Flyingwolf29 - FlyingWolf29 - Tumblr Blog

@sellthebeamer my dear friend, I saw this and thought of you 😘

Angst!! Angst and Hurt/Comfort!!

They’re some of the most fun fanworks to both create and consume!! In the interest of inspiring some lovely, lovely angsty works, I’ve come up with a month long prompt list starting on September 1st! Welcome to Angstember!!!

This prompt list is multi-fandom, and if you’re interested in participating and sharing, please use the tag #angstember2021 (I really want to be able to see all of your stuff)!

I’ve also set up a little collection on AO3 for anyone who’d like to add their works! https://archiveofourown.org/collections/angstember_2021

I can’t wait to see all of the glorious, glorious angst that we come up with!! (also a huge thanks to @moveslikebucky for making the beautiful graphics for this event!)

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Hudson & Rex (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: charlie hudson & rex Characters: Charlie Hudson (Hudson & Rex), Rex (Hudson & Rex), Joe Donovan (Hudson & Rex), Sarah Truong, Jesse Mills (Hudson & Rex) Additional Tags: Angst, Drabble, Charlie Feels, Charlie POV, Charlie wants the best for Rex, not realizing he is the best for Rex Summary:

He has ideas, but it seems like the team’s on to it before he can voice them. Which is great. Means that they’re a well-oiled machine, and they work well with or without him. That’s a good thing. At least, that’s what he tells himself.

Whumptober 2021

Welcome to Whumptober 2021! May the Whump be with you :)

To all of you who participated last year - we have changed a few of the rules, but overall things have stayed the same. To everyone new: WELCOME!

Please make sure to read the Event Info carefully, most of your questions will be answered there already. For everything else you are welcome to come to our ask box or ask questions in our Discord server here.

This year’s AO3 Collection can be found here.

With that being said, we’re very excited to see the community come together once more and be a wild, chaotic bunch of creators and consumers of whump. We wish you all the fun!

(All 31 Themes + Prompts, Event Information, and FAQs are posted below the cut!)

Keep reading

A brief guide on how to punctuate dialogue

Punctuation in dialogue is one of the easiest things to get wrong in writing, and, frustratingly, it can be hard to find decent teaching resources. So if you’re struggling to tell whether to use a comma or a period, this guide is for you. 

1) Every time a new character speaks, the first line of their dialogue must be set apart by a paragraph break. 

Right: 

“I think Jeff Bezos might be a lizard,” said Bo. 

“Not this again,” I replied.

Wrong: 

“I think Jeff Bezos might be a lizard,” said Bo. “Not this again,” I replied. 

2) Only direct dialogue needs quotation marks. Direct dialogue is used when someone is speaking. Indirect dialogue is a summary of what was said.

Direct:

“Come on, Jeff, get ‘em!”

Indirect:

He told Jeff to go get ‘em.

3) Punctuation always goes inside quotation marks. 

Right:

“What would you prefer?”

“A goat cheese salad.”

Wrong:

“What would you prefer”?

“A goat cheese salad”.

4) If you follow or start a quote with a dialogue tag, you end the quote with a  comma. 

Right: 

“Welcome to the internet,” he said.

She asked, “Can I look around?”

Wrong:

“Welcome to the internet.” He said. 

She asked. “Can I look around?”

5) But, if you follow or start a quote with an action, you use a period. 

Right:

“Welcome to the internet.” He smiled. 

Her eyes flicked to the screen. “Can I look around?”

Wrong:

“Welcome to the internet,” he smiled. 

Her eyes flicked to the screen, “Can I look around?”

6) When breaking up dialogue with a tag, use two commas. Or, if the first piece of dialogue is a complete sentence, use a comma and then a period. 

“Yes,” he replied, “an avocado.” (split sentence)

“I hoped it wouldn’t come to this,” she said. “I loved that avocado.” (full sentence)

7) You may have noticed there are two different quotation marks ( ‘ and “). And when putting a quote inside a quote, you need to use the opposite style of quotation. 

