#Advice for writers

[adviceformefromme]

Stop pressing your face against the glass window of your dreams, and be the woman that steps into the store and can buy whatever the fuck she wants. That’s the power you hold when you align with the life God has destined for you. It's that simple. Give yourself permission. Start walking, talking and acting like the woman who walks confidently into the store...Not the dreamer on the outside, not the one wishing and hoping as she walks away in disbelief. Don’t be her. Be YOU, who YOU were called to be.

[enlightenedfeline]

How to navigate researching things for your writing:

Research can be hard and you can often get swept away and forget what you were even looking for in the first place, in this post I'll share the process I like to use when I need to research something for my writing.

First off I'll start this post by saying that I am as unmotivated as someone can get when it comes to doing research for writing, and as a crime writer I need to research a lot of things.

1- A good start is always to narrow it down to exactly what you want to research, make your questions as specific as possible so you don't fall down a rabbit hole of looking at unnecessary information just to find what you want.

2- If you can't narrow it down or aren't sure specifically what you're looking for, do the opposite of what I stated above, make your question as short and general as possible, so you can get all the possible answers, and when you find the one that relates most closely to the topic you actually wanna research, use the information in it to create a very specific question.

3- Use the FUCK out of reddit, and quora too, although I find that as a crime writer, most of the sketchy information I actually want is on reddit and not anywhere else. Your answer probably isn't on google, especially not now that they're relying on AI, another good website for more history related stuff is ofc the infamous Wikipedia, but I personally haven't had to use it often. But seriously, Reddit, read all the relevant posts you can find because you will probably find the answer you want, and if you don't, asking the question yourself is always an option.

4- Interest and curiousity is good, but it won't help you if you're in the middle of a scene and get carried away. Ground yourself, find what you want and get out, if you read something and you're interested in knowing more, please just bookmark the tab and get back to your scene with your newfound answer.

5- Images are very very helpful in research, especially when describing weapons, just find yourself a labeled image on google and go crazy! Same thing applies to human anatomy, either images or visualizations work when you need them.

6- Sometimes, for more complex topics, you will not find one straight answer, not on reddit, quora, wikipedia, nowhere. You will need to put information together and fill in the gaps yourself, if you're in the middle of writing a scene when this happens do not stop to put the information together! Finish your scene with what information you have, correctness isn't important, set a time to do your research and put your answer together, and when you've finished that go back and edit the scene!

The final piece of advice I will leave you with is to just focus, as I just stated, correctness doesn't matter in the first draft of the scene, you can go back and fix it as many times as your little heart desires, but you absolutely cannot get back the flow you lost because you got distracted.

So focus, if you find what you need right away, great! If you don't, justs set time aside to do it later, what matters first and foremost is to get the information on the page and fix it later.

Maybe some of this advice will help, maybe it won't, either way, I hope this feline has enlightened you!

[eiraeths]

list of assorted verbs to use in writings

they’re sorted a-z at least

Abjure - to renounce, repudiate under oath; to avoid, shun

Abnegate - to deny oneself things; to reject; to renounce

Abrogate - cancel; deny; repeal

Accrue - to accumulate; gradually increase over time

Acost - to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way

Adulterate - render something poorer in quality by adding another substance

Adumbrate - to sketch out in a vague way

Aggrandize - increase power, status, or wealth of

Allotted - give or apportion (something) to someone as a share or task

Alludes - hint or refer to

Amalgamate - combine or unite

Amble - walk at a slow, relaxed pace

Anneal - allow metal or glass to cool before working with so it won’t be brittle

Assailed - make a concerted or violent attack on

Attenuate - reduce the force, effect, or value of; reduce in thickness; make thin

Augment - increase

Augur - (of an event or circumstance) portend a good or bad outcome

Badger - pester

Balk - hesitate or refuse to accept an idea or undertaking

Bedizen - to ornament or dress in a showy or gaudy manner

Begets - to give rise to; bring about

Belabor - argue or elaborate a subject in extensive detail; attack or assault someone physically or verbally

