#writing thoughts

[breadstickysquid]

okay so I was talking with a friend about writing, and I was about to infodump about an au of mine over discord to them because I can't actually write out the ideas rn since ao3 is dOWN-

and they freaked out??? Apparently I'm weird for writing my works *in* ao3? Like I know people usually write in docs or something but I only feel motivated to write when I'm in the ao3 textbox HJLGFJGDH

So now I have a question for fellow writers on ao3:

#ao3 #fic #fanfiction #writing thoughts #writing #poll

[creativepromptsforwriting]

I feel like every writer has created whole stories before around just that one specific scene that they thought of and really wanted to write. Sometimes I wonder what those scenes were for my favourite stories.

#writing #writing thoughts #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writing community #writerblr #writers of tumblr

[thoughts-ofawriter]

I have this disease called starts too many WIPs syndrome

#queue are a writer #thoughtsofawriter #writing #writing thoughts #writer problems #see also: finishes no WIP syndrome

[ixylle-d-from-the-stars]

Deathworlders everywhere but in Space

This is sitting in my brain because I haven't seen anyone else do this, but take a second to think about this: There are other deathworlders in space, terrifying ones, huge monster orc things. They are massive and nightmarish and impossibly strong. So thats why humans stand out. Thats how we survive. Human's are terrifying because we aren't built for one biome, one climate or even one planet. We aren't necessarily the strongest or fastest or scariest looking, but we're built to survive fucking everything. What if other deathworlder's are almost always only made to survive in one climate? (similar to some of the most deadly predators on earth currently) All the other deathworlders are terrifying, yes, but the second they step off their planet they're weak. Massive aliens of hulking muscle but their planet's gravity is a lot lower than the standard, so they barely meet the average strength bar whenever they go outside their gravity zone. Aliens that have venomous spikes all over their body and look gnarly as shit but their venom has practically no effect on 99% of discovered intergalactic species. Deathworlders whose planet is the nether from minecraft IRl, but they can't survive in any other temperature for any amount of time because their body just can't handle the cold and regulate their temperate (or, vice versa for tundra species). Aquatic species that are kraken-like nightmares, giant sirens and deadly squid-like beings. But they can't leave their home at all, because theres a very specific chemical makeup of their water that isn't currently found within their life-span distance travel. Deathworlders that genuinely can barely survive off planet and are frail compared to even the most docile prey species whenever they have to travel. Their called deathworlders because going to their planet is certain death, but if they leave they'll be meeting death just as quickly. And then along come humans, and everyones like, oh, another deathworlder, nothing to worry abou- wait. These guys dont seem to loose any of their natural strength off planet... and their fast and strong... and- AND THEY CAN SURVIVE IN PRACTICALLY ANY CLIMATE IN THE KNOWN UNIVERSE??? HELLO? Oh and of course their predators. Of course most of their planet is completely uninhabitable for most of us. Mhm, yep. thats fair. Totally Basically, deathworlders are a thing, the more common 'terrifying alien monster' type, but their harmless because they can't survive like everyone else. They can't thrive like humans can. It scares the shit out of everyone for a wholeeeeee while, after all, no one ever expected a deathworlder that doesn't die.

#humans are space orcs #in your orbit #humans are terrifying #humans are deathworlders #humans are amazing #humans are space fae #humans are weird #humans are space australians #humans are space oddities #humans #weirdos #deathworld #earth is a deathworld #lol but not for us #writing #writing thoughts #possible future sbi oneshot? #maybe? #i have no clue if i worded any of this right

[burntoutdaydreamer]

3 Steps to Improve Your Characters and Make Them Three-Dimensional

So I don’t have a process for creating/developing characters (to me the process is intuitive to the point where I wouldn’t even know how to explain it), but I do have a process for revising characters that just… fall flat, for whatever reason. 

I like to get to know my characters by throwing them into a bunch of different situations and seeing how they react, but sometimes that’s not enough. In these cases I need to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to make them not feel like a cardboard caricature of the role I need them to fill. Here’s the process I use, and it involves three key questions to understand what makes your character tick.

1) What is this character’s fundamental belief- either about the world or themself?

2) Where does this belief come from?

3) How does this belief hinder them, and are they capable of growing past it?

Alright, here’s what the process looks like in action. 

Let’s say I have a character I need to flesh out for my story.

Character A is a middle aged coffee shop owner and the protagonist of her story. The central conflict of the story revolves around trying to save the family run coffee shop she inherited from her father when he passed away, which has recently fallen on hard times.

What is this character's fundamental belief?

