Story Structures For Your Next WIP

The secret to avoiding annoyingly perfect characters is less about what they do, and more about what they think and feel. Show that they still want to slack off even if they end up doing what they’re supposed to. The actual plot difference between “I’ll do it, because it’s the Right Thing To Do™!” and “Ugh, fine, I guess I have to do it; it’s…like…the right thing to do, or whatever…” is negligible, but the characterization difference is huge.

writing resources masterlist v2

happy nano lol here’s a masterlist of writing resources. over 300 links and counting. 

so. what’s in here? well:

where to write

ambient sound + visual ambience

moodboard making/ where to source images

character development

creating a look for your character

prompt, poem, and song generators

map making

medical accuracy in writing

first hand accounts of illnesses/disorders

law and crime writing

weapons/armor

folklore/mythology

esl resources

and way more!

(if any links are broken or i’ve credited incorrectly, please let me know! thank y’all for reading!)

Afficher davantage

Some of my writer’s block cures:

Handwrite. (If you already are, write in a different coloured pen.)

Write outside or at a different location.

Read.

Look up some writing prompts.

Take a break. Do something different. Comeback to it later.

Write something else. (A different WIP, a poem, a quick short story, etc.)

Find inspiring writing music playlists on YouTube. (Themed music, POV playlists, ambient music, etc.)

Do some character or story prompts/questions to get a better idea of who or what you’re writing.

Word sprints. Set a timer and write as much as you can. Not a lot of time to overthink things.

Set your own goals and deadlines.

Write another scene from your WIP. (You don’t have to write in order.) Write a scene you want to write, or the ending. (You can change it or scrap it if it doesn’t fit into your story later.)

Write a scene for your WIP that you will never post/add to your story. A prologue, a different P.O.V., how your characters would react in a situation that’s not in your story, a flashback, etc.

Write down a bunch of ideas. Things that could happen, thing that will never happen, good things, bad things.

Change the weather (in the story of course.)

Feel free to add your own.

Plotting, planning, writing Masterpost

This is my list of the plotting-related process, it’s constantly expanding and if anyone wants to have the german list, please message me. I’m gonna do the research ressources for various topics another time, promised. Plotting and planning your book

Acts in a story Common errors in english language

On writing a novel Writer’s world (A lot of information at once, but useful)

Worldbuilding Medieval city generator Medieval castles Norse Mythology The Edda translated to english Old german vocabulary pdf for creating names and such Greek gods / greek mythology: https://www.greekmythology.com/ http://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Mythology/ Questions for your world: https://pastebin.com/TUx9QzVq https://inkys-resources.tumblr.com/post/150627441064/world-building-june-prompts-2016 Kitchen stuff, dishes TIPPS AND TRICKS FOR WRITERS Starting a book How to kill a character Action writing National Novel Writing Month Website http://nanowrimo.org/ https://campnanowrimo.org/sign_in Flashbacks Metaphysics CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT Character sheet, extended version Whenever you have too many characters in one room: Off-screen things to do (This is very helpful) Avoiding word repetition (You may have to make the page a bit bigger due to the small letters) How to write a villain

FANDOMS Multifandom castle reviews playlist (GoT, LotR, HP etc.) How realistic are they, regarding architeture? etc. Harry Potter https://www.pottermore.com/ (Why this is totally not overhyped but rather very fucking helpful for fanfics: SO. MUCH. STUFF! Articles from JKR, cut-out pieces from the books that never appeared in them, details about a lot of characters and their backstory, an essay on wands and their meanings etc.) Harry Potter metas by Super Carlin Brothers. Very interesting indeed. http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page (This is a bit obvious, but you know, just to add it here) Marvel Cinematic Universe Timeline of all movies Most helpful MCU wikia http://de.marvel-filme.wikia.com/wiki/Marvel-Filme And to be honest watch Marvel’s Agents of S.h.i.e.l.d., there’s a lot more background information about SHIELD than you will ever get in the movies. Not to mention that the show is very good, the characters alone are. But that’s a story for another time. Sherlock BBC http://inevitably-johnlocked.tumblr.com/ http://kinklock.tumblr.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKUQWjx8aGnCmXgfAlqiuMg/playlists http://skulls-and-tea.tumblr.com/ Just to mention some blogs I find very interesting, regarding the topic and as infinetely nice people as well. To be continued… (Any recommendations and suggestions are welcomed)

In 2006 a high school English teacher asked students to write a famous author and ask for advice. Kurt Vonnegut was the only one to respond - and his response is magnificent: “Dear Xavier High School, and Ms. Lockwood, and Messrs Perin, McFeely, Batten, Maurer and Congiusta:

I thank you for your friendly letters. You sure know how to cheer up a really old geezer (84) in his sunset years. I don’t make public appearances any more because I now resemble nothing so much as an iguana.

What I had to say to you, moreover, would not take long, to wit: Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.

Seriously! I mean starting right now, do art and do it for the rest of your lives. Draw a funny or nice picture of Ms. Lockwood, and give it to her. Dance home after school, and sing in the shower and on and on. Make a face in your mashed potatoes. Pretend you’re Count Dracula.

Here’s an assignment for tonight, and I hope Ms. Lockwood will flunk you if you don’t do it: Write a six line poem, about anything, but rhymed. No fair tennis without a net. Make it as good as you possibly can. But don’t tell anybody what you’re doing. Don’t show it or recite it to anybody, not even your girlfriend or parents or whatever, or Ms. Lockwood. OK?

Tear it up into teeny-weeny pieces, and discard them into widely separated trash recepticals. You will find that you have already been gloriously rewarded for your poem. You have experienced becoming, learned a lot more about what’s inside you, and you have made your soul grow.

God bless you all!

Kurt Vonnegut

Nimbus Publishing and Vagrant Press Goose Lane Editions Breakwater Books Ltd. The Acorn Press Bouton d'or Acadie Canada Council for the Arts | Conseil des arts du Canada

The “What-If” Writing Method

Sometimes when I’m writing, brain just....stops. No more ideas. No more words. Nothing. Sometimes, the solution to this problem is to simply take a break from writing and let your brain relax. Other times, though, you really are just at a block for ideas. This happened to me significantly more often than I would like, but thankfully, I’ve developed a solution that works well for me, and it’s uncreativly titled the “what-if” method.

Get a piece of paper and pen. Or a Google doc, or whatever works best for you.

Start brainstorming questions about your story, or possible “what-if” scenarios. (Ex: What if my character got framed for a crime they didn’t commit?)

Write down every single idea that comes to your head. Even if it doesn’t really work for your story. Even ones that deviate from your existing plot. Even the stupid ones. Especially the stupidest ones.

Cross out the ideas you don’t like, circle the ones that you do like.

Start coming up with answers for the questions you circled, or expand in the by coming up with more questions. (Ex: They would have to prove they didn’t commit the crime to regain their freedom. How do they prove it?)

Repeat until you have a full idea that you can work on/write with.

That’s it. That’s the whole strategy. I’ve used this a million times, and it’s gotten me out of a million cases of writers block, so hopefully it can work well for you too! Happy writing!

my favorite free tools for writers

hello, hello! hope you're doing well.

today i am bringing you another list with my top 3 favorite (free!) tools that I find helpful for each phase of writing a novel.

brainstorming phase

Fantasy Names Generator - not only for fantasy (you can also generate real names). this website is just... amazing! it helps you come up with names for characters, places and locations, descriptions, generate traits, outfits (yes, outfits!!), and probably something else you could ever think of.

The Story's Hack - this one is so cool! you can generate names for everything, create your own generator, and practice writing through writing exercises! plus, you can save your generated names to see later, and you earn coins for each idea generated (you can later buy themes - dark, snow, forest, etc)

RanGen - my last favorite generator on this list is RanGen! you can generate plots, appearances, archetypes, love interests, cities, worlds, items, and more.

developing the idea phase

Bryn Donovan - in this blog you can find master lists under the tag "master lists for writers". it is so helpful when you first start developing the characters and need to find the right words to describe them and to find some quirks and flaws!

Writers Write (350 character traits) - again, this is so helpful!

Story Planner - ah, the number of times I've talked about this website... please, PLEASE take a look at it, you won't regret it. this website has literally everything you need to fully develop your idea with outlines for you to fill in step by step.

writing phase

Colleen Houck (80+ barriers to love) - need more romace conflict? there you go!

Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language - so, you know how your character's feeling, but don't know how he'd physically act? check out this list!

Describing Words - honestly, this is a lifesaver. don't you struggle to find the right word to describe something? well, with this website all you have to do is to type the object you're trying to describe and see which description fits better to you!

revising phase

Language Tool for Google Docs - i know we all have heard about google docs before, but the truth is, it's almost impossible to find free softwares to check grammar and spelling. so, google docs is useful, because it automatically revises it for us, and it's completely free. plus, you can add adds-on, such as "language tool".

Unfortunately, there's only one (free) tool that I actually enjoy for the revising phase. if you know some others, please let me know so that I can try them out and feature in this list.

exporting phase

Google Docs - i find google docs very easy to format and export to .epub, so i'd recommend using it as a free tool.

Reedsy - this is also a free tool available online. all you have to do is to write down each chapter (copy and paste) or import your word document. it will format the document to your liking and export it to pdf, epub and mobi.

that's everything for now! i hope this post was somehow helpful or inspiring!

if you want to see more master lists full of resources, check these:

WEBSITES FOR WRITERS {masterpost}

BEST accounts to follow as a writer

BEST SITES & SOFTWARES TO WRITE FICTION

DIALOGUE IDEAS TO GET RID OF THAT WRITING BLOCK (masterpost)

Useful Resources & Tips for Writers

also, if you are a notion lover just like me, check the free template I just released with everything you need to develop and write your novel!

thank you so much for reading! hope to see you around, and have a nice day <3

Worldbuilding with Psychology

I haven’t mentioned this before, but I’m close to graduating with a psychology degree. As I was organizing things to move back in at university, I came across some notes from my Developmental Psych class. Psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner presented an ecological systems model of child development, which represents a dynamic model of how people develop psychologically depending on their environment. I realized this may be an interesting reference for writers as we consider worldbuilding.

The individual is at the center. Each level interacts with the others and may affect them in different ways and to different degrees at different times. The individual is at the center of the model and has inherent traits which are the result of genetics. The microsystem is the individual’s most immediate surroundings. These are the places and people they come into close contact with on a daily basis, including the home and peer groups. The way microsystems treat the individual influence them, but the behavior of the individual also influences how the microsystems react to them. The mesosystem is essentially comprised of links between microsystems - between home and school, between home and church, between family and peers. Active involvement between microsystems promotes harmony and a sense of like-mindedness. The exosystem consists of linkages between systems that do not directly influence the individual, but do so indirectly by influencing a microsystem. For instance, the parents’ workplaces influences the parents’ behavior in the presence of the individual. The macrosystem consists of more distant influences that still have a significant impact on the individual. These elements often include beliefs, values, and other aspects of culture. For instance, life in a country at war will influence an individual differently than life in a country at peace. The chronosystem simply incorporates the meaningful passage of time. What is in each system, how much it affects an individual, and how can all shift in time.

What does this have to do with worldbuilding?

One can relate Bronfenbrenner’s model to creating a fictional sense of place however one likes, but I’ve drawn some parallels between each level and a corresponding element in worldbuilding. The model looks something like this.

The Protagonist:

The main character (or characters) lies at the center of your worldbuilding. It is through their eyes, or over their shoulder, that the reader experiences the world in which your story is set. A strong sense of place is vital to telling a satisfying tale, and a great deal of it comes down to your protagonists. Like in the original model, the protagonist has certain inborn traits that are a result of nature, but are also influenced by nurture - the other systems, in this case. The world is reflected in the hearts, minds, and behaviors of the people who live in it, and the people are reflected in the world they populate.

The Supporting Cast:

These are the people the protagonists interacts with most, and it’s a two-way street of influence. Their behavior influences the protagonist, but the protagonist affects them as well. You can present a great deal of information about the world through the interactions between characters. The way your protagonist interacts with parents and siblings can reveal family structure and dynamics, and interactions with friends or coworkers can shine light on social classes, pastimes, or employment. What your characters do, how they do it, and how they speak or feel about it will reveal what is normal or not.

The Immediate Surroundings:

Where are all these interactions taking place? The actual physical locales in seen in your story have an impact on the way people behave, but don’t forget the direct effect of setting the scene. One behaves differently at school, as opposed to the mall - how can you use differences like this to portray societal norms and mores in your story? Additionally, the events and values of a world leave physical reminders, which may be as simple as smog over a city unconcerned by or incapable of controlling pollution. Perhaps there is graffiti in the streets leftover from social or political unrest. The remnants of a torn-down shrine or monument may reflect changing values, war, or persecution of certain religions or other groups. Living conditions can portray class differences. Possibilities are endless.

The Social Structure and Culture:

Social structure has ramifications on who can interact with whom and what’s considered appropriate. These rules may be very strict or much more informal. If there are rigorous separations in place according to class, an interaction between members of different status will be shocking to your characters. Speaking out against an elder coworker may have severe consequences, or employees may be under forced retirement deadlines - these differences reveal if old age is revered or looked down upon. What holidays do people celebrate, and how? What manners of speech or behavior are unique to the setting? Social norms will be reflected in the behavior of your characters, but the population is capable of changing those norms.

The Physical Setting: 

The setting at large still has far-reaching influence on your story. The geography itself will determine a number of things about the setting, including the landscape, weather, physical resources available, methods of transportation and more. All of these things trickle down into each of the layers beneath it and leave their fingerprints. If transportation is unfavorable, how does this affect information and cultural exchange? How about the economy? The physical setting is an umbrella of elements which may change everything under it, even in small or indirect ways.

The Genre:

The genre determines, amongst a few other things, how much of each of the above is needed. In essence, genre can be your guide to where you should place your focus in worldbuilding. Fantasy and science fiction often call for a greater emphasis on the physical setting and cultures, while realistic fiction set in real-life places readers are likely to be familiar with is likely to need emphasis on the protagonist and supporting cast. Some genres, such as historical fiction, may need a more evenly balanced blend of each system. The plot structure itself will also have an influence. For instance, in a ‘pursuit’ plot, the ticking clock and pursuit itself are typically considered of more import than the characters, while ‘forbidden love’ plots are all about the people and culture.

Remember, as always, to mold writing advice to your work and not the other way around. The influence of one or more of these systems may be heightened or lessened, depending on the needs of your story, and they may interact differently, perhaps even from chapter to chapter. Thank you for reading, and I hope this can be a useful model for you to use as a springboard in some of your worldbuilding.

Hello, love. Do you have any advice on how to self-edit a short story after completing the first draft?

5 Tips for Editing a Short Story

1) Reconsider the First Paragraph

With short stories, it's even more important that the first paragraph starts off with a bang. You really don't want it to be exposition if you can avoid it. Instead, start when something is happening. In other words, start with action.

Exposition: The moon hung high in the star-speckled sky, turning the snow into a radiant white blanket.

Action: The girl crept out the door into the star-speckled night, leaving a trail of tiny footprints in the moonlit blanket of snow.

2) Consider Each Paragraph's Purpose

The limited length of short stories means it's all the more important for each paragraph to pull its weight. For each paragraph, ask yourself, "What is lost if I cut this paragraph? Will the reader still understand the story?" Get rid of paragraphs that don't need to be there.

3) Cut Unnecessary Details

In novels, we can take the time to add details that are only there to embellish the world or characters for the reader. In short stories, it's much more important for details to really matter.

4) Watch Out for Repetition

Make sure no details, ideas, actions, etc. are repeated unless they truly need to be. In a short story, you probably don't need to describe the main character's town as sleepy/charming/quiet more than once, for example.

5) Zap Some Adverbs and Adjectives

Adverbs and adjectives are one of those things we don't typically need...

With: The small girl crept quietly out the door into the cold, star-speckled night, carefully leaving a long trail of tiny footprints in the moonlit blanket of snow

Without: The girl crept out the door into the star-speckled night, leaving a trail of tiny footprints in the moonlit blanket of snow.

What I Zapped and Why:

Small - The reader will know she's small because her footsteps are later described as "tiny."

Quietly - The word "crept" already implies quiet.

Cold - She's walking in snow at night. It's obviously cold.

Carefully - Also implied by "crept."

Long - Not important, also somewhat implied by "trail." If she left a short trail that would be a noteworthy detail.

Best of luck with your editing!

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Fanfiction help, tips, prompts and ideas

I planned on making this a private post just to help me find all the links and wonderful help made by these wonderful people but it can be helpful for other too to have it all in one place.

But if the creators of these would like me to take down/private the post please let me know and I will, no problem ^^

Dialogue Promts, tips, ideas; everything:

dumplingsjinson's Dialogue promts[They're great with so many different dynamics]:

Tumblr

PROMPTS MASTERLIST

Continuously updated! *you can use my prompts as long as you link to the prompt list you grabbed the prompt from, as well as mentioning my

Tips on writing characters without faces:

lets-get-fictional.tumblr.com

Tips on Writing Characters Without Faces

so yeah, we all know that facial expressions can tell us a lot about how a character is feeling, but what if that isn’t an option? how can y

Describing emotions internally and externally:

lets-get-fictional.tumblr.com

Resources For Describing Emotion

Emotions Without Making Your Character Feel Too Self Aware Showing Emotion Without Telling About It Emotions Associated With Body Language T

Writing recourse masterlist:

Body language basics(smiles, eyebrows, head positions:

List of body language phrases (positions, reactions, movements like "he arched his back"), divided by body parts:

agirlnamedjana's master dialogues/scenes/dynamics promt list:

And also her masterpost on how to write/motivation/tips: