thewritingrealm

[thewritingrealm]

NaNoWriMo Discord

Happy NaNoWriMo! Looking for a mid-NaNo pick up and interested in a writing support system? Pencils to Paper is a year round writing group for young adults that participates in many writing activities and challenges together.

Pencils to Paper is a great place to get the motivation to keep writing your novel when you plummet in inspiration, or to get the extra boost you need to get started or figure out where to go next. The chat is always willing to give writing advice, opinions, or work to help you get through any writing problems you have! PtP is a welcoming group and offers each other support in all writing endeavors throughout the year.

Even if you aren’t participating in NaNo, feel free to check us out!

[thewritingrealm]

NaNoWriMo Discord

Happy NaNoWriMo! Looking for a mid-NaNo pick up and interested in a writing support system? Pencils to Paper is a year round writing group for young adults that participates in many writing activities and challenges together.

Pencils to Paper is a great place to get the motivation to keep writing your novel when you plummet in inspiration, or to get the extra boost you need to get started or figure out where to go next. The chat is always willing to give writing advice, opinions, or work to help you get through any writing problems you have! PtP is a welcoming group and offers each other support in all writing endeavors throughout the year.

Even if you aren’t participating in NaNo, feel free to check us out!

[thewritingrealm]

If you're reading this...

go write three sentences on your current writing project.

[thewritingrealm]

NaNoWriMo Discord

Happy NaNoWriMo! Looking for a mid-NaNo pick up and interested in a writing support system? Pencils to Paper is a year round writing group for young adults that participates in many writing activities and challenges together.

Pencils to Paper is a great place to get the motivation to keep writing your novel when you plummet in inspiration, or to get the extra boost you need to get started or figure out where to go next. The chat is always willing to give writing advice, opinions, or work to help you get through any writing problems you have! PtP is a welcoming group and offers each other support in all writing endeavors throughout the year.

Even if you aren’t participating in NaNo, feel free to check us out!

[thewritingrealm]

do you take asks about writing lgbtqia+ characters?

yes! :`)

[thewritingrealm]

Prompts for getting to know your OC

1. write a tweet, reddit post, or facebook post as your OC would do it. 2. write a wikipedia article about your OC as if they were a real person. 3. write a text or online messaging conversation between your OC and someone else.

[thewritingrealm]

Best quarantine reads?

[thewritingrealm]

Words

[thewritingrealm]

543 words. Time taken up by more transcription for my dad, done in time for him and potentially other deacon aspirants to study for the test on Tuesday.

Excerpt: Jillian adopted an overly-lovestruck expression. “There was this really cute senior last year that I had a crush on. If it counts as a crush when you’ve never even spoken to the guy. Which I didn’t. I basically just looked at him. But wow…” She looked at the ceiling as if he starred in a mural painted there. “…he was worth looking at.”

Writing supplies: laptop (story) Pilot Metropolitan with Pilot Iroshizuku Kon-peki (journal)

Progress: 125.618k/152day As of today I am 26k behind. It would be hopeless except I know where I’m going with the current scene of the story, so I can hopefully get back to 25k tomorrow. If not, it’s hopeless.

Today’s Lefty Lyrics were All my heroes are dead and gone but they’re inside of me, they still live on from Heroes by Shinedown.

[thewritingrealm]

2018 Read-a-Thon!

What?: A three-week long event where we all try to read more than we normally would! There will be challenges, reading prompts, points, and prizes!

When?: From June 2-23!

Get involved! Even if you’re going on a trip, working, or in summer school, you can participate- you don’t need to read an enormous amount to be successful, you just need to read more than you normally would! (Plus, travel time can be a great time for reading!)

You can read the same books as others and discuss them, or just read on your own- there are no requirements for what you need to read during these few weeks.

Ways to get involved- set a goal for how many books you’d like to read over the course of these two weeks! Complete reading challenges and read based off of reading prompts- you’ll get points for every prompt or challenge you complete, and the person/people with the most points at the end gets bragging rights!

Reading Prompts and Challenges:

*if you complete a challenge twice, you get the points twice! similarly, if multiple challenges apply to one book, you get the points for each challenge that applies.

