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Ídolos de Aço - Parte 1

— Nós vencemos, droga! O que mais você quer? — o guerreiro disse.

— Quero continuar vivo — o cientista respondeu.

— Não vamos nos extinguir, seu paranoico! Agora sem a Dama…

— A Dama mantinha a paz.

— Ela ia matar todos nós!

— Heh. Irônico, não é? Com ela, morreríamos, sem ela, mataremos uns aos outros. Dois séculos de paz, e sem a Dama, voltamos a ter assassinatos e brigas de gangues a céu aberto. Falta pouco para termos guerra. E com a nova tecnologia que temos hoje em dia… Bem, vou nessa.

— Vai aonde? Vai ser se aqueles seres são melhores que nós? Eles também têm máquinas de guerra.

— É, e ainda assim colonizaram mais de um planeta. Melhor que nós.

Com o apertar de um botão, a porta da nave se abre. O cientista entra e se ajusta na câmara de suspensão espacial.

— Então é isso? — o guerreiro se apoia no batente da porta da nave — Vai simplesmente abandonar tudo pelo que lutamos?

— Sim. E um dia, se for esperto, vai entrar em uma das outras naves que fiz e dar o fora também.

Pressionando um botão próximo, o cientista fecha a porta da nave, iniciando o processo automatizado que iria lhe induzir ao sono. Tudo estava nas mãos da máquina agora. Se satisfez por não ter colocado janelas ou câmeras externas. Não queria correr o risco de olhar pra trás e se arrepender.

—————

Constelação do Sabre, ano 1863 do Calendário Espacial

A humanidade desbravou o vácuo do espaço, terraformando planetas, mapeando sistemas solares, avançando na ciência e tecnologia. Mas com o avanço, muito ficou para trás: o próprio planeta Terra foi esquecido da história, sequer sendo uma lembrança distante. Até onde se sabe, a humanidade sempre explorou o espaço.

Mas os humanos não vivem em harmonia nessa era. Apesar dos esforços do Imperador Silas Falconeri em unir os dezenove mundos da Constelação do Sabre sob um mesmo ideal, nobres conspiram uns contra os outros pelo poder, riqueza e pobreza são desproporcionais, e mercenários lutam em guerrilhas e operações de silenciamento envolvendo vilas e cidades inteiras.

Para proteger e servir o povo, Falconeri criou a Brigada Ligeira Estelar, um exército composto de diversos e bravos soldados, escolhidos por uma rigorosa seleção, para servir os interesses do povo acima que qualquer coisa. A Brigada possui inimigos poderosos, como a alta nobreza, que enxerga na Brigada uma ofensa e uma ameaça ao seu poder.

Ainda assim, existem nobres que não esquecem que o seu propósito é justamente liderar o povo, e alguns até mesmo se alistam na Brigada para mudar essa imagem manchada. Em um cruzeiro, na rota planetária de Inara-Montalban, uma jovem nobre recém-alistada na Brigada é um desses exemplos.

—————

— … E não precisava ter mandado meu hussardo pra cá. A Brigada providencia seus próprios robôs — Sunna conversava no celular com seu pai.

— É que você está mais acostumada com o Lenda de Ouro. Você aprendeu a pilotar com ele.

— Como é que eu vou ser reconhecia por meu esforço se você continuar me mimando? Nem sei como a Brigada autorizou isso. Você chegou a perguntar para alguém se isso é permitido?

— Eu mexi alguns pauzinhos, pedi alguns favores, só isso. Eu só quero que esteja segura, filha. Desculpe minha cautela.

Sunna fechou seus olhos azuis em frustração.

— Tudo bem, pai. Eu vejo o que eu faço com ele depois. Só me promete que vai me avisar antes de fazer esse tipo de coisa.

— Prometo, filha. Apenas se cuide. Eu te amo.

— Também te amo, pai. Tchau, até mais tarde.

A jovem desligou o celular. Soltou seus cabelos pretos e os reajustou em um rabo-de-cavalo.

— Não sou uma criança, pai — resmungou em voz baixa.

Em um alto-falante próximo, um som de microfone sendo levemente batido lhe chamou a atenção. Após ajustar seu uniforme branco e azul, ela abriu a porta do corredor de manutenção para retornar ao salão principal. Havia um trabalho a ser feito.

— Saudações, meus ilustres passageiros — um homem de elegantes roupas verdes com detalhes dourados falou a todos pelo microfone, sua voz demonstrando firmeza e confiança. Seu cabelo castanho médio e barba bem aparados, mais seus olhos verde-claro passavam a imagem de alguém independente e nobre. — Uma coisa que meu pai sempre dizia era que nunca se devia pedir desculpas pelas suas ações. “É um sinal de fraqueza”, ele falava. Nunca concordei com ele nessa questão. Não se desculpar, para mim, era um sinal de ego inflado, nada mais e nada menos. A força está no que o indivíduo faz, não no que deixa de fazer. Dito isso, peço sinceras desculpas pelo atraso. Um pequeno erro de contagem de suprimentos, alguns tripulantes a menos devido ao feriado, passageiros de última hora, enfim, o que tinha que dar errado deu errado.

O homem então acenou para dois tripulantes próximos de uma porta de serviço dupla, que as abriram para deixarem passar diversos garçons e garçonetes empurrando carrinhos de bebidas diversas.