Roger looked up. “And then he said, ‘I didn’t steal the avocado.’”

Or:

Roger looked up. ‘And then he said, “I didn’t steal the avocado.”’

(Using ‘ or “ often depends on personal choice. Although Brits like to use ‘ and Americans tend to use “ for their main dialogue)

So that’s my short guide to the main rules when punctuating dialogue! If you have any questions about less common rules, let me know. 

@aceofwhump @set-phasers-to-whump You both are SO right! I'm working on one fic right now that's using that trope :) there's so much research required though!

Whumpmas in July - Day 5

Day 5: What trope do you wish there was more content for?

What's that one trope you can't get enough of, but is so hard to find? Something you're so desperate for you'll watch the trashiest movie just for that one scene? Gush about your favorite underrated tropes, and maybe share some recs if you have any. Who knows, maybe someone else will have more suggestions for you, and you'll find a new whump favorite!

stone-cold (or, confessions of a stoic)

             Charlie’s always attracted danger.

             Two parts his nature, one part Aunt Miranda’s stories, and one part his dad’s adventures.

Keep reading

inhale, exhale

I feel like there’s needs to be, like, handbook for authors who post on Ao3 for effective metatext.

By metatext I mean like tagging, summary, and authors notes (especially initial authors notes at the beginning of a fic). The means by which we communicate to our readers what they’re getting into.

Because we kind of all have to learn it by osmosis and there are conventions but nobody’s really taught them at the start, so there’s inconsistencies and misunderstandings or people just not knowing things through no fault of their own.

This ends up breeding frustration and confusion and in the worst cases resentment, hurt, and aggression.

I’m severely tempted to make such a handbook and get it circulating.

I think it would do fandom a lot of good.

Found this chat for you on Tumblr

tumblr.com

Hudson and Rex - Group Chat on Tumblr

This is a Group Chat on Tumblr that chats about: #Donovan, #rex, #jesse mills, #sarah truong, #charlie hudson, #hudson and rex.

i never knew how much it would hurt to feel (this building collapse on top of me)

prompt: buried

whumpee: shawn spencer

fandom: psych

hi and welcome to my very first psych fic! i finished the show a couple weeks ago and finally get to write it! since this is my first fic there is a high chance the characterization is not the best and i do apologize but as i write more it will improve! i hope you like this anyway! (first part of the title is from some kind of disaster by all time low)

Shawn and Gus are poking their way through a falling-down, long-deserted office building on the outskirts of town, looking for clues about the latest murder case that they’ve gotten themselves assigned to. Gus pokes his head through a doorway and immediately recoils with a yelp, hands scrabbling frantically at his face. 

“Spiders!” he shouts, and Shawn shines the beam of his flashlight on Gus’ face. 

“Spider webs,” he says, reaching out to brush them away. “Ooh wait, what’s this - a giant tarantula on the back of your head?”

Keep reading

Ooooh fic prompts! What do you think of 48. Rampage, with Ronon and Sheppard from SGA (not a ship, I like their relationship as it is :) ). Angsty, preferably ;) like Ronon goes on a rampage after something happens to Sheppard maybe 🤔🥺

Thanks in advance :D

*screeching* *sounds of a chair breaking somewhere* COME IN COME IN OH MY A  C U S T O M E R

Thank you so much for the prompt!! I hope you enjoy this!

The one time the jumper had dropped them off at a previous suspected uninhabited area of the planet—the one time—they had to run into an angry mob of villagers who, after a few questions that in hindsight could have been phrased a bit better, mistakened them for Wraith worshipers—oh, and they had guns.

Ronon and John had made it into a small clearing after calling for the jumper to come back, and held their ground relatively well before... somehow, Ronon knew what was about to happen before it did. Maybe it was because he had been half-anticipating it ever since John had been forced to ditch his bulletproof vest after it got caught in a trap—but despite this, he hadn’t fully considered it could actually happen. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the mob take aim and pull a trigger.

