Writing Motivation - Tumblr Posts

D'aww, yall are sweet.💕

I'll get my mind into the chapter I'm reworking and maybe play around with the other voted options to take breaks when I need it. ✨️

Rewriting a couple chapters for exactly this reason lol

when u come up with a tiny change for your story that not only makes the writing flow better but also hammers in the character motivations and story theme

I needed this today. I could cry.

it’s okay if you’re struggling to write today. some days the words flow, some days they don’t. what matters is that you showed up. your story isn’t going anywhere, and neither are you.

Thank christ, I thought it was just me.

“you’re a writer, can you explain your process?” yes. first, i panic. then i procrastinate. then, in a fit of productivity at 3 a.m., i create chaos.

Reblog the writers’ fortune cookie for luck!

Giving Your Character the Introduction They Deserve

The simple directness of Neil Gaiman

Shadow’s Introduction from American Gods

I think the way Gaiman introduces Shadow is just near perfect.

“He was big enough and looked don’t-fuck-with-me enough that his biggest problem was killing time. So he kept himself in shape, taught himself coin tricks, and though a lot about how much he loved his wife.

The best thing — in Shadow’s opinion, perhaps the only good thing — about being in prison was a feeling of relief. The feeling that he plunged as low as he could plunge and he’d hit bottom. He didn’t worry that the man was going to get him, because the man had got him. He was no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, because yesterday had brought it.”

In the opening page, Gaiman describes:

Shadows appearance.

Shadow’s passion.

Shadow’s Mentality.

I think the way Gaiman introduces Shadow is just near perfect. It’s nothing too flashy and Gaiman just comes out and states “Shadow loved his wife.” 

Now you try! Emulate shadows intro. What does your character look like? What is his passion, how do they think? Write two sentences about each and mold them into a paragraph. See how it turns out. What? You already have an agent?? Good job.

Bod’s Introduction from The Graveyard Book

“Bod was a quiet child with sober eyes and a mop of tousled, mouse colored hair. He was, for the most part, obedient. He learned how to talk, and, once he had learned, he would pester the graveyard folks with questions”

From this we have.

Bod’s appearance. (Sober eyes/ mouse-colored hair)

Bod’s actions. (Obedient)

Bod’s mentality. (He loves to ask questions and learn about the world around him)

Again, three characteristics all rolled up into a direct introduction. 

It’s ok to be direct with appearance, but show how your character thinks when you are introducing them. It can be as simple as, “so and so loved to ask questions.“

Richard Mayhew’s Introduction form Neverwhere

“The night before he went to London, Richard Mayhew was not enjoying himself.”

If you don’t see that pattern yet, then I’ll tell you. Neil Gaiman is simple and direct. This is really all we need to know about Richard: “He was not enjoying himself,” because once Neil contrasts Richard’s mood with the scene (they are in a bar celebrating), then we get an idea of what type of person Richard is. So the advice from Neverwhere is:

Be direct

Contrast how your person is feeling and thinking about to what is going on around him.

Final Thoughts:

It’s ok to be simple. It’s ok to tell.

“Bod was a quiet child.”

“Richard Mayhew was not enjoying himself.”

“[Shadow] kept himself in shape, taught himself coin tricks, and though a lot about how much he loved his wife.”

Here are some examples I wrote just now:

The thing Susan thought about the most, was how she was going to die.

Elliot liked to punch people in the gut. Elliot was an asshole.

Woah, slow down there Neil

More!

How to tackle the middle of the book - 4 tips from Neil Gaiman Novels

I would like to announce

That I got no writing done yesterday

BUT

I thought about writing.

*round of applause*

Remember, the phrase "write what you know" is confusing. A lot of people bang their heads on walls because they haven't had the opportunity to experience the world.

Instead "write what you feel, know what you write."

You feel upset or angry? Chanel it into a tale of dystopian rebellion and do research on different uprisings throughout history.

Joyful and inspired? Imagine an invention in the 18th century that some mad scientist makes to save his family and look into the science that could potentially make it realistic.

Take what you feel as the basis and then build on that.

Just a reminder -

DON'T EDIT WHILE WRITING

Fastest way to never finish what you're working on. Get it all out on a page and then edit it.

If you're not sure how to do that, make all the text the same color as your page so it blends in. You won't be able to see it as you write, therefore you won't be editing as you write.

I got halfway through my WIP yesterday and yet it feels like I got nothing done because it took me all day. Wild.

As someone who LOVES outlining, I reached a point in my WIP where the thing I outlined just didn't make sense anymore, so I wrote what I thought did and then went back to the outline.

Outlines are a guideline, but don't be afraid of the doors they open.

The number of 'starts to' and 'just' I deleted from finished works could fill up a solid three pages right now.

I need better vocabulary.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel (finishing my work) and suddenly the train (my brain) has slammed on the breaks (stopped producing thoughts) and now I'm stalling (watching YouTube)

I got an idea!

*gets distracted*

No, I need to write down the idea so I don't forget.

*forgets that I wrote down idea*

rinse and repeat

I FINISHED MY FIRST DRAFT.

My brain has stopped forming words. Thank god it's done because editing is so much better than a blank page. The word count is not high but that's because it's not prose it's a script.

But let this be some motivation. I hope you all also finish whatever you're working on!

How sacrilegious is it to actually USE one of those cute notebooks we writers buy instead of just hoarding at them? Asking for a friend.

In all honesty, I hate when people say "oh you could be writing instead of complaining about your writing" or "do you even like writing if you complain so much?"

I LOVE writing. I love reading other people's writing. I love editing pieces. And so what? I eventually get my things done. I'm not getting paid for this (even if I was though I'd complain and oh well).

Sure, it can be a little too much sometimes, but if me complaining is the most annoying thing that can happen to you then damn you're living a good life.

Ever had a moment when you're brainstorming/daydreaming and you don't like the way the plot has played out in your head so you gotta mentally rewind the action and it's basically a VHS tape in your head until you get to a point you do like it and then you gotta re-do all the action in whatever new way you wanted but then mentally save it like a file on a computer in your brain and hope you remember long enough until you get to a notebook or something to jot it down?

I love my brain and the worlds, characters, and plots it creates.

I also hate my brain because it will never shut up, never rest, never take a break. It's exhausting sometimes.