cranberry-queen

[cranberry-queen]

Random pieces of advice about worldbuilding and plot.

If every story is worth telling, there are some elements to take into account to make it right.

Every cause has consequences. A story is logical in one way or another. Whether you plan your story or go with the flow, if you ask about: the origins, reactions and actions to be taken following an event, the pieces somehow will ‘click into place’.

Everything has a cost. Magic system, war, life in general... Don't forget that resources are not unlimited. Consider the societal, social, natural, (magical, if need be) limitations.

Challenge the statut quo and the villain's motivations (if there's a villain in the original sense of the term) : Ask yourself why the villain wants to ‘change the world’ (and really question his legitimacy) and what the world should look like after the final confrontation. If we come back to the original point, it's that the plot didn't serve any purpose, being no more than a ‘historical aside’. Remember that everything happens for a reason, so make that reason a good one.

Make actual research about geography and climate: forest, desert and especially rivers can't pop out of nowhere, they must respect certain natural principles. For example, a river must have its source somewhere, often high up in the mountains. So it seems logical that a river should be close to a mountain. Be careful if you want to incorporate a map in your story !

Be careful when you rely on chance, fate or whatever you call it. I still can't work out whether it's worse than deus ex machina - especially if it's done badly. As far as I'm concerned, if you work well enough with the cause-consequence chain and have a good grasp of the limits of your universe, you won't need to rely on this kind of process. this one is actually pretty personnal, you have every right to disagree.

[cranberry-queen]

I don't know what the fuck I'm writing

But I love the vibe

[cranberry-queen]

Why are some writers so afraid to make up their own metaphors? I just saw a quote by George Orwell in which he said, “Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print,” and honestly? THAT IS SO REAL!!

Your metaphors should feel like they belong to your story, your characters, your world. If your protagonist is a computer nerd, why would they be boring and describe something as “light as a feather” when they could say it’s uhm idk… “as light as a wireless mouse” or “as easy to carry as a USB stick.” I’m not a computer nerd lol but I hope you get the point: your metaphors should feel personal to your characters and story, they should reflect how they think, what they care about, and the world they live in.

If they’re an athlete, they’re likely going to compare things to their sport or game strategies, etc. They won’t describe their exhaustion as “feeling like a ton of bricks”— they could say it “hits like the last mile of a marathon” or something. If they work at a flower shop they would compare smells and colours to flowers and plants right?

Not only does making up your own personal metaphors and similes going to help you avoid clichès, it’s also going to add so much depth to your characters and the quality of your writing. It’s also a great way to inject humour into your narrative btw, literally so many benefits…

So yeah. Make up your own metaphors. Seriously!

[cranberry-queen]

Tips on Making the Writing Process Easier

Use sticky notes to write down and organize major plot points

When inspiration for an idea strikes, write it down every single time. You never know if you might need that idea, and if you don’t write it, you will forget it.

Write the dialogue first. That way, you have a set up for a scene, but don’t have to focus too hard on narration.

Write your story by scene by scene. This way, you can focus on a scene at a time instead of an entire story. This does not mean you should stop focusing on writing a story

Remember to eat and drink

When you get stuck, stir up some conflicts.

Get The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. It’s a guide for nearly every emotion you can write

Use a notebook and write by hand. I know it sounds awful (and for some, it might be awful) but writing with a pen and paper is drastically different than writing on a laptop, and this can make it so much easier

Remember to have a social life. Friends are important for your well-being (and possibly your wip)

Your outline is there to guide you through your story. But if your story disagrees with your outline, derail from the outline and come back to it when/if you get back on track

If you don’t get back on track, either continue with the story and hope you don’t get stuck, or tweak your outline

That’s it for now. Follow me for more writing tips and advice

[cranberry-queen]

Some Days Are for Conquering. Some Are for Just Being.

And Both Are Okay.

Some days, I wake up feeling unstoppable—ready to take on the world. And other days? I don’t.

Yesterday was a power move. Up before 5 a.m., deep into my studies, words flowing onto the page, beta reading in full swing. I knocked out my Creative Craftwork, swam for an hour, and still had energy left to spare. A full-body shower reset my mind. My favorite show filled the quiet spaces, a football match had me on edge, and meditation wrapped up the day like a neatly tied bow. I went to bed feeling like I had life figured out.

And then today happened.

I woke up late. Groggy. Hair a mess. Motivation? Missing. The fire from yesterday? Gone.

But instead of forcing myself to push through, I chose to listen. I slowed down. Let myself breathe. Made fluffy pancakes for lunch because why not? Tidied up my space. Sat with my thoughts instead of running from them. It wasn’t a high-energy day. It wasn’t a “win” by typical standards. But it was what I needed.

Not every day is about grinding. Some days, just existing is enough. And that doesn’t make you lazy, weak, or less than. It makes you human.

So if today feels heavy, let it. Rest. Be still. Your spark isn’t gone—it’s just waiting for the right moment to return. And when it does, you’ll be ready.

[cranberry-queen]

What's your inspiration for writing?

The sense of adventure and the huge freedom you feel when you submerge yourself in the story & aesthetic. The way it makes you feel alive and unlimited in possibilities.

Nature and it's varying environments & rainbow of colors. I find it truly fascinating!

Going outside and seeing the vast sky above me and breathing in the fresh air stirs the deep inside and inspires me to write, to convey those feelings to others as it is truly real powerful thing.

The world is so perfect and beautiful I want people to appreciate it and its subtleties. This world is one big perfectly created story, a theatre.

I want people to feel livelier and wake up from the slumber. I feel like societies became a little too monotone and colorless in a sense. Where's the whimsy? The exploration of the big? The purity of human's soulfulness?

People to laugh and be happier, for their day to be lighter. To feel hope. Sharing knowledge is important too

[cranberry-queen]

I'm writing, I swear

[cranberry-queen]

Edit Note: I'm really amazed by how much love this post got. Guess it just shows we're all in the same boat. I do have other humorous writing memes on this tumblr under the same tag, if you're interested. Never give up writing! ❤️

Edit Note 2: I can't believe this has reached 25,000+ notes. Been on tumblr for ten years (different account) and nothing like this has ever happened before. Thank you! 😊

[cranberry-queen]

@vanlydmarso Sure! So here's a chapter of a book I'm working on. In it:

Voice-of-Reason: Mark

The Wild Card: Andre

The Observer: Tina

The Instigator: Lily

The Driver: Sam

Mark pushed his way into the house, the weight of a plastic bag dangling from his wrist. He barely had time to shut the door before Tina’s voice—sharp and fast—rang through the house. Spanish. Heated.

In the kitchen, between the fridge and the island, Tina stood with her arms crossed, her foot tapping in that deadly, rhythmic way she did when her patience ran thin. Andre stood opposite her, rubbing the back of his neck, his shoulders hunched like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Mark didn’t need to understand the words to know the fight’s cause: Andre’s latest bout of unemployment.

Mark swiftly averted his gaze. Tina was the only person in the house who had no problem dishing out scoldings when necessary, and he had no intention of getting dragged into the crossfire. He made a beeline for the counter, dropped Andre’s change into the battered “Council Jar,” and set the Coke beside it before hopping the two steps down into the sunken living area. Without a word, he dropped onto the couch beside Lily and extended his bag of Sparkles toward her.

She beamed at him, plucked a yellow one from the bag, and popped it into her mouth after unwrapping it. Her thumb scrolled idly through a social media feed on her phone screen, but her ears were tuned to the kitchen. Lily was the only one of the other housemates who understood any Spanish—badly, but enough.

“Andre lost his job again?” Mark asked, voice low.

“Yup,” Lily said, still chewing. “His bartending gig was supposed to make up for the fact that Tina switched to part-time at Woolworths.”

Mark frowned. He remembered when Tina had cut her hours at the clothing store, relieved to finally focus on finishing her degree. They’d even celebrated.

“What’s worse,” Lily added, her voice dropping, “is that her contract’s locked until the next hiring cycle.”

Mark exhaled sharply through his nose. That explained why Tina’s voice had taken on that sharp, clipped edge. He watched as Lily reached for another sweet but paused, her gaze unfocused.

“Tina…” she tilted her head, listening, “She’s giving him a week to find a new job or she’s renting his half of the basement to someone else. He’s trying to guilt-trip her, but she’s not having it.”

Mark rubbed the back of his head. He could spot them the rent, had done it before. But Tina would shut him down before he even finished the offer. She’d told him once, in that firm, no-nonsense way of hers: If you make allowances for one person, you have to do it for everyone. If Andre knew there was a safety net, he’d never get a job. Pride thing, maybe. But Mark cared too much about both of them to undermine that.

A familiar jingle at the front door made them both glance up. Sam.

Even though the door was always left unlocked during the day, she always used her key. Habit, she claimed. Six months wasn’t enough to break it.

The door swung open, and Sam waltzed in, a brightly colored box in her arms. She kicked the door shut behind her, her usual energy undeterred by the shouting match in the kitchen. Tina and Andre, caught mid-argument, paused long enough for Tina to sigh and give Sam an apologetic look.

“Sorry, guys. Give us a minute.” She grabbed Andre’s forearm and dragged him toward the basement door.

Once they were out of sight, Sam dropped the box onto the kitchen island with a grin.

Mark and Lily pushed off the couch, leaving the half-eaten bag of sweets and instant noodles behind. Sam saluted the faded photo of Mark’s parents on the fridge before popping the lid open.

“Since when is your manager this nice?” Lily asked as they settled onto the barstools.

“New manager,” Sam replied, filling the kettle. “Layla. She lets the closing staff take leftovers before they get tossed. Hates waste but doesn’t want upper management to sniff around.”

“She’s not worried someone will rat her out?” Mark snagged a chicken mayo sandwich.

Sam tossed a few crumpled receipts into the bin and dumped her spare change into the “Council Jar.” “And lose free food? Not a chance.”

“I’m not complaining,” Lily hummed around a chocolate jam doughnut.

Mark chuckled at her choice before nodding at Sam. “You actually make it to the lab on time this morning, or did you sweet-talk your way out of being late again?”

Sam rolled her eyes, stuffing a cinnamon bite into her mouth. “Made it. Barely. Professor Lennox would’ve lost it if I strolled in late again.”

“What are you even working on now? Thought you said it was some kinda cube?” Mark asked.

“An energy cube,” Sam corrected, setting their coffees in front of them. She took a seat. “It’s a self-sustaining generator. The casing works like a Faraday cage but channels electromagnetic energy into the core instead of just blocking it.”

“So it absorbs power?” Lily squinted, bracing for the answer to be wrong.

“Exactly. The core’s a supercapacitor, paired with what we call a ‘quantum resonance matrix.’ It stabilizes the absorbed energy, making it constant. Once powered, it emits a localized field that wirelessly powers electronics. Like Wi-Fi, but for electricity.”

“So, my phone would charge just by being near it?” Mark folded his arms, intrigued.

“Yup.” Sam’s face lit up. “No wires, no batteries. Just this little cube in the corner of the room.”

Lily arched a brow. “That sounds terrifying. What’s stopping it from frying everything?”

“That’s what we’re figuring out.” Sam shrugged. “We gotta break a few devices to get it right.”

Mark smirked. “So it’s either a game-changer or a phone-melter.”

“Exactly.”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Lily muttered, sipping her coffee.

Sam grinned and reached into her bag, pulling out a cube the size of a coffee mug. “This one’s defective. Too small for the prototype, so I gotta toss it tomorrow.”

Lily reached out but yelped the second her fingers brushed it, dropping it straight into her coffee.

Mark swore and fished it out with a dish towel, his whole body jolting from the shock. Every cell in his body felt awake.

Sam frowned, brushing off Lily’s frantic apologies. “Weird. It shouldn’t have done that—”

Before she could finish, Andre and Tina reappeared.

“What’s that?” Andre snatched the cube before Sam could stop him. He held it up, studying it—then winced, hand jerking back. “Ow—what the hell?”

“Give it back.” Sam reached for it.

Andre smirked and pulled it just out of her reach. “Relax, Doc, I’m just—ow! Damn thing shocked me.”

Tina sighed, smacked him upside the head, and took the cube. The second it touched her palm, she yelped and dropped it.

Sam caught it mid-air and stuffed it back into her bag. “Right. No one touch the shiny, defective, probably-shouldn’t-be-here cube.”

Tina gave her a long look before grabbing her coffee and sitting down. Andre followed suit, still shaking out his hand.

Sam grinned at them. “So, dinner’s on me?”

Tips from a Beta Reading Writer

This one's for the scenes with multiple characters, and you're not sure how to keep everyone involved.

Writing group scenes is chaos. Someone’s talking, someone’s interrupting, someone’s zoning out thinking about breadsticks. And if you’re not careful, half your cast fades into the background like NPCs in a video game. I used to struggle with this so much—my characters would just exist in the scene without actually affecting it. But here’s what I've learned and have started implementing:

✨ Give everyone a job in the scene ✨

Not their literal job—like, not everyone needs to be solving a crime or casting spells. I mean: Why are they in this moment? What’s their role in the conversation?

My favourite examples are:

The Driver: Moves the convo forward. They have an agenda, they’re pushing the action.

The Instigator: Pokes the bear. Asks the messy questions. Stirring the pot like a chef on a mission.

The Voice of Reason: "Guys, maybe we don’t commit arson today?"

The Distracted One: Completely in their own world. Tuning out, doodling on a napkin, thinking about their ex.

