nocompromise-noregrets

[nocompromise-noregrets]

Random Legolas Greenleaf moments: 205/?

#lotr #<3333333 #that's my boy #deep thoughts and lovely hair

[nocompromise-noregrets]

Immediate Writer's Block

Had a comment on another post where I thought I'd probably need more space than the notes in which to respond, so:

constant-state-of-self-discovery Oh I get the envy I feel it right now how the fuck do you manage to write without impassable writers block after 5-9 sentences because I haven't fucking figured it out lol

I do have some advice on this!

I think most writers get blocked from time to time, it's normal and my general strategy is just to wait it out, but if you're frequently blocked after only writing a very little bit, I think the problem is one of two things: either you don't know what you want to achieve with the scene you're writing, or you don't know what should happen next within the scene to achieve that goal. If you frame "I'm blocked" as "I don't have an answer I need" then often you move from just sitting there, sweating and staring at a blank page, to thinking productively about how you're going to get where you're going. It's the difference between not knowing an answer and not knowing an answer but knowing where to look for it.

An invaluable piece of advice for this, which I think I picked up from someone who got it off a National Novel Writing Month messageboard, is "When in doubt, ninjas attack." It's not meant to be literal, you don't need to have ninjas or fight scenes just because you don't know what to do, but it helps to get the creativity flowing again. If you don't know what should happen next, or you know but you're having trouble actually writing the scene, it can be very helpful to induce a moment of uncertainty or surprise -- to have a metaphorical ninja attack. One time I did this literally -- the POV character was just on the road somewhere and I didn't know how to get them from a pastoral country road to their actual destination in an interesting way, so I had them get attacked by highway bandits and have to fight them off, which also allowed me to demonstrate that the character had significant unarmed combat skills. But it can also just be like, two characters who are having a boring conversation can be interrupted by a third person, even just a stranger asking for directions, or there can be, IDK, an explosion, or something goes missing, or etc.

Sometimes it also helps to leave it alone but keep it in your mind and go do something else -- listen to a podcast, take a walk, read a book, not because those things are distracting but because all our inputs eventually feed into our brain and come out as reactions. If you're thinking about your book while you're wandering around a park, something you see in the park might have an impact on it. If you've got YOUR story in mind while reading someone else's, you might be more inclined to look at what they're saying and see what you think of it, how it might play into your work.

And honestly, sometimes you just gotta go past it. I'm working on the next Shivadh novel right now and it opens basically with Simon the chef getting into a spat with his love-interest-to-be over some cheese. He want the cheese, she won't sell him the cheese, so they get off to a very contentious start. But I suck at writing conflict especially when it's basically "A character I like is being pompous and another character I want people to find likable is being stubborn and somewhat unpleasant". I've been stalled on it for a while. But I know where the scene ends up, like I do know what the goal is, so I just...skipped it and went on to writing a scene I like better, where they meet a second time and actually discover each others' identity and that they're about to be forced into the grownup equivalent of a school project. Once I've gotten dug deeper into the story I'll come back and write it, and by then I'll have the benefit of knowing the love interest a bit better.

So yeah -- I think a lot of breaking a writer's block, especially when you don't need rest but are just stumped about what to do, is to twist and look at it from another angle. It's not that you don't know what to write, or don't want to write what you know you have to -- it's that you don't have the correct answer to a question, or you need to leave that part alone to ferment and come back to it later. At least, for me.

#wise words

[nocompromise-noregrets]

Dealing With Executive Dysfunction - A Masterpost

The “getting it done in an unconventional way” method.

The “it’s not cheating to do it the easy way” method.

The “fuck what you’re supposed to do” method.

The “get stuff done while you wait” method.

The “you don’t have to do everything at once” method.

The “it doesn’t have to be permanent to be helpful” method.

The “break the task into smaller steps” method.

The “treat yourself like a pet” method.

The “it doesn’t have to be all or nothing” method.

The “put on a persona” method.

The “act like you’re filming a tutorial” method.

The “you don’t have to do it perfectly” method.

The “wait for a trigger” method.

The “do it for your future self” method.

The “might as well” method.

The “when self discipline doesn’t cut it” method.

The “taking care of yourself to take care of your pet” method.

The “make it easy” method.

The “junebugging” method.

The “just show up” method.

The “accept when you need help” method.

The “make it into a game” method.

The “everything worth doing is worth doing poorly” method.

The “trick yourself” method.

The “break it into even smaller steps” method.

The “let go of should” method.

The “your body is an animal you have to take care of” method.

The “fork theory” method.

The “effectivity over aesthetics” method.

#omg i need all of these i think

[nocompromise-noregrets]

Do you ever memorize a person’s voice? Like you can construct a sentence in your mind that that person’s never said, and yet you hear them say it.

#i hardly ever have this #although i say the characters 'talk' to me when i'm writing it doesn't really happen in their voices #i just suddenly know what to write

[nocompromise-noregrets]

#historical nerdery #XDDDDD

[nocompromise-noregrets]

99999 retina damages in your face

didnt want to post the finished version for reasons but i got convinced.

#lotr #oh this is lovely #<33333333

[nocompromise-noregrets]

Hi,

To come back on my question about "the Sack of the Gods" in Dead Boy Detectives ; a post from @avelera explained that actually it was indeed referenced in the Sandman comics! :)

It was!

#sandman #<3333333

[nocompromise-noregrets]

Middle-earth shots of the week

#lotr #<3333333

[nocompromise-noregrets]

no but really, like 

i know that some folks love telling creative people that “you should be doing it for fun because you love it not for the compliments” but creative people thrive on feedback whether it’s critical or just complimentary

so when i write fanfiction and don’t get any actual feedback i feel like i spent all that time and energy doing it for nothing because i’m not getting feedback from the people i wrote it for 

doing something you’re proud of and then presenting it to the sound of utter silence is like the worst feeling on earth 

#wise words

[nocompromise-noregrets]

Gandalf + his staffs  ►  Last came one who seemed the least, less tall than the others, and in looks more aged, grey-haired and grey-clad, and leaning on a staff.

Unfinished Tales, Part 4, Ch 2, The Istari

#lotr #<3333333

[nocompromise-noregrets]

'My name!' said the old man again. 'Have you not guessed it already? You have heard it before, I think. Yes, you have heard it before. But come now, what of your tale?'

#lotr #<3333333

[nocompromise-noregrets]

anyway they are soooooooo married

#lotr #oh this is lovely #<33333333

[nocompromise-noregrets]

Galadriel

#lotr #oh this is lovely #<33333333

[nocompromise-noregrets]

another lotr trilogy piece. i love liv tyler as arwen 🤍

#lotr #oh this is lovely #<33333333

[nocompromise-noregrets]

Due to an influx of abusive spam comments on April 21, 2024, we temporarily disabled all guest comments across the site. We have now re-enabled the ability to leave guest comments, but if you comment while not logged into an account, you may encounter a verification page that checks that you are not a bot. We are also working on other ways to help reduce spam, including a small change to the default comment settings on the work posting form that will be rolled out soon.

English • Български • Català • Dansk • Deutsch • eesti keel • Ελληνικά • Français • 한국어 • Hrvatski • Italiano • עברית • Lietuvių kalba • मराठी • Norsk • Polski • Português brasileiro • Português europeu • Română • Русский • Српски • Українська • 中文-普通话 國語

#ao3 #signal boost!

[nocompromise-noregrets]

Challenging irrational thoughts

Step 1 - Identify the thought and if possible, why you’re having it.

The first step to challenging a thought is to identify it. If it’s helpful to you, consider writing it out.

Example 1: My friend doesn’t want to be friends anymore. I think this because we usually talk a lot more and lately they’ve been quieter.

Example 2: I’m a failure and can’t do anything. I think this because I messed up and got a bad grade.

Step 2 - Look for exceptions

This involves looking out for similar situations that had ended differently than is being assumed.

Example 1: This has happened before, and it turned out that they were busier than usual with final exams.

Example 2: When my friends get bad grades, I never think they are a failure.

Step 3 - Find evidence to the contrary

Example 1: Last week, she told me how important I was to her and that she missed me.

Example 2: I’ve done a lot of things successfully. I helped a friend through a breakdown yesterday. I got a good grade on another assignment. I passed my drivers test.

Step 4 - Replace it with an alternate thought

When it comes to an alternate thought, if you can put a positive spin on it that’s great. But I find that hard, so I try and find a neutral thought.

Example 1: It’s likely my friend has something going on and she will reach out to me when she’s ready.

Example 2: Failing one assignment doesn’t make me a failure. I’m not defined by any one thing.

#wise words

[nocompromise-noregrets]

started reading The Two Towers

#lotr #oh this is GREAT XDDDDD #<33333333