“Sheppard!” he yelled, running toward the other man as fast as he could. He wasn’t fast enough. Even after years and years and years of running, he was fast enough. It happened almost in a slowed way, like the action movies that John was obsessed with—in a way, it was sickeningly ironic. He watched in horror as the bullet pierced his chest and John stumbled back at the impact, before collapsing to his knees, a stunned look on his face. The world sped up again and Ronon grabbed him and ran for cover, sitting him up behind a rock. The blood had already started soaking the front of John’s shirt, slick on his hands, marking everything with red. John choked back a cough as his breath stuttered, his hands scrambling against his chest in an attempt to stop the bleeding, stop the pain, anything. Ronon replaced John’s hands on the wound and muttered an apology as John hissed at the pressure. If John noticed that his hands were shaking, he said nothing. They both flinched as a new round of attack started up.

“Can’t they stop for a damn minute?” John groaned. Ronon glanced up nervously as the gunfire moved closer. John coughed again, his eyes squeezing shut against the pain, and blood dripped down his chin. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, but when he tried to breathe in there was a sickening rattling sound, and he couldn’t prevent another cough. The gunfire kept getting nearer and nearer. Bullets were ricocheting off of the rock. Ronon could hear their whoops of celebration that they had hit one, their cries of “let’s finish him off!”—not on his life—and something inside of him snapped, releasing a roar that was more animal than human. John jumped at the sound but Ronon paid him no heed, grabbing his gun and leaping out from behind their cover. His vision was tainted with red, and blood rushed past his ears as he shot down man after man, unwilling and unable to show any mercy. Those that ventured too close to him were quickly disposed of by his blade. His only thoughts were to protect John, and to make them pay for what they did to him, for taking joy in what they did to him. Bodies were soon strewn around the field; each one injured, dead, or dying. He stood in the middle of it all, breathing hard, his nostrils flaring and a wild look in his eye as he survived his work. A branch cracked and he whipped his gun around, almost pulling the trigger and shooting Teyla.

“It is just me!” she yelled. Ronon hesitated before lowering his weapon. Teyla swept her eyes around the field, then back to Ronon, her expression changing to something almost similar to fear.

“What did you do?” she asked. Ronon shook his head, running back to the rock where John was safely hidden. His stomach dropped as he saw that John’s eyes were closed.

“He’s—he’s not awake anymore,” he said, fear clawing at his throat and nearly throttling the words before they made it out. Teyla nodded, her brow creasing in a worried frown.

“Bring him this way, quickly!” she ordered. Ronon scooped his friend up as gently as possible, hurrying after Teyla. She led him to the jumper in a nearby clearing, and they quickly loaded up and headed to the gate.

“We’re ten minutes out, do you think he can make it that long?” the pilot asked. Ronon didn’t recognize him, but allowed him receive the full force of his glare at the fact that he would even suggest such a thing; but as the pilot shrank back in his chair, the fear of the situation pummeled at Ronon’s mind. He slid down the wall, cradling his friend protectively, a childlike superstition deep inside that it would be somehow enough to protect John from the clutches of death. Teyla passed him some pads and he automatically pressed them to the hole in John’s chest, the wheezing breaths both alarming and comforting him. Every second was too long, but yet somehow Ronon wasn’t quite sure exactly when the had reached Atlantis—suddenly it was too loud, too bright, too many hands pulling and grabbing for John—he growled, wrapping himself tighter around his friend.

“It’s alright, lad, we’re here to help him,” he heard someone say urgently. Beckett. He released John’s limp body instantly and it was carted away in the blink of an eye. He watched them leave, a hollow feeling inside of him. All he could smell was the blood. It coated his hands, his shirt—he wasn’t even sure how much of it was John’s, and how much was from... from... he dropped his head, his mind reeling as he remembered his rampage, how each of the bodies dropped to the ground—it had just been a misunderstanding on their part—how many had been innocent?

“Ronon?” Teyla asked carefully, crouching in front of him. He glanced at her for only a moment before looking back down, unable to meet her eyes. “I... I will have to make a report,” she said gently, “I do not know what Dr. Weir will say, but I know that you acted in self-defense.” But did he? He stood abruptly, stalking out of the jumper.

After cleaning himself up—there was so much blood—he resolutely parked himself in a chair by John’s bedside, despite being told he probably wouldn’t wake for a few hours. The image of his bloodied and limp body refused to leave him, and he took comfort in watching the rise and fall of John’s chest, in hearing the steady beeping of the machines that told him his friend was still alive. Dr. Weir stopped by to let him know she had received Teyla’s report; she consented that it had been a matter of self-defense, but he saw the same unease behind her eyes that had been in Teyla’s, and they both knew it had been something more than just self-defense. Grimly, Ronon resigned himself to that fact—but as he watched John resting peacefully in the hospital bed, he knew he would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

@starry-mist @sellthebeamer @charlessah-ot3 @moodypetrichorlove @swallowedabug @charahandrex

Mwah 💋 on all your foreheads

shoutout to the people working for hours on content that only gets ten notes. i’m kissing you tenderly on the forehead as we speak

Hey i’m a fashion design student so i have tons and tons of pdfs and docs with basic sewing techniques, pattern how-tos, and resources for fabric and trims. I’ve compiled it all into a shareable folder for anyone who wants to look into sewing and making their own clothing. I’ll be adding to this folder whenever i come across new resources

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16uhmMb8kE4P_vOSycr6XSa9zpmDijZSd?usp=sharing

Resources for Mending Clothes

We toss out over 80 pounds of textiles each year. These textiles are often made of plastic materials (polyester, nylon), made in unethical conditions, dyed with harsh dyes that often get put into the rivers, etc. Even a single cotton shirt releases carbon emissions and uses tons of water. 

So the best thing to prevent the unsustainable growth of the fashion industry is to make sure that your clothing lasts as long as possible. To do so, mending clothing is a must. So here are some resources to help you learn how to do various things, such as sewing a button, to tailoring clothes, or even upcycling old clothing into new styles. 

* How to sew on three different types of button

* How to hand sew on a patch on a torn pair of jeans

* How to sew up a hole in an old shirt

* How to sew a simple T-shirt

* How to upcycle old clothing into new clothing

* More upcycle and sewing techniques

* How to repair a damaged sock

* How to do an invisible stitch

* 3 different stitches to work with for different results

* How to make a T-shirt smaller so it fits you better

* How to make repairs to your shoes

These are just a few of the things that you can do in order to make sure that your clothing lasts for a long time. Nobody wants to keep buying new clothing, as it is expensive and wasteful. 

So making alterations to your clothing, or fixing small holes hen you see them can be hugely beneficial to your wallet, to garment workers, and to the environment in the long term. 

Hii! I am absolutely obsessed with ypur blog. Anyways, do you have any favorite passing out or fainting prompts/troupes? I’m an absolute sucker for them 💀

Saaaame. Fainting whump is one of my very favorites (not all that fun irl but great in fiction!) I’ve got plenty of favorites:

Whumpee apologizes or tries to reassure the others that they’re fine or “just tired” but they can’t even finish their sentence before they go down 

A whumpee who’s just expended a ton of their strength and collapses in the middle of a battle/escape attempt and has to be dragged out by the others

Whumpee’s been drugged and they’re reduced to just confused, anxious mumbling/pleading weakly for the caretaker as they sink toward the ground

Fainting in the middle of a hug is just *chef’s kiss* because the other person might not realize it right away until the whumpee’s sagging limply into them

Caretaker trying to catch them but getting dragged down by their dead weight, forced to awkwardly steady them

Passing out from a high fever because that’s a lovely two-for-one

Passing out and hitting their head on something on the way down, because that’s also a two-for one

Or fainting and falling into a body of water, now they have to be dragged out before they drown

Fainting to fall down the stairs and being found by their panicked loved one(s) lying limp at the bottom

Caretaker hearing a crash from the other room and rushing in to find them on the floor

Fun stuff! I devour content like this XD

I'm developing a story in my head and I'm thinking about writing it down. The thing is, I have it in my head like a tv show, each episode something new happens and it has a theme around it (It will be a detective story, each episode there is a new crime and new things revolve around it) but if I want to write it down. The chapters will be so short and it will be hard to keep up with it. Do you have any idea to basically how to turn a tv show (in my head) to a novel with decent chapters. TIA!