— Peço então que aproveitem os sucos e refrigerantes que estamos oferecendo a todos os interessados, conheçam novas pessoas, passeiem um pouco pelo cruzeiro — o homem elegante continuou. — Qualquer dúvida ou necessidade, dirijam-se à tripulação. Em caso de problemas maiores ou mais graves do que ‘preciso ir ao banheiro’, podem se dirigir ao meu amigo de longa data, Capitão Patrick James, da Brigada Ligeira Estelar, à minha adorada esposa e chefe da segurança, Leona Silveira Calatrava, ou a mim, seu anfitrião, Tauno Flavius Calatrava. Obrigado pela atenção.

O nobre entrega o microfone a um tripulante e o agradece antes de se juntar aos convidados.

Embora tivesse o nome de “cruzeiro popular”, não havia se economizado na estética do cruzador Inara-Montalban. Enfeitado com tapeçarias vermelhas, candelabros e corrimãos dourados, e muitas, muitas luzes, o salão principal era acolhedor e seguro. Os que entravam pelo corredor de acesso eram surpreendidos ao olhar para uma gigantesca janela para o espaço, gradeada por grandes e espaçosas vigas douradas, dando a ilusão de ser um pássaro cósmico preso em uma gaiola chique. Para os que quisessem ver o espaço mais do alto, ou talvez descansar na viagem, três andares com passarelas encontravam-se no lado oposto, cada um deles contendo centenas de elegantes portas levando a quartos particulares.

O imenso salão principal estava abarrotado com centenas de pessoas de todas as classes sociais. Apesar do salão aberto e sem divisas, os grupos geralmente tinham seus “cantos” preferidos, clubes exclusivos cujas paredes eram os próprios corpos de seus integrantes. Poucos ousavam sair de seus locais de conforto para visitar o território de outras classes, e menos ainda eram bem-vindos. Ainda assim, apesar destes continentes hostis, haviam ilhas de paz, onde indivíduos diferentes encontravam coisas em comum para conversar, uma troca de ideias aqui, uma conversa ali, e até mesmo novas amizades duradouras.

Para garantir a tranquilidade de todos, os seguranças estavam bem equipados e bem atentos a todos os possíveis suspeitos e causadores de distúrbios. Estava presente também, além de Sunna, alguns outros integrantes da Brigada Ligeira Estelar, embora os jovens soldados estavam menos preocupados em estarem atentos e mais engajados em conversar e tirar fotos com admiradores.

Uma das mais populares naquele momento era Cassia, amiga de infância de Sunna. Apesar de Cassia ser um animal de companhia, geneticamente modificada para ter inteligência humana, ainda era um pônei de 1,20m, o que chamava a atenção da criançada. Mais ainda por sua pelagem azul-claro, com crina e rabo de um azul-esbranquiçado.

Em um andar acima, Sunna esfregava o indicador no corrimão enquanto olhava para Cassia. Ambas fizeram os mesmos testes no mesmo dia para entrar na Brigada. A pônei apenas fez o teste por pedido do pai da humana. Cassia era praticamente sua irmã, cresceram juntas, e Sunna ensinava para Cassia tudo o que aprendia na escola. Então como Cassia havia se saído tão melhor nos testes? Como ela havia conseguido de cara o posto de segundo-tenente, enquanto Sunna ficou como alferes, um posto abaixo?

Não era como queria se sentir, mas como poderia evitar? Entrar na Brigada era o sonho de Sunna, não de sua quase irmã. Por que as coisas acabaram dessa forma? O que ela fez de errado? Ou foi algo que não fez? Mas o que mais poderia ter feito?

— Novata? — seu superior, Patrick James, lhe chamou a atenção. Ele era um homem de porte mediano, com cabelo loiro perfeitamente aparado e brilhantes olhos azuis. Apesar de estarem em serviço, seu capitão segurava um copo do suco grátis como alguém em um ambiente informal.

— Capitão Patrick, senhor! — Sunna prontamente bateu continência ao seu superior – Nada fora do normal a relatar.

— Olha, não precisa me chamar de “senhor”, isso faz eu me sentir velho. Só Patrick está bom. A não ser que estejamos em uma base ou quartel, daí eu tenho que manter a aparência de hierarquia.

— Mas senhor…

— Não não não. Ordens são ordens.

— Hã… Tudo bem. A propósito, já falei com meu pai sobre meu hussardo. Assim que chegarmos em Montalban, vou achar algum serviço de frete para levá-lo de volta.

— Bom saber. Sabe, eu posso não ser pai, mas meio que entendo o seu. A constelação é perigosa, e gente como nós quer que todos estejam seguros.

Patrick olhou para baixo, na direção de Cassia. A oficial pônei se despedia de uma criança com a qual havia tirado uma foto. Notando o olhar dos dois no andar de cima, Cassia acenou para eles. Sunna fez um leve aceno com a mão, e Patrick brindou com o copo.

— Sabe, – o capitão continuou – nada impede você de estar lá embaixo com sua amiga. Não estamos “exatamente” trabalhando hoje.

— Eu sei – Sunna respondeu. — Mas acho que ela merece celebrar um pouco sem mim. Não são muitos que conseguem fazer o que ela fez.

— Celebrar, é? Não é outra coisa?

— Senhor?

— Mesma casa. Mesma educação. Mesmo teste. Uma se torna alferes, a outra, segundo-tenente. E você não está junto dela para que ela comemore?

— Eu… não sei o que o senhor…

— Você está raspando o dedo no corrimão. Notei que você faz isso quando está nervosa. E quando mente também. Não gosto de segredos na minha equipe, Sunna, e sou muito bom em encontrá-los.

A coluna da jovem gelou.

— Por favor, não conte para ela. Cassia sente um pouco de culpa por ter sido melhor. Não quero que se sinta mais culpada ainda.

— Não se preocupe, também sei guardar segredos. Só não quero que isso atrapalhe a dinâmica do grupo. Animais de companhia são programados para proteger seu dono. E oficiais superiores às vezes põem seus comandados em risco. Não quero que essa situação gere conflitos.

— Estou ciente, senhor. E me preocupo muito com isso também. Não farei nada que possa prejudicar nossa relação ou nossos postos.

— É o que eu queria ouvir — Patrick começou a ir embora, mas deteve-se — Ah, e você me chamou de “senhor” três vezes sem perceber. Tô de olho, hein?

— Oh, perdão se… se… certamente não vai se repetir.

— Bom saber – o capitão dá um gole no seu suco, e imediatamente faz uma expressão de repulsa. — Credo. Agora sei porque o Tauno não perde dinheiro com esse cruzeiro. Já comi plástico com gosto melhor.

Patrick jogou discretamente o suco no lixo e dirigiu-se para as escadas. Sunna decidiu interrompê-lo.

— Patrick. Acho que eu deveria perguntar. Por que estamos aqui?

— Um dos grandes mistérios da vida, não é? Por que estamos aqui? Somos frutos de uma coincidência cósmica, ou há um propósito maior? Os dançarinos das estrelas dizem…

— Por que estamos de serviço nessa nave, capitão? A nave já tem sua própria força de segurança. Parece um tanto redundante estarmos garantindo a segurança de algo que já está seguro. E você diz que não estamos “exatamente” trabalhando, então o que estamos…

— É sempre importante questionar, novata. É um traço admirável. Mas se preocupar com tudo não faz bem.

O capitão acena e começa a ir embora.

— Divirta-se um pouco, Sunna. Dê uma volta. Tire umas fotos. Beba um suco, ou seja lá o que for esse negócio colorido. Deixe esse assunto pros “de cima”.

Sunna respirou frustrada.

— Eu não sou uma criança – falou em voz baixa.

[vtrwriter]

Facebook deleted this almost immediately. It's almost like the ultrawealthy don't want us knowing or talking about what's at stake.

[vtrwriter]

Tons of Reasons Why Writer's Block Happens

Lately I've seen a few posts on social media platforms being shared that are (supposedly) quotes from well-known authors. The quotes generally stick to the theme of: writer's block isn't real! No worries! It's just in your head!

Like...

That is so unhelpful for me and if I had seen those people (again, supposedly) saying that when I was much younger and newer to writing, I would have thought something was wrong with me.

So here are a few reasons why writer's block IS real for many people and what you can do about it. (Warning—this is a long text post but I tried putting all suggested solutions in bullet points and have lots of resource hyperlinks!)

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Tired

Sleep affects the entire body. There’s no question that when I don’t get enough of it, my brain isn’t working as well as it normally does.

Let’s start this section with what everyone should acknowledge—mental health conditions absolutely prevent people from being able to use tips like Just turn the lights off earlier! or Think calming thoughts while taking deep breaths!

If those work for you, great. Fantastic! But if they don’t, your doctor is the best person to get advice from. They can work through symptoms with you to rule out conditions like depression and insomnia so you get the best help possible.

Besides your mental health, there are a few other ways you might not be able to fall asleep or stay asleep:

You enjoy drinking afternoon coffee (most have a half life of 3-5 hours, so the caffeine doesn’t actually leave your system for a long time!)

You have a diet soda with your lunch or dinner (most diet sodas have the same amount of caffeine as a half cup to a whole cup of coffee)

You eat a midnight snack or a dessert after dinner (the extra digestion works against your body’s circadian rhythm and prevents a normal sleep cycle)

Potential Solutions

Swap your afternoon coffee/sodas for caffeine free sodas instead

Eat high-protein snacks shortly after or during dinner (protein keeps you full longer so you can eat them earlier in the evening)

Follow some tips from sleep experts with the Sleep Foundation

You Can’t Write Because: Your Routine Is Changing/Has Changed

When my life has gone through routine changes, my creativity has always slowed (if not stopped altogether). Switching from high school to college, from college to graduate life, and even from apartment to apartment is a big deal. My writing slows when I change jobs, see my friends less/more often, and even when the holidays come and go.

If you think this might be a repeat experience in your life, my best advice is to give yourself grace. Your brain is only trying to conserve energy and process everything that’s going on. 

Potential Solutions

Resting and gently reattempting to write without expectations of what will come out of that writing session is sometimes the best thing to do until life settles back down.

