preferences. This emailing back and forth goes on; it starts off as once a month but becomes more frequent along with their growing bond. One day, A asks B out for a date to a book / writing exhibition.

A is a writer who has suffered from writer's block for months, but finds inspiration in B, a bookshop owner whom he ultimately falls in love with. B teaches A how to let loose a little, and take things as they come. A eventually bases his next book on their journey and love story, and surprises B with the first copy of their published book.

A is a doctor with a huge love for reading, and intends to attend a fan-sign event with their favourite author. Unfortunately, A runs late on the event day due to an emergency at work, and only makes it at the last minute. To A's dismay, however, B takes the last remaining spot for the fan-sign, making A upset as they leave in a huff. B senses A disappointment, and runs after A to gift them the signed copy of the book.

A discovers B in A's usual spot at the bookstore, one that they have been going to every week without fail, for the past year.

[letsbeapoemtogether]

We writers live two lives the one we pretend to be in and the other we spend our life writing about.

Abhilasha

[anbukarasi]

Not all memories are nostalgic, some are just burdens.

©anbukarasi

[shareapoetry]

What home feels like

No matter how long you have been gone, the moment you come back it feels as if you never left.

It's not that nothing changes; many things do. You discover the neighbour has a new dog who never fails to disturb your sleep at midnight. You see the hall has a new clock, the designated place for achar has changed(apparently because it was suddenly declared prone to falling) an old cupboard has been moved out. Some rooms have been painted a different colour. But despite all these changes it doesn't feel different.

Perhaps these changes aren't enough for home to become unfamiliar... I guess that's why it's called home.