tsstories

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sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

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Too many writers are using generative 'AI' to make their book covers, so I've written a guide on how to make your own cover for free or cheap without turning to a machine.

If you can't afford to pay an artist, you CAN make your own!

I hope this is a helpful overview that covers the basics and points to some free resources.

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one of my favorite things to do in limited perspective is write sentences about the things someone doesn't do. he doesn't open his eyes. he doesn't reach out. i LOVE sentences like that. if it's describing the narrator, it's a reflection of their desires, something they're holding themselves back from. there's a tension between urge and action. it makes you ask why they wanted or felt compelled to do that, and also why they ultimately didn't. and if it's describing someone else, it tells you about the narrator's expectations. how they perceive that other person or their relationship. what they thought the other person was going to do, or thought the other person should have done, but failed to. negative action sentences are everything.

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I refuse to let some things die so-

Anyone can make a fandom-cannon Undertale AU and in this essay I will-

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A turns their head and looks at B, but their expression of wonder stays the same.

They’re searching B’s face of details the same way they were searching the stars.

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A Star Eater must eat magic or else they’ll die, so the best course of action was to taunt witches all around the land into hexing him with curses. Spiteful magic tastes great after all.

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You could pleeease write about a Villain being punched and forced into something by the supervillain. And then the hero gets there, gets confused, but helps the villain (who is embarrassed and scared)? (Hurt/Comfort)

It was a bloodbath when the hero arrived and to their own surprise, the villain’s eyes were filled with tears.

The villain wasn’t one to cry easily. One time the hero had broken their arm (accidentally) and the villain had only laughed if off, grinning as they had stared at their crooked arm. They were flirty, they were fun. They weren’t someone who tried to destroy the world. No, the villain operated on a much smaller scale: doing villainy because it was the only thing they deemed themselves good at.

But now it was different. The villain was shaking, their hands were trembling and as they sat there covered in blood the hero knew this wasn’t something that could be talked out. They were hyperventilating, wheezing as they tried to push a little bit of oxygen into their lungs.

“Hey.” The hero’s voice was soft, yet firm. Without hesitation they fell to their knees, dipping into the little pool of blood, grabbing the villain’s shoulder. “What is it?”

“What?”

“Tell me, what happened?” the hero asked. As quickly as they could, they scanned the room. Several dead bodies. Lots of blood. Only one survivor…who didn’t seem to be harmed but fighting a panic attack.

“God.” The villain’s voice cracked in the worst way and before the hero could act, the villain hugged them. Leaned over and buried their face in the crook of the hero’s neck. They held them close, continued to fight for air.

“Look at me,” the hero demanded gently but the villain didn’t obey. Their sobbing didn’t stop and their helpless gasps didn’t either. “Please.”

The villain’s grab on their forearm was steely.

“Please,” the villain echoed. “Please.”

Desperately, the hero tried to remember all the long seminars they had attended as a hero which taught methods to help people calm down. But their mind was blank, simply because this person was their enemy. Their cheery enemy who laughed in the face of destiny. The enemy who joked and winked.

The hero decided on combing their fingers through the villain’s hair.

“Concentrate on my breathing,” they whispered. “Try to do the same.”

This time, the villain followed the order like a dog and with a bit of time, they got the hang of it.

“Please don’t leave me,” the villain whispered once they were capable of talking normally again.

“I’m not going anywhere,” the hero promised. “I’m with you.”

“I didn’t want this. I’m a good person, I promise. Please, I didn’t want this,” the villain rambled, voice low and the hero began to realise that their first assumption was wrong. The villain hadn’t been attacked, they had attacked.

They had killed brutally for whatever reason.

“It’s okay,” the hero lied. Slaughtering innocent civilians was anything but fine. “It’s okay, we’ll figure it out.”

“Please, I’m good—”

“I know. I know you’re good.”

That wasn’t quite a lie, though.

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Prompt No. 33

"Hey Roommate, have you seen--" Civilian absentmindedly opened the door of their roommate's room. They were greeted with the sight of a wide-eyed Villain halfway into changing out of his costume. "Oh, sorry. I'll ask later."

Just as Civilian was about to close the door again, Villain yelled.

"HUH?! WAIT WAIT WAIT, STOP!"

Civilian did just that, their hand still on the doorknob as they stared at their roommate with a slightly tilted head.

"You aren't surprised?"

"I'd love to say I already knew for cool points but I didn't. I was just expecting it."

Villain deeply furrowed his eyebrows, "What does that mean???"

Civilian raised a finger, "I once had Supervillain as my roommate, pretty cool guy. She gave me free food sometimes." They raised another finger, "Had a vampire roommate too, just as cool, tries his best to keep quiet at night." Another finger, "Had a werewolf roommate as well, too rowdy for me but they were great too." And another, "Had Superhero as a roommate before, not as cool as Supervillain, I still wonder to this day if she was ever able to confess to her."

Civilian thought for a bit before raising another finger, "Hmm... I think I had a demon roommate once but not sure bout it. Maybe, he made tasty sandwiches though."

Silence blanketed the room as all Villain could do was blink and stare.

"...How are you still alive...?"

"Probably poured all my life stats on luck and nothing else so I'm stuck with a minimum wage job at retail with zero fucks to give."

"Fair enough."

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Person A: “I know it’s bad luck to say that everything’s going a little too smoothly, but… everything really is going a little too smoothly, isn’t it?”

Person B: “Glad I’m not the only one that thinks something’s off.”

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Terms every writer should know

Here’s a quick cheat-sheet to some common terms you may run into during your writing career!

Alpha reader: A person that reads the manuscript with the knowledge it is unfinished and provides content feedback & support (like a coach, mentor or friend).

Beta reader: A person that reads the manuscript for the purpose of finding plot holes, sensitivity issues, and provide feedback, pre-publication.

Back matter or End matter: Additional content at the end of a book, such as acknowledgements, author bio, afterword, etc.

Front matter: Content preceeding the beginning of a book, such as publication information, dedication, title page, table of contents etc.

House: A publishing house.

Developmental editing: Editing that helps develop the content of a book, point out logic, inconsistencies, and focus the idea.

Line editing: Editing that helps the consistency and concision of the author’s style, finds redundancies, and fixes grammar.

Copy editing: Editing that focuses on grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary.

Passive voice: In passive voice, the subject is the person or thing being acted upon.

Active voice: In active voice, the person or thing performing the action serves as the subject of the sentence.

Flash fiction: Extremely short stories, usually of up to 1,000 words.

In medias res: Starting the narrative from the middle of the story.

Deus ex machina: Term for a common trope where all issues are resolved by a god-like force, typically when one writes themselves into a corner and cannot resolve the conflict in any other way.

Head hopping: A common error in narrative perspective, where the writer gives access to internal thoughts of two or more characters within a scene.

Dialogue tags: Sentences that frame dialogue to let the reader know who’s speaking.

Story beat: A structural element of narrative that signals a shift in tone, plot, or character. Can be used for chapters, scenes, and outlines.

Pacing: The rate at which a story progresses.

Pinch point: An event in the plot that adds pressure to the characters.

Plot point: A major turning point in a story structure.

Logline: The story summary in one single sentence, much like a premise or an elevator pitch.

Synopsis: A detailed description of a story’s plot, for the purpose of sharing with literary agents.

R&R: Revise & resend: A changed or revised manuscript requested by agents or editors.

Manuscript: The main body of an unpublished book.

Shelf time: The time during which you set aside your project to come back to it with a fresh perspective.

Zero draft or vomit draft: A draft written by the author solely for themselves, used to get the story out on the page without external pressure.

Exposition: Where background explanation about the story, world, or characters is provided.

Subtext: The meaning behind the text, the dialogue, the plot, or the characters.

MC: Main character.

Motif: An image, phrase, or symbol repeated throughout the book for thematic significance.

Theme: The moral statement, argument, or question at the heart of a story.

Trope: A cliched story element, particular to certain genres.

