#novel planning

[novlr]

#writeblr #writers #creative writing #writing #writing community #writers of tumblr #creative writers #writing inspiration #writerblr #writing tips #writblr #writers corner #plotting and planning #novel writing #novel planning #plotter #plotting #plotting tips #let's write #writing advice #resources for writers #writing resources #writing ideas #how to write #writers on tumblr #writers and poets #writer things #nanowrimo #national novel writing month #nanowrimo 2023

[wondrousworldbuilding]

I'm currently trying to world build a magical school for my fantasy realm. I'm having a hard time finding sources online. Any general advice for fantasy schools?

For starters, you want to have your magic system fleshed out really thoroughly. What good is teaching a bunch of kids how to use a magic system that you, the author, don't really know how it works, right!? If you haven't done this, you might check out my Brainstorming posts Here (Part 1) and Here (Part 2) to get started.

Beyond that, you need to think about some school basics:

Are all children educated in magic? Or only the most talented, the richest, or the poorest?

How does society at large feel about magic education and how does that impact the freedom and funds of the school?

(Related:) What kind of teachers are employed at the school? The best and brightest or the shlufs who couldn't make it in a "real" school? How does that affect the education of the students?

How does general education play into the lives of the students? Do they go to primary school first where they learn to read and write etc. or is that part of the their magic school curriculum?

How much danger is there in the day-to-day of the school? Is the magic difficult to use and therefore generally not a risk? Is it ubiquitous and therefore maintains some inherent balance? Is it difficult to use and therefore volatile and unpredictable?

What is the purpose of receiving a magic education and what do its students aspire to do after completing school?

I hope these help you out little bit. :)

Happy building!

#writing #amwriting #worldbuilding #setting #fantasy #writeblr #magic systems #magic school #speculative fiction #helpforwriters #help for writers #creative writing #writing prompt #novel planning #novel writing

[mistblossomdesigns]

How to Outline Your Novel

Follow these five steps to simplify your novel planning process and create a cohesive storyline.

Brainstorm your novel idea with a plot map.

Create a rough outline of your main storyline.

Develop subplots.

Brainstorm chapters.

Draft scenes.

Including these steps within your writing process will help you create a cohesive story!

#writing advice #creative writing #fiction writing #writerscommunity #writing tips #writing resources #novel planning #novel writing

[recurringwriter]

Novel Planning Templates Available:

I've made a collection of seven templates and worksheets to help plan your novel, from a general overview to the relationships between your characters and the setting, plot, and theme. In addition are tools to help set goals for both preparing and then writing your novel, as well as keeping character names separate and distinct.

$5 CAD for the full set, and the Your Novel at a Glance checklist can be accessed for free here!

#recurring writings #writeblr #writing resources #novel planning

[stillbeatingheart]

Excerpt from Chapter 1: Hands

I love his hands. The scars on his knuckles tell stories that only I know. The callouses on his palms have shown me over and over what true tenderness is.

The fog is so thick it’s swallowing the headlights whole. The night around us dark and eerily quiet for the sound of the tires on broken blacktop, leaves occasionally lifting with a slight breeze outside the open windows. The purr of the engine barely a whisper as the ’67 Camaro moves like an apparition with us inside it.

Jacy’s hands are on the wheel, illuminated by the glow of the dashboard lights. I know those hands, I’ve known them on every surface of my body. I know what every touch means and where every scar came from.

He’s unmoving aside from the occasional small breaths. Deliberate, careful breaths like he’s afraid to break something with the simple expansion and contraction of his lungs. Maybe it’s already broken.

“Jacy,” I whisper to get his attention. To stomp out the silence that’s enveloped us. My voice ripples across my vocal cords, I feel it move in my throat and flit across my tongue, pass my lips where it dies in the air outside of me. He doesn’t hear it.

My cheek is pressed against the headrest, it’s damp. Have I been crying? Is that why my voice is rough and inaudible? All I want is to ask him why his brows are dipped in concern, why his jaw is clamped down tight, why his knuckles keep going white on the wheel. I want to ask him why he’s not looking at me. Where we’re going in this fog. I want to know why he looks so terrified.

Now available: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/face-of-the-moon-sjmj-johnson/1144251630?ean=2940186112730

#face of the moon #face of the moon novel #face of the moon first chapter #novel planning #novel writing #self publishing process #chapter one excerpt #queer characters #nonbinary character #bisexual character #character of color

[rb-writes]

What era better suits an dark fantasy novel? 🔮✨

(any reblogs and comments would be greatly appreciated to see a wider audience perspective ❤️)

#dark fantasy #fantasy #new author #gothic #writing #witch fiction #fae #regency #victorian #bridgerton #enola holmes #novel writing #novel planning #witchcore #bridgerton x reader #sherlock x reader #enola holmes x reader #sherlock holmes

[kinglysock]

cowriting is a swift deed

so my friend and I are writing a book together for funsies and I was checking out word count to see what we got to and we are already at over 5,000 words?????

for context we started writing on Monday…

like??? What?? It took me a year to get 25,000 words on my novel 😭

at this rate, in a few months we’re gonna be published authors, working on the sequel.

#cowriting #young writer #novel planning #novel writing #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #writeblr #writers and poets

[sometimesraven]

any writing advice for someone writing their first novel? (*cough, cough, aka me*)

<3

Disclaimer: what works for me might not work for you, so feel free to take, twist and scrap whatever you need. I recommend asking/shopping around for ideas and other authors' processes, and it'll take some trial and error before you find what works best for you. But here's how I personally write.

Disclaimer disclaimer: this got real long while I was writing it and I realised how terrifying it must look to a first time writer. Take it step by step, at your own pace. It's not as scary as it looks xx

BEFORE YOU WRITE

(I'm going to be focusing on the story itself, but I'm sure it goes without saying that you should have your characters planned out first)

First things first: have a basic idea of the story beats. It doesn't have to be a Big Old Detailed Outline, just a basic compass to keep you going in the right direction so you're less likely to hit a roadblock. Personally I use the Plot Embryo! Here's my favourite video explaining it:

It's a nice simplified, easy to use tool for plotting. Here's a page from one of my journals breaking it down in a way I can personally come back to and understand:

hopefully you can read my shitty handwriting but I've put a little breakdown in the image description.

I then use these prompts to scribble down the basic idea of what journey I want my main character/s to go through, and use that as my blueprint for when I write.

WHILE WRITING

First things first: if you're like me, and seeing errors or plot holes in the stuff you've already written will bug you forever, do what I do and NEVER READ BACK OVER YOUR WORK WHILE IT'S STILL IN PROGRESS. Sometimes I have to skim back to remember where I am but as a rule, once something is written it's no longer my problem until the whole thing is done.

Don't worry about chapters and other such structure. I use the plot embryo to split things up so I know where I am, but otherwise chapters and scenes Do Not Exist until the editing process. Here's the "chapters" of a WIP as an example (this is a slightly different embryo adapted for romance but you get the idea)

Then just keep going until you're done. You don't even have to do it in order. If I'm stuck on a scene, I'll just put a big word in all caps that I can ctrl+f easily (usually either ELEPHANT or PENIS sklfsgskjf) and move on to the next bit I have ideas for, then come back to it later.

This first finished story will be bad. It'll be rough, patchy, full of holes. THAT'S OKAY. This is what we sometimes call the "Zero Draft". The draft that literally exists just to get the story out of your head to make the whole thing easier.

EDITING

Warning: editing is the longest, hardest part of writing a novel. Your book will go through several different versions, be scrapped and torn apart and put back together again. This is what makes the story great.

This is where every author differs, and there's a whole bunch of ways this can go. Personally, the first thing I do once the zero/first draft is done is put it down. Don't look at it, don't touch it, don't think about it. For at least a month. This allows you to come back to it with fresh eyes that haven't been staring at the same words for so long they just hate the whole thing regardless (and you WILL HATE IT. This is normal).

Then, the first thing I do is read back over the whole thing, adding notes and reactions as if I am a reader. If a part of what I've written makes me go 🥺🥺🥺, I'll write that down. If something could be worded better, I write that down. If you think a certain thing that you would put in the tags of a tumblr post, write it down. Treat it like you're someone else's beta reader, note down every negative, every positive, every ???? part. This will give you an idea of what is and isn't working. Here's some of my funniest notes from my zero draft of book 2 just to prove how literal I'm being here:

Then, and this is a controversial move that doesn't work for everyone but it works for my autistic adhd self-loathing brain: WRITE THE WHOLE THING AGAIN. FROM SCRATCH.

This sounds daunting and it is, but you've already written it once, so the second time is easier. Usually I don't worry about making this perfect because again, this is just another draft. I'll copy from my zero draft anything that I think is fine and write new bits or scrap bits as I go.

