To-seeking - Ej's Inspo

anyway the actual point of fandom is to inspire each other. reading each other's fics and admiring each other's art and saying wow i love this and i feel something and i want to invoke this in other people, i want to write a sentence that feels like a meteor shower, i want to paint a kiss with such tenderness it makes you ache, i want to create something that someone else somewhere will see it and think oh, i need to do that too, right now. i am embracing being a corny cunt on main to say inspiring each other is one of the things humanity is best at and one of the things fandom is built for and i think that's beautiful

"How do you write such realistic dialogue-" I TALK TO MYSELF. I TALK TO MYSELF AND I PRETEND I AM THE ONE SAYING THE LINE. LIKE SANITY IS SLOWLY SLIPPING FROM BETWEEN MY FINGERS WITH EVERY MEASLY WORD THEY TYPE OUT. THAT IS HOW.

random sites that are extremely helpful

animation screencaps

body visualizer

create infographics

desktop goose

help with writers block

boil the frog

professions based on your personality

best dictionary ever

fighters block

writing tool

slides go

slides carnival

online library

free movies and tv shows

free movies and tv shows #2

worldbuilding website

make music online

human pose reference

email signature

cool design templates

animation tool

Apparently you’re a person to ask about writing, so here I am with my writing question.

I recently started on my manuscript, and I’m finding the start kinda hard to write. I’ve heard the advice that you’re supposed to set up the protagonist’s “normal world” before introducing the conflict. However, I’m finding it a bit difficult, since everything I’ve (vaguely) outlined is after the conflict starts.

So the question is, how long do I set up the normal world before introducing the conflict? A few scenes? A couple chapters? And how do I do it without it feeling stagnant? Do I need to introduce some sort of sub-conflict to keep the plot going? Or what?

Thanks in advance!

- anon

Hi! So sorry for the delay. Life has been hectic, and I'm currently working my way through a huge backlog of Asks. So thanks for your patience.

Starting a manuscript can be such a tricky balance, especially when it comes to introducing the “normal world” before diving into the main conflict. You’re definitely not alone in finding this part hard to write—it has vexed me personally many a time.

The truth is, there’s no set rule for how much time you should spend on the normal world. Some stories linger for a few chapters; others launch right into the conflict and sprinkle bits of the normal world in as they go. It really depends on the type of story you’re telling and what feels right for your protagonist.

That said, here are a few tips that might help:

1. Introduce Change Early: You don’t have to write the entire “normal world” before the conflict starts—just give us enough to understand what the protagonist’s life was like before. A few key details or scenes can go a long way in helping readers understand what’s being disrupted.

2. Use Smaller Conflicts: If the big conflict comes later, introducing a sub-conflict early on can help keep things interesting. It doesn’t have to be huge—just something to show us what your protagonist cares about and how they handle challenges.

3. Focus on Character: The normal world is as much about setting up your protagonist as it is about the plot. Show us what they want, what frustrates them, or what’s missing from their life. That way, when the conflict arrives, readers are already invested in their journey.

4. Play with Structure: If starting with the normal world feels too slow, consider opening with a taste of the conflict (or its aftermath), then flashing back briefly to show how the protagonist got there. It’s a classic move, but it works for a reason!

The key is to keep the story moving—whether through character tension, worldbuilding, or smaller conflicts—so the normal world feels alive and connected to what’s coming.

I hope this helps, and good luck with your manuscript! Starting is always tough, but once you hit your stride, it’ll all start to click.

Hope this helps!

Bucket

/ / / / / / / / / / /

@theliteraryarchitect is a writing advice blog run by me, Bucket Siler, a writer and developmental editor. For more writing help, download my Free Resource Library for Fiction Writers, join my email list, or check out my book The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers.

You will not use AI to get ideas for your story. You will lie on the floor and have wretched visions like god intended

postcards say IM HERE. IM HERE AND I LOVE YOU. IN THIS SPACE AND TIME AND WHEREVER AND WHENEVER YOU ARE. THERE IS A SPACE BETWEEN THOSE SPACES THAT CONNECTS US AND ITS FULL OF LOVE. I’LL MEET YOU THERE.

if you’re ever in doubt about what pov to write a scene from, a good rule of thumb is to pick the person who knows the least about what’s going on. lots of pros!

you automatically have some level of tension in the scene, as they either struggle to figure out what’s happening or completely fail to notice it

if they know as much or barely more than the reader, the reader is learning things alongside them, which will help make exposition feel more natural

if they know less than the reader you now have dramatic irony! great for humor and/or agonizing tension

helps you keep secrets from the reader longer, since your pov character doesn’t know them either. (I mean you could also just carefully omit major info and pretend you thought it was obvious. see the Queen’s Thief series for several examples that span a whole novel!)

helps add a fun little mystery for the reader as they try to figure out those secrets (fun little mysteries are great attention hooks!)

“what’s going on” can mean anything btw, it could be the plot or the worldbuilding or another character’s motivation or the location of the buried treasure.

for best results, think about what each character in the scene wants to get out of this scene, and then pick the pov of the person who has least control over/knowledge of whether they get what they want. failing that, figure out which character has the most important secret that’s affecting the course of the scene, and write from the pov of someone who doesn’t know the secret. (the secret can be stuff like “I’m in love with you,” “I’m a spy for the spider queen,” “I’m the one who stole the muffins,” just whatever’s adding an undercurrent of tension to the conversation.)

this rule won’t be right for every occasion and you should trust your gut, but it’s served me well for years, so I encourage all you writers to consider it when figuring out how to approach a scene :)

On Love and Community

@princes-heels // ? // @inkskinned // mitski, my love mine all mine//@littlespoonsokka // @boymiffy // @2aminhouston // ? // @theviralwitch // @noodle // @criterioncollectiongirl // @fatsoupy // ? // @mjalti // george saunders, congratulations, by the way// @jb-blunk // @ponchopeligroso // @headspace-hotel // everything, everywhere, all at once(2022) //@cheruib // ? // ? // @tordenvejr