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[writings-of-a-squirrel]

NaNoWrimo Diary Day 1

Ok so yesterday the Nanowrimo started (if you dont know what it is, google it, pls and thank you).

I was hyping myself up the last three months to write my current brainchild in that month.

Not like 50.000 words in one month but I vowed to write every day, despite work and other stuff thats going on in my life. Even if it was one word per day.

I would write regularly on this project and I would feel good seeing it growing.

Then around came September, huge workloads and a publishing house calling for send ins. I jumped on that opportunity and started on revising my latest finished project, which hadnt been touched since last year. So during september and october I revised that, which meant, erasing a secondary romance and focussing more on the story with our love birds. And then after the bookfair covid hit, but I still managed to make mayor adjustments to the novel and send the required things in (The deadline was the end of october).

My original plan was that I sent it in much earlier and had more time to plot more on my brainchild, but yeah covid made that impossible (lucky for me it was mild, but still, routine wise it threw me out of the loop)

And then came November 1st. And with it my half assed plot. So yesterday I sat down, plotted out the sideplot and a bit more of other stuff and wrote my first 300ish words.

It felt good diving into the characters head and describing it in detail and not rushing to meet another plot point.

I guess thats one of the biggest things Im still learning. That I have to make it make sense how they get from a to b and not rush it because plot demands it. So yeah im doing just that.

Maybe this kind of diary of me, a halfassed writer themselves, interests you and maybe youll like whatever will come out in the end.

Until then.

[writings-of-a-squirrel]

revising is so wild.

I discover my manuscript again and cant remember what i had written a year ago.

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woop there it is

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Notes from a 5-day creative writing course:

Motivation

Make it a habit. That way, each time that familiar voice of self-doubt makes its appearance, it’ll be easier to ignore it, because writing will become something that you do-your thing-and you’ll gain confidence in it.

Visit your novel every single day. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to write something every day. You could outline the plot, or write character portraits, or draw a special part of your world. Your subconscious will work on your story even when you don’t. So, each time you visit the story consciously, you’ll find that things have developed in the story.

Manage the time of writing in a way that it is manageable for you. (It can be that one hour between classes or your lunch break or the morning before you go to work or at night before you sleep - Schedule it in a way that suits you and then, be serious about it.

Set a goal. For example, 100 or 500 words a day.

Keep reading

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I love writing. Would love to do it again someday

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Me: I love talking about my story with people

Me once someone in real life asks me about my story:

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ᴛɪᴘꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇʀꜱ [ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴀ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇʀ]

don't let your skill in writing deter you. publishers look for the storyline, not always excellent writing. many of the greatest books came from mediocre writers—and also excellent and terrible ones.

keep writing even when it sucks. you don't know how to write this battle scene yet? skip ahead. write [battle scene here] and continue. in the end, you'll still have a book—and you can fill in the blanks later.

find your motivation. whether it's constantly updating That One Friend or posting your progress, motivation is key.

write everything down. everything. you had the perfect plot appear to you in a dream? scribble down everything you can remember as so as you can. I like to keep cue cards on my nightstand just in case.

play with words. titles, sentences, whatever. a lot of it will probably change either way, so this is the perfect opportunity to try out a new turn of phrase—or move along on one you're not quite sure clicks yet.

explain why, don't tell me. if something is the most beautiful thing a character's ever laid eyes on, describe it—don't just say "it's beautiful".

ask for critique. you will always be partial to your writing. getting others to read it will almost always provide feedback to help you write even better.

stick to the book—until they snap. write a character who is disciplined, courteous, and kind. make every interaction to reinforce the reader's view as such. but when they're left alone, when their closest friend betrays them, when the world falls to their feet...make them finally break.

magic. has. limits. there is no "infinite well" for everyone to draw from, nor "infinite spells" that have been discovered. magic has a price. magic has a limit. it takes a toll on the user—otherwise why can't they simply snap their fingers and make everything go their way?

read, read, read. reading is the source of inspiration.

first drafts suck. and that's putting it gently. ignoring all the typos, unfinished sentences, and blatant breaking of each and every grammar rules, there's still a lot of terrible. the point of drafts is to progress and make it better: it's the sketch beneath an oil painting. it's okay to say it's not great—but that won't mean the ideas and inspiration are not there. first drafts suck, and that's how you get better.

write every day. get into the habit—one sentence more, or one hundred pages, both will train you to improve.

more is the key to improvement. more writing, more reading, more feedback, and you can only get better. writing is a skill, not a talent, and it's something that grows with you.

follow the rules but also scrap them completely. as barbossa wisely says in PotC, "the code is more what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules". none of this is by the book, as ironic as that may be.

write for yourself. I cannot stress this enough. if what you do is not something you enjoy, it will only get harder. push yourself, but know your limits. know when you need to take a break, and when you need to try again. write for yourself, and you will put out your best work.

