#quotes by authors
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
Still thinking about none houses left grief, and while I understand where people are coming from, "it took me out of the world" is just... Really not a relevant criticism here. Like, that line is SUPPOSED to be jarring. It is supposed to be kind of darkly funny, but the point isnt for you to laugh. Its not trying to be a punchline. The point of that line IS to "take you out of the world" because the point is that *this world isn't what you thought it was.*
#if it startled you that something so irreverant and lowbrow would come up in a high fantasy serious world#...then maybe ask yourself if this is really a serious high fantasy world#also i do think its just elitist that everyone complains about the tumblr references and not the word for word bible quotes#like maybe the author was trying to make a point about why you accept that catholicism is a cultural constant but not memes?#maybe take a step back and ask yourself what kind of cultural artifacts you think are important enough to be worth mentioning#tlt#htn#the locked tomb#harrow the ninth#tlt spoilers
4K notes
·
View notes
Text
Clementine von Radics, from “Letter from Anaïs Nin to Clementine von Radics”
Text ID: For women who are tied to the moon, love alone is not enough.
#clementine von radics#miscellanea#i see this quote so often incorrectly cited.#people have confused the name of the poem as being a letter from anaïs nin.#the poem itself is entirely dissimilar to anaïs nin which is silly.#so anyway!#a correction.#i’m not necessarily a fan of the author or this poem in it’s entirety but i do feel bad it’s often attributed to nin.#quote#poetry#america literature#lit
4K notes
·
View notes
Quote
You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could've, would've happened… or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move on.
Tupac Shakur
#Tupac Shakur#thepersonalwords#Moving On#quotes#literature#life quotes#author quotes#prose#lit#spilled ink#writers on tumblr#writing inspiration#poets on tumblr
5K notes
·
View notes
Text
And I wondered what it was like to be chosen. I was never chosen. I was a maybe, a probably, sometimes even a definitely but never the one, never the chosen one.
Unknown
#don't know the author but this is so heartbreaking beautiful#writers on tumblr#spilled words#spilled thoughts#spilled ink#wolkenleere#spilled poetry#spilled quotes#poetry#love#poets on tumblr#a blog for the heartbroken#heartbroken#heartbreak#heartache#lovers#unrequited feelings#unrequited love#unrequited crush#written#writings#prose poetry#poetic
13K notes
·
View notes
Text
to say i miss you doesn't even begin to capture the despair your absence has brought me.
— mae s. (journal entry to the one i still love)
#breakup#sad quotes#writing#poem#quotes#soulmates#words#author#literature#books#female writers#heartache#sad poetry#grief journal#journal
4K notes
·
View notes
Text
Poetry on Palestine
#Gaza as a centre of weaving in the region#Em Berry#free palestine#the author is from New Zealand#free gaza#palestinian genocide#palestinian art#palestine#stand with gaza#gazaunderattack#gaza#gaza genocide#gaza strip#pray for gaza#israel#palestinians#palestinian poetry#poems and quotes#poem#poetry#writers and poets#poetic#writing#words
5K notes
·
View notes
Text
You can spend minutes, hours, days, weeks, or even months over-analyzing a situation; trying to put the pieces together, justifying what could've, would've happened… or you can just leave the pieces on the floor and move on. Tupac Shakur
#inspiring quotes#relationship quotes#relatable quotes#reading#art#romance quotes#quoteoftheday#quotes#shakespeare#spilled thoughts#thepersonalwords#Moving On#literature#life quotes#author quotes#prose#lit#spilled ink#writers on tumblr#writing inspiration#poets on tumblr
2K notes
·
View notes
Text
"A-Cheng, come over here."
#cqledit#The Untamed#Jiang Cheng#mdzs#myedit#hi hello I love making my faves suffer#pff though I cannot find the author of this quote#like it's linked with another quote often from what I see but it doesn't seem legit#if you know hmu
2K notes
·
View notes
Text
(x)
#archive of our own#ao3 stuff#ao3 quotes#archive of our own quotes#fanfic#fanfic quotes#funny#ao3#ao3 notes#authors be like#‘my baby I love them so much’#and then put them through literal hell#it’s me im authors#if this feels like a personal attack on you#that’s because it is
9K notes
·
View notes
Quote
If you know the art of being happy with simple things, then you know the art of having maximum happiness with minimum effort!
Mehmet Murat ildan
#Mehmet Murat ildan#quotelr#quotes#literature#lit#art-of-happiness#happiness#happiness-quotes#happy#happy-life#happy-living#ildan-wisdom#ildan-wise-sayings#ildan-words#maximum-effort#mehmet-murat-ildan-quotations#mehmet-murat-ildan-quotes#minimum-effort#turkish-authors#turkish-literature#turkish-playwrights#turkish-quotations#turkish-quotes#turkish-wisdom-words#turkish-writers
2K notes
·
View notes
Text
“I want nothing more than to be in her arms right now.”