Save the post so you can find them easily 😊

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cw: scarring, eye injury

The hero stares at the nondescript wooden door in front of them, a million thoughts running through their mind. After a moment’s deliberation, they decide to knock. No one answers. They knock again, but still receive no answer. The hero tests the doorknob in a bout of frustration, only for the door to swing open. A figure sits with their back turned to the entrance.

“You were a bit slow today,” the hero blurts out from the doorway. To the thief’s credit, they don’t so much as flinch. The hero takes this as a sign to continue speaking. “I mean, you’re always fast. Obviously. I just mean… you were less fast today.” The hero takes a moment to survey the space around them. It looks to be the thief’s apartment. It’s sparsely decorated, almost hollow in feeling. The thief sits on an ottoman, positioned so that they’re unseen from the door. Something about the scene before them sets off an uneasy feeling in the hero’s gut. 

“Surprised you noticed,” the thief replies. Their voice is eerily absent of any emotion. They still don’t move to turn their head or, hell, even acknowledge the hero’s presence. 

“Of course I noticed,” the hero responds, crossing their arms over their chest. They glare at the thief’s shoulders, willing them to turn around. They don’t do so, however. This only increases their trepidation. “What is up with you?”

“Not much, how about you?” The thief’s quip falls flat in the tense silence. The hero sighs and takes a step closer, shutting the door behind them. The thief’s shoulders tighten- perhaps the only physical sign that they’re aware of the conversation. 

“You know that’s not what I meant,” the hero remarks. They cross their arms over their chest and try to think. What could be affecting the thief like this? The hero hasn’t seen any sudden opposition that would threaten them. Furthermore, the hero themselves hasn’t interacted with them in weeks. The thief is practically living uninhibited right now. 

In one fluid motion, the thief turns around. The hero’s startled inhale is far too noticeable in the quietude of the room around them. They bite the inside of their cheek, a tight feeling rising in their chest as they look at the gruesome scar cutting through the thief’s left eye. 

“Ugly, right?” The thief laughs wryly. 

“No, no,” the hero shakes their head in disbelief. Their thoughts are falling from their lips before they can stop them. “You could never be ugly. I’m just… Can you see anymore?”

“Not out of this eye,” the thief huffs, covering their injured eye with a hand as if protecting them from the sight. The hero pushes their hand away and the thief looks to the ground. Their eye doesn’t look too different, but the thief seems uncomfortable with the prospect of letting them see it. The hero bites their lip. 

“Who?” the hero asks, their heart pounding in their ears. “Who was it? Who aimed to blind you, rather than just injure?” Who got so close to your face? The thief seems reluctant to answer any of their questions. 

“You won’t believe me.” That sets off an alarm in the hero’s mind. The assailant must be someone they know, if the thief is so hesitant to reveal the answer. The hero shakes their head in disbelief.

 “Of course I will,” the hero argues. The thief levels them with an unreadable look. There’s a whole flood of emotions swirling in their eyes. “The evidence is right here; how could I not believe you?” That seems to convince the thief, as their expression turns resolved.

“Your sidekick,” the thief whispers some time later. The remark is hardly loud enough to hear, but the silence in the space allows the hero to comprehend it. When they do, they feel their whole body grow cold. A shiver runs down their spine as they think about their sidekick brutally assaulting the thief in such a manner. 

“Well, then,” the hero remarks with a sudden surge of clarity. They’re brutally aware of the anticipation coiling in the thief’s posture, as if they’re waiting for them to argue. The hero takes a deep breath. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go kick some sense into them.” The hero turns on their heel and takes a step forward to the door, only to feel a sudden resistance. They look down to find the thief’s hand on their wrist. 

The thief doesn’t speak, but their expression says it all. Their eyes are wide and their grip is unrelenting, as if they’re afraid of the hero departing. The hero draws on the knowledge they’ve gathered about the thief, in all their time fighting each other. The thief is stubborn to a fault. Furthermore, they despise being vulnerable. Those two facts lead to the hero to a realization: they want support. 

“Right, sorry,” the hero remarks to no one in particular. They take a big step forwards and back into the apartment, which seems to calm the thief down more. Even so, there’s an uncharacteristic emptiness to their enemy’s countenance. They look… scared. 

