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[tanaor]

How To End Your Story

The Circle Ending: A story that does a full circle and comes back to the beginning

The Moral Ending: An ending where you learn a lesson and see the character develop

The Surprise Ending: A big plot twist last-minute

The Reflection Ending: The character looks back on their past achievements and experiences

The Emotional Ending: Leave your readers feelings sad, bittersweet, or happy

The Cliffhanger Ending: End on something that will leave your readers at the edge of their seat

The Humor Ending: Finish in a funny or humorous way

The Question Ending: Make the reader wonder what will happen next

The Image Ending: Show, don't tell

The Dialogue Ending: Finish with a quote from one of your characters

[tanaor]

Want to worldbuild like a pro??

(📖 Master tips and everything I know📖)

Hello writers! You don't know how to worldbuild? Don't know where to start explaining the world you have created? Don't worry, you are in the right place! I have been there myself, and after many research (and even more trial and error) I have put together a list of the best worldbuilding tips I have encountered, and also created some of my own. (I know the first one is kind of overheard, but trust me).

Don't start right away with worldbuilding. A long paragraph about how your world works and its history might overwhelm new readers. A lot of other writers suggest waiting and learning about the world at the same time the protagonist does, or if that doesn't work for your story, dropping bits of information while the story moves forward. However, if you want to give a sense of how your world works from the start...

Exposition through action. This is my favorite method, and it helps a lot if you don't want to pause your story to info dump about the world you have created. Instead, this method relies on explaining the world and its dynamics while you continue with the narrative, briefly. For example: "As always, you couldn't see any trees in the meadow. The king had ordered years ago to cut each one of them because of a prophecy that foretold that the last dragon egg would lay in an oak."

Use expressions that reference normality or routines. In the last point, we used "as always", but there are tons of expressions you could use in your writing. This helps the reader understand what is the norm in this new world and what things are common, to later detect something that is not within that norm (or sometimes just to understand the world and its traditions better).

Use flashbacks when necessary. If you need to explain a very specific or detailed topic, I suggest using a flashback scene, that will help the reader understand with the narration and dialogue, instead of just explaining it to them. It makes for a more dynamic learning experience. But, at the end...

Do whatever will intrigue you. Some readers even like info dumps, and there is not one correct way to show your world. If it would make you curious, go and do it, wether people say it's correct or not. There are a lot of successful books that randomly stop to explain something about the world, and there is nothing wrong with that if you like it.

Hope you find this list useful, and as always happy writing :)

Also, if you are interested in tips or more examples of a specific topic, you can always leave a question in my ask. I'd be glad to answer it!!

Other tips for writers: previous

[tanaor]

Writers: do you normally write female or male characters??

Recently I realized that, as a girl, most of my characters are usually boys. That let me to question why I was doing that, and I think it's because it kinda gives me a sense of freedom. Like, as a writer, I'm intrigued to explore different perspectives and worlds I wouldn't be able to in real life, so I guess writing male characters is kind of my "what would it be like being a boy?". So now, out of curiosity I want to see if this happens to any of you or you just like to write from what you know.

Also, please join my other ongoing poll if you haven't voted yet!!

If anyone would like to share more about their characters, I'd be very happy to know.

Happy writing :)

[tanaor]

Writers: how did your main character feel in love

I been thinking about romance lately, and also how should I add some to my book. It always spices things up, how could I not! But the thing is, with that in mind, I became very intrigued about how other writers do it, specially how characters fall for one another in other stories. So, writers of Tumblr, tell me:

(I'm sorry if more than one apply! Also, if I forgot any recurrent trope/ situation where the characters get to know each other or fall in love, share it in the comments, I'd be very interested to know!!)

Otherwise, if none of this applies, I'm very curious! How did they fall in love??

Other ongoing writing polls

Goodbye and happy writing :)

[tanaor]

Don't know how to create hooking character arcs?

(✨Dos and don'ts in character arc creation, part 1: don'ts✨)

Every writer knows that's a good character arc is something hard to achieve, and that there is usually a very fine line between making your characters evolve to the better and making them change completely... But don't worry! That's why today I wanted to share some of my tips to give your characters that something that will make their transformative journey unique, and also make your readers fall in love with them. So, let's get right to it!

DON'TS

1. Don't make your characters passive.

Your story needs someone strong to fight against whatever you are planning to put them trough! Making your characters strong doesn't necessary mean creating buff characters, but a good character will always have that *something* that can always push them to their try best. Could be a goal, a loved one, an ideology...

2. Don't give your characters some random disaster for no reason.

Of course, this things sometimes happen, but the best kind of disasters are the ones your character has put themselves into: they have no one else to blame (even if they tried). This are the disasters you should be pressuring for your characters, because they will teach your character something. Maybe your character was very egocentric during most of the story, and now they are alone. You can now either make them realize, or start a villain character arc were they believe the world has made them like that...

3. Don't make the decisions easy.

During the story, your character will have to take a lot of decisions, including many important ones, but here is the deal... Most of them shouldn't be easy. Make it hard for them to decide, make the decisions something that they feel guilty of, make them think that, maybe, "there really was a better alternative". Also remember that when taking hard decisions, characters usually decide what they think will make them suffer less: that's what we call pain vs pain.

4. Don't make everything terrible.

Remember: there's always calm before the storm. And, if you give your characters a false sense of victory, failure will always hurt more. (Even if you don't plan your characters to fail, it's a good technique to use before eventually everything comes down).

5. Don't be afraid of giving the character the ending they deserve.

When the story ends, you should be capable of naming at least three mayor changes in your character. But, of course, when the story ends you also want your readers to think "yes, that's what needed to happen". So, writers: don't be afraid. If the character deserves a bad ending, give it to them. If they deserve to succeed, let them win. Each story is different, but there will always be that ending that you feel is the right thing... Believe me, if a character deserves to fail, I'll want them to fail at the end, and there is not a feeling as good as someone getting what they deserve, what they have been earning since page one.

I wish this was helpful, and if you are interested keep tuned for the part 2: dos in writing character arcs. Happy writing everybody!!

Other tips for writers: previous | next

[tanaor]

The process of doing your second draft is a process of making it look like you knew what you were doing all along.

– Neil Gaiman

[tanaor]

New writers: Start here📝

(free writing resources 2)

Hi!! Today I wanted to share in my blog something that has changed my writing life forever, and I hope you can also use it to improve your writing. This time, I want to share a creator, Abbie Emmons. She is a well known writing YouTuber and author, and in her YouTube channel she has lots of short videos about story structure and good characters. She really is a writing master, and I've learned so much thanks to her!!!

I hope some of you check her out, and happy writing y'all!

Other free resources: previous

[tanaor]

Want simple tips to heavily improve your skills with character voice??

(📝Note: character voice is the way you convey your character's personality though their pov or dialogue when you write. No two characters speak the same📝)

I speak from experience when I say character voice is hard to get right. Characters, like people, have lots of layers that affect the way they see the world around them and how they interact with other characters. That's why character voice is so important in stories, and why if you write it in a compelling and effective way it will hook people into your story. I hope you learn something new in this post!!

When writing character voice, there's a list of things that you should take into account:

Where are they from? Their past and what they've lived plays a huge part in character voice. Maybe your character grew by the ocean, and so they compare things from the present to the beach, the rocks or the sea itself. You will rarely read about a sailor that is an expert in pants and compares scents to flowers. They might, instead, talk about how a house smells like the wet wood of a ship.

Think about how their personality shapes their language. If they are insecure, they might end most of their sentences with "isn't it?" or "right?" and ask a lot of questions, whereas if you have a confident character, you might find them saying things like "we should do this" or "that will be fun" instead.

What their "lense" is. This is more of an ethic aspect of the character. What have they learn it's okay, and what do they find uncomfortable? Would they find it gross if their friend left laundry on the floor?

Give them special traits (both for dialogue and narration). Maybe character A quotes a lot when they narrate and uses long paragraphs, or maybe B speaks about their past a lot and uses popular sayings. Personally, one character of mine has the tendency to repeat himself when he speaks, as in "yeah, yeah, I'll do it" or "no, no, no. Never" because he is really enthusiastic, and it fits really well with his character.

Pay attention to how they would talk about themselves. Maybe your character doesn't like people to know they're sad because it makes them feel vulnerable, so they will just say they feel annoyed or don't want to talk in that moment. This also means that they will not tell the reader something they are not comfortable saying in the first place.

How is their education? Education is also very important in this context. Did they went to university and have a rich vocabulary and structured sentences, or where they rised in a little farm far from town? You can also play with both a bit: maybe your character did go to university, but maybe they also came from a low income family, and characteristic of both things merge when they talk. Example: long, structured, sentences but a simple and sight forward vocabulary.

That's all for now and happy writing!!

Other tips for writers: previous | next

[tanaor]

Content poll

Hi!! I'm a writer and my goal is to create a blog for other writers where I can share tips, resources and other stuff like challenges, writing prompts or so. I'm still starting and it would be great to know what kind of content would you, other writers, be interested to see!

Thank you very much in advance, writeblr!!

Also, if you would like to check out what I have so far:

Writing tips: how to make your characters more believable

Writing tips: how to improve chemistry between your characters

Writing poll: How many wips do you have?

Free resources for writers 1: tired of using Google docs?

