thewritinggrindstone

[thewritinggrindstone]

The 5 Most Essential Turning Points in a Character’s Arc

You spend so much time creating a character because you want them to feel real. You want to connect with them and use them to create an experience for your readers. Their character arc is how that happens.

Don’t miss out on these essential turning points that make an arc feel not only whole, but complete.

1. The Inciting Incident

Your inciting incident gets your plot moving. It isn’t going to be the first sentence of your story (also called your hook), although it could be if you crafted your first sentence for that purpose.

An inciting incident is a plot event that guides your character in a new direction. It’s the successful prison break, the meeting of instant rivals, or the moment your protagonist wins the lottery in your first chapter.

Without the inciting incident, your protagonist’s life would carry on as usual. They wouldn’t start the arc that makes them an interesting person for the reader to stick with throughout your story.

2. Introducing the Protagonist’s Main Flaw

Every protagonist needs a primary flaw. Ideally, they’ll have more than one. People aren’t perfect and they rarely get close enough to only have one negative characteristic. Protagonists need that same level of humanity for readers to connect with them.

There are many potential flaws you could consider, but the primarily flaw must be the foundation for your character’s arc. It might even be the catalyst for the story’s peak.

Imagine a hero archetype. They’re great and well-intended, but they have a problem with boasting. Their arc features scenes where they learn to overcome their need to brag about themselves, but they get drunk and boast in a bar right before the story’s peak. The antagonist’s best friend hears this because they’re at the same bar, so they report the hero’s comment to the main villain. It thwarts the hero’s efforts and makes the climax more dramatic.

Other potential flaws to consider:

Arrogance

Pride

Fear

Anxiety

Carelessness

Dishonesty

Immaturity

3. Their First Failure

Everyone will fail at a goal eventually. Your protagonist should too. Their first failure could be big or small, but it helps define them. They either choose to continue pursuing that goal, they change their goal, or their worldview shatters.

Readers like watching a protagonist reshape their identity when they lose sight of what they wnat. They also like watching characters double down and pursue something harder. Failure is a necessary catalyst for making this happen during a character’s arc.

4. Their Rock Bottom

Most stories have a protagonist that hits their rock bottom. It could be when their antagonist defeats them or lose what matters most. There are numerous ways to write a rock-bottom moment. Yours will depend on what your character wants and what your story’s theme is.

If you forget to include a rock-bottom moment, the reader might feel like the protagonist never faced any real stakes. They had nothing to lose so their arc feels less realistic.

Rock bottoms don’t always mean earth-shattering consequences either. It might be the moment when your protagonist feels hopeless while taking an exam or recognizes that they just don’t know what to do. Either way, they’ll come to grips with losing something (hope, direction, or otherwise) and the reader will connect with that.

5. What the Protagonist Accepts

Protagonists have to accept the end of their arc. They return home from their hero’s journey to live in a life they accept as better than before. They find peace with their new fate due to their new community they found or skills they aquired.

Your protagonist may also accept a call to action. They return home from their journey only to find out that their antagonist inspired a new villain and the protagonist has to find the strength to overcome a new adversary. This typically leads into a second installment or sequel.

Accepting the end of their arc helps close the story for the reader. A protagonist who decides their arc wasn’t worth it makes the reader disgruntled with the story overall. There has to be a resolution, which means accepting whatever the protagonist’s life ended up as—or the next goal/challenge they’ll chase.

-----

Hopefully these points make character arcs feel more manageable for you. Defining each point might feel like naming your instincts, but it makes character creation and plotting easier.

Want more creative writing tips and tricks? I have plenty of other fun stuff on my website, including posts like Traits Every Protagonist Needs and Tips for Writing Subplots.

[thewritinggrindstone]

Transition Words

Determine the type of signal you need.

Select from that signal group the word which is most appropriate to the meaning of your sentences.

Note: The same transition word or phrase can sometimes serve different purposes.

