“What Is A Personal Website Even FOR?“

3 Tips that Strengthen Middles

While writing the middle of a story usually isn’t as tricky as the beginning, for many authors, the middle can start to sag if they aren’t careful. Previously we went over three problems that come up with middles. Today we are back to add three tips to keep your middle interesting.

1. Vary Your Story

Sometimes a novel feels dull in the middle because your conflicts are not varied enough. In other words, as the reader is going along, he feels like the novel on page 400 reads just like it did on page 100. Yeah, maybe your character faces death at every turn, but that’s all that he faces. We’ve all read stories like that–tales so filled with action that nothing of import seems to be going on.

Very often I find this in survival stories. You see a tale about a teenager who goes down in a plane in the Alaskan wilderness. As he struggles to walk 400 miles south, he must first battle off a wolf. Then he gets to battle a wolverine. Then he battles a bear. Next he fights off a moose. You get the idea. The whole thing becomes rather episodic pretty quickly.

Romances can be tiring in the same way. Having a heroine who agonizes about a man and nothing else for six hundred pages would just be too much. That’s why romances tend to be short.

Essentially, no matter what your genre, too much of a good thing is just too much.

So as a writer, you have to wonder, maybe your reader would like something more in this tale. Perhaps it needs a mystery to be solved, a romance, some internal angst on the part of one of your characters–maybe even a character that we haven’t seen much of yet. Or maybe instead of just having the protagonist battling the antagonists, now it’s time to add a new problem–a conflict between the protagonist and his best friend. In other words, sometimes you need to try some things that you’ve never tried before in your storytelling.

When you look at conflicts, there are several major categories that you will hear writers talk about. These categories include: Person vs Person, in which a protagonist has a conflict with another person; Person vs Society, in which a character is forced to combat a stifling political regime–or perhaps just an odd family or clique; Person vs Nature, in which your protagonist fights against the natural elements; Person vs Self, in which a character must battle his own inner passions or vices; and Person vs God, a story where a man takes on his creator.

As you look for ways to vary your story, one way to do that is to ask yourself, “What kinds of conflicts don’t I have? Should I consider using one from another category?” It doesn’t have to be a huge diversion to add this. Maybe you decide, “I’ll add a Person vs Nature” conflict, and so as your hero is galloping through the dark to meet the woman of his dreams, his horse trips on a root and throws him in a ditch, leaving him bloodied and battered, and he has to limp four miles to his rendezvous, only to find that his sweetheart has already departed.

In short, varying your conflicts can help, but there are other ways to add variation to your story. You might consider the emotional beats that you’re hitting. Do you want to add something different? Maybe a little humor, a little drama, wonder, or some other emotion?

Sometimes just describing something that you’ve never described before can bring a scene some life.

2. Avoid Closure

Another problem that I’ve noticed is that a middle may sag because you as a writer have closed a conflict too early.

It is a natural human tendency for us to want to solve problems and get along. As writers, we sometimes resolve them too quickly. For example, you want your hero and heroine to love each other, and so halfway through the book, you have them kiss and get together. Now, maybe that’s all right. Maybe the book will still work, but it’s probably literary suicide.

If you’ve got some conflicts that have resolved halfway through the book, the fact is that you probably need to go and rip out those resolutions. Leave all wounds festering, all hopes unfulfilled, all demons alive and still roaming the city.

But don’t avoid closure for too long. If your reader suspects that your characters aren’t resolving problems because you as a writer just arbitrarily decided that they wouldn’t, you’ve taken too much time.

3. Avoid Agreement

One other trick that can help perk up a sagging middle is to avoid agreement. It’s not simply that two people are refusing to negotiate a problem; it might be that they see two different problems entirely: Imagine that your character has a longstanding habit of taking his wife out to dinner on Friday night. But his business has taken a severe downturn. Now maybe he imagines that his wife will understand if he doesn’t take her to dinner. After all, she’s a sensible woman. That’s why he married her.

But the wife sees it differently. She might see this as a sign that his love is waning. He’s been growing cold and distant for months, preoccupied with business. He’s spending more time away from home. This little Friday night extravaganza is all that reminds her of her days as a new bride. She might even wonder if he is having an affair.