Character A believes that the world is an inherently good and fair place. She believes that good is always rewarded and bad is always punished, even if the timing isn't always perfect. As such, she strives to live a virtuous life, putting as much good into the world as she possibly can. While she understands that even good people can face hard times, she believes that in the long term, if things don't work out, it'll be because she didn't put in the work needed to turn things around.

Where does this belief come from?

Character A grew up in a solidly middle class household with good parents that treated her well- rewarding her for good work, and fairly punishing her for misdeeds. Her parents gave her everything she needed, but also expected her to work hard for the things she wanted. She also had the experience of watching her father build a successful business through hard work and by building strong connections with the people in town. If we want to push this further, we could also say that this belief was reaffirmed by watching her brother ruin his own life, squandering all his money and goodwill with those around him on failed get-rich-quick-schemes and outright scams that landed him in jail.

How does this belief hinder them, and are they capable of growing past it?

Let's say that Character A recently hired a barista who seems perfect for the job. Strapped for help, she gets him started right away before getting the results of his background check. When the results come in, she finds out that he is on probation and was recently released from jail for a violent crime. Shocked, she fires him. Believing that people who end up in jail always deserve it, she can't see past her initial prejudices. As a result, her coffee shop suffers from the loss of her new star barista.

Some time goes on, and Character A encounters the barista again, and learns more about the circumstances that landed him in jail (maybe he was falsely convicted, maybe he was battling psychosis, maybe the violent act was done to prevent a loved one- anything that makes her question her initial assumptions). He then confesses that he is struggling to provide for himself and his family because no one will hire him because of his criminal record. Character A comes to realize that her belief isn't completely true, and that the world isn't entirely fair. Though it takes a lot of inner work to do so, including coming to terms with her privilege, she eventually accepts this, and revises her beliefs. She decides that even though the world isn't fair, people have the responsibility to make it fair.

She decides to re-hire the barista she fired. After doing everything she can to make things right with him, she proposes an idea she wants his help with. Together, they transform her family business into a joint coffee shop and community rehabilitation center. In addition to selling coffee, they also launch a program to provide resources to recently incarcerated individuals looking to reenter society. They'll host weekly events on job interview coaching, alcoholics anonymous, motivational speeches, group therapy, opportunities to connect with open-minded employers, and more. Their promotion of this new program enables them to secure funding from local patrons and public grants, and customers are willing to pay for more expensive coffee with the knowledge that that money will be put to good use.

Additionally, if we want to go with the brother in jail backstory, we could have this ending be an opportunity for her to reconnect with him and maybe even repair their relationship as she gets to see him in a new light.

Main Takeaways

And there you have it!

You can use this process on any character- protagonist, antagonist, side character, etc. By grounding your character's motivations and development in their beliefs, you can easily introduce depth and internal conflict while keeping everything connected to the themes and plot driving your story.

Depending on your character's role or your story's plot, the belief can be wide reaching and complex (such as a philosophy or ideology), or specific and personal (such as having to do with their self-esteem). Either way, it should always be tied to their personal experiences or observations. This doesn't necessarily mean a tragic backstory. It could be, but I encourage you not to make this your default way of creating character depth. A mundane but grounded and sincere motivation will always be more compelling than cheap, dark shock factor.

Generally, protagonists with happy endings and villains with successful redemption arcs are capable of moving past their beliefs, while tragic heroes and antagonists aren't, and this failure is usually the source of their downfall. Keep in mind that even if characters do move past their old beliefs, it will always be a difficult thing to do. It will require them to confront their own mistakes, biases, and emotional wounds, and require both internal and external work in order to fix whatever their old beliefs have damaged.

Hopefully this guide will help you approach your characters from a different perspective. Feel free to share any insights.

Happy writing y'all!

#creative writing #writing #writers of tumblr #writers on tumblr #writing community #novel writing #writerscommunity #writing advice #writing problems #on writing #writing characters #character development #writing help #fiction writing #writing tips #writing thoughts #long post #really long post

[generic-whumperz]

Babe, stop bothering me, can’t you see that I’m busy daydreaming about putting pretty fictional men though hell?

#I really be spacing out when he’s trying to talk to me about the housing market #like bro I don’t care about mortgage rate percentages rn #we aren’t even looking at buying a house #let me whump in peace #whump #whump stuff #whump drabble #just whumpy tings #whump blog #just whumpy thoughts #writing thoughts #daydreaming about ✨him✨ #obsessive daydreaming

[bittersqxtch]

#writing #writers' problems #bittersqxtch #the pain of writing #i have no self-control #i tried to update one fic and now i'm writing 3 at once #someone send help #writing thoughts #writing memes #memes

[blackrosesandwhump]

You know, this might sound silly, but...I just realized that I can, in fact, write quick little one-shots with my ocs if I get stuck on their main storylines.

