simonnebethel

[simonnebethel]

Let's talk about misdirection.

(Requested by @voiceless9000. Hope this is helpful!)

Misdirection in storytelling, through foreshadowing and other techniques, is a powerful tool that can enhance suspense, surprise, and engagement in your narrative and make plot twists more unexpected.

Remember to maintain coherence and avoid contrivances that may undermine the integrity of your storytelling.

Here are some techniques you can use to effectively misdirect readers:

Red Herrings: Introduce elements or clues that suggest a certain outcome or plot direction, only to later reveal that they were misleading. These false leads can divert readers' attention away from the true resolution.

Selective Detailing: Highlight certain details or events in a way that implies their significance, while downplaying or omitting others that might be more relevant to the actual outcome. By controlling what information readers focus on, you can steer their expectations.

Character Misdirection: Use characterisation to mislead readers about characters' true intentions, motivations, or identities. Create multi-dimensional characters who may behave ambiguously or inconsistently, leaving readers unsure of their true allegiances, motivations, or goals.

Foreshadowing: Employ foreshadowing to hint at future events or outcomes, but do so in a way that misleads interpretation. Provide clues that could be interpreted in multiple ways or that lead readers to expect one outcome while delivering another. (See my previous post about foreshadowing for more!)

Misleading Narration: Utilise an unreliable narrator or perspective to present events in a biased or distorted manner. Readers may trust the narrator's account implicitly, only to discover later that their perceptions were flawed or intentionally deceptive.

Subverting Tropes: Set up situations or scenarios that seem to follow familiar narrative tropes or conventions, only to subvert them in unexpected ways. This can keep readers guessing and prevent them from accurately predicting the story's trajectory.

Parallel Storylines: Introduce secondary storylines or subplots that appear unrelated to the main narrative but eventually intersect or influence the primary plot in unexpected ways. This can distract readers from anticipating the main storyline's developments.

Setting: Manipulate the setting or environment to create false impressions about the direction of the plot. For example, presenting a seemingly idyllic setting that harbors dark secrets or dangers.

Timing and Pacing: Control the pacing of your story to strategically reveal information or developments at opportune moments, leading readers to draw premature conclusions or overlook important details. (See my post on pacing for more tips!)

Twists and Reversals: Incorporate sudden plot twists or reversals that upend readers' expectations and challenge their assumptions about the story's direction. Ensure that these twists are logically consistent but sufficiently surprising to catch readers off guard.

Happy writing!

[simonnebethel]

My writing tiktok account got permanently banned yesterday and I'm so mad because I wasn't given a reason why. No support email, no live person to tell me the reason. I can't even download my data either.

A few of my videos get taken down when i put them up, but I always am able to successfully appeal them. I haven't posted in almost a week, so it doesn't make sense.

#thanks tiktok

[simonnebethel]

hello! i'm currently trying to get back into the habit of reading and writing, so i'm hoping to use writeblr as a way to keep at it and possibly make some friends!

— about me.

✦ i'm riven, adult, nonbinary lesbian, they/them ✦ neurodivergent ✦ i love cosmic horror, religious symbolism, art, swords, the occult, and space

— about my writing.

✦ right now i'm focusing more on poetry and short stories, but i do have a few bigger projects coming ✦ i like writing stories with elaborate worldbuilding, fantasy meeting sci-fi, queer romance, eldritch entities, complicated morality, body horror, general weirdness, and, of course, angst ✦ english is not my first language. i've been writing primarily in my native tongue until recently, but i'm eager to grow and learn!

i'd really love to meet more writers and get involved in the community, so feel free to interact or drop a message!

wips under the cut!

— my wips.

☣️ GODSLAYER science fantasy

when angels discover humanity, the solar system unites under the inquisition, a powerful agency dedicated to the defense of mankind. as they battle against the cosmic threat, the stars seem to shift; the universe is dying, and the angels are ravenous.

🌙 ONEIRATA dark fantasy

in a city where it’s forbidden to dream, a condemned mage is saved by the child prophesied to end the world. as the moon demands blood, he struggles to understand the choice presented to him: betray his savior and secure the sacrifice, or succumb to the cataclysm that is coming.