The Observer: Not saying much, but noticing everything. (Quiet characters still have presence!)

The Wild Card: Who knows what they’ll do? Certainly not them. Probably about to make things worse.

If a character has no function, they’ll disappear. Give them something—even if it’s just a side comment, a reaction, or stealing fries off someone’s plate. Keep them interesting, and your readers will stay interested too.

[cranberry-queen]

The Robot Duke & I are in a QPR

Tags:

QPR relationship

Slice-of-life

AroAce protagonists

Humor

Wholesome

Whimsical historical setting

Summary:

Is it possible to be happily married without any romantic feelings for one another?

After fortunately stumbling into each other's lives, Lily and Duke Cedric fall into a friendship kindled by curiosity and fascination.

Alas, a day comes when the Duke is pressured to get married to his important acquaintance's daughter. Unable to agree to such a life nor break the partnership, he comes to Lily with a big proposition.

Agreeing to help, laughter and sweet innocence fill their mansion as they build a relationship to uniquely call theirs.

You can read it in:

Royal Road

Tapas

Wattpad

Inkitt

[cranberry-queen]

“Nothing changes until something moves.”

— Albert Einstein

[cranberry-queen]

Editing tip:

Export your writing into an ebook and read through it, the draft on the side to edit alongside. Perhaps by seeing it in a more finished, cleaner format, you can spot inconsistencies, mistakes, and change things you deem suitable

[cranberry-queen]

PSA: Writing a book can take a looooong time. If you've been working on your project for a year, two years, five years... you're not doing anything wrong. If you've written three drafts and thrown them all away, if you can only write a hundred words a day, if you put your book down for six months and pick it up again only to be baffled by what you've written... Congratulations. You're not inefficient or slow. You're just a writer. Welcome to the writing life.

[cranberry-queen]

Tips from a Beta Reading Writer

This one's for the scenes with multiple characters, and you're not sure how to keep everyone involved.

Writing group scenes is chaos. Someone’s talking, someone’s interrupting, someone’s zoning out thinking about breadsticks. And if you’re not careful, half your cast fades into the background like NPCs in a video game. I used to struggle with this so much—my characters would just exist in the scene without actually affecting it. But here’s what I've learned and have started implementing:

✨ Give everyone a job in the scene ✨

Not their literal job—like, not everyone needs to be solving a crime or casting spells. I mean: Why are they in this moment? What’s their role in the conversation?

My favourite examples are:

The Driver: Moves the convo forward. They have an agenda, they’re pushing the action.

The Instigator: Pokes the bear. Asks the messy questions. Stirring the pot like a chef on a mission.

The Voice of Reason: "Guys, maybe we don’t commit arson today?"

The Distracted One: Completely in their own world. Tuning out, doodling on a napkin, thinking about their ex.

The Observer: Not saying much, but noticing everything. (Quiet characters still have presence!)

The Wild Card: Who knows what they’ll do? Certainly not them. Probably about to make things worse.

If a character has no function, they’ll disappear. Give them something—even if it’s just a side comment, a reaction, or stealing fries off someone’s plate. Keep them interesting, and your readers will stay interested too.

[cranberry-queen]

Things I learned the hard way-ish

I used to think I could just slap a job title on a character and call it a day. I mean, who needs to research when you can just make stuff up, right? Wrong.

Looking back at my old stories, I can totally see where I messed up. Like, if your character’s a lawyer, don’t just have them say legal jargon they pulled from a crime show. Actually watch those lawyer shows, read the books. Same goes for doctors, detectives, or really any specialized profession.

I’m not saying you need to become a lawyer or doctor to write about one, but you do need to make it feel real. If your character is supposed to be a seasoned pro but has zero idea how their job works, it shows, and the whole story can start to unravel.

[cranberry-queen]

Not my usual kind of post but...

I had a job interview recently, and when I mentioned I published a book at 18, the interviewer went, “Ah, so you actually finish things. Most people start but never do.” Then he annotated it down like I’d just dropped some life-altering wisdom.

Sir. SIR. I finished a book at 18 because my only responsibilities were school and occasionally pretending I wasn’t procrastinating. Since then? Oh, just minor distractions like jobs, insurance, crushing responsibilities, and figuring out how to afford gas so I can get to said soul-sucking jobs.

So SORRY Mr. Never-Published-A-Book-in-His-Life if most people are a little too busy surviving late-stage capitalism to casually churn out a novel over their morning coffee.

[cranberry-queen]

*writes two paragraphs after months of literally nothing and it took three hours*