If you can’t come to peace with changes, I’d suggest talking with someone. You can access help for free at:

7 Cups of Tea (chat with volunteer listeners and professional counselors)

Get in-person or virtual therapy through Open Path ($30-60/session with a one-time membership fee; aims to close the financial gap that keeps people from accessing mental health professionals).

Check out other budget-friendly therapy options recommended by the medical community.

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Grappling With Indecisions

Indecision is a creativity killer for sure. I’ll address a few ways I’ve experienced it and how I know my friends have struggled with it:

You only have a few story ideas and don’t want to commit to any of them in case some idea comes along that’s more interesting (I hate leaving unfinished drafts too!)

You wonder how you should format your story and never start because you can’t decide (it might be the point of view, past/present tense, etc.)

You can’t nail down how a character looks, what sets them apart, what drives them.

You can’t decide on a theme because there’s so much you want to write about.

You don’t know how long the story should be, so it never starts.

Potential Solutions

Try new things to come to peace with unfinished drafts (I have a folder on my computer specifically labeled “Unfinished Stories” because I’m more comfortable when they have a home).

Practice writing one page within your story’s world from a different point of view or tense. See what feels most natural or authentic to you.

Do character research by looking at pictures of people on stock photo websites or Pinterest.

Story length is often found after someone just starts writing. You’ll naturally find a rhythm and come to a conclusion at the right length for your first draft. Revise/add if needed!

My most important tip might be—

Give your gut 24 hours (go with your gut on whatever you’re trying to decide, then set your work down. Come back in 24 hours to see if you feel as strongly about your creative decision).

You Can’t Write Because: You’ve Got Too Many Ideas

When there are too many creative ideas in your brain, it leads to anxiety and potential writer’s block. I know I’ve had the fear that I’ll commit to the “wrong” story and another one will come to life in my mind, but then be gone by the time I’m ready to write it.

Potential Solutions

Write all of your ideas down in a list (bold, highlight, or star whichever ones seem super promising at the time so they stand out when you’re ready for a new project)

Try stream of consciousness journaling for 30 seconds (set a timer! Whatever you write will reveal with emotions/thoughts/issues are on your mind and may create stronger stories with similar themes)

Write 500 words of a story idea (or another number you’re comfortable with; if you don’t like what you write, you know you can move onto the next idea).

Flip a coin (assign one idea heads and the other tails—then flip a coin or use a coin flip generator).

Number your ideas and use a random number generator to pick one for you.

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Not Eating a Brain-Supporting Diet

I’m not here to tell anyone how to structure their diet. Everyone’s body is different and what you eat will change throughout your life. Your doctor and/or a licensed nutritionist are the best people for that job.

However, I can give you a few pointers that I definitely didn’t learn until way later than I would have liked:

Iron: if you don’t eat enough iron, you can feel super sleepy or stuck in brain fog. Iron comes from meat, but it also comes from these foods like spinach, watermelon, beans, whole wheat bread, and many more!

Vitamin D: vitamin D enhances brain function, especially for people with major depressive disorder. Drink that delicious Sunny D juice from your childhood or get it from foods like salmon, tuna fish, dairy fortified with vitamin D, and egg yolks.

Omega-3s: omega-3s are also known as fatty acids, which improve communication between brain cells by fortifying their membrane health. Fish is an excellent source of fatty acids, but you can also enjoy more omega-3s from foods like chia seeds, kidney beans, walnuts, and fortified foods. 

You Can’t Write Because: Your Responsibilities Are Too Important Right Now

As you get older, you’ll have varying responsibilities that sometimes you have to take care of on your own. Maybe you’re taking on new roles at your job or you’ve just become a parent. You might move into a new home and have a long list of projects to finish before you settle in.

Sometimes responsibilities are acts of self-care during challenging times. Those are all valid. It’s okay to step back and take a break if your situation is going to drain your energy until your routine becomes normal or you get used to the responsibilities. You’re a writer even when you’re not actively writing. Nothing can take that skill and passion away from you!

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Uninterested In Writing

It’s totally normal to sometimes feel like you’re completely uninterested in writing. That feeling might last for months or even years. I went through a good 5-6 year period where I didn’t think I’d ever write again just because I didn’t care to.

That may indicate that you’re in a period of self-growth. You might be discovering new parts of yourself that result in new hobbies you’d rather spend your time doing. That’s okay too!

Possible Solutions

If that’s not the case for you, ask yourself—are you still reading? My writing always grinds to a halt when I’m not reading a good book. Ask a friend what was the last book they couldn’t put down. Find out which books are currently taking the internet by storm and find them at your local library.

You can even research “Books like ___” and insert the title of a book that’s incredibly special to you. I promise there are going to be articles looping it in with other titles that you might enjoy more than branching out into a totally new genre.

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Bored of Your Story

Life can get boring. People are sometimes boring. Stories get boring too.

It’s okay to step back from an idea if you groan at the thought of spending time in that world or with that character. You can always come back to see if the feeling has passed.

Possible Solutions

If your story is still dull when you come back to it, what can you add or change about it? You might need a plot twist to get things going in a new direction or another character to shake up existing character dynamics.

When all else fails and you still don’t care to continue writing what you’ve got, go ahead and scrap it. Consider what you’ve learned from the experience and move onto your next creative adventure.

