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#amediting
alex-wrtng · 11 months
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Dialogue tips that actually work:
You are not writing a movie (ignore this if you are). The reader doesn't need to know every word the characters say for the duration of the story. Less is more.
Dialogue can happen within the prose. "And they awkwardky discussed the weather for five minutes" is way better than actually writing five pages of dialogue about the weather.
Balance your dialogues. Surprise yourself with a monosyllabic answe to a dialogue that's ten sentences long. Don't be afraid of letting your character use half a page for a reply or nothing at all!
Don't write accents phonetically, use slang and colloquialisms if needed.
Comma before "said" and no caps after "!?" unless it's an action tag. Study dialogue punctuation.
Learn the difference between action tags and dialogue tags. Then, use them interchangeably (or none at all).
Don't be afraid to use said. Use said if characters are just saying things, use another word if not. Simple. There's no need to use fancy synonyms unless absolutely necessary.
Not everyone talks the same way so it makes sense for your characters to use certain words more often than others. Think of someone who says "like" to start every sentence or someone who talks really slow. Be creative.
Use prose to slow down the pace during a conversation.
Skip prose to speed up the pace during a conversation.
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plotandelegy · 5 months
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Crafting Spells with Incantations: A Primer for Fantasy Writers
1. The Roots of Language & Power: Think about languages. Why is Latin so captivating to many? Elvish words from Tolkien's Middle Earth gives us a sense of nostalgia. Incantations borrow from the weight and mystery of forgotten or invented tongues to create allure in our fictional works. Authors might want to consider phonetic aesthetics and rhyming words. Cadence can distinguish between magic that stays with the reader or falls short.
2. The Binding Element - Intention: Fancy words can enchant, but intention carries power. Consider the caster's emotions, desires, and the cost of wielding the magic. A simple spell to light a candle may be whispered, while summoning a storm might require a shout. Emotional resonance adds depth to your magical system. Depth can make it more relatable and memorable. 
3. The Harmony of Gesture: Incantations are often paired with gestures. The flow between word and motion can amplify potency. Perhaps the caster must trace a key through the air to open a door. Visual clues help readers see spell casting in their minds. 
4. The Complexity of Consequence: Let spells have consequences. Mispronouncing an incantation could come with disastrous or unexpected outcomes. Spells can backfire if cast with doubt. Create checks and balances that challenge your characters. 
5. Soundscapes of Sorcery: When performed correctly, what sounds accompany the spell? What sounds come when the magic is incorrect? Spells that summon forth storms release echoing booms in the distance. Offer readers a multi-sensory experience where they can 'hear' the magic too
-Indigo
If you’d like more check out my article on unique and classical sources of magic.
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Finally making progress on this "new" (actually very old in concept) chapter of Act I. Here's a (very unpolished) scene featuring weirdly suggestive marshmallow roasting + general suggestive (mutual) roasting. I often miss Gabriel's young and relatively unjaded self, so it's been nice to spend some time with that version of him in some of these early scenes.
Tagging my beta readers if interested, even though I feel lowkey bad for bestowing this cursed content upon you (but I'd also feel bad for not showing you a new scene lol): @ananarchie @sunset-a-story @catchingbigfish @joeys-piano
cw: suggestive (as mentioned)
The third night, unseasonably balmy, finds Jeff and I sitting alone by the campfire, Daphne and Kyle having hit the hay uncharacteristically early. Apparently, they thought we wouldn’t notice the both of them slipping into Kyle’s tent – which, to be fair, I didn’t notice until Jeff pointed it out, but I can’t believe they didn’t think he’d notice. He notices everything. It’s one of many things about him that I’m both baffled by and deeply envious of.
I watch him roast a marshmallow with the precision of a surgeon, his features bathed in the soft glow of the flames. He’s fresh from a shower, still wearing the plaid fleece jacket, but with – visibly – nothing underneath above the waist. His hair, warm and glistening in the light of the fire, hangs damp and wavy to his earlobes. He doesn’t seem to notice me staring at him, but I know he does. Like I said, he notices everything.      
