Guide To Drafting

Guide to Drafting

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Planning v. Discovery

The first thing you must decide when you embark on the journey of drafting a story is how you’re going to get it done. Typically, there are two groups you can fit into, though most writers are somewhere in between. There are writers who plan meticulously before they begin writing to create a very clean first draft, or there are discovery writers (otherwise known as “pantsers”) who find more success in choosing a premise and then using a zero draft to explore the idea before gluing down any details. You are most likely someone who falls between those two methods. Some initial planning to feel familiar with your idea before you do some of the planning through the writing itself. Having some semblance of a method will help you narrow down your own process, which is immensely important if you want to get any substantial project near completion.

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me walking into a boss fight for the 12th time in a row without changing a single tactic, piece of equipment, or thought in my head

oc asks: character design edition

FACE & FEATURES

glance: At first glance, what stands out most about your OC's appearance? What's their distinguishing feature?

face: Describe your OC's face. What's their smile like? Are their orbs cerulean? What would someone notice first when looking at them?

stature: What's your OC's body type? How tall are they? Do they wear clothing to accentuate their look or do they try to mask it?

motion: How does your OC move? How does their clothing help or hinder their range of motion? Are they flexible, coordinated, clumsy?

stillness: How does your OC act while still? Are they fidgety? Do they have any common gestures or tics? Does their clothing affect how they hold themselves while at rest?

canvas: Does your OC have any scars, piercings, tattoos, or other markings? Do they display or cover them up at all?

CUT & CLOTHES

night: What does your OC wear to sleep? Do they have a favorite pair of PJs, or are they more the birthday suit type?

day: What does your OC wear on a normal day? Why do they default to those clothes? Do they wear similar things, or do they change it up?

formal: What's your OC's formal look? Do they like dressing up? Do they have different looks for different occasions?

informal: What's your OC's lazy-day look? How do they like to dress when they're winding down?

outerwear: What's your OC's outerwear situation? Jacket, sweater, cloak? What sort of weather do they deal with most and how do they protect themselves?

footwear: What does your OC wear on their feet?

road: What does your OC wear while traveling? Do they have high-quality equipment, or are they making do? What does their gear look like?

armor: What kind of armor does your OC wear? Is it well kept? Bonus: where does it come from? Is there a story behind it?

arms: Does your OC have any weapons? What weapons do they carry, and how do they wear them when they're not fighting?

roots: Is your OC's look inspired by any specific style of clothing or fashion trend? What are the roots and/or inspiration for their look?

texture: Does your OC favor any specific kinds of cloth or textures? Is there anything they can't wear or don't like? What sort of fabrics do they prefer?

wardrobe: How big is your character's wardrobe? Do they wear things threadbare, or can they afford new clothes often? Are they any good at mending and repairing their own clothing?

ACCESSORIES & ACCENTS

bling: What jewelry does your OC wear? Does it have any meaning?

hair: How does your OC wear their hair? Does it have some kind of meaning?

makeup: Does your OC wear makeup? How often? What kind? Why do they wear makeup, and do they like it?

favorite: Does your OC have a favorite article of clothing or accessory? What is it? What's the meaning behind it? Do they wear it all the time or do they wear it sparingly to keep it safe?

change: Has your OC ever drastically changed their appearance? Significant haircuts, big tattoos, complete wardrobe swap, etc? Why? How do they feel about the change?

alternate: What would your OC's alternate universe look be? If they're a fantasy character, what's their modern look? If they're sci-fi, what's their fantasy look? What AU would you want to see your OC in, and how would they dress themself? Bonus: Prompt an AU!

🎃Trick or treat!💀

--@oh-no-another-idea

Thanks for the ask, @oh-no-another-idea!!!

Treat! 🎃

This is the last one of these in my inbox, I know I was late to answer it, but in the spirit of Halloween, have a smol spooky snippet from Tales of Wilted Flowers!

The dead forest was eerie - filled with the kind of silence where things appear louder than they should ever be. They could hear everything, and yet, not enough. It felt like... death. Something terrible had happened in this place, this they knew. And the echoes of what once was still haunted the ruins that remained in an endless winter. As the last threads of rageful spirits. mourning what was taken from them. Every they took upon this ashen, barren soil felt wrong, dangerous. No one was supposed to be here. The wind whistled as it curved around twisted branches, a cold, soulless chill passing through them. Cinder-covered snow crunched beneath the soles of their boots, though the air was dry as a desert. And yet, the ruins they sought remained out of reach - that is presuming they managed not to get lost beforehand. "Are you sure we are on the right track?" Caladin asked tentatively, wincing at how his hushed voice seemed to echo even so. He scratched the back of his neck, awkwardly. "... Because I'm sure whatever terror is inside these ruins certainly is not a good way to die." There was a pause, for a moment, but not for long. Arista looked over her shoulder, still carefully holding up the torch that was lighting their way as their group all but waded through the forest's thick fog. "No, I'm not sure. But I grew up on tales of this place - or at least, of what this place used to be before... all of this." She gestured outwards towards the fog-filled wastes, skipping over a gnarled root. "If we're lucky, and our suspicious friend back in the city was telling the truth, we might just make it out alive. At this point, blind luck seems to be our charm."

Heads Up Seven Up

I was tagged by @tabswrites for this one, here! Thanks for the tag!

Rules: post the last seven lines you wrote! Then tag others!

It's not exactly seven lines, I think, but here you go!

From Tales of Wilted Flowers -

“Out of all the bad ideas, my dear.” Xarian shakily called out [to Lorelai], not breaking eye contact with the beastly wolf currently a burning stick away from biting his neck off. Instead of standing by the snuffed-out fire, he’d moved forward. But that made him the only thing standing between a Faellyn petrified by fear and a ravenous shadow-hound. He scoffed, softly, at the situation they were in. “That has to be one of our worst.”

Tagging (gently) - @lassiesandiego, @sm-writes-chaos, @hrmkingizzy, @unstablewifiaccess, @aziz-reads, @writernopal, @steh-lar-uh-nuhs, @oh-no-another-idea, @elshells and @clairelsonao3