You Can’t Write Because: Your Story Is Stuck

Maybe you’re writing a story and it reaches a point in the plot where you don’t know how to move your characters forward. They may have gotten themselves into a sticky situation you can’t think a way out of or the plot device that was working isn’t relevant anymore. Getting stuck is a form of writer’s block, but it’s not permanent.

Potential Solutions

Give your protagonist a different goal at the start of the story or a new goal after accomplishing their last one.

Add a new character (they’ll naturally make different choices than your protagonist and challenge them in various ways that are relevant to your themes).

Pull the rug out from under your protagonist (maybe they think they’re an incredible parent, but overhear their child complaining about them to a friend during a sleepover while walking past the living room).

Other Resources

12 Techniques for Getting Un-Stuck

17 Ideas to Continue Writing Your Novel When You Get Stuck

6 Methods to Unstick Your Story

You Can’t Write Because: Your Characters Aren’t Real Enough to You

Sometimes characters don’t feel real enough and it makes writing about them boring. Everyone encounters this eventually! Think about if your writer’s block is happening because you don’t enjoy spending time with your characters.

If that’s the problem, it’s time to make them more real. There are a few ways to do that! (If you try these solutions or others like them and your characters are still uninspiring, it might be time to walk away for a while/permanently.)

Potential Solutions

Give them something inspired by a real life person (add a personality trait that you love about your best friend, hate about a public figure, want in yourself, etc.).

Add a few flaws (perfect characters don’t feel real because no one is perfect)

Give them a face (this goes back to character research—save a stock photo that looks like your character or draw them. Post the picture on your wall where you write or in your phone for continual inspiration.)

Rework your plot (maybe you’re not starting them at the best possible point in their journey—start with an action scene, shift events around, or add a new twist that challenges their growth in some way.)

Complicate their relationships (maybe they have a fight with their best friend, clash with their teacher, form different opinions than someone they admire and learn from that experience, etc.)

Other Resources

9 Signs Your Main Character is Boring

5 Ways to Make Your Characters More Realistic

4 Bland Character Problems and How to Fix Them

Easy And Effective Ways To Make Your Characters More Memorable

You Can’t Write Because: You’ve Set High Expectations for Yourself

Your creativity will stop feeling as natural if your expectations of yourself or your writing are too high. 

When it’s time to write, where do your thoughts go? You may need healthier expectations if your thoughts center around:

Getting every word or scene perfect

Knowing exactly where the plot goes in every chapter

Worrying that your story won’t be receptive to future readers

Wondering if you’re the right person to talk about a certain theme

Making your characters or story the first of its kind

It’s good to challenge yourself, but not with unreachable expectations. Give yourself room to try things, to possibly fail, to learn from your mistakes. 

Every chance you have to write is another opportunity to hone your skills by learning from the experience.

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Burnt Out

Burnout happens all the time, creatively or otherwise. Creative minds can push themselves too hard, just like you can throw too much of your energy into work or school. 

See if you’re experiencing any of these common symptoms of burnout:

Constant exhaustion, even after a “good” night’s rest

Headaches

Changes in appetite

Frequent illnesses

No motivation

A general negative outlook on life

Feeling trapped

Loud thoughts of self-doubt or failure

Not feeling satisfied with things that used to bring you joy

Feeling alone

Starting unhealthy coping mechanisms

Isolating yourself from people, even your loved ones

Potential Solutions

Talking with a therapist is a great way to handle burnout. Here are the resources for budget-friendly therapy again:

7 Cups of Tea (chat with volunteer listeners and professional counselors)

Get in-person or virtual therapy through Open Path ($30-60/session with a one-time membership fee; aims to close the financial gap that keeps people from accessing mental health professionals).

Check out other budget-friendly therapy options recommended by the medical community.

I have absolutely been the person who can’t afford therapy. I get it. You can also get some mental health help with these resources:

Self care apps—I use the (free) Finch app every day to redirect negative thought patterns!

Burnout recovery strategies recommended by health care professionals

Burnout resources recommended by the American Psychiatric Association (APA)

You Can’t Write Because: Your Writing Routine Isn’t Working Anymore

I used to write short stories literally every day while I was in grade school. Being stuck in classes for 8 hours a day was great for my creative writing because the sounds of the teacher talking, whiteboard markers writing, and students asking questions became background noise that tuned me into my stories. (I highly recommend paying attention to harder classes though 😂)

When I had fewer daily classes in college, my writing basically stopped. After I graduated, the environment that helped me write most easily completely disappeared.

It took a long time for me to learn why I had writer’s block—I wasn’t experimenting with my writing environment.

Potential Solutions

Try changing when you write to see if it’s a time issue. Get up earlier in the morning, write after eating lunch, or sit down after you’ve completed your responsibilities for the day.

Switch your scenery. You might write better at a coffee shop, the library, a park bench, your living room, your bed, or even your bathtub.

Change what you’re hearing. Try writing in complete silence. Use noise-blocking or canceling headphones and listen to lyricless music. You can also try background noises that often help people focus, like:

Background Noise—Coffee Shop

Background Noise—Tavern Fireplace

Background Noise—Rain Shower

Background Noise—Cozy Fireplace and Rain Shower

Background Noise—Forest Sounds

Background Noise—Blizzard Sounds

Background Noise—Interior Plane Cabin White Noise (The pleasant hum of a plane cabin is what I often write to—weird as it admittedly is!)