I force myself to break the spell. “How are you wearing that?”
His sharp focus doesn’t waver. The marshmallow’s flesh is now of a deep, golden brown, the burn spread more or less uniform across its surface. “Hm?”
I laugh softly. “The jacket. It’s like sixty degrees out.”
“Fifty-six and going down,” he says, in that haughty tone that drives me crazy. “I checked.”
“Sure doesn’t feel like fifty-six. Especially with the fire.”
I watch as the corner of his lip lifts into a smirk, the light and shadows accentuating that perfect little dimple. He finally looks at me, then, in mischievous playfulness, eyebrows raising just a twitch. “Would you like me to take it off?” he asks, feigning politeness.
I inhale sharply through my nose as the familiar, fluttering burn of desire settles deep in my core. My every nerve is burning to touch him, to close the distance between us – barely log-length, yet impossibly great – but this isn’t the time or place. With a forward jut of my chin, I redirect him to the marshmallow. “Are you trying to char that thing?”
He cackles. “Stop backseat roasting.”
“Says the backseat fucker,” I mutter, shaking my head.
“What was that?”
“You heard me.”
Pulling the jagged stick from the fire at last, he slides the marshmallow from the tip and tosses it to me in a fluid motion, leaving me scrambling to catch it – it lands in my palms scalding, nearly black and oozing burning, sticky goo. I wince.
With an amused grin and a quirk of an eyebrow, he says, “Too hot for you?”
I shake my head, trying to recover the marshmallow from my palm as intact as possible, though most of the escaped liquid remains smeared on my skin. “Just right,” I say, popping what remains of the marshmallow into my mouth as I watch him install another onto the roasting branch and set it aflame. It melts white-hot and bittersweet on my tongue.
“Good,” he says, sounding awfully pleased with himself. “Eat that and calm down, yeah?” Teasingly, and with a quick, smoldering glance in my direction, he adds, “Maybe, if you behave, I’ll show you something later. How’s that sound?”
My stomach flutters in heady anticipation. “What is it?”
He smiles into the fire, the flames slow dancing in his eyes. “It’s a surprise.”
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ashleyearley · 1 year
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1. False clues! Layer in false clues in alongside clues that lead to the truth of your plot twists.
2. Misdirect! Don't withhold from your readers, but give them a clue and then immediately follow that clue by a misdirecting clue.
3. Means, motive, and opportunity! Give your characters means, motive, and opportunity that will all lead to the twist.
4. True/False Clues! Weave in false clues alongside truthful clues early on and then sprinkle them in from there on. However, characters shouldn't be handed clues; they should be earned.
5. Lastly! Establish both red herrings and the antagonist's real guilt simultaneously.
Hope this is helpful to those writers who are trying to catch readers by surprise! 🤎
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prettylittlelyres · 11 days
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Violins and Violets - Series - WIP page
1784: Katharina Schmidt and her brother Hans grew up composing and performing music for royalty all over Europe. Now they are adults, only Hans is allowed to pursue his music, while Katharina's father tells her it's time to find a husband and settle down. Katharina's attempts to do as she's told only convince her that it's not what she wants to do, and she must decide how far she's willing to go to keep making music.
Hello, friends! It's been a minute since I updated the links on my blog, and I have just seen that I still have the "Beta Readers Wanted" post linked to the "Violins and Violets (WIP)" button... from the draft I finished and started querying in 2019 / 2020!
Things have... changed somewhat since then...
"Violins and Violets" is now a series, of (I expect) five books. None of them have titles yet, so I'm just referring to them as "Violins and Violets 1," etc. I thought it was time to make a new WIP page.
Book 1 tag - WIP page - first draft completed in December 2023, working on second draft in March and April 2024. (Earlier titled "Ladies Don't Write Music" - but this may be a better name for Book 2.)
Book 2 tag - first draft completed in January 2024, hoping to write second draft in November and December 2024.
Book 3 tag - early planning stages, hoping to create outline in May 2024, with a view to writing the first draft in June, July and August 2024. Hoping to redraft in 2025.
Book 4 tag - hoping to plan and draft in 2025.
Book 5 tag - hoping to plan and draft in 2025 or 2026.
Series tag - all posts made about "Violins and Violets" since I realised it needed to be a series, no matter what book I'm talking about.
Everything "Violins and Violets" - the whole story, right from the beginning, when I started writing the first draft of a single book for Camp NaNoWriMo in April 2018.
One-Shots - short stories that I've written for the "Violins and Violets" world.
"Vogeltje" - another novel that takes place in the same world, and features some of the same characters.
I'm trying to bring each book in somewhere around 75,000 words, taking three months to write a first draft, and two months for each subsequent draft. I find it easier to focus on the story proper when I write quickly and regularly, so when I have a draft on the go, I try to write every day. Between drafts, I am trying to take whole months off writing, so that I can rest my creative muscles, as it were.
You can follow my progress here on my writeblr, and on the NaNoWriMo website.
Characters:
Katharina Schmidt - musical prodigy and composer who performed for royalty as a child, but is no longer allowed, because she's a woman. Disguises herself as "Sebastien", and flees Salzburg to start a composing career in Prague
Hans Schmidt - brother of Katharina, who is also a musical prodigy and composer, but is allowed to pursue his music as an adult.
Franz Schmidt - solicitor; father of Katharina and Hans, who wants to see his daughter married well enough to put silly ideas of music out of her head.
Julia Schmidt - lady of leisure; mother of Katharina and Hans; wife of Franz, who loves to make tapestries and knitted garments; wants the best for her children and is willing to let Franz decide what this is.
Barbara Kirkmann - housemaid to the Schmidts, Katharina's closest friend and confidante.
Elisabeth Meyer - daughter of Franz' boss, Katharina's first "acceptable" friend, and the oldest sister of many siblings; keen to get married and start a life of her own.
Miléna von Tritten - Elisabeth's best friend, and daughter of one of the Meyer firm's wealthiest clients, Baron von Tritten; expected to marry a noble, but totally absorbed in Johann Schneider.
Johann Schneider - training to be a magistrate, under pressure to get married, but totally uninterested in... anyone? All the ladies want him; none of them can catch him. Absolutely tone-deaf, but loves to watch musicians play; friends with Katharina.
Louisa Schneider - Johann's younger sister, also tone-deaf, but keen to become a musician under Katharina's tutelage.
Magdalena Fialová - an opera singer who wants to get more young women into music; one of "Sebastien's" first and best friends in Prague.
Miklós Kovács - a fellow violinist who persuades the management of the Malá Strana Opera House to give "Sebastien" an audition. Best friend of Magdalena, and very close with "Sebastien".
Background:
Yes, Katharina Schmidt is based on Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart, who deserved a much better life than she got. I have always wondered what would have happened if she had defied her father when he told her to stop composing. Would she have known as much fame as her brother?
Yes, Katharina Schmidt is a lesbian. That's because she's only based on a real person; she isn't actually Nannerl Mozart. I have no idea what Nannerl Mozart would have called herself, or how she felt, and I think it would be rude for me to try to guess. This part of Katharina's character is inspired less by history than by my own experiences and desire to see more representation of Queer people in historical fiction. (She's not the only person in the series who isn't straight! Who are the others? You'll have to read the books to find out... or just follow here; I'm yappy about it.)
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lannegarret · 5 months
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My writing brain:
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reedandstorm · 3 months
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radley-writes · 1 year
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NEW WRITEBLR CHALLENGE: TRY TO FINISH A NOVEL WHILE:
A) EATING CHICKEN FOR LUNCH
B) YOUR CAT CLIMBS ALL OVER YOU IN DESPERATE PURSUIT OF THE CHICKEN
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little-peril-stories · 4 months
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*squealing*
I made it to the end of TPOT — now I just gotta rework the beginning before the end of the month and I'll have met my editing goal. 😍 Can I do it? Stay tuned to find out.