To signal an addition:

in addition, furthermore, moreover, also, equally important, likewise, another, again

To signal an example:

for example, for instance, thus, in other words, as an illustration, in particular

To signal a suggestion:

for this purpose, to this end, with this objective in mind

To signal emphasis:

indeed, truly, again, to repeat, in fact

To signal granting a point:

while it may be true, in spite of this

To signal a summary/conclusion:

in summary, in conclusion, therefore, finally, consequently, accordingly, in short, in brief, as a result, on the whole, thus

To signal the development of a sequence:

Value sequence: first, second, secondly, third, thirdly, next, last, finally

Time sequence: then, afterward, next, subsequently, previously, first, second, at last, meanwhile, in the meantime, immediately, soon, at length, yesterday

Space sequence: above, across, under, beyond, below, nearby, nearer, opposite to, adjacent to, to the left/right, in the foreground, in the background

To signal a relationship:

Similarity: similarly, likewise, in like manner

Contrast: in contrast to, however, but, still, nevertheless, yet, conversely, notwithstanding, on the other hand, on the contrary, at the same time, while this may be true

Cause and Effect: consequently, thus, therefore, accordingly, hence, as a result

To signal an argument:

accordingly, as a result, at the same time, besides, equally important, in fact, otherwise, therefore

To signal a comparison:

also, at the same time, in like manner, in the same way, likewise, similarly, so too

To signal a contrast:

but, however, in contrast with, instead, nevertheless, on the contrary, on the other hand, otherwise, yet

[thewritinggrindstone]

write unpublishable things. it's good for you.

[thewritinggrindstone]

One trap that All the Time Daydreamers, Sometimes Writers, fall into is this idea that writing is transcribing the daydream.

It's not. The daydream is a fuzzy thing. There are gaps that you don't need to fill in a daydream, because you already get the emotional point. A lot of it is emotion. And because it makes you feel like a complete story would, your brain is tricked into thinking that's what you have.

Then you sit down to actually write the thing and you realize you're trying to write a Space Opera without actually inventing any planets or space ships. You don't even know if the characters start out on the same planet. If they're on a planet at all. You didn't bother to check.

Now you will vaguely reference this in first-second person in any writing guide you make up for the rest of time.

When you write, you're building something. It's not a pale imitation of what you have in your head- what you have in your head can't exist on the outside. This is a whole new beast. It's going to ultimately look different and this is a good thing.

Also the internal critic is dumb.

I'm not even trying to be nice to your writing specifically here. The internal critic is looking for a completed story and you don't have one yet. So anything it has to say flat out does not apply.

[thewritinggrindstone]

dbh-adjacent writing-program nonsense under the cut, a.k.a. let's talk a bit about WriteMonkey 3

I've used WriteMonkey 2 and 3 on and off for. hm. I guess it's gotta be eight or nine years now? but those instances of use have always been erratic and short lived, and I've usually returned to either Scrivener or, more frequently for many reasons, MS Word. (I also did just a ton of first-draft writing in discord back when I had an account and c/ped my writing from there into Word. near-peerless syncing between devices, appalling security practices. what can ya do 🙃)

anyway, due to ~circumstances~ I've switched to writing on a computer that isn't my writing program–filled work laptop, and so I've been experimenting with WM3 again because it's super lightweight due to plaintext markdown instead of rich text and I have a license key for it, which = fun plugins. it's also way less complicated and labor intensive to set up per project and use than, say, Scrivener. I love Scrivener! but scriv can be overwhelming and distracting when all I want to do is write, especially if I want a unique, quick-to-set-up theme (and I always do, because Aesthetic Is Everything), which is one of the reasons WM3 is so handy

in addition to the gorgeous stripped-down UI that showcases whatever background I choose (mine can be found here!), WM3 has some really neat little plugins? I don't actually use the word-frequency checker myself, but WM3's shows you where each word appears in the document via the little indicator bars to the right of the word, which. rad! (you can tell at a glance which chapters are written in whose POV based off name usage alone and I think that's neat.) also, when you click on a given word in the frequency list, it'll highlight that word throughout the document and also display all uses of it vertically over the scroll bar path. lots of nice little visual indicators of what's going on. I just really like the design, it's simple but extremely useful and intuitive

admittedly, Scrivener cannot be beat when it comes to how easily you're able to make notes in it due to its multitude of note-taking locations, plus it has internal splitscreen capabilities that make referencing a second document a breeze, so there's definitely a mental transition involved when it comes to WM3 and its single-document-at-a-time system, on top of switching to markdown-style comments/reminders. that said! being able to not only see those comments below the headings in the left-hand sidebar but also jump to them when they're clicked? stellar 10/10 would use again

finally, the repository. I <3 the repository. being able to quickly toss whatever text I'm not quite ready to delete or info I know I'll want to reference at some point in the future into the repository is great. it's a seamless process, only a couple seconds' worth of effort required, allowing my focus to stay on what I'm writing instead of distracting myself by tabbing my way through various open files to find my notes. plus the repository is searchable(!!!!!), and using it also keeps the actual text editor clean visually, especially since the right-hand sidebar can be hidden too:

hm! possibly that is a sneak preview of chapter one! who can say!

so yeah! if you're looking for a stripped-down, highly customizable, portable writing program, I absolutely recommend it. there are downsides, of course, the biggest one being no official WM3 mobile options available at present, but since the program is both portable and plaintext, you can toss it into a syncing service and access it via your handheld devices that way. it's also not open source, and you need to pay to access the truly useful plugin features. with all that said, if you don't mind fiddling around with some CSS to make everything look juuuuuuuuust right, you can get yourself a really snazzy setup with relatively little effort. but maybe that's just me—aesthetic is king and all that

[thewritinggrindstone]

When to Cut a Character

Last time we talked about getting rid of what’s not serving your story, but sometimes it can be hard to tell when something just needs a bit of adjusting to work, or needs to be cut entirely. This is a very case-by-case occurrence, but there are a few tell-tale signs for when a character just isn’t necessary.

1. You struggle to remember to include them in scenes or dialogue

If you often feel like you’re adding your character into a scene just because we haven’t seen them in a while, or even find yourself forgetting they exist at all—they are just as, if not more forgettable to the readers. This is a big sign you can cut them out, and save yourself the effort of including them in random scenes.

2. Their dialogue/purpose could be given to someone else

The best way to check if someone (or something) is necessary is to try to take them out. If you find that you can give a character’s plot importance and dialogue to someone else (or split across multiple characters), you can cut the character. By trying this with all your characters, you’ll find that only the absolute necessary ones remain. Besides, a smaller cast of characters is often easier to develop and juggle, allowing them all to shine throughout the story.

3. They only really show up as a plot device

While maybe not necessary to cut out completely, characters who only show up at the most convenient times to provide some plot device or deus ex machina tend to land flat. When I catch these in my own work, I cut them out to force my main characters to solve their own problems.

One big example of this (and spoilers for the movie Passenger (2016)!) is when the characters, who are the only ones awake on the ship, need access to a certain room they don’t have the clearance for. This door proves an obstacle for the entire movie. Then, we reach the third act and need to end the movie so one of the other passengers who has access to that door wakes up because of a sudden malfunction, helps them through the door, and then dies soon after.

Given that was in a blockbuster movie, I’m sure you could get away with doing this, but I personally would have cut out that character and figured out a way for them to solve the problem on their own. (I think even if they had woken him up intentionally, giving them action and agency to solve this problem, it would have been better, but I digress).

There are tons of purposes for characters which is what makes this so case by case. If you’re unsure about a character being necessary, try taking them out and evaluate what is lost. If nothing is lost, or whatever’s lost can be made up by someone else, maybe the cut should be permanent.

                Any other signs a character is worth writing out of the story?

[thewritinggrindstone]

Make Your Dialogue Stronger: 8 Tips

Sometimes it’s a challenge to write good dialogue. Your character’s conversations might sound stiff or unnatural, but why does that happen?

There are numerous reasons why your dialogue isn’t as strong as you’d like. It might mean you just need more practice, but it could also mean it’s time to try something new.

Check out these tips to make your dialogue stronger and become a better writer with each story.

