novaalexanderwrites

[novaalexanderwrites]

my 10 holy grail pieces of writing advice for beginners

from an indie author who's published 4 books and written 20+, as well as 400k in fanfiction (who is also a professional beta reader who encounters the same issues in my clients' books over and over)

show don't tell is every bit as important as they say it is, no matter how sick you are of hearing about it. "the floor shifted beneath her feet" hits harder than "she felt sick with shock."

no head hopping. if you want to change pov mid scene, put a scene break. you can change it multiple times in the same scene! just put a break so your readers know you've changed pov.

if you have to infodump, do it through dialogue instead of exposition. your reader will feel like they're learning alongside the character, and it will flow naturally into your story.

never open your book with an exposition dump. instead, your opening scene should drop into the heart of the action with little to no context. raise questions to the reader and sprinkle in the answers bit by bit. let your reader discover the context slowly instead of holding their hand from the start. trust your reader; donn't overexplain the details. this is how you create a perfect hook.

every chapter should end on a cliffhanger. doesn't have to be major, can be as simple as ending a chapter mid conversation and picking it up immediately on the next one. tease your reader and make them need to turn the page.

every scene should subvert the character's expectations, as big as a plot twist or as small as a conversation having a surprising outcome. scenes that meet the character's expectations, such as a boring supply run, should be summarized.

arrive late and leave early to every scene. if you're character's at a party, open with them mid conversation instead of describing how they got dressed, left their house, arrived at the party, (because those things don't subvert their expectations). and when you're done with the reason for the scene is there, i.e. an important conversation, end it. once you've shown what you needed to show, get out, instead of describing your character commuting home (because it doesn't subvert expectations!)

epithets are the devil. "the blond man smiled--" you've lost me. use their name. use it often. don't be afraid of it. the reader won't get tired of it. it will serve you far better than epithets, especially if you have two people of the same pronouns interacting.

your character should always be working towards a goal, internal or external (i.e learning to love themself/killing the villain.) try to establish that goal as soon as possible in the reader's mind. the goal can change, the goal can evolve. as long as the reader knows the character isn't floating aimlessly through the world around them with no agency and no desire. that gets boring fast.

plan scenes that you know you'll have fun writing, instead of scenes that might seem cool in your head but you know you'll loathe every second of. besides the fact that your top priority in writing should be writing for only yourself and having fun, if you're just dragging through a scene you really hate, the scene will suffer for it, and readers can tell. the scenes i get the most praise on are always the scenes i had the most fun writing. an ideal outline shouldn't have parts that make you groan to look at. you'll thank yourself later.

happy writing :)

[novaalexanderwrites]

tbh the #1 thing that has helped me write consistently is reframing things from 'showing up to do the work' to 'finding time to do a hobby i enjoy' because that's literally what it is.

for whatever reason a lot of writing culture is centred around the idea that writing is torturous and difficult and everyone despises doing it but is compelled to do it anyway and that's a) nonsensical and b) a self-fulfilling prophecy. most people write because they like writing -- there are aspects of it that are exhausting and stressful but the hyperfocus we place on them kills the joy of the rest. also there's this weird tendency to see the completely normal and mundane desire to write as some sort of divine compulsion external to the writer, which is a problem because it leads to people fighting against it. idk. reminding yourself you like writing isn't magically going to make it easy, but it does help. telling yourself over and over again that you hate writing will hurt.

[novaalexanderwrites]

Happy Holidays from me to you! This year's holiday has been a weird one for me, (some very good things happened and some very bad things happened in a very short span of time), but I'm still grateful for it. I hope you have a wonderful season and that you hold your loved ones close to you. 💖

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If you like this, please reblog (it really helps artists out!!), leave a like or comment (I love hearing your thoughts, it keeps me drawing), and follow me for more (I update at least once a week) 💖

Available for commissions! For more information, please check out my post here: https://www.tumblr.com/pinkartwitch/739257460225916928/novas-art-commissions

Come along with me to Ozelea, a world bursting with magic and drama! I'm building the world that these characters live in, and you can learn about it in Blood and Thorns: https://pinkchaosstories.tumblr.com/bloodandthorns

[novaalexanderwrites]

Show, don’t tell

"Show, don’t tell" means letting readers experience a story through actions, senses, and dialogue instead of outright explaining things. Here are some practical tips to achieve that:

1. Use Sensory Details

Tell: "The room was cold."

Show: "Her breath puffed in faint clouds, and she shivered as frost clung to the edges of the window."

Tell: "He was scared."

Show: "His hands trembled, and his heart thudded so loudly he was sure they could hear it too."

2. Focus on Actions

Tell: "She was angry."

Show: "She slammed the mug onto the counter, coffee sloshing over the rim as her jaw clenched."

Tell: "He was exhausted."

Show: "He stumbled through the door, collapsing onto the couch without even bothering to remove his shoes."

3. Use Dialogue

What characters say and how they say it can reveal their emotions, intentions, or traits.