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“who did this to you” is a marriage proposal

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Guy whose prophetic dreams have repeatedly proven true but he has imposter syndrome so he thinks it's just a coincidence

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when the story is just not working, but you keep writing anyway

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Writer Goal Ask List for a New Year 🎉

These writer asks are always so fun to both ask and answer. Fanfic or original fiction writers, reblog away! These are asks based in new goals for a new year.

💖 What is your primary writing goal for this year?

🛳 Are there any new ships you want to write for? (Platonic, romantic, or anything in between.)

🤔 Are there any new characters you want to write about?

🥸 Does anyone in IRL know you write fanfic or original fiction? If not, do you plan on telling anyone this year?

🥵 Any plans to write steamy or spicy content this year?

👻 Is there a new genre you’d like to write?

🦄 Is there a new POV you’d like to try writing?

🐌 What is one of your smallest writing goals?

🦖 Are there any fandoms you wrote for in the past that you’d like to return to?

🍄 Are there any fandoms you’ve never written for but want to try?

🌈 What research do you plan on doing for your writing?

✨What’s one area of your writing that you think needs the least amount of improvement?

🥕 What’s one area of your writing that you think needs the most amount of improvement?

🫘 Spill the beans. What’s a new project you’re doing this year?

🥳 How are you going to celebrate when you achieve one of your writing goals?

🎃 Do you plan on writing any seasonal fics?

🐾 Do you plan on writing for any fests or competitions?

✍️ Which stat matters most to you (if at all!): subscriptions, kudos/favorites, comments, bookmarks, word count, or hits?

👾 Do you have any “bad” writing habits you want to break?

🤖 Are you looking to change your current writing setup? (Or establish one, if you don’t have one?)

🦷 Is there a chapter, scene, or WIP you’re dreading to write (but is necessary to your plot)? Share a snippet or tell us about it!

💥Is there a chapter, scene, or WIP you’re most excited to write? Share a snippet or tell us about it!

🍕Will you be making any changes to your posting schedule (if you have one)? (Or do you want to establish a posting schedule?)

🛏 Is there a new trope you’d like to write this year?

🪩 Do you have any “good” writing habits you want to cultivate?

🎉 How are you going to be kind to yourself if you don’t meet your goals?

💌 Are you willing to take requests or prompts for writing?

[writings-of-a-squirrel]

ways you can further develop your main character

give them a misbelief

no characters have a personality when the plot starts. all of them have backstories, a past, and a mindset that they grew up with!

basically, a misbelief is the wrong mindset that they grew up with, and is also a belief that will be restructured by the end of your novel.

this not only shows character growth and development as their mind is "restructured" or they learn their life lesson, but also drives the internal plot of your story, which differs from the external (or action) plot that most people seem to read.

+ this gives readers a deeper insight to your character!

give them a goal

every character has a goal, or something they want in their lives. having them strive for it would essentially drive your plot, and may also help you dig deeper into your character's motivations!

this goal doesn't always need to be achieved, or may be impossible to (for example, someone wanting to meet a loved one who turns out to be dead; they may have not reached their goal, but it took them on a journey)

this goal should also be concrete if possible! vague ones like "they want to be happy," isn't very helpful. what do they think will make them happy?

(side note: wanting everything to be the way that it is can also be a goal, cause they're striving to make things go back to the way they were!)

more notes / explanations here! most of these notes in this post are taken from story genius by lisa cron, and i thought they might help. please take all this information with a grain of salt, and maybe use it in a way that'll work best for you! <3

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[writings-of-a-squirrel]

A family of hurt/comfort aesthetics: knees hitting the ground

Injured character falling to their knees, one hand braced on the ground and the other clutched to their bleeding side, trembling from pain/exhaustion, breath coming in small panting gasps, swaying dizzily as their vision blurs…

Character dropping to their knees beside a companion who is sprawled out on the ground, shouting their name, frantically searching for the source of bleeding / feeling for a pulse / turning them over / trying to rouse them.

Worried friend / teammate running over, feeling their stomach drop, whispering their companion’s name in dismay as they sink to their knees beside the bedroll / pallet they’re laid out on, taking their hand and cradling it to their chest; their injured companion opens their eyes and gives them a weak smile, whispering a barely-audible “I’ll be alright” before their eyes close again.

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dear writers who are slower/take more time with their writing or writers who are on hiatus or writers who are trying to find their voice again, i see you and i love you and you are valid

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— Griffin Lovell, Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang