m-r-levine

[m-r-levine]

What to Give a Sh*t About While Editing Your Book

↳ Emotional Impact

Ask yourself: Do I actually feel something here? If a scene is technically “well-written” but emotionally flat, it’s dead weight. Your readers won’t remember your clever metaphors, but they’ll remember the way a quiet line of dialogue made their stomach drop. So yeah—give a sh*t about that.

↳ Character Motivation That Actually Makes Sense

If your characters are making decisions just because the plot needs them to… we’ve got a problem. In edits, zoom in on their choices. Are they acting like real, flawed, complex humans? Or puppets? Edit until their actions make you nod and go, “Yep. That’s exactly what that little disaster would do.”

↳ Cutting the “Almost Good” Stuff

This hurts, but it’s necessary. Some lines are nice. Pretty. Kind of smart. But if they’re not serving the story, they’ve got to go. Save them in a “kill darlings” file. Grieve if needed. But don’t let “kinda good” block the greatness trying to come through.

↳ Scene Purpose

Every scene needs to earn its place like it’s paying rent. Does it move the plot? Deepen character? Build tension? Ideally, two out of three. If the answer is “it’s vibes,” that might work for a paragraph—but not for 3,000 words. Cut. Condense. Clarify. Your future reader will thank you.

↳ Pacing That Doesn’t Bore People to Death

Look, I love a moody slow burn too. But if your story crawls for 50 pages without conflict, tension, or curiosity—your reader will ghost you. Read your scenes out loud. If you’re zoning out? So will they. Tighten that sh*t up.

↳ Dialogue That Sounds Like Real People (and Not AI)

If your characters sound like they're reading from a very polite script, it’s time to rewrite. Interruptions, unfinished thoughts, weird little phrases—those are gold. Make it messy. Make it sound like how people actually talk when they’re nervous, angry, or halfway in love and lying about it.

↳ Themes You Accidentally Nailed (and Can Now Strengthen)

Themes tend to sneak in while you’re drafting. During edits? Time to spotlight them. Don’t slap it on with a neon sign—but do lean into the emotional throughline you already created. It’s probably smarter and more beautiful than you gave yourself credit for.

↳ Your Voice

Don’t edit your weird out. Editing is for clarity, not sanding down your style until it sounds like generic internet writing. Keep the voicey bits. The odd metaphors. The lines that sound exactly like you. That’s what readers fall in love with—not perfection.

↳ Trusting That You’ll Need Multiple Rounds

This isn’t one-and-done. Your second draft will suck differently than your first. Your third might suck less, but still suck. That’s fine. It’s part of the process. What matters is that each time, it gets sharper, truer, and more you.

↳ Not Quitting Halfway Through Just Because It’s Hard

Editing is hard. But you’ve already done the impossible: you wrote a damn book. That’s massive. Now you’re just sculpting it. Don’t give up because it’s messy. Don’t panic because it’s not “there” yet. Keep showing up. Even if it’s just one scene at a time. Even if you’re crying into your tea. Especially then.

[m-r-levine]

Lust, Love, and the Sweet, Sweet Burn: Writing Romance That Makes Readers Feel

Let’s talk romance—specifically the kind that makes readers scream into pillows, clutch their chests, and whisper “just kiss already” at the page. Whether you're a seasoned romance author or just dipping your toes into the love pool, there's one golden truth to remember: good romance is about *tension*. And tension lives in the delicious space between lust and love.

First Comes Lust…

Lust is that electric charge between characters. It’s the stolen glances, the way one of them notices the other's hands or voice or the way they lean in a little too close when they talk. Lust is immediate. It’s instinctual. And let’s be honest, it’s fun as hell to write.

But if you stop there—if all your characters do is pine and make out and pine some more—you risk making it all surface-level. Lust is the spark, but it’s not the whole fire.

Then Comes Love (Eventually)

Love, real love, is slower. It’s about trust, vulnerability, and seeing the other person fully—flaws, baggage, weird hobbies and all—and still leaning in. It happens in the quiet moments: making tea for someone who's had a bad day, remembering how they take their coffee, watching them geek out about something they care about. That’s where readers fall with your characters.

The magic is in the shift—when your characters go from “I want to kiss you until my brain falls out” to “I’d burn the world down if it meant keeping you safe.” It doesn’t happen all at once. And that’s where the slow burn comes in.

Ah, the Slow Burn: Delicious Torture

Slow burn romance is a masterclass in delayed gratification. It's all about restraint. You’re letting readers live in the tension—the almost-touches, the lingering stares, the confessions that never quite happen. And every time the characters get this close to admitting their feelings or acting on them and then don’t? Readers get more hooked.

But here’s the key: something has to be progressing. Slow burn doesn’t mean nothing happens. It means everything matters. 

Every moment builds the foundation. Every emotional beat gets us one step closer to that glorious payoff.

Think of it like cooking over a low flame. You’re letting the flavors deepen. So when the first kiss finally lands? It’s earned. It’s fireworks. It matters.

Tips for Writing a Killer Slow Burn

- Give them obstacles. Emotional baggage, clashing goals, external threats—give your characters legit reasons not to jump into bed right away.

- Let them see each other. Intimacy isn’t just physical. Let your characters learn each other’s fears, dreams, scars.

- Build micro-tension. Hands grazing. One of them patching the other up after a fight. A joke that turns into a confession. Let every small moment do work.

- Make the payoff worth it. When they finally get together—make it satisfying. Let it feel like the culmination of everything they’ve been through.

Don’t Just Make Them Hot—Make Them Real

It’s easy to write about two people who are attracted to each other. What’s harder—and infinitely more rewarding—is writing two people who choose each other. Who grow, change, fight, make up, and fall deeper the whole time.

So go ahead. Light the match. Let them burn slowly. And when your readers are begging for that kiss? That’s how you know you’ve done it right.

[m-r-levine]

hello writers.

[m-r-levine]

We don’t talk enough about how fanfiction writers love to give character large amounts of non-specific paperwork they hate doing

[m-r-levine]

Don't wait to write. Just start.

Don’t wait until your idea feels “good enough” to start writing. There is no such this as the perfect idea, or the perfect time.

The best stories often begin as messy, uncertain thoughts. Just a note in the margin of a notebook.

Start before you’re ready. The process of writing is how you figure out what you’re really trying to say. Clarity comes through the process, not before it.

[m-r-levine]

people might think creating OC lore involves a lot of thinking & planning, but in my personal experience, OC development is more like a divine vision from a god slamming you over the head with a mallet while ur doing the fuckin dishes or folding laundry

[m-r-levine]

“how did you get into writing” girl nobody gets into writing. writing shows up one day at your door and gets into you

[m-r-levine]

when u come up with a tiny change for your story that not only makes the writing flow better but also hammers in the character motivations and story theme

[m-r-levine]

Speed writing isn't all it's cracked up to be

"It doesn't matter if it's messy, it matters if it's written." "You can't edit a blank page." If you're like me, these kinds of sayings are everywhere in the writing community, encouraging you to let your writing 'suck' for the sake of getting something on the page. Speed drafting and word sprints are all the rage.

I get that mentality. I do. I just came back from a multi-year hiatus, and back then, I was known on Tumblr and writing circles for speed-writing. I regularly won word wars by a huge margin. But I've recently gained a new appreciation for slow writing sessions.

The work that I drafted during those word wars? It was also riddled with typos, and errors, and it wasn't my best work. There were occasionally good lines, and it wasn't necessarily bad writing, but there was a lot to clean up after the fact. The time I saved in drafting usually came right back around in editing.

Now, I sit down after work, or on the train, and write 200 or 300 words, carefully selected over the course of ten minutes. It's slower. But it's more deliberate. I let myself edit and tweak prose, and I feel happier with the end quality of the work.

To be honest, from the novel start to the final draft, I don't think that either writing style truly saves any time. Sometimes it's okay to agonize over a sentence for a few minutes. You don't have to rush past it for the sake of getting more words down. The mentality matters more to me; if you speed draft, but can't look at how 'messy' it is without getting discouraged, then speed drafting isn't for you. And if you're getting caught up on each sentence until you feel that it's completely perfect, then yeah, maybe you need to give a speed challenge a try.

But don't feel bad for taking time to be deliberate. It pays off sometimes too.

[m-r-levine]

I haven’t had bandwidth for original fiction lately, but I will always be a writer and I will always be lurking in writing spaces. So in the event you’re looking fir me outside tumblr, I have a bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/m-r-levine.bsky.social (more current events than writing right now for obvious reasons) but if you want to connect on Discord or signal, just drop me a DM.

[m-r-levine]

Writing Notes: Plot Method

The Save the Cat! Beat Sheet was originally developed by Blake Snyder to help screenwriters plot movies, but it works just as well with novels.

It breaks down the 3-act structure into small, specific sections (sometimes just one scene long).

Each section pushes your story forward in its own way.

The exact word count/page count of each section depends on how long your novel is and what type of story you’re telling, but you can use the colored chart below and the percentages in the instructions as a guide. 

Context Note: This method is based on the concept of the Three Act Structure, which is an inherently Western approach to plot. It can be a useful way to tell a story, but it is by no means the only one.

ACT 1

Opening Image (0-1%)

Show a “before” snapshot of your protagonist and their world.

What is life like before the adventure begins?

It represents the struggle & tone of the story.

Set-up (1-10%)

Expand on the “before” snapshot.

Explore your protagonist’s life, including the internal flaws and external challenges they’ll have to overcome in order to change for the better by the end of the story.

Present the main character’s world as it is, and what is missing in their life.

Also introduce important supporting characters.

Theme Stated (happens during the Set-up)

What your story is about; the message, the truth.

Usually, it is spoken to the main character or in their presence, but they don’t understand the truth/lesson…not until later, when they have some personal experience and context to support it.

Thus, include a scene where a character says something that hints at what the protagonist’s big life lesson will be - how they’ll have to change and grow by the end of the story.

Catalyst (10%)

The moment where life as it is changes.

Examples: It is the telegram, the act of catching your loved-one cheating, allowing a monster onboard the ship, meeting the true love of your life, etc.

There’s no going back to the “before” world from here… What is the inciting incident that pushes the protagonist into the next phase of the story?

Debate (11-20%)

But change is scary and for a moment, or a brief number of moments, the main character doubts the journey they must take.

Show the protagonist questioning themselves and resisting the path ahead - wondering whether they have what it takes, or whether or they should just run home and hide under the bed.

“Should I just…?” “I really shouldn’t because…” “But what about…” Can I face this challenge? Do I have what it takes? Should I go at all?

It is the last chance for the hero to chicken out.

ACT 2

Break Into 2 (20%; Choosing Act Two)

The main character makes a choice and the journey begins.

We leave the “Thesis” world and enter the upside-down, opposite world of Act 2.

They make the choice to begin their adventure/transformation/journey/new thing.

Show your protagonist deciding to plunge into Act 2.

The Promise of the Premise (21-50%)

This is when the reader thinks “Ah, now we’re getting to the good stuff they hinted at on the back cover of this book!”

It’s also one of the longest sections in your book.

Show your protagonist getting used to their new world - loving it, hating it, making mistakes or doing well, meeting new people (see more below) and keeping the reader entertained.

This is when the main character explores the new world and the audience is entertained by the premise they have been promised.

B Story (happens during The Promise of the Premise)

This is when there’s a discussion about the Theme – the nugget of truth.

Usually, this discussion is between the main character and the love interest.

So, the B Story is usually called the “love story”.

Introduce a new character or characters who will eventually help the protagonist learn their life lesson.

Friends? Mentors? Love interests? Nemeses (nemesi?)? Who are they? How will they help?

Midpoint (50%)

This moment is when everything seems “great” or everything seems “awful,” depending on your story.

The main character either gets everything they think they want (“great”) or doesn’t get what they think they want at all (“awful”).

Either the Fun and Games section has lead to a false victory for your protagonist (they think they’ve been doing great so far) or a false defeat (they’ve been having a hard time so far).

What happens in this moment, halfway between beginning and end?

But not everything we think we want is what we actually need in the end.

Bad Guys Close In (51-75%)

Get ready for a bumpy ride. If your Midpoint was a false victory, now things start to go wrong for your protagonist.

If the Midpoint was a false defeat, well, things seem to be looking up, but the bad guys are getting closer and will have something to say.

Note: Bad guys can be actual physical enemies, but they can also be emotional enemies, like doubt or jealousy or fear.

Doubt, jealousy, fear, foes both physical and emotional regroup to defeat the main character’s goal, and the main character’s “great”/“awful” situation disintegrates.

Show the protagonist’s newly-built world beginning to unravel.

This will also be one of the longer sections in your novel.

All is Lost (75%)

This is when something happens to make your character hit rock bottom.

It’s the absolute lowest part of your novel.

Maybe someone or something dies (either literally or figuratively).

The initial goal now looks even more impossible than before. And here, something or someone dies.

It can be physical or emotional, but the death of something old makes way for something new to be born.

What does this moment look like for your protagonist?

Dark Night of the Soul (76-80%)

Your protagonist now has time to react to their “All is lost” moment, to mourn what they lost and wallow in hopelessness.

They’re worse off than they were at the beginning of the novel.

Show how low things have gotten.

Mourning the loss of what has “died” – the dream, the goal, the mentor character, the love of your life, etc.

But, you must fall completely before you can pick yourself back up and try again.

ACT 3

Break Into 3 (80%; Choosing Act Three)

The “aha!” moment; the “lift yourself up and try again” moment.

Show the protagonist realizing what they need to do in order to tackle their problems, both external and internal.

Thanks to a fresh idea, new inspiration, or last-minute Thematic advice from the B Story (usually the love interest), the main character chooses to try again.

Finale (81-99%)

The protagonist does what they decided to do in the Break Intro 3 beat, and (because of all the learning/growing they’ve done and the support or insight from the B Story), their plan works.

This time around, the main character incorporates the Theme – the nugget of truth that now makes sense to them – into their fight for the goal because they have experience from the A Story and context from the B Story.

The Bad Guys are defeated, the world is changed for the better.

What are the battles? How will the protagonist triumph (or not)?

This is another longer section, so you’ve got the space to make things dramatic and intense.

Act Three is about Synthesis.

Final Image (99-100%)

This is the opposite of the Opening Image, the “after” snapshot instead of the “before.”

Show the reader how the protagonist and their world have changed.

THE END

Sources: 1 2 ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[m-r-levine]

whenever i consume too much content on writing and i feel like everything i do is wrong, i just pick up any book and read. just reading the words brings me back down to earth and reminds me that good writing isn’t impossible. sometimes i just have to trust myself.

[m-r-levine]

Writing blessing

May your creativity never get lost and the words flow easy May your health be stable and give you no troubles  May your troubles be small and the joy big May the fire of creativity burn in you strongly the waters of speech make you eloquent the earth of the now keep you grounded so you can have your heads up in the air of dreams. May happiness and joy be with you and pain only be small when it finds you May you be a beacon of hopeful and inspiring light in these dark times May you find peace and freedom in what you do and people who support you the way you are. May you be loved and feel how valuable you are  

[m-r-levine]

[m-r-levine]

If your plot feels flat, STUDY it! Your story might be lacking...

Stakes - What would happen if the protagonist failed? Would it really be such a bad thing if it happened?

Thematic relevance - Do the events of the story speak to a greater emotional or moral message? Is the conflict resolved in a way that befits the theme?

Urgency - How much time does the protagonist have to complete their goal? Are there multiple factors complicating the situation?

Drive - What motivates the protagonist? Are they an active player in the story, or are they repeatedly getting pushed around by external forces? Could you swap them out for a different character with no impact on the plot? On the flip side, do the other characters have sensible motivations of their own?

Yield - Is there foreshadowing? Do the protagonist's choices have unforeseen consequences down the road? Do they use knowledge or clues from the beginning, to help them in the end? Do they learn things about the other characters that weren't immediately obvious?

[m-r-levine]

sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

[m-r-levine]

Oof. So uh that’s a long list. Looks like 27 28*… unless I’m forgetting stuff. Brain move too fast for typing. WIPs perpetually spawning plotbunnies. Piles of outlines, some of which are probably too ambitious to be one book.

