Character's Life Stories

The secret to avoiding annoyingly perfect characters is less about what they do, and more about what they think and feel. Show that they still want to slack off even if they end up doing what they’re supposed to. The actual plot difference between “I’ll do it, because it’s the Right Thing To Do™!” and “Ugh, fine, I guess I have to do it; it’s…like…the right thing to do, or whatever…” is negligible, but the characterization difference is huge.

The “What-If” Writing Method

Sometimes when I’m writing, brain just....stops. No more ideas. No more words. Nothing. Sometimes, the solution to this problem is to simply take a break from writing and let your brain relax. Other times, though, you really are just at a block for ideas. This happened to me significantly more often than I would like, but thankfully, I’ve developed a solution that works well for me, and it’s uncreativly titled the “what-if” method.

Get a piece of paper and pen. Or a Google doc, or whatever works best for you.

Start brainstorming questions about your story, or possible “what-if” scenarios. (Ex: What if my character got framed for a crime they didn’t commit?)

Write down every single idea that comes to your head. Even if it doesn’t really work for your story. Even ones that deviate from your existing plot. Even the stupid ones. Especially the stupidest ones.

Cross out the ideas you don’t like, circle the ones that you do like.

Start coming up with answers for the questions you circled, or expand in the by coming up with more questions. (Ex: They would have to prove they didn’t commit the crime to regain their freedom. How do they prove it?)

Repeat until you have a full idea that you can work on/write with.

That’s it. That’s the whole strategy. I’ve used this a million times, and it’s gotten me out of a million cases of writers block, so hopefully it can work well for you too! Happy writing!

A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Moodboards

Please note that this is a guide for complete beginners who have no idea how to get started on making moodboards. Only the very basics will be covered here.

Have you ever wanted to make a moodboard but didn’t know where to start? You have ideas but you have never edited a picture before? Can’t afford photoshop and don’t know how to use it? Look here, this guide is for you! 

This guide includes: Free photoshop alternatives, where to find images, and basic tips and tricks to make your moodboard. Click the Read More below :)

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The First Thing You Learn in University Creative Writing Classes

I was very fortunate to major in Creative Writing when I went to college. It was a great experience, but I remember being so nervous when I walked into my first class as a freshman.

I'd been writing stories since elementary school, so I worried that this first class would teach me something wildly different than what I knew about writing. Maybe there was some secret formula to creating characters or mental exercises that immediately dissolved writer's block that you could only learn from a professor.

When my first class ended, I was shocked.

The first thing you learn in a university-level creative writing class?

Read more than you write.

It's that simple. I thought my professor had lost his mind, but the many others that followed always echoed the advice.

The advice then saved my ability to write when I was getting through each day during some of the hardest times of my life.

Pick up the good books. The great books. The terrible books that make you quit reading them because they're so bad.

They will all make your writing stronger.

You'll learn how to write fantastic characters, weave plot lines, and paint worlds with words. You'll also learn what you don't like in someone's writing so you can avoid it in your own.

Even during the periods when I wrote nothing at all, reading kept that love for writing alive in my heart.

It's the best way to reconnect with that passion if you've lost it and the greatest way to develop that skill.

Read more than you write.

Your storylines and characters will thank you later.

Fanfiction help, tips, prompts and ideas

I planned on making this a private post just to help me find all the links and wonderful help made by these wonderful people but it can be helpful for other too to have it all in one place.

But if the creators of these would like me to take down/private the post please let me know and I will, no problem ^^

Dialogue Promts, tips, ideas; everything:

dumplingsjinson's Dialogue promts[They're great with so many different dynamics]:

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PROMPTS MASTERLIST

Continuously updated! *you can use my prompts as long as you link to the prompt list you grabbed the prompt from, as well as mentioning my

Tips on writing characters without faces:

lets-get-fictional.tumblr.com

Tips on Writing Characters Without Faces

so yeah, we all know that facial expressions can tell us a lot about how a character is feeling, but what if that isn’t an option? how can y

Describing emotions internally and externally:

lets-get-fictional.tumblr.com

Resources For Describing Emotion

Emotions Without Making Your Character Feel Too Self Aware Showing Emotion Without Telling About It Emotions Associated With Body Language T

Writing recourse masterlist:

Body language basics(smiles, eyebrows, head positions:

List of body language phrases (positions, reactions, movements like "he arched his back"), divided by body parts:

agirlnamedjana's master dialogues/scenes/dynamics promt list:

And also her masterpost on how to write/motivation/tips:

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How do you turn a outline into chapters? Like how many chapters does a part of an outline turn into?

