uraniabce

[uraniabce]

Finally!

Sorry for the hiatus. But I was simply not able to log in to Tumblr. Here's hoping the problem is finally fixed.

[uraniabce]

Still some of the best advice there is.

[uraniabce]

This is it. The basics where all writers start.

BEST WRITING TIPS

So, I’ve been writing for a while now and just recently published my first novel. While on this journey I have come across too many writing tips to count. A lot of them contradicting each other. Here are a few simple ones that I have found helped me out the most and helped me to finish my first book and successfully start my second.

1. WRITE.

2. READ AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. PREFERABLY, WORKS FROM SUCCESSFUL AUTHORS.

3. KEEP A NOTEBOOK HANDY TO WRITE DOWN IDEAS. YOU DON’T WANT TO FORGET A GOOD IDEA.

4. BE OBSERVANT OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. YOU WILL BE SURPRISED WHAT YOU COME ACROSS THAT CAN MAKE EVEN JUST ONE SENTENCE OF NARRATIVE BETTER.

5. LEARN GRAMMAR AND HOW TO USE THEM CORRECTLY IN STORY-TELLING. SOME RULES CAN BE BROKEN BUT DON’T OVER DO IT

6. MAKE YOURSELF SIT DOWN AND WRITE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. STOP BROWSING THE INTERNET. PROCRASTINATION ISN’T YOUR FRIEND.

7. ASK OTHER WRITERS ADVICE ABOUT SOMETHING IF YOU ARE NOT SURE. SOMEONE WILL HELP YOU.

8. DON’T WORRY ABOUT EDITING WHILE ON YOUR FIRST DRAFT. TRY TO JUST GET IT FINISHED. THIS MIGHT BE HARDER ON YOUR SECOND BOOK BUT DO IT ANYWAY.

Feel free to comment any writing tips that you feel have helped you. Thanks for reading.

[uraniabce]

So. Very. True.

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Thank you ☺️ STOP THE STIGMA 🤗

[uraniabce]

Love this! Hope someone writes at least some of this.

every movie and tv show i’ve seen that portrays queer people in ancient greece and rome tends to either do a really shitty job with it or make it really sad so i’d like to propose some Fun Gay Ancient Media ideas:

romcom about antony and curio, complete with antony’s ridiculous hi-jinks to sneak into his bf’s house after he’s banned from it by curio’s dad

gay love poet trying to seduce their crush but their poetry is really bad

i’m a local shepherd and you’re the rich noble who sees me when traveling the countryside and falls in love, after which you keep coming up with ridiculous reasons for going to the country to see me

buddy-cop style movie about two amazon warriors who are partnered up on the field of battle

we’re both gay and shy and instead of talking to each other we keep visiting the temple of aphrodite to pray for ideas until finally we run into each other there and get our shit sorted

[uraniabce]

Chuck Wendig goes on one of his epic profane rants, and it's so very, very perfect to the topic at hand. *Pun inteneded.

[uraniabce]

A perfect little story.

me to the demon in the corner of my room: ain’t u got shit to do

[uraniabce]

This is the bane of my writing existence. What will other people think? My self-censorship is so strong just writing letters, yes letters, is downright painful. Like Cheryl Strayed said. "Own your shit!" That's the only way. Of course, I know this, have known it for a long time. But it's not all that easy to actually do.

[uraniabce]

Now, this is cool. Here are a bunch of world building questions most of us have never considered.

Worldbuilding: Things That Might Have Been Missed

These are the miscellaneous questions I didn’t put anywhere else.  Things that didn’t get enough questions to have its own post, or things I didn’t think of too much until the end.  In this post, I have written a list questions of … . well, everything else?

Have fun, be detailed and creative, and by all means come up with questions that are not asked.

Because my computer ate everything, these questions are not directly taken from the NaNoWriMo website.  Some are asked from memory, some are questions that sounded like ones I had, and others are ones I came up with.

How is a funeral held?

What happens to the body after someone has died? Do they bury it?  Place it in a tomb?  Cremate it?  Drop it to the bottom of the sea?  Send it down the river?  Toss it into a dragon’s lair?

How do people mourn?

What is consider an appropriate amount of time for mourning?

What color is used for mourning and funerals? Black?  White?  Red?  Blue?  No specific color?  What does the color symbolize?

Are there any coming of age rituals?

What happens during a coming of age ritual?

What age is the child normally at when he or she goes the coming of age ritual?

Does it vary by gender?

What kind of jobs exist?

Which jobs are held in high esteem?

Which jobs are despised?

How do people get jobs? Do they become an apprentice?  Do they need work experience?  A college degree?  How are they offered jobs?  Do they apply?  Talk with the owner?  Get recommended?

What jobs are influenced by magic?

What is the most common way someone meets his or her future spouse? By growing with them?  Through connections?  School?  In the market?  At a dance?  Arranged marriage?

How technologically advanced is the world?

What is the latest piece of technology?

How does magic affect technology?

How is new technology viewed? Is it embraced?  Are people apprehensive?  Do they outright spurn new technology?  Do people care?

What does the average bed look like? Straw mattress?  Water bed?  A pile of blankets?  A wooden platform?  A chair?  A couch?

What are some rules regarding sleep? Are mixed genders allowed or is that frowned upon unless they’re married?  Do people have their own beds or share with siblings?  Do the rules vary depending on where they’re sleeping?  Is everyone smooshed in together at an inn?  Can money get better bedding?

What are the basic pieces of furniture found in an average house? Chairs?  Couches? Tables?  Beds?  Bookshelves?  How many are acceptable?  How many pieces of furniture would indicate lavishness?

What are some toys for children?

What do people use as a light source when the sun is not available?

What kinds of dishes are used? Plates?  Bowls?  Cups or glasses?

What kind of eating utensils do people use? Chopsticks?  Forks and spoons?  Their hands?

What materials are dishes and eating utensils made of?

What kind of items are used for cooking? Pots and pans?  Clay pots?  Crock pots?  Skillets?  Wok?  A wooden plate?

[uraniabce]

Now this is interesting. This is an approach I never even thought of.

NaNoWriMo Prep: How to Plan a Story without a Story

Before you start writing, when your story idea is in its very earliest stages, if you even have one at all, you should make a list of things you love in books. 

If you don’t know exactly what you love about books, go to your bookshelves at home, pick out four or five of your absolute favourite novels, and examine them. If you have time, read a few chapters of each. List what you love about those books specifically. 

If you like Harry Potter–and I will always use HP as an example, because who doesn’t like HP?–instead of listing things like “Hermione” or “Hogwarts,” think about what you actually like about those story specifics. 

For Hermione: Do you like Hermione because she’s a smart, self-determined female character? Or do you just like that she’s a bit of a know it all? Or are you happy to see characters with unruly, frizzy hair?  

For Hogwarts: Do you like the boarding school setting? Or the enchanted castle? Do you like Scotland? 

Whatever the answer is, write that down, and steal those story aspects to create something original and amazing. 

Look for obvious things like character, plot, and setting, but also take into account how books are narrated and formatted. Think about themes, tropes, and language. Think about mood and tone and structure. The wider the variety of story elements you collect, the more helpful your list will be.

Here are some examples of story features to include in your list:

Mystery

Third person narration

No love interests

Alliterative names

Exciting chapter titles

Diverse characters

Autumnal settings

Small towns where everyone knows everyone

Main characters with unusual interests

Scenes of friends bonding besides crackling fire places

Magic but you don’t know if it’s actually magic or not

What to do with your list:

Use it to plan your novel

Use it as motivation

Use it when you get stuck

Using your list to plan your novel:

Use this list to help you figure out not only what your story is going to be, but how you’re going to tell it. You don’t have to include all of the things in your list in your story, but it will be an amazing source of story elements to have in your back pocket.

Using your list as motivation:

While writing, keep track of the story elements you love that you’ve managed to fit into your novel. Keep that list on your desk or wherever you write. When you can’t find any other inspiration, take a look at it. Let it remind you of what you love about your story. Let it motivate you to continue writing it.  

Using your list when you get stuck:

Do you ever see those random story generators that get shared around the internet? They’ll generate random settings, random plots, random character names, random character traits, random murder methods. The list is long. 

I don’t recommend putting random story elements in your book. I may be wrong, but that has never seemed like an intelligent idea to me. 

However, if you have a large list of things you personally enjoy in books–if you have your own pile of character traits, settings, plots, etc.–there’s a good chance one of those things will inspire your next direction for the book when you get stuck. You may very well find a plot element, or type of scene, or character quirk that you will be excited to add to your story. 

The Anti-List

If you’d like, you can even keep a list of things you hate in novels, to remind you of what you should keep out of your book by all means necessary. Knowing what you don’t like can even help you figure out what you like. You can go past simple avoidance and do the opposite of the things on your anti-list. 

[uraniabce]

What an extraordinary woman. What an extraordinary person.

follow @the-future-now

[uraniabce]

Note to any "sexy babes" who try to follow me. I will block you. Find your next hook up some other way. Kthxbai!

[uraniabce]

Alas, this is so true. I think I've just about everyone of these.

[uraniabce]

Perfect!

These wasn’t intended for writers, but funnily enough I think it could actually come in handy when you want to have a character expressing concern for another, but just don’t quite know what to say. ***Note that these were geared toward talking to children so might need some tweaking! 

[uraniabce]

Yeah baby! Just what I needed. There are so many ways to outline, I can't even pick one. So here's a whole list to go through, to make it easier.

10 outline techniques for writers

With this post I listed 10 outline techniques to help writes move their story from a basic idea to a complete set of arcs, plots, sequences and/or scenes. Or to simply expand whatever you have in hands right now.

