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Quick Tips for Writing Emotional Tension

They act like they don’t care, but we all know they’re just avoiding a massive emotional explosion.

One of them starts to spill their feelings, then clams up like, “Uh, never mind…” Cue the frustration.

One character throws out something super personal like it’s no big deal, but you can tell the other one’s like, “Wait, what?”

They let something slip that they were totally not ready to share, and then they freeze like, “Did I just say that?”

The “I’m fine” smile (but they’re not). One gives this shaky smile that doesn’t fool anyone, especially the other character.

They almost grab each other’s hand or hug, then they hesitate, and the moment passes. UGH, so frustrating!

One of them’s on the verge of tears but is trying sooo hard not to lose it. You can feel how much it hurts.

They talk about literally everything except the thing that’s actually bothering them. So. Annoying.

They used to be shoulder to shoulder, but now they’re standing a whole three feet apart like something big changed.

One’s suddenly acting like they barely know the other, being all polite and formal, and you just know there’s more going on.

Some writing advice

that I like to use when I write. None of this is meant to be taken as hard and fast rules, they’re just things I like to do/keep in mind when I’m writing and I thought maybe other people would enjoy! <3

Never say what you mean

This is an offshoot of the very common “show don’t tell” advice, which I think can be confusing in application and unhelpful for scenes where telling is actually the right move. Instead, I keep the advice to never say exactly what I mean in stories.

By using a combination of showing and telling to hint at what you really mean, you force your reader to think and figure it out on their own, which makes for a more satisfying reading experience.

You might show a character getting angry and defensive in response to genuine care and concern. You could tell the audience that the character doesn’t see/talk to their parents often. But never outright give the real meaning that the character feels unlovable because of their strained relationship with their parents and as a result they don’t know how to react to being cared for.

Your readers are smart, you don’t need to spoon feed them.

Be sparse with the important things

You know how in a lot of movies there’s that tense scene where a character is hiding from something/someone and you can only just see this person/thing chasing them through a crack in the door? You get a very small glimpse of whatever’s after the character, sometimes only shadows being visible.

Do that in your writing. Obscure the important things in scenes by overdescribing the unimportant and underdescribing the important.

You might describe the smell of a space, the type of wood the floor is made of, the sound of work boots moving slowly across the room, a flashlight in the character’s hand. And there’s a dead body, laying in a pool of blood in the far corner of the room, red soaking into the rug. Then move on, what kind of rug is it? What is the color, patterns, and type of fabric of the rug?

Don’t linger on the details of the body, give your reader’s imagination some room to work while they digest the mundane you give them.

Dialogue is there to tell your story too

There’s a lot of advice out there about how to make dialogue more realistic, which is absolutely great: read aloud to yourself, put breaks where you feel yourself take a breath, reword if you’re stuttering over your written dialogue. But sometimes, in trying to make dialogue sound more realistic, a little bit of its function is lost.

Dialogue is more than just what your characters say, dialogue should serve a purpose. It’s a part of storytelling, and it can even be a bridging part of your narration.

If you have a scene with a lot of internal conflict that is very narration-heavy, breaking it up with some spoken dialogue can be a way to give some variety to those paragraphs without moving onto a new idea yet; people talk to themselves out loud all of the time.

Dialogue is also about what your characters don’t say. This can mean the character literally doesn’t say anything, they give half-truths, give an expected answer rather than the truth (“I’m fine”), omit important information, or outright lie.

Play with syntax and sentence structure

You’ve heard this advice before probably. Short, choppy sentences and a little onomatopoeia work great for fast-paced action scenes, and longer sentences with more description help slow your pacing back down.

That’s solid advice, but what else can you play with? Syntax and sentence structure are more than just the length of a sentence.

Think about things like: repetition of words or ideas, sentence fragments, stream of consciousness writing, breaking syntax conventions, and the like. Done well, breaking some of those rules we were taught about language can be a more compelling way to deliver an emotion, theme, or idea that words just can’t convey.

Would love to hear any other tips and tricks other people like to use, so feel free to share!!!

Question

for one of my characters, I use emoticons when writing her dialogue in the drafts.

should I keep it? I feel like I should but i dunno

I had one question: I had a bad burnout a couple months ago (which especially affected my creativity) and right now I've gotten a bit more energy back but currently only for fanfic ideas I had as opposed to my own original worlds and their stories, which is a bit frustrating. Is there anything I could do to get back to writing my original worlds or should I just give it time?

Getting Back to Original Fiction After Creative Burnout

It can be tough to get back into writing after creative burnout, so it's important to find a balance between pushing yourself and letting yourself stay where it's comfortable for now.