*keep track of your points on your own, noting which books earned you what points, and at the end of the read-a-thon you can PM it all to PR.

*you get points for every challenge completed (the amount of points for each challenge is marked next to it,) and one point for each book completed as follows:

-less than 200 pages- 1 point

-200-400 pages- 2 points

-401-500 pages- 3 points

-501-600 pages- 4 points

-600+pages- 5 points

Prompts and Challenges!

1 Point Challenges:

Read a graphic novel- 1 pt

Pick up a book that looks like a fun/light read- 1 pt

Read outside- 1 pt

Read a book by an author you haven’t read before- 1 pt

Read out loud (read a minimum of one full page!)- 1 pt

Share some of your favourite quotes from the books you read-1 pt

Listen to an audiobook-1 pt

2 Point Challenges:

Read a popular or well-known book- 2 pts

Read something recommended to you by a friend/from the PtP book rec list!- 2 pts

Re-read one of your favourite books- 2 pts

Read something you need to read for school, university or work- 2 pts

Read a book you’ve been meaning to read- 2 pts

Buy a book from an independent bookstore- 2 pts

Start a TBR Jar/box/Goodreads list/etc. - 2 pts

Read a book you’ve had lying around unfinished- 2 pts

3 Point Challenges:

Start a reading journal- 3 pts

Love a book so much you add it to (or second a recommendation) on the book rec list!- 3pts

Read a nonfiction book- 3 pts

Read one of your best friend’s favourite books- 3 pts

Read a book you’ve been avoiding- 3 pts

Read a book you’ve heard a lot of good things about- 3 pts

Read a Classic- 3 pts

Finish a book in a series you’ve not yet completed- 3 pts

Read a book by an indie or self published author- 3 pts

Go to the library and borrow out the first book that looks good- 3 pts

Read a book written by a local author- 3 pts

Read a book with an existing or upcoming movie or television adaptation (here’s some books coming to TV in 2018, and here’s some becoming movies)- 3 pts

Read a book originally written in another language- 3 pts

Read a book with a pink cover; this is the color for this year’s read-a-thon!- 3 pts

4 Point Challenges:

Read a book you’ve never heard of before- 4 pts

Read a book written by or focusing on POC #weneeddiversebooks- 4 pts

Read a book with an LGBTQ+ character #weneeddiversebooks- 4 pts

Read a book written in your birth year- 4 pts

Read a book from a genre you don’t usually read- 4 pts

Re-read a book you loved in elementary school- 4 pts

Read a banned book- 4 pts (try this list for inspiration!)

Read a book with someone else and discuss as you read- 4 pts

5 Point Challenges:

Go to a bookstore and ask for a book recommendation- 5 pts

Read a book in a language you aren’t yet fluent in!- 5 points

Finish an entire book in ONE day (24 hours time period- not just before midnight)- 5 pts

Read a book written by a fellow Read-A-Thon challenger! - 5 pts

Read a book that opens your eyes about an important issue- 5 pts

Credits to Sara for organizing the list! :)

[thewritingrealm]

The fun can be in your draft where you write without restrictions. It’s where you surprise yourself and get excited as you create something from nothing.

The fun can be in the rewrite where you find new words to tell the same story. It’s where you make scary into frightening, sad into heartbreaking, amusing into hilarious. It’s where dull words begin to sing.

The fun can be in the editing where you can see what can become of your baby. It’s where words of encouragement can enlighten you in unexpected ways. It’s where suggestions and criticism help you learn. It’s where a fire can be lit within you.

There is no fun in your attempt to be perfect. It’s where nothing is gained but an unfinished piece. Do not take the fun away from writing by biting off more than you can chew when the fun is why we started writing.

[thewritingrealm]

my favorite part about this is that i wrote it three years ago and y’all won’t stop reblogging it just to annoy the shit outta each other.... it doesn’t even say to reblog it hahaha

If you're reading this...

go write three sentences on your current writing project.

[thewritingrealm]

5 Moral Dilemmas That Make Characters and Stories Even Better

Readers can’t resist turning pages when characters are facing tough choices. Use these 5 keys to weave moral dilemmas into your stories–and watch your fiction climb to new heights.