If you have a vague story idea or a detailed one, this post is for you to both discover and organize. A few technique will work perfectly. A few won’t. Your mission is to find the one that works best for you. That said, I advice you to try out as many techniques as possible.

So, are you ready? Open your notebook, or your digital document, and let’s start.

1. Snowflake method: Start with a one-sentence description of the novel. Then, develop this simple phrase into a paragraph. Your next step is to write a one-page summary based on the paragraph, you can write about characters, motivations, goals, plots, options, whatever you feel like. From this point on, you can either start your book or expand the one-page summary into four pages. And, at last, four pages into a brief description of known sequences of scenes. Your goal is to make the story more and more complex as you add information, much like a forming snowflake.  

2. Chapter by chapter: List ten to twenty chapters, give each chapter a tittle and a brief description of what should happen. Then, break each chapter into three to five basic sequences of scenes. Give each sequence a title, a brief description and a short list of possibilities (possibilities of dialogues, scenarios, outcomes, moods, feelings… just play around with possibilities). From this point on, you can either create the scenes of sequences with a one-sentence description for each or jump straight to writing. Your goal is to shift from the big picture to a detail-oriented point of view.

3. Script: This might sound crazy, but, with this technique, you will write the screenplay of your story as if it’s a movie. No strings attached to creative writing, just plain actions and dialogues with basic information. Writing a script will take time, maybe months, but it will also enlighten your project like no other technique. Your goal is to create a cinematic view of your story. How to write a script here. 

4. Free writing: No rules, no format, no step, just grab a pen or prepare your fingers to write down whatever idea that comes up. Think of possibilities, characters, places, quests, journeys, evolutions, symbolisms, fears, good moments, bad moments, clothing, appearances. Complete five to ten pages. Or even more. The more you write, the more you will unravel. You can even doodle, or paste images. Your mission is to explore freely.

5. Tag: This technique is ideal if you have just a vague idea of the story. Start by listing ten to fifteen tags related to the story. Under each tag, create possible plots. And, under each plot, create possible scenes. Grab a red felt pen and circle plots and scenes that sparkle your interest.

6.  Eight-point arc: With this technique you will divide your story into eight stages. They are Stasis, Trigger, Quest, Surprise, Critical Choice, Climax, Reversal and Resolution. The Stasis is the every-day-life of your main character. Trigger is an event that will change the every-day-life of your character (for better or for worse). Quest is a period of your main characters trying to find a new balance, a new every-day-life (because we all love a good routine). Surprise will take your character away from their new found every-day-life. Critical Choice is a point of no return, a dilemma, your character will have to make the hardest decision out of two outcomes, both equally important. Climax is the critical choice put to practice. Reversal is the consequence of the climax, or how the characters evolved. Resolution is the return to a new (or old) every-day-life, a (maybe everlasting) balance.

7. Reverse: Write down a description of how your story ends, what happens to your characters and to those around them. Make it as detailed as possible. Then, move up to the climax, write a short scenario for the highest point of your story. From there, build all the way back to the beginning. 

8. Zigzag: Draw a zigzag with as many up and downs as you want. Every up represents your main character moving closer to their goal. Every down represents your main character moving further from their goal. Fill in your zigzag with sequences that will take your character closer and farther from the goal.

9. Listing: The focus of this technique is exploring new ideas when your story feels empty, short or stagnated. You’ll, basically make lists. Make a long list of plot ideas. Make another list of places and settings. Make a list of elements. And a list of possible characters. Maybe a list of book titles. Or a list of interesting scenes. A list of bad things that could happen inside this universe. A list of good things. A list of symbolism. A list of visual inspiration. A list of absurd ideas you’ll probably never use. Then, gather all this material and circle the good items. Try to organize them into a timeline.

10. Character-driven: Create a character. Don’t worry about anything else. Just think of a character, their appearance and style. Give them a name. Give them a basic personality. Give them a backstory. Develop their personality based on the backstory. Now, give this character a story that mirrors their backstory (maybe a way to overcome the past, or to grow, or to revenge, or to restore). Based on your character’s personality, come up with a few scenes to drive their story from beginning to end. Now, do the same thing for the antagonist and secondary characters.

So, when is it time to stop outlining and start writing?

This is your call. Some writers need as many details as they can get, some need just an basic plot to use as a North. Just remember, an outline is not a strict format, you can and you will improvise along the way. The most important is being comfortable with your story, exploring new ideas, expanding old concepts and, maybe, changing your mind many times. There’s no right or wrong, just follow your intuition.  

[uraniabce]

Ah, #anxiety my old friend. I think I've done just about all of these. Worse, it's paralyzed me even when just writing letters. Making a phone call is a triumph. Yes, it can be that bad. So, if you know someone with anxiety, please be patient. We're trying.