They're my stories, and I can write them how I want.

#mind blown #how the heck did i just realize this #what have i been doing all this time #good grief #writing thoughts #writeblr #writer problems #gif #writing things #creative writing #my stories #my way

[ben-talks-art]

Is there a better source of drama than watching a character be pushed to their breaking point?

Like, I joke about it but it really does feel like the secret to make a good story is just "Make a character -> Throw challenge after challenge at them -> See how they react."

There is something...

...just fascinating about knowing how to challenge your character without making it feel like a misery fest and actually making an exploration of how people respond when they reach their limits. How do they reach it? Why do they reach it? Can they make it back? How do they respond? Where do we draw the limit?

This is why the conflict is such a crucial part of a narrative. The walls that you make for your character to face and hopefully overcome is what will test your skill as a writer.

You can't make it too easy because then it becomes anti-climatic, and you can't make it too hard either because then it will feel like you're just torturing your character, and if the breaking point doesn't feel earned it will be like the writer is just trying to force the drama instead of journeying through it.

I've seen a few cases where a character will snap for very mundane reasons and it makes me go "You just wanted to have your cool 'I'm going Super Sayan' moment, you don't really care about this character's emotional struggle." 😑

You gotta find that right balance of what you're gonna throw at your hero and how you're going to explore it for your story.

It's tricky, but if you manage to pull it off, it can lead to some really great storytelling, character study, and theme exploration.

#ben 10 #avatar the last airbender #avatar the legend of korra #teen titans #infinity train #fullmetal alchemist brotherhood #spider man across the spider verse #arcane #invincible #she ra and the princess of power fanart #writing thoughts #breaking point #lowest point #compilation

[sweettjrose]

Writing characters with flaws and putting them in bad situations that exacerbate those flaws:

#writing thoughts #you feel bad #but it is also fun

[vendetta-if]

Another Batch of Vendetta Memes

Babe, wake up, it’s time for another batch of silly Vendetta memes 🤡😆 Just sharing some more memes I’ve shared in my Discord server 🤭

Ok, the last one is a bit sad 😔 But it’s the truth.

Before having MC and after running away from his family, Viktor was pretty lost. He knew he wants to make up for the horrible things he did, but at the same time, he also didn’t feel like he was doing anything worthwhile as a Vigilante.

When he first got into relationship with Yvette, he thought she was the one who would finally anchor him and give him a new purpose, but of course it didn’t work out.

But from the moment he first held MC in his arms, he felt like his life was complete. He knew that the remaining of his life would be dedicated to his precious child. They brought him true joy they hadn’t felt for years and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for them and their safety.

#writing thoughts #meme #vendetta meme #char: takashi #char: viktor #ro: skylar #ro: ash #ro: rin #if: vendetta #if vendetta #vendetta if #if game #if wip #dashingdon #choicescript #hosted games #choice of games #cyoa #cyoa games #interactive novel #interactive fiction #interactive story #interactive games

[writerbeemedina]

I’m begging, just ONCE can we have the boy and girl childhood best friend be genuinely happy for the other when one of them finds a significant other?? I’m so sick of these jealousy arcs and romantic crises that always involve being indecisive about who to choose like GOD just have a boy and girl be friends unquestioningly PLEASE.

#aromantic #aro culture is #childhood best friend #love triangle #writing tropes #tv tropes #love interest #jealousy #writing thoughts #writing ideas #thoughts #rant #boys and girls can be friends damnit

[thoughts-ofawriter]

*opens writing document* no,,,, this can’t be,,, it’s still not done?

#queue are a writer #thoughtsofawriter #writing #writing thoughts #writer problems

[abhainnwhump]

Putting your characters in a kidnapping scenario is a great way to practice characterization because there are just so many ways you can take being kidnapped. Are they terrified and crying? Or calm and determined? Screaming and yelling curses or making jokes? How about begging for mercy? Immediately getting violent?

And when/if they break, how does their behavior change? You can have a character start calm and collected and turn paranoid after weeks or months in captivity. Iconically, take your defiant and cocky character and make them scared and meek. Take the sweet innocent character and turn them into a monster. How would your OC develop if they were in a problem like this?

My closing statement is, test your characters. Like a geode, you need to break it to see the gems inside.

