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Free Resource Library for Fiction Writers

I’ve been meaning to create a writing resource library forever, and I finally did it! All of these workbooks, checklists, cheatsheets, and templates are now available to download on my website, and more will be added in the future.

You can get access right here.

Hope it helps!! xoxo

Free Resource Library downloads:

Creating Character Arcs Workbook

Point of View Cheatsheet

Dialogue Checklist

Setting Checklist

Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Editor Printable Checklist

Proper Manuscript Format Printable Checklist

Short Story & Novel Submission Templates

…and more will be coming soon!

Get access to the Free Resource Library right here.

MY LAD CALLUM BE LOOKIN LIKE A DISNEY PRINCE HDKSJEJDJ WHAT A LEGEND 💖💖🌟🌟

This was a nightmare to finish [thanks to a good ole cold and aunt flow].

I’m surprised a lot of people insisted on putting flowers in her hair, I don’t know why. Appreciate my efforts, I tried my best lol 

Want LOADS MORE like this? Today I’m posting TONS of EXTRA tutorials, tips and references on OUR MASSIVE INSTAGRAM HERE and OUR GIANT TWITTER HERE! PLUS! THREE HUNDRED EXTRA FREE TUTORIALS RIGHT HERE! Lorenzo!

🧡🧡🧡

my intrusive thoughts during fall

young man

there r leaves all around 

i said young man 

eat a leaf off the ground

For artists who have problems with perspective (furniture etc.) in indoor scenes like me - there’s an online programm called roomsketcher where you can design a house/roon and snap pictures of it using different perspectives.

It’s got an almost endless range of furniture, doors, windows, stairs etc and is easy to use. In addition to that, you don’t have to install anything and if you create an account (which is free) you can save and return to your houses.

Examples (all done by me):

Here’s an example for how you can use it

THE RANDOM DRAWING IDEA GENERATOR 3.0! Now with less than a one in five thousand chance to get Batman Being Batman!

This time around, it’s got it’s own little mini site where you can click and get your results! It should be even easier now to mulligan until you get a result that actually makes you NEED to draw it. And when you do draw it, please remember to share you creation with the tag #randraw. I’d love to see it!

All thanks go to Alexander Lozada for putting the code together. It’s been really swell working it out. And you should go check out their other projects, including the awesome Creativity Cards you might’ve seen going around.

This is the best, but certainly not the last you’ll see of the Random Drawing Generator. There are over 5000 possible results, and many prompts are infinite by design. But there’s still room to grow. As always, I’ll be polling for ideas on what else to include. So, guys, what’ve you got?

Good Fuckin Tropes™

Characters realizing for the first time that their injury is going to scar horrifically 

character A: *reveals something shocking* - character B: okay - character A: why aren’t you freaking out - character B: it’s been a weird fucking day man

Characters having complete breakdowns after realizing they’re becoming one of/have always been one of the monsters their side is fighting 

Character going absolutely berserk and tearing the enemy apart after someone they care about is killed/injured 

Big menacing characters being absolute nerds and sweethearts 

On the flip side, tiny cute characters that will fuck you up 

Heroes realizing they can’t fight on their own, but can win with the Power of Friendship 

Character A: Yeah, I can’t make you do *thing,* but they can - character B: *smirks*

Character being ridiculously proud of their best friend and showing them off and cheering them on way more than necessary 

Character suddenly realizing they’ve been in love with their best friend for years in an “oh shit” moment 

“Remove your weapons” *removes weapons* “ALL your weapons” *removes even more weapons* “ALL OF THEM” *removes one more giant weapon that realistically couldn’t be hidden anywhere on the human body* 

Talking animals getting offended when humans assume they’re just dumb regular animals 

A group of characters that has no idea how to deal with a child getting saddled with having to take care of a kid 

Characters talking to their dead SO’s grave 

Sweet innocent characters that cuss like sailors 

Feel free to add on! 

What sort of questions should I be asking my beta readers?

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR BETA READERS:

When I send out my chapter to be read over by my beta readers, I always include a set of questions typed out at the bottom, grouped into different categories such as: plot, pacing, character, setting, etc. 

You might want to tailor the questions depending on the genre or which chapter it is. For example, if it’s the first chapter you’ll want to ask them about how well your story managed to hook them, or if they managed to easily get an idea of the world you’ve introduced them to. If it’s the climax you might want to ask if the action scenes are fluid, and if the plot twist/s were predictable or surprising. 

Here’s some example questions that you could use:

Opening Chapter:

What is your first impression of the main character? Do you find them likable? Annoying? Boring?

After reading it for the first time, what is your first impression? Was it cohesive and compelling? Boring and confusing?

Did the first sentence/paragraph/page efficiently grab your attention and hook you in?

If you were to read this chapter in a bookstore/library would you be convinced to buy it? Or would you need to read further before deciding? Why or why not?

Did you get oriented fairly quickly at the beginning as to whose story it is, what’s going on, and where and when it’s taking place? If not, what were you confused about at the beginning?

Does the first chapter establish the main character efficiently? Do they feel believable?

Characters:

Could you clearly imagine what the characters looked like? If not, who?

Who was your favourite character and why? Has your favourite character changed? (if this hasn’t changed feel free to skip this question) 

Are there any characters that you do not like? Why do you not like them? (Boring, annoying, problematic, etc.) 

Was there ever a moment when you found yourself annoyed or frustrated by a character? 

Could you relate to the main character? Did you empathise with their motivation or find yourself indifferent? 

Were the characters goals/motivations clear and understandable? 

Did you get confused about who’s who? Are there too many characters to keep track of? Are any of the names or characters too similar?

Do the characters feel three-dimensional or like cardboard cutouts? 

How familiar have you become with the main characters? Without cheating could you name the four main characters? Can you remember their appearance? Can you remember their goal or motivation? 

Dialogue:

Did the dialogue seem natural to you?

Was there ever a moment where you didn’t know who was talking?

Setting/world-building:

Were you able to visualize where and when the story is taking place?

Is the setting realistic and believable? 

How well do you remember the setting? Without cheating, can you name four important settings?

Genre:

Did anything about the story seem cliche or tired to you? How so? 

Did anything you read (character, setting, etc.) remind you of any others works? (Books, movies, etc.) 

Plot/pacing/scenes:

Do you feel there were any unnecessary scenes/moments that deserved to be deleted or cut back?

Do the scenes flow naturally and comprehensively at an appropriate pace? Did you ever feel like they were jumping around the place? 

Was there ever a moment where you attention started to lag, or the chapter begun to drag? Particular paragraph numbers would be very helpful. 

Did you ever come across a sentence that took you out of the moment, or you had to reread to understand fully? 

Was the writing style fluid and easy to read? Stilted? Purple prose-y? Awkward?

Did you notice any discrepancies or inconsistencies in facts, places, character details, plot, etc.?

Additional questions:

What three things did you like? What three things did you not like? 

Can you try predicting any upcoming plot twists or outcomes? 

Was there ever a moment when your suspension of disbelief was tested? 

Is there anything you’d personally change about the story? 

Was the twist expected or surprising? Do you feel that the foreshadowing was almost nonexistent, or heavy handed? 

Feel free to tailor these to your needs or ignore some of them if you don’t think they’re useful. Basically, your questions are about finding out the information about how others perceive your own writing and how you can improve your story.

-Lana

Probably my favorite opening of any Camp Camp episode