#1: Give Your Character Dueling Desires

Before our characters can face difficult moral decisions, we need to give them beliefs that matter: The assassin has his own moral code not to harm women or children, the missionary would rather die than renounce his faith, the father would sacrifice everything to pay the ransom to save his daughter.

A character without an attitude, without a spine, without convictions, is one who will be hard for readers to cheer for and easy for them to forget.

So, to create an intriguing character facing meaningful and difficult choices, give her two equally strong convictions that can be placed in opposition to each other.

For example: A woman wants (1) peace in her home and (2) openness between her and her husband. So, when she begins to suspect that he’s cheating on her, she’ll struggle with trying to decide whether or not to confront him about it. If she only wanted peace she could ignore the problem; if she only wanted openness she would bring it up regardless of the results. But her dueling desires won’t allow her such a simple solution.

That creates tension.

And tension drives a story forward.

So, find two things that your character is dedicated to and then make him choose between them. Look for ways to use his two desires to force him into doing something he doesn’t want to do.

For instance, a Mennonite pastor’s daughter is killed by a drunk driver. When the man is released on a technicality, does the minister forgive him (and what would that even look like?) or does he take justice into his own hands? In this case, his (1) pacifist beliefs are in conflict with his (2) desire for justice. What does he do?

Good question.

Good tension.

Good drama.

Another example: Your protagonist believes (1) that cultures should be allowed to define their own subjective moralities, but also (2) that women should be treated with the same dignity and respect as men. She can’t stand the thought of women being oppressed by the cultures of certain countries, but she also feels it’s wrong to impose her values on someone else. When she is transplanted to one of those countries, then, what does she do?

Construct situations in which your character’s equally strong convictions are in opposition to each other, and you will create occasions for thorny moral choices.

#2: Put Your Character’s Convictions to the Test

We don’t usually think of it this way, but in a very real sense, to bribe someone is to pay him to go against his beliefs; to extort someone is to threaten him unless he goes against them.

For example:

How much would you have to pay the vegan animal rights activist to eat a steak (bribery)? Or, how would you need to threaten her in order to coerce her into doing it (extortion)?

What would it cost to get the loving, dedicated couple to agree never to see each other again (bribery)? Or, how would you need to threaten them to get them to do so (extortion)?

What would you need to pay the pregnant teenage Catholic girl to convince her to have an abortion (bribery)? What threat could you use to get her to do it (extortion)?

Look for ways to bribe and extort your characters. Don’t be easy on them. As writers we sometimes care about our characters so much that we don’t want them to suffer. As a result we might shy away from putting them into difficult situations.

Guess what?

That’s the exact opposite of what needs to happen in order for our fiction to be compelling.

What’s the worst thing you can think of happening to your character, contextually, within this story? Now, challenge yourself—try to think of something else just as bad, and force your character to decide between the two.

Plumb the depths of your character’s convictions by asking, “How far will s/he go to … ?” and “What would it take for … ?”

(1) How far will Frank go to protect the one he loves?

(2) What would it take for him to stand by and watch the one he loves die when he has the power to save her?

(1) How far will Angie go to find freedom?

(2) What would it take for her to choose to be buried alive?

(1) How far will Detective Rodriguez go to pursue justice?

(2) What would it take for him to commit perjury and send an innocent person to death row?

Ask yourself: What does my character believe in? What priorities does she have? What prejudices does she need to overcome? Then, put her convictions to the ultimate test to make her truest desires and priorities come to the surface.

#3: Force Your Character into a Corner

Don’t give him an easy out. Don’t give him any wiggle room. Force him to make a choice, to act. He cannot abstain. Take him through the process of dilemma, choice, action and consequence:

(1) Something that matters must be at stake.

(2) There’s no easy solution, no easy way out.

(3) Your character must make a choice. He must act.

(4) That choice deepens the tension and propels the story forward.

(5) The character must live with the consequences of his decisions and actions.

If there’s an easy solution there’s no true moral dilemma. Don’t make one of the choices “the lesser of two evils”; after all, if one is lesser, it makes the decision easier.