If you have a WIP that you want to return to, you might try reading what you have so far to see if that inspires you to pick back up with it. You can also do any number of exercises with your characters (I'll paste in links below) to see if that gets the wheels moving.

If you don't have a WIP you want to get back to, or if you try the above and aren't feeling it, it's fine to just run with your fan-fiction ideas for now and ease yourself back into writing with something that is inspiring and comfortable. When I'm in a slump, writing a little fan-fiction almost always gets me back to where I want to work on original fiction again. There's just something about fan-fiction that makes that possible... maybe because it's familiar, comfortable, and the possibilities are easier to see. There's also a different drive to write fan-fiction, so when that's there, it can serve as a launching point to get us into writing or back into writing.

Here are some exercises that might help:

Getting Excited About Your Story Again Getting Unstuck: Motivation Beyond Mood Boards & Playlists Guide: How to Rekindle Your Motivation to Write

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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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Eight Strategies for Improving Dialogue in Your Writing

Well, hi! Oh my… wow! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted! I’ve been very busy and I am genuinely sorry to all my followers, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about this account, but here is one final post for the year!

Hopefully next year I become consistent with it again!

Let’s begin!

One of the best ways to help a reader connect with your writing is by crafting excellent dialogue. Use these tips to learn how to write dialogue that showcases character development, defines your characters’ voices, and hooks readers.

Why Use Dialogue?

Good dialogue performs all sorts of functions in fiction writing. It defines your characters’ voices, establishes their speech patterns, exposes the inner emotions, and showcases their character development. Beyond mere characterization, effective dialogue can also establish the setting and time period of your story and reveal information in a way that doesn’t feel overly expository.

Authors use lines of dialogue to reveal a character’s personality and express their point of view. For instance, an archetypal football coach might speak in short, terse sentences peppered with exclamation points and quotations from famous war generals. By contrast, a nebbish lover with a broken heart might drone on endlessly to his therapist or best friend, speaking in run-on sentences that circle around his true motivations. When an author can reveal character traits through dialogue, it cuts down on exposition and makes a story flow briskly.

Eight Writing Tips for Improving Dialogue

The first time you write dialogue, you may find it quite difficult to replicate the patterns of normal speech. This can be compounded by the concurrent challenges of finding your own voice and telling a great story overall. Even bestselling authors can get stuck on how a particular character says a particular line of dialogue. With practice and hard work, however, lackluster dialogue can be elevated to great dialogue.

Here are some strategies for improving the dialogue in your own work:

Mimic the voices of people in your own life. Perhaps you’ve created a physician character with the same vocal inflections as your mother. Perhaps your hero soldier talks just like your old volleyball coach. If you want to ensure that your dialogue sounds the way real people speak, there’s no better resource than the real life people in your everyday world.

Mix dialogue with narration. Long runs of dialogue can dislodge a reader from the action of a scene. As your characters talk, interpolate some descriptions of their physical postures or other activity taking place in the room. This mimics the real-world experience of listening to someone speaking while simultaneously taking in visual and olfactory stimuli.

Give your main character a secret. Sometimes a line of dialogue is most notable for what it withholds. Even if your audience doesn’t realize it, you can build dynamic three-dimensionality by having your character withhold a key bit of information from their speech. For instance, you may draft a scene in which a museum curator speaks to an artist about how she wants her work displayed—but what the curator isn’t saying out loud is that she’s in love with the artist. You can use that secret to embed layers of tension into the character’s spoken phrases.

Use a layperson character to clarify technical language. When you need dialogue to convey technical information in approachable terms, split the conversation between two people. Have one character be an expert and one character be uninformed. The expert character can speak at a technical level, and the uninformed one can stop them, asking questions for clarification. Your readers will appreciate it.

Use authentic shorthand. Does your character call a gun a “piece” or a “Glock”? Whatever it is, be authentic and consistent in how your characters speak. If they all sound the same, your dialogue needs another pass.

Look to great examples of dialogue for inspiration. If you're looking for a dialogue example in the realm of novels or short stories, consider reading the great books written by Mark Twain, Judy Blume, or Toni Morrison. Within the world of screenwriting, Aaron Sorkin is renowned for his use of dialogue.

Ensure that you’re punctuating your dialogue properly. Remember that question marks and exclamation points go inside quotation marks. Enclose dialogue in double quotation marks and use single quotation marks when a character quotes another character within their dialogue. Knowing how to punctuate dialogue properly can ensure that your reader stays immersed in the story.

Use dialogue tags that are evocative. Repeating the word “said” over and over can make for dull writing and miss out on opportunities for added expressiveness. Consider replacing the word “said” with a more descriptive verb.

anhHhhH

site that you can type in the definition of a word and get the word

site for when you can only remember part of a word/its definition 

site that gives you words that rhyme with a word

site that gives you synonyms and antonyms

Dialogue gone wrong.

