#writing tips

[silvereyedowl]

and/or are they in fact not a human being in the first place it's always good to check

Sometimes it's useful to look at your dialogue and ask yourself, "would a real human being talk like that?" But it's also good to ask the follow-up questions of "would the way a real human being talks sound good here" and "does this character actually talk like a real human being or are they weird about it."

[fixyourwritinghabits]

Editing Part ????: Final Steps (That You'll Repeat)

HI THIS POST WAS SUPPOSED TO GO UP IN JANUARY. Uuuh things. Are happening. In the US. Alas.

ANYWAY, to wrap up our editing tips. Some of this you'll do on your own, some of it you'll need feedback on, a lot of it is going back and forth between various edits. It is a process.

Tone and Voice

In review, is your character's voice consistent? Do they remain solid as a character, or do they wildly change in how they speak and act in the middle of the book for no reason?

When it comes to tone, are you writing with a consistently used vocabulary and structure? I'm not talking about dialogue - does your story feel the same, no matter if it's in third person or first?

A tonal shift or word change might happen if you've been working a long time on a project, and that's just a matter of going back through the book to make sure things match up.

Tension and Pacing

Does the action rise and fall naturally? Are your characters given room to breathe when appropriate?

Have you resolved (or addressed) all your subplots? Did you leave any romance or relationships dangling? Are there any chunks of your book that feel like a side-quest that doesn't contribute to the rest of the plot?

How is your scene pacing? Like your book, your scenes can't be 100% tension - they need to rise and fall. Fights and action should build naturally. If you're dropping a character into a situation with no foreshadowing, or if they obtain some new nifty power without really earning it, you might be throwing the pacing off.

Again, this just takes going back over to see what little things you need to set up to make the pay-off worth it.

Line Edits

Hopefully you've saved this for last, I know you won't, I know I won't, but fiddling with the language is going to be better done at the very end. Look out for:

Overused Words and Phrases - I find with each project, I become overly fond of one particular word. It's useful and fantastic until it pops up a little too often, and then I need to work on changing it up. Same with phrases - if you're brain is like mind, it'll find a neat little turn of phrase and repeat that six or eight times when you only needed it once.

Hedging Words - Almost, nearly, not quite, seems, appears, etc - these words are perfectly fine in academic writing, but they weaken your descriptive work. Instead of saying "he almost hit me" for example, describe the motion and the character's reaction. If someone seems upset, how can you describe that through their body language?

Dialogue Tags - You can use fun dialogue tags, and you don't have to delete every -ly abverb attached to "said." However, as boring as it seems, keeping it simple with mostly using "said" and "replied" will do most of the job.

Re-Checking Sentence Structure - If all your sentences within a paragraph follow the same structure, your reader is likely to start to skim. Change things up with shorter sentences paired with longer ones. Chunk actions scenes with short, punchy sentences, make sure descriptive paragraphs don't have sentences that go on for way too long.

Feedback

There's no easy way to find a good critique partner. I wish there was. You can and should join writer's groups and offer exchanges, be they online or in person. Sometimes you can love someone's work, but you don't mess with them as a critique partner. It happens, keep trying.

When you do find a critique partner, it's always good to give them guidance on what you're looking for. Some good questions:

Pacing - When did they put the story down? Why?

Consistency - Was anything confusing? Did the character's choices make sense?

Plot - Where there any twists that were too obvious? Did the stakes feel important? Was the plot satisfying?

A Note on "Predictable" Plot

There is a consistent argument about predictive plots versus originality, but thinking too hard about it may lead you astray. Certain genres have expectations - cosy murders will be solved, romance will end with the leads getting together, etc. Readers often go into stories wanting some predictability, because it's the journey of the story that matters the most. Making sure the story is engaging to read is far more important than trying to be original.

That said, you'll find in your second and third drafts that you will be able to put your own design on familiar stories. Treading familiar ground in the first draft is common, but when taking another crack of it, you can raise the stakes and make that ending much more satisfying.

Good luck!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Elements of a Mystery Story

Mystery stories revolve around a main character on a quest to solve a crime.

Also known as a whodunit or detective story, a mystery creates intrigue by revealing the identity of the antagonist only at the climax of the story.

Mystery writers drop clues throughout the plot to invite readers to join in the investigation.

A murder mystery novel can be categorized as a subgenre of crime fiction or detective novels.