1. Skip the Small Talk

When you walk into the same room as someone, like at work or in the morning at school, you likely engage in small talk.

How are you?

Good, how are you?

I’m fine for a Monday morning.

It’s an instinct we’re all trained to have, but it makes for extremely boring conversations in books. Unless your small-talk scene occurs in a moment of extreme tension (like if neither character trusts the other or someone’s listening in on their conversation), you can likely skip that part of the dialogue.

2. Say It Out Loud

Sometimes it’s helpful to say your words out loud while you write. Dialogue or no dialogue, you’re more likely to catch awkward moments or stiff phrasing. Unless you prefer to write in a library, try this with your story. You may recognize unintentional repetition or repeated sentence structures that make your dialogue unnatural.

3. Remember Your Character’s Motivations

Think about the last real-world conversation you had with someone. The last one I had was pleasant and laid-back, but my motivation during it was finding out what was secretly bothering my friend. I wanted to help them feel better.

Your characters will have motivations in their dialogue too. If a scene feels off, it might be because what they’re saying doesn’t have any intention behind it. Think about what your characters want as their ultimate goal and how that conversation is helping them get there.

Layering their motivations into conversations with tension, word choice, and even body language could eliminate whatever feels unnatural about some of your dialogue.

4. Find the Scene’s Emotional Tether

Dialogue is also how writers address a scene’s emotional ties. If two characters just went through something scary, the dialogue lets them vent their panic and potentially find comfort in the trust they share. Consider what you want your readers to feel from the scene and what your characters are feeling. Express it with what they say to make their conversation more grounded in reality.

5. Read the Scene Aloud

If you’ve already written the scene, you can still read it out loud. It’s even better if you have a friend or beta reader around to read a second character’s lines. When you hear what the characters are saying, the word choices or dialogue breaks that aren’t working will become extremely clear. 

6. Copy and Paste the Dialogue

Sometimes you can’t read things out loud. Sometimes you may not want to. 

Luckily, AI can help with that.

I’ve used a few AI-powered websites to read my stories back to me in voices that sound real. Unlike other text-to-speech readers, human-sounding voices are easier to pay attention to.

Some of my favorites are sites like these:

NaturalReaders

TTSReader

Synthesys

Some sites will read more than others before requiring a paid membership. Use a few to listen through your stories and pick out whatever isn’t working.

7. Give Yourself a Break

It’s tempting to push yourself through a story until it’s finished. Writers often feel like they aren’t real authors unless the stories flow from their fingertips constantly. 

Remember that you’re human. When you’re writing you’re using at least eight parts of your brain, plus you’re building new neural connections. That’s tons of work for your brain. When you hit parts of your story that feel weaker or clunky—dialogue or not—it could be because your mind needs to rest.

Don’t underestimate the power of giving yourself a break. Walk away from your story for a few hours or even a few days. Nourish your mental health with a few positive affirmations, some fresh air, and healthy foods. You’ll return to your story with renewed energy that makes it easier to refine your dialogue.

8. Get Messy to Get Better

We’ve all been there. You’re writing a scene or story that means something deeply personal, so you want to get it just right. The desire to strive for perfection is admirable, but it might be holding you back.

Write those incomplete sentences. Embrace your clunky dialogue. Make your characters say things they don’t mean or argue or goof around in happier moments.

If you never make mistakes, you’ll never learn how to improve. Get messy and have fun doing it. You’ll always have time to polish things or add more to scenes when you’re editing later.

-----

Dialogue can be challenging, but that means it’s also an opportunity to grow. Try these tricks to get better at creating conversations, even if you consider yourself a long-term, practiced writer.

[thewritinggrindstone]

life's too short to write for an imaginary critic that you fear will hate what you wrote

[thewritinggrindstone]

How to Write an Ironic Story: 10 Types of Irony to Consider

Ironic moments in life can make us change our perspectives, laugh, or discover something we didn’t know before. When you’re trying to make them happen in a story, it can be more difficult than you first realized.

Here’s a quick guide to writing irony in your next story so you can think of those moments as a strategic writer.

What Is Irony?

“What? That’s so ironic.”

We’ve all said a similar line when reacting to something before. Do you remember what it was? Can you point out why it was ironic?

Definition 1: Irony is when something happens or someone says something other than what you expect.

Let’s imagine your protagonist walking outside. They’re in a good mood, but quickly realize it’s pouring rain. They were supposed to go on a walk, but they look up at the clouds and say, “What a beautiful day!”

As a reader, you’d expect that character to be frustrated that the rain ruined their plans to go walking. It’s ironic that they actually find the weather beautiful. It might even make your reader laugh in surprise.

Definition 2: Irony is when something happens or someone says something other than what you expect but in a sardonic way.

This might be the definition of irony that you naturally think of. It’s when something unexpected happens and you have a bitter laugh about it. Deep down, you likely suspected the truth all along. The reveal is negative in nature.

Imagine a politician pushing a bill to outlaw the color blue. They make speeches and go on news networks saying how the color blue is a danger to everyone, so it must be outlawed immediately. While pushing this narrative, a journalist discovers leaked photos of the politician’s interior decorating—their home is entirely blue. Additionally, news comes out that the politician had recently received a significant reelection donation from the We Hate the Color Blue corporation.

The reveal means that the politician didn’t believe what they were saying. They were only passing the law because they received money to do so, even though the color blue wasn’t harming anyone or causing a problem.

If you lived in this world, you’d likely read the headlines and roll your eyes. It’s a frustrating irony that isn’t altogether unexpected, but still a reveal.

Ironic Plot Devices

There are a few ways to use irony as a plot device. You can use them to reveal things to your characters, change your plot’s direction, or cause character growth. Check out a few examples to see how.

1. An Unforeseen Blessing

Definition: Something good happens by something bad happening.

A character is in desperate need of a new car. They don’t have the money to buy one and their current vehicle is so old, they won’t get more than a couple hundred dollars to trade it in.

One day while driving it, the car shuts down. The engine melts into the pavement while your character tries scooping it up with an old milkshake cup from their backseat.

Someone records the entire thing from a distance and posts it online. The video goes viral, prompting the milkshake restaurant chain to give the character a brand new car for free.

The loss of their old car and potential public embarrassment is terrible, but your character gets the car they need. Some would say the melting engine was a blessing in disguise. Others would call it irony.

2. Accidental Harm

Definition: Someone attends to hurt someone, but the wrong person gets hurt instead.

There are a few ways this irony could play out. Your protagonist could set a bucket of water over a doorframe, hoping it pours onto their little brother when he gets home from school. However, the protagonist gets distracted during the day and walks through the door themselves. They get soaked and become the target of accidental harm.

Their grandfather could come home before their brother too. When the grandfather gets soaked by the bucket prank, they’re the victim of accidental harm. The irony in both situations is that the actual target—the brother—never has the chance to fall for the prank.

3. Good Actions Have Opposite Effects

Definition: Someone attempts to do something the right way, but it doesn’t work out in their favor.

Your protagonist studies through the night for a high school exam. They pour all of their efforts into staying up and retaining as much information as possible because they realize they need better grades to go to their dream college.

After taking the test and getting it back, your protagonist gets a perfect score. However, the teacher announces they graded everyone on a curve due to an issue with their previous lesson plan. Everyone gets an A and the protagonist gets frustrated because they lost sleep over studying that didn’t ultimately matter.

4. Selfish Actions That Backfire

Definition: Someone does something exclusively for their own benefit and anyone or anything else benefits instead.

A character decides to run in a community race to win the prize money for a vacation. Halfway through the race, they realize they’re out of shape and there’s a shortcut up ahead. They take the shortcut and win, but the judges quickly realize they cheated to reach the finish line.

Their prize money automatically goes to the second runner-up, which happens to be the character’s worst enemy. They watch their worst enemy spend the money on lottery tickets that don’t result in any winnings. 

5. Accidental Self-Harm (Physical or Non-Physical)

Definition: Someone attempts to hurt another person, but it hurts them instead.

When you picture this irony, imagine Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. The coyote always wants to capture or hurt Road Runner, but ends up running into his own traps instead.

Sometimes this irony can be a physical harm from a prank gone wrong or it might be an assassination that doesn’t work out. It could also be a character spreading a rumor to hurt another person, but the rumor affects their own reputation instead.

6. A Sacrifice Without Reward

Definition: Someone makes a major sacrifice that ultimately is meaningless.

Characters experiencing this irony give up something they care about and get nothing to show for it. It might be lighter in nature, like a sister giving up her spot as captain of the soccer team so her equally-talented sister can have the role. Ultimately, the coach cuts them both from the team for not jumping at the leadership role fast enough.

It can also carry a heavier theme. A character could sacrifice to keep their loved one from getting hurt, but they die and their loved one gets hurt in the process anyway. There are multiple ways for irony to serve your plot. You just have to give it a purpose in connection with your theme or message.

7. Great Things Happening to Terrible People

Definition: Someone looks forward to achieving a rare thing they want very badly, but it goes to the worst person they can think of instead.

Your protagonist’s character works hard to put themselves through school, buy a house, and even start a family. One day, they get a letter that a grandparent they never knew recently passed away and wants to give them a million-dollar inheritance. It would free them of their student loan and mortgage debt, but the cruel parental figure that shares your character’s name gets the money instead.

8. An Unwanted Achieved Goal

Definition: Someone finally achieves their long-term goal, but they realize it isn’t what they wanted.

Sometimes the idea of something is better than getting it. Your protagonist may finally move to the mountainside cabin of their dreams, but realize they hate living in an area that gets heavy snow after the first winter storm hits. It’s ironic and a bit depressing, but it shifts your character toward new goals that drive the plot in a fresh direction.

9. Trivial Events Undo a Character’s Work

Definition: Someone’s hard work or life’s work gets ruined by a tiny detail they didn’t see coming.

When someone’s ultimate goal gets undone by something minor, it’s devastating. It’s also something readers connect with because it happens in real life.

Your protagonist might work really hard to earn their pilot’s license, only to get up in their first test flight and realize they have an innate fear of heights. Their future career as a flight operator for a private space exploration company depended on getting that license, so they have to rethink everything.

10. Success Without Meaning

Definition: Someone achieves something at long last, but can’t enjoy it for whatever reason.

Your protagonist decides to become CEO of a major tech company so they can pay off their parent’s debt and provide for them forever. When they finally get that job after a lifetime of earning a college degree and climbing the company’s ladder, their parent doesn’t want their money. Now they’re stuck in a job they might not want for themselves because the purpose behind it will never exist.

-----

You can write an ironic story with any of these tricks and reach your readers’ hearts. Consider which storytelling tools serve your story’s theme or message to match your plot with the best plot device.

[thewritinggrindstone]

Editing Tips: Watch Out for Tautology

When you say the same thing twice with different words, it's a "tautology". They make manuscripts wordy.

Examples:

He shrugged his shoulders. -> He shrugged.

She clapped her hands. -> She clapped.

Her feet stepped back. -> She stepped back.

He hand picked up the knife. -> He picked up the knife.

If a movement is necessary for an action, the movement is included in the action and doesn't need to be spelled out separately.

He reached out his arm and took the book from her -> He took the book from her.

She lifted the glass to her lips and drained it. -> She drained her glass.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

💎If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 

💎Before you ask, check out my masterpost part 1 and part 2 

💎For early access to my content,  become a Writing Wizard 

[thewritinggrindstone]

any tips for someone who wants to start writing but doesn’t know how or about what??

“I want you to do this with me for one month. One month. Write 10 observations a week and by the end of four weeks, you will have an answer. Because when someone writes about the rustic gutter and the water pouring through it onto the muddy grass, the real pours into the room. And it’s thrilling. We’re all enlivened by it. We don’t have to find more than the rustic gutter and the muddy grass and the pouring cold water.” -- Mary Karr

"Just tell me what you saw this morning like in two lines. I saw a water glass on a brown tablecloth, and the light came through it in three places. No metaphor. And to resist metaphor is very difficult because you have to actually endure the thing itself, which hurts us for some reason. -- Marie Howe

[thewritinggrindstone]

What they don’t tell you about storytelling is that it becomes an instinct over time. You learn how to kind of … intuitively chain events together over time. That doesn’t mean it’s a cakewalk, or that you never get stuck on plotbeats, but you have a better time walking yourself out of corners that you as a less experienced writer would have been tempted to abandon your story over. Because you’ve been stuck in similar corners before; you know how you get out now.

