sad-poets-club

[sad-poets-club]

helpful tips for writing

so a lot of nonnies have been asking me to help them by sharing my tips and a lil advice when it comes to writing, so here it is!

psa: i am not a professional writer. what works for me will not work for everyone. how i write, and how i express myself through a scene may be entirely different than what you do. that's ok, but i just wanted to share what works for me. enjoy!

feel free to reblog, add on to this or whatever. please read all the way through if you don't mind!

writing angst/emotional scenes

honestly, this was probably one of the hardest things to write. to be able to capture and properly project an emotion or feeling into a scene is something it took me a while to get used to.

something i do to help, is try to imagine myself in that scene. what the characters would he feeling, how they would express themselves/react to a certain phrase/action. maybe a description of the area around them. really try to set the mood for whatever feeling is being added into a scene.

i would also try to keep dialogue either very abrupt or rambly depending on what you're trying to convey. frantic cries or maybe soft mumbles that caused an abrupt pause in the room. either emotional numbness, deadpanning looks or even nervous, sobbing, and audibly upset conversations.

i would try to stray away from describing the room or the characters a lot. it's going to help place the setting and stabilize the emotional aspect, but you don't want it to stall the scene or make it feel scratchy in a way. you want it to flow, but have it be dramatic as well. it's all about finding a good balance.

fluffy/romantic scenes

everyone i know is a little bitch for cute and adorable scenes, so these fics are definitely very popular amongst fandoms of any kind.

fluffy concepts are cute, but have fun with it! no one wants to read the same "they smiled at eachother and fell asleep" bullshit everytime. make it unique! give your characters the soft moments in between the tickle fights and the playful banter.

romantic fics are so goddamn amazing. giving your stories a plot line and a dynamic between the characters is so important, i can't stress it enough. the vocabulary especially. express their feelings of pining and heartbreak through words that will strike a cord in the reader. make them feel what their feeling. write the hell of out of a scene if you feel that it's too important just to skim over. write a paragraph explaining the immense feeling of absolute dread having the reader see them with someone else. give them a rollercoaster ride.

if you're writing a fic that inevitably ends in heartbreak, foreshadowing is always great. at least warn the people before you go breaking their hearts. i guess this could also apply to the angst section, but just make it yours. make a scene that sticks with you and makes you feel like you're heart's breaking in half too. make it feel like their world is torn apart. or maybe don't. make it feel numb, nothing at all. express the absolute emptiness they feel afterwards and even during the scene. make it frantic, slow, fast, easy, quick; whatever fits the narrative you're working with.

series/multiple parts

god, slowburn is fucking amazing, but only if you do it right. when they're fast and rushing into it before they even know what they have together is also amazing. but only if you can play out the feelings and adrenaline rush correctly.

slowburn. it's a bitch but we all read it anyways, and here's why: it's the absolute pining and want and need for each other that we all crave in some way or another. the feeling of being so completely immersed in someone to the point of breaking and spilling everything you have into the open is such an amazing concept to write about.

so i would suggest to write the tension. make the reader feel the air between them lighting up but never feeling like you can do anything about it. make it feel almost hopeless in a way. write the frustration and the anger in their movements. the built up pension coursing through their bodies; make it feel like as though it's a half of their heart missing and they need it because they've never had it before.

rushing into things. young love, i'm pretty sure? completely disregarding everything just to be with that one person, over everything else. feeling on top of the world before they even know what the world is. it's a beautiful peace of life, and also very heartbreaking.

most in-real-life instances such as these often end in heartbreak and dispair, a tragic loss of a flame that burned out too soon. writing this is very interesting, only because the initial spark of meeting is the stressing point.

the electricity that sparked their hearts and chest into overdrive from a simple touch burned into their heads that they were in love. the rush and adrenaline ride of the high was the best part. then they crash and burn.

its an interesting dynamic and its one a lot of writers spin in their own way. if you wanna make it last though, find a different starting point along the way. maybe a young, gracious warmth fluttered through their chests, or maybe it was nothing but a smile that absolutely melted your thought process.

beating writers block

honestly, i've never found a single thing in this whole world that always gets me out of my writers block. it's never easy, and it's always different things that provoke it.

sometimes i'll just take an off day for myself, and i'll completely detach myself from the writing. i wont think about it, i wont talk about it, and i wont even open my laptop to look at it.

i'll do a spa day, i'll get my nails done, put on a facemask and watch stupid lesbian romcoms all day. the choice is yours, really.

and i'll read. god i'll read a lot. when i read beautiful work, especially poems, i instantly feel a pulling in my chest to do the same thing, so that maybe i can make someone else feel as inspired as i am right now. it's an amazing feeling, and if you don't do this i would highly recommend it.

sometimes i'll watch the movies/tv shows i'm writing about, depending on your fandom or whatever. i'll look for new concepts, little details to explore and that often helps me find tranquility in my work.

i eat, cook, and sleep a lot during these times. i mostly write at night, so being able to have a nine hour night of sleep is quite the shocker to wake up too. i feel refreshed, and often times it helps me as a boost to my creativity.

all in all, i would try to find whatever works for you. it's important that you realize not everything that i do will work, or even help ypu in the slightest, and vice versa.

take care of yourselves, and happy writing y'all!