Turning Episodic Ideas (Like a TV Show) Into a Novel

Guide: All About Story Arcs in Television and Novels

In order to tackle this question, I think it would be helpful if we dive into the concept of “arcs” and what they mean in television vs what they mean in books. Because as much as it may seem so at times, TV dramas are almost never only episodic. Each episode ties to the rest of the episodes through various types of story arcs.

What is a Story Arc? 

Story arcs are a series of events centered around a particular conflict or theme that plays out from the beginning to end of a specified time period. In TV, that time period may be an episode or a few episodes, a season, or the entire series. In books, that period may be a part/act, book, or series. Both books and television juggle these different kinds of arcs simultaneously.

Story Arcs in Television

Episode arcs are the story arcs that play out from the beginning of a TV show episode to its end. So, in a detective show, it would be whatever crime they’re solving in that episode. The crime is introduced at the beginning of the episode, investigated throughout the episode, and solved by the end of the episode.

Season arcs are the story arcs that play out from the beginning of a season to the end of the season. In many TV dramas, this conflict revolves around a “big bad” that will be defeated by the end of the season. The “big bad” is typically introduced at the end of the previous season, is battled throughout the season, and is defeated by the end of the season.

Series arcs are the story arcs that play out from the beginning of a series to the end of the series. This is the conflict at the heart of the show, that is introduced at the beginning, plays out throughout the entire series, and is resolved at the end. In speculative fiction shows like The X-Files, Once Upon a Time, or Lost, this conflict revolves around the mythology behind the story. Such as the alien conspiracy Mulder and Scully are constantly up against in The X-Files, the curses and battle between light and dark in Once Upon a Time, and the Jacob vs The Man in Black/light vs dark conflict that tie together the fates of the characters in Lost. In contemporary drama, such as family dramas or crime dramas, the series arc may be based on the overall story’s mythology (such as with This is Us or Blindspot) or it may be situation/character based, as in something like Designated Survivor.

Character arcs are the arcs that center around the internal conflict of each main character. 

Story Arcs in Novels

Section arcs are conflicts that are specific to a section of the book, such as a part or an act. In a heist story, the section arc of part one might revolve around the conflict related to planning the heist and recruiting the crew. In Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows, for example, it was breaking Mattias Helvar out of Hellgate because they needed him for the bigger heist. Not all books have section arcs.

Story arcs are what we call the arc of the whole book/story (book one, book two, book three, etc.) that is introduced at the beginning of the book, plays out through the book, and is resolved by the end of the book.

Series arcs, in books just as in TV, are the story arcs that play out from the beginning of the series to the end of the series. In George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones series, the series arc was the conflict of getting “the rightful ruler” on the Iron Throne.

Character arcs (just as in television) are the arcs that center around the internal conflict of each main character.

Turning Episodic Ideas Into a Novel

So, now that we’ve had a recap of different kinds of story arcs, we can tackle the heart of your question, which is how to turn episode-like ideas into a story with chapters.

The answer is this: you need to figure out a story arc to tie all of these “episodes” into a bigger picture, and if you want this book to be a series of books, you’ll want a series arc, too. And, whether you do a stand alone or a series, you’ll need to figure out some internal conflicts for your main characters so you can have character arcs, too.

These arcs are what take your individual “episodes” and ties them into a bigger story that spans the book from beginning to end. You could choose to make the story arc and your protagonist’s character arc one and the same if you want something more character-centric. Or, you might choose a “big bad” who is somehow behind all of the episodic conflicts, even if indirectly. You might even go with a situational conflict, like cleaning up crime in a particular part of the city and/or overthrowing a corrupt police chief.

I hope this helps!

ETA: golden-apple said: Or making it an anthology of short stories

————————————————————————————————-

Have a question? My inbox is always open, but make sure to check my FAQ and post master lists first to see if I’ve already answered a similar question. :)

Hudson & Rex 3.09 (2021)

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question. I'm struggling with tenses and making sure I'm writing in the correct tense. But, in reading about tenses, I've found out they breed quicker than rabbits. Any chance you could explain all the tenses like talking to a 5-year-old (my real mental age) Thank you kindly

Hiya! Thanks for your question! Sticking with one tense is something that a lot of writers struggle with.

Depending on how you define a “tense” (there’s actually a bit of a debate about this in the English grammar community), there are anywhere from 2 to 18 tenses in the English language. For the sake of this question, I will define the main 12 used in narration.

The Different Tenses of Narration

Past

The most commonly used tense when writing. Past tense is used to describe events that happened in the past. There are four different types of past tense: simple past, and past progressive, past perfect simple, past perfect progressive. In general, when writing a story in the past tense, stick to simple past as much as possible. The other tenses are formed by using modal or helping verbs, which can weaken your prose.

Simple Past:

The standard past tense. This is used to describe a regular completed action that occurred in the past.

Formation: past form of verb

Example: He went to the store yesterday.

Past Progressive:

Similar to simple past, but the past progressive is used to describe a continuous action in the past. If you study foreign languages, this is usually referred to as the “imperfect” tense.  

Formation: past “to be” (was/were) + present participle of the verb

Example: They were watching the news all morning.

Past Perfect Simple:

Used to describe an action that occurred before another action in the past.

Formation: had + past participle of the verb

Example: I had already read the book before going home.

Past Perfect Progressive:

Used to describe a continuous action in the past that is completed.

Formation: had been + present participle of the verb

Example: She had been sleeping for ten years before waking up.

Present

The other tense used in writing, though not as commonly as the past tense. The present is used to describe what is currently happening. There are 4 types of present tense: simple present, present progressive, present perfect simple, and present perfect progressive. Like with past tense, stick to simple present as much as possible.

Simple Present:

The standard present tense. This is used to describe usual, regular actions in the present.

Formation: present tense verb

Example: We jump in the lake.

Present Progressive:

Used to describe an immediately occurring action in the present.

Formation: present “to be” (am/is/are) + present participle

Example: You are running.

Present Perfect Simple:

Used to describe actions that have happened in the past, but are still relevant to the present and for actions that were done many times in the past, but just now stopped.

Formation: present “to have” (have/has) + past participle

Example: I have made several cupcakes until now.

Present Perfect Progressive:

Used to describe actions or events that are habitual or actions that started in the past, but are still occurring in the present.

Formation: present “to have” (have/has) + been + present participle

Example: She has been playing soccer since noon.

Future

Personally, I don’t know any books that are written in the future tense, but I’m sure it’s been done. For the sake of this post, I will go ahead and define the different future tenses. Future is used to describe an action that will occur at some point, but has not happened or started yet. There are 4 types of future tenses: simple future, future progressive, future perfect simple, and future perfect progressive.

Simple Future:

Used to describe a regular action that will occur in the future.

Formation: will + present form of the verb

Example: My brother will clean his room tomorrow.

Future Progressive:

Used to describe a continuous action in the future.

Formation: will be + present participle

Example: Your friends will be dancing at prom.

Future Perfect Simple:

Used to describe an action that will be completed in the future.

Formation: will have + past participle

Example: By this time tomorrow, I will have written my essay.

Future Perfect Progressive:

Used to describe a continuous action that will be completed in the future.

Formation: will have been + present participle

Example: The author will have been touring for three months tomorrow.