Background Noise—Christmas Music From Another Room

Background Noise—Lo-Fi

Ambient noise apps

Background noise apps

You Can’t Write Because: You Don’t Feel Motivated

Your story may not feel as captivating as you thought because you’re not as motivated with this one. Does it have a centralized theme? You can always search for your theme or pick one while figuring out what your story is supposed to convey to readers.

Some popular themes are:

Coming of age (discovering something about yourself/the world/both)

Survival

Corruption

Power

Courage

Love

Heroism

Death

Prejudice

You may find your motivation by writing about something very personal to you or something you want to tell other people. Write to the person in your life who needs to see something from your perspective or needs to learn from another person’s perspective.

Write about the thing you can’t stop talking about. Write about what you’re going through or want to figure out. Even if your story goes from a novel to a short story to flash fiction (anywhere from 4 words to 1,000 words), you’ll likely find it easier to write.

Other Resources

10 Most Popular Literary Theme Examples

Story Themes List: 100+ Ideas to Explore in Your Novel

100 Story Ideas Categorized by Theme

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Doubting Yourself

Self-doubt can pull the emergency brake on your brain. You may not think you’re good enough to write a story the moment you think of it. Self-doubt can come into play after you start writing or just before you finish a manuscript.

No matter when it hits you, it can cause another form of writer’s block. You’re the only person who can figure out where that doubt stems from and address the root of the problem, but everyone can practice daily positive affirmations to encourage themselves. With daily practice, you’ll chip away at your writer’s block.

While talking to a mirror or writing in a journal, tell yourself things like:

Writing is my hobby because it’s part of me.

I’m always a writer, no matter how often I actually write.

My voice and ideas deserve to exist.

Every word I write makes me better at writing.

No matter what comes out of my brain, stories are always my artwork.

Other Resources

Positive Affirmations for Writers

60 Affirmations for Writers, Authors, and Creatives

77 Positive Affirmations for Discouraged Writers

336 Affirmations For Writers Who Needs Support​

60 Affirmations for Authors, Writers, and Poets

You Can’t Write Because: You’re Literally Out of  Ideas

Ideas come and go. Sometimes your brain just can’t think of anything. There’s nothing wrong with your creative spirit—you may just have other things going on (like one or more of the above challenges).

When you really want to write something but can’t come up with anything off the top of your head, use a few generators to get things started.

Potential Solutions

Prompt Generators

Writing Prompt Generator by Genre

Prompt Generator

Random Prompt Generator

Story Generators

Plot Generator (Twists, First Lines, and More)

1 Million Plot Combinations

1000s of Plot Ideas Generator

Character Generators

Character Generator 

List of Character Generators (Zombies, Fairies, Ghosts, Murder Mystery Victims, etc.)

Character Profile Generator

Plot Twist Generators

Plot Twist Idea Generator

Randomized Plot Twist Generator

Either/Or Plot Twist Generator

—

I hope this helps someone feel more at peace with their writer’s block, even if you can’t think your way through it yet. Sit with the uncomfortable feeling and it will gradually lose its power over your creativity.

You’ll start writing again sooner than you think. 💛

[vtrwriter]

How to get back in touch with your writing

Had a few people in my DMs recently asking how they would go about diving back into an old project. I tend to work in spurs myself so i’m quite familiar with this, and today I’m sharing my process for this. Always start with emotional investment, then restructure things! If you skip the emotional investment, you likely won’t feel enough reason to go back into it.

Sometimes, you might take a break from working on a project, and sometimes that break may end up being longer than intended.

So how do you get back in the groove once you finally feel ready to pick it back up?

✨ Start with getting emotional

The best way to reconnect with an old project is to regain the emotional connection you had to it. There are a few key ways I do this myself, even with projects I’m currently working on

Remember your whys - why are you telling the story, what’s the message you want to deliver with the project?

Remember the character journeys - what do they need to learn, what are those beautiful flaws they will overcome through this story?

Listen to songs that remind you of the story - if you’ve made a musical playlist for your project, listening to it can be the quickest way to spark the emotion again.

✨ Reground yourself in the story

Once you’ve got yourself emotionally invested in the project again, it’s time to make sense of things and figure out where you left off. This part is all about gaining back the control over the project. Here are some ways I usually do this that you can use →

Re-read what you have written so far - potentially taking notes of changes you want to bring

Revisit your character sheets - are you still clear on exactly what it is their arc looks like?

Craft a fresh chapter treatment - break down the chapters you already have, and plan out the rest, how many will you have in total, and what’s the biggest point you’ll tackle in each of them? Will any need to change?

If you feel you need some help with this, I actually just came out with a bunch of writing templates that help you make sure your story is strong and sturdy!

Find The Writer's Toolboox through [the link here] or below! 🥰

[vtrwriter]

Reblogging this to read it later

So, I've wanted to write a book for a while now. I have an idea and a basic plot, but I don't quite know how to start it. Any advice?

Wow… you’re at the Exciting Part. :)  …No, seriously: this is the point from which everything flows, from the novelist’s point of view. It’s an exciting place to be, and at the same time SO intimidating, because GOD can anything happen from here onward.

(I’m assuming that we’re talking about fiction, BTW.)

