#Outlining
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If anyone ever wants to know what my writing process is like: I have the first 3 scenes of my fic fully outlined. The first scene's outline is >700 words, the second scene's outline is >1400 words, and the third scene's outline is >800 words.
Their. Outlines.
I know plenty of fic writers whose chapters - or entire fics - are 1.4k words! And that's how long my one scene's outline is!
. . .
To be fair, I think some writers might be more inclined to call what I do at this stage a zero draft rather than an outline. But I find calling it a draft puts too much pressure on it. I don't go into it planning to outline in that much detail, I just go into it planning on writing a paragraph, maybe two, of what happens, but as I'm typing I include whatever basic details I have so I can remember them when I go to write, and a lot of the time it turns into this person does this thing, that person has that reaction, this other person says 'xyz', the room is laid out like this, these people are present in the room doing xyz while persons a b and c are absent for d e and f reasons, person x feels this way over what person y says leading them to say 'blah blah blah' etc etc and suddenly I have a couple hundred words walking through the scene step by step.
And sometimes I don't know many details yet while other times I know a lot including actual snippets of dialogue and layouts of rooms and what specific characters are wearing, so they vary in length quite a bit, and I'll add things if I think of it, move things around and adjust as needed based on what comes out while outlining the next, etc.
Does anyone else have outlines that get out of hand like this?
#writing#fanfiction#fic writing#my post#outlining#I have multiple other steps before this as well obvs#and things never go in order#I'll have a few bits of actual draft for a random scene if I have a super clear idea#while I'm still doing bullet point brain dumps for other parts#and periodically rearranging the bullet points into more organized 'finalized' points to pull from#separating character points from plot points but still in bullet point etc.#I doubt anyone cares but I wanted to share lol#sometimes I just really can't believe how long these scene outlines get#now that I know what a 'zero draft' is I can't argue that it sometimes drifts into that territory#but I can't actually call it that or expect it to be that#there's too much expectation attached to the word 'draft'#anyway this is enough public ADHD rambling for one night#update#fic update#the same thing happens when writing og fiction as well not just fanfiction
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*In writing terms, an architect is someone who plots out, plans, and outlines things before drafting. A gardener is someone who takes an initial idea and then just writes, seeing how the idea grows without specific plans.
Some people use the terms “plotter” and “pantser” (as in, going by the seat of their pants) for these writing styles, but I prefer architect and gardener.
#writers of tumblr#writers on tumblr#writing polls#poll blog#pollblr#writer polls#writers#writing queue#tumblr polls#writing community#writing styles#outlining#drafting#creative writing#creative writers#architect#architect writer#gardener#gardener writer#plotter#pantser#go with the flow writing#pre-planned writing#writer community
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Hey! Hello! (Notion writing template update!!) <3
I've updated the plotting tools of this template. It consists of two parts now:
Chapter outline
and scene cards
These are interlinked! So you can start plotting from either one :)
If you prefer to look at the big picture first, start with the chapters. I’d suggest you write out one main thing that happens in each of your chapters, then start breaking the main idea into scenes. When you add a scene to the chapter outline, it will automatically appear in the scenes database as well.
If you have many vivid scene ideas, start with the scene cards. Write each scene you have in mind on a separate note card, then start sorting them under chapters — it's like moving sticky notes around!
You can check it out here!
#notion#notion template#writing template#notion writing template#outlining#outlining tools#outlining template#novel planner#plotting#plotting tools
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Oh, just in passing: a couple of SPOCK'S WORLD notes
(from @magicalgirlcrazycatlady:
!!!!!!! AUDIOBOOK SPOCK'S WORLD!!!! EXISTS? READ BY THOSE TWO?????????
Yep. If you go over to, say, Ebay, you can usually find somebody selling the audiobook on cassette (and if you're very lucky, on CD).
It hasn't been reissued in decades, and I can't really be sure why. It may be that there are union-based (meaning SAG[-AFTRA]) issues with the way Nimoy and Takei were compensated for the original performances; so that if the audiobook was reissued in more modern media, the publisher would have to deal with the way union rules for such performances have changed. (Which might run into serious money.)
In any case, it's a shame it's not more readily available. Both of the gentlemen involved did a fabulous job. I've had the pleasure of telling George so, and I'm sad not to have been able to tell Nimoy the same. (sigh) Anyway, it was a pleasure and a privilege to be involved in the endeavor.
...Also, per @rightspocko:
#oh my god you did that in 2 weeks#and you rewrote it so quickly and it’s still superb!#i never would’ve guessed because it’s so well structured and well written
The rewrite went as well as it did (and frankly as well as it could have done, under the circumstances) because before I ever started work on that book, I'd written a comprehensive outline.
It's not widely understood, I think, that when you're writing for a big IP owner / licensor, it is impossible to sell them a new project without first writing an outline that makes plain what it'll contain. Pantsing—however much some writers may enjoy that mode of novel writing, however much some may feel it to be the superior mode—has no place in the licensed-universe sales process. No licensor is going to even agree in principle with your agent that you're going to be brought in to do an original novel, let alone write the contract to back up their intent, until you've submitted an outline that tells Corporate in considerable detail what they (and their stockholders) are going to be getting for their money.
In the case of Spock's World, this rule went double, perhaps triple—regardless of the success of my previous work for Trek and Pocket. Spock's World was going to be their very first ever hardcover Star Trek novel. The whole project was a gamble... and the corporate Powers that Be therefore needed to know exactly what I was going to be giving them. So I did what I usually do for a book of the projected length—an outline somewhere in the neighborhood of 20-25 single-spaced pages. (ETA: For the hell of it, I just spent half an hour or so digging around for it, and [at the virtual "bottom" of a storage hard drive] found the ancient .arc file in which it'd been packed away. The outline is dated March 3rd, 1988, and comes to about 22 single-spaced pages. ...Call it 8K words and change.)
The outline, as always, was the "road map" I'd drawn for where I was going, to avoid wasting time in possibly getting lost along the way. All the structural work and serious plotting was already complete in the outline... ready to have the prose racked up in it, as a bookshelf's built ready to house its books.
And that's why the result, despite the near-disaster, still looks okay. All I had to do* was write again what "lost material" I'd already written, with the outline to guide me, or prompt me, where my memory failed. To this day I feel strongly that the book was significantly better because of that second write-through, however enforced. So this whole process turned into kind of a blessing in disguise (despite my poor lower back's more or less constant screams of protest).
That outline was what saved my butt... as others would, in years to come, further down the line. Those interested in having their own butts saved when necessary, and their writing life generally made less stressy, can look over here and see the outlining "blueprint" I use. C. J. Cherryh put me onto it; and what Carolyn doesn't know about writing a well- and tightly-plotted SF novel, seriously doesn't matter.
...And now I'm going to go make some spaghetti sauce. :)
*"All I had to do." CAN I EVEN HEAR MYSELF. (helpless laughter) It was like climbing hand over hand out of hell. But at least I could always see the light at the top of the tunnel...
#Spock's World#writing for licensors#and oh yeah#outlining#facilis descensus Averno#sed revocare gradum#hic opus#hic labor est#:)
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If you like to be able to visualize your world but don't want to draw a map by hand, I really enjoy fiddling with this to create my own original planet for my fantasy series!
You can either randomly-generate landmasses and names, or create your own completely custom ones! There's also a bunch of different filters and labeling options so you can completely customize everything you can imagine!
You have the option of saving your maps to your hardrive to back them up, and I highly reccomend doing so so you can always come back and keep updating it if you enjoy it :)
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The Role of Each Plot Point
In film formula, each plot point has a very specific role. This post is a follow-up to the previous you can read here, where we talked about how every plot point should contribute to your protagonist’s arc. Now, we’re going to look into what these plot points are, and how they contribute to your protagonist’s arc.
Intro:
To begin, we can’t see how a character grows by the end if we don’t know how they started. The very first point of your story should be what we call the “normal world”. Within this point, there should be a small conflict for the protagonist to overcome to demonstrate their strengths and hint at their weaknesses, and should ideally foreshadow the inciting incident.
For example, in Tangled, Rapunzel argues with her mother about going out to see the floating lights on her birthday, and we see that she is thoughtful and kind, but also naïve and bullied by mother Gothel.
This smaller conflict foreshadows the inciting incident, where Flynn will break into the tower and she’ll bully him into taking her to the lights.
Inciting Incident:
This point is the beginning of your character’s arc. It is something that happens to your protagonist (so not a choice that they make, yet) and completely flips their world on their head, pulling them outside of their comfort zone. It is the start to conflicts they will eventually have to face, forcing them to change.
Following our example, Flynn breaks into the tower (something that happens to Rapunzel), and agrees to take her outside of her tower (quite literally leaving her comfort zone by venturing out into the dangerous/uncertain world).
First Act Turn:
This is the first choice your character makes. This choice is spurred on by the inciting incident and relates directly to how your character wants to achieve their goals/objective.
Fun and Games:
Rising action, typically with an undercurrent of success. In Tangled, this is the part they’re exploring the world and getting closer. They’re still facing conflicts (running from goons, getting trapped in the cave, etc.) but they are succeeding.
Midpoint:
I tend to think of this as the “beginning of the end”. This point is another thing that typically happens to your protagonist that is a direct result of the choice they made at the first act turn. It looks first like a success—where the protagonist has achieved their objective—before it is reversed and they lose everything. This point is the largest raise of stakes in the story.
In Tangled, this is the point Rapunzel gets to see the lights and is just about to kiss Flynn when the goons catch up to them, and she believes he betrays her. It is a victory, followed by a devastating loss.
Things Get Worse:
Rising action but with an undercurrent of everything going wrong. Rapunzel is brought back to her tower, Flynn is locked in jail and set to be hanged.
Second Act Turn:
This is another major choice your character makes responding directly to what happened at the Midpoint. What’s important here is that the character takes a new strategy to fulfill their goal. This choice should feel desperate and offer a slim chance of success.
In Tangled, Rapunzel confronts her mother and chooses not to return back to her life in the tower.
Crisis:
Responds directly to the choice the character made. It places them in a dangerous situation (high stakes, physical or moral jeopardy) where the probability of their failure is high. This is the point the protagonist recognizes their unconscious need.
Rapunzel is locked up in the tower and Flynn gets stabbed trying to get to her.
Climax:
One last decision! The protagonist is confronted by their worst fear and must act, usually requiring some sort of sacrifice and reveals to us who they have become over the course of the story. This choice will also determine your theme.
Rapunzel tells mother Gothel that if she allows her to heal Flynn, she'll stop trying to get away from her, obvious sacrifice. Then, Flynn decides to cut her hair, sacrificing his own hope of survival while killing Mother Gothel for good to save Rapunzel.
Resolution:
Shows the consequences of the choice made in the climax (good and bad). Draws remaining questions to a close, and demonstrates the way the world has changed due to what happened. How the world is now (good or bad) carries a statement on whether the character made the right or wrong choice—which is the lasting impression of your theme.
In Tangled, Flynn is healed and Rapunzel reunites with her parents and takes on her role as the princess.
#writing#writers#writing community#creative writing#novel writing#novel readers#urban fantasy books#readers#book community#book readers#fanfic#fan fiction#fic community#writing advice#writing tips#writing help#outlining#novel outline#story outline
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If you hate writing outlines it's because of how they're taught in school. Toss out indentation and Roman numerals and map out your writing how you want to. Outlines are your FRIEND, dammit. This goes for everything, from political essays to fanfiction. If it's written you need an outline because the outline is for you. It can be general, vague, or a mixture of both! Be as informal as you want, who cares. They're to keep you on track and keep your writing flowing, so don't disregard them even if you dreaded making them in grade school. My outlines by chapter tend to look like this: 1. Character "P" goes to the diner to meet character "Q."
2. "P" tells "Q" about how the confrontation went. (dialogue I thought up on a bus ride) That's when shit goes DOWN. They're yelling, they're drawing attention to themselves, but before they can take it outside, "P" says (dialogue I thought up in the shower).
