Something I'm Fond Of Saying Is "The Villain Drives The Plot But The Hero Sets The Tone." Something That's

a reminder to all writers out there, you’re a human, not a machine

it’s okay to be frustrated with your works

it’s okay to be exhausted

it’s okay to have a writer’s block

it’s okay to just want to take a break for a while

it’s okay if some days you can only write one paragraph

it’s okay if some days you can only write a sentence or two

it’s okay if some days you can’t write at all

every single writer has gone through all of these challenges, but the thing is that it passes. none of these struggles last forever. so be kind to yourself. you’re doing fine, I promise.

It’s the best! I do it with poetry all the time, I need stronger prose

officially made a reader cry...am i a real writer now?

Every writer has that one story that they don't even intend to write down anymore, but that is forever stuck in their brain.

Computer, show me characters gaining weight as a sign of their improving mental state. Show me characters learning to love their body as they learn to love themselves. Show me characters no longer punishing themselves for something that isn’t their fault. Computer. Computer do you hear me.

nondelphic writing tips: writing while battling mental or physical health problems

hi lovelies! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ today’s post is something close to my heart, a gentle reminder for anyone out there writing while navigating mental or physical health struggles.

first of all, let me just say this: you are doing enough. whether you wrote a single sentence today, edited a paragraph, or just thought about your story while lying in bed, it counts. storytelling isn’t a race, and it’s okay if your pace doesn’t match the picture-perfect productivity you see online. writing isn’t linear. sometimes it’s messy, slow, or downright impossible—and that’s okay.

♡ your health comes first

writing is important, but it’s not more important than you. if you’re having a bad day, take a step back. rest. hydrate. stretch. it’s not 'wasting time'; it’s giving yourself the space to heal so you can come back stronger when you’re ready. stories can wait. your well-being can’t.

♡ the problem with “maximum productivity”

look, i get it. those productivity blogs and #grindset🔥🔥 posts can be so motivating on good days. but when you’re not at 100%, they can feel like a big flashing neon sign that says, “you’re not doing enough.” the truth? those posts aren’t made with your unique circumstances in mind. it’s not about meeting someone else’s standards. it’s about doing what you can with the energy you have.

writing isn’t about grinding 24/7. it’s about showing up when you can, even if 'showing up' just means opening your document and staring at it for five minutes. don’t let the pressure to constantly produce steal the joy of creating from you.

♡ small steps are still progress

on days when writing feels impossible, focus on the smallest step. write one line. brainstorm an idea. imagine a scene in your head. none of it is wasted effort, because all those tiny actions add up over time. remember, even the slowest progress is still progress.

♡ redefine success

success doesn’t have to mean finishing a chapter or hitting a word count. sometimes, success is choosing to rest when your body or mind needs it. sometimes, it’s acknowledging that you tried, even if all you could do was think about your story. give yourself credit for the effort, not just the outcome.

♡ a story in your heart is still a story

even if you’re not writing actively right now, your story still exists. it’s alive in your thoughts, your daydreams, and the little notes you scribble down. it’s okay if it takes you weeks, months, or even years to finish. storytelling is a marathon, not a sprint, and there’s no deadline on creativity.

♡ be kind to yourself

writing while battling health issues—whether physical or mental—isn’t just hard; it’s an act of resilience and i'm so proud of you! every word you write is a victory, no matter how small it feels. so please, be gentle with yourself. celebrate the little wins. forgive yourself for the tough days. your story is worth telling, but so are you.

remember: you don’t need to be perfect to be a writer. you just need to show up when you can, in whatever way you can. take care of yourself, okay? ♡(´꒳`)

happy writing (or resting, or dreaming, or just existing). all of it matters. ✿

I used to try and resist what comes naturally to my writing, fearing judgement. I have learned that, through writing what I am passionate, I get stuff done. This is your sign to add that thing to your WIP. You know what that thing is to you.

No seriously, writing “I” and “me” is so gross! Like do I switch to third person so I don’t fight nausea every sentence?

How to plant information elegantly

Say, for example, you’re writing a swimming pool scene and you need to plant the fact that Susan is blonde, because in a few chapters, the detective will find a blond hair at the crime scene.

You want the planted information to be memorable, but at the same time not stand out too much. The ideal is to push the information into the reader’s subconscious without a neon light arrow saying, “You might want to remember this, dear reader. This will be relevant!” The planted information needs to feel natural, organic, but memorable enough so when it turns out to be ✨a clue✨, your reader thinks, “I should have seen it!”

Let’s look at some options.

Susan, who is blonde, took a deep breath and dived into the pool.

This feels forced and awkward. The two pieces of information (pool + blonde) are not connected, the fact that she is blonde feels irrelevant and shoved in. If the reader remembers this, it’s because they noticed how the information is forced upon them.

Elegant ⭐

Memorable ⭐⭐

Organic ⭐

The blonde Susan swam across the pool. / The blonde, Susan, swam across the pool.

This feels more natural, but there’s a danger that only the swimming will stick into the reader’s mind because her being blonde is so unnoticeable. There is also a minor danger that the reader will expect an non-blonde Susan to show up in the first variation.

Elegant ⭐⭐

Memorable ⭐

Organic ⭐⭐

Susan was annoyed. She had just washed her hair with that ridiculously expensive Luscious Blonde shampoo and now her friends wanted to go swimming? What a waste of money.

This feels natural and organic, because both elements are conveyed from Susan’s point of view. They are both relevant and connected, and on top of that you get to build Susan’s character.

Elegant ⭐⭐⭐

Memorable ⭐⭐⭐

Organic ⭐⭐⭐

Her friends were already in the pool, but Susan held up her pocket mirror, making absolutely sure that the latex cap wouldn’t let any water in. She just had her hair bleached and after the debacle of 2019, she would never forget what chlorinated water did to bleached hair.

Susan’s POV makes her blond hair relevant to the swimming, as with the example above, but this time you’re presenting a completely different character. It feels organic and personal, and the fact that she is blonde will be lodged into the reader’s mind without screaming “It’s a clue!”.

Elegant ⭐⭐⭐

Memorable ⭐⭐⭐

Organic ⭐⭐⭐

I hope this is helpful! Follow me for more writing tips or browse my entire collection of writing advice now.

Happy writing!

We write because the night sky is too quiet for all the things we want to say. So we spill galaxies onto pages and call it storytelling.

Writing is all fun and games until you have to describe a room.