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[an-author-in-progress]

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i might elaborate later but fanfic replies literally develop writer’s metacognition and make them better writers

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Editing Guide Book Giveaway!

Hi friends,

A paperback version of my book The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers is FINALLY available to pre-order. It took me a while to figure out the best way to make the book available in paperback without selling on Amazon (I really, really hate that company) so thanks to all who requested it for your incredible patience. Everyone on this site has been so supportive that I’m doing a giveaway! Read more to find out the rules, or just head over to my website and…

Enter to win a free paperback copy of my book The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers!

Because Meow Meow would want you to :)

Here are the official rules:

You can only enter once

I’ll increase the quantity as more people enter, so please share this giveaway with others because the more individual people who enter, the greater your chances of winning!

U.S. shipping addresses only (sorry—international shipping is prohibitively expensive)

If you’ve already ordered a copy and you win the giveaway, you’ll get a refund on your purchase

Entering will subscribe you to my email list so you can get updates about your status. However you can unsubscribe anytime.

Deadline to enter is December 22, 2020

Please reblog and share with others! I’ve intentionally designed this giveaway to increase the number of copies I’m giving away as more people enter, so sharing will increase your chances of winning!

Enter to win a free paperback copy of my book The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers!

Official disclaimer as per Tumblr guidelines for giveaways: This giveaway isn’t associated, administered, sponsored, or endorsed by Tumblr. Anyone who enters is giving information to me and not to Tumblr. You must be 18 years or older to enter and live in the United States.

Thanks everyone, and good luck! xoxo

[an-author-in-progress]

Does anyone know the name of the trope where the female has been secluded her whole life and never experienced the outside world so the man never has to do anything to impress her because she has no expectations of him

[an-author-in-progress]

here have 10 pieces of writing advice that have stuck with me over the years

every character’s first line should be an introduction to who they are as a person

even if you only wrote one sentence on a really bad day, that’s still one sentence more than you had yesterday

exercise restraint when using swear words and extra punctuation in order for them to pack a punch when you do use them

if your characters have to kiss to show they’re in love, then they’re not in love

make every scene interesting (or make every scene your favorite scene), otherwise your readers will be just as bored as you

if you’re stuck on a scene, delete the last line you wrote and go in a different direction, or leave in brackets as placeholders

don’t compare your first draft to published books that could be anywhere from 3rd to 103rd drafts

i promise you the story you want to tell can fit into 100k words or less

sometimes the book isn’t working because it’s not ready to be written or you’re not ready to write it yet; let it marinate for a bit so the idea can develop as you become a better writer

a story written in chronological order takes a lot more discipline and is usually easier to understand than a story written with flashbacks

[an-author-in-progress]

Keeping Writing Logs

A little while ago, I mentioned keeping logs of your writing sessions as a way to help you stay motivated on your projects and to avoid burnout. And then I said I’d elaborate on that, so here I am!

I myself am relatively new to keeping records of my writing sessions, but already they’ve helped me to hold myself more accountable when it comes to sitting down to write. Here’s a look at the general spreadsheet I’ve created to keep track of what I’m doing when I write, with some information drawn out to avoid spoilers.

Let’s go over why I included each one and how each column helps me track what I’ve been doing and how I can improve.

Date and Project.

As one would guess, the purpose here is to see how consistently I’ve been working on what I’ve been working on. Seeing just the date could be helpful, but then I would have trouble seeing which projects might need a little bit more love. Seeing just the projects helps me see which ones I’m making progress on, but not how consistently I’m doing it. So I record both!

Simple Goal and Simple Progress.

For me personally, I do best when I have a quota and a content goal to fulfill. The simple goal is what I want to do in terms of words on the page. This manifests for me usually as words or finishing sections, though sometimes it’s also in terms of time. To me, the simple goal is putting words on a page, no matter what direction they go in.

Project Goal and Project Progress.

This is where I give my simple goal a direction to follow, and then I compare that to the direction I actually took and what I was able to do. This is good for me because I can look at my log and see what I’ve been doing to determine my next content goal as opposed to reading over the past couple pages and possibly missing the context.

In essence: The combination of simple and project goals says, “I want to do this in this many words/by the end of this chapter or section/in this much time.”

Time.

Honestly, it’s cool to look back and see how much time you’ve spent on your writing, especially because it’s so important to so many of us. It’s a form of validation for me, seeing that actual time of mine has gone into doing something I love. Functionally, you can also check out your typing speed in WPM, or you can note any sessions where the words might have come more easily or it might’ve been tougher to write.

Feeling.

This one is important but often overlooked. How did you feel about your writing as you were writing it? This may help you in editing, especially if you’re able to note any areas that you didn’t feel great about that need more love in future drafts.

These are the things that it was most effective for me personally to document, but these aren’t the only possibilities! Here are some other ideas:

type of development (writing, read-through, outlining, character development)

new breakthroughs

changes made in the draft to be accounted for in future drafts

breaks taken

background noise/music

time of day when you started writing

anything that affects you as a writer that you think is worth noting!

Though I’ve not been doing it for very long, documenting my writing sessions has done a lot for my motivation as a writer, and I really recommend it for anyone who’s considering giving it a try. Until next time, happy writing! <3

[an-author-in-progress]

Sentence Starters

“I’ve never seen one of these completely to my taste so i decided to make my own!

ANGST

“I can’t do anything right.”

“Please don’t cry.”

“Why are you awake right now?”

“Why are you lying to me?”

“Wake up! Please wake up.”

“Forget it, you’re a fucking asshole.”

“Don’t you ever do that again!”

“Is that blood?” “…..No?”

“Please don’t lie to me again, I can’t take it.”

“Do you even still love me?”

“Nobody’s seen you in days.”

“Why are you awake?”

“I’m worried about you.”

“Can you shut up for once in your life?”

“Holding everything in doesn’t help, you know.”

“Are you hurt?” “No.” “Then why are there bruises all over your face?”

“If you don’t hug me right now I think I might fall apart.”

“Leave! Me! Alone!”

FLUFF

“Go with me?” “As long as you hold my hand.”

“Is there a reason you’re blushing like that?” 

“Have you seen my hoodie?” “Nooo.” “You’re wearing it, aren’t you?”

“Have you always been this beautiful?”

“OH you’re jealous!”

“Can we stay like this forever?”

“Please just kiss me already.”

“I think you might be my soulmate.”

“Sleep over? Please?”

“Are we on a date right now?”

“I think I’m in love with you.”

“He’s so pretty I think I’m gonna faint.”

“Are you flirting with me?” “You finally noticed?”

“Am I your lockscreen?” “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

“I missed you so much.”

“Do you think the moon is jealous of how pretty you are?”

“I’m here for you.”

“I wish we could live together already.”

MISC

“All I do is drink coffee and say bad words.”

“Quit touching me, your feet are cold!”

“I think I just ripped my pants.”

“Sharing is caring, now give me the hoodie!”

“Can I pet your dog?” “Do I know you?”

“Did you seriously just get your foot stuck in a toilet?” “Maybe.”

“If I die, I’m haunting you first.”

“But I’ve never told you that before.” 

“Stop being grumpy, it’s lame.”

“So, uh, I locked the keys in the car.”

“Is the cat in a onesie?” “Uh, no?

“Can we please stop running? I think I’m dying.”

“You come here often?” “Well, I work here. So I think I’d have to say ‘yes’.”

“Aren’t we supposed to be working?”

“Give me attention.”

“YOU SAID TO BE HONEST STOP HITTING ME!”

“Okay, so maybe I didn’t see that coming.”

“I’m too sober for this.” “You don’t even drink.” “Maybe I should start.”

[an-author-in-progress]

i’ve been doing my homework on how to break into a writing career and honestly. there’s a Lot that i didn’t know about thats critical to a writing career in this day and age, and on the one hand, its understandable because we’re experiencing a massive cultural shift, but on the other hand, writers who do not have formal training in school or don’t have the connections to learn more via social osmosis end up extremely out of loop and working at a disadvantage. 

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sir that is my emotional support snarky tragic male character with parental issues

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(2/2)  “My mother died on July 6th, 2005.  One day toward the end of her life, we were in the subway together, carrying heavy packages, and I could see she was exhausted.  She turned to me and said: ‘A ganzeh leben is a schlep.’  Which means: ‘All of life is a schlep.’  And for a moment I felt her pain.  I realized I could still love her.  She couldn’t love me, but I could love her.  Despite all the abuse she’d given me, I could feel her pain.  I resurrected this old photo after her death.  She’s with her first husband.  It was weeks before he was taken away. She’s only twenty years old in this picture.  That gorgeous face.  That youth.  How could I possibly hate her the same way?  It’s unfathomable.  Not that she was right to be cruel, but it’s unfathomable what she went through.  I once helped her type a memoir to get reparations from the Germans. At the end of her story, she wrote: ‘It was a life of horror.  Having lost everything and everyone, I’d given up my struggle to live.  And at that time, it would have been easier if they had killed me.  But they didn’t.  So on I went, living in hell.‘”

[an-author-in-progress]

Sometimes you read a line from a book and it’s like something from your own head or something from your journal. And that part of you is a bit more defined, a bit sharper, and a bit easier to understand and explain to others.

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So in season 3 of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina there's a dude named Caliban, and the allusion to Shakespeare and just how good the allusion is, like fuck. My english major brain is living right now

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My favorite part of Drunk Shakespeare is the absolute fucking confusion in the audience when I produce a full-sized sword out of my cleavage.

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Support 👍 non-native 👍 speakers 👍 writing 👍 in 👍 English. 👍

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Write one sentence. Let it lead to another. It comes in waves. 

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I love kids they’re all like.. “when i grow up i’m gonna be an astronaut and a chef and a doctor and an olympic swimmer” like that self confidence! That drive! That optimism! Where does it go

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Me: *hasnt finished my WIP*

Also me: *already planning a sequel*