The mystery genre has been entertaining readers for hundreds of years. Edgar Allan Poe was a master of mystery writing, with works such as his short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” from 1841. A good mystery has certain literary elements to intensify the suspense and build up to a big finale. These elements include:

A strong hook: A great mystery should invite the reader to try to solve the crime, and a great opening is critical to piquing their interest. A mystery should start with just enough information about the crime to build intrigue from the first line. This is the defining moment when a reader chooses whether or not they want to continue. If the dramatic element is missing from the beginning, the reader expects the rest of the book to be the same. The first chapter should initiate the mystery, aligning the reader with the central character on the crime-solving adventure.

An atmospheric setting: Stories in this genre should create an ominous, uneasy mood through setting to support the anxiety of an unknown antagonist lurking in the shadows. Think of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes slinking through the London fog in search of a killer. Settings in mysteries also offer opportunities to plant clues and red herrings.

A crime: A crime is the event that fuels the plot in a mystery novel. Revealed in the first chapter, a crime creates the central conflict that launches the investigation, sending the main character on their quest and spurring the narrative arc.

A sleuth: At the heart of every mystery is a main character determined to solve the crime. Mystery writer Raymond Chandler created private detective Philip Marlowe to be a crime solver in his novels. A writer can raise the stakes by making the detective personally invested in solving the crime. Mysteries can center around an amateur investigator—an average citizen who solves the case. The character development of the sleuth is important; they need a backstory that connects them to the crime or the killer, and a motive that explains why solving this crime is important to them.

A villain: A mystery is often called a whodunit because the culprit is unknown until they’re caught at the end. The story follows their movements, which propel the story forward. The main character and the reader discover the criminal’s identity as the plot reaches its climax.

Narrative momentum: A mystery plot is in constant motion thanks to a cat-and-mouse narrative thread. The pacing will quicken the closer the plot moves towards the climax and the closer the main character gets to solving the crime.

A trail of clues: Clues are the literary element that allows mystery stories to engage readers on a deeper level than other types of fiction. The reader becomes an amateur sleuth, following the trail of clues to try to discover the identity of the culprit. When writing mysteries, an author needs to have an organized writing process in order to keep track of what clues they’re creating, when they appear, and who knows what in order to make sure the plot lines make sense.

Foreshadowing: Mysteries often drop hints of things that will happen in the future. This is known as foreshadowing. A writer can hint at a future event with a small clue or through character dialogue. Writers can be more or less direct with foreshadowing, either subtly hinting at future events or explicitly stating what will happen.

Red herrings: A good mystery throws the reader off track. Red herrings are an essential element in mysteries. These false clues build tension by creating other suspects and distracting the detective—and the reader—and leading them away from the real culprit. A writer creates red herrings by placing extra emphasis on an object, event, or character that catches a reader’s attention, making that element seem more significant than it really is to the storyline. In Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, there are 10 characters who are all potential suspects. Christie creates red herrings by killing off each character one by one, creating plot twists that send the reader into new directions in search of the killer.

A satisfying ending: At the end of great mystery novels there is the big reveal—the sleuth discovers the identity of the culprit. An ending should also provide an alibi for any other suspects to strengthen the identity of the real killer and eliminate doubt, tying up loose ends.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs A "Convincing" Mystery ⚜ Detective Story ⚜ Mystery Novel ⚜ Word List: Mystery

[novlr]

Writing Exercise: Unreliable Narrator

Write a short scene where the narrator is unreliable. Maybe they are lying, exaggerating, or simply unaware of the important details.

Leave subtle clues that let the reader infer the truth. For an added challenge, write the same scene twice: once from the unreliable narrator’s perspective, and once from an objective third-person viewpoint for comparison.

[noneotter]

See, I have a solution for that.

I pull out my phone and write a basic storyboard of the scene, so I can flesh it out later.

Which tends to startle my fiance, when I emerge from my three blankets in the middle of the night like a zombie clawing itself out of the dirt, grab my phone, angrily type for 5-10 minutes, then yeet it to the floor and instantly pass out.

writing? oh, i’m definitely writing. in my head. during the most inconvenient times. like in the shower or when i’m about to fall asleep. actual typing? no, no, we don’t do that here.

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

Hello!! Hope you're having a lovely day.

I've been following you for a while and found your advice super insightful. I was wondering if you have any advice for intimate/shy/emotionally intense hand-holding? How to make it sound natural/immersive?

Thank you for your time.

How To Write Hand-Holding Scenes

Hey there,

Thank you for reaching out. I love chatting about how to breathe life into those delicate hand-holding moments. I’ve been noodling over this concept for a while, and here’s what I’ve learned through my own experiments with writing YA fantasy.

