Latest Posts by the-writer-muse - Page 10

writing reminders.

@livslibraryy on Instagram

I’m here to remind you that your writing is perfect and you deserve to know that (the pun was absolutely intended).

— forcing yourself to write when it makes you feel bad isn’t healthy

— you don’t need it to be a perfect first draft. and also don’t add unnecessary characters even if you love them a lot save them for later/another story

— you don’t have to write a lot/everyday to be a good writer (it’s okay to take a break)

— don’t write what you think everyone else wants, write what you want to write

— don’t try to “learn” how to write before you start; you learn by doing. you get better as you continue! don’t compare yourself to published authors

— it’s all about having fun and there are no different rules

— be patient with yourself and go at your own pace

— don’t force yourself to plot if it doesn’t work for you, it’ll only make things harder

— word count doesn’t determine how good of a writer you are

— it’s okay to not write everything in order

— first drafts and editing exist for a reason. your writing doesn’t have to be perfect. and actually write, don’t get stuck in the rabbit hole of research

— please write down everything about the story so you don’t forget things later on. you don’t have to outline but at least know the ending of the book before you start. and don’t write things just because you “should” (romance, certain tropes & dynamics, etc.)

— it’s a long process; a lot of planning, drafting, and editing and it’s just a lot

— your ideas are what matter, not what other best-selling authors put in their books

— everything has been written once before, but they haven’t heard you write it (for clichés)

— the middle doesn’t just need fight scenes. you can flesh out character relationships too

— it’s miserable and magical at the same time, and you’ll both love it and hate it. good luck!

— it’s a long, difficult process—a lot more to it than short stories in school! but don’t give up!

— you’re not as good as you think you are. but that’s okay. you’ll improve

— you’d lose sleep and cry over your characters all the time

writing first drafts.

credit : halloween.writes on instagram 🍯

sources : masterclass.com

Set a goal.

Write down the main points, and donʼt worry about how everything flows, and if everything is perfect. Give yourself deadlines on certain exercises so you donʼt waste time writing things that youʼll most likely edit out, or eventually change in other drafts. Stick to a schedule, or a certain amount of pages or hours you write in a day.

Prewrite.

What is prewriting? Itʼs the first step before writing your novel! Some examples are brainstorming, freewriting, journal writing, listing, and outlining.

Prewriting is helpful for getting started, and can be doing writing prompts or other writing exercises. This allows for you to write freely without a strict guideline to follow, or any at all, which is also useful for stimulating creativity when you’re suffering from writer’s block.

Let your ideas flow!

Your rough draft is where you let your wild ideas run free, with nothing holding you back (besides yourself, of course). Don’t be shy to experiment with point of view, or holding back ideas that might be worthy of sharing! This is the draft for your eyes only, so you donʼt need to hold back and feel the weight of self-consciousness weighing you down.

Outline (or donʼt).

Prewriting is also about outlining the structure of your piece, like the sketch for an illustration; not all of them require it. But if you do like to know where youʼre trying to head, outline would be the best bet. It helps you see all the pieces in front of you, either in detailed pages that make your computer lag, or in simple bullet points. It also helps you figure out which bits are necessary with story flow, and which ones drag and donʼt let the story move on smoothly.

Forget editing.

When you’re writing your first draft, donʼt worry about grammar, or writing complete sentences—or ones that make much sense. Leave the editing process for future you. As long as you can read the manuscript, and it makes sense to you, youʼre going in the right direction. You can worry about all the little mistakes for later drafts.

Start wherever.

Start in the middle of a big battle, where your main character is kicking enemy behind, or wherever you may please! Start in a place where you feel most stimulated or motivated to write, what makes you feel most excited to write. You don’t have to weigh yourself downby writing each thing in chronological order and having to bore yourself with facts you already knew. Writing a novel, or anything really, is a long journey, and you want to stay entertained throughout.

Take breaks.

Taking breaks is fundamental to any kind of creative process, especially those that deal with easy burnout. Sometimes you just have ti step away from your first draft and come back with fresh eyes.

Finishing it.

Donʼt start your next draft until you feel like your current one is finished, and the sooner you get it done, the better! Sticking to your goals and putting in the time and effort into making something truly yours is what will make you happy and fulfilled with your final draft in the long run.

How to Write Strong Friendships

Source: https://kingdompen.org/deep-friendships/

Post by @writingwithacutlass on instagram

Friendships turn a good story into a memorable one. They add more emotional weight and make the readers care about the story more. Deep relationships are hard to write, though, so here are some tips to help you write a strong friendship that will add value to your story!

make each character their own person

Do not add a character just so they can be “the friend”. This will lead to a flat, undeveloped and boring character. In order to write a deep friendship, you’ll need deeply developed characters. Sure, your main character will likely be developed and interesting. But make sure that “their friend” has a clear goal, interests, motivations, dreams, passions, a distinct personality, quirks, values, struggles, and so on. Unique, developed characters create a solid foundation for a strong friendship.

give them something in common

Now that you have two unique, developed characters, you need a reason for them to be friends. What brought them together? What similarities do they share that connect them and serve as something to bond over? These similarities could include status, hobbies, struggles, history, background, interests, enemy, goals, and dreams.

give them meaningful differences

With similarities also comes differences. Don’t just make the two characters different, but give them meaningful differences that can build off on each other. Let them support each other in their strengths and build them up in their times of weakness. These can be differences in skills, conflict resolution, personalities, method of action, and reaction. Keep in mind what each character’s strengths and weaknesses are. How do their similarities and differences complement each other?

give them history

It depends on how long your characters have known each other, but deep friendships often need time to grow. This means your characters have probably known each other for some time, and you need to make that evident. Throw out hints that they have known each other for a while, and make the reader curious about their history. A few ways to do this is giving the characters inside jokes, letting them banter often, having them communicate non-verbally, and showing how much the two know about each other.

give them glue

What is holding your two characters together? What is the reason they don’t drift apart? The “glue” holding your characters together could be a common goal, another character, or they are simply in a situation where they can’t get away from each other making it impossible to part ways. Do your characters’ goals, values, and personalities contribute to the lasting of the friendship?

create meaningful scenes

Now that you have all the key components of an amazing friendship, it’s time to develop it throughout the story. Make sure to include some friendship moments in your story, and show your readers the power of this relationship. These scenes are meaningful to your reader, but also develop the relationship between the two characters.

don't make their relationship perfect

No one is perfect, and no relationship is perfect either. After you’ve added all these perfect elements to the friendship, you’ll need to add some flaws as well. Friends don’t get along all the time, so it’s okay if they have arguments or avoid each other for a while. If the glue to their friendship is strong enough, they’ll come back to each other and reconcile. Perhaps their differences clash. Or maybe other things that are out of their control are forcing them apart. Make the friendship complex, as all real friendships are. The characters will have to overcome the obstacles to keep their friendship strong. Difficulties in their friendship leads to a much more compelling story, one your readers will be greatly invested in.

hi! you can call me calliope. i love reading, writing, and procrastinating on both of the above. i post mostly writing tips, tricks, and whatever i feel like on here. you can also find me on instagram @/thewritermuse!

picrew pfp credits: makowwka