For example, say you’ve taken the suggestion in the first key above and forced your character to choose between honoring equal obligations. He could be caught between loyalty to two parties, or perhaps be torn between his family obligations and his job responsibilities. Now, raise the stakes—his marriage is at risk and so is his job, but he can’t save them both. What does he do?

The more imminent you make the choice and the higher the stakes that decision carries, the sharper the dramatic tension and the greater your readers’ emotional engagement. To achieve this, ask “What if?” and the questions that naturally follow:

What if she knows that being with the man she loves will cause him to lose his career? How much of her lover’s happiness would she be willing to sacrifice to be with him?

What if an attorney finds herself defending someone she knows is guilty? What does she do? What if that person is her best friend?

What if your character has to choose between killing himself or being forced to watch a friend die?

Again, make your character reevaluate his beliefs, question his assumptions and justify his choices. Ask yourself: How is he going to get out of this? What will he have to give up (something precious) or take upon himself (something painful) in the process?

Explore those slippery slopes. Delve into those gray areas. Avoid questions that elicit a yes or no answer, such as: “Is killing the innocent ever justified?” Instead, frame the question in a way that forces you to take things deeper: “When is killing the innocent justified?” Rather than, “Does the end justify the means?” ask, “When does the end justify the means?”

#4: Let the Dilemmas Grow From the Genre

Examine your genre and allow it to influence the choices your character must face. For instance, crime stories naturally lend themselves to exploring issues of justice and injustice: At what point do revenge and justice converge? What does that require of this character? When is preemptive justice really injustice?

Love, romance and relationship stories often deal with themes of faithfulness and betrayal: When is it better to hide the truth than to share it? How far can you shade the truth before it becomes a lie? When do you tell someone a secret that would hurt him? For example, your protagonist, a young bride-to-be, has a one-night stand. She feels terrible because she loves her fiancé, but should she tell him what happened and shatter him—and perhaps lose him—or keep the truth hidden?

Fantasy, myth and science fiction are good venues for exploring issues of consciousness, humanity and morality: How self-aware does something need to be (an animal, a computer, an unborn baby) before it should be afforded the same rights as fully developed humans? At what point does destroying an AI computer become murder? Do we really have free will or are our choices determined by our genetic makeup and environmental cues?

#5: Look the Third Way

You want your readers to be thinking, I have no idea how this is going to play out. And then, when they see where things go, you want them to be satisfied.

There’s a story in the Bible about a time religious leaders caught a woman committing adultery and brought her to Jesus. In those days, in that culture, adultery was an offense that was punishable by death. The men asked Jesus what they should do with this woman. Now, if Jesus had told them to simply let her go free he would have been contravening the law; if, however, he told them to put her to death, he would have undermined his message of “forgiveness and mercy.”

It seemed like a pretty good trap, until he said, “Whoever is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.”

Nicely done.

I call this finding the Third Way. It’s a solution that’s consistent with the character’s attitude, beliefs and priorities, while also being logical and surprising.

We want the solutions that our heroes come up with to be unexpected and inevitable.

Present yours with a seemingly impossible conundrum.

And then help him find the Third Way out.

I hope this helped! I’ve been really busy today, seeing how my mom had surgery and I’ve been trying to continue writing my novel today as well. I thought I’d squeeze in some more stuff for you guys!

If you have any questions or just want to talk, feel free to visit my ask box!

[thewritingrealm]

can everyone plz wish my parents a safe flight tomorrow morning to the isle of man cos my dad’s ban from visiting the island has been lifted finally after 40 all cos he fired a bottle rocket at the queen of england when he was a teenager

[thewritingrealm]

Time has an interactive feature to discover what your name would be if you were born today, based on popularity of your birth year vs. now.

My name would be Mylah. With all apologies to anyone named Mylah, I am now very happy to be named not Mylah.

[thewritingrealm]

2018 Journal Prompts part 1

Happy New Year, everyone!

Tags: #Journaling-Junkie #2018JournalChallenge

[thewritingrealm]

It’s fun to chant “Bloody Mary” into your car’s side mirror three times and watch her jog and try to keep up.