So as they begin to talk about dinner, the husband might say, “Let’s not go out tonight.” To which his wife replies, “Are you sleeping with your secretary?” Bam! They can legitimately have an argument where neither sees the point that the other is trying to make.

Now, I have to warn you that this is another technique to use sparingly, but as you look at your sagging middle, look at interesting ways to keep your characters out of agreement.

A deity has had enough and is ready to die, however one tiny human still calls their name in prayer, forcing this deity to exist. The deity now attempts to help the tiny human in order to finally fade away.

Five Practical Exercises to Deepen Your Characters

Source: https://kingdompen.org/character-exercises/

Post by writingwithacutlass on instagram

Hello loves! Today I’m introducing you to five writing exercises that you can do to develop your characters! Characters are essentially the drive of the story, and are often more important than plot. Without them, your readers don’t care what happens. The key to a well-written story is having well-developed characters. Here are a few ways you can deepen your characters!

defining a well-developed character

First of all, there are two major points to a well-developed character.

Thought. As an author you need to put a lot of thought into the character’s goal, personality, backstory, background, and all the other aspects of a character. The more thought you put into a character, the more developed, realistic, and relatable they’ll be.

Impact. You can put endless thought into a character, but if it doesn’t have an impact on the story then it’ll make the character seem underdeveloped. All the information you thought up must be cohesive and meaningful enough to contribute to the story and impact the plot and other characters.

Right, let’s get on with the exercises!

1: the everything paper

This method isn’t very complicated. All you need is a piece of paper and something to write with. Write down all the thoughts that come to you, put everything that’s in your head down on paper. Ramble as long as you want, fill up as many sheets as you need. Write down every piece of information you think will be useful sometime; quirks, backstory, lines of dialogue, random observations, interesting things about the character, write it all down. You can always pick out what’s important later, just treat this as a brain dump or brainstorm.

2: journal

This method focuses on getting into the character’s head. If you really want to get to know them, you want to know what they’re thinking. What’s going on in their head? You could try thinking like them, pretend you are that character for a while. Or you could write a few journal entries from their perspective, about some important events in their life. This will help you focus on their feelings and reactions.

3: write them at different points in their life

Knowing a character at different times in their life really helps you understand them better. Write down any scenes that pop up in your head, ones that you know won’t show up in the book. You could write about them in the past, the future, important life events, or a time when they experienced strong feelings. You could even write them into another book, sort of like fanfiction! Most importantly, have fun with it! Don’t worry about structure, word choice, or the writing in general. Just focus on the character!

4: role plays

This is the most fun and helpful one of them all! Get together with a friend and role play as your characters. It’s most helpful when you are your character and your friend is someone else, maybe another one of your characters. It’ll help you get inside their head, come up with lines of dialogue, and understand their personality more. You could do it over text or in person. If you don’t have a friend to do this with, you could try doing it by yourself, though it’s a little harder. Whenever you’re in a boring situation, waiting in line, etc; pretend your characters are with you. Have conversations with them in your head, or imagine what they would be doing if they were here. It’s really beneficial as well. By focusing on the character’s actions and dialogue, you get to know them a lot better than if you were focusing on your writing style and grammar.

5: never stop adding

When we start a new story, we often tend to create the characters first, then write the story. But the reality is that as we write the story, the more we learn about the characters. We get to know them through writing them. You might find that the characters at the start of your story might be completely different from the characters you end up with at the end of your first draft. And that’s okay. The first draft is really just exploring the story for yourself. As you come across little details about your characters, write them down and keep adding those details. Real people have hundreds of little details about them, and so should your characters. Keep adding to them until they feel like a real person to you.

i know it’s been said before, but it bears repeating: a big, big part of maintaining your confidence & self esteem as a creator is fully embracing the concept of “you don’t have to be good like them.  you can be good like you.”

for example, i’m not someone who’s particularly good at coming up with complex, elaborate plots or incredibly unique ideas.  it’s just not how i choose to write.  and it would be easy for me to look at someone with an elaborate, super unique plot & decide that because i don’t write like that, i’m not a good writer.  after all, unique plots are good, and my writing lacks those, so my writing must not be good, right?  well, no, actually.  i just have different strengths, like taking a simple premise & digging super deep into its emotional depths.  that’s what i do well & it isn’t any better or worse than people who do elaborate world building or come up with really creative and unexpected plots.

your writing is never going to be all things to all people.  it just isn’t.  inevitably, you’ll have to make creative choices that favor certain aspects of writing over others.  there is truly no getting around that & it’s honestly a good thing, because it means you’ve developed your own style.  but you’ll always encounter other creators who posses strengths that you don’t.  it doesn’t mean one is better than the other or that your writing isn’t good enough. 

comparing yourself like that would be like taking a piece of pizza & a cupcake & going “oh no, that cupcake is so sweet & my pizza isn’t sweet at all.” or “gosh, the garlic crust on that pizza is delicious and my cupcake doesn’t have ANY garlic.”  obviously your pizza isn’t sweet.  obviously your cupcake doesn’t have garlic.  a food can’t have every single delicious flavor at once.  the cupcake is good like a cupcake.  the pizza is good like a pizza.  so you don’t have to be good like them.  you can be good like you.

How to Finish A First Draft

Source: https://thewritepractice.com/first-draft/

post by @writingwithacutlass on instagram

Here are the two steps for writing a book:

1: sit down*

2: write.

*this step is optional.

That’s all you have to do to write a book. You can’t edit a book you never wrote! If you want to finish writing a novel, you’re gonna need to have a finished first draft.

As the article puts it; writing is not:

thinking about writing, buying books on writing, talking about writing, listening to podcasts about writing, attending writing conferences, dreaming about writing, getting a tattoo about writing, watching movies about writing, talking to your cat about writing—none of those activities will write your book.

But if you’re simply clueless on how to actually write a first draft, never fear! I’ve got you covered :) swipe!

figure out the story first

You’ll need something to guide you as you write your first draft. If you’re new to writing, you’ll figure out soon enough if you’re a plotter, plantser, or pantser, but either way you’ll want at least a vague idea of where you’re headed.

write a blurb and get feedback on it

Write a short paragraph (such as one you would find on the back of a book) that sums up your story. (don’t reveal the ending though!) share it with your friends or someone you trust (keep in mind that friends might sugarcoat to avoid hurting your feelings, so maybe ask someone else) and get their feedback on it. Did they read all the way through or did they zone out after the first sentence? Be sure they can give you honest opinions on it.

don’t let yourself get distracted while writing

When you sit down to write, it’s best if you keep all distractions away from you. Put your phone in another room, find a quiet spot, put on some music if it helps you...create a space where you can write without losing your train of thought every five seconds.

write “tk” as placeholder

When you’re unsure of something, do NOT go to google and try to figure out what it is. Write “tk” as a placeholder, as there are no words (or at least hardly any) in English that have those two letters next to each other. Later, you can search “tk” in your document and all those placeholders will show up.

don’t stop

Momentum is everything when it comes to first drafts. You need to keep writing until the first draft is complete!

don’t rewrite, edit or reread until it’s finished

Editing as you write will slow you down SO MUCH. if you’d like to save yourself a heap of time, just don’t do it. Same goes for rewriting. It’s fine as it is, you can fix things in later drafts. As for rereading what you wrote, it’s best if you don't do this either. It wastes time and keeps your mind stuck in what you already wrote, instead of what you need to write now.

don’t get discouraged

It’s really easy to get discouraged while writing a first draft. We’ve all been there. Don’t give up!! Despite all the writing advice you can find online, perseverance is really the main key when writing first drafts. You’ve got this, I'm rooting for you!

set deadlines + goals

Deadlines and goals are very helpful for both motivation and keeping track of your progress. Make sure your set *attainable* goals, or else you’ll become stressed and eventually give up. Celebrate your progress!

find a supportive community

Having supportive friends is the best thing ever :) my online friends motivate me so much, and some of them have saved my wip from dying lol but if you aren’t in a community yet, go join one! And if you don’t know where to find one, don’t worry :) instagram’s writing community is wonderful and everyone is so supportive of each other! The algorithm is being horrible to us right now but everyone is really welcoming to new accounts and you can find friends and writing buddies!