1)Characters sounding too similar

Every character should have distinctions in their speech. Depending on their education, wealth, race, hometown etc, they've developed different accents, slang and mannerisms. They can have stutters or talk in long, rambling sentences, or they could talk sparingly, opting for meaningful stares. Up to you!

2) Excess filter words

Too many filter words (I guess, maybe, I think so.) Of course, people in real life pepper their speech with filter words and writers want their characters to be as realistic as possible. However, there's a line that you can cross, making dialogue annoying. Readers automatically skip over filter words to get to the heart of the dialogue. If eighty percent of your conversation is filter words, then it can get tedious to read.

It's similar to how I keep this post short and to the point. I could be using filter words left and right since all this isn't a rule, just a guideline! But I hope people see that as a given or simply preface it at the start or end of the post. If a particular character uses many filter words, increase it by one percent to let readers understand this. Don't go overboard.

3) beep-morb-zeep.

Your characters aren’t robots. Emotions and context are key. Weave it into the dialogue without keeping the words pristine and smooth.

Emotion. Tired characters tend to slur their words or talk in monosyllables because they just want to shut down. Characters head over heels in love would speark to their partner with patience and kindness reserved only for them.

Context. Injured characters can't talk without interrupting themselves with hisses and groans. Characters who are upset would try to speak, but their voices would crack. If characters are late to something, they'd probably talk in quick, to-the-point sentences.

4) Black and white

Writers can be too controlling by limiting the best dialogue to certain characters and handing out the dumb talk to others.

Even the funny guy can say something wise. The jock can be poetic, unintentionally or intentionally. The nerd can say something batshit crazy once in a while. It's not breaking character; it's giving a three-dimensional view of said character. Don't be too restrictive.

5) Dialogues aren’t descriptions

"The trees are moving from side to side as if they're listening to music we can't hear. Even their shadows dance with a certain lilt. What is this place?"

Do not make dialogue your second prose. Characters do not come up with metaphors and similes on the spot. Setting and scenery are best left to the actual prose unless the situation calls for it (a character giving directions, for example.)

6) Painfully obvious

"Haha, you're kinda touchy when you're sleepy."

Don't always let characters compliment, discuss or insult a particular habit. Make this kind of dialogue rare. Or just don't write it. If the habit is well written, it'll be plenty obvious with no need to spell it out. Let readers realize that character A is touchy after the fifth night of character B struggling to peel character A away from them to use the toilet.

7) Therapist talk

"I have commitment and trust issues. That's why I left so soon."

People are never self-aware to that extent (gen z excluded lmao.) They couldn't possibly know their 'issues.' Unless your characters have astronomical levels of awareness. Even if they did know, they'll probably never say it out loud— which brings me to my next point.

8) Too honest, tbh

"Why'd you lie?" she accuses character A for the first time, putting her fork down with a harsh clatter.

"I'm sorry, I was scared you were going to leave me."

The example above explicitly says that character A is being accused for the first time. However, they apologize with a genuine reason right on the tip of their tongue.

Dialogue is at its worst when characters say what they mean and mean what they say. Character A could have conveyed their apology in a million different ways! If this was an elongated argument and they were both reaching their ends, character A could spill the tea.

Lesson: don't let your characters say the first/true thing that comes to mind. Let them drown in the many ways it could be done and choose one depending on the context.

Any advice on where to post a short story? I haven't 100% finished it (I'm still thinking of expanding it) but I'm thinking of posting what I have anyway for feedback and all that, but I'm not really sure where I'd put it. It's about 20 pages in my Google docs, so I feel like even if I tried to cut it in pieces it'd be a little too long for a Tumblr post... but I don't know where else I'd put it! I've looked it up but there are so many websites (few of which I've seen before) and I really don't know where to begin.

What Is Showing vs. Telling Anyway?

When I decided to get serious about writing, I wrote short stories that meant something to me. Then I let people read them, but not just anyone. I picked people who knew a thing or two about craft. English teachers, the adults in my life who recommended books to me, and a lady who became a beloved writing tutor.

Those people challenged things like my sentence structure and word choices, but my writing tutor told me to show my stories, not to tell them.

I bristled. I was already showing them! That’s creative writing! If I wanted to tell my stories, I’d just say them out loud.

She clarified—in words that flew right over my head. My brain fuzzed out and I couldn’t grasp what she was saying, but I was embarrassed, so I nodded like I understood. It took me a while longer to get the hang of things by writing more (some terrible, some good) stories where I played around with my descriptions, narration, word choices, and themes.

Finally, years later, I understood.

Showing is describing the sensory details of your story. It’s diving into the emotional depth of your characters. It’s making the reader feel like they’re watching a movie while they’re reading your work.

Telling is more like narration. There’s no flowery language or sensory descriptions. It’s straightforward, clean, and nearly professional in nature.

Why Is “Telling” Normally a Bad Thing?

Clean-cut narration isn’t always terrible. Sometimes it works well for stories told by a narrator with dry humor or books about an intensely serious subject.

Most of the time though, “telling” keeps readers at arms-length. Picture yourself reading a history book. Each page gives you the facts. It might also describe a historical figure or the gory details of a war, but making those people or moments come to life in your mind isn’t the point of the text. It’s to convey information.

That’s what makes stories that rely on “telling” so different from stories that “show” everything.

Examples of Telling

If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking that it would be easier to picture the difference between these two concepts if there were examples. Lucky for you, I’ve already thought of that.

Example 1: I’m happy to see my best friend at school.

The narrator conveys their emotion, but not what that emotion makes them feel. There’s nothing to paint a picture of the school or even the friend.

Example 2: Henry didn’t like his dinner.

Cool, the character didn’t enjoy their food. Why? What was the taste or texture like? What did he experience that made him recognize the feeling of not enjoying the meal?

Example 3: Sofia made her bed in a hurry.

Why she was in a hurry might come in the next sentence or paragraph, but what did she feel while making that bed? What was her thought process? What’s her room like?

Examples of Showing

Let’s turn those same examples into sentences that “show.”

Example 1: I walk through the clustered school hallways with the rest of the student body, smelling their pre-exam nervous sweat and too much men’s body spray. This school would be miserable, except for my best friend. When I spot her by my dented locker, the smile on her face makes the cold bus ride to school worth it.

This is obviously more than a sentence, but notice how you get a better experience from it. The school hallways are crowded and smell bad. The protagonist doesn’t enjoy where they attend class. However, their best friend is a source of happiness. She waits by a dented metal locker, possibly with some good news, encouragement or an exciting update to something happening in the protagonist’s life. It makes you want to know what she’s going to say, especially because you can relate to what the main character is feeling.

Example 2: Henry’s nose scrunched up at the taste of his dinner. The chicken was in a desperate need for salt. This never would have happened if he had been allowed to make it.

We’ve all had a similar reaction to eating bad food. Your nose scrunches up, your mouth tightens, your tongue freezes. This example shows that in a way that you can feel yourself going through the same physical motions. It also explains why the food is bad using one of the five senses—it’s not salted enough.

Example 3: Sofia pulled her purple comforter tight against her headboard and threw her pillow at it as she ran out the door, late for the bus again.

More scenery details—the bed has a headboard and the comforter is purple. The protagonist is in a rush so her pillow is likely lopsided on the bed, which means the rest of her room is probably a bit messy too. The visual details make this a vivid scene and introduce the reader to a few of Sofia’s relatable character attributes.

How to Spot the Difference

I began to tell the difference by imagining myself reading a single sentence out loud. If I read any of the examples above before the “showing” edits, you’d have questions for me. See if a sentence, paragraph, or page makes you ask yourself:

What emotions does the protagonist feel right now?

How does the main character look through their body language?

What can the protagonist smell, taste, or feel?

What does the environment look like and is it necessary to describe it at this moment?

Does this scene need dialogue?

Do the characters feel flat?

Where’s the story’s hook?

The last question is tricky. The hook will be at the start of a short story or shortly within it, much like how a hook is within or at the end of the first chapter in a novel. If your writing doesn’t compel you to keep reading, it’s likely lacking the emotional depth that showing provides.

When Showing Goes Overboard

It’s always possible to have too much showing. It leads to the discussion English teachers always have about how Victor Hugo wrote for numerous pages about a single room in a chapter.

You could also fall into the trap of inserting flowery language into your work that you wouldn’t normally use, all for the sake of “painting a picture.” Your writing is your voice! It’s unique to you—how you speak, how you think, how you express yourself through stories. Write what comes naturally to you while keeping scenery, emotional depth, and sensory details in mind. If your words seem boring, that’s what editing is for (after you finish and step back from your work for a bit!).

Lose Yourself in Your Stories

“Showing” gets easier when you can lose yourself in whatever story you’re currently writing. If you’re struggling to do that, you might want to write in a quieter environment or put more details into your story or character outlines.

Have fun practicing this art form and you’ll watch your writing skills grow.

Writing tips for long fics that helped me that no one asked for.

1.) Don't actually delete content from your WIP unless it is minor editing - instead cut it and put it in a secondary document. If you're omitting paragraphs of content, dialog, a whole scene you might find a better place for it later and having it readily available can really save time. Sometimes your idea was fantastic, but it just wasn't in the right spot.

2.) Stuck with wording the action? Just write the dialog then revisit it later.

