theveiledaspect

[theveiledaspect]

✨ HOW TO ACTUALLY START A BOOK

(no ✨vibes✨, just structure, stakes, and first-sentence sweat)

hello writer friends 💌 so you opened a doc. you sat down. you cracked your knuckles. maybe you even made a playlist or moodboard. and then… you stared at the blinking cursor like it personally insulted your entire bloodline.

here’s your intervention. this post is for when you want to write chapter one, but all you have is aesthetic, maybe a plot bunny, maybe a world idea, maybe nothing at all. here’s how to actually start a book, from structure to sentence one.

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🌶️ STEP 1: THE SPICE BASE ~ “WHAT’S CHANGING?”

start with this question:

what changes in the protagonist’s life in the first 5–10 pages?

doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. they could get a letter, lose a job, run late, break a rule, wake up hungover in the wrong house. what matters is disruption. the opening of your book should mark a shift. if their day starts normal, it shouldn’t end that way.

🏁 opening chapters are about motion. forward movement. tension. momentum. if nothing is changing, your story isn’t starting, you’re just doing a prequel.

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⚙️ STEP 2: THE CRUNCHY BITS - CHOOSE AN ENTRY POINT

there are 3 classic places to start a novel. each one works if you’re intentional:

The Day Everything Changes most popular. you drop us in right before or during the inciting incident. clean, fast, efficient.

pro: immediate stakes con: harder to sneak in worldbuilding or character grounding

The Calm Before the Storm starts slightly earlier. show the character’s “normal” life, then break it. useful if the change won’t make sense without context.

pro: space to introduce your character’s routine/flaws con: risky if it drags or feels like setup

The Aftermath drop us in after the big event and fill in gaps as we go. works well for thrillers, mysteries, or emotionally heavy plots.

pro: instant drama con: requires precision to avoid confusion

📝 pick one. commit. don’t blend them or you’ll write three intros at once and cry.

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🧠 STEP 3: CHARACTER FIRST, ALWAYS

readers don’t care about your setting, your magic system, or your cool mafia politics unless they’re anchored in someone.

in the first scene, we need to know:

what this person wants

what’s bothering them (externally or internally)

one trait they lead with (bold, anxious, calculating, naive, etc.)

that’s it. just one want, one tension, one vibe. no bios. no monologues. no “they weren’t like other girls” essays. put them in a situation and show how they act.

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⛓️ STEP 4: OPEN WITH FRICTION

first scenes should create questions, not answer them.

there should be tension between:

what the character wants vs. what they’re getting

what’s happening vs. what they expected

what’s being said vs. what’s being felt

you don’t need a gunshot or a car crash (unless you want one). you need conflict. tension = momentum = readers keep reading.

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✏️ STEP 5: WRITE THE FIRST SENTENCE - THEN IGNORE IT

okay. now you write it.

no pressure. you’re not tattooing it on your soul. this isn’t the final line on the final page. you just need something.

tricks that work:

start in the middle of an action

start with a contradiction

start with something unexpected, funny, or sharp

start with a small lie or a weird detail

💬 examples:

“The body was exactly where she’d left it - rude.” “He was already two hours late to his own kidnapping.” “There was blood on the welcome mat. Again.” “They said don’t open the door. She opened it anyway.”

once you’ve got it? keep going. don’t revise yet. don’t edit. just build momentum.

you can come back and make it ✨iconic✨ later.

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📦 BONUS: WHAT NOT TO DO IN YOUR OPENING

don’t start with a dream

don’t info-dump lore in paragraph one

don’t give me three pages of your OC making toast

don’t try to sound like a Victorian cryptid unless it’s on purpose

don’t introduce 7 named characters in one scene

don’t start with a quote unless you are 800% sure it slaps

be weird. be sharp. be specific. aim for interest, not perfection.

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🏁 TL;DR (but make it ✨useful✨)

something in your MC’s life should change immediately

pick a structural entry point and stick to it

give us a person, not a setting

friction = good

first lines are disposable, just make them interesting

and if you needed a sign to just start the damn book, this is it.

💌 love, -rin t.