Turning an Outline Into Chapters

There's no method or template for how an outline translates into chapters. Instead, it's about breaking down the story into its natural parts.

Stories can be broken down into scenes. A scene is a mini-story that revolves around an important plot point in your story, or in other words a moment in your story that affects a main character's, their path, or the direction of the story. This moment could be:

-- a particular course of action taken by a main character -- an important conversation involving a main character -- an important event involving a main character -- a series of small related moments occurring in the same short period of time, the same place, involving the same character/s, revolving around a particular subject or theme, or from a particular character's POV.

Most scenes are (sometimes loosely) structured similarly to a story, having a small bit of introduction, an inciting incident, rising action, a dilemma, a climax, and a denouement. Like story in general, scenes should have a balance of exposition (explaining things), action (things happening), and dialogue (conversation).

Scenes end when the mini-story the scene is telling ends. Typically, this ending will also naturally shift toward a new plot point that takes place in a different time and/or different place, potentially with different characters.

Go through your summary and find the plot points and moments around which you can build your scenes, and divide them out into their scenes.

Chapters can be a single scene or a group of related scenes. If you have several scenes that take place during a similar time period (in the weeks before and during Halloween, for example), in a similar setting (the characters have traveled to Las Vegas for the week), or involving the same plot point (a heist that plays out over three scenes), these can be grouped together into one chapter. Typically, chapters are made up of one to three scenes.

Once you have your outline broken down into scenes, you can group the scenes into chapters.

Happy writing!

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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Visit my Master List of Top Posts

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Okay but why aren’t more people talking about that fact that it’s literally so helpful to put together a playlist based on whatever you’re writing?

It can help for multiple reasons; ones for me would be:

It helps me outline where the story is going

It makes it feel a little more official; like I’ve got my head in the game and there’s no point in turning back now

It gives me a little sense of accomplishment

It gives me something to listen to while writing that’s less likely to distract me; and if it does, the lyrics will only help me imagine the story more

Like- 10000/10 so helpful 100% recommended this, especially if you have attention span issues or if you end up giving up on something if dopamine takes too long to come from it

How to Write Flashbacks More Effectively

Many of our favorite books include a flashback or two. They put the main story on pause and reveal things readers need to know, but how do authors decide when to use them?

These are a few tips I have about writing flashbacks effectively so you can feel confident about weaving them into your stories.

1. Create a Clear Trigger

When you walk into a kitchen and smell cookies baking in the oven, the smell might trigger a memory. Maybe it’s a happy memory of baking with your family or exchanging cookies with your friends during a holiday party.

You wouldn’t think about that memory in that exact moment without the sensory trigger. Flashbacks work the same way.

Give your character a specific trigger so it’s obvious they’re having a flashback. You shouldn’t only rely on making the flashback italicised or set off by page breaks. It will feel more expertly integrated if there’s a cause-and-effect relationship with the scene.

The trigger can also serve a purpose. Maybe your protagonist hears a car honking and has a flashback to their recent car accident. It could let the reader in on how the accident happened or what it was like. The sound being a trigger also shows readers that your protagonist hasn’t dealt with the emotional ramifications of that traumatic experience, so it’s still fresh and affecting how they live their life.

Remember, there should be a clear point of return when the flashback ends. It may not always be a second trigger, like your protagonist’s best friend calling their name. It could also be a sensory moment or experience within the flashback that makes the protagonist essentially wake up due to discomfort or becoming aware that it’s a memory.

2. Make It Plot Essential

Flashbacks are plot essential, meaning that they have to either do something for the reader or your protagonist (maybe both at the same time). 

In the above example, reliving the car accident informs the reader about what the protagonist experienced before the story started. 

A flashback about an ex-partner treated the protagonist in a previous relationship could motivate the protagonist to make a choice in their current relationship that they wouldn’t have otherwise. The choice propels the story in a new direction.

3. Get to the Point

It’s important to keep flashbacks brief. Readers are investing their time and energy into the story you’re telling, not the story that happened leading up to your plotline.

Extended flashbacks can also confuse readers. They may not understand when the flashback has ended, especially if the relived experience happened to your protagonist recently.

A few paragraphs to a page or two will likely be more than enough to get your flashback’s point across. If it runs longer, make a mental note to return to that particular scene when you’re in your editing phase.

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Flashbacks can be effective storytelling tools, but use these tips to avoid relying on them too much or in the wrong ways. If one doesn’t feel right even after you’ve worked through your initial edits, you can always take it out and work the information in by writing another present-day scene or conversation.