Sometimes, the story is fine. Sometimes this is an easy refining process. However, if you're anything like me, sometimes the whole thing is messy and you'll realise halfway through rewriting that the whole thing needs restructuring. Do not despair. This is normal.

I'm using book 2 of the Truth Saga as an example for this. I got 40k words into rewriting it before I realised that the reason it felt so 'off' was because the whole thing was sagging in the middle, characters were being left behind, and the whole thing needed restructuring.

It was a rough realisation, as Reckless Truth (book 1) was such a comparatively easy process. I only did three drafts and didn't have to restructure much. Book 2 is giving me so much grief and I'm gonna slap it when it's done.

If you hit this roadblock, it might be time to do what all mood writers hate. Detailed plotting. Go right back to basics. Write down every plot point in detail this time. Act like you're spoiling the whole entire story for someone. Have you ever watched a movie or book review where the reviewer does a full breakdown of the plot? Do that. In this you'll find out exactly where you're going wrong and be able to tweak and fix it. If you have more than one main character, I recommend doing a separate plot thing for each of them and one for the book as a whole so that you can make sure their emotional arc is getting the attention it deserves.

Then, when you're happy with the new plot you've written based on the draft of your story, go back and try to rewrite it again. If this sounds like a nightmare, it is. But it's worth the work, I promise.

From there it's a case of rinse and repeat, reread, rewrite, re-edit until you're mostly happy with what you've got. Then send it to beta readers and editors to tear apart even more and put it back together until you think it's ready! I also recommend joining some writing discords, watching streams or videos about writing, just research research research basically

Happy writing!

#writing advice #author advice #writeblr #authorblr #novel planning #writing process #authors of tumblr #answered #mine #writing #sagetheenbymage

[tilly-tittle]

So I’m “writing” a book

Writing is in quotation marks since my planning/novel prep is no where near done and I have a total of like 1k words written.

But in the interests of me wanting to rant about my characters in a non professional/academic setting I’m going to start sharing things on here.

Not like I was doing anything else with this blog so might as well use it to keep me in check and working.

Anyways! The Pitch!

“Xiè Ānlíng's life is turned upside down when he is pulled from the edge of Yǔlóng bridge. Now he’s been dragged into an ongoing investigation of a local mystery, a serial drowning. Now for the first time in a long time Ānlíng is spending his days around town, meeting fresh faces and feeling strangely alive. Their search turns to the supernatural when strange phenomena start interfering and he is chosen next to die. The line between life and death blurs when they get further entangled with the malevolent spirit haunting their waters. With mythology blending into reality and murderous spirits with vendettas, Ānlíng is torn between leaving Huáyún to fend for himself or risking his life for his first true friend.”

The idea is for it to be like Death Mark (the horror games) meet Chinese Mythology/Folklore (loosely) but as a story of self-discovery instead of full horror-mystery? I don’t know, I’ll workshop that a bit more.

#writing #original writing #original fiction #novel planning #novel progress #tillytalks #A title is in the works #Maybe #we’ll see

[baby-bear10]

tfw you're redrafting your pirate novel and so need to "read around the subject" and by "read around the subject" i mean:

read the entirety of the The Way of the Pirates website

rewatch Pirates of the Caribbean and try not to get distracted by having a bi panic over Elizabeth and Will

realise that omg I guessed whose ship it was in the fourth film because of information I learnt from the website I've been reading

rewatch Shadow and Bone Season 2 for Stormhond the pirate privateer

watch Our Flag Means Death

Tumblr.

#pirates #pirates of the caribbean #blackbeard #ofmd #our flag means death #our flag means gay #Stormhond #shadow and bone #nikolai lantsov #novel writing #book planning #novel planning #book writing #writing #writer things

[beachback]

For anyone who wants to take inspiration on the way I write my story

I've set it up to three (and a half) plots in one book. But, these plots aren't totally separated- they all affect one another, and affect other plot points on the line as well!

1. Serious Baby's internal conflict (Yellow)

In this plot I focus on Serious Baby's character, how is past history and hidden secrets affect the way he interacts with his friend and love interest Jerry Cat. He's shielded and doesn't want to share his history, and would much rather focus on his studies. But this exaggeration on the value of his studies leads to his mentor, Luna, to push him from his studies and focus on himself, something he does not want. This helps set up the exposition for the story, and how Jerry Cat gets introduced! But Serious Baby struggles and comes to his mentor for help on how to open himself up more to his friend.