I know its frustrating to keep hitting dead ends, but you got this. You’ll learn a little from every roadblock you hit.

[thewritinggrindstone]

NaNo Alternatives

Okay, real post time (but keep those boops booping) - You want to do NaNoWriMo tomorrow, but you don't want to go anywhere near the main organization and their website. Here's a list of alternatives you can try:

Rogue Writers - International group launched to provide an alternative for writers. Their website has challenges, free tools, and more.

myWriteClub - Word tracking tool.

Novlr - A writing app designed to help you meet your writing goals.

WriteTrack - Word tracking tool.

Shut Up and Write - Find in-person or online groups to write together with!

NoQuWriCo - A November writing challenge with tools, tips, and encouragement to make it through the month!

Writing Month - Write. A Month. Do It.

Your local library - If you did NaNo events through your library, chances are they're still doing it this year. Make sure you check in with all the resources you've used in the past, as they're likely still around.

Whatever you decide to do tomorrow, good luck! And remember, if you want to still use the NaNo website but don't like their AI policies and the rest of it, just don't give them money! Laugh to yourself, evilly, as you update your word count. It's very validating.

(Now back to booping.)

[thewritinggrindstone]

Not everyone will like your work, and that's ok.

When it comes to accepting critiques of your work, it’s important to realise that there’s a difference between “it’s bad,” and “it was not for me.”

Just because someone doesn’t like your work doesn’t make it bad. Not everyone has to like everything, and that’s ok. Your audience is out there.

[thewritinggrindstone]

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but modern guns won’t go off when dropped.

[thewritinggrindstone]

Some Things I Wish I Knew as a Baby Writer

You can find writing advice of every shape and form online, and most of it will never fit your process entirely.

I wish someone had told me that it's ok to disagree with the advice you see, even if the person is more experienced than you.

I wish someone had told me that writing is part craft part art; there is no right way to build a fictional concept, only tried and tested ways to bring it to life.

I wish someone had told me that it's ok to fail.

So I'm telling all of you this:

Failure is a blessing because we can learn from it

Success is dangerous because it can make us complacent

The joy of creation outweighs the comfort of acclaim

Persistence matters more than talent in most cases

Writing as a hobby and writing as a job are two different beasts, neither is better or worse

The stories you hate most may be your best because they have tried you and frustrated you; we rarely see the beauty in our own faces - our writing is no different.

You deserve to love your stories, but it's not the only way to measure growth.

[thewritinggrindstone]

small flaws to give to characters

These aren’t anything super game breaking that turns the character into a psychopath, but they can foreshadow bigger, more important issues down the line.

—always making the conversation about themselves

—lying about something incredibly stupid but they refuse to back down from

—expecting others to pay for them at every store, restaurant or hotel

—subtle jabs at other people that they always respond with ‘I wasn’t SAYING it was bad! YOU’RE the one making ME look bad!’ (Watch one of those ‘alpha male vs modern feminist’ videos or clips for inspiration if you are brave enough)

—messy, except this time they have other people in their space (like a dorm, shared apartment, or any kind of shared living space) so their messiness makes everyone VERY upset

—refusing to understand or learn another friend/teammate/partners culture or background to even slightly understand then

—loud obnoxious voiced people who physically can NOT make a subtle entrance or just simply exist in a room without yelling or eating very loudly

—asks for permission to do absolutely anything even with people who are on the same or even a lower level than they are

—doesn’t listen to music with headphones on in a crowded space so EVERYONE has to listen to them

God I hope the last one isn’t just a me-thing because I actively want to strangle anyone who does that