#text#love#spilled words#literature#prose#love quotes#dark academia#writeblr#writers on tumblr#poem#poetry#light academia#her#i love her#authors#caruccio#romance
688 notes
·
View notes
Text
Voldemort: Harry, I need you to give me my snake back
Harry: No! It’s my weekend, we have shared custody!
Voldemort: Nagini is not your child, she is a highly intelligent, extremely terrifying and deadly creature-
Nagini: boop the snoot
Harry: Aww, who’s my little danger noodle?
Voldemort:
Voldemort: What have you done to her
#harry potter#incorrect quotes#fanfic#harry potter is a menace#fanfiction#tom riddle#tomarry#voldemort#harrymort#ao3#tomarrymort#tom riddle jr#nagini#ao3 writer#ao3 author#shared custody of a very dangerous snake#harry acts like they’re a divorced couple
2K notes
·
View notes
Text
who lives who dies who tells your story
#xgdhxhdhidhdud sorry for the hamilton quote. i wanted to cause maximum psychic damage <3#bsd#bungou stray dogs#bsd fyodor#bsd chapter 113#bsd spoilers#bsd manga spoilers#yes i went to the real author's wiki to make this lol
3K notes
·
View notes
Text
“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” — Terry Pratchett
#nanowrimo#writers#creative writing#writing#writing community#writers of tumblr#creative writers#writing inspiration#writeblr#writerblr#writing tips#writers corner#writblr#first draft#terry pratchett#writer#author quote#writers life#advice for authors#writing advice#just write#just write it
3K notes
·
View notes
Text
Master Dialogue Writing Techniques for Engaging Fiction (For Writers)
(Beware, long post!)
As fiction writers, we all know that effective dialogue is essential for bringing our stories and characters to life. After all, the way our protagonists, antagonists, and supporting players speak to one another is one of the primary ways readers get to know them on a deep, intimate level. Dialogue reveals personality, uncovers motivation, and propels the narrative forward in a way that felt narration simply can't match.
But nailing natural, compelling dialogue is easier said than done. It's a craft that takes serious skill to master, requiring writers to have a keen ear for authentic speech patterns, a nimble handle on subtext and implication, and the ability to strike that delicate balance between being true to real-world conversation while also keeping things snappy, dynamic, and laser-focused on the story at hand.
If you're someone who struggles with crafting dialogue that truly sings, never fear. In this in-depth guide, I'm going to dive deep into the techniques and best practices that will help you elevate your dialogue writing to new heights. By the end, you'll have a toolbox full of strategies to ensure that every exchange between your characters is as gripping, revealing, and unforgettable as possible.
The Fundamentals of Effective Dialogue
Before we get into the more advanced nuances of dialogue writing, let's start by covering some of the foundational principles that all great fictional conversations are built upon:
Reveal Character One of the primary functions of dialogue is to give readers a window into who your characters are as people. The way they speak — their word choices, their tone, their body language, their turns of phrase — should provide vivid insight into their personalities, backgrounds, values, quirks, and emotional states.
Think about how much you can glean about someone just from how they communicate in real life. Do they use a lot of slang and shorthand? Are they verbose and flowery with their language? Do they struggle to make eye contact or fail to respond directly to questions? All of these subtle linguistic cues are powerful tools for crafting multi-dimensional characters.
Drive the Plot Forward While revelations about character are crucial, you also want to ensure that your dialogue is constantly pushing the story itself forward. Each exchange should feel purposeful, moving the narrative along by introducing new information, triggering plot points, creating conflict, or prompting characters to make pivotal decisions.
Dialogue that feels aimless or extraneous will ultimately bore readers and detract from the forward momentum of your story. Every line should have a clear intent or function, whether it's uncovering a hidden truth, setting up a future complication, or escalating the tension in a high-stakes moment.
Establish Distinct Voices In a story featuring multiple characters, it's crucial that each person has a clearly defined and differentiated way of speaking. Readers should be able to tell who's talking just from the rhythm, diction, and personality of the dialogue, without any additional context clues.
This doesn't mean every character has to have an over-the-top, hyper-stylized way of communicating. In fact, the most effective character voices often feel grounded and natural. But there should still be distinct markers — whether it's word choice, sentence structure, tone, or speech patterns — that make each person's voice instantly recognizable.
Convey Subtext While the literal words being spoken are important, great dialogue also traffics heavily in subtext — the unspoken emotional undercurrents, power dynamics, and hidden agendas that simmer beneath the surface of a conversation.
The most compelling exchanges happen when characters are communicating on multiple levels simultaneously. Perhaps they're saying one thing out loud while their body language and tone convey a completely different sentiment. Or maybe they're engaged in a subtle war of wits, trading verbal jabs that reveal deeper wells of resentment, attraction, or vulnerability.
Mastering the art of subtext is key to creating dialogue that feels layered, lifelike, and imbued with dramatic tension.
Strategies for Writing Snappy, Realistic Dialogue
Now that we've covered the foundational principles, let's dive into some specific techniques and best practices that will take your dialogue writing to the next level:
Omit Unnecessary Details One of the biggest mistakes many writers make with dialogue is bogging it down with too much extraneous information. In real life, people rarely speak in perfectly composed, grammatically correct full sentences. We stumble over our words, interrupt each other, trail off mid-thought, and pack our speech with filler words like "um," "uh," and "you know."
While you don't want to go overboard with mimicking that messiness, you should aim to strip your dialogue of any overly formal or expository language. Stick to the essentials — the core thoughts, feelings, and information being exchanged — and let the subtext and character voices do the heavy lifting. Your readers will fill in the gaps and appreciate the authenticity.
Master the Art of Subtext As mentioned earlier, crafting dialogue that's rich in subtext is one of the keys to making it feel gripping and lifelike. Think about how much is often left unsaid in real-world conversations, with people dancing around sensitive topics, conveying hidden agendas, or engaging in subtle power struggles.
To layer that sense of unspoken tension into your own dialogue, consider techniques like:
• Having characters contradict themselves or say one thing while their body language says another
• Utilizing loaded pauses, interruptions, and moments of uncomfortable silence
• Injecting subtle sarcasm, skepticism, or implication into a character's word choices
• Allowing characters to talk past each other, missing the unspoken point of what the other person is really saying
The more you can imbue your dialogue with that layered, emotionally-charged subtext, the more it will resonate with readers on a deeper level.
Establish Distinct Voices As mentioned earlier, ensuring that each of your characters has a clearly defined and differentiated speaking voice is crucial for great dialogue. But how exactly do you go about accomplishing that?
One effective strategy is to give each person a unique set of verbal tics, idioms, or speech patterns. Maybe one character is prone to long-winded, flowery metaphors, while another speaks in clipped, efficiency-minded sentences. Perhaps your protagonist has a habit of ending statements with questioning upticks, while the sarcastic best friend always punctuates their barbs with an eye roll.
You can also play with differences in diction, syntax, and even accent/dialect to further distinguish how your characters communicate. The key is to really get to know the unique personality, background, and psychology of each person — then let those elements shine through in how they express themselves.
Lean Into Conflict and Confrontation When it comes to crafting gripping dialogue, conflict is your friend. The most compelling exchanges often arise from characters butting heads, engaging in verbal sparring matches, or working through deep-seated tensions and disagreements.
Conflict allows you to showcase the high stakes, unresolved needs, and deeper emotional currents that are driving your characters. It forces them to make bold choices, reveals aspects of their personalities that might not otherwise surface, and generates the kind of dramatic tension that will really hook your readers.
Of course, you'll want to avoid making every single dialogue scene a full-blown argument. But learning to sprinkle in well-placed moments of friction, confrontation, and clashing agendas is a surefire way to elevate the energy and impact of your character interactions.
Read Your Dialogue Out Loud One of the most valuable tricks for ensuring your dialogue sounds natural and lifelike is to read it aloud as you're writing. Hearing the words out loud will quickly expose any clunky phrasing, overly formal grammar, or inauthentic rhythms that would otherwise go unnoticed on the page.
Pay close attention to how the dialogue rolls off your tongue. Does it have a smooth, conversational flow? Or does it feel stilted and unnatural? Are your characters' unique voices shining through clearly? Are there any spots where the back-and-forth starts to drag or feel repetitive?
Actively listening to your dialogue — and making adjustments based on how it sounds in the real world — is an essential part of the writing process. It's one of the best ways to refine and polish those character interactions until they feel truly alive.
Hopefully, this can help you all!
The key is to always keep your focus on authenticity. Ask yourself: how would real people actually speak?
Hey fellow writers! I'm super excited to share that I've just launched a Tumblr community. I'm inviting all of you to join my community. All you have to do is fill out this Google form, and I'll personally send you an invitation to join the Write Right Society on Tumblr! Can't wait to see your posts!
#writing#thewriteadviceforwriters#writeblr#creative writing#writing tips#on writing#writers block#how to write#writers and poets#writers on tumblr#authoradvice#author#fiction#indie author#writer#publishing#book writing#book quote#bookblr#books#writing advice#fiction writing#writing blog#writing tools#writing resources#novel writing#writer community#fantasy novel#readers#reading
857 notes
·
View notes
Text
some traditional cumplane by the roomies request
#svsss#shen qingqiu#shen yuan#fanart#shang qinghua#modern au#cumplane#mxtx svsss#they asked for quote that author guy from your book end quote
402 notes
·
View notes