Bree bites her lip, holding in another laugh, biting back that silvery sound that brushes over my skin with the silkiness of—of—oh, I don’t know, of dandelion fluff. Of the soft, velvety fur on a puppy’s ears. Of feather pillows and fresh, green grass. And I wish she wouldn’t suppress it, because there was enough of that in the darkness together. I don’t want her—I don’t want either of us—to be deprived of any pinch of happiness ever again.
Want to be a beta reader for the newly edited manuscript of The Prince of Thieves?
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prettyquickpoetry · 7 months
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It’s time to tell your story! Message or email me to get a quote!!
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maxkirin · 1 year
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Ever wonder what it's like to edit a novel from beginning to end? Well, wonder no more! In my latest blog post I explain the five stages of revision 🖐📝
Plus a bonus Q&A where I answer YOUR questions!
👉☕️ Read it for Free Here
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alex-wrtng · 1 year
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Authors checking what they wrote at midnight:
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The inspiration to continue writing 'The Consequence of Magic' has been present & I've written quite a lot. Because the character Romana's arc is slow & has more to do with her adjusting to her new life (& the consequences of her uncontrolled magic) I decided to have the book follow the consequences for her family too.
I love the new chapters (which follow Romana's mother, Merriam), but the old chapters are hard to edit & I continue to be unhappy with them. They're better than before, but still.
I cut things out where I can & try to smooth things over, but they still seem all over the place at times. It's just frustrating because I was hoping to get further with the writing this time. I guess I just have to remind myself that Merriam's chapters are part of getting farther. They're helping build the story out and make it stronger.
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words-after-midnight · 3 months
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i have good news and bad news.
good news: i fixed (and renamed 👀) chapter 4.
bad news: ... it's over 6,000 words now.
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ashleyearley · 1 year
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✨HOW TO WRITE ANTAGONISTS✨
1. Backstory! Not all antagonists have to be born evil. Some can be made through a painful backstory. Antagonists can act out of emotional pain so great that their humanity is stripped from them.
2. Antagonist/Protagonist! Make sure your antagonist fits with your protagonist. Make their battles exciting! They should somehow balance each other out.
3. Want/Why! Be clear about what your antagonist wants and why they want it. If you cannot answer this, it's time to do some soul-searching for your bad guy.
4. Redeemable? Having a diabolical antagonist is important, but it is also important to establish whether or not the antagonist is redeemable or not. Establishing this is important for the direction of the book.
5. Hero of Their Own Story! Your antagonist should believe they are the hero of their own story. What they want and why they want it will play a factor into this. Get deep!
Hope this is helpful to those writers who are struggling with your antagonist! 🤎
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prettylittlelyres · 1 month
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Violins and Violets - Book One
Redrafting Update - 14th February 2024
Hello, friends! Today I have started to make the notes I will use to redraft my first "Violins and Violets" book. That's the one previously titled "Ladies Don't Write Music", and that will probably still be the working title for a moment, but I'm going to be using the tag "Violins and Violets Book 1" for ease of access, at the very least until I settle on a firm title. I am starting to wonder if "Ladies Don't Write Music" might be a better title for the second book, which currently has no title at all.
I am using Scrivener to put together a synopsis and scene-by-scene outline, and this time I am going to try to stick to using Scrivener. I'm not yet sure what that means for writing on the train (I don't want to bring my heavy laptop with me), but Scrivener is good so I'm sure I'll work something out.
This book basically needs a complete rewrite, which is frustrating, but it's only because I was exploring the story in the first draft, and have a much clearer idea of what I want to do with it now. The new draft should be a lot easier! Very excited to see where it goes.
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