There are 2 other categories of tenses, imperative and conditional, but they are not commonly used in narration. The imperative is only used in dialogue when giving a command. The conditional can be used in narration (rarely) or dialogue and is used in “if” phrases.

Every author struggles with staying in the same tense. Always go back and reread your work and edit it to make sure you stick to one tense.

There is no “right” tense when it comes to writing. Use whichever tense fits your writing style or story tone best.

Thanks again for your question! If you need help with anything else writing-related, feel free to send in another ask. Happy writing!

- Mod Kellie

If you need advice on general writing or fanfiction, you should maybe ask us!

questions to ask your beta readers!

(pls add on!) i’m currently working with betas seriously for the first time, so i made a list of questions that have become increasingly helpful as i have those discussions! in addition to these, it’s also good to ask a few big questions specific to your piece.

GENERAL

what do you like most about this piece?

what doesn’t make sense to you/what was confusing?

what big questions do you still have?

what felt incomplete?

what do you think this story is about?

what were you most/least invested in?

CHARACTERS

always ask for “your thoughts” on your most important characters. nothing like “did tyrone come off as shy?” or “does leah seem bossy to you?”, because that can sometimes sway responses.

also ask for “thoughts” on key relationships between characters.

who is your favorite character?

who is the strongest character?

who do you wish you saw more of?

who do you wish you saw less of?

are there characters who don’t add anything to the story? what would make them add more?

did you confuse any characters with one another? (if you have a big cast)

what did you think about [character a] versus [character b]? (if you have two very similar characters)

if a character has a moral conflict in the story/does something morally grey, ask where they stand on that character’s actions. if they have a strong reaction with a different opinion, that might be something to look into.

which characters did you dislike (as people, not as characters)?

do any of the characters ever act out of character?

does the main character/narrator feel like the best person to be telling the story? if not, who does?

PLOT

are there scenes/chapters/plot points that don’t add to the story?

do any moments seem out of place?

how would you have wanted this to end?

if you’re considering taking a scene out, ask what that adds to the story, and what it would lose without the scene.

same goes with adding a scene!

which scene felt like the most important scene?

what was your favorite part?

if you could change anything about the plot, what would it be?

how did [particular scene] make you feel?

alternatively, which scene made you feel the strongest emotions?

STYLE

does this feel like the right pov narration (1st person, 3rd person, etc.) for this piece?

does this feel like the right tense?

are there any phrases, metaphors, etc. that were confusingly worded?

if the piece uses a unique writing style, what do you think about [style]?

if it has multiple povs/narrators, could you tell the difference between voices? which voice was your favorite?

OTHER

are there any grammatical errors? (optional, if you have a 300 page novel please do not make your betas do this)

what is your favorite restaurant/coffee shop/store so i can buy you a meal and/or gift card as a thank you for being a crucial part of my writing process?

AT LAST, IT IS HERE: SPIDER-SENSE AND SENSIBILITY IS NOW AVAILABLE  FOR  DOWNLOAD

Spider-ManxMaryJane (but with a fun twist)

107 Pages of Content

Will-They-Won’t-They Flirty Banter

Smooching??!!!?? (yes)

Pay What You Want Pricing (yes, it’s free!)

Read the first volume for free here.

Download the first volume for free here.

How to write better descriptions

1. Avoid weak words

Compare these:

He ate the sandwich

She walked towards the lake.

to these: 

He devoured the sandwich 

She strolled towards the lake. 

Which sentences tells you more? The latter ones. Why? Because devoured and strolled are stronger words than ate and walked. They’re more specific, so they give you more information. To get across the same information with ate and walked, you’d have to add more words: ‘she walked slowly,’ ‘he ate quickly.’

Obviously this isn’t saying you can only ever use strong words–that would likely quickly devolve into purple prose–but If your descriptions only ever include general terms: ‘it smelled good’ ‘he walked over to greet her’ etc. you’re making it harder for your reader to get an accurate picture of whatever is happening in your scene. 

