Illuminae Files and Aurora Rising just hiding in the corner lololol
Sci-fi writers: In the year 2023, robots have become-
People in 2023: no they haven't lol
Sci-fi writers: FINE, in the year fucking 8482756738471
gO rEsT Up gIrLIe pOp <3
Me rn with my 2 ideas
Trying to write fanfiction for the first time is so humbling, it feels like I've never written anything ever.
Well, this is maybe the most that the new authors struggle with. As any other language, English also has its own rules for dialogues and I bet you could find them on the net as well, but if you want it short - here I am.
First things first, we use ‘’ and “” for dialogues in English and never ‘—‘ or ‘–‘ or spaces or just ‘start new line’. We need to indicate the people are speaking. ‘’ - for thoughts and “” - for speaking.
‘I was dancing with him.’ - I understand it’s in the character’s head.
“I was dancing with him.” - I understand the character says it out loud.
The next part is punctuation. I know, a lot of you maybe struggle with all these commas and no commas at the end, at the beginning, dialogue tags and stuff, but, believe me, it’s not as hard as it seems. So, what is important to remember is that we use commas with things that we do with our mouth or verbally and full stops with actions.
“It was quite interesting,” she said.
Look, comma is inside the “” and ‘said’ is something she does with her mouth or verbally.
“It was not so easy.” She moved closer to the table.
Look, full stops is inside the “” and ‘she’ is written in the capital, because ‘she moved closer to the table’ is not something she could do with her mouth or verbally.
Also, do not forget to start each character’s speaking from the new line, so it doesn’t look like a mess.
“I came here from the north.” He put his gloves on the table.
“Me too,” she agreed.
Look, 2 characters speaking, each of them having their own line. Also, notice that the first one is doing action, which is why there’s a full stop at the end, and the second one is agreeing - which is something we could do with our mouth or verbally and - which is why we have comma at the end.
The other thing to remember is that ‘…’ is not interrupting. It’s about the words slowly fading as the character speaks. If you want to show that the person was interrupted - use ‘—‘.
“I wasn’t sure whether to go…” Jake answered.
Look, there’s no comma or full stop at the end of “” and I understand that Jake’s voice becomes quieter and quieter as he speaks, showing that he’s really unsure of what to do next.
“I wasn’t sure wheth—“
“I will tell you!” she shouted.
Look, there’s no comma or full stop at the end of “” and I understand that the character is interrupted. Also, take a look at the second line: there’s an exclamation mark inside “”, but she is written with the small letter - yes, because shouted is something you do with your mouth or verbally.
One more thing: if your sentence finished with ! or ? there’s no need to add a full stop or comma at the end or after “”, ‘’.
That’s it for beginners. Practice with those above to sharpen your writing skills. Yes, you may think it’s too easy and want more, but believe me - I’m also using the rules above and rarely use the rules I’m gonna tell next in my own writing. Make small things look good first and then go to bigger things.
Well, my fellows, who are professionals in writing dialogues and the tips above were like a baby talk to you, fasten your seatbelts, you’re gonna find out some more tricks (I hope).
Okay, first things first, ‘’ and “” could be interchangeable. If you want to write thoughts in “” - you’re welcome, but don’t forget your choice for the rest of the story, so the readers are not messed up with what’s thought and what’s word:
“I was dreaming,” he thought.
And
‘I was dreaming,’ he thought.
Are both fine.
Next, using dialogue tags or actions before the words themselves:
Jake answered quietly, “What if I got it wrong?”
She pressed her hand to his chest. “It can’t be.”
It’s also okay. Just mind the punctuation: commas are for dialogue tags (mouth or verbally) and full stops for actions.
Depending on what you choose for your story, we use ‘’ inside “” and “” inside ‘’:
“I was surprised by ‘his’ behavior,” she stated.
If you have prolonged dialogue tag or action with dialogue tag, the tag should always come directly to the sentence (it’s easier to avoid any extra punctuation drama):
He answered quietly, smiling, “Of course.”
Julie laughed and asked, “What’s that?”
“I want this,” she replied, walking down the street.
There’s a difference when the words are interrupted by dialogue tag or action:
“We’d rather,” Jake said and lifted his arm, “win this auction.”
“I’ll never”—she pressed her finger to his chest—“let you do this!”
But personally I never use this rule, cause it’s just hard to punctuate and I believe that non-English readers may find it too hard to understand.
Well, that’s all for now, thanks for reading and I hope that was useful! <3
Sometimes I can’t believe how cool yet weird Fanfiction writing is. I have so much power to do whatever I want. Like having Batman, Home Simpson and John Wick fight in a free for all for the rights of humanity in a complex political science fiction universe run by anthropomorphic cats.
Who gave me this power?!
What people expect when I say I’m a writer: writing a whole novel
What I actually do: get into a fandom or come up with an original idea, go to sleep every night thinking of the story, make imaginary scenarios and Pinterest boards, make Spotify playlists, and finally sit down to write it out 2 months later only to get another idea and abandon the story. Repeat the cycle.
(A.K.A. the quiet stuff that says everything without screaming it)
❥ The “I Always Sit Facing the Exit” Quirk They don’t talk about their childhood much, but they always know where the exits are. Every restaurant. Every train. Trauma has muscle memory. Your job is to notice what it’s saying without needing a monologue about it.
❥ The “I Can’t Sleep Until I Hear You Lock the Door” Habit It's not controlling. It's care shaped like paranoia. They say “Goodnight” like it’s casual, but they’re counting the clicks of the lock like a lullaby. Let that show more than “I love you.”
❥ The “I Keep Everything You’ve Ever Given Me” Thing Not just gifts. Receipts with your doodles. The crumpled note you wrote when you were mad. Every bit of you that felt real. It’s borderline hoarder behavior, but also? It’s devotion.
❥ The “I Cook When I’m Sad” Pattern Their world’s falling apart, but suddenly everyone has banana bread. It’s not about food—it’s about control, about creating something warm when everything else is cold. And they won’t say it out loud, but they're asking, “Will you stay?”
❥ The “I Practice Conversations in the Mirror” Secret Before big moments, hard talks, or just answering the phone. They're rehearsing being okay. They're trying to be the version of themselves people expect. That’s not weakness—it’s survival wrapped in performance art.
❥ The “I Fix Other People’s Problems to Ignore My Own” Reflex Everyone calls them “strong,” but no one notices how fast they redirect. “How are you doing though?” they ask, one heartbeat after breaking down. Let your reader see how exhaustion wears a smile.
❥ The “I Never Miss A Birthday” Rule Even for people who forgot theirs. Even for exes. It’s not about being remembered—it’s about being someone who remembers. That’s character.
❥ The “I Clean When I Feel Powerless” Mechanism That sparkling sink? Not about hygiene. That’s grief control. That’s despair in a Clorox wipe. Let it speak volumes in the silence of a spotless room.
❥ The “I Pretend I Don’t Need Help” Lie They say, “I’m fine” like it’s a full stop. But their hands shake when they think no one’s looking. Let your other characters notice. Let someone care, even when they don’t ask for it.
❥ The “I Watch People When They’re Not Watching Me” Curiosity Not in a creepy way. In a poet’s way. In a “who are you when no one’s clapping” way. They love the in-between moments: laughter in elevators, fidgeting before speeches. That's who they are—observers, not performers.
what
you just said the same thing as I did?
you read stuff on wattpad for shit and giggles where most of the fics there are reader-inserted ones written in 1st person pov where y/n is a barely legal white girl with blonde hair and blue “orbs” who’s so smol and fragile that she’s dependent entirely on this morally questionable guy who’s killing people for a living but for some reason happens to have a soft spot for her.
you read real actual literature on archive of our own where it’s two middle aged men, who are each other’s sworn enemies, with tragic past, trauma and strong homoerotic tension. and while they’ve made each other bleed, killed each other’s friends and loved ones out of jealousy / possessiveness, lied and betrayed and manipulated, the rawness, depth, complexity and slow burn will keep you up all night, haunt you during your day and possibly change your life forever. and also the sex isn’t just smut. the sex is poetry that puts Shakespeare to shame
~𝐖𝖊𝖑𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊!~☆ ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂✦ ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄☆✦ FF Reader (Planning to write someday)✦ New to Tumblr✦𝐌𝐲 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 💕: @dragonoftheshadows✦ 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐬: Marvel Cinematic Universe☆ ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂✦ ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄☆✰ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴ ᴀᴍᴀᴢɪɴɢ ʀᴇsᴛ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴀʏ!✰
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