Out of a burst of spontaneity, the hero reaches out and clasps their hand. For the briefest of moments, the thief freezes. Just as the hero moves to withdraw their hand, the thief hesitantly clasps theirs in response. The pair sits in silence for an immeasurable amount of time, until the sunlight streaming in from the windows dies and the hero’s back begins to grow stiff. 

Eventually, the hero has to get up to stretch their legs. The thief stares at them warily, evidently expecting them to leave. The hero instead levels them with a questioning glance. “Do you like Chinese food?” The thief nods after a moment and the hero grins, grabbing their phone from their pocket and ordering food for the both of them. Once the call is over, the hero collapses back into the couch. For an awkward moment, they’re unfortunately aware of the space in between of them. The thief breaches the gap soon enough, leaning to rest their head on their shoulder. The hero smiles. 

©2023, @defectivehero All Rights Reserved. 

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Prompts for couples that aren’t together yet

Here are some sweet prompts I’ve been thinking about recently. The novel I’m working on right now features one of my softest couples ever, and honestly most of these prompts are inspired by them, so you have my beautiful Jamie & Marcel to thank for this.

Save this post so you can come back to the ideas!

💜 Borrowing their love interest’s clothing 💜 Seeing their love interest drenched in the rain 💜 Cooking for their love interest 💜 Setting aside their plans to help out their love interest 💜 Secretly reading their love interest’s favorite book so they can quote it to them later 💜 Remembering a minute detail about their love interest - like how they take their coffee

💜 Saving their preferred seat for them in group gatherings 💜 Taking on more responsibility so their love interest can rest 💜 Noticing when the love interest hasn’t slept well 💜 Allowing their love interest to open up to them in their own time, but making sure they’re always there 💜 Gentle forearm squeezes for reassurance 💜 Picking out a dust speckle from their love interest’s clothing

💜 Gifting flowers based on their love interest’s favorite color 💜 Asking the love interest’s opinion on things that matter to them 💜 Recognizing the signs of emotional breakdowns before the love interest notices themselves 💜 Subtly wrapping a finger around their love interest’s in a crowded room 💜 Only having eyes for their love interest in crowded rooms filled with good-looking people 💜 Noticing and complimenting their love interest’s new item of clothing

💜 Being roped into a dance together, and both keeping their hands a little too appropriately on the other’s body 💜 Leaning slightly into their personal space during a conversation to show they’re interested in what they’re saying 💜 Remembering the things their love interest often forgets, so they always have extra 💜 Sharing a single drink, snack or cigarette 💜 Asking them interesting questions, because they simply want to know

💜 Being the type of person that hates listening to people, but they’d happily listen to their love interest for hours 💜 Singing badly to their love interest to cheer them up 💜 Giving them a little too much physical attention with subtle touches and hugs, but finding themselves unable to stop 💜 Being grumpy, then later apologizing to their love interest for the grumpiness 💜 Saying their love interest’s name all the time, because it just never leaves their mind or their mouth

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“Oh. You’re awake.”

“What… happened? Did I lose control again?”

“You don’t remember? You leveled half the city.”

“That’s not possible. With [X] around, I shouldn’t be able to… Where is he? Where’s [X]?”

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Note to self: adventurers, or heist, NOT BOTH THIS TIME DAMMIT T

Person A: “…Well this is definitely a first.”

Person B: “I really wish I could say the same.”

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Short Prompt #1195

CW: hostage situation, bombs.

"What do we do?!"

"We're all gonna die!"

"OUTTA THE WAY!"

The civilians started panicking, running around, and screaming. The villain's bomb was close to exploding and Hero was still nowhere in sight. At this point, even Villain themself was starting to worry; this was very out of character for their nemesis.

"Just where are you, little hero?"

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Prompt

A temporal anomaly causes A to live the same horrible day over and over. Every evening, they have to watch the person they care about most in the world, B, die. At first, A assumes that B is like everyone else, completely oblivious to the time loop and living each day like it hasn’t already happened. However, as time passes (or rather, doesn’t), A grows suspicious that B is concealing the fact that they are also aware of the temporal anomaly.

- Lynn