3. THEN "Q" SAYS THAT ONE LINE THAT "R" SAYS TO HIM IN CHAPTER FIVE BECAUSE THAT'S CALLED COHESION WOOOOO
4. idk they both leave??? you'll figure it out later
5. Self-reflection for "P." Keep your main point on how his moral compass goes to extremes and hurts others. He finally is realizing that HE is the PROBLEM
6. "P" drives to "Q's" house to apologize but GUESS WHO ANSWERS THE DOOR it's "R" and then just end the chapter there This is coming from someone who didn't write with outlines for years. Now I don't write anything longer than 400 words without one! Make them your own, make them so that they're useful to you. That's their purpose, so accept the help!
#writers on tumblr#writing tumblr#writing help#writing advice#writing tips#writing blog#writer tips#writing motivation#outlining#book writing#novel writing#writeblr#writer#writing tip
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5 Days of Helping You Outline Your Next Novel
Day 1: Benefits of Outlining Before Writing Your Book
Follow along for all 5 installments of the mini series: helping you outline your next novel
I. Clear Direction - knowing where you’re going allows you to pack the right kind of clothes, same with a novel - know where you’re going so you can bring the right stuff
II. Strong Structure - by writing an outline, you can structure your book to have a natural rise and a fall, like breathing
III. Consistency in Writing - not getting stuck with what happens next allows you to write more content more consistently
IV. Intentional Themes - by defining your story outline, you can sprinkle in some intentional symbols and themes within your writing
V. Better Character Development - knowing the overall arc of your story allows your characters to experience the moment and become who they’re meant to be. you can add in vulnerable moments, mistakes, and bad decisions to help them become the best (or worst) version of themselves
VII. Opportunities for Foreshadowing - by knowing where you’re going, you can add in witty little details of foreshadowing (ex: the mercenary had a reputation that - well, you’ll see) to string your readers along
VIII. Scene Variety - similar to pacing, scene variety can be inserted into your novel to prevent boring repetitions and keep the pov fresh and interesting
IX. Realistic Plot Lines - knowing the journey and destination before the characters do allows you to insert realistic motive and plot lines that drive your characters, instead of allowing your characters to drive the plot with unforeseen chaos (although this happens sometimes too and it’s okay!)
your reblogs help me help more ppl 💕
You can find Day 2 of this mini series [here].
follow along for writing prompts, vocabulary lists, and helpful content like this! <333
✨ #blissfullyunawaresoriginals ✨
#writeblr#writers on tumblr#creative writing#writerscommunity#fiction#character development#writing prompt#dialogue prompt#female writers#writer blog#outline#outlining#novel writing#fantasy novel#my novel#novelist#writing inspiration#fiction writing#fiction writer#indie author#ao3 writer#writing life#writers#writer#writing#writblr#writer stuff#writing tool#blissfullyunawares#blissfullyunawaresoriginals
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Well, well, well if it isn't that placeholder plot point I put in the outline while I was sleep deprived. I knew we'd meet again one day
#writeblr#writblr#writing#writer problems#writer community#writers on tumblr#writers and poets#writerscommunity#creative writing#writing humor#writing memes#writing problems#writing process#writer#writers community#writing community#writing advice#outlines#outlining#screenplay#script#screenwriting#scriptwriting
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You don’t have to pay for that fancy worldbuilding program
As mentioned in this post about writing with executive dysfunction, if one of your reasons to keep procrastinating on starting your book is not being able to afford something like World Anvil or Campfire, I’m here to tell you those programs are a luxury, not a necessity: Enter Google Suite (not sponsored but gosh I wish).
MS Office offers more processing power and more fine-tuning, but Office is expensive and only autosaves to OneDrive, and I have a perfectly healthy grudge against OneDrive for failing to sync and losing 19k words of a WIP that I never got back.
Google’s sync has never failed me, and the Google apps (at least for iPhone) aren’t nearly as buggy and clunky as Microsoft’s. So today I’m outlining the system I used for my upcoming fantasy novel with all the helpful pictures and diagrams. Maybe this won’t work for you, maybe you have something else, and that’s okay! I refuse to pay for what I can get legally for free and sometimes Google’s simplicity is to its benefit.
The biggest downside is that you have to manually input and update your data, but as someone who loves organizing and made all these willingly and for fun, I don’t mind.
So. Let’s start with Google Sheets.
The Character Cheat Sheet:
I organized it this way for several reasons:
I can easily see which characters belong to which factions and how many I have named and have to keep up with for each faction
All names are in alphabetical order so when I have to come up with a new name, I can look at my list and pick a letter or a string of sounds I haven’t used as often (and then ignore it and start 8 names with A).
The strikethrough feature lets me keep track of which characters I kill off (yes, I changed it, so this remains spoiler-free)
It’s an easy place to go instead of scrolling up and down an entire manuscript for names I’ve forgotten, with every named character, however minor their role, all in one spot
Also on this page are spare names I’ll see randomly in other media (commercials, movie end credits, etc) and can add easily from my phone before I forget
Also on this page are my summary, my elevator pitch, and important character beats I could otherwise easily mess up, it helps stay consistent
*I also have on here not pictured an age timeline for all my vampires so I keep track of who’s older than who and how well I’ve staggered their ages relative to important events, but it’s made in Photoshop and too much of a pain to censor and add here
On other tabs, I keep track of location names, deities, made-up vocabulary and definitions, and my chapter word count.
The Word Count Guide:
*3/30 Edit to update this chart to its full glory. Column 3 is a cumulative count. Most of what I write breaks 100k and it's fun watching the word count rise until it boils over.
This is the most frustrating to update manually, especially if you don’t have separate docs for each chapter, but it really helps me stay consistent with chapter lengths and the formula for calculating the average and rising totals is super basic.
Not that all your chapters have to be uniform, but if you care about that, this little chart is a fantastic visualizer.
If you have multiple narrators, and this book does, you can also keep track of how many POVs each narrator has, and how spread out they are. I didn’t do that for this book since it’s not an ensemble team and matters less, but I did for my sci-fi WIP, pictured below.
As I was writing that one, I had “scripted” the chapters before going back and writing out all the glorious narrative, and updated the symbols from “scripted” to “finished” accordingly.
I also have a pie chart that I had to make manually on a convoluted iPhone app to color coordinate specifically the way I wanted to easily tell who narrates the most out of the cast, and who needs more representation.
—
Google Docs
Can’t show you much here unfortunately but I’d like to take an aside to talk about my “scene bits” docs.
It’s what it says on the tin, an entire doc all labeled with different heading styles with blurbs for each scene I want to include at some point in the book so I can hop around easily. Whether they make it into the manuscript or not, all practice is good practice and I like to keep old ideas because they might be useful in unsuspecting ways later.
Separate from that, I keep most of my deleted scenes and scene chunks for, again, possible use later in a “deleted scenes” doc, all labeled accordingly.
When I designed my alien language for the sci-fi series, I created a Word doc dictionary and my own "translation" matrix, for easy look-up or word generation whenever I needed it (do y'all want a breakdown for creating foreign languages? It's so fun).
Normally, as with my sci-fi series, I have an entire doc filled with character sheets and important details, I just… didn’t do that for this book. But the point is—you can still make those for free on any word processing software, you don’t need fancy gadgets.
—
I hope this helps anyone struggling! It doesn’t have to be fancy. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Everything I made here, minus the aforementioned timeline and pie chart, was done with basic excel skills and the paint bucket tool. I imagine this can be applicable to games, comics, what have you, it knows no bounds!
Now you have one less excuse to sit down and start writing.
#writing advice#writing resources#writing tips#writing tools#writing a book#writing#writeblr#organizing your book#outlining#shut up and write the book#google sheets#google docs
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Let's talk about story structure.
Fabricating the narrative structure of your story can be difficult, and it can be helpful to use already known and well-established story structures as a sort of blueprint to guide you along the way. Before we delve into a few of the more popular ones, however, what exactly does this term entail?
Story structure refers to the framework or organization of a narrative. It is typically divided into key elements such as exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, and serves as the skeleton upon which the plot, characters, and themes are built. It provides a roadmap of sorts for the progression of events and emotional arcs within a story.
Freytag's Pyramid:
Also known as a five-act structure, this is pretty much your standard story structure that you likely learned in English class at some point. It looks something like this:
Exposition: Introduces the characters, setting, and basic situation of the story.
Inciting incident: The event that sets the main conflict of the story in motion, often disrupting the status quo for the protagonist.
Rising action: Series of events that build tension and escalate the conflict, leading toward the story's climax.
Climax: The highest point of tension or the turning point in the story, where the conflict reaches its peak and the outcome is decided.
Falling action: Events that occur as a result of the climax, leading towards the resolution and tying up loose ends.
Resolution (or denouement): The final outcome of the story, where the conflict is resolved, and any remaining questions or conflicts are addressed, providing closure for the audience.
Though the overuse of this story structure may be seen as a downside, it's used so much for a reason. Its intuitive structure provides a reliable framework for writers to build upon, ensuring clear progression and emotional resonance in their stories and drawing everything to a resolution that is satisfactory for the readers.
The Fichtean Curve:
The Fichtean Curve is characterised by a gradual rise in tension and conflict, leading to a climactic peak, followed by a swift resolution. It emphasises the building of suspense and intensity throughout the narrative, following a pattern of escalating crises leading to a climax representing the peak of the protagonist's struggle, then a swift resolution.
Initial crisis: The story begins with a significant event or problem that immediately grabs the audience's attention, setting the plot in motion.
Escalating crises: Additional challenges or complications arise, intensifying the protagonist's struggles and increasing the stakes.
Climax: The tension reaches its peak as the protagonist confronts the central obstacle or makes a crucial decision.
Falling action: Following the climax, conflicts are rapidly resolved, often with a sudden shift or revelation, bringing closure to the narrative. Note that all loose ends may not be tied by the end, and that's completely fine as long as it works in your story—leaving some room for speculation or suspense can be intriguing.
The Hero’s Journey:
The Hero's Journey follows a protagonist through a transformative adventure. It outlines their journey from ordinary life into the unknown, encountering challenges, allies, and adversaries along the way, ultimately leading to personal growth and a return to the familiar world with newfound wisdom or treasures.
Call of adventure: The hero receives a summons or challenge that disrupts their ordinary life.
Refusal of the call: Initially, the hero may resist or hesitate in accepting the adventure.
Meeting the mentor: The hero encounters a wise mentor who provides guidance and assistance.
Crossing the threshold: The hero leaves their familiar world and enters the unknown, facing the challenges of the journey.
Tests, allies, enemies: Along the journey, the hero faces various obstacles and adversaries that test their skills and resolve.
The approach: The hero approaches the central conflict or their deepest fears.
The ordeal: The hero faces their greatest challenge, often confronting the main antagonist or undergoing a significant transformation.
Reward: After overcoming the ordeal, the hero receives a reward, such as treasure, knowledge, or inner growth.
The road back: The hero begins the journey back to their ordinary world, encountering final obstacles or confrontations.
Resurrection: The hero faces one final test or ordeal that solidifies their transformation.
Return with the elixir: The hero returns to the ordinary world, bringing back the lessons learned or treasures gained to benefit themselves or others.
Exploring these different story structures reveals the intricate paths characters traverse in their journeys. Each framework provides a blueprint for crafting engaging narratives that captivate audiences. Understanding these underlying structures can help gain an array of tools to create unforgettable tales that resonate with audiences of all kind.
Happy writing! Hope this was helpful ❤
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#writeblr#writing#writing tips#writing advice#writing help#writing resources#creative writing#story writing#storytelling#story structure#plot development#outlining#plot structure
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Random Plot Points
A little about me as a writer, I love daydreaming about adventure stories. I usually know the general set up and larger plot points but oftentimes struggle with the how, how do characters get from point A to point B.
So, I made a list of random challenges for my characters that I look at when I'm stuck.
Sharing in case helpful to others! (intended for adventure, sci-fi, fantasy stories)
characters are delayed/blocked/experience a natural disaster (storm, fire, flood, avalanche, earthquake, epidemic, etc) (BONUS and forced to take a detour from the original path)
character(s) is trapped (quick sand, fall through ice, in room filling with poison, on sinking ship, in a trash compactor on the Death Star, etc) (BONUS- fall into hidden room and discover something)
characters go to a festival/ball/party/political summit (where inevitably it all goes wrong)
character(s) overhears a secret (at bar, at party, from a whispered conversation below them in a stairway, etc)
characters are attacked by an animal or mysterious force
characters(s) caught in a mob/riot
character wins/loses something in a bet
character is brainwashed or possessed
character is stranded/lost
character is poisoned
character succumbs to injury or illness
characters are chased/ attacked by antagonists
character is captured or arrested (and needs to be rescued)
character is kidnapped and kidnappers make a demand for their release (financial ransom, exchange of information, prisoner exchange, etc)
character(s) go undercover to retrieve information
characters decide to steal something they need for their quest (weapon, magical object, money, information, etc). (BONUS- time for a well-planned heist!)
characters need to protect/ retrieve/ destroy something
characters uncover a network of spies (up to you if they're unexpected allies or antagonists)
characters discover hidden passageway, room, ruins etc that leads to an important clue
characters forced to hide from someone/something
characters need to escape
characters lured into trap set by villain (BONUS if the villain doesn't even care who wins but only goaded them to learn how a magical object works, the extent of heroes powers, emergency response system of a government, etc)
characters set trap for villain (BONUS- use someone or something important as bait) (if in Act 2, they fail)
characters reveal critical information to villain in disguise
a character is mistaken for someone else (and then is wrongfully arrested, receives information not intended for them, etc)
characters receive help (hitch a ride, get help hiding from captors, get help escaping somewhere, etc) from an unlikely new ally
characters forced to team up with an unlikely ally/ morally grey character, etc
characters learn something from simple library research (an oldie but a goodie)
characters just literally just stumble upon or witness something important (secret weapon, secret society etc)
characters uncover a secret map/ coded message on the back of an old unassuming document (time for a classic treasure hunt!)
someone escapes from prison (an old villain or an old ally) that changes the quest
someone is being blackmailed (or otherwise forced to act against the protagonists)
someone is discredited (rumor, disinformation campaign etc)
something stolen from your characters
something (document, magical object, money) turns out to be fake
OR, something unassuming turns out to have special powers or meaning
something is hacked (defense system, infrastructure, bank, private records, etc)
something critical is attacked (important bridge, port, bank/ financial system, safehouse, capitol building, character's familial home, etc.)
a computer virus is unleashed
a biological weapon is unleashed
a piece of information the characters believed was true, is false
an ancient myth turns out to be true
a secret is made public
A law is changed or a vote on a critical piece of legislation loses/wins
a political opponent wins an election/ a political ally loses an election
character(s) help a passerby (from raiders, local tyrant, beast, mystical force, etc)
characters "follow the money" and realize someone who was thought to be their ally is actually working for... (crime syndicate, villain, local tyrant etc)
#writeblr#writing tips#outlining#writing resources#writing prompts#writing#prompt list#fantasy writing#my stuff
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Snowflake method of writing? Hehe nah I do the whole “outline this as far as Brain go then fly by the seat of my pants and blaze through the second act slump until I reach the end” method of writing.
#writers on tumblr#write wrong#writeblr#writer problems#writer stuff#writing process#fiction writing#writing community#writing blog#writing a book#writing adventures#on writing#creative writing#writeblogging#writer life#queer writers#queer writer#lgbtq writers#trans writers#bisexual#gender queer#demisexual#ao3 writer#this book is my love letter to fanfic and fandom#outlining#outline#writing plans
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I swear there is no better high than writing; even just frantically outlining a novel concept that I feel really excited about has left me with a lasting like "omg I am a genius I am such a good writer the best to ever do it" even though I know full well that once this honeymoon period wears off I'm obviously going to have frustrations/writer's block like we all do, but like for now AHAHAHA I AM GOD
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Trying to learn balance but exhaustion is slowly creeping in….
ft. the only pens I’ll use
#law school#law student#law studyblr#university#college#collegeblr#college blogging#study blog#studyblr#study break#study#books#library#reading#book#outline#outlining#lawyer#university studyspo#uniblr#uni blogging#study desk#study community#study core#school#notes#study notes
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It's torture being a writer that can only survive off an outline. I want to write a silly short whump AU of my OCs but my brain requires a 50-page detailed outline.
#whump#writing prompt#writing process#my writing#writing stuff#creative writing#writers block#writers#write#writer#writing#writers on tumblr#writeblr#writerscommunity#writer's problems#writers meme#writer problems#writer stuff#ao3 writer#writers problems#outlining
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