Tell: "She was worried about the storm."

Show: "Do you think it'll reach us?" she asked, her voice tight, her fingers twisting the hem of her shirt.

4. Show Internal Conflict Through Thoughts or Reactions

Tell: "He was jealous of his friend."

Show: "As his friend held up the trophy, he forced a smile, swallowing the bitter lump rising in his throat."

5. Describe the Environment to Reflect Mood

Use the setting to mirror or hint at emotions or themes.

Tell: "The town was eerie."

Show: "Empty streets stretched into the mist, and the only sound was the faint creak of a weathered sign swinging in the wind."

6. Let Readers Infer Through Context

Give enough clues for the reader to piece things together without spelling it out.

Tell: "The man was a thief."

Show: "He moved through the crowd, fingers brushing pockets, his hand darting away with a glint of gold."

7. Use Subtext in Interactions

What’s left unsaid can reveal as much as what’s spoken.

Tell: "They were uncomfortable around each other."

Show: "He avoided her eyes, pretending to study the painting on the wall. She smoothed her dress for the third time, her fingers fumbling with the hem."

8. Compare to Relatable Experiences

Use metaphors, similes, or comparisons to make an emotion or situation vivid.

Tell: "The mountain was huge."

Show: "The mountain loomed above them, its peak disappearing into the clouds, as if it pierced the heavens."

Practice Example:

Tell: "The village had been destroyed by the fire."

Show: "Charred beams jutted from the rubble like broken ribs, the acrid smell of ash lingering in the air. A child's shoe lay half-buried in the soot, its leather curled from the heat."

[novaalexanderwrites]

[novaalexanderwrites]

Please, if you are a self-publishing author an indie author, learn the basics of book formatting.

Please.

The standards are in place for a reason. Margins are the size they are so that your thumb can rest comfortably on the sides of the book without blocking any text, and so you can read the text along the middle without tilting the book back and forth to see around the bend. Bleeds are so your margins don't get cut down too much when the text block is trimmed, you need them even if you don't have images in your book. Spaces between paragraphs are an internet convention and do not belong in books unless you are indicating a scene break.

Please. These rules aren't there to be mean. They are there for FUNCTIONALITY.

[novaalexanderwrites]

[novaalexanderwrites]

me: *writes fic*

me: great! time to post to ao3-

ao3 summary box: *exists*

me: 

ao3 summary box:

me:

ao3 summary box: 

me:

[novaalexanderwrites]

[novaalexanderwrites]

If you want to write as a job, you need to treat it like a job

Write even when you don't want to

[novaalexanderwrites]

[novaalexanderwrites]

Frigga, Rosalind, and I wish you all a very Happy Halloween and a Blessed Samhain to all my witches and bitches <3 I didn't do a lot for my favourite season this year due to some health struggles, but I still loved the crunchy leaves and candy and seeing all the cute things in shops. I got a little pink cauldron that I'm very excited about for my in-person events, which I have 2 coming up!💖

If you're in the Lower Mainland in BC, I have Creepmas coming up next Saturday, November 9, and Spark Animation on November 16th - for more info, see my post about it here: https://pinkartwitch.tumblr.com/post/765244866713321472/for-anyone-thats-in-the-area-of-vancouver-bc-i

⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you like this, please reblog (it really helps artists out!!), leave a like or comment (I love hearing your thoughts, it keeps me drawing), and follow me for more (I update at least once a week) 💖

Available for commissions! For more information, please check out my post here: https://www.tumblr.com/pinkartwitch/739257460225916928/novas-art-commissions

Come along with me to Ozelea, a world bursting with magic and drama! I'm building the world that these characters live in, and you can learn about it in Blood and Thorns: https://pinkchaosstories.tumblr.com/bloodandthorns

Read The Novel on World Anvil Read the Webcomic on Tapas

[novaalexanderwrites]

So... I found this and now it keeps coming to mind. You hear about "life-changing writing advice" all the time and usually its really not—but honestly this is it man.

I'm going to try it.

[novaalexanderwrites]

PSA for fanfic writers

[novaalexanderwrites]

Happy National Day On Writing!

[novaalexanderwrites]

You know what I think its grossly under-rated in fandom? Second loves.

What it's like to love and lose and then love again. To suffer through either the death of a loved one or the death of a love you used to share. To know that loss, to know that hurt, and to still make yourself vulnerable to someone again. To love scared, to love wounded, to love anyway.

[novaalexanderwrites]

Blood and Thorns Short Story "Negotiations" now available to read!

Marcus and Rosalind are engaged! And while he has every hope things will go well, they still have a lot to plan and a major hurdle to leap, namely his father. Theodore seems neutral about his choice of partner, if not thrilled they are from the coven's suspicious Second Family, but will that last when the marital negotiations begin? And will Rosalind allow their future father-in-law to bully them into getting his way, or will they stand their ground?

(Story takes place after the events of Blood and Thorns and contains spoilers for it - read at your own risk!!)