Wait Are There Writers Who Draft In Times New Roman

eldest daughter syndrome and gifted kid syndrome are some great examples of phrases used to talk about specific kinds of trauma that the internet has taken and turned into "boo hoo these people arent special anymore so theyre lashing out!!" it was never about that you fucking cunts

i think eventually we're all just gonna have to come to terms with the fact that it's impossible to tell a story with any degree of subtlety or nuance without risking a portion of the audience taking the "wrong message", and that's ok. art isn't meant to be strictly a teaching tool, and if you're goal is just to convince people or critique an idea, just write an essay or a polemic

me: i have the main characters, the aesthetic, and the setting. i'm ready to write!

my brain: but...what about a plot?

me, opening a new document: LIKE I SAID i'm ready to write!

It's not an "abandoned" WIP, I didn't intentionally leave it in the forest to die and forget about it, it is a lost wip who wandered into the forest despite my pleas not to. I sit at the edge of the forest every day and hear it calling for help but there is nothing I can do. It is a haunting wip

This is a tumblr hug, or a tumblr high five, or a tumblr sitting in the same room together, pass it on to your ten favorite followers or mutuals <3

aww thank you 🥺 <3

writing a satisfying slow-burn romance

"There is such a gravity in your words that the entire world falls silent to your call" - excerpt from a book ill never write

We all slow-burn romances - but how do you write one so it isn't boring? or worse, one that doesn't feel completely satisfying when the characters *finally* come together. You don't get that feeling of happiness and relief when they do - so how do you prevent that?

#1. The common ground

What do they have in common? What really spurs on their chemistry? There should be something that binds them together, and shows the readers that oh yeah these two would be awesome together. Make use of 'opposites attract' or maybe they dislike each other at first, but bond over something in their past! They don't have to be very close very fast - but slowly, slowly, their chemistry should build up!

#2. Have a conflict that drives them apart, or pits them against each other

This is the part that we all secretly love - the angst. Your main plot should pull these two apart in some way; physically, emotionally, spiritually - however you want it. This adds the 'slow' element - since they're apart, we don't actively see them falling for each other. However far apart you pull them, keep giving your readers a glance at how their relationship will be possible someday. We love those crumbs - like one of them rushing to save the other when they're in danger, or patching up wounds.

#3. Show the cute moments

Show the two of them in a situation where they're awkward with each other - maybe they go ice-skating, and one of them is absolutely amazing at it and the other one keeps falling. These soft interactions and fluff are so KWJRGKJGE <33

#4. Make one of them hurt the other

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, one of them should hurt the other one. This creates a gap and a distance between them, further slowing down their romance. How they resolve it is up to you - maybe they forgive each other, or it's something they fight to solve together. It's absolutely painful, and will make the ending much more satisfying.

#5. Weave in symbolism

Make every interaction of theirs meaningful. Every moment should 'count' and add something to their relationship or character development. One of my favourite kinds of symbolism is when the characters having opposing colour schemes - red and blue, for example. It often adds to their relationship, and is something I personally love!

#6. Tie it all together

In the end, whether they get a happy ending or not, they should have a 'moment' (unless you're really cruel and want them separated without closure/j) where they finally admit to their feelings. It's the moment shippers will wait for - so make it count.

Worldbuilding stuff:

If your story has an idle nobility class, their culture shouldn't just be different from the general population, it should be an over-the-top caricature of the common folks' culture. Whatever the population generally agrees is ideal, fair, admirable, or good, the nobility will take into stupid extremes.

Contrary to the beliefs of many, people are actually not at all happy when they're idle - a person with no assigned task or duty will go out of their way to come up with one. And all around the world, whenever there's been an upper class with nothing to do, they've started to compete with each other over stupid shit, but always stupid shit that the culture they live in considers positive qualities.

From the noblemen in Europe challenging each other to a possibly lethal duel over insulting someone's hat, to a Chinese noblewoman being moved to tears by the beauty of someone's calligraphy, bored elites everywhere have always wanted to outdo each other in their expressions of possessing all the noble traits that this culture in particular holds in value.

You can, and should, use this as a way to highlight what the actual values of this society is. In a setting where being religious is held as an admirable trait, there is nobility coming up with new ways to one-up each other in their expressions of worship. Society that values art and music will have them competing over who hires the most artists, and who employs the most talented musicians. Aggressive, war-like people will have fuels to the fucking death over a stupid hat.

Literally anything can be competed in, and bored people with far too much time and money in their hands will become competitive over the most ridiculous things. This isn't just an useful tool in worldbuilding, but also a fun one.

The willow woman.

Photo taken by The Henge Shop, Avebury.

Don't you sometimes get an absolutely extrodinary, mind blowing, such an awesome idea for a story, but you just don't have enough skill level to pull it off?

my toxic trait is saving a piece of writing advice for later and then completely forgetting about it when i actually need it