Send help.

*ETA: 28, I forgot one of the side fics

Dark Tapestry world (original):

Spun Shadows (Keris story 2, leveling up with the Trinae and weathering a major civil disturbance in Libertalia. B-plots involving conflict of duty and yearning for companionship despite all the dangers that entails)

Threadcutter (Sy story in his alias as Finn Chieragh. The gods are not as dead as we thought and they are making that everyone’s problem. Keris is enthralled by a possessed blade and Rokoval’s efforts to divide her from it are less than completely successful. Sy and Rokoval’s rivalry blossoms into full-on hatred, but they are forced to work together to keep the godbotherers and abominations in check. Battle of Xiphos)

Dark Tides (Urg’tak origin story, alternate “start” line overlapping Darkly Woven/ Keris 1. Piracy in a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting with queer protagonists, cultural conflict, political power struggles, and what do you do when you fall in love with someone who forgets you every time they get knocked unconscious yet fate keeps crossing your threads anyway?)

Unspoken (Keris story number??? In which she now leads the Trinae. Cieron was lost on pilgrimage centuries ago, but strangers with magic beyond anything known since before the Rending show up at the Xiphos gates to return his personal effects and beg the Trinae to mediate ongoing faction struggles in their home country. Bonus round, lost city under the sands rumored to hold an ever-dying god and the secret of true immortality somewhere behind the ranks of lots and lots of revenants B plot forbidden romance with her oggish second-in-command which really wants to a series of graphic novels where the plot priorities reverse and escalate to PWP )

Binding Darkness (Keris story for when the conflict of duty and longing eventually win - but her curse won’t let her pass on. Minx and Rokoval discover her and each blame each other when they realize she is a haunt and no longer a tangible living person. Their dispute eventually brings the situation to Sy’s knowledge, and he tracks down her remains, determined to unravel the pattern he blames himself for. Polyamorous disaster beans. Came Back Wrong. Discovering the roots of the long torrid drama. No matter how far you go there you are.)

Seeds (Keris pre-Rending, wildly unprintable og/elf shenanigans. Main plot is oggish struggle for independence and self-determination against the backdrop of a centuries-long war between the major moonborn powers. B plots involve polyamorous attraction crossing cultural boundaries and challenging assumed power diferencial and also Magical Science)

Just A Little Taste (late-era supporting character Chrysoprase and sude character Baarca go on an adventure and fall in lust then accidentally take on an elder dragon who collects mortals like a “rescue” animal hoarder and spark an international incident)

Wager (short story, Keris x Minx origins, delightfully toxic stabby!bard/warriormage femmeslash. Potential to expand into novel concept Bright Thread)

Lesson (graphic novel series, kinky PWP, late era Keris alias shenanigans with new playmates learning their prejudice and bias must die for them to find fulfilling roles in life and their relationships)

Honorable Burden (late era supporting character Chrysopraze runs away from home and is captured to be sold at a private market in the City of Mirrors. The first bidder is a decorated Indigo Faction captain who was invited for politics and manners and to perhaps buy servants or gladiators, not the prize jewel. When his money is politely refused, he massacres the auctioneers and audience and takes her by force. They flee to Libertalia, hiding under assumed names while they both try to figure out what comes next. Fake dating trope with extra peril and kink)

Dark Fairytales

Obsidian Slipper (novella, genderqueered cinderella type)

Exile Cycle (wondertale, origin story for the first king of the exiled moonborn and just-so stories surrounding the Quatrain Festival)

Near Earth fantasy

Malados (Sequel to La Mala Suerte, Teca follows the mad demon hunter Vishan West™️ even though he is profoundly unwell after the event of book 1. Shenanigans ensue. Angst with only one bed, shared peril, enemies to lovers to enemies to friends)

Golden Sails (outlined novel, Man of Science Aiden Ó Faoláin signs on to an expedition for the Royal Academy and en route to the place they’re studying his ship is captured and survivors held ransom by Khalif Isidoros Reis. His ransom is set so high the crown mistakes him for someone Important™️ in disguise and sends Admiral Diana Seshat Attebury to steal him back. Shenanigans ensue.)

Well Met (short story, pre-LMS, a young Dan Seward struggling with his crush on Eleanor Knight and realizing it’s both much more than a crush and it’s hopeless)

And then there’s the @studiorat fics

King of Shadows (LoZ, pre-Twlight. Novella.) currently fleshing out the rough draft into chapter 4 of 8. Mature but clean Zelgan)

Spirit Winds (LoZ, pre-Twilight, falls between Flower of Twilight and King of Shadows. Zelda seeks their Name in the Geld’o tradition and comes out the other side of the Trials a true sovereign)

Sun’s Heart (LoZ, pre-Twilight, collab novella with @folodu set after Cruelty of Gods and concurrent with the Twilight Princess canonical execution. Gerudo delegation comes to claim the body of their king before Hyruke can burn it and the newly-elevated Sun’s Heart Nabooru gets drunk and falls into bed with Zelda. Chaos ensues, decades of intrigue come to boil, and in the middle of it the Arbiters attempt to invoke the judgment of the gods on the real Ganondorf. Currently rewriting chapter 12. Mature but clean.)

Day Arising (LoZ, OoT/Majora alternate timeline. Novel currently developing the second of five acts . Intended to be a novella and we see how well that went. Angsty and complicated with exceptionally raunchy kinky bits integral to the developing relationship and the meta-plot of the Sins series. Polyamorous Gan/OCs with a heavy side of starcrossed GanLink)

Brief Minutes Tell (LoZ, post BotW AU based on the TotK trailer and going in a wildly different direction. Clean but dark and experimental triforce trio novella. Roughly halfway into the outlined plot, i don’t know why i can’t convert it to words.)

East Wind (LoZ, OoT/Majora. Smutty GanLink PWP developed complex military and political intrigue and in Act 4 veers into a dysfunctional but ultimately intriguing trio dynamic. Rewriting the early portion of the act while still aiming for the same core beats later. This is a trilogy length drama in a queer and tragic hat)

Shade of My Enemy (LoZ Twilight Princess era graphic novel AND prose adaptation because I am ridiculous. Mature and dark but clean gothic canon-compatible Zelgan with potential for post-canon trio)

To Draw New Mischief On (LoZ OoT/Majora. Rated for violence and dark themes. Capstone accidentally epic novel for the Branches and Fate cycle. Platonic Link & Ganondorf: the hero stole the destined prince of darkness from the birthing room and hid both him and his magic from the whole world.m, hoping to save everyone this time. This mostly works… right up until he meets Zelda and she refuses to trust him unless he brings her the kokiri emerald, which sets Destiny in motion again. Polyamorous with a side of Zelgan, but the romantic elements are C plot at best.)

Monstrous Depravity (LoZ, Twilight Princess) A canon-compatible smutty AU of SoME. A side project started with the explicit intent of torturing my cast until they give me words again for their main projects damnit. Currently converting outline to prose in chapter 12 of 20 but I have 20 finished and 19 almost finished because my brain is just not accepting linear storytelling right now for Reasons which no doubt contributed to us being in this place to begin with. Zelgan focused polyamorous orgy with Size difference, monsterfucking, extended RACK play, angst and drop and suicidal ideation, hurt/comfort, persuasion, sex drugs, temporary character death, love confessions, like… the kitchen sink would be in there if I find a way to shoehorn it

Fall Eternal (OFMD fix-it Izzy oneshot)

Unnamed Voltron fixit I have no business still prodding at the outline for

Garden (LoZ, Twilight Princess, SoME-compliant) Another collab with @folodu , loosely sequel to Entanglements. Zelgan PWP though the “plot” in question is rather small and almost domestic, overlapping with and expanding on the relationship arcs in SoME

Foreman to a Hero (LoZ, spinoff of Mischief) Follows a minor side character who works for Link in his guise as an architect and follows him is small, slice-of-life moments traveling in tandem with the events of Mischief. Teen at most for dark themes and swearing

How many writing projects do you have?

(If anything, I don't just mean ideas, I mean full-blown projects-when you already have a plot, have characters, and just need to finalize the details and write the whole thing.)

I'll go first. I have 22 projects at the moment, one of which I'm very actively working on.