thesassyspork

[thesassyspork]

Ohhh. This meme hurts. 🤣

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sev

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Bleak December

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Does he mean anything to you

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Forbidden Romance Prompts

𓆙 “If anyone finds out—” - “Then let them.”

𓆙 “This is a mistake.” - “Then why does it feel like the most right thing I’ve ever done?”

𓆙 “We’re not supposed to do this.” - “Then stop kissing me like that.”

𓆙 “We promised we’d stay away from each other.” - “Yeah, well, I break promises for you.”

𓆙 “We’re on opposite sides.” - “Then I’ll burn down the whole field to stand in the middle with you.”

𓆙 “This will ruin everything.” - “I don’t care if it ruins the world. I choose you.”

𓆙 “You’re not safe with me.” - “Good. I’m tired of being careful.”

𓆙 “If anyone knew—” - “They’d never understand.” - “You don’t even understand.”

𓆙 “You’re a risk.” - “Worth taking?”

𓆙 “I’ll walk away. Just say the word.” - “…Don’t.”

[thesassyspork]

Source: poeticalphotos

[thesassyspork]

I'm not crying, you're crying. Two and a half years, 250k+ words, and Chrysalis is finally done. If you've stayed with me on this journey: thank you, thank you, thank you. I am... very proud of myself, sad, ecstatic. Lots of things. Mostly just in awe that my silly little OC x Canon ship resulted in this, and deeply touched that anyone beside me cared. The final chapter is a dedication, and I so wish I had the time to write out a personalized thanks to every single person who encouraged me along the way.

Chrysalis Ch. 36 and 37 are up on AO3!

🦋

[thesassyspork]

Writing Techniques #5: Tension

A potential umbrella term for everything spine-curling in your book, tension is the means by which a work generates intentional discomfort for the reader. Putting the fates of the parties involved into question, forcing the question “what will happen next?” into their head and gluing their eyes to the page until a resolution comes. 

Be that as it may, generating tension isn’t as easy as putting your characters in a bad spot - it’s conveying that through language, emotion and action. 

Do you want me to die?

What I like to consider first is precisely what is going to generate tension in the scene I’m about to write. Maybe it’s the protagonist being chased by a monster that suddenly appears, maybe it’s a deal with a mob boss breaking down while they’re surrounded by their goons, maybe it’s an argument between friends or lovers that risks to destroy the relationship.

The context will determine what you need to do in order to generate tension, since the “stakes” aren’t quite the same. The monster kills, the mob betrays, the heart breaks - then, the question becomes what to say and describe in order to balloon those ideas in the mind of the reader. 

I would broadly sort the three scenarios above into the categories physical, capital and social loss. Below are some general tips for handling each one. 

Physical loss is all about threatening the reader with injury, and so you want to draw attention to that as much as you can. Focus on gnashing teeth, sharp, jagged claws, blades that shimmer in the sunlight and destruction in the name of killing. The threat needs an identity, and so don’t be afraid to give it one: describe the monster’s features, the collapsing building’s cracking supports and rumbling foundation, the cold-blooded assassin’s empty glare and inhuman efficiency. Note that, if possible, having the victim “fight back” can often generate even more tension than if they flee.

Capital loss is the result of a gamble, and often with forces beyond the gambler’s power to ward off. It’s losing macguffins, homes, money, other supplies they need. That last word is especially important, the need. If your protagonist is robbed or otherwise has something taken from them, it must be something important, something they would want back or cannot continue without. Generating tension for a capital loss can be done via forcing the protagonist to negotiate with people much more powerful than them, and not being afraid to have the deal fall through. Tension doesn’t mean anything if it’s always resolved positively.

Social loss might be the easiest to outline, but is by far the most nuanced to write. There are so many things that factor into a relationship breaking down, things that make the scene shine when included but leave the reader confused if forgotten. The main thing I can recommend for something so diverse is to not “punish” a character with social loss out of the blue. There needs to be a build-up of distrust, suspicion that something’s off. One exception is the protagonist or similar betraying a supporting character, which can be more sudden since the reader can follow the protag’s thought process throughout. Even then, don’t make the choice easy!

Importantly, tension can be generated from multiple sources of loss at once. Physical and social loss interface when the protagonist is forced to betray an ally, and they immediately begin fighting - capital and social loss interface when the result of a deal determines whether a harsh parental figure will continue to support you. I wouldn’t stress about threatening the reader with the same kind of loss multiple times, but variation is always nice!

Fight or flight

With that in mind, the nitty-gritty of generating tension will come down to the emotions you communicate to the reader. For your audience to feel tense, the characters have to feel the same. Especially when you generate tension, you have to show stress, or fear, or adrenaline, not just tell it. If there’s any point in your work where the reader should get so immersed they might as well be the protagonist, it should be here. 