[sad-poets-club]

the suffering never ends

[sad-poets-club]

*SQUEALING*

Just marathoned these two and OH MY GOD AND GODDESS I am putting this series up there on my love list along side the From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout and anything Sarah J Mass. If you haven't read yet...I HIGHLY recommend. I cannot wait for the third book. 2021 is delivering on all three faves 😍

A Hades and Persephone retelling

Disclamer: whilst none of my favourites are PERFECT I embrace flaws and imperfections and love the shit out of them anyway. Perfection is impossible and overrated 😘

[sad-poets-club]

A Friend- Eris

I have a friend

Who I've known for years

She doesn't like hugs

Never has

But she gives them to me

If I nicely ask

She feels like safety

Something new and rare

As is knowing if I needed her

She'd always be there

She hates the nickname I gave her

Her mom told me

But if anyone points it out

She says its okay for only me

I never knew what home was

Or the feeling of safety

Or comfort

Or somewhere I belong

But if I had to chose a place

Somewhere I felt safe from harm

I'd forgo any building

And say my home is in her arms

[sad-poets-club]

Good stuff.

[sad-poets-club]

So I did a thing

I got wattpad again. And I have a poetry collection on there.

[sad-poets-club]

Unnoticed- Eris

Its sad that it goes unnoticed. Until its far to late, and they'll come to regret it

Your eyes have lost the light I used to know, and your smile is no longer for joy, just for show.

And I lack the words to say, but I still try anyway

Because no one tried with me, just played the victim and made me feel guilty.

You can't give the world your all, and ask nothing in return.

For soon you'll have nothing left, and they won't take their turn.

Sometime you must put yourself above, treat yourself with love.

Because if you give yourself no love the same will be done by everyone.

You're running yourself raw, trying to please them all, and they won't help you, even when you fall.

[sad-poets-club]

Maybe you are the exception to my sadly found truth.

Maybe love really does exist, as the cruel gods form of ruth.

-a small piece of an old poem, I re-worded to a really cool quote.

[sad-poets-club]

My best friend always said they dreamed of becoming a great hero, like the ones you hear about in stories. But they knew that it wasn’t something you could seek out, it had to be thrust upon you. Well, after years of villainous plotting, I’m ready to make my best friend’s dreams come true.

[sad-poets-club]

Hey boys, hit that like button if you think that falling in love with your rival is,,, kinda hot.

[sad-poets-club]

Why I Write Things:

the ever-persistent need to escape the burden of existing on the physical plane

my high school lit teacher really liked my essays and i’m still chasing the high of getting praised in class every week

words pretty

…that’s it, really

[sad-poets-club]

I'm new to the whole writing OCs thing. Do you have any tips on coming up with good names?

lmao I am SO bad at names. I’m probably not the best person to ask, but I do have some suggestions!

I literally use name generators half the time. Here are the ones I use most often:

https://www.behindthename.com/random/ (realistic names)

https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/ (realistic names, unrealistic names, fandom OC names) <-- My favorite!

https://www.name-generator.org.uk/character/ (when you want your name to have certain parameters like length or starting with certain letters)

The classic https://www.babynames.com/

Misc resources/advice that might also help

https://www.vulgarlang.com/ (a VERY detailed fantasy language generator. Great for developing conlangs but also great for determining how names should sound in their conlang)

https://www.etymonline.com/ (Etymology! Search up a word and take a look at how it evolved. Sometimes you can get a cool unique name out of a word)

Don’t forget to look into naming conventions if you’re using names from real cultures! The generators aren’t the best at non-European name structures (Fantasy Name Generators does the best out of these links, but please still do your research)

When in doubt about a name’s cultural sensitivity, check with @writingwithcolor

Come up with simple naming conventions for your unrealistic OCs that indicate region/hierarchy/etc (ex: Names with soft consonants like R and N vs harder ones like K or T)

If you want a name that means a certain thing, you can always search “names that mean ___” and see what comes up

If you don’t want a name that’s super on the nose but still inspired by a word or phrase, you can mix around the letters until you get what you want. My favorite way to do this is by taking the vowels out of a word and adding new ones in (obviously works better with unrealistic names, but also great for location names in general)

There’s no harm in putting a placeholder name and coming back to it later

Anyways, hope this helps!

[sad-poets-club]

Yes, I am in love with both Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. No, I couldn't just 'choose one', what do you mean? Yes, I am indeed terribly bisexual and an absolutely dumb-dumb for period dramas, strong females and sad, soft bois.

[sad-poets-club]

The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller// The Creation of Adam - Michaelangelo// I Will - Mitski// Pride and Predjudice - Dir. Joe Wright (2005)// The Raven King - Maggie Steifvater

[sad-poets-club]

sometimes one is in the mood to watch pride and prejudice (2005) and yearn

[sad-poets-club]

ad-pot-club

spell your username without using the letters in your name

mine is ptipi

[sad-poets-club]

if any of yall are interested in poetry and learning how to read, analyse, and appreciate a poem, check out this free course by the University of York that goes in-depth about reading poetry! i’m taking it now and it’s really good, 10/10 would recommend to anyone who is even a little bit interested in poetry