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Tips from a Beta Reading Writer

This one's for the scenes with multiple characters, and you're not sure how to keep everyone involved.

Writing group scenes is chaos. Someone’s talking, someone’s interrupting, someone’s zoning out thinking about breadsticks. And if you’re not careful, half your cast fades into the background like NPCs in a video game. I used to struggle with this so much—my characters would just exist in the scene without actually affecting it. But here’s what I've learned and have started implementing:

✨ Give everyone a job in the scene ✨

Not their literal job—like, not everyone needs to be solving a crime or casting spells. I mean: Why are they in this moment? What’s their role in the conversation?

My favourite examples are:

The Driver: Moves the convo forward. They have an agenda, they’re pushing the action.

The Instigator: Pokes the bear. Asks the messy questions. Stirring the pot like a chef on a mission.

The Voice of Reason: "Guys, maybe we don’t commit arson today?"

The Distracted One: Completely in their own world. Tuning out, doodling on a napkin, thinking about their ex.

The Observer: Not saying much, but noticing everything. (Quiet characters still have presence!)

The Wild Card: Who knows what they’ll do? Certainly not them. Probably about to make things worse.

If a character has no function, they’ll disappear. Give them something—even if it’s just a side comment, a reaction, or stealing fries off someone’s plate. Keep them interesting, and your readers will stay interested too.

This is it. Someone put it into words.

I want to write. I have ideas. I open document. I type four of the worst sentences ever created in the english language. I daydream the rest of the scene. I close document.

Confessions in the Dark

The cool night air felt like a dream on your flush skin as you stepped outside onto the patio. A deep, full breath filled your lungs. Your exhale exploded forth in a cloud. The party inside was still going on, with or without you. And right now, you need to be without. Cold or not.

You stumbled, only for a step. How many drinks had it been? Three? Four? There were shots at one point too. Two? Three?

You grabbed the railing and stared out at the moonlit, snowy mountain ridge. You sighed as you leaned forward, your forearms resting lazily on the smooth wood. Even in your drunken state, this was truly the most beautiful view. A ski lodge retreat generously funded by the higher-ups felt like a well earned gift. It was a shame that such a beautiful view had to be enjoyed alone. 

Thoughts of him rolled in. You couldn’t stop yourself. Brooding, guarded, and so many layers to pull back. Ghost was an enigma. One you desperately wanted to learn. His stare was magnetic and intense in a way that sent a chill down your spine. You dared to believe that you loved him.

He was at the party, clad in that black hoodie and those jeans that made his ass look good enough to bite. His mask, off. You nearly fainted at the sight of him. The people here were all familiar and dear to you both. Though, seeing his face was still a rare treat. 

König even took off his mask to reveal a rugged handsomeness that had its own charm. Though both shared that tousled dirty blonde hair, in your heart, you couldn't help but see Ghost as the true victor between the two.

A rustle from your left pulled you out of your drooling delusions. You turned your head slightly to see the source. There he was. Sitting in a chair in a dark corner of the patio. The brooding Ghost. He wore that same black hoodie, his blonde hair catching the faint light that poured in from the lodge’s curtained windows.

You turned and smiled, your voice airy with delight and low with desire, “Hello.”

Nothing. A man of few words.

You pushed off the rail and sauntered over, doing your best to stay calm and upright. Your voice still held true with its sultry tone as you said, “You know, I’m glad I found you here.” You stopped a few feet away, averting your gaze as you fiddled with the hem of your jacket, “You’re not an easy man to read, but I started to think… maybe I wasn’t imagining it. The way you look at me. The way you always seem to be there when I need someone to have my back.”

His face was still covered in shadow as you looked up. Still not a word, but you could tell he was looking at you now. You continued on, the whiskey coursing through you was helping to ease your nerves, “So I’m saying it…I care about you. More than I should. More than I expected to. And I don’t know what you’ll do with that, but… there it is.”

Then, without thinking, you closed the distance and slipped onto his lap. Your arms draped around his neck, and when your lips found his, the world narrowed to that single, thrilling moment.

He froze, just for a beat. Then, he kissed you back, deeper this time, with a hunger that stole the air from your lungs. His hands settled on your waist. The warmth of him seeped into your skin, and a spark lit somewhere low in your core, growing with every second his mouth moved against yours.

He kissed like he meant it. Like he’d been waiting. There was a tenderness to it but underneath it, something smoldered. It was undeniable and all-consuming.

When you pulled away, your breath caught in your throat for a different reason. Instead of Ghost’s dark eyes staring back at you, a piercing blue set gazed into yours. König.

His big hand came up to cup your cheek. You couldn’t deny how good it felt to have his cold hand against your warm cheek. Then, his thumb brushed your bottom lip. His eyes flicked to it, and then back to meet your stunned gaze.

Finally, he spoke, his accent thick and his tone heavy with need, “I can’t deny that I have also wanted this, mein süße.” 

In your drunken state, you weren’t sure what to do. König did though.

His lips collided with yours again and your mind went blank. He tasted warm and sweet, with the faint spice of cinnamon on his tongue. It made you lean further into the kiss. Opening yourself up. You wanted to taste more of him. 

You were lost now. Lost in his touch as his hand slid into your hair. Lost to his warmth as he pulled you closer to him. Possessing you. 

There was no stopping it now. The ice had broken and the avalanche fell. Your thoughts of Ghost were long gone, and replaced with the image of König. His imposing figure. Those broad shoulders. The icy stare of a wolf.

He wasn’t who you meant to kiss, but right now, his arms felt like home, and you weren’t ready to leave.

all fanfiction is funnier and sexier and vastly better-written when you read it at three in the morning, in the dark, lying on your side, tucked into bed, with screen rotate turned off. that’s just how it works. that’s just facts.

haikyuu!! + every commercial break

if the Thorn Princess ever takes out Twilight, it's going to be like this 😳

— post identity reveal Loid/Yor, in which they are married (with feelings this time)

Plushies // Planet Bunnie on Etsy

Hellooo~

So far it's looking like Gaz in Uniform will be the winner of the poll, but we will see where it ends up by this evening.

I haven't written a fic like that before. I put that idea down as I knew it would be a challenge to write for me. Hoping it wouldn't get picked.

I was wrong.

This one may take me the whole week to write.

First rule of Dekubowl: don’t talk about Dekubowl