Capture the Sensation Instead of just saying they held hands, let the touch speak for itself. Try describing the slight tremor in a finger, the mingling of warmth and a cool breeze, or how a hesitant touch sends ripples through the character’s inner world. Small details, like the texture of their skin or the subtle pressure of a grasp, can make all the difference.

Infuse It with Symbolism To me, every touch is loaded with meaning. It might represent a secret promise, a silent rebellion, or even an ancient rite woven into the fabric of your world. Consider framing hand-holding as more than a physical act. think of it as a quiet bond that mirrors the deeper connection between your characters.

Embrace the Vulnerability Sometimes the beauty lies in the uncertainty. A tentative grip can reveal as much about a character’s hopes and insecurities as any grand declaration of passion. When you write about this quiet hesitance, remember that vulnerability can be its own kind of strength. A powerful window into what your characters are truly feeling.

Set the Scene The backdrop can amplify that moment of intimacy. Even if it’s a moonlit forest or the soft glow of an enchanted hall, use your setting to reflect the mood. Let the surroundings echo the internal shifts of your characters, turning the environment into an almost sentient part of the moment.

Play with Rhythm and Pacing Don’t be afraid to mix short, sharp sentences with languid, thoughtful ones. This varied rhythm can mimic the heartbeat of the moment. sometimes quick and electrifying, other times slow and contemplative. Experiment until you find a flow that makes your readers feel each touch as if they’re experiencing it first-hand.

I hope these ideas fire up your creativity. Keep experimenting with your unique voice.

All the best, Rin T.

[luna-azzurra]

Some days, your words will flow like poetry. Other days, your words will look like you threw a keyboard down the stairs and called it a paragraph. That’s fine. Writing is rewriting. Stop expecting perfection on the first try.

[avizare]

It's so true, though.

When my friends or family tell me that I'm 'such a good writer :D' all I can ever think is like, 'no, fam, I've just gone through this document ten times at the VERY least and ironed out all my bs through a tedious process known as 'editing''.

You know who gets to see my unprocessed work? Me. And no one else. On the rare occasion that I ask someone to proof read, that document has already gone through like fifteen pairs of eyes, and each and every one of them was mine; days, weeks, sometimes even months apart.

Writing makes a writer. Editing makes a book. Or... page... whatever you're writing; it makes it legible.

What “Editing” Really Means

The idea of “editing” a story can be deceptive. So often writers fall victim to the fantasy that they can just read through their first draft, change a few awkward sentences, and be done with the editing process.

But even on a 3th or 4th draft, “editing” often means making substantial structural and developmental changes.

In other words, serious revision. Moving scenes around. Changing the point of view. Cutting. Composing new material. Realizing that what comes halfway though the story is actually the beginning. Having new insights about your main character’s motivations that require you to make substantial revisions to almost every scene.

So often I see beginning writers who imagine writing as a three step process: (1) Write the first draft; (2) “Edit” it; (3) Publish.

If that actually works and leaves those writers feeling satisfied, then more power to them. But what many people think of as “editing,” in my experience,  simply doesn’t represent the kind of bloodshed that the revision process often entails. Personally, my writing process is long, messy, unpredictable, and can involve upwards of 15 drafts.

So just know that if the process isn’t easy or quick, you’re not doing anything wrong! Hemingway famously said: “Writing is rewriting.” It takes time. It can be messy. And it’s totally normal.

[xyywrites]

"Why are you smiling? We’re literally surrounded."

"Because they don’t know the plan."

"We don’t have a plan!"

"Exactly. It’ll throw them off."

[verynichewritingadvice]

World-building Ideas for Cosmology Myths

Meaning, essentially, "origin of the world", cosmogony describes where your world comes from, mainly via a story called the creation myth. There are several basic templates for them:

From Nothing, where a supreme deity or force of some sort creates the world with nothing to work with. What ends up becoming the world varies — Judeo-Christian God manifests matter and time out of literal void, while in other religions, a god will dream a world into existence, or use their own bodily fluids as the material (a little squicky, but there you have it).

From Chaos, where there is some omnipresent, nebulous substance (the chaos) and it slowly becomes ordered, possibly giving birth to gods in the process. Most famous of those myths would be the Greek one, where the first gods — Gaia (and, by extension, our planet), Eros, Tartarus and Erebus — were born from Chaos, and all others were descended from those four.

Several creation myths feature the god(s) defeating a primordial monster of some sort which represents Chaos — think of Marduk's victory over Tiamat, or the slaying of the Leviathan by God. This subset, when the creation myth involves a battle against a representation of chaos, is called Chaoskampf.

From Gods, which comes in two forms. In one, two deities (typically sky and earth, though you're free to make your own versions) have sex and one gives birth to the world (or other gods). In other, a deity breaks apart (whether by actions of outside forces or by choice), and the resulting body parts form the world.

From Another World, where our world is merely the last in a long line of worlds, each of them emerging from the last. Buddhist and Aztec Mythology are the most famous for this, with the Aztecs believing we're currently on the fifth world, and Buddhists believing in an endless cycle of universal destruction/recreation, one that's been going on for eternity.

From The Ocean, where initially, the world was a giant ocean before something lifted the rock and mud from the bottom, creating land.

No Beginning, No End, where the world was never created, because it has always existed, and will always continue to exist (though not always in forms we'd be familiar or comfortable with). This is what Jainism teaches.

Those stories will often overlap, and in fantasy, you can probably imagine a few more origin stories particular to your world.

[sockatoothewafflebird]

hey guys. if you need to start writing but are scrolling on tumblr this is your sign to get off tumblr. there. i'm bullying you into writing. close the tab and start writing guys. ah-ah-ah nope don't just open another social media site. nuh uh. go open your writing app and start writing. *bonks you with my inflatable hammer*

[byoldervine]

Brainstorming, planning and drafting are all steps in the writing process that rely on quality over quantity; if you limit your ideas based on them not being good enough, or too unserious, or too this that or the other, you’ll close the doors on unlocking your true creative potential

Let yourself fuck around and experiment. Come up with as many different things as possible without trying to police them. The idea at this point in time isn’t to write well - it’s just to write a lot

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

Is Your Villain Dry? Internal Conflict is Needed!

@thewriteadviceforwriters

Villains aren’t evil just for chaos. there’s a whole world of internal battles waging behind that hardened façade. Dive deep into your villain’s psyche to reveal:

A haunting past or a pivotal mistake that shadows their every move 😌

A remnant of empathy or humanity that makes them tragically relatable

Subvert expectations:

Avoid the cliché "pure evil" stereotype by exploring the layers of regret, loss, or even doubtful remorse.

Show that they might be wrestling with an internal conflict over choices made in the name of a twisted sense of justice.

Use narrative techniques:

Experiment with fragmented internal monologues instead of well-structured soliloquies.

Incorporate flashbacks or unreliable narration to mirror the fragmented state of their troubled mind.

Infuse subtle moments of vulnerability:

Craft scenes where your villain, in solitude (maybe under a starlit sky 🌟), reflects on their regrets and fears.

Use these quiet moments to hint at the underlying emotional turmoil, avoiding over-dramatization.

Leverage relationships as catalysts:

Introduce secondary characters—like a long-lost friend or a mentor—who evoke memories of who they once were.

Let these interactions expose the conflict between the villain’s desire for power and the remnants of their former, more innocent self.

Remember:

The key to authentic internal conflict is subtlety. Let these emotions simmer beneath the surface, influencing every decision without overtly stating them.

Experiment relentlessly—let your villain’s inner struggle fuel the narrative and add depth to their character arc.

Let your villain be the dark heart of your story, pulsing with all the ambiguities of a lost soul caught between redemption and damnation. Happy writing, and keep weaving that intricate magic! 😊 - Rin T.

[sweet-reaper]

Writers block? Not sure where to go from here? Here’s some way I’ve solved that.

1. Make a Pinterest board of how you want the scene to feel.

2. Make/find a Spotify playlist of how the characters are feeling, or what emotions you want to invoke.

3. Have the characters brainstorm their next steps in dialogue. Have them all sit down, and consider their options. You would be SHOCKED at the problems they can solve.

4. Write the back half of the scene/chapter, once all your problems are solved.

5. Write the next chapter (I really advocate jumping around to write something, I rarely write things in the order they appear.)

6. Write yourself a prompt. Like as in: a massive paragraph explaining to yourself everything that needs to happen

7. Write it down with pen and paper. I start most of my chapters on pen and paper now, for some reason it just lets things flow.

8. Get the Spotify playlist you have for your characters or story, or even scene, and go on a walk. Don’t try to solve the problem, just listen to the music and let the ideas simmer. It works SO GOOD!!!

9. Take a break. You deserve it.