I’ve Finally Managed To Make A Vine Compilation Short Enough That Tumblr Will Let Me Post It!

If your plot feels flat, STUDY it! Your story might be lacking...

Stakes - What would happen if the protagonist failed? Would it really be such a bad thing if it happened?

Thematic relevance - Do the events of the story speak to a greater emotional or moral message? Is the conflict resolved in a way that befits the theme?

Urgency - How much time does the protagonist have to complete their goal? Are there multiple factors complicating the situation?

Drive - What motivates the protagonist? Are they an active player in the story, or are they repeatedly getting pushed around by external forces? Could you swap them out for a different character with no impact on the plot? On the flip side, do the other characters have sensible motivations of their own?

Yield - Is there foreshadowing? Do the protagonist's choices have unforeseen consequences down the road? Do they use knowledge or clues from the beginning, to help them in the end? Do they learn things about the other characters that weren't immediately obvious?

On Love Languages

Reference: https://5lovelanguages.com/learn

For me, og!Cale’s love language is Acts of Service. The website defines this as: For these people, actions speak louder than words. I think it fits Og!cale very well since we all know he pretended to be trash without even saying anything to anyone. He also hid his hurts and isolated himself because he foolishly thinks it was for the best while swallowing his issues thinking that he was being selfish.   Of course, he also swallowed his further hurts when the Molan duo decided to follow Choi Han. I think for people like og!Cale (and like me) with this type of love language, what was needed the most is Quality Time (def: This language is all about giving the other person your undivided attention.) and Words of Affirmation (def: this language uses words to affirm other people.) from people who claim to care and love him. I think Quality Time with Deruth suffered ever since his mom died because Deruth and og!Cale was in two different places. Deruth was having a new leash of happiness and og!Cale (I’m assuming) is still grieving and also has to contend with the fact that Deruth has a new family. Plus, Deruth has to blend his family and I’m not sure he did a good job at that.

Anyway. Words of Affirmation are a bit tricky since (for me) that would be like enabling his ‘trash’ person but I would have expected some one-on-one talks with his father (and initiated by Deruth like yo, be a parent) would not be too much to ask/expect. (I don’t know if that happened in canon so let me know if I'm talking out of my rear). I definitely won't mind an intervention because I’m a believer in either solving the problem or they all go no contact since everyone isn’t on the same page. Either stop the misunderstanding right there or suffer the effects of misunderstanding together. Misery does love company even in families.

I am sure that Deruth and Violan have tried, but the only thing that gives me a good picture of that effort is to support Og!cale while he is being purposely self-destructive (I don’t know if this is a good idea) and throw money at him (something that I am way too much familiar with). Again, if there is any info I missed, I would love to be corrected.

So, what do think of og!Cale's love language? Do you think he would have been better if he has a different one aside from Acts of Service?  

Tutorial - my cat wanted to share with you some tips and tricks. ———————————————– Originally from my Patreon, where there’s a little more to this. (Patrons get extra stuff and early releases)

How To Write A Compelling Character Arc 

 A character arc is a measure of how a character changes over time. These arcs are linear, which means they have a start and a conclusion. Character arcs are a significant aspect of any novel as they help clearly translate your character’s struggles and personal developments to your readers. 

Unsure how to write a compelling character arc for your protagonist or other characters? Here are some tips to help you get started! 

Pick A Type Of Arc 

In order to create a compelling and successful character arc, you first need to recognise which type of arc is your character going to experience. Over the years people have developed various character arc types, however, there are three significant types every writer needs to be aware of when plotting their character’s story. 

Positive Character Arcs 

Positive character arcs are simply that—a character arc that results in a positive journey or development. 

A majority of books and movies or other cinematic pieces feature positive character arcs. This is because everyone enjoys a happy ending. An ending that makes you feel fulfilled and excited for the protagonist’s journey, or brings tears to your waterline as you reminisce on how far they’ve come, and how much they deserve this positive ending. 

A positive character arc doesn’t necessarily have to have a ‘’happily ever after’ however it needs to have a happy ending. If a character’s family was assassinated and at the end they get revenge on the antagonist who murdered their loved ones while developing themselves mentally, then that counts as a positive character arc. 

When writing a positive character arc it’s important to keep a few things in mind, such as: 

You need to end on a positive note. Things can be as chaotic as you want it to be, but you need to have a positive ending. Otherwise, you cannot define your character arc as positive. 

Your protagonist needs to develop as a character. Whether that be mentally, emotionally, financially, etc. 

Your protagonist cannot end up where they started. A character arc that ends in a full circle is more of a flat character arc than a positive one. 

Negative Character Arcs

Just like a positive character arc, a negative one is very easy to explain. This is a character arc that is typically used when writing antagonists in the entertainment industry due to the negativity it brings. When writing a negative character arc for a protagonist you run the risk of making your readers feel unsatisfied or creating a ‘bad ending’. 

Some examples of a negative character arc for a protagonist would be if the protagonist dies at the end of the book, or if the protagonists almost achieve their final goal but fail by a small shortcoming. Negative character arcs for a protagonist are usually implemented for the first few books of a series, especially in fantasy books. 

Using a negative character for your antagonist is simple—they fail. The protagonist wins and the villain dies or gets locked up until their final moments. 

When employing a negative character arc for a protagonist, here are some things to keep in mind: 

They shouldn’t end up as a person similar to what they started off as. The point is to corrupt them, ruin them and turn them to the bad side. Perhaps even make them fall victim to the antagonists. 

They can’t or will never achieve their long-term goal. Remember that goal you established at the start of your book? Your protagonist cannot achieve that. Or at least, they will never achieve it due to certain plot developments. 

They lose someone or thing important to them. Negative character arcs for a protagonist are generally triggered due to the loss of someone or thing important to the protagonist. Maybe their mentor is murdered by the government, or their failure to achieve their goals makes them turn evil. 

Flat Character Arcs

Flat character arcs are arcs that essentially lack any sort of arc. They are flat and begin and end with the character as the same type of person. 

These arcs are generally used for side characters, but they can also be used for a protagonist. Think of characters like Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, etc. They go through several trials and tribulations, but even after it all their personality remains the same. 

When writing a flat character arc it’s important to remember that your character cannot undergo any significant personality changes. Your protagonist can undergo such changes during the story, but they need to have a full circle by the end. 

Divide Your Arc Into Short-Term Goals 

Once you’ve decided where you want your character to end up at the end, you now need to know how they will get there. You can achieve this by referring to your long-term goal and then breaking them down into short-term goals. 

The protagonist is supposed to find a hidden jewel at the end of the book and discovers how corrupt their government is. Alright, now break that down into short-term goals that will help your protagonist get to their end goal. 

Group these goals and they will become stages for your book, break them down and you now have chapter outlines to work with. 

Playing with the details of your character arcs can help you easily plan out your book’s plot and set a steady pace. You can also use this as a reference sheet when working on your WIP. 

Take The World Outside Your Protagonist Into Perspective

Once you know the type of character arc you want and how you’re going to write it, it’s important to consider how this arc will impact your world. This includes your side characters as well as the general plot and layout of your world. 

Character Arcs For Side Characters 

It isn’t necessary to have a character arc for every single character, but it is almost impossible for only two characters to have an arc within hundreds of pages. 

Whether it be your protagonist’s mentor or your antagonist’s assistant, it’s important to take their stories and personal development into consideration. How does the story’s plot impact their outlook on the world or their personality? Do any of the minor antagonists turn out to be morally grey? Does one of the smaller protagonists end up betraying the protagonist out of jealousy? 

Remember, your smaller characters are also human. It’s important to take their stories and arcs into consideration so you can create a detailed and comprehensive world. 

A great example of this could be anime characters. Most animes tend to have separate backstories and endings for every character. These backstories and endings don’t have to all be necessarily revealed to your readers, however, as an author you need to know where you’re going with each of your characters. 

Reaction Arcs 

One easy way to implement character arcs for your side characters is by using reaction arcs. I don’t know if this term has already been established, but I personally coined the term to refer to a character arc that is a direct reaction to another character’s arc. 

Maybe your protagonist has a positive character arc and ends up becoming the most successful person in their field of work, but this results in a reaction arc for their best friend who turns bitter and has a negative character arc due to the way the protagonist’s story played out. 

Reaction arcs differ from other arcs due to the fact that they cannot be achieved without establishing another character’s arc first. Following the above example, the best friend cannot become jealous and bitter until your protagonist’s character arc is established. 

I hope this blog on how to write a compelling character arc will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment any tips of your own to help your fellow authors prosper, and follow my blog for new blog updates every Monday and Thursday.  

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of Haya’s book blog where I post writing and marketing tools for authors every Monday and Thursday. 

Want to learn more about me and my writing journey? Visit my social media pages under the handle @hayatheauthor where I post content about my WIP The Traitor’s Throne and life as a teenage author. 

Copyright © 2022 Haya Sameer, you are not allowed to repost, translate, recreate or redistribute my blog posts or content without prior permission

if anyone has any tips or resources for writing pitches, taglines, etc, please share them with me and i will post a photo of my gremlin cat in whichever state he happened to be in the last time I took pics

Every day I wake up thinking about how Cale's transition from hunk to twink is revolutionary.

Like, in other isekai, you get those plain dudes who turn into cute twinks sure, but it's instant. They transmigrate, and it's a new skin bag for them. They didn't earn that prettiness. They just up and died, and god decided to bless them.

Cale had to be lazy during war time and twinkify himself. He said god is useless, and he had to roll up his own sleeves for it.

I think that's powerful.

things people do after having a nightmare that isn’t crying

struggle to catch their breath

grab onto whatever’s close enough to ground themselves in reality

become nauseous / vomit

shake uncontrollably

sweat buckets

get a headache

things people do to combat having nightmares if they occur commonly

sleep near other people so they can hear the idle sounds of them completing tasks

move to a different sleeping spot than where they had the nightmare

leave tvs / radios / phones on with noise

just not sleep (if you want to go the insomnia route)

sleep during the day in bright rooms

things people with insomnia do

first, obviously, their ability to remember things and their coordination will go out the window

its likely they’ll become irritable or overly emotional

their body will start to ache, shake, and weaken

hallucinate if it’s been long enough

it becomes incredibly easy for them to get sick (and they probably will)

add your own in reblogs/comments!

042 - board meeting

edit I KNOW THE BATTER TALKS MOB TALKS TOO . THEYRE NOT ALL SILENT PROTAGS

There will BE no friendship. (And yes I'm still not dead and still have intents on coming back here)

i'm AWARE this is a stupid hill to die on, but like. trope vs theme vs cliché vs motif vs archetype MATTERS. it matters to Me and i will die on this hill no matter how much others decide it's pointless. words mean things