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[anotheranonymousquill]

Can’t figure out why this scene still isn’t working?

You’ve written and rewritten the same scene five times and convinced yourself to move on to fix it later but it’s still there, still broken, and you can’t put a finger on what the problem is.

You’re in the wrong POV (if applicable)

Your narrator isn’t the best choice here, maybe they’re overshadowing a more important character or their commentary on what’s happening isn’t compelling enough by nature of their relationship with the story.

Your refuse to kill your darlings

You’ve worked so damn hard trying to fit a square peg of this really cool idea in isolation into the round hole that your narrative became. No matter how hard you shove or how many angles you try, it’s not going to work. Delete it, or move it.

This scene occurs at the wrong time

Maybe it’s a revelation that hits too early or too late, either in the physical timeline or within a character’s arc. Maybe it messes up the pacing, leaving characters either rushing or waiting around for the next scene to hit because the placement of your story beats has left clumps and gaps of action.

This scene throws somebody OOC

It might be a darling that needs sacrifice. Maybe it’s the wrong character to have that monologue or to say that cool quip you thought of, or they’re weirdly passionate about a thing that shouldn’t matter to them/nonplussed about something that should be very important to them. It’s something X would never do but you wrote anyway for the sake of the plot.

—

Or some combination of these. My deleted scenes for ENNS’s sequel is officially longer than the existing manuscript purely due to trial and error with my plot.

[anotheranonymousquill]

storyteller saturday!

I remember when this was a big thing on writeblr, but it seems to have died down a lot so

reblog this post if you'd like STS asks about your story and characters! send an ask back to the people who send an ask to you.... and look through the notes and pick some people to send asks to as well!

you can ask anything you like! how someone came up with their ideas, how their characters would fare in a haunted house, what kinds of symbolism is present in their work... get creative! get silly if you'd like!

I'll be reblogging this post every saturday and sending out asks to people who share it :]

[anotheranonymousquill]

“People are inherently terrible” no!!! Have you ever seen a child wait for their friend while they tie their shoelaces? Have you ever known someone who would bring hurt squirrels and rabbits and mice to the nearest vet just so it doesn’t suffer? Have you seen someone grieve? Have you ever read something that hit your heart like a freight train? Have you looked at the stars and felt an unexplainable joy? Have you ever baked bread? Have you shared a meal with a friend? Have you not seen it? All the love? All the good? I know it’s hard to see sometimes, I know there’s pain everywhere. But look, there’s a child helping another up after a hard fall. Look, there’s someone giving their umbrella to a stranger. Look, there’s someone admiring the spring flowers. Look, there’s good, there’s good, there’s good. Look!!!!

[anotheranonymousquill]

“you’re a writer, can you explain your process?” yes. first, i panic. then i procrastinate. then, in a fit of productivity at 3 a.m., i create chaos.

[anotheranonymousquill]

Aggggh this is giving me flashbacks to my high school drama class a few years ago. Girl I feel you and it's a nightmare.

If you want to vent/chat about it feel free to dm me, I'm happy to commiserate and potentially offer tips if you wants some and I remember any?

Idk, good luck with that mess and congrats on writing the whole play you guys are doing! That's awesome!

I'm making a lil play thing at school and my group is driving me fucking insane

I wrote the entire script and storyline, as well as creating all the characters. I literally just want them to learn their lines and to get through one singular rehearsal without someone interrupting or joking or arguing

There is a scene in a preschool that lasts like a minute and everyone's like "WE SHOULD BRING IN PRESCHOOL TOYS AND KIDS ARTWORK"

There are 5 of us and 1 person hasn't even tried to learn her lines (+ she gets mad at us when we tell her to) despite us having to perform it in ab three weeks. This is for our gcse grades too and the idea of failing drama makes me feel nauseous

This girl literally ignores everything I say too, I got mad and said "do you just forget everything as soon as you leave the classroom" and she said she did. And she isn't even trying, she has a script (but she lost it so I have to go print another one) and she finds it really funny

And every single lesson one guy literally lies on the floor and refuses to do anything. We have to either drag him into place or just pretend he's there and talk at the ground. One lesson he said he felt sick and refused to do anything (more than normal) and then in that same lesson said we'd be doing better if I wasn't sick a few months ago (I had fucking surgery and couldn't walk). I don't even like this guy but he's friends with my friend so

And another girl can't get through 2 scenes without doing an entire (joking) speech and she jokes through every scene she's in (and some she isn't)

And lastly, my friend. They're generally okay but they get really pissy when I tell them to do something different. The difference was "I don't think your character would wear a suit". And I said their character isn't the main villain (we don't even have a villain it's a play about grief), it took like a month for them to stop arguing that he actually is.