#i saw this mentioned in a video I was listening too and wanted to make a post about it #whump #whump prompt #whump writing #whumpblr #whump tropes #defiant whumpee #broken whumpee #characterization #writing help #captive whumpee #captured whumpee #whumpee turned whumper #whumpee prompt #whump scenario #whump ideas #whump thoughts #writing thoughts #character thoughts

[em-dash-press]

Plot Devices to Complicate Your Story

You're excited to write an upcoming story, but the plot seems pretty simple from start to finish.

How can you make it more complicated to deepen your themes, lengthen the story, or leave your readers with plot twists that make their jaws drop?

Try a few of these devices 👀

Add motivation to your instigating action

When the princess gets kidnapped at the start of your story, your hero will rescue her, but what's the antagonist's motivation for kidnapping her? If they're in love with the hero and take their jealousy to the extreme or secretly know that the princess asked them for an escape plan to avoid marrying your hero, the plot is much more compelling.

You could add this detail anywhere in your plot, even in the first chapter.

Layer a second motivation underneath an action

After the princess is kidnapped, the hero starts their journey to rescue her. The reader finds out in the second chapter that the hero is being blackmailed to retrieve the princess and return her to their kingdom's biggest rival to start a war.

Amplify the original problem

Your protagonist rescues the princess and brings her home, only to find out that she's had a twin brother all this time who has been taken hostage by the antagonist in retaliation for the princess' escape.

Introduce a second, more evil villain

The antagonist has kidnapped the princess for their own motivation, but the reader discovers in the middle of your story that they serve a more evil villain who holds a personal grudge against the princess' father and wants his whole kingdom to suffer as revenge.

Create conflict that brings your protagonist to their rock bottom

The protagonist rescues the princess, almost reaches their home kingdom, but she escapes. The king sends the protagonist to prison for their failure and sentences them to death in three days. The reader will feel the hopelessness along with your protagonist, which is where you can create something that injects new hope into your plot (like a dramatic jailbreak thanks to the protagonist's best friend).

Make a character betray another

The protagonist reaches the princess with the help of their best friend, but the princess stabs the protagonist in the back by trading their best friend for herself through an unbreakable vow

Reveal an unreliable narrator

Your protagonist agrees to rescue the princess for the sake of the kingdom, but the second or third chapter reveals that they are really on a mission to kill the princess for personal revenge against the king.

Reveal that the villain has known everything the whole time

Your protagonist and princess escape, but the villain factored that into their plan to start a war and have their forces waiting outside of her castle when they arrive home

Introduce sudden regret that changes a character's arc

The protagonist has to leave their best friend behind to ensure the princess' escape, but in leaving them, the protagonist realizes they've been in love with their best friend the entire time. Regret motivates them to head back for their best friend and risk their life twice as soon as the princess is home safe.

Temporarily kill a character

The princess kills the villain with some help from your protagonist, so they think they're safe. On their way back home, the villain sets a trap for them in the woods because they actually survived the attack.

Try using Chekov's gun

Before leaving for the princess, your protagonist gets a potion made by a family member. The directions? "Use it in your moment of greatest need." The protagonist uses it later when they're facing the villain or after hitting rock bottom, so the potion becomes a plot device that instigates your second or third act.

Accelerate the plot

Your reader thinks the plot is all about rescuing the princess, but she returns home in the first 100 pages. The real plot begins by choices or actions made during her rescue, which unravel into a much larger story/world event.

You likely won't be able to use all of these plot devices in a single story. You may not even have the first plot for more than one.

Consider what you're writing and what dynamics your characters/plot present to decide if any of these tricks could enhance your writing.

#writing #writing tips #writing advice #writeblr #writing help #creative writing #writers of tumblr #writing community #writers #writing inspiration #writers block #novel writing #short story writing #writing practice #writing thoughts #writing process #plot #plot devices #plot development #writing plot

[girlwithherheadinthestars]

"Why don't they just go ahead and kill me already? The suspense of my impending doom is boring." I said, leaning against the bars of my prison.

"They're not going to kill you." Villain said mildly, not looking at me as he rearranged some things in his satchel.

"I'm the only thing standing between the emperor and his throne. Imagine you're peacefully ruling and then the rightful heir to your throne shows up all powerful and gorgeous like me. Like, even I would kill me."

"They're not going to kill you." Villain finally looked up at me. "Not while I'm here."

#writeblr #writing #enemies to lovers #spilled ink #hero x villain #villain x hero #writing prompts #villains and heroes #hero and villain #villain #dialogue prompts #dialogue prompt #character dialogue #writing dialogue #creative writing #writing tropes #writing prompt #dialogue ideas #writing thoughts