How To Draw Arms ? ? 

Writer Problems: Plotting

How my friends plot their novels:

How I plot my novels:

How the media depicts the Apollo 11 mission:

Actual quotes from the Apollo 11 mission:

So I write and I can get through the first chapter, but after breaking for the night or something, I can't get back into the story. Any tips on how to overcome this? It feels almost as if I have lost motivation for writing the story but still have a passion for it.

I will gently place my hands on the sides of your face, lean really close, and say, quite loudly, "OUTLINE."

Okay, seriously, apologies to all you pantsers out there, but outlining will save your life when it comes to making story progress and pushing past the initial flare of inspiration. Also all pantsers should be held with the highest suspicion and may be liars. Or wizards. They are probably wizards.

Anyway, it is very normal to start strong and then hit a wall regardless of how much you want to do something, especially just starting out. Finding other ways to keep going regardless is how to keep feeding that urge. Some general tips:

Outline! Know how the next chapter goes? Get it down any way possible, as detailed or as minimal as you want. Whatever keeps the story going.

Worldbuild/Character Built. If you can't go straight, go sideways, filling out the details you'll use later.

Inspiration Hunt. Make that playlist, create that image board. You want to recapture that spark, and it's going to be in the stuff you surround yourself with.

Figure out what works for you. This might take a little bit more time, but when do you write best? Where? How can you replicate the situations that make you write best?

Sometimes you begin a project too soon, and it sputters right out of the gate. This is also very common, and it doesn't mean you're a bad writer, it means you need to shove that idea back to that dark corner of your brain where it can grow like a fungus. My current work in progress is based on a novel concept I had TWENTY YEARS AGO, so trust me - your ideas won't die, they just might take some time to get where they're going.

This is also hard, because you want to be working on something, and not writing is frustrating. Sometimes the best thing to do is to take those old first chapters and go through them, and see which ones have roots and which need more time to grow. Some people work great picking at several projects at once. Some people have to pick one project and stick to it, and you have to figure out whatever works for you.

So, in sum:

Sometimes the best way to write a story is to do everything but writing the actual story

Sometimes ideas need to percolate a bit longer and it's okay to give them time to grow

All pantsers are evil wizards that are not to be trusted

Jeans!

I really hate the Western take on Eastern philosophies & symbols.

No, yin yang is not good vs. evil or even the balance of good & evil. No, karma is not that cunt who cut you off getting what’s coming to her. No, zen is not a day at the spa with cucumbers on your face. No, yoga is not being able to fit in your skinny jeans after a good workout. No, buddhism is not going on yoga retreats. asffffkkdjjj%^&#$%

PSA to fan creators who don't have a lot of regular contact with children: They are almost always bigger than you think. A 1-year-old baby may already be walking. A toddler is likely already hip-high. A 10-year-old may already be taller than at least one of their parents. A 14/15 year old may already have reached their adult height.

This is the man I choose to love

Disabled people who can walk short distances should not have to fear parking in a disabled space and walking into a store. 

 Disabled people in wheelchairs should not have to fear moving their legs or briefly standing up. 

 Disabled people should not have to fear using a cane on their bad days.

Disabled people shouldn’t have to feel weary about having too much fun and being seen enjoying themselves.

 Disabled people shouldn’t have to live in fear of getting attacked, getting called a fake and even getting reported for benefit fraud just because they don’t fit the ableist profile of what you think a disabled person looks like and acts like.

Disabled people deserve to be able to safely leave the house and live our lives without fear and judgment.

When you figure out who the killer is before the episode is over