Beleaguer - to cause constant or repeated trouble

Belie - fail to justify; contradict; conceal

Besmirch - damage of the reputation of someone or something in the opinion of others; to make dirty

Blather - talk long-windedly without making much sense

Bloviate - talk at length, especially in an inflated or empty way

Bode - be an omen of a particular outcome

Burgeon - to grow or develop quickly; flourish

Cajole - persuade someone to do something by persistent coaxing or flattery

Careen - to lurch or swerve while in motion, especially with minimal control

Carouse - engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking; to party

Chasten - to correct by punishment or reproof; to restrain or subdue

Chivvying - tell someone repeatedly to do someone, nag

Cicatrize - (with reference to a wound) heal by scar formation

Coarsen - to become rough or less polite

Codify - arrange into a systematic code; classify

Concatenate - link together

Connive - secretly allow something immoral to occur; conspire

Construe - interpret a word or action in a particular way

Coruscate - to give off bright flashes of light

Curtail - reduce in extent or quantity; restrict on

Defalcate - embezzle (funds with which one has been entrusted)

Dehisce - gape or burst open; in relation to fruit, seed, or open wound

Delve - reach inside a receptacle and search for something

Demarcate - set, mark, or draw the boundaries of something

Deride - to ridicule, laugh at with contempt

Descry - to catch sight of something distant

Desecrate - ruin something holy

Dissent - to disagree

Dither - to be indecisive; hesitant

Divine - discover something by guesswork or intuition

Dredges - clean out dirt from edges of a body of water

Drub - to defeat decisively

Educe – bring out or develop (something latent or potential).

Efface - erase from a surface, make oneself appear insignificant or inconspicuous

Emaciate - to make thin or feeble

Embroil - involve deeply in argument, conflict, or different situation

Emulate - match or surpass a person, typically by imitation

Ensconce - establish or settle someone or something in a safe comfortable place

Entreat - ask someone earnestly or anxiously to do something

Err - to be mistaken or incorrect; make a mistake; misbehave

Espoused - to take up and support as a cause; become attached to

Espy - to catch sight of

Estivate - spend a hot or dry period in a stage of prolonged torpor or dormancy

Etherize - anesthetize a person or animal with ether

Evince - to show or demonstrate clearly; manifest; reveal the presence of (a quality or feeling)

Expiate - to make amends; make up for; to avert

Exude - give off/ooze; of a person display an emotion or quality openly and strongly

Feint - to make deceptive movement; to make a pretense of

Foment - instigate or stir up an undesirable or violent sentiment or course of action or rebellion; to apply warm liquids to, to warm

Forfend - relating to some kind of real or pretended danger or other unpleasantness; ward off; (heaven forbid/forfend)

Galvanize - to startle into sudden activity

Garnered - gather or collect, especially information or approval

Glean - to collect bit by bit; to gather with patient labor

Hegemonize - subject a population, region, process, etc, to a dominant political or social power

Imbibe - to drink; to take in, absorb

Impel - drive, urge, or force someone to do something

Impinge - having effect or impact, typically negative

Impugn - dispute to truth, validity, or honesty of a statement

Inculcate - instill an idea or habit by persistent instruction

Indemnify - compensate for damage or loss

Indite - to write; to compose

Ingratiate - to make oneself agreeable and thus gain favor or acceptance by others (can be critical or derogatory)

Inundate - overwhelm (someone) with things or people to deal with; flood

Inveigh - to make a violent attack in words, express strong disapproval

Jettison - to cast overboard, to get rid of as unnecessary or burdensome

Jip - cheat or swindle someone

Kowtow - act in an excessively subservient manner

Lambaste - criticize harshly; to assault

Languish - lose or lack vitality; grow weak

Lionize - give public attention and praise to; celebrate someone as if they’re a celebrity

Mar - impair the appearance of; disfigure; spoil

Masquerade - pretend to be someone one is not

Mollify - appease the anger or anxiety of someone

Muddle - bring into a disordered or confusing state

Natter - talk casually, especially about unimportant matters

Occlude - to close, shut, or block

Opine - hold and state one’s opinion

Oust - drive out or expel someone or something from a position of power

Palpate - to examine through touch

Patter - make a repeated light tapping sound

Percolate - filter gradually

Perforate - pierce and make a hole or holes in

Pernoctate - stay up or out all night; pass the night somewhere

Peruse - to read thoroughly and carefully

Plod - walk doggedly and slowly with heavy steps

Prattle - talk at length in a foolish or inconsequential way

Prevaricate - to lie or deviate from the truth

Proffer - hold out something to someone for acceptance; offer

Prognosticate - to predict or foretell a future event

Promulgate - to make an idea, belief, etc, known to many people by open declaration; proclaim

Purloin - to steal (typically used in a humorous way to show the theft was not serious)

Purport - appear or claim to be something, especially falsely

Rankle - get under someone’s skin

Reck - heed to something

Recogitate - to think over again

Reify - make something abstract more tangible and real

Rend - tear (something) into two or more pieces

Renege - to fail to carry out a promise or commitment; to renounce, disown

Repress - subdue someone or something by force

Revile - to attack with abusive language; to call insulting names

Roister - to enjoy oneself or celebrate in a noisy way

Romp - to move in a lively manner

Roust - to get up and start moving; treat roughly

Rue - to regret, be sorry for

Satiate - to satisfy completely; to fill to excess

Satisfice - to pursue the minimum satisfactory condition or outcome

Skirl - (of bagpipes) to make a shrill, wailing sound

Spurn - reject with contempt

Stipulate - to arrange specifically; to require as a condition of agreement

Supersede - take the place of a person previously in authority

Supplant - replace

Surmise - to think or believe without certain supporting evidence

Tantalize - torment or tease, usually with something unobtainable

Tessellate - decorate or cover a surface with a pattern of repeated shapes, especially polygons, that fit together without gaps or overlapping

Traipse - walk or move warily or reluctantly

Trounce - defeat heavily in a contest

Uluate - howl or wail with emotion, typically grief

Usurp - to seize and hold a position by force or without right

Vacillate - to swing indecisively from one course of action to another; to waver weakly in mind or will

Vegetate - live or spend a period in a dull, inactive, unchallenging way

Venerate - to regard with reverence, look up to with great respect

Vie - compete for

Winnow - removing what is not wanted

Wreak - cause a large amount of damage or harm, inflict (vengeance)

Wrest - obtain by seizing forcibly or violently, also metaphorically

[chaotictempleknight]

Some more of my writing advice

Hello, I'm Chaotic. I'm an author who is here to give you some more writing advice. I have written 7 self-published, science fantasy adventure novels (ULTRAMagic Alternate). I like to think I have achieved a fairly good grasp on what makes a good book and how to improve your writing.

Don't Show when telling is better, don't tell when showing is better.

You know how everyone tells you "show, don't tell" or the inverse of that? Well I have a better piece of advice. Sometimes it is better to show the problem than to talk about it. Some issues would legitimately make the story way too long and would be better just to show it in action. On the other hand, sometimes it is better to talk about the issue as showing it may require context at first. It all depends on what the scene calls for. Is it a complicated subject that needs to be seen to be believed? Or is it something that can be explained in a few sentences?

Of course, you could potentially do both. Perhaps the character is going to see someone about a problem they have and they are a hypochondriac. Have character A tell character B about their issues, with character A demonstrating their hypochondria. Don't explain the hypochondria, show it. Don't show character A's personal issues, talk about them. And if you are worried about a character not showing their personality/character, a character can speak through their words and actions. Everything a character does represents who they are, be it how they speak or how they dress.

Don't write everyday life; get creative

I am going to be upfront about this: Some plots are boring. Personally I don't want to read a book that is "milquetoast main character has a bad day and goes through every day real life issues normally." I don't want to read that, that's boring. What do I want to read? I want to read about knights fighting dragons, alien civilizations fighting drawn out wars that open up into greater conspiracies, eldritch entities ripping people's mind asunder, universes colliding and ripping a hole in reality, ancient deities coming back to destroy humanity, machines taking over the planet and turning it into an impossible factory of unfathomable proportions! It's fiction, go wild.

And if you still want to do the normal plot? Well make it interesting. Is the MC a vampire? Is there some kind of conspiracy involving window cleaner and zombies? Did your character discover alien life? Is the main character's community secretly forming a cult worshiping an obscure doomsday prophecy? Did a character murder someone and is trying to hide it in the most bizarre way possible? Or maybe the main character is running a marathon and witnesses a crime taking place, so they have to go on the run to stay alive. Again, it's FICTION, get creative. Do not write every day life as we experience everyday life every day. Every day life is boring.

And if you're going to say something like slice of life anime/manga is justification for "normal plots happening normally," no they are not. Boring anime of this caliber will be called out for being boring, and these stories have the benefit of visuals. The artists/mangaka put time and effort into making their characters and settings look interesting and expressive. They also take liberties in making exciting things happen. Writing does not have this luxury, so you need to make the story interesting to maintain the reader's attention. The average joe or jane does not want to come home and read about the day they just had.

Characters can be self-aware!

If anyone ever tells you that a character should never be aware of their issues because we are biased, do NOT listen to them. That is horrible writing advice and I kid you not-I heard that in a video one time. I really should have commented on how bad that advice was. Yes, we are biased, but we can also be aware of our issues. It's called self-awareness. Getting someone else's opinion and/or evaluation can help, but they could be biased too.

A character can have a moment where they realize they were being "the bad guy" and try to fix that issue. Will they succeed? Will their fix be perfect? It's hard to say and depends on the character. The hallmark of a growing character is that they recognize their faults and try to fix them. You do not need a legally registered mental health expert to recognize when you have messed up. Now if there is a deeper issue like a psychological problem or a learning disability, then yes, that individual needs some form of help.

A character is not a "sociopath" if they recognize their issues and resolve to fix them. That is backwards thinking and potentially leads to worse issues. Yes, physical and mental health experts are there for a reason and have dedicated their lives to their work (the ones with integrity...). They are here to help, but they also need you to recognize when there might be a problem. They are not miracle workers, they are experts in their field of study. Of course there will always be people that need intervention, but the point is that people can be aware of their issues, regardless of bias.

Editing and updating self-published work?

Are you a socially awkward, autistic man in his late twenties going on 30 constantly obsessing over making his work the best it can be because you're afraid of looking like a fool in front of everyone, but are too shy and awkward to acquire a proper editor? No, that's just me? Well I have some thoughts on updating your work after it's self-published.

There is multiple ways to view this, the idea of realizing your work could be better and going to back to fix it up:

If the work is free to read in its entirety and no money is being exchanged to experience the story, I don't see a problem in fixing it up. Ideally you should have an editor, but that costs money and editors who work for free are not obligated to help you.

A webcomic can easily be redrawn in the future, but it doesn't hurt to fix an error or mistake in the art. And if it is free to view, it is not a problem. No money is being lost to experience the comic.

This should never be done for work that requires money to experience. If you're work costs money to view/read, it needs to be ready to go before its made available. If it is that bad, either take it down or rerelease it with expansions and revisions. Note that this does not include authors who are relying on services like Patreon. You are paying to support the author, not read the book... unless they paywall the book behind a paid tier, then what I just said goes back into effect.

It's actually a fairly nuanced subject that should be handled on a case by case basis. Don't get angry at someone who goes back and fixes up a free book. You are not losing any money by reading it and presumably the author is doing it out of pride for their work. Of course, those who are doing it in bad faith should be called out. This goes doubly so if you have to pay to read the book. Naturally there will be those who read this section and start screaming their heads off, ignoring the nuance I just presented, but whatever.

The groundwork for a functional plot

I'll keep this simple. Having trouble figuring out the plot? Here's 3 questions that will help you:

What is the conflict of the story?

Why is the conflict a problem?

How is the conflict solved?

If you cannot answer these three questions, you do not have a story and are not trying hard enough. If you cannot answer these questions under any circumstances, you were never meant to be a writer in the first place. These three questions are the fundamental structure of a plot. They are what move things forward. You NEED to be able to answer these questions. If you refuse to address these questions, then your plot is fundamentally flawed and needs to be taken back to the drawing board.

Obviously this is just the first step in writing a plot. There is a lot more to a plot than just those questions, but they are what I view as the starting point.

Focus on finishing a story rather than starting more WIPs

Stop starting projects left and right. Finish one and then move onto a new project. You are not growing as a writer by starting one project, getting 1/4th of the way through, calling it quits, and starting a new project under the excuse that you are "sO ReLAtABle." This is being lazy and prideful. You cannot gain proper experience if you do not finish something. In finishing my novels in a timely manner, I realize how I can further grow my writing and where I could have done better. Having the story of my novel series evolve as time goes on forces me to think outside the box every time I begin the next book.

Where's my indies at?! Actually support those independent artists/writers

This is more for the audience side of things. Do you want more independent content? Then you need to go and seek out these independent artists/writers. You NEED to support them. You NEED to share their work around. They will not grow if you do not properly engage with them. Do not just leave a like, as those are just over glorified bookmarks.

Also critique and criticize their work. This is how these creatives grow and improve their work. It is very cool to do this, and anyone who says otherwise is afraid of being criticized due to their work being inadequate and they know it.

Stop expecting the creator to also be the audience and the critic. We need time to actually work on our art. You cannot expect the creator to be all three as I would not expect that of you. We are not superhuman, we have lives too.

Stop trying to democratize art. Anyone can do art and no one should be "voting" to decide who succeeds and who doesn't. This does nothing but hurt small creators who do not have the support of properly grown communities/fandoms. Let someone's work speak for itself and don't let a group of people decide whether or not you should engage with it. You need to take that first step for yourself, not let someone else do it for you. Art is not a competition. Selling art? Sure. Art in and of itself? No.

Be mature when engaging with other writers

I'm going to be frank: If you bait someone in by saying something like "Any thoughts?" and block them for having a different opinion or point of view, you are not a writer, you are a clout chaser. Same goes for the audience. When you engage with a writer or anyone in general for the purpose of starting a "conversation" or a "dialogue," you need to actually engage with the things being discussed. Sticking your head in the sand and blocking people shows a distinct lack of maturity and creativity. Silencing your opponent does not mean you have won, it means you are afraid of what they have to say. You know you might be wrong deep down and instead confronting that uncertainty, you're ignoring it and refusing to grow.

There is nuance to this as blocking someone who is harassing you or is going to harass you is acceptable. I'm saying don't block someone if you start a conversation with them and they disagree with you.

Also as a reader, you are not going to win a battle of wit against a true writer. This goes doubly so if you block them for disagreeing with you. And honestly, I don't want that kind of individual engaging with my work.

Our parents and school teachers always taught us "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it all." I think the principle rings true here. No, this is not a license to dismiss criticism, it's a call out of bad behaviour. Likewise, if you don't have anything meaningful to say, don't say it at all. And if you are reading this and getting angry at me, why? This issue doesn't apply to you, does it? Unless you want to admit that you have an issue which is ideal for resolving it, as you need to know about an issue in order to resolve it.

All of this to say please don't treat writers like trash. We are not machines, we are people with feelings just like you. We are not above you like many seem to arrogantly assume, we are just trying to get by like everyone else. Insulting us is not going to make us side with you, it's going to make us make fun of you in a future story as a commentary on how not to behave in society. Obviously we're not here to call people out specifically, but these experiences are now ours to use as we see fit. Keep that in mind next time you attack a writer for not agreeing with you. The pen is mightier than the sword.

Ending remarks:

To be clear, I am not here to say ‘it’s my or the highway’ or dictate what you can and cannot write. Write whatever you want at the end of the day. I just so happen to be a very passionate writer who legitimately cares and wants people to succeed. I may come off as very upfront and assertive, but know I do it because I care. I know you can write something truly great, it just takes time, effort, and discipline. And if you have an idea, write it. Is it good? Great. Is it bad? That’s fine, figure out how to make it better. You can do it no matter what, keep moving forward.

Note that all of this applies to REAL writers who actually sit down and put pen to paper. “AI authors” are not real writers and will never be real writers. Turn off the computer, get out a pen and paper, and actually write something. The only one gatekeeping you from success is yourself. The same logic applies to “AI artists.” Also no, I don't want to see these people "sued into the ground" or "banned from the creative space" as they have potential just like anyone else.

[novlr]

Don't be afraid to use your character's name!

To avoid repetition, new writers will often resort to descriptions like "the tall woman," or "the dark-haired man", which breaks up narrative flow and reads as unnatural. Don't over-describe, when just a name will do.

[thewordsarestuckinmyhead]

i have printed out the novel i am working on for my final edits and omg i’m finding SO MANY ERRORS that i would have otherwise missed! i don’t know what magic this is but it’s a piece of advice i will spread forever

[writerystuff]

When you're writing dialogue, your characters can use any kind of language you wish. When you're not writing dialogue, you should get this distinction right. This includes speech as well as writing.

[indignantlemur]

Friendly reminded to folks who store their headcanons, lore posts, images/drawings, and writings on tumblr that it's never a bad time to back things up somewhere.

[chuunnie]

Hi guys!, I want to start writing on here/ making fics.So I can a better my skills for when it comes time for me to write my college essay for Yale, I absolutely crush it. 😼 Can anyone give me good writing tips that may help me?

[piffany666]

Writers! Here's some advice

If your re reading your work and aren't sure If something sounds right or could be phrased better

Just imagine it being read in the voice of Jonny Sims

If it sounds weird THEN you change it

Trust me this works I know I do it!

[brittanyearnestauthor]

Tips to Help Writers Share Their Advice, Tips, and Perspective

As a writer, it can sometimes be overwhelming to share important information with others, especially when there’s so much to choose from. In this post, I’ll share helpful tips to make your voice stand out and ensure your advice has an impactful and lasting effect on your audience.

How to Share Advice Effectively

- Be Genuine: Authenticity is key when giving advice. Always aim to share information that is honest, helpful, and rooted in your personal experiences.

- Give Meaningful Advice: Offer advice you wish you had received yourself—it’s likely that others will benefit from it just as much. This creates a strong connection with your audience and makes your knowledge impactful.

- Share Lessons Learned: Share the lessons you’ve gained through trial and error. This not only helps others avoid making the same mistakes but also builds trust with your audience as they see your journey as relatable and real.

- Share Tools: Don’t hesitate to share the tools you use in your writing process. Whether it’s a favorite pen and notebook, an app, or software, sharing these resources can inspire others to experiment and discover what works best for them.

- Share Routine: Writing routines are personal, yet incredibly motivating to others. Sharing your routine gives your audience hope that they too can find a workflow that suits them.

- Share Inspirations: Share what inspires you to write. This insight can guide others toward recognizing their own sources of inspiration, opening the door to creativity they may not have tapped into yet.

- Share Morals: Sharing your morals helps to align your audience with your values. Establishing common ground fosters deeper connections and builds a loyal following.

- Share Your Beliefs: Explain how your beliefs influence your storytelling. This transparency adds depth to your writing and allows others to better understand your perspective.

- Share Goals: Communicating your aspirations gives your audience insight into your work and helps them determine if your message resonates with them. It also inspires them to reflect on their own goals and dreams.

- Explain Why Your Voice Matters: In writing, whether storytelling or professional advice, it’s essential to demonstrate the importance and impact of your perspective. Highlighting why your voice matters can help establish your authority and inspire others to trust your guidance.

Conclusion

Sharing advice, experiences, and perspectives is crucial for building connections, establishing your voice, and showcasing your unique approach to writing. To secure success, you must be willing to let others get to know you—your journey, your values, and your ambitions. When your audience cares about who you are and what you stand for, they’ll care about what you have to say.

Happy writing!

[adviceformefromme]

Question of the day… how are you currently stewarding the blessings in your life? You’re praying for your next home, but how are you taking care of where you live now? Even if you're room sharing, do you have respect for your current place, are you grateful? You want a new relationship, but relationships will always be a mirror...How are you managing your relationship with yourself? Are you making time for you? Listening to your needs? Even knowing what you need? Before you start begging for blessings, get interested in you, become aligned from your current position. So much energy is spent on chasing desires without truly appreciating the gift of where you are. Granted, you might not be where you want to be, but only good can come from honouring your current position with gratitude, understanding and love. 

[enlightenedfeline]

Tips for writing a sociopath:

While I've already made a post about the differences in writing psychopaths and sociopaths, I found it might be more helpful that I expand on each individually.

Do keep in mind that I am in no way a professional, I'm just a writer who's done her research and have written characters with ASPD before.

1- Conscious Sociopaths do have a conscious, a very weak one, that is often overshadowed by ego or impulse. So they are capable of feeling empathy and guilt.

What does this mean for your character? It means that while they lie and cheat, they can feel bad for their victims, it's just that they're able to ignore this feeling or it's overpowered by other feelings, often a need to be the best.

2- Ego Sociopaths are more often than not, fueled by ego, and a need to be liked and admired. They care what people think of them, and require praise for the things they do.

Sociopaths often look at more shallow methods of being the best, they don't try to be the best in how good they are to others, rather they try to be the richest, the smartest, the most attractive, etc.

3- Lying Sociopaths don't mind lying, more often than not, it's the easier option for them. They have little to no moral opposition to it, if it benefits them, they'll do it.

This applies to other things that someone without ASPD would consider wrong, cheating, betraying, and so on.

If it benefits a sociopath, they will do it.

4- Consequences. On that same note, sociopaths care how they appear to others, so they will try to keep any moral wrongdoing hidden from the public, to maintain their image and reputation.

5- Self-awareness A sociopath is not aware that they are a sociopath, maybe they can be made aware of the fact, but more often than not, they will be enraged if a label like that is put on them, because it can ruin their image.

Your average sociopath doesn't know that they're a sociopath, they'll think they're simply better than those around them, or more dedicated to things.

They will view themselves as the standard, making them very distrustful of people. Because if they lie and cheat, obviously everyone else does too, right?

6- Impulsiveness How impulsive a sociopath is depends on many personality factors, some people are just better at evaluating the future than others, this applies to sociopaths as well. But more often than not, a sociopath will be more impulsive than your average person, craving instant validation over long-term commitment to something.

7- Why? As far as my knowledge goes, sociopaths are the way they are due to factors in their childhood, often abuse.

Unlike psychopaths, who are born with the condition, sociopaths develop it in childhood.

This could explain the existence of a conscious, while psychopaths lack one. They still feel bad because inside them is a child who still feels, but a child who was hurt and abused enough to lose all hope in the world and the people in it.

This causes sociopaths to be distrusting of everything and everyone, making them incapable of forming geniune connection with people, which turns into loneliness.

Remember that sociopaths are not evil, no one with ASPD is, this tip post is of general information that I like to keep in mind with my characters. Your character may choose not to lie or cheat, they may be more or less impulsive, etc. At the end of the day, just make sure not to make the fact that they're a sociopath their entire personality.

That's all for this post, feel free to ask me questions in the comments about the specific character you're writing cause I always love answering those!

Maybe some of this advice will help, maybe it won't, either way, I hope this feline has enlightened you!

[once-upon-a-reblog]

Your daily creative pep-talk

That story idea? You won't remember it. Write it down.

That melody you've been humming? You won't remember it. Write it down.

Creative, your future self will thank you. WRITE. IT. DOWN. (And back it up, while you're at it.)

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[chaotictempleknight]

Some advice for writers

I would like to offer some advice to my fellow writers. Caution: this post is a bit on the longer side.

If you have any type of series on the internet, please have a master post for that series, or at least some form of organization. No, I am not going to go endlessly scrolling through your blog or website to find the first chapter/page.

Please have links to chapters if you are writing a digital novel/novella. It makes it easier for the reader to get through the story. This is assuming you're not using a website dedicated to literature.

Tag your work with what genre it is. I see a lot of stories and chapters on the internet that don't do that or only tag one genre. I would like to know what genre your story is as I have preferences for what I read.

When writing a synopsis or a pitch, please establish the stakes. Tell me what the conflict is and why I should read. What are the consequences if the protagonist fails? Also don't describe what your story is. I'll find that out as I read.

Plan your story out before you write it. You are not that 1 in a million who's going to be able to write a story as you go along. PLAN OUT YOUR STORY BEFORE YOU START IT. Here's my advice: Establish your plot and ending, write the plot, write your characters, then write an outline for the story. Make sure you're happy with it, iron out any last minute details, then write a rough draft.

Have multiple drafts and don't post the first thing that comes out of your head. Don't worry if you mess up during the rough drafts, you can fix it later. How many drafts you have is up to you, just don't get carried away with them as you'll never finish the story.

The protagonist must succeed. It doesn't matter what they succeed in, they must succeed in something. There's no two ways about it. The protagonist can be anyone, be it a hero or villain. protagonist versus antagonist is not good versus evil, it's a clash of egos and ideals. It doesn't matter who they come from.

Write an evil villain and a strong hero. Let your villain be evil and let your hero be heroic. This is storytelling 101, but so many stories these days try to make everyone morally gray and indistinguishable from each other. You can have sympathetic villains and questionable heroes, just make it clear where the lines between good and evil are drawn.

Stop trying to be relatable and POST SOMETHING. I don't care about how many WIPs you haven't finished or about how your cat keeps interrupting you. Post your story. If you're more concerned about being relatable than actually writing, you're not a writer.

If you're expecting overnight success, you are in for a very rude awakening. No, you will not have overnight success. AND NO, you are not that 1 in a million. It takes time, effort, and dedication for your work to get noticed. I should know: have you heard of ULTRAMagic Alternate? I didn't think so.

If you are writing to make money and become famous, get out. I'm serious, leave. If you just want to make money, go get a regular job. You are legitimately getting in the way of actual writers who actually have a story to tell.

Having beta readers is ideal for improving your story. Find people interested in the genres you're writing and see what they think. You can always go back and fix the story if there is something wrong with it.

This one is for readers: If an author asks you to be a beta reader, they are NOT asking you to edit their story (although you can if you want to). You don't have to be an author, the writer is looking for your perspective as an average Joe off the street. Tell them what you think of the work, even if you have no knowledge of writing.

DO NOT USE AI IMAGES. The instant I see an AI image attached to your post I'm immediately scrolling past it. Either learn how to draw or hire a real artist.

DO NOT USE AI WRITING. I will ignore your entire existence if I catch you copy and pasting stuff from an AI chat bot. I'm okay with asking a chat bot for assistance as long as what is written on the page came from your head and human hands, however. Also newsflash, if AI becomes truly sentient, you are stealing ideas and work from another individual. Let that sink in.