[tanaor]

Want quick tips to add instant chemistry to the relationships of your characters??

(🥳With examples🥳)

First of all, I want to say that you can also use most of them for platonic/ non-romantic relationships, so feel free to use this tips however you think they might work better in your story. So, without further adue, let's get to the tips!!!

Make your characters LISTEN to each other. Like, if A tells B they're not a morning person, B could make some coffee for A or lower the volume of their alarm.

This might sound quite obvious, but show that you characters care for each other. It might be as simple as one of them giving the other a glass of water when they feel a little dizzy, but it works wonders!

Make your characters physically close. When you are emotionally close to someone, you tend to be physically close too. But here is the thing. Make your characters react like it's second nature: "how would I not hug B when I haven't seen them in days?" or "Of course I'm gonna take A's hand when I feel insecure".

They don't have to be constantly thinking about each other, but when they do, MAKE IT MATTER!! For example, character A is out shopping, and they see B's favorite cookies. B didn't have a good day, and A knows that. But A also knows B is gonna fucking love the cookies, so they buy some.

Let them believe and trust each other. Also applies if one of them is a little distrustful: let your characters rely on one another, even if at the start they aren't as comfortable doing it. For a distrustful character, letting the other one help with chores might be a HUGE thing.

Other tips for writers: previous | next

[tanaor]

Tired of writing your wips in Google docs?

(✨Free resources for writers 1: Reedsy book editor✨)

What is Reedsy book editor about?

Reedsy is a free web where you can peacefully write your books, similar to Scrivener or Dabble. It has the option to divide your writing in chapters and parts, and you can also insert scene breaks. It's easy and intuitive to use, and apart from the book editor, you can also read Reedsy's blogs, attend writing lives with professionals or look in the marketplace for writing-related services (you can access Reedsy marketplace for free, but if you are willing to hire any of the services in it you will have to pay the professional).

Other features:

It has word count and word goals (you can also see an approximation of the time it'd take to read your work).

Space for your notes and outlines, or whatever you need while you're writing (character sheets, an image, some link...).

Possibility of sharing, but the other person can only read. You can select which chapters they can see.

You can access your work in any device.

Version history for your manuscript.

You can create as many projects as you want.

You can upload your existing manuscript to Reedsy and continue working there.

It has spell check.

Downsides:

Reedsy it's only accessible online, so you'll need internet connection.

It gives you little formatting options, with three different fonts.

I have a lot of resources like this, so stay tuned if you don't want to miss out!!

Hope you like it and happy writing :)

Other free resources: next

[tanaor]

Current wip poll

I've heard about a lot of different cases, and being a writer that tends to focus on only one project at a time, I'm genuinely curious about other writers. So...

Note: If you or any writer that you know works in more than one project at a time, how do you keep track of everything?

[tanaor]

Why so relatable😭😭

me writing: i am a god and reality bends to my whims

me proofreading: im too stupid to be alive

[tanaor]

Want some easy tip to make your characters 100% more believable??

I learned this some time ago, and wanted to share it because it has really helped me A LOT.

Think of your characters and imagine how they would be in their best moment and in their worst. But not like, happiest and darkest moment. Think of it as their healthiest and most toxic moments. Everyone is healthy sometimes and toxic sometimes. USE THAT. Write a about it, describe them and their actions in both situations.

Maybe you have a character that can be crazy possessive when toxic, but really supportive when healthy. Who knows?

Once you write that, chances are you already know how their gonna behave in almost any situation that pushes them to be healthier/ more toxic. Plus, you can also use it for your characters' positive/ negative arc or to develop relationships with other characters.

Happy writing!! 😙😙

Other tips for writers: next

[tanaor]

Don't forget checking the info about your characters and having to look through all your notes to find what their hair color was😭😭

what people think the most time-consuming part of writing is: writing

what it actually is: stopping every few sentences to fact-check, make sure a word means what you thought it meant, find synonyms, revert to the outline…

[tanaor]

Writers: put a finger down with your current wip📝

(✨Classic main character edition✨)

If you put more than 5 fingers down, then, ¡congrats! Your protagonist has the classic traits of a main character and is ready to save the day.

Your protagonist is an orphan

They are special for any reason (magic powers, a prophecy...)

Your main character has lots of trauma

They are part of a trio, with their two best friends

The antagonist has something specially against them

They are an only child

Your protagonist doesn't want the responsibility they're given in the story

But, still, they are great leaders

When the story ends, they finally have a happy ending

[tanaor]

I guess we should start checking the dictionary more often...

the problem with reading and writing leading to a strong vocabulary is that you tend to know the vibe of words instead of their meanings.

if I used this word in a sentence, would it make sense? absolutely. if you asked me what it meant, could I tell you? absolutely not.