⛓️ A CITY ABLAZE soft sci-fi

a retelling of the prometheus myth, set in a post-apocalyptic, frozen world. in the last bastion of humanity, a young woman finds herself enthralled by the world outside; a desire that might have deadly consequences for both her and the city itself.

🦐 TIDEFALL pirate fantasy

a story where you play as the branded, a person gifted with a fraction of an old god’s power. marked by an eldritch prawn goddess, you are tasked with saving the gods from extinction. however, the crew of the pirate ship that sheltered you might have other plans.

— other.

✦ i'm excited to participate in tag games and events, but i may be slow to respond. i would still appreciate them though ✦ send me an ask or a dm to be added to a taglist!

#boost #other writers

[simonnebethel]

A Chant for Blood, Chapter 35 Excerpt

“Don’t you understand what role you play here? What you could learn if you just…went to the temple?” I quickly shook my head, backing away from him. I slowly moved to the room with the red light, hoping to find something less horrifying in there. My footsteps faltered when I looked at Yorick again, and I took a closer look at his eyes. His eyes were slits, as thin as razors as he stared at me. No…Yorick’s eyes were round and large when he looked at me, not thin. Who is this…? “You’re not Yorick, and you’re not my representation of him,” I spat, “He would never say any of those things, and he would never look at me like that, like I’m some…prey.” His smile faded, and his eyes darkened. My heart beat fast, waiting for him to make a decision. Or am I making the decision? Is this still my own mind? Yorick melted in front of me. I could only watch in horror as his skin pulled away from his face, his eyes popped out, his ears collapsed to the ground, his silky hair turning into dust, all for a new figure to appear. A shorter figure, with golden locks and ivory eyes. “Would you prefer to hear it from this person? The one you once called a lover? Sure, you both haven’t talked much, but don’t you miss that warmth you think only they could give you?” Peregrine stood before me, a coy smile on their face. “Stop,” I whispered, balling my hands into fists. “Show your real face, or let me free of this nightmare. I won’t play your games anymore.”

Looking for beta readers!

#writeblr #writing #writers on tumblr #my writing #fantasy #victorian #writers #a chant for blood

[simonnebethel]

Writeblr Intro

20’s, bisexual, she/her, deaf, disabled, college student

Not new to tumblr but coming back slowly 

Looking for some mutuals, feel free to ask questions, tag me in games!

Currently drafting a dark academia horror science fantasy about a power-hungry girl looking to murder some people. 

Love anime, fantasy and science fiction genres, animals, and drawing

Undergrad pursuing international studies & bio, which i love adding aspects of into my stories 

My favorite color is purple

#boost #other writers

[simonnebethel]

Are you a writer who likes tag games?

I'm trying to be more active here and build a group of people that I can tag and get tagged in return.

Please interact with this post to get on my tag list and reblog to boost.

[simonnebethel]

🩸Beta Reader Call for A Chant For Blood🩸

Would appreciate a boost if you can 👉👈 Huzzah!!! I have finally finished editing A Chant For Blood(for now). I am now officially looking for beta readers. I don't mind if you don't have any experience, just looking for readers and writers who enjoy fantasy and gothic horror ^^ all I ask is that you're 18+ and to read the content warnings.

Some info about the story:

🫀Title of Story: A Chant for Blood (The Helminth Mother Book 1)

🖤Word Count: 116k(will probably not send it all at once, as I know 116k can be overwhelming to some.)

🫀Genre: High Victorian Fantasy, Gothic Horror

🖤CW: Blood, violence, gore, mentions of fantasy racism, worms, body horror, disembodied voices, brief mentions of sexual content, manipulative characters, decaying corpses, mild profanity.

🫀This story also contains: Queer characters, eldritch beings, religious motives, a victorian-fantasy world, knight-lady character, blood-drinking character, magic, non-human characters, main character with mysterious heritage, ancient haunted temples, otherworldly portals, and many, many, worms 🪱

🖤Synopsis: Karliah Helisende doesn’t know how to feel about her current status in life. The highest ranking soldier in the country of Ostrein, and she can’t command a single army. On a particular rainy morning, her superiors give her a strange task; find the man who is killing citizens and leaving their bodies on the streets. She eventually finds the elusive creature, whose name she learns is Yorick Gwynplaine, but at the same time learns that he is just one of many people and monsters that spawned from mysterious portals that have been appearing all over the world. They both decide to work as a team; Karliah will find a way to take him back to his own world, and Yorick will keep his blood-thirsty hunger under control.

Karliah had assumed these tasks would be easy, if not for the Sanctum haunting her every step. An ancient temple resting in the Bauknan Mountains, she has known of it’s foreboding presence ever since she arrived to the gas-lit streets of Isarnan. It whispers indecipherable and enigmatic secrets in her ear, and only grows by the day. It’s sickness infects her very being and soon, affects her decisions. The people around notice her growing darkness, but fail to stop her as she digs her own grave. As the Sanctum’s incoherent whispers become intelligent mutterings, she pushes herself to finish the task that was set before her from the very beginning, no matter how many people she has to push away.

🫀Feedback I'm looking for: Anything about the story! I've only ever shown this to a few people before, so I want to know what parts are weak and what parts are strong. If there are any major grammar problems, I would like to know, although I think I have gotten most of them by now. I would like to know how the character's relationships work, and how certain plot points left you feeling. Also, how obvious some of the plot twists are because I feel like some are sort of..in your face. I will be setting up feedback questionnaires soon, so they will be ready for when you finish!

Check the #a chant for blood tag for excerpts and info if you want to see more before signing up!

Here is the google form to fill out. Your email will not be collected, and if you have any questions or need clarifcation don't be afraid to dm me or leave a comment ^^ Google Form link

#a chant for blood #writeblr #writing #writers on tumblr #my writing #fantasy #victorian #writers #Beta reader call #Beta read #pls boost #high fantasy #victorian fantasy #gothic #gothic horror #body horror

[simonnebethel]

writing tips/inspo/help

Character Movements #1

Punctuating Dialogue

50 WORDS TO USE INSTEAD OF “SAID”

traits turned sour

DESCRIBING THE PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES OF CHARACTERS:

Vary your language with synonyms to use instead of "said"

WEBSITES FOR WRITERS

Descriptions in Between Dialogue

switch up your verbs (part one) ~

words to use when writing

writing resources - smut

Writing Resources: References

Writing Resources: Advice and Motivation

Writing Resources: Basics

Writing Resources: Characters

Writing References: Narratives

words to use when writing

writing perfect betrayal

toxic traits

words to use instead of...

fight scene

how to create a supermarket setting

kissing vocab

[simonnebethel]

OC in three

Thanks to @andyswritings for the tag ^^ doing this for Ezra from Our Demonic Hearts!

Open tag to anybody who would like to do this ^^

#Our Demonic Hearts #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #fantasy #my ocs #OC in Three

[simonnebethel]

Leave me and my weird names in peace

[simonnebethel]

Beta Reader Questions

Currently have no idea what I'm doing so I have some question about looking for beta readers, if y'all can spare some time 🙏 I assume beta readers get sent google docs, or some kind of pdf file? I would prefer to just send a link to their own Google Doc, but I'm not sure if some would prefer that or something else. How many chapters would be sent at a time? Like 5 chapters a week, or something? I don't want to overwhelm anybody, as my chapters can sometimes get into the 4k-5k range. ...Would it weird to have a beta reader discord server? Like, where they can talk? I would still talk to them individually if needed, but I have been thinking of having a shared space where they can talk about the story. I'm not sure if it's been done before, which is why I'm hesitant on doing it. It's ok if you can't answer all or any of my questions, I just wanted to kind voice my worries lol

#writeblr #writers on tumblr #writers #beta readers #beta reader questions

[simonnebethel]

looking for writeblr accounts to follow!!!

Hi, my name is Xena! I want to follow fellow writers whose stories I can enjoy and learn from! please interact with this post if you’re a writer account - even if you don’t post your writing!! even if you just post about your writing experiences!!! i want to follow you all! let’s be friends <3

#other writers #boost #i write fantasy and gothic

[simonnebethel]

#Orange!!

[simonnebethel]

Let's talk about character development.

Creating multidimensional characters make them more relatable to your readers. They add richness and complexity to the narrative, enhancing its overall depth and resonance.

So. How?

Complex Motivations: Characters should have motivations that go beyond simple desires or goals. Delve deep into their past experiences, fears, and desires to understand what truly drives them. Keep them consistent yet nuanced for realistic character growth and change throughout the story.

Flaws and Vulnerabilities: Avoid creating characters who are too perfect or flawless. Imperfections make characters relatable and interesting. Give them vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and struggles to overcome. This adds depth to their personalities and creates opportunities for character development.

Internal Conflict: Explore the internal conflicts within your characters. This could be moral dilemmas, inner turmoil, or conflicting emotions. Internal struggles can be just as compelling, if not more so, than external conflicts, and they add layers to your characters' development. (See my previous post about this!)

Consistent Behavior: Make sure to keep your characters' actions, reactions, and decisions consistent with their established personalities, backgrounds, and motivations. Inconsistencies can break the reader's immersion and credibility in the story. And the fandom will hunt you down mercilessly.

Unique Voice: Each character should have a distinct voice and mannerisms that reflect their personality, background, and worldview. Pay attention to the way they speak, their vocabulary, and their gestures. This will really help to bring your characters to life.

Dynamic Relationships: Develop dynamic relationships between your characters. Interactions with other characters should reveal new facets of their personalities and contribute to their growth or downfalls. Explore different types of relationships (friendships, romances, rivalries, family dynamics, etc.) to add depth to your characters' experiences.

Arc of Change: Consider how your characters evolve over the course of the story. What lessons do they learn? How do their experiences shape them? Every significant event should impact your characters in some way, leading to growth, transformation, or regression.

Happy writing ❤

[simonnebethel]

Writeblr Introduction

I just realised I never did a writeblr introduction before 🤦 Better late than never, I guess.

Hello, anyone who reads this! I’m Nerissa, British, aro-ace, and my pronouns are she/her. I’ve been writing for at least ten years. My favourite genres are fantasy, science fiction, horror, and historical. This blog is a chaotic mix of my writing and anything/everything else I’m interested in, including films, C-dramas, and musicals.

My approach to writing is just “throw together all the things I like and pretend the result is coherent”. Every character is aro-ace unless otherwise stated, fantasy settings and supernatural elements are the order of the day, and watch me shoehorn in every trope I like while avoiding all the ones I don’t.

On my Wattpad, FictionPress, Royal Road and AO3 accounts you can find my WIPs of varying completeness and even more varying quality. The ones I’m currently working on are:

Houses Full of Deceit

Short summary: Third book in The Case-files of Seo Yo-han. More of a thriller than a murder mystery, because everyone knows the killer’s identity from the start. (And this time it’s not Leo.) WIP intro here.

The Power and the Glory

Very short summary: Necromancy! Zombies! Revenge! Really bad decisions! WIP introduction post here. Books one to four are finished. Book five is partially-finished and will be a future NaNo project.

Like Snow on Hungry Graves

Short summary: A man is set up for murder by his own father. A stranger offers to help him escape, and in return she wants him to help her find a sea monster. WIP introduction post here. Book 1 is finished and book 2 will be a NaNo project.

Completed WIPs under the cut:

Keep reading

#other writers

[simonnebethel]

Almost finished another round of editing for A Chant For Blood, and afterwards I'll be looking for beta readers 🥳 so close...

#A Chant For Blood #writeblr

[simonnebethel]

YES authors!

YES write that self-indulgant shit

YES write what you enjoy

YES

Be who you are and like what you like. If you like a masquerade Ball, put that shit in your story! If you like love triangles, put that shit in your story!

PUT IT IN YOUR STORY

It's your story

Write it for you

Now I might judge you for it, but don't let me stop you! I've written wayyyyyyyy weirder shit, I guaruntee you that!

Love ya!