If your plot feels flat, STUDY it! Your story might be lacking...

Stakes - What would happen if the protagonist failed? Would it really be such a bad thing if it happened?

Thematic relevance - Do the events of the story speak to a greater emotional or moral message? Is the conflict resolved in a way that befits the theme?

Urgency - How much time does the protagonist have to complete their goal? Are there multiple factors complicating the situation?

Drive - What motivates the protagonist? Are they an active player in the story, or are they repeatedly getting pushed around by external forces? Could you swap them out for a different character with no impact on the plot? On the flip side, do the other characters have sensible motivations of their own?

Yield - Is there foreshadowing? Do the protagonist's choices have unforeseen consequences down the road? Do they use knowledge or clues from the beginning, to help them in the end? Do they learn things about the other characters that weren't immediately obvious?

Thank you so much for this!

Hawta Mahmood

Or how to write believable bar and nightclub scenes. I often find myself helping friends with their WIPs and often it as a bartender, I find myself having to correct them on bar and mixology terminology. So here's my quick guide to keeping your lingo on the straight and narrow.

Terminology

Equipment

Alcoholic Drinks

Cocktails and Drinks

My Top 10 Bartending Rules and Responsibilities

Y’all I read a lot of scripts. And the one note I give over and over and over and over to the point that I can pretty much copy and paste it from one review to another…. let your characters lie. Let them omit, stumble, and circumvent. Allow them to be completely unable to express what they’re feeling. Make them unable to admit a truth. Let them sit in silence because they can’t think of anything clever to say! Let them say the exact wrong thing!

Dee Rees talks about it in her BAFTA lecture (which you should ABSOLUTELY WATCH): that what your character actually says should be three degrees of separation away from what they mean to say.

I read script after script after script where characters articulate their needs, desires, and objectives with perfect accuracy off the cuff 24/7 and there is not one single human person on this planet who is actually able to do that. This is the #1 thing that’s going to make your script sound stilted and the #1 thing that’s going to make shit difficult on your actors. Let them shut up, and let them lie.

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Info doc  Carrd

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Got questions?

write EVERY DAY. here's how.

where inspiration fails, habit will always have your back. this is why it's important to build writing into your life as a habit, if you ever want to finish a project or improve your skills.

back in 2018, i (nat) was a college student without much going for me. i was feeling creatively stifled and insecure and like i didn't have TIME to write good. and i was right. i didn't have time to write GOOD. but i did have time to write SOMETHING. so that january, i built the habit. i wrote every single day in 2018, and almost every single day since.

because once you establish the habit, it becomes safer to skip a day (or three days) here and there. you will at least THINK about writing every day, even if you go straight from work to social plans to bed, or you're on vacation, or you're too sick to write. and that thinking is part of the habit!

here are the tips i followed to make this happen.

-pick a reasonable goal. starting off, mine was 300 words. now, i don't follow a goal, because the habit is so solid i don't need to. but 300 words is easy and quick. and if you give a pig a pancake, they'll probably have days where they write 500, 1000, even 3k words.

-log your word count. this is interesting to look back on every new year's eve, and it provides accountability. do this however you like; a spreadsheet, a physical notebook, a note in your phone, each day's section in your planner, whatever works for you. i have a channel in my personal discord server where i log mine.

-do NOT edit as you go. just write write write. if you feel like something you wrote needs work, yeah, it probably does-- everything needs to be edited, but that's a problem for later. highlight sentences you can't get right or make note of them to edit LATER. but do not edit as you go!

-write self-indulgent crap. fanfiction, shitty poetry, manifestos, rants, self insert fantasy romance, whatever floats your boat. having a shitty self-indulgent backup story to work on when i didn't feel like writing for the projects i cared about really helped get me in the habit. write for an audience of one!

-journal if you can't write. this may not necessarily build your skill as much as writing regular prose would, but it does help you maintain the habit and it can be useful in lots of other ways.

-think outside the box. write trivia questions. write a list of your favorite childhood toys. write a review of the book you're reading. i'm writing this post, that's going toward my word count for the day. again, this is still writing, and it helps maintain the habit.

-get comfortable writing on your phone. this took me a long time, but making it over this hurdle has saved my habit so many times.

you'll be surprised at the cool shit you end up writing on those days when you swore you weren't inspired enough. and you'll be delighted with how much progress you will make honing your craft!

happy writing! if you have any questions about how to implement any of these tips, our ask box is always open.

Alternatives For "Said" Organized By Emotion: Minimal Edition

Curated personally by me, straight from my excel doc where I combined several lists I found online AND duplicated words in multiple columns when the word versatile enough for several emotions, something irritated me on other lists. Like, come on Rebecca, "mumbled" can be used with almost every single mood, why are you only sticking it under "sad"?

Link to the color version.

Neutral acknowledged added advised agreed announced articulated asserted began called chimed in claimed communicated concluded conferred considered contended continued declared drawled emitted ended enunciated explained expressed held hinted imparted implied insisted mentioned mumbled muttered noted observed orated predicted pronounced put forth quipped recited reckoned related remarked repeated replied responded revealed shared spoke stated suggested supposed told uttered vocalized voiced went on whispered Annoyed/Rude/Mean/Angry accused admonished badgered barked bellowed bleated chastised choked complained condemned criticized cursed demanded denied derided disagreed dismissed dodged exploded fumed glowered groaned groused growled grumbled grunted heckled hissed ignored insulted jeered mimicked mocked nagged provoked raged ranted rasped remonstrated reprimanded retorted ridiculed roared scoffed scolded scorned screamed screeched seethed shouted smirked snapped snarled sneered snickered spat swore taunted teased thundered upbraided vociferated whined yelled Bummed/Sad/Miserable agonized apologized babbled bawled begged blubbered breathed complained confided cried faltered fretted grieved groaned grunted hesitated lamented mewled moaned mourned mumbled pleaded shrugged sighed sniffled sniveled sobbed stammered stuttered trailed off wailed wept whined whispered Happy/Humorous/Excited babbled beamed bubbled chattered cheered chortled chuckled complimented congratulated cried out crooned crowed derided effused exclaimed giggled grinned gushed heckled hollered jabbered jeered joked lampooned laughed mimicked parodied rejoiced ridiculed sang satirized screamed shouted smiled smirked snickered snorted spoofed taunted teased thanked trilled trumpeted yammered yelled Kind/Comforting admired approved comforted complimented congratulated consoled empathized grinned gushed invited joked offered praised professed reassured smiled soothed volunteered Uncertainty/Worry/Fear babbled blurted cautioned choked doubted faltered gasped gulped hesitated howled keened mumbled murmured muttered panted prayed quaked quavered screamed screeched shrieked squalled squealed stammered stuttered swore trailed off trembled wailed warbled warned wavered whimpered whispered yelled yelped yowled Asking A Question asked babbled begged challenged considered contemplated guessed hesitated hinted hypothesized implied inquired interrogated invited mouthed mused pleaded pondered probed proposed queried questioned quizzed repeated requested solicited speculated supposed wondered Responding To A Question accepted acknowledged advised affirmed agreed alleged answered assured avowed claimed conceded concluded confided confirmed considered decided denied disagreed disclosed dismissed disseminated divulged dodged explained ignored imparted indicated informed maintained notified offered passed on proffered promised promulgated refused released reported revealed shared specified speculated supposed testified transmitted verified

Making Characters Stuck in the Background Pop Out

Maybe you have had some of the experiences I’ve had when working on a project, one of which is finding yourself with a character–could be a side character, a secondary character, or even a viewpoint character–who seems to be sort of stuck in the background of the story when he’s not really supposed to be. In your head, he’s a great character, and maybe you even want to showcase him, but for some reason, on the page, he just doesn’t shine. Sometimes this sort of thing even happens with the protagonist. Here are four tips to help make characters stuck in the background pop out.

Give Your Character Defined Attributes

You may be familiar with the idea of “tagging” your character–giving your character attributes or key words that are regularly referenced. For example, Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is regularly described with the color pink, wearing a bow, “like a toad,” and very short and stumpy. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, always has a bowler hat, and he usually takes it off and runs the brim of it through his hands. If your character is stuck in the background, she may need some tags to help her pop out. Make sure you don’t pick tags or details that are so generic, they are forgettable. Instead, be specific and telling.

Round out Your Character

Some characters get stuck in the background because they aren’t rounded out as real individuals. I’ve seen this happen when editing manuscripts that have a heroine who is a borderline Mary Sue. Because she isn’t rounded out as a real person, she sort of blends into the background. If this is the case, you’ll need to flesh her out and give her some legitimate weaknesses that affect the story, instead of just flaws that are endearing side notes. A quick way to make a character feel rounder, is to make them embody a seeming contradiction–that will definitely help a character stand out. For other approaches on rounding out a character, see my article “Flat Characters vs. Round Characters,” and find the subtitle “How to Make a Character Round.”

Put Your Character in Situations that Show off His Traits and Abilities

There may be a good chance that the setups and situations you are putting your character in don’t show off the defining traits you’ve given her. In the television show Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes is a self-proclaimed high-functioning sociopath, which means he doesn’t relate well to people. That’s a character trait that makes him interesting. But if we never put him in significant social situations and only put him in scenes where he solves cases, we never get to the depth or complexity of that character trait. It’s never illustrated in a way that fully realizes it. Other times, it’s not so much a trait that isn’t illustrated as it is a talent or ability. In Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, one of the main characters, Violet, is an inventor. But if the plot never needed an invention to solve a problem, we’d never see how good Violet is at inventing something. If you don’t put your character in situations that showcase her defining traits or talents and abilities, she can fade into the background.

Separate Her from “Loud” Characters

Some of your other characters may not necessarily be loud mouths (though they can be), but they are “loud” in that they beg for attention. Jack Sparrow in The Pirates of the Caribbean is a good example of this. He’s perhaps the most entertaining and likeable character in the franchise, and when he’s on the screen, people watch him. It’s like you can’t look away. You have to see what he will do or say or even what his mannerisms are. Sometimes we cannot fully appreciate Will or Elizabeth or Barbossa because we are so focused on Jack. If Jack were in every scene, we may not appreciate many of the other characters at all. Luckily, the writers made sure to separate Jack regularly from many of the others. To make your background character pop out, you may need to do the same thing. And it doesn’t need to be elaborate. Separate your “quieter” character from the “loud” ones, so that they can get some of the spotlight, even if it’s just temporary. If none of these methods seem to work or relate to your story, you may want to consider revamping your character so that she is more relevant, or, if you need to, cut him altogether.

we’re undating this. we’re bringing it back

50 Questions for your oc

(i got bored and made some questions to ask for ocs. Not much but something to get gears going. Ask away please).

(Edit: Hey part 2!)

Personal

Family

Friends

School

Other

Oh my gosh. I just found this website that walks you though creating a believable society. It breaks each facet down into individual questions and makes it so simple! It seems really helpful for worldbuilding!

*Watches scenes from my WIP like a tv show on repeat in my head instead of ever writing them down*