Anyway. After 50+ books I know what I do at this point – pretty much – but that’s not going to do you a lot of good, since many of the opening moves in the game for me are now accordioned together into something that happens very fast and in which the individual movements and sequences can be kind of difficult to tease out for an observer. Let me instead describe to you how I would work this kind of situation out when I first got started selling books to editors.

Continuar lendo

[vtrwriter]

I've given a lot of writing advice over the years...

Does anyone have one that stands out to them, that you remember, or that you like in particular? (Or one that you don't like, I suppose...)

You can find every single writing advice I've personally written at #undine gives advice and some of my generalizable writing advice on my advice masterlist.

[vtrwriter]

At least it's not just me.

Meanwhile, on Twitter:

Brain farts, a thread

[vtrwriter]

Hi there 

I got worse again, so I’m going on hiatus again a herniated disc does not allow me to sit for a long time, I feel pain in my leg all the time and I cannot move normally I’m going to see a neurosurgeon for a consultation soon, but I don’t have the money for the surgery.

 I am afraid that the doctor will prescribe it. in hryvnias, it is approximately 30-50k, not including additional services (medicine, hospital, tests, rehabilitation) so if you can please help 

paypal ellensnake142@gmail.com

you can also support me on buymeacoffee

thank you all for your attention, stay healthy!

[vtrwriter]

Ok I want to say something controversial

But you are responsible for your own safe spaces. You can block tags, block words, block people.

“But i thought fandom was supposed to be a safe space” —yeah you have to curate it.

Unfortunately one persons’s safe space may be another persons’ trigger. That’s ok. Simply block them, block the tag, block the word etc. They can do the same for you.

Maybe I’m just out of touch, but I’ve been around since the days of “don’t like, don’t read” and that’s a good philosophy. If it squicks you, scroll past. If it causes you anxiety or upset, block! Plenty of people are responsive if you ask them to tag an upsetting trigger. And if they’re dicks about it, block em.

[vtrwriter]

Spoke to a gen z person the other night and apparently the young folks don’t know about the very legal sites from which you can access public domain media (including Dracula, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and other Victorian gothic horror stories)?

Like this young person didn’t even know about goddamn Gutenberg which is a SHAME. I linked to it and they went “aw yiss time to do a theft” and I was like “I mean yo ho ho and all that, sure, but. you know gutenberg is entirely legal, right?”

Anyway I’m gonna put this in a few Choice Tags (sorry dracula fans I DID mention it though so it’s fair game) and then put some Cool Links in a reblog so this post will still show UP in said tags lmao.

[vtrwriter]

Hi ! Im sorry, my question is going to be very vague and I'll understand if you do not want to answer it. Here it is : I always have beginnings, or very basic concepts, but I never know how the story will go between the beginning and the end (when I have one...). Like, I've been writing for nearly ten years and I came up with hundred of idea but I only found what happens in the middle only two times. Can something help me ? Sorry again for this vague question but I'm like... Desesperate.

I think that this is probably a pretty common problem, and one that I deal with myself a lot of the time. It’s easy to start off with a great idea, it’s harder to persevere through the middle of it and get it done, right?

To me, it seems like there are a few different factors that can make it really difficult to get through the middle part of a story (aside from the difficulty in itself of just sitting down and writing the whole thing, of course), so I’ll go through a few of the main sticking points in writing that I’ve come up against.

I have a beginning, but then what?

Figuring out how to continue a story once you’ve gotten past the ‘brainwave’ section of the idea can be really hard. If the first part of the story came to you so naturally and easily, shouldn’t the rest of it just fall into place?

Well, not really. At this point you’ve probably got to look at what you have so far, look at where you want to get to in the end (if you know that) and figure out the most satisfying path to take to get there. The middle part of a story is often the hardest part, you have to expand on all the great little concepts that you’ve thrown together and you’ve got to figure out how to make them all make sense.

Sometimes brainstorming ideas will help get through this, just to figure out what could possibly happen:

What is the protagonist trying to achieve?

What is the antagonist trying to achieve?

What would be the simplest solution for these things?

What is the biggest mistake the protagonist could make?

What happens if the antagonist succeeds?

What outside forces does the protagonist have to contend with in addition to the events of the main plot?

What could tempt or force the protagonist away from achieving their goals?

Figure out the simplest path from start to end, and then throw a big old roadblock in your protagonist’s path. Make them question their own motives, their own goals, make them question whether they’re the hero that’s really needed here.

Essentially, lay out all the possible things that could happen, and then pick the ones that make the best story/ the highest drama.

Too many great possibilities?

While having too many ideas is often more of a ‘good’ problem to have, it can also wind up getting you stuck just as badly as not having ideas, because when you get right in there in the middle of the story and you realise that of the two or three or five GREAT concepts that you’ve got on your hands, only one or two of them can possibly fit in and have the story make sense, it can be heartbreaking to have to pick and choose.

If you’ve got too many ideas on hand, don’t stress. Pick the one or two that are the MOST exciting/ dramatic/ fun/ heartbreaking and go with them. Don’t throw away the other ideas – put them in a ‘for later’ folder and use them in the sequel, or in another story altogether.