Describe their racing heart, digits flexing and unflexing, breathing growing faster and faster building up to hyperventilation! A flush of heat, the cold sweat, building dizziness, fear for what could be that gets pushed down by a rush of adrenaline so intense it practically puts them in autopilot! Be physical, be painful, be scared.

On the topic of fear, it’s quite integral to generating tension. Alas, for fear of this post being way too long, it will get its own blog… And very soon.

Be that as it may, once the tension is resolved (for better or for worse), you’ll want to think about the comedown phase. That doesn’t always mean your character’s heart slow down, or that they feel any sense of relief. Maybe the comedown is curling into a ball wherever the conflict has left them, and allowing the tears they’ve held back to flow freely. Maybe it’s a sense of anger over the result, lashing out physically whether at objects or people. 

Or, maybe it is relief. Maybe the deal did go through, maybe they managed to save their relationship, maybe the monster lost them. How does that feel? Are they elated, exhausted just relieved, or some mixture of the three? Even after your tension is resolved, a period afterwards will be just as physical. The pulse that eventually slows, long breaths in and yet longer exhalations as your character does their best to calm themselves. In scenes like these, your characters can show themselves for who they really are - don’t be afraid to use that opportunity. 

Rock bottom

Finally, well… What should happen to resolve the tension? Should there be victory, or loss, or something in between? 

The ratio of victories and losses that your characters experience has the effect of determining the “energy” of your work, to an extent, but in a very particular way. The genre or nature of your story doesn’t necessarily mean you have to resolve tension positively that many times or negatively this many times. There are definitely worlds where the “feel” encourages one of the two - for example, a story in a grimdark world might want to include more loss to fit the theme - but it’s nowhere near as controlling for how you want to tell your story as something like pacing. 

I can only say one thing concretely: you need to have both. A story of undisturbed victory loses tension for the reader knows the characters will always win. Meanwhile, a story of constant loss risks becoming so gloomy it loses meaning: sorrow as the characters experience it becomes empty, just another instance of the same plot device. 

Ultimately, these kind of things tend to solve themselves when writing, but keeping them in mind when editing is a very good idea. 

The end

Again, thanks for reading! This is my twelfth writing tips post on this blog, and I’ve somehow already got 25 followers!!! You’re all so awesome and cool and epic!! Knowing that somebody’s benefitting from these things is what keeps me writing them, so again, thank you all so much for the support. Some upcoming blogs I have planned are a post on “show, don’t tell”, and a new writing emotions installment. Hope you enjoy them, when they come out!

[thesassyspork]

Ways I Write Opening Lines That Hook.

Only a few writers take their opening lines seriously.

No, actually—it’s the other way around. Ninety percent of writers overthink their first lines. I'm one of them. Now I just have to seek my partners in uncertainty.

How do I start the story?

Will this captivate enough?

How will this sound to someone else?

Maybe my story’s just not good enough?

Some writers have developed ways to combat this, like “leave it, continue writing, you can always change it later.”

Welp, that doesn’t work for me. If it does for you, respect frrr 🙌.

My opening lines set the stage for my piece. If it doesn't sit right with me, I'm not going anywhere. Every other bit I write feels wrong because there’s no foundation.

There’s basically no emotional adrenaline supercharging me or fueling my story's ego, so I follow other ways to get that hook line (at least 80% okay) down.

1. Get Inspired by Others' Hooks

I swear, it's not cheating. And no, I’m not implying you should copy their hooks word for word—but when you see a hook, there's always something to learn from it. Whether it's the style, the format, or how it ties into a super exciting part a few pages later.

A month ago, I had to write a children's book. I had all the ideas jumping around freely in my head, but it was difficult to find the perfect hook to kickstart the piece. I looked to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets, some modern publishing-ready reads for kids, and a random teen book I found in a library.

Each had its own style in the first line hooks and the few lines that followed, but that was enough to get me back on track. Honestly, there's nothing wrong with doing that. The excitement of knowing you're about to pull off what some other great piece did? That’s wild inspiration.

Let’s move to the second.

2. Be Active in Vast Writing Communities

Yes, I'm talking BookTok, Bookstagram, or groups with writers like yourself. Some communities let you ask questions, vaguely pitch your book, and ask what would make people read further. Take what the majority says they're expecting, then factor that into your first line hook—without giving everything away.

The first two platforms I mentioned have loads of prompts, including first-line prompts, so you’re good.

Lastly, 3. Swerve Away from the Norms

Your first line could be a quote, a powerful statement, or an unpopular opinion. Nobody said it has to be a sentence that connects dots. It doesn't have to be. Spread your wings, search far and wide, and do what's best for your book.

Unfortunately, gone are the days when readers are patient enough to read two pages before deciding whether to give your book a chance. Now, most judge your book by the first page—or even the blurb. Unbelievable.

Remember: if something's worth doing at all, it's worth doing well.

I can't advise people on how their first-line hooks should be without giving the generic: “Let it pack emotions that draw readers in.” Well...how? That’s subjective to your book’s entire content.

I hope this becomes a great addition to your first-liner tips.

Comment your first line and I'll rate ya.

⚪⚪⚪

Want to support Dream? Buy her a rose. It's always appreciated.

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Chapter 4 of book 2 of Clockwork Heart is up my lovelies! I am sorry for the late posting. A family member had a minor stroke and I am wearing too many hats at the moment because of it. Read on AO3

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Desperate, Barely-Holding-It-Together Confessions

✮ "I don't know how to be okay without you."

✮ "I said I was fine, but I'm not. Not even close."

✮ "I’ve been pretending for so long I forgot who I was before all this."

✮ "I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you."

✮ "Do you ever feel like you're just... rotting from the inside?"

✮ "I thought if I stayed quiet, it would hurt less. It didn’t."

✮ "I’m so tired of being the strong one."

✮ "I keep waiting for someone to save me, but no one ever comes."

✮ "You were the only good thing, and I ruined it."

✮ "I hate myself for still caring."

✮ "I didn’t mean to break it—I didn’t mean to break us."

✮ "Please don't leave. I don't think I can take it this time."

✮ "You want the truth? I’m barely surviving."

✮ "I kept it all inside because I didn’t think anyone would care."

✮ "I lie when I smile. I lie when I say I’m okay. It’s all lies."

✮ "You didn’t even notice I was drowning, did you?"

✮ "I don’t know how to ask for help without feeling like a burden."

✮ "I keep hoping tomorrow will be different. It never is."

✮ "I miss the person I used to be. Before all of this."

✮ "I don’t think I’m ever going to be whole again."

[thesassyspork]

Anxious Attachment Thoughts

✧ “I know I’m being too much, but if I stop being too much will you still care?”

✧ “I reread the message five times and somehow I still don’t know if you hate me or just use punctuation weird.”

✧ “Do you actually like me or are you just being polite and now it’s too awkward to leave?”

✧ “Your ‘lol’ didn’t have a period. Are we fighting?”

✧ “I noticed you liked someone’s story while leaving me on read. Am I allowed to cry about that or is that dramatic?”

✧ “You said ‘goodnight’ but didn’t put a heart. That feels illegal.”

✧ “If I disappear for a week, will you notice or just enjoy the silence?”

✧ “It’s not that I want constant attention, I just want…constant attention.”

✧ “I know you're probably just busy, but my brain is already drafting your breakup text.”

✧ “I made peace with being ignored. Then you texted back. Now I have to spiral all over again.”

✧ “Half of me wants to block you. The other half wants to bake you cookies and cry.”

✧ “Every time I open up even a little, I instantly regret it. But also, please love me?”

✧ “I’m exhausted from trying to sound chill when I’m actually holding a friendship together with duct tape and vibes.”

✧ “If emotional whiplash was an Olympic sport, I’d be crying on the podium.”

[thesassyspork]

Self-Worth Realizations Dialogues

✧ “I was so busy proving I was worth loving, I didn’t notice you never actually tried to love me.”

✧ “Turns out, when I stop begging for scraps, I remember I’ve always been the whole damn meal.”

✧ “You didn’t lose me. You let me go. Big difference.”

✧ “It wasn’t that I wasn’t enough. You just weren’t ready for someone who knew what they wanted.”

✧ “I kept shrinking myself to make you comfortable. You never once asked me to stand tall.”

✧ “I used to cry over your silence. Now I enjoy the peace.”

✧ “You never saw me. You saw what I could give you. And when I stopped giving, you vanished.”

✧ “It’s wild how I mistook your bare minimum for affection.”

✧ “You made me feel like I was hard to love. But it was you who couldn’t do the work.”

✧ “I’m not healing to come back to you. I’m healing to never need you again.”

✧ “One day you’ll realize you lost someone who would’ve done anything for you. But by then, I’ll be somewhere laughing.”

✧ “I don’t hate you. I just finally like me more than I liked the idea of us.”

✧ “The moment I stopped chasing you, I found myself.”

✧ “Your absence used to hurt. Now it’s the best gift you ever gave me.”

✧ “You weren’t the storm. You were the weight I tied to my own ankles. And babe, I finally cut the rope.”

[thesassyspork]

Quick tips for writing kisses

⇰ the pause. THE PAUSE. like “are we doing this? oh god we’re doing this.”

⇰ looking at each other’s mouths like it’s a life-or-death decision

⇰ someone whispering “can I?” or “just once” before going for it and RUINING ME EMOTIONALLY

⇰ hands. gripping shirts. cupping faces. hovering like “do I touch?? I WANNA TOUCH”

⇰ breath hitching?? yes. shakiness?? absolutely.

⇰ that stupid moment where one of them pulls back a few inches like “wait are you sure” and the other just goes for it again

⇰ kissing like they’re scared it’ll be the last time

⇰ kissing like they’ve been waiting ten goddamn years

⇰ teeth clashing awkwardly and both laughing about it but STILL FEELING IT

⇰ one of them freezing for a second mid-kiss because the feelings just hit

⇰ the post-kiss moment of “uh. so. yeah.” where neither knows what the hell just happened

⇰ OR the post-kiss forehead touch. destroy me.

[thesassyspork]

Emotionally repressed character confessions!!

☽ "i don’t know how to talk about this without making it a joke." ☽ "i’m not used to people… staying." ☽ "can we just pretend i didn’t say that?" ☽ "i thought if i ignored it long enough it would stop hurting." ☽ "sometimes i rehearse being honest in my head and then never do it." ☽ "i literally have no idea how to ask for help without apologizing." ☽ "i didn’t know it was okay to feel like this." ☽ "do you ever get tired of pretending you're okay?" ☽ "what if i'm just too much and not enough at the same time?" ☽ "i only know how to be fine or silent." ☽ "i’ve never told anyone that before. please don’t look at me like that." ☽ "i don’t want to be alone, but being around people feels like too much too." ☽ "i don’t even know what i’m feeling half the time." ☽ "i’m scared if i let it out, i won’t be able to put it back." ☽ "i didn’t mean to make you worry. i just didn’t think it mattered." ☽ "every time i try to be vulnerable, my body screams abort mission."

[thesassyspork]

Quick tips for writing Villains

✧ Your villain doesn’t have to be the foil of the hero. Sometimes the villain is the exaggeration of the hero. Same dream, just more murdery. More dramatic monologues. Less therapy.

✧ “Oh no, he’s hot” is valid. But why is he hot? Is it the danger? The voice? The haunted eyes? The “I will burn down heaven to see you smile” energy? Dig deeper than vibes. (But don’t forget the vibes.)

✧ If their evil plan could be solved by Google Maps and common sense, I’m deleting your book. No “I will destroy the world to get revenge on my high school crush.” Think bigger. Or weirder. Or petty but well-planned.

✧ If your villain is in the book for 12 seconds and dies offscreen, I will mail you a passive-aggressive letter. Let them be a presence. A shadow. A curse in the dialogue. A name no one wants to say out loud.

✧ They don’t have to be evil. They just have to be opposed. That mentor who believes the hero should sacrifice everything for the greater good? That’s a villain. That parent who loves their child but keeps hurting them “for their own safety”? That’s a villain. Welcome to nuance.

✧ If your villain is funny, I’m already 20% in love. Quips? Sass? Petty villain monologues? Excellent. Bonus points if they’re self-aware about how dramatic they’re being. “You didn’t think I’d actually fall into that lava pit, did you?” Icon.

[thesassyspork]

Flaws and Quirks in Male Characters That I’m BEGGING Writers to Explore

✧ Dudes who are bad at sports. Yes, Chad, not every male character needs to throw a perfect spiral in high school. Let him get hit in the face with a dodgeball. Let him (please) suck.

✧ The “pretty boy” who's not vain, just vibing. Like he knows he looks like he walked out of a Renaissance painting but has the self-esteem of a lost ferret.

✧ Shy, awkward boys who don’t magically become suave by Chapter 6. No, he’s still weird at parties and says “you too” when the waiter says “enjoy your meal.”

✧ Flirtatious guys who are actually super respectful. He's flirty but not a walking lawsuit. Shocker. He’s playful, not predatory.

✧ Male friendships that aren't emotionally constipated. Yes, two guys can say “I love you, bro” and not immediately punch each other to cancel it out.

✧ The soft-spoken leader. He doesn’t need to scream orders or have a “gruff, commanding voice.” He just talks, and people shut up and listen because he’s competent.

✧ Dudes with weird hobbies. like, your guy MC collect antique spoons or have a YouTube channel rating old vacuums. Why not. It’s his passion.

✧ Guys who are clingy and insecure in relationships. Not abusive, just genuinely terrified of being left on read for too long. He's trying his best, ok?