2. External Conflict/Plot (Pink)

In this story the external conflict begins with a fungal parasite spreading and affecting one of Serious Baby's younger friends, Billy. This leads to Luna bringing them and telling them of the threat that may come in time soon to come. She gives them a solution to find out how to defeat the fiends that will cause the infection and control the city of Cat Vegas: research.

3. Mini Arcs (Green)

Not just any time of research, though! The two must "jump time", using a book that allows one to explore prospective universes, and figure out how this threat was defeated in the past. They must learn how to control where they want the pages of this book to lead, and must learn how to jump to different worlds. But in order to master this technique, they must parse through worlds created by their subconscious minds. Cue rise and fall of small lessons that are taught through these individual worlds.

4. Side Character Plot (Blue)

Not everyone has been freed from the actions of the threat (the fiends Flame and Fungi). Billy, a child who had been taken away from his ocean world many moons ago by Flame, faces it in a battle. Already infected, his fight leads him to have multiple burn wounds. His manager at the soda shop he works at, Wert, realizes what a problem this fiend is, and works his own plot to get revenge for it toasting his apprentice. Billy's friends, Mad Boy and Sadd Man also seek revenge, and although Wert has hated them to no degree at first, accepts their help and the unlikely help from the city's own minor nuisance of Macata the Ninja Thief.

Diagram to visualize

That's all I can really share without spoiling too much. But I hope this gives inspiration to those wanting to know how to structure their story. As always happy writing to all!

#writing tips #writingtips #ocs #original novel #original story #original writing #plot ideas #plot diagram #diagram #cat vegas #serious baby & jerry cat #jerry cat #serious baby #writing #story #orignal story #novel planning #novel #novel wip #novel writing #web stories #web novel #tips on writing #structure tips #plot tips #writing ideas #prompts

[kaixcastiel27]

#tumblr polls #creative writing #writers #writers community #writing #blackpink #writerscorner #books and reading #cancer survival #cancer survivor #cancer #cystic fibrosis #claire wineland #novel writing #novel planning #novel progress #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #book writing #writeblr #cf #lung cancer #lgbt #lgbtqia #lgbtq #lgbtq community #lgbtq positivity #lgbt pride #lgbtqplus #pride

[mistblossomdesigns]

World Building a Fantasy Society

Start to develop a fantasy civilization by brainstorming these topics.

What is their civilization called?

Where is their land of origin?

What is their population?

What is the average life span of their citizens?

Describe clothing and hairstyles.

What languages are spoken?

What is their diet like?

What are their spiritual beliefs?

Who are their allies and enemies?

Describe their government structure.

#world building #worldbuilding #fantasy writing #novel planning #novel writing #writing resources #writing advice #book writing #how to write #writing tips

[wrenandthemachine]

Plotting book three at work got slightly out of hand

#vampire novel #novel planning #novel outline #urban fantasy #writers #writers on tumblr

[stillbeatingheart]

Choosing between money, power, and love isn't always easy. Especially when the opportunity for vast amounts of money arises. Is it possible to keep love when the position of money and power requires brutality and living above the law? Is it possible to assume someone else's identity without losing pieces of one's own identity along the way? Or is love always going to lead to a happier ending than either of the other options could provide? Tilde Hart has a decision to make, a moment in life to revisit, a chance to go back and choose a different path. As guides from his childhood sit silently with him to remind him of who he is and where he's come from, his possible future is revealed. A future that could include money and power. A future he could choose if he wants to sacrifice the man he loves.

#novel planning #novel summary #face of the moon #face of the moon summary #face of the moon cover art #literary fiction #queer story #nonbinary character #bisexual character

[cjdevlin]

Day 2 of working on the Roses Wip 🥀🩸

I'm re-planning the structure of the plot today as I realised there's a better way to plan this that's more horror oriented rather than genfic/fantasy oriented, and I think it'll all fit together a lot better this way! My plan for the rest of the day is to relax and make some Pinterest boards once I've done this!

I got good news about my exam results this morning after a meeting with my tutor. Apparently I got some of the highest grades in the class! So now I can worry less about my exam results it's a chill day ahead!

~ Caitlin 🌹

#horror novel #writeblr #roses wip #new author #writers community #novel writing #female writers #writers on tumblr #first book #novel planning #planning