If you’re not amazed by the stars on a clear night then we won’t work.

What is a good way to start a novel? (sentence frames)

Are you a creative writer struggling to get started on your next project? Do you find yourself staring at a blank page, unsure of where to begin? Fear not! Here are some sentence frames designed to inspire your creativity and help you generate story ideas.

Get to know your main character

[Character name] was not your typical [profession/role]; in fact, they…

Despite being [adjective], [character name] had always felt…

[Character name] had a secret, one that they had kept hidden for [time period]…

As [character name] looked out the window, they couldn’t help but wonder what life would be like if…

[Character name] had always been drawn to [hobby/interest], but had never had the courage to pursue it until…

The day [character name] met [another character], everything changed…

Setting the scene

The town of [name] was known for its [unique characteristic], but beneath the surface…

In a world where [fantastical element] was commonplace, [character name] stood out because…

The [building/location] had stood abandoned for [time period], but on this particular night there was [an event]…

The [place/location] was famed for its [unique characteristic], but [character] found themselves drawn to [thing]…

Introduce conflict

[Character name] had always believed that [belief], until [event] forced them to question everything.

When [character name] discovered [secret/revelation], they knew they had to…

The arrival of [character/object] in [setting] threw [character name]’s life into chaos, as they…

[Character name] had always been content with their [status quo], but when [event] occurred, they realised that they could no longer ignore their true calling.

The arrival of [character name] in [place/location] set off a chain of events that would uncover long-buried secrets and force the [people of location] to confront their darkest demons.

Show character growth

[Character name] had spent their entire life [doing/believing something], but now they began to wonder if…

As [event] unfolded, [character name] realised that they were capable of…

[Character name] had always been afraid of [fear], but in the face of [challenge], they discovered…

[Character name] used to [old behaviour], but now they [new behaviour]…

As [character name] faced [challenge], they discovered a [new strength/quality] within themselves…

[Character name] never thought they could [achievement], but with [catalyst], they learned to [lesson]…

Create suspense and mystery

[Character name] knew that [mystery/secret] held the key to [goal], but the closer they got to the truth…

As [character name] delved deeper into [investigation/quest], they began to suspect that…

The [object/clue] seemed insignificant at first, but as [character name] examined it more closely, they saw [detail].

[Character name] had a nagging feeling that something was off about [person/place/thing], but couldn’t quite put their finger on it until [event].

The [sound/smell/sight] was hauntingly familiar to [character name], but they couldn’t remember why until [event].

Explore character relationships

[Character name] had always looked up to [other character], but now they began to see them in a different light because [event/change].

Despite their differences, [character name] and [other character] found themselves drawn to each other because of [detail].

[Character name] knew that [other character] was hiding something, but they never expected [revelation].

[Character name] and [other character] were once inseparable, but [change] meant they grew apart.

[Character name] never expected to find a friend in [other character], but [character detail/event/location] brought them together.

[Character name] couldn’t shake the feeling that [other character] was hiding [secret] from them.

Remember, these sentence frames are just a starting point to help you generate ideas and get your creative juices flowing. Feel free to adapt, combine, or expand upon them to suit your unique story and writing style. The most important thing is to let your imagination run wild and enjoy the process of writing your novel!

I grieved long enough on losses, but the real person I lost was...me

Poetricismic

Person A: "Would you love me if I killed you?"

Person B: "I'd rather you ask me about if you were a worm or not."

Theme: Tension...

1. As person A reaches over to adjust person B's collar, their fingers linger slightly, brushing against person B’s neck. Both freeze, the air thick with unspoken questions and the heat of their closeness. 2. "Why must you always oppose me?" person A hisses, stepping into person B's personal space, their faces inches apart. person B smirks, "Maybe I just like seeing you fired up." 3. During a heated board game night, person A slams their piece down right in front of person B, blocking their win. person B shoots person A a glare, the tension palpable as they forcefully say, "You're going to pay for that." 4. person A and person B, stuck in a malfunctioning elevator, stand on opposite sides. Each glance feels like a spark, but neither dares to break the silence, the air heavy with their shared discomfort. 5. In the quiet of the library, person A's hand brushes against person B's as they both reach for the same book. They withdraw quickly but their eyes lock, hearts pounding louder than the whispered pages around them. 6. Under the dim streetlight, person A's car breaks down. person B stops, leaning against their own vehicle. "Need help?" they call out, a challenging tone in their voice. person A, reluctant yet desperate, nods, the night air crackling with their conflicted emotions. 7. At the company retreat, person A and person B end up canoe partners. As they paddle in sync, their coordination is flawless yet silent, each stroke a wordless battle of wills. 8. person A watches as person B meticulously organizes their desk, aligning everything perfectly. person A reaches over and slightly misaligns a pen. person B’s quick glare and immediate correction fill the room with silent confrontation. 9. "You've got something on your cheek," person A murmurs, reaching out to brush away a crumb from person B's face. Their touch lingers, both suddenly aware of the other's quickened breath, the moment stretching between them. 10. During a critical negotiation, person A slides a revised contract across the table to person B. "Take it or leave it," person A challenges. person B's hand hovers over the document, their eyes locked on person A's, tension swirling like the storm outside.

sure logan was better for rory and gave space to her emotionally but there’s something about jess which makes me kick my feet and giggle like a little child and i get butterflies in my stomach even when he appears for a second which basically confirms that i don’t want an emotional relationship just someone who will take me out to eat ice cream and crash the car and the ice cream bill actually turns grand because of all the hospital charges and the inability to afford insurance have i written too much yes i have

“New book”

Heyo! A story I wrote for a bundle a while back is now free to read for everyone!

In The Princess and Her Hunter, two girls meet for the first time at a trans support group, and a spark of mutual recognition goes between them.

Check it out! And, if you like it, buy the bundle, there's plenty of good stories besides mine in it 😉

Small writing tip

I've found myself getting lost in chapters quite a lot. Finding the sentences dawdling or meandering, or just not being fully sure what my intention is anymore. To try and counter this, I've started writing little plans for each chapter before I start writing, it, and keeping it at the bottom of the document.

Some examples (from my lil prophet story woo):

nd in this case, 'bus scene' ended up needing expanding too:

It's very base bones, very rough, just an outline of what happens plot-wise and maybe emotion-wise, if it's going to be a heavy chapter. Helps to have something to refer back to. I don't know if it's useful or helpful to anyone else, but could well be? Food for thought :)?

"You do realize that your 'little diversions' tend to spiral out of control, right?" "That's what makes them so memorable and charming." "Memorable, yes. But charming? I think our definitions are worlds apart."

MINDFULNESS. Even a clean house needs dusting. It is clean because it is cleaned. even a clear mind needs breathing. It is clear because it is cleared. There is no life but what is lived. Everything is real though a false perception can weaken a home and clutter a mind. Every moment is a now, every moment begins anew.

“How’s your WIP going?”

"Have you made any progress?”

“How close are you to being done?”

things to ask yourself when designing a female character:

how much blood is she covered in

are her eyes filled with madness

can she rