Reblog if you write fic and people can inbox you random-ass questions about your stories, itemized number lists be damned.
A few followers have asked for tips on writing romance into their stories or as the basis of their stories. Here’s a masterlist of sources (below cut) that may help.
What Defines Romantic Love?
How to Plot a Romance Novel
Slowburn Romance
When Friends Fall for Each Other (ask)
Tips for Writing a Character Who Has a Crush
Tips on Writing Unrequited Love
Writing Healthy Couples in Fiction
An Antidote to “Love at First Sight”
How Attractive Should Your Characters Be?
3 Great Ways to Show That Your Character Is In Love
6 Ways to Get Your Readers Shipping Like Crazy
Six Steps to Stronger Character Arcs in Romances
Seven Great Sources of Conflict for Romances
9 Romance Writing Mistakes to Avoid
20 Tips for Writing Lovable Romance Novel Heroes
How to Write a Kissing Scene in a Romance Novel
Types of Kisses and Kissing + This Post Is All About Kisses
List of Ideas to Keep Romantic Tension High
100 Questions for Character Couples
How Do I Make the Relationship Development Realistic?
How Do I Know If Two People Are Compatible?
Healthy Relationships Can Include Teasing
How to Write a YA Romance Without Cliché
How do I write an interracial couple accurately? (ask)
15 Common Stereotypes About Intercultural Relationships
Cross Cultural Relationships
14 Experiences in a Cross-Cultural Relationship
Things to Avoid When Writing Interracial Romance
writingwithcolor: Interracial Relationships (w/ links)
Things to Keep Out of Your Healthy Relationships!
Removing the Creeps From Romance
Why The Surprise Kiss Must Go
Possessiveness 101
10 Signs You May Be in an Emotionally Abusive Relationship
Edward & Bella Are In An Abusive Relationship
Red Flags, Verbal Abuse, Stalking… | Script Shrink
5 Huge Mistakes Ruining the Romantic Relationships in Your Book
How do you write a [bad] relationship without romanticising it? (ask)
How to Write from a Guy’s POV
Writing Awesome Male Characters: What You’re Doing Wrong
7 Point-of-View Basics Every Writer Should Know
How Do You Describe a Character?
4 Ways to Make Readers Instantly Loathe Your Character Descriptions
3 Signs Your Story’s Characters Are Too Perfect
Is a Quirk Just What Your Character Needs?
Six Types of Character Flaws
Is Your Character Optimistic Or Pessimistic?
5 Ways to Keep Characters Consistent
9 Simple and Powerful Ways to Write Body Language
10 Body Language Tricks for Deeper Characterization
Describing People Part Three: Gestures, Expressions, and Mannerisms
33 Ways To Write Stronger Characters
Conveying Character Emotion
Distinguishing Characters in Dialogue
How to Make Readers Love an Unlikable Character…
Characters: Likability Is Overrated
How to Create Powerful Character Combos
8 Secrets To Writing Strong Character Relationships
Character Relationships: 6 Tips for Crafting Real Connections
Writing Relationships: Hate to Love
Five Signs Your Story Is Sexist: Part 1, Part 2
Five Signs Your Story Is Sexist – Against Men
Always Female vs Always Male
Born Sexy Yesterday & Manic Pixie Dream Girl
7 (Overused) Female Love Interests
Resources For Romance Writers
thewritershelpers FAQ (romance, kissing, sexuality, etc)
#romance | WordsnStuff
#romance | Hey, Writers!
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I feel we talk about signs of abuse from the victims standpoint but not from the abusers standpoint. In order to stop emotional abuse and recognize when we engage in unhealthy behaviors I made this list.
Do you react to important people in your life by ignoring them completely and not acknowledging their presence? Especially if they do something you don’t like?
Do you feel that your partner/friends/family members are the cause of your bad moods or frustration?
Does your partner/etc “do things the wrong way”?
Do criticize your partner/etc for being unreliable or a bad person?
Do you feel you have to constantly overlook your partners flaws in order to be around them?
Are you frequently accused of being “moody” or “hard to please”?
Do your partners complain that “nothing they do is good enough?
Do your partners appear to avoid you when you are angry or upset rather then comfort you?
Do you negatively comment on their intelligence or appearence? Either in private or in front of others.
Do you blame them when someone goes wrong?
Do you ever use phrases like “I could just hit you right now” or “I”m so mad I could punch something”?
Do you ever punch walls/throw things in front of your partner/etc?
Do you leave during fights and not inform of where you are going and when you will be back?
Do you behave the same alone with your partner that you do if you were in front of your friends or in public?
Have you frequently accused your partner of being too sensitive?
How often is your partner praised and complimented by yourself?
Do you think your partner spends too much time with friends and family?
Do you feel your partners friends and family are trying to drive you apart?
Do you actively comfort your partner when they are upset or angry even if you don’t really understand why they feel the way they do?
If your partner brings up a behavior that bothers them do you respond by discussing how to change it or do you respond defensively?
Do you have difficulty apologizing?
All of these things are abuse tactics. Obviously even the healthiest of us will do these sometimes but if any one becomes a regular habit that’s when the problem starts.
me: *writes fic*
me: great! time to post to ao3-
ao3 summary box: *exists*
me:
ao3 summary box:
me:
ao3 summary box:
me:
(These can shape their behavior, choices, and arcs... until they’re forced to confront them.)
✧ I’m hard to love.
✧ If I don’t succeed, I’m worthless.
✧ People only stick around if I earn them.
✧ If I show weakness, I’ll be left behind.
✧ Everyone eventually leaves.
✧ I’m just like my father/mother—and that’s a bad thing.
✧ I’m too broken to fix.
✧ Happiness isn’t meant for people like me.
✧ The worst thing I ever did defines me forever.
✧ If I’m not useful, I’m disposable.
✧ My anger is dangerous. I have to bury it.
✧ If people really knew me, they’d leave.
✧ I don’t deserve forgiveness.
✧ Love is weakness.
✧ Control is safety.
✧ I can fix everyone else but not myself.
✧ I owe it to them to suffer.
✧ If I rest, I’ll fall apart.
✧ Hope is a trap.
✧ This is the best version of me they’ll ever get.
I'm seeing the same people over and over on my dash so that naturally means I need to follow some new people to spice things up.
If you're a writeblr who writes original fiction about:
queer, poc, and/or disabled characters (especially ownvoices)
particularly aro/ace and neurodivergent where are u at!!!
high fantasy (bonus for dragons and uncommon settings)
vampires (bonus if not romance)
revenge plots
fluid/nuanced/unlabeled relationships and identities
anything asian or eastern-inspired, especially themes like the yinyang and martial arts and taoism
anything that subverts tropes tbh
Reblog this and I'll check you out! I'm a bit picky about what I like on my dash so no guarantees but I'll try to boost some wips/intros and follow new people <3
If you're interested in fairytale retellings, high & urban fantasy, genderless cultures, dragons, vampires, werewolves, and every type of queer in the book you might want to check out my stuff lol
Writing Tips
Punctuating Dialogue
✧
➸ “This is a sentence.”
➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.
➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”
➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”
➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”
➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”
➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.
“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.
“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”
➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”
➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”
However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can also be “outside”!
➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.
If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)
➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations dashes typically express—“
“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.
➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.
➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”
➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.
“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”
➸ “If it’s the same speaker but different paragraph, keep the closing quotation off.
“This shows it’s the same character continuing to speak.”
Someone recently asked me for some fiction writing book recommendations, so here they are!
Some fiction writing teachers try to steer their students clear of books about writing. While it’s true that there’s a lot of bad or dubious writing advice out there, my philosophy is that more information is always better. Over the years, I’ve read voraciously about fiction writing–upwards of 50 books about the writing life, plot, fiction craft, dialogue, character development, you name it. While I got a little something from each one, here are the 5 star gems that are worth sharing. Enjoy!
It’s a classic for a reason. Lamott’s trademark humor makes for an effortless read as she shares her wisdom into the process of writing. Equal parts technical help, encouragement, and brutal honesty balance throughout the book, keeping the reader engaged and in good spirits from start to finish.
Butler’s ideas about the process of writing fiction are not necessarily unique, but I’ve found no other book that discusses the writing “trance” as thoroughly as this one. The exercises in this book teach how you to access the writing “dream state” that good stories often come from. The book can be a little esoteric at times, but it’s worth the patience it takes to understand what Butler is getting at here. Especially recommended for writers who have intrusive inner critics, and those who have strong ideas but find that their writing feels lackluster and flat.
This is a short read, so I’ll just provide a titillating quote and you can go pick it up for yourself: “One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now… Something more will arise for later, something better. These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water. Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.” -Annie Dillard
Hands down, this is the best craft book on the market. It’s written for beginning writers, but is layered and subtle enough to be useful for advanced writers as well. I’ve read and re-read this book at many different stages of my learning process and taken away something new each time. Unlike the cover suggests, this is not a book about grammar. It shows you how to edit for flow and syntax, to properly tag your dialogue, the basics of show-don’t-tell, as well as providing helpful exercises where you get to try your hand at editing once you’ve learned the techniques.
Make no mistake: Sol Stein is a pompous asshole. But he’s also super, duper smart. I consider this to be an advanced craft book, just because of the level of detail he goes into, but I think a beginner would get a lot out of it as well. Another classic, which means it’s almost always at the library.
Yes, this is a text book. Thick. Heavy. Teeny tiny print. But it’s good. And because it has a million editions, you can get an old version used on the internet for like $.04. Especially nice are the full-length short stories that are supplied as examples in the back of every chapter.
Chiarella doesn’t bog the reader down with his own set of hard rules about dialogue, instead he skillfully and humorously persuades the reader about what works and what doesn’t. Busting such myths as “dialogue sounds like real speech,” he gives dozens of creepy-writer-stalker tips like “crowding” and “jotting,” which is basically where you eavesdrop on people and write down what they’re saying. I now carry a notebook on my person at all times specifically for this purpose. I think this book might be out of print (yet 50 Shades of Gray makes millions… is there no justice in this world?), but you can still get it on the internet for a decent price. Do it now before it’s too late!
Stupid title, great book. Alderson talks about the idea of the “Universal Story,” which is the process of struggle (conflict) and transformation (climax and resolution) present in most stories. These “energy markers,” she says, are so inherent in our lives, and in the very idea of story itself, that they can be found in almost every plotted novel. She then proceeds to go into insane detail describing these markers and how to incorporate them into your own writing in order to make a plot that resonates with readers. From time to time she also drops some wisdom a la The Artist’s Way (which she calls, I believe, “The Writer’s Way”), helping writers to overcome the hurdles of writing a book. While Alderson is not a writer herself, she has been studying plot and assisting writers with plot struggles for over a decade, and her knowledge and credibility shine in this book. I came away with a much deeper understanding of the purpose of plot and how to wield it, and highly recommend this book.
The sensational subtitle (“The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence”) makes it sound like one of those smarmy write-a-novel-in-30-days books, but don’t be fooled. This the best book on plot I’ve read. It’s devoted to the idea of ‘story’–what makes a story, what people are ‘wired’ to look for and want in a story, and how to satisfy those cravings in your fiction. The 'brain science’ part is presented in a very accessible way, and Cron only gives us enough information to make her point, never overloading the reader with jargon. She talks a lot about the brain’s unconscious impulse to track patterns, make connections, and look for cause-and-effect, and how to translate that into good storytelling. Her definition of 'story’ alone is more valuable than 200 pages of most fiction craft books. There are endless gems in this book, and now my copy (that I purchased! with money! that’s saying a lot already) is completely marked up with pencil and sticky notes. I know this is a book I will refer to time and time again. Highly recommended.
If you’re looking for advice about craft, the finer points of good prose, or syntax, look elsewhere. But if you want help with your plot and structure, how to organize scenes, when to cut a scene, how to analyze your characters, keeping your story focused, and what order to do it all in, Ingermanson might just blow your mind. His “Snowflake Method” of plotting is loved by thousands, and is discussed in length all over the internet for free. If it resonates with you, you might want to do what I did and buy the book.
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@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.
Hello, My name is Mosab Elderawi, and I live in Gaza with my family. Life here has become harder than I ever imagined, and I’m writing this with hope in my heart that you might hear our story.
The ongoing war has devastated my family. We’ve lost 25 family members—each one a beloved part of our lives, taken too soon. I miss them deeply—their laughter, their presence, their love. Every day is a reminder of this unimaginable loss.
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We are now facing daily challenges to survive—things that most people take for granted, like food, clean water, and a safe place to sleep. The harsh realities of life here have replaced our dreams with the constant fight for survival.
💔 Lost Stability: The war has left us without work or a stable source of income. 🍞 Basic Needs: Food and water are becoming harder to afford with rising prices and scarce resources. 📚 Dreams on Hold: Like so many here, my family’s dreams have been replaced by the need to simply survive. 😢 Unimaginable Loss: Losing 25 loved ones has left a void that can never be filled.
I’m sharing our story with the hope that someone out there might care. Even $5 can make a big difference for us, and if you’re unable to donate, just reblogging this post can help spread the word.
Your kindness, no matter how small, is something we’ll never forget.
Your support is not about changing our entire situation—it’s about giving us a little relief, a little hope, and a way to keep going. We are not asking for much, and we understand if you can’t donate. Sharing our story is just as valuable to us as a donation.
Thank you for reading this far. It means the world to us to know that someone is listening. Your kindness gives us strength and helps us believe in a better tomorrow.
With all our gratitude, Mosab Elderawi and Family ❤️
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Original Work Primary Blog. Sideblog for fanfics @stickdoodlefriend Come yell at me! | 18+
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