And there's a clusterfuck of other stuff but yeahh fuck this. Btw I think I'm going to post the story at some point bc I'm really proud of it

[anotheranonymousquill]

Hot take: Actual literary analysis requires at least as much skill as writing itself, with less obvious measures of whether or not you’re shit at it, and nobody is allowed to do any more god damn litcrit until they learn what the terms “show, don’t tell” and “pacing” mean.

[anotheranonymousquill]

Will humanity ever be free of the influence of Edna Mode? Can any of us so much as consider the character design for a hero or villain without her manifesting in the room, fully aware of our sins?

[anotheranonymousquill]

Ooooooooh... you have triggered the thoughts and ideas

I love a character raised to be a weapon as much as the next guy. But what really gets me is a character raised to be a shield. Who can’t fathom being needed—or even being wanted— beyond keeping others safe. Who believe they are alive only to insure someone doesn’t die. no matter the cost. Characters who self-sacrifice not because they think they deserve it, but because no one else does deserve it, and it’s their job to protect.

Characters who’ve been told that’s why your important. Your worth something because this other person/ thing is important, and you are here solely to keep them safe.

Bonus points if it’s not a legitimate job they’ve been given. Maybe at one point it was, but now that they are free from it, they haven’t given up that mentality. No one is forcing or asking them to do this, but they need to. They need to in order to be deserving.

[anotheranonymousquill]

writers be like; anyone gonna write this story? and then not wait for an answer. and then not write it either

[anotheranonymousquill]

birdification beam!!

[anotheranonymousquill]

🦔

This is Charles. He wants to go on a journey around tumblr. could you show him around?

[anotheranonymousquill]

I second that, libby and all the free ebook resources you can access through your library card are awesome! I have a card with my local library for libby, and cards with the two neighboring regions for when I want to compare wait times for more popular ebooks.

Also, fun thing I discovered a while back, some libraries let you suggest books for them to buy, and if they approve it the library orders it in to add to their collection and puts the book on hold for you to read as soon as it gets there. So if they don't have a book you want they might be able to order it in or even get it sent over from a nearby library. Which is very cool to me and my non-existent book budget.

I'm almost 30 and still amazed you can just walk into a library and pull a book off a shelf and read it, don't even need to ask anyone, can just sit down and read book for free until closing time. There is nothing that free anywhere else that isn't serreptitiouly religious or requiring registration. that's how stuff should be. Libraries are so good

[anotheranonymousquill]

Update, twas a success.

The emotions have been successfully processed and I am once again mostly functional.

Gonna go sit in my grumpy little blanket cave and vent my emotions into a pillow.

[anotheranonymousquill]

Gonna go sit in my grumpy little blanket cave and vent my emotions into a pillow.

[anotheranonymousquill]

Deciding stuff it all I need a vibey epic fantasy wip for when my brain isn't working and I need an escape.

So far I have a mum friend capable cowgirl adventurer and her stray sunshine guy who's coming along for the ride because why not.

And just cause romance is hard and friendship is beautiful I've decided they are not going to have a romance subplot. So bestie/sibling closeness shenanigans commence!

Also I get horses and powers and stunning landscapes and interesting strangers and places and this is going to be a fun little braindump thing because why the heck not.

[anotheranonymousquill]

hugger games bc they all deserve a hug

[anotheranonymousquill]

”I’m scared to write because what if the story fails” DO IT ANYWAY. EITHER IT WILL BE A SUCCESS OR YOU CAN TRY AGAIN BUT WRITE IT ANYWAY. DO IT CONFIDENTLY OR DO IT SCARED BUT BELIEVE IN YOURSELF YOU HAVE UNLIMITED ATTEMPTS TO GET IT RIGHT