P.S. I made a free mini eBook about the 5 biggest mistakes writers make in the first 10 pages 👀 you can grab it here for FREE:

[theveiledaspect]

a list of 100+ buildings to put in your fantasy town

academy

adventurer's guild

alchemist

apiary

apothecary

aquarium

armory

art gallery

bakery

bank

barber

barracks

bathhouse

blacksmith

boathouse

book store

bookbinder

botanical garden

brothel

butcher

carpenter

cartographer

casino

castle

cobbler

coffee shop

council chamber

court house

crypt for the noble family

dentist

distillery

docks

dovecot

dyer

embassy

farmer's market

fighting pit

fishmonger

fortune teller

gallows

gatehouse

general store

graveyard

greenhouses

guard post

guildhall

gymnasium

haberdashery

haunted house

hedge maze

herbalist

hospice

hospital

house for sale

inn

jail

jeweller

kindergarten

leatherworker

library

locksmith

mail courier

manor house

market

mayor's house

monastery

morgue

museum

music shop

observatory

orchard

orphanage

outhouse

paper maker

pawnshop

pet shop

potion shop

potter

printmaker

quest board

residence

restricted zone

sawmill

school

scribe

sewer entrance

sheriff's office

shrine

silversmith

spa

speakeasy

spice merchant

sports stadium

stables

street market

tailor

tannery

tavern

tax collector

tea house

temple

textile shop

theatre

thieves guild

thrift store

tinker's workshop

town crier post

town square

townhall

toy store

trinket shop

warehouse

watchtower

water mill

weaver

well

windmill

wishing well

wizard tower

[theveiledaspect]

I’ve been inspired to talk about clan embraces and how the members of that clan are changed by it, specifically the Toreadors’ because i adore them <3. I’ve played many a torrie, and I always make them beautiful in some way (mostly because i love feeling beautiful, like hi hello? of course she's the most beautiful girl on earth).

And I was thinking the idea that the physical attractiveness of a toreador, these creatures obsessed with humanity's beauty and aesthetics, is born from their embrace.

My personal canon for Roses is that the Blood of their clan is almost the inverse of the Nosferatu, molding the flesh of those embraced into the Aesthetes into beautiful shapes that are attractive to their prey. Instead of deformities, Toreadors gain poreless skin and perfect teeth, brighter eyes and flowing strands, etc. They become superhuman in appearance, having beauty to the point that it hurts to look at as they age. Inhumanly attractive to the point it becomes a part of the Uncanny Valley, a facade of humanity, like they are airbrushed in real life, right off the magazine cover. This plays into many of their clanmates' roles as social hunters, feeding through seduction and subterfuge. Inherent foils to the nossies.

The reason i really like the idea that they look inhumanly sexy, rather than just simply being really hot, is because there's so much personal horror in that, of being an inherent trapdoor spider type of kindred. It is also just really wonderful body horror, of feeling your body twist into different shapes against your will, of it becoming foreign to you. You look in mirror and over time it becomes someone you don't recognize. Someone prettier perhaps...

And of course, with being a Bad Bitch, riches/adoration/blood are within a blink of eye. You may think, why should i pity a bad bitch?

But what about the envy? The hordes of stalkers? The vanity of your Beast? I imagine toreadors to have very vain, hedonistic, and insecure Beasts within.

My personal canon is also the reason I believe ugly toreadors DO NOT exist LOL (at least without vicissitude or whatever the fuck)... maybe the antitribu girlies....

Anyways... toreador rant over!

god i love torries so much and i could talk about them forever. reminder to #protectyourlocalbadbitchtoday!

[theveiledaspect]

[theveiledaspect]

Being obsessed with your own ocs is so so good for you i seriously can't recommend it enough

[theveiledaspect]

This is my OC Annalise Arnoult! She's a toreador and very newly turned. The art below is done by @vyronnes 💜

I have a board that is sort of an amalgamation of the vibes of her and the campaign we are currently in, and also a Spotify Playlist I've linked as well that my husband, who's my storyteller, and I have put together!

Are you insane about your VTM OC? Do you want free art of your OC? Well look no further fellow children of Caine, because i’m about to hop on the train of making art raffles because I’m a college student that desperately needs her sparks of creativity in this dark, desolate world… of darkness (sorry no I won’t do that again please come back)

PRIZES !

1st winner: Fully rendered, half-body drawing of your oc (with a simple background because I can’t draw backgrounds to save anyone’s life)

2nd winner: Sketched, half body drawing + with color

3rd winner: Black and white/grayscale portrait of your oc

But Ms. Evren Kavalyera!! How do I submit my OC? You may ask well—

Reblog this post with references of your OC. I would really appreciate it if you linked a pinterest board too or a faceclaim because I don’t want to mess anything about them up!!

3 winners will be chosen by me and my two irls by spinning a wheel by the end of this. Have fun and thank you for reading mwah mwah <33

P.S. if you have any questions, feel free to ask ! I don’t want anyone to feel like they’re doing anything wrong and also this is my first ever art raffle so um yeah !

[theveiledaspect]

Freyja's Quest

Frreyja, goddess of war, beauty, fertility and magic is the very first artwork as the page for January 2025 in the Mythic Calendar.🗓️ chrissabug.com

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💖check out my Patreon for in-depth TUTORIALS, my favorite BRUSHES, process shots, lineart, sketches, advice articles, process VIDEOS, Podcasts, monthly prints, stickers and more!💌

[theveiledaspect]

Commissions are open!

✦Processing time - from 15-20 days - Human of any gender, humanoid - There may be additions (horns, ears, tattoo, third eye ahaha) - I can send png format by email - Payment by PayPal. After payment, I will get to work!!!

Background - the cost depends on the complexity of the background (from $5 to $30) For the second/third and etc. character - the cost is the same

Price! $50 - Complete Set - YCH BUSTS $25 - bust up $40 - half body $60 - full body Contact me in private messages! More works in my profile!

[theveiledaspect]

vampire that knows your sire doing a big sigh when they see you for the first time because they just know whose little shit you are

[theveiledaspect]

🍂 Foxglove & Absinthe 🍂

A deep green and black brocade inspired by Victorian velvet, black lace, luxurious wallpaper, absinthe, poisonous foxgloves and arsenic-green. midi skirts with pockets available to preorder in sizes S-6XL thru tomorrow night (wednesday, 10/16) at vetiverfoxapparel.com !!

[theveiledaspect]

how it feels to be online these days

[theveiledaspect]

So my sister wants to start sewing more, because

a. She’s 5′ 11″ and can never find pants long enough for her legs or shirts long enough for her arms.

b. She hates synthetic fibers as much as I do and it’s difficult to find natural fiber clothes that aren’t made of cotton

c. She’s a biologist and would physically fistfight microplastics if given half a chance

So her gift from mom and dad for her birthday was a sewing machine. Not a super expensive one but a good solid serviceable one.

And recently she asked “So where do I GET wool or linen and thread that isn’t polyester” and mom was like ‘go ask your sister’

And I, of course, crashed into the group text like “GET A PEN I HAVE WEBSITES FOR U” and honestly I’m thrilled about this

[theveiledaspect]

The VTM subreddit had some discussion of Nosferatu/Toreador romance the other day but the peak inter-clan pairing for me will always be Salubri/Tzimisce.

It’s the rich contrast between “I was created to be a healer. My touch erases pain and casts out evil. I can’t even feed if it would cause suffering, even if I am on the edge of starvation. My clan’s progenitor described his childer as lambs made to be sacrificed,” versus “Other clans know me by a word that means ‘demon.’ My hands are tools of torture and mutilation and even acts that are attempts at reconstruction rather than ripping apart are agonizing. My blood ties me to the land and the land is poison. The power that is my greatest strength is also a disease that is eating me from the inside out.“

It’s “Your abilities indelibly mark you as an enlightened savior while mine mark me as a horrifying monster.” It’s “I worship you because you’re everything I could never be.” It’s “I was doomed from the start but maybe if I take on the burden of violence so you can stay pure, I can find some kind of redemption.” It’s “I adore you but I’m terrified to touch you.” It’s “We couldn’t be more different, but we are both united in the horror of knowing we have no choice but to be exactly what we are.”

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I lied, there is no sex. Now put your clothes back on so I can infodump about my Vampire: The Masquerade ocs and how they all know eachother.

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im so sexy and fun and fucking doomed

[theveiledaspect]

A Beautiful Vintage Jewelry "The Glycine collar"

The plique-à-jour technique was used for the green leaves of the Glycine collar by Philippe Wolfers, perhaps the most important piece by the Belgian jeweler.

It has wisteria blossoms of opal and watermelon tourmalines and curved branches set with tiny rubies.

[theveiledaspect]

My love language is intense and violent devotion.

If anyone were to harm a hair on your head, I’d kill them.