So how do you spot a weak word? The biggest problem with (and easiest way to spot) a weak word is that it needs support from other words to really get its meaning across. If you find yourself adding adverbs and adjectives to a term, question whether or not there’s a more concise way to get your point across instead. 

2. Be Specific Where Details Are Important

This isn’t to say you should describe everything in every scene in perfect detail, but being specific matters. 

Which is more engaging? 

He devoured the sandwich 

The book smelled magical.

or

He devoured the sandwich, stopping only to lick up the melted cheese that seeped through his fingers and ran down his palm. 

The book smelled like a sunlit afternoon. 

Again, the latter ones. They take you into the scene. They evoke the senses. It’s the difference between telling and showing. Devoured is a strong verb, but it doesn’t give us a clear image of what is happening. Showing the character licking away the cheese gives the reader a sense of the desperation and hunger of the action. Evoking a sunlit afternoon is evoking your reader’s memories of their own sunny afternoons.These examples are statements with evidence. They provide details. 

You want to invite your reader into the scene, not give them a summary of the events.

Additionally, specifics make the world feel real. They convince readers that the world actually exists. They keep the story in your readers’ minds once they’ve finished reading. 

This being said, don’t pull a GRRM and describe every meal your characters eat. Some things just aren’t that important. There are MANY occasions when it’s okay to tell instead of show. 

3. Remember the point of view.

Who is giving the description? 

If you’re writing in 1st person or 3rd person limited, remember how your character feels about what you’re describing. If you’re describing a strawberry field, a person who was raised on a strawberry farm is going to see it differently than someone who is deathly allergic to strawberries, who is going to see it differently from a Beatles fanatic. 

Maybe the Beatles fanatic is deathly allergic to strawberries and this field brings up a whole bucketful of conflicting emotions.

Which is all to say: 

Good descriptions reveal character as well as scene. 

If this description is coming from a character’s point of view: what is that point of view? What is this scene making your character feel? Don’t let your narrator slip away from the page. 

This connects to my last point. 

4. Remember why you’re including it. 

Novel writing is persuasive writing. It’s an exercise in persuading your reader that your story is true, that your characters are real people. It’s an exercise in persuading your readers to feel what you want them to feel. 

(There’s a well-known quote about this somewhere, but I can’t remember it exactly.)

Every description must add to the story. It should be doing something: working for some larger goal, advancing the plot, revealing character. 

Maybe you’re describing a house because you want your reader to see why your character doesn’t want to move.  

Maybe you’re describing this lovely-smelling book because you want the reader to know that it’s important to the character. That her favorite memories are of reading it in the attic of her grandmother’s house. 

When you’re writing out a description, identify its purpose and make sure it fulfils it. 

It’s okay if at first you don’t know how the house makes the character feel, or if she’s running or strolling towards the lake, or why the book is so important. Sometimes you just know it’s there. That something happened. Usually things become clearer as you write further and get to know the story and characters yourself. 

Once you do know what you’re trying to say with your story, make sure you say it with every chapter, every description, and every word. 

Round Table - Next Meeting

Since there are a few days left and I am trying to become more active on this blog again (the plans are there, just the time is lacking) I thought I would share our Fanfiction Club Meetings more often.

Maybe one of you will be interested in joining us if the fic strikes their fancy :)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/778804/chapters/1465994

Fandom: SPN x SGA crossover (It's part 3, but they're mostly standalone)

Word Count: 50k

Summary: SGA/SPN Crossover AU. When an impossibly locked door is keeping the Trust from treasures unknown, they arrange to steal an Empath so that their Kinetics can ‘crack the safe’. Unfortunately for Dean, he’s the unlucky Empath and the safe is in Pegasus.

So, if you're interested we're meeting on Saturday, February 13ths at 4p.m. CET on discord (using text messages for discussions).

You're very welcome to come into my inbox or askbox to talk about it, or join us on discord if you're over 18 years old.

https://discord.gg/BPyvGcJ

Discord

Join the The Hidden Vault Discord Server!

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So, see you on the next fictionscape! <3