It doesn’t feel ‘natural’, or I want the rest of the story to flow like the start did:

Sadly, most of the time there are going to be sections of every story that are difficult to just sit down and write. It’s going to feel like pulling teeth, but the only way is to figure out what you need to happen, and how you’re going to do it, and then sit there and type until it’s on the page. Maybe it won’t be pretty, it won’t be as fun as the start of the story was, but once it’s done it can be edited until it shines.

You can’t edit a blank page, and you can’t finish a story with only a beautiful opening.

Can’t think of what might happen next?

It happens, doesn’t it, you write out a fantastic starter and you’re just as excited as anyone to see where it goes and then it just … doesn’t. You’ve stalled out in your own story and it’s horrible.

Go back and look at your characters, at your world building, look at the direction that it was all going in before you stalled and work on fleshing things out – a lot of the time in this situation you’ve gotten ahead of yourself and the reason that you don’t know what happens next is that you’ve dived in headfirst without really getting familiar with what you’re creating. That’s okay, it just means you have to go back and do the work that you skipped in the beginning.

Other tips:

If you’re attempting to jump right into longform stories, like novels or full length scripts or comic scripts etc, and finding that you just can’t get through the whole thing, why not scale it back?

Try writing short stories, ten minute films, single page comics, to hone your craft and exercise yourself in being able to go through the beginning/ middle/ end stages of your form.

As well as that, the feeling of finishing something, even if it isn’t a ‘full’ length work, is very rewarding, and as well as the practice, it can give you the motivation to get back into the slog of working on a longer piece.

I hope that this helps, and please feel free to ask if you have a more specific question.

Some other posts that might help you are:

Post about plotting [HERE]

Post about speed plotting [HERE]

Post about three act structure [HERE]

[vtrwriter]

Someone said "Are you really so stupid to think that Africa has the same technological advances as us? If they did they would probably have clean water and not live in houses made of sticks and mud. Get over yourself and stop being so ignorant."..... Below is a tiny collection of images of the Africa they refuse to show you..

ches

I’m sorry you’ve been made to believe that the whole of Africa is poor, I really am..

[vtrwriter]

I'm 33, does that count?

Reblog if you’re 30 or older

This is an experiment to see if there really are as few of us as people think.You can also use this to freak out your followers who think you’re 25 or something. Yay!

[vtrwriter]

Someday I'll have this willpower.

#243: Write the Worst Story You Can

Let’s face it. Your inner critic is probably an asshole. Every time you come up with an idea, they slam it down right away. Something’s always off, too cheesy, too predictable, not good enough.

The more you let your inner critic into your writing life, the more difficult it’ll be. It can grow into a real problem that makes you stop writing altogether.

Creativity is about taking risks, trying things that nobody tried before and combining things in ways that may either blow people’s minds or make them call you a weirdo.

When you take risks, there will be a lot of mistakes. These may be obvious in retrospect, but they absolutely aren’t obvious when you’re in the process of making them.

Conversely, you most likely have no idea that what you’re working on will go on to become a masterpiece.

While you can never shut your inner critic off completely, there are ways to work around them and make progress regardless. Here’s an exercise that will help you stop judging every idea as soon as you have it.

Write the Worst Story You Can

We all want our writing to be perfect. But since our judgement of what is good and what isn’t is so poor while we’re at work, why not turn our pursuit of perfection on its head?

Instead of writing the best story you can, write the worst one. Instead of endlessly agonising about various plot decisions, just go with the worst idea and see what happens.

Would it be terrible if your character had a moustache and only one leg? Great! Let’s go with that. This story is supposed to suck anyway, so who cares?

Instead of agonising about your protagonist’s eye colour for three weeks, you’ll actually make progress.

Removing the pressure to write the best story you can frees you up to write faster and experiment more. Any time you can’t decide where to take the story next, go with the worst idea that you have. There will be mistakes. Some stories will be pretty bad, but others will turn out all right.

Make More Mistakes

In fact, you should be proud of all the terrible stories that you write. There’s a lesson in every single one, even if you’re writing terrible stories on purpose.

All this practice, the hours you spend writing will lift your baseline. Pretty soon, even your worst ideas will be miles better than the best ideas of those that think and plot and follow all the best practices but never actually finish anything.

About the Author

Hi, I’m Radek 👋. I’m a writer, software engineer and the founder of Writing Analytics — an editor and writing tracker designed to help you beat writer’s block and create a sustainable writing routine.

I publish a post like this every week. Want to know when the next one comes out? Sign up for my email list below to get it right in your inbox.

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Past Editions

#242: The Art of Writing a Scene, April 2022

#241: The Writing Process, April 2022

#240: The Physics of Writing, April 2022

#239: Writing for Fun and Profit, March 2022

#238: Should You Write a Novel?, March 2022

[vtrwriter]

Don’t forget to give them a warm trenchcoat and a nice hat for warmth.

whenever i see a noir detective in the rain i’m like yeah man… that’s exactly where you’re supposed to be

[vtrwriter]

Fascinating...

[vtrwriter]

Hi, guys. I'm deeply sorry for this post, but my family needs help.

PayPal: sebastalena@gmail.com

Don't donate if you don't have enough money for your good living, please. Think about yourself too.

Thank you so much for supporting us. Stay with Ukraine and stay safe everyone. Peace will come!