3.) Stuck on the whole scene? Skip it and write the next one.

4.) Write on literally any other color than a white background. It just works. (I use black)

5.) If you have a beta, while they are beta-ing have them read your fic out loud. Yes, I know a lot of betas/writers do not have the luxury of face-timing or have the opportunity to do this due to time constraints etc but reading your fic out loud can catch some very awkward phrasing that otherwise might be missed. If you don't have a beta, you read it out loud to yourself. Throw some passion into your dialog, you might find a better way to word it if it sounds stuffy or weird.

6.) The moment you have an idea, write it down. If you don't have paper or a pen, EMAIL it to yourself or put it in a draft etc etc. I have sent myself dozens of ideas while laying down before sleep that I 10/10 forgot the next morning but had emailed them to myself and got to implement them.

7.) Remember - hits/likes/kudos/comments are not reflective of the quality of your fic or your ability to write. Most people just don't comment - even if they say they do, they don't, even if they preach all day about commenting, they don't, even if they are a very popular blog that passionately reminds people to comment - they don't comment (I know this personally). Even if your fic brought tears to their eyes and it haunted them for weeks and they printed it out and sent it to their friends they just don't comment. You just have to accept it. That being said - comment on the fic you're reading now, just do it, if you're 'shy' and that's why you don't comment the more you comment the better you'll get at it. Just do it.

8.) Remove unrealistic daily word count goals from your routine. I've seen people stress 1500 - 2000 words a day and if they don't reach that they feel like a failure and they get discouraged. This is ridiculous. Write when you can, but remove absurd goals. My average is 500 words a day in combination with a 40 hour a week job and I have written over 200k words from 2022-2023.

9.) There are dozens of ways to do an outline from precise analytical deconstruction that goes scene by scene to the minimalist bullet point list - it doesn't matter which one you use just have some sort of direction. A partial outline is better than no outline.

10.) Write for yourself, not for others. Write the fic you know no one is going to read. Write the fic that sounds ridiculous. You will be so happy you put it out in the world and there will be people who will be glad it exists.

The symbolism of flowers

Flowers have a long history of symbolism that you can incorporate into your writing to give subtext.

Symbolism varies between cultures and customs, and these particular examples come from Victorian Era Britain. You'll find examples of this symbolism in many well-known novels of the era!

Amaryllis: Pride

Black-eyed Susan: Justice

Bluebell: Humility

Calla Lily: Beauty

Pink Camellia: Longing

Carnations: Female love

Yellow Carnation: Rejection

Clematis: Mental beauty

Columbine: Foolishness

Cyclamen: Resignation

Daffodil: Unrivalled love

Daisy: Innocence, loyalty

Forget-me-not: True love

Gardenia: Secret love

Geranium: Folly, stupidity

Gladiolus: Integrity, strength

Hibiscus: Delicate beauty

Honeysuckle: Bonds of love

Blue Hyacinth: Constancy

Hydrangea: Frigid, heartless

Iris: Faith, trust, wisdom

White Jasmine: Amiability

Lavender: Distrust

Lilac: Joy of youth

White Lily: Purity

Orange Lily: Hatred

Tiger Lily: Wealth, pride

Lily-of-the-valley: Sweetness, humility

Lotus: Enlightenment, rebirth

Magnolia: Nobility

Marigold: Grief, jealousy

Morning Glory: Affection

Nasturtium: Patriotism, conquest

Pansy: Thoughtfulness

Peony: Bashfulness, shame

Poppy: Consolation

Red Rose: Love

Yellow Rose: Jealously, infidelity

Snapdragon: Deception, grace

Sunflower: Adoration

Sweet Willian: Gallantry

Red Tulip: Passion

Violet: Watchfulness, modesty

Yarrow: Everlasting love

Zinnia: Absent, affection

Types of Opening Scenes for Your Novel

Here are a handful of ways to open the very first scene in your book! There are plenty more to explore, but these are a set of very tried and true methods.

Autobiographic - your protagonist starts the book reflecting or talking about a past event. They’re looking back in time and sharing an important piece of information with the reader.

In trouble/conflict - a problem has arisen for the protagonist and a sense of urgency is established. This can be an intense conflict like a chase scene or a puzzling problem.

Mysterious opening - the reader is introduced to something peculiar (a fantasy location, unique magic, a cloaked figure, etc.) that raises questions in their mind. Their curiosity will keep them reading.

Scene-setting - the most common opening where you focus on introducing the setting and the characters in it before anything else.

The questioner - the protagonist is questioning something: “Who invited the guy in the trench coat covered in red?”

Beginning with a thought - the novel is started with a philosophical quote or meaningful thought from the protagonist. “What is living worth if she’s not doing it with me?”

Intriguing dialogue - the book starts with interesting dialogue that captures the attention of the reader.

Mood establisher - the novel opens with a deliberate mood that signifies to the reader what they should expect from the story. Ex. a spooky story may open with eerie words and a dark atmosphere.

Instagram: coffeebeanwriting

I have decided to start a thing called ✨Poll Month✨

Every Friday I will post a poll that will last a week and whatever post wins will be used for a post idea.

These will be for a say, so say your options my lovely folk(Going to figure out a name for my followers soon, maybe mango squad)

Some idioms and phrases you should know about part I :

Salt of the earth: a very good or worthy person.

Gut-wrenching: making you feel very upset or worried.

Make a spectacle of yourself: to do something that makes you look stupid and attracts people's attention.

Pass muster: be accepted as adequate or satisfactory.

Putty in someone's hands: easily influenced by someone else, excessively willing to do what someone else wishes.

Look before you leap: carefully consider the possible consequences before taking action.

Set the wheels in motion : to do something that will cause a series of actions to start.

Off the books: without being included on official records.

A long Haul: something that takes a lot of time and energy.

An end in itself: a goal that is pursued in it's own right to the exclusion of others.

Night owl: a person who prefers to be awake late at night.

Kick the Bucket: to die.

Alter Ego: a person's secondary or alternative personality immediately or extremely quickly; at once.

Freak of Nature: something or someone that is unusual, rare, or abnormal in some way / To avoid attracting attention to yourself.

I just wanted to write fanfic for once 😭

Killing The Darlings

Perhaps you’ve got this death scene all planned out.  It’s tragic, it’s sad, and you’re sure your readers are going to bawl their eyes out.

But hold up.  A death scene isn’t just one scene - a tragically beautiful death scene involves a good portion of the story whether you realize it or not.  And it might be a tragic death that gets your reader to fling the book across the room and screech in pain like a pterodactyl, but if it was a character who died for the sake of dying, well, your reader’s going to learn to not trust what you’ve written.

The goal of this post is to give some tips when writing death scenes … and when you should probably avoid a death scene.

What was the purpose of the death?  Will this death serve a purpose later on?  Does it act as a motivation for the main character?  Does it get rid of an obstacle?  Open the door to discovering secrets?  Or does it only serve to play on the reader’s emotions and the death doesn’t actually add anything to the story?  If it’s the last one, it’s probably best to skip the death.  If you’re looking to create an emotional response from your reader, you shouldn’t have to take drastic measures to do so.  If you’re trying to improve your writing, you should try to invoke emotion through the smaller things.  Improving that area will make the larger things, like a death, so much more emotional.

Were you trying to get rid of a character?  Got an annoying character and you used the advice “kill the darling” because that character just wasn’t contributing anything?  If a character outlived his or her usefulness, consider his/her importance throughout the story.  Was s/he that necessary, or could s/he be taken out completely?  Maybe another character could pick up the slack?  Chances are, if you’re not connecting with character, neither is the reader.  And by killing the character the reader’s response is going to be more along the lines of, “Finally. He could’ve just died at the beginning for all I cared.”

How much time have you spent developing the victim?  Maybe you spent hours and hours into this character - you know him from head to toe, even his favorite flavor of ice cream.  But just because you’ve got him that well developed doesn’t mean it’s well translated in the story.  Maybe he doesn’t have enough time with the reader.  Or maybe you haven’t developed him at all, either in the story or in your notes.  Why should this matter?  Because if you’re killing off a character who wasn’t developed or gave the readers no chance to connect with him, his death is going to be as emotional as the lawn being mowed.

Is the manner of death necessary?  Especially if it’s a character you’ve grown attached to, it’s highly tempting to give her the death you think she deserves: An epic death that features a lot of drama and action.  But a lot of the time epic deaths can go over the top and aren’t as emotionally effective.  Deaths that are simple are sometimes the more effective way.  Deaths don’t have a lot of flare and aren’t drawn out can send a reader reeling.  Drawing out a death can sometimes kill the moment (pun intended) and the character is dead to the reader before she’s actually dead.  Another effective method of death is the sudden death.  However, a sudden death should only be used in certain cases.  In the case of war death is going to happen suddenly all around the place.  But in other cases, try not to make every other character’s death sudden.  It starts to lose its shock appeal.  Sudden death also lacks any telltale evidence that indicates the character’s last moments.

Is this the final death?  Just as annoying, if not more so, than a death scene not done right is the character who just won’t stay dead.  I am not referring to immortal characters or characters where there is a reasonable explanation for why he or she won’t die.  I’m referring the deaths where the characters come back time and time again.  Perhaps he keeps faking his death.  Perhaps the other characters keep assuming she’s dead every time they see blood and she’s gone.  Perhaps the other characters keep bringing the victim back to life to the point where a meme is made out of him and the readers start to wonder why anyone would want to keep around someone whose main talent is finding a new way to die.  When death is tricked time and time again in your story, readers are going to learn not to care if someone dies.  They’re going to assume the character will come back, and even if the character doesn’t, they’ve already detached themselves emotionally from your story’s deaths that when they realize it, they’ll just say, “Oh. That’s too bad.”  If it’s a character that they like, they just might get mad that it was that character who remained permanently dead and not any of the others.

Have you lost count of the bodies?  If you’ve killed too many characters, even if it’s to drive the plot forward, death isn’t going to have the same effect.  It might seem nice to be the next George R. R. Martin, but is it necessary?  It may come to a point where readers stop caring for the characters’ well being because they’ve come to the realization that everyone’s going to die.

Obviously, there are exceptions to the rules.  But it would not be wise to just throw in the exception to a rule because you feel like it.  The basics to writing a good death can come down to proper character development, developed reasons, and good story structure.  Without these, deaths will hold no value to the reader.

Describing the Feel of a Town

You’ve got your main character.  You’ve got your plot.  You’ve got a lot of things figured out.

But how the heck are you supposed to get the reader to understand the atmosphere of the town your character comes from?

It can take practice.  Consider your own hometown.  Plop yourself down in the middle of your hometown, watch for a second, and then start writing about it.  Talk about the buildings; how do they come across?  Are they austere and reflect the nature of the people?  Or are the people very friendly despite the buildings’ appearances?  Is it a busy street?  Are lawns well kept?  Make sure you mix it with the general attitude of the people living in the town. And add your perspective of the town.  If you like it, your description of the town is going to appear favorable.  If you dislike it, it will be portrayed in a negative light.

Sound confusing?  Don’t worry.  I’ll give some of my own examples.

From one point of view:

“Miles from the closest city, A— town sat out in the middle of nowhere.  The nearest neighbor was always on the other side of a line trees, leading to quiet evenings without a care for what the neighbor was up to.  Lawns were kept only half mown; only businesses near the center of town made sure they looked presentable.  The general store on the corner of the town’s one busy road served as the local haunt for the entire town. If there was a story to be told, it would first be told there.“

Same town, different view:

“A—- was miles from civilization.  Even the closest neighbor was so far away that a battle with eighteenth century canons could take place on the front lawn and no one would hear the racket.  People let their yards become so overgrown that children could easily get lost among the grass.  Only the center of town where the businesses were kept up any semblance of a good appearance, but it said nothing of the treatment strangers would get inside.  The general store in particular was the worst of the culprits.  It certainly had that unique, old town feel, and if you were from the area, you were greeted like an old friend.  But if the people didn’t know your name, it was clear they didn’t want much to do with you.”

When you’ve written your description of your town, take that description and try writing it from a different perspective.  Don’t like your town?  Write about it through the eyes of someone who likes it.  Like your town?  Write about it through the eyes of someone wanting to leave.  And try to make it sound genuine; not as though you were mocking someone with an opposing viewpoint.

Try this with nearby towns too.  Towns and cities where you’re familiar with, and you know the culture of, or the general attitude of the people living there.

Also, carefully read how other authors describe their characters’ hometowns.  One example that comes to mind is how Rowling describes Privet Drive in Harry Potter.  She describes it as being pristine and orderly, but paints it in a way to make it obvious to the reader that most, if not all, of the residences have an air of being stuck up.

Now, I have been using towns and cities as the example, but like in the Harry Potter example, sometimes a street holds a different attitude than the rest of the town.  My examples are drawn from smaller town experience, where the community is a little more connected beyond just a street or drive.  However, this is not always the case, and you should take this into consideration as you create your character’s hometown.  Maybe your character’s side of town is drastically different than the other side of town.

Remember, this is something that might take you some practice.  But have fun with it.  Give your description some personality.

five steps for not writing a boring story? i can never ever write something that doesn't end up boring 😂

Hiya! Thanks for your question. Writing an engaging story is complicated, but it can be done.

First off, there are so many aspects to writing a gripping story. Honestly, it can’t be done in five steps (and certainly not in one blog post). To prevent a boring story you need strong characters, an exciting plot, good pacing… the list goes on and on.

So rather than type out a 3000+ word response, I’m going to give you a mini-masterpost of the key aspects of writing a non-boring story with links to other LGF posts. Here you go:

How Not to Write a Boring Story:

Descriptions:

How to Write Better Descriptions

Showing vs Telling

How to Create Interesting World-Building

Dialogue:

How to Create a Unique Character Voice

Writing Unique Dialogue

How to Prevent Your Story from Being Dialogue-Heavy

Characters:

What Do You Do When Your Main Character Doesn’t Jump Off the Page?

Three Types of Character Traits

Writing Character Arcs

Plot:

How to Make Your Conflict Less Plain

The Element Every Story Needs

How to Avoid Unnecessary Scenes

Pacing:

Why Your Story Feels Too Fast

How to Pace a Scene More Quickly

Pacing Through Details

Beginning:

What to Write in a First Chapter

How to Avoid Info Dumps in the Beginning

10 Ways to Start Your Story

Middle:

How to Build-Up to a Climax

Plotting the Middle

Creating and Maintaining Tension

End:

Traits of a Strong Ending

Examples of Narrative Endings

Dual Duties of Chapter Endings

Misc.:

What Aspects Make a Good Story?

The Four Horsemen of the Bore-Apocalypse

Thanks again for your question! If you need any more writing advice, 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!

Worldbuilding: Questions to Consider

Government & authority:

Types of government: What type of government exists (monarchy, democracy, theocracy, etc.)? Is it centralised or decentralised?

Leadership: Who holds power and how is it acquired (inheritance, election, divine right, conquest)?

Law enforcement: Who enforces the laws (military, police, magical entities)?

Legal system: How are laws made, interpreted, and enforced? Are there courts, judges, or councils?

Laws:

Criminal laws: What constitutes a crime? What are the punishments?

Civil laws: How are disputes between individuals resolved?

Cultural norms: How do customs and traditions influence the laws?

Magic/supernatural: Are there laws governing the use of magic or interaction with supernatural beings?

Social structure:

Class/status: How is society divided (nobility, commoners, slaves)? Are there caste systems or social mobility?

Rights & freedoms: What rights do individuals have (speech, religion, property)?

Discrimination: Are there laws that protect or discriminate against certain groups (race, gender, species, culture)?

Economy & trade:

Currency: What is used as currency? Is it standardised?

Trade laws: Are there regulations on trade, tariffs, or embargoes?

Property laws: How is ownership determined and transferred? Are there inheritance laws?

Religion/belief systems:

Religious authority: What role does religion play in governance? Are religious leaders also political leaders?

Freedom of religion: Are citizens free to practice different religions? If not, which are taboo?

Holy laws: Are there laws based on religious texts or teachings?

Military & defense:

Standing army: Is there a professional military or a militia? Who serves, and how are they recruited?

War & peace: What are the laws regarding war, peace treaties, and diplomacy?

Weapons: Are there restrictions or laws regarding weapons for civilians? What is used as a weapon? Who has access to them?

Technology & magic:

Technological advancements: How advanced is the technology (medieval, steampunk, futuristic, etc.)?

Magical laws: Are there regulations on the use of magic, magical creatures, or artifacts?

Innovation & research: How are inventors and researchers treated? Are there laws protecting intellectual property?

Environmental/resource management:

Natural resources: How are resources like water, minerals, and forests managed and protected, if at all?

Environmental laws: Are there protections for the environment? How are they enforced? Are there consequences for violations?

Cultural & ethical considerations:

Cultural diversity: How does the law accommodate or suppress cultural diversity?

Ethics: What are the ethical foundations of the laws? Are there philosophical or moral principles that underpin them?

Traditions vs. change: Does the society balance tradition with progress? How?

Happy writing ❤

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How to Write a Ruthless Character

A ruthless character is all about the endgame. They don’t care how they get there, lying, cheating, using others, it’s all fair game as long as they win. When writing them, show how they can cut off any distractions or emotions, making decisions that others would hesitate over.

These characters don't let feelings get in the way. Compassion, guilt, regret? Nah, they don’t have time for that. Show how they can turn off their emotions and make choices purely based on logic. They’ll do things that seem heartless to everyone else, but for them, it’s just another part of the plan. It’s not that they don’t feel anything, they just choose not to.

Boundaries? What boundaries? A ruthless character doesn’t care about rules unless they can bend them to get ahead. They’ll do things no one else dares, crossing lines others are too scared to even approach. The more uncomfortable their actions make people, the more it emphasizes just how far they’re willing to go. For them, pushing limits is just another day.

They don’t act on impulse. Every move they make is planned, and every risk they take is calculated. They weigh the pros and cons before acting, and they’re always three steps ahead of everyone else. Writing a ruthless character means showing that they’ve already figured out how to win while everyone else is still trying to figure out the rules.

Betrayal is their go-to move when things get tough. Friends, allies, even people who trust them, no one is safe. They’ll turn on anyone if it benefits them. And the best part? They’ll sleep just fine afterward. Show how others react to their betrayals, shocked, hurt, furious, while your ruthless character shrugs it off like, “It had to be done.”