i will never not be angry at white fantasy authors being like "this is fake russia and this is fake germany and this is fake scandinavia and this is fake netherlands and this is fake amsterdam" then turn around and be like "oh but there's only one fake collective african country and one fake collective asian country"

How to Write Rivals to Lovers

Credit: https://allwritealright.com/writing-from-enemies-to-lovers-creating-dynamic-relationships/

Intro

I would argue that rivals to lovers is superior over enemies to lovers because it’s less toxic and more satisfying. Typically, it results in a healthier relationship than most enemies-to-lovers relationships because it presents a less dark or drastic reason for them to dislike each other (like killing the other’s loved ones, etc). With rivals to lovers, you get jealousy, pining, banter, tension, and of course, a great payoff!

Establish the characters

First and foremost, you’re going to need to make sure that the rivals have the potential to get along. You need to be very strategic about how you design these characters, since this will determine whether or not the dynamic will work authentically. The characters should be unique individuals, obviously, but you need to build them in such a way that your readers will be able to identify their chemistry.

The two characters should have some similar or complementary traits. They should also have traits that make up for the other’s shortcomings, and they should have struggles and flaws that the other character could help them with--if they could only cooperate. These subtle parallels should give readers the sense that the characters would get along, if not for whatever obstacle warped their opinions of each other in the beginning.

Decide why they dislike each other

There are a number of different reasons that characters could have for disliking each other, but you need to be careful about how you approach this. The characters’ hatred should never be based on things that are unforgivable, and they shouldn’t be allowed to evolve as a result of abuse or trauma. Never romanticize bullying, abuse, or manipulation. With that said, here are plausible backstories for their rivalry:

Competition, also known as the main pillar of this trope. Competition can bring out the worst in people, so if your two characters are both vying for the same goal, they might clash as a result. The great thing about this type of hatred is that it might be accompanied by great respect for their rival, and it also gives you a good similarity between the characters that you can rely on to draw them closer together.

Desires. If these characters want the same thing, then the next thing they want is not to let the other get it. This is closely connected to competition. This sets up an interesting plotline as readers wonder who will achieve their prize first...or who might lose it. More on this later!

Conflict. Being on opposing sides of a conflict, such as a debate or dispute, positions characters to dislike each other regardless of their personalities. Their dislike for each other is based on their moral dedication to their country, faction, or clan, and not on their inherent qualities as people.

Society. They might dislike each other because of their parents, education, or class differences. If characters believe they dislike each other because they were taught to dislike each other, then they will have to work out their own internal struggles individually before they can get along together.

Actually falling in love

The biggest mistake that writers make with this trope is moving through the arc too quickly. Overcoming intense feelings for another person takes time, and it happens in distinct phases. First, the characters need to forgive each other and reconcile with their rivalry. Then, they will likely be friends before they can come anywhere close to falling in love. Rivals to lovers must be slowburn to be effective. Some methods of showing it are below:

Forced proximity/conversation

Reluctant partnership (a personal favorite!)

Physical, emotional, or sexual attraction

Banter or teasing

Staring

Flirting

Remembering small things about the other character

Coming to the thought that maybe the other person isn’t so bad / things might be different if they weren’t rivals

Letting the other person beat them in something

Let the characters evolve

If the characters are going to make things work between them, they cannot simply continue the way things have always been. They must acknowledge where they were wrong, and change themselves for the better. They must confront their beliefs and change their perspective, and above all else, they need to forgive themselves and each other for the time they spent disliking the other.

In many cases, characters will need to redeem themselves before their relationship will work. This is a great opportunity to write a redemption arc for one (or both) of the characters, which can make readers feel even more emotionally attached to the characters.

Climax and conflict

At the heart of every rivals-to-lovers story, there’s something that both characters want--otherwise they wouldn’t be rivals! It sets up a very interesting conflict, due to their changing feelings for each other. Who needs the prize more? Who wants it more? Will one of them yield for the other, or will they forge ahead with selfishness and guilt? Or will they both realize that what they need is something completely different from what they thought they wanted?

This is an excellent time to incorporate a betrayal or forgiveness trope. Rivals to lovers implies high stakes, because there is something that they are fighting for. Show those stakes, and you’ll have both an excellent story and an excellent romance!

Love confessions

Once the characters have overcome the obstacles in the way of their love and come to terms with how they feel, the next step is for them to admit those feelings to each other. How your character decides to approach this decision is going to depend on their personality and their existing relationship with the other person. Make sure the scene carries some emotional weight to it: you want readers to feel like the stakes are high.

Your characters aren’t likely to confess their love without feeling some shred of reciprocity. If they haven’t noticed any indication that the other person likes them back, then they’re probably going to sit on those feelings for a while. Both of the characters can even be doing this at the same time, without realizing that the other person feels the same way (which is both really frustrating and really gratifying for the reader!).

appreciating that a character is well-written does not mean agreeing with their actions or decisions.

In Which Diversity Isn't a Myth

Ok. I’m tired of the typical vampire, werewolf and fairy.I’m also tired of the occidental-centrism in mythology. Hence, this list. 

I tried to included as many cultural variants as I could find and think of. (Unfortunately, I was restricted by language. Some Russian creatures looked very interesting but I don’t speak Russian…) Please, add creatures from your culture when reblogguing (if not already present). It took me a while to gather all those sites but I know it could be more expansive. I intend on periodically editing this list. 

Of note: I did not include specific legendary creatures (Merlin, Pegasus, ect), gods/goddesses/deities and heroes.

Dragons

The Chinese Dragon

The Japanese Dragon

The Korean Dragon

The Vietnamese Dragon

The Greek Dragon

The Indian Dragon

The Polish Dragon

The Austrian Dragon

The British Dragon

The Ancient Dragon (Egypt, Babylon and Sumer)

The Spanish Basque Dragon

Of the Cockatrice (creature with the body of a dragon)

Alphabetical List of Dragons Across Myths (Great way to start)

Little creatures (without wings)

The Legend of the Leprechauns, The Leprechaun

Chanaque /Alux (the equivalent of leprechauns in Aztec/Mayan folklore)

Elves

Elves in Mythology and Fantasy

Elves in Germanic Mythology

Kabeiroi or Cabeiri (Dwarf-like minor gods in Greek mythology)

Norse Dwarves

The Myth of Loki and the Dwarves

Ten Types of Goblins

Goblins

Tengu: Japanese Goblins

Gnomes 

More on Gnomes

Pooka: an Irish phantom

Creatures with wings (except dragons)

Fairies

All sorts of Cultural Fairies

Fairies in Old French Mythology 

A Fairy List

Bendith Y Mamau (Welsh fairies)

Welsh Fairies

Peri (Persian fairies)

Yü Nü (Chinese fairies)

The Celtic Pixie

Angels in Judaism

Angels in Christianity

Hierarchy of Angels

Angels in Islam

Irish Sylph

Garuda (Bird-like creature in Hindu and Buddhist myths)

Bean Nighe (a Scottish fairy; the equivalent of a banshee in Celtic mythology)

Harpies

Spirited Creatures

Druids

Jinn (Genies in Arabic folklore)

Types of Djinns

Aisha Qandisha and Djinn in Moroccan Folklore

Oni (demons in Japanese folklore)

Nymphs

Spirits in Asturian Mythology

Valkyries

Lesovik

Boggarts: The British Poltergeist

Phantom black dogs (the Grim)

Demons in Babylonian and Assyrian Mythology (list)

Demons in the Americas (list)

European Demons (list)

Middle-East and Asia Demons (list)

Judeo-Christian Demons (list)

Nephilim, more on Nephilim

Mahaha (a demon in Inuit mythology)

Flying Head (a demon in Iroquois mythology)

Ghosts

Toyol (a dead baby ghost in Malay folklore)

Malay Ghosts

Yuki-onna (a ghost in Japanese folklore)

The Pontianak (a ghost in Malay mythology)

Funayurei (a ghost in Japanese folklore)

Zagaz (ghosts in Moroccan folklore)

Japanese Ghosts

Mexican Ghosts

Horse-like mythical creatures

Chinese Unicorns

Unicorns

The Kelpie (Could have also fitted in the sea creatures category)

The Centaur

The Female Centaur

Hippocamps (sea horses in Greek mythology)

Horse-like creatures (a list)

Karkadann, more on the Karkadann (a persian unicorn)

Ceffyl Dwfr (fairy-like water horse creatures in Cymric mythology)

Undead creatures

The Melanesian Vampire 

The Ewe Myth : Vampires

The Germanic Alp

The Indonesian Vampire

Asanbosam and Sasabonsam (Vampires from West Africa)

The Aswang: The Filipino Vampire

Folklore Vampires Versus Literary Vampires

Callicantzaros: The Greek Vampire

Vampires in Malaysia

Loogaroo/Socouyant: The Haitian Vampire

Incubi and Sucubi Across Cultures

Varacolaci: The Romanian Vampire

Brahmaparusha: The Indian Vampire

Genesis of the Word “Vampire”

The Ghoul in Middle East Mythology

Slavic Vampires

Vampires A-Z

The Medical Truth Behind the Vampire Myths

Zombies in Haitian Culture

Shape-shifters and half-human creatures (except mermaids) 

Satyrs (half-man, half-goat)

Sirens in Greek Mythology (half-woman and half-bird creatures)

The Original Werewolf in Greek Mythology

Werewolves Across Cultures

Werewolf Syndrome: A Medical Explanation to the Myth

Nagas Across Cultures

The Kumiho (half fox and half woman creatures)

The Sphinx

Criosphinx

Scorpion Men (warriors from Babylonian mythology)

Pooka: an Irish changelings

Domovoi (a shape-shifter in Russian folklore)

Aatxe (Basque mythology; red bull that can shift in a human)

Yech (Native American folklore)

Ijiraat (shapeshifters in Inuit mythology)

Sea creatures

Selkies (Norse mermaids)

Mermaids in many cultures

More about mermaids

Mermen

The Kraken (a sea monster)

Nuckelavee (a Scottish elf who mainly lives in the sea)

Lamiak (sea nymphs in Basque mythology)

Bunyip (sea monster in Aboriginal mythology)

Apkallu/abgal (Sumerian mermen)

An assemblage of myths and legends on water and water creatures

Slavic Water Creatures

The Encantado (water spirits in Ancient Amazon River mythology)

Zin (water spirit in Nigerian folklore)

Qallupilluk (sea creatures in Inuit mythology)

Monsters That Don’t Fit in Any Other Category

Aigamuxa, more details on Aigamuxa

Amphisabaena

Abere

Bonnacon

Myrmidons (ant warriors)

Troll, More on Trolls

Golems 

Golems in Judaism

Giants: The Mystery and the Myth (50 min long documentary)

Inupasugjuk (giants in Inuit mythology)

Fomorians (an Irish divine race of giants)

The Minotaur

The Manticore, The Manticore and The Leucrouta

The Ogre

The Orthus (two-headed serpent-tailed dog)

The Windigo

The Windigo Psychosis

Rakshasa (humanoids in Hindu and Buddhist mythology)

Yakshas (warriors in Hindu mythology)

Taqriaqsuit (“Shadow people” in Inuit mythology)

References on Folklore and Mythology Across the Globe

Creatures of Irish Folklore 

Folklore and Fairytales

An Overview of Persian Folklore

Filipino Folklore

Myths, Creatures and Folklore

Alaska Folklore

Spanish (Spain) Mythology

Mythical Archive

Mythology Dictionary

List of Medieval and Ancient Monsters

Native American Animals of Myth and Legends

Native American Myths

Bestiary of Ancient Greek Mythology

Mythology, Legend, Folklore and Ghosts

Angels and Demons

List of Sea Creatures

Yoruba Mythology

Ghosts Around the World, Ghosts From A to Z

Strange (Fantastic) Animals of Ancient Egypt

Egyptian Mythology

Creatures from West Africa

On the Legendary Creatures of Africa

Myths, Creatures and Folklore

References on writing a myth or mythical creatures

Writing a MYTHology in your novel?

How to Write a Myth

10 Steps to Creating Realistic Fantasy Creatures

Creating Fantasy Creatures or Alien Species

Legendary Creature Generator

Book Recommendations With Underrated Mythical Creatures

(I have stumbled upon web sites that believed some of these mythical creatures exist today… Especially dragons, in fact. I just had to share the love and scepticism.)

can we as a community, no matter what writing software we use, all agree that google docs' spellcheck system is pretty screwy?