@sleepingseeker / sleepingseeker.tumblr.com
do u ever send smth in a chat thats not even risqué like “i luv salsa” but no one responds so u start overthinking it like…. maybe one of their parents died making salsa…… maybe they were all just talking abt how they hate salsa……. maybe salsa isnt evn real and they have no idea what im talking abt
i have watched approximately 54535624664534 of these so here is my Ode to Hallmark Christmas Movies
With NaNoWriMo around the corner, I thought I might show you how I plotted my novel.
This is the story structure I used:
I didn’t make this up. I think it’s by Larry Brooks, if The Internet informs me correctly. Fun Fact: once you pay attention to it, you’ll see this structure everywhere. Just take a look at any Harry Potter book, for example.
These points are the “bones” of my story. Next, I decided what “flesh” to put on them.
I simply made a list of things I like to read about:
So, I combined this list and the structure points into a story that makes sense. Because I don’t want to spoil my plot / I am still to shy about my wip, I will make up a new plot for this post, so I can show you.
It’s not the most genius plot ever, but I literally made this up in minutes. So can you! And imagine the genius plot you can come up with if you spend more than a few minutes on it.
Then I calculated how many scenes I need in which part of the story. My wip is a YA or 12+ book, so I want it to contain about 75,000 words in total. I want my scenes to be around 1,000 words long to keep it snappy, so I need 75 scenes.
Scene number 1 (0%) is the inciting incident, scene number 15 (20%) is the first plot point, scene number 26 (35%) is the first pinch point, scene number 37 (50%) is the midpoint, scene number 49 (65%) is the second pinch point, scene number 60 (80%) is the second plot point and scene 75 (100%) is the last scene.
Some sidenotes on the 1,000-word scenes:
Then I made up in one sentence what will happen in every scene. For example: “They meet the dragon and he sends them on a sidequest.” Now my outline consists of 75 one-sentence scenes. This way, I prevent the problem of the sagging middle and other pacing problems and I still get to surprise myself when writing.
From those one-sentence scenes, I flesh out every scene into a first draft, using the process I described in my post How I never have to face an empty page when I write.
And that’s my first draft! I hope everything is clear. Feel free to ask me questions if it isn’t.
I’m gonna tag a few people I admire, who I hope are interested. If you aren’t, feel free to ignore me, or message me to take you off my tag list. If you would like to be added to my writing advice tag list, let me know.
If you have a difficult time plotting, try writing or outlining your story backwards—from the end to the beginning. Writers who have a difficult time outlining, plotting, and planning their stories often benefit from this technique. You’ll need a general idea of what your story is about for this to work, and of course you need to know the ending, but you might be amazed how helpful this trick can be.
Why is writing backwards easier? Basically, instead of answering the question “this happened… now what comes next?,” you’ll be answering the question “this happened… so what would come right before that?” which narrows the possibilities for your next move and can help keep your story on track. (Incidentally, it’s also the way Joseph Gordan-Levitt’s character comes out on top in the film The Lookout.)
Writing backwards can also help you more tightly weave together your subplots, themes, and character relationships, and keep you from going too far down any irrelevant rabbit holes.
If you don’t want to write or outline completely backwards, remember that you’re free to jump around! If you’re feeling stuck in your story or novel, jump to the middle or end and write a few scenes. Many writers get stuck because they feel they have to write their story linearly from beginning to end, which results in an overdeveloped (and often irrelevant) beginning and an underdeveloped ending.
So go work on that ending! It’s much more likely that you will need to change your beginning to fit your ending than the other way around, so spend time on your ending sooner rather than later!
//////////////
Even if you’re a pantser, you need a plan for NaNoWriMo because you don’t want to waste your precious writing time with research and mulling over plot points that go nowhere.
What you need:
That’s it.
You will add to all of this of course as the story grows, you will learn more about your characters and about your world and you can just add it to your notes. But this is your base to grow your story on.
Here’s another sneak peak from my forthcoming book The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers!
If you don’t have a plot yet, it can help you create one. If you already have one, the method almost always reveals gaps that need to be addressed with new or stronger chapters/scenes. (For help with your character motivation, check out the PDF “Creating Character Arcs” in my Free Resource Library.)
Use this template for each scene or chapter:
In the first blank, put the motivation for that chapter or scene.
In the second blank, the conflict or obstacle.
In the third blank, the result or action the character takes, which leads into the next goal, and so on, and so on.
Chapter 1: Julian wants to ask Matt to the dance, but he’s scared of being rejected, therefore he slips a cryptic note into Matt’s locker.
Chapter 2: Matt doesn’t see the note. Now Julian wants to get into his locker and retrieve it, but the principal sees him trying to jimmy open the lock, therefore Julian is given detention for a week.
You can also do this scene-by-scene. My suggestion would be to start with the chapter outline, see what it reveals, then move into the scenes. If you’ve already written a draft, you can outline your draft using the template, which should reveal holes in character motivation, plot, and cause/effect, all with one fell swoop!
Hope this helps!
*I adapted this method from South Park writer Trey Parker, who first introduced it in the documentary Six Days to Air.
//////////////
You’ve seen this, right?
It’s the first trailer, to give people unfamiliar with the show an introduction to Crowley and Aziraphale.
when u dont like ur art take a deep breath and remember u created it from nothing, like a god
Does this apply to writing too?
Yes. Writing is an art and this totally applies
Autumn feels
I think all writers need a friend who will encourage their desire to write absolute garbage. Not necessarily something that is badly written, but like, stupid self indulgent bullshit. “Cringey” aus or crossover fanfics. Aus or crossover fics of your own ocs.
Writing that stuff is fun and is great practice, but sometimes I feel like “wow, this is hardly productive, why am I even writing this, who else would ever want to read this?” The answer is your friend who encourages your trash writing, that’s who. Write it for yourself and for them.
here’s a list of some little things you can do to celebrate Mabon and the Autunm Equinox 🍂🍇🍎
🍁 relax and reflect on the year so far
🍁 count your blessings and take a moment to be grateful for everything you achieved or manifested this year
🍁 harvest your herbs or crops and leave small offerings in their place (or in a nearby harvested field if you don’t grow your own)
🍁 adorn yourself in autumn colors, like red, orange, and burgundy
🍁 go for a hike through the woods
🍁 let go of things that no longer serve you to make room for more opportunities
🍁 light some candles, set some intentions, and meditate
🍁 make an altar and some offerings for your deities
🍁 drink wine, tea, or warm apple cider
🍁 eat spice cakes, breads, nuts, and autumn fruits and vegetables
🍁 wear a warm cozy sweater
🍁 clean up your house or sacred space a bit to bring in new energy
🍁✨🍂
Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn.
“our teeth and ambitions are bared” is a zeugma
and it’s a zeugma where one of the words is literal and one is metaphorical which is the BEST KIND
I didn’t know about zeugmas until just now! That is so awesome, everybody:
zeug·ma ˈzo͞oɡmə/
noun
ISN’T THAT AWESOME??
She dropped her dress and inhibitions at the door.
What’s this? My favorite rhetorical device showing up on my dashboard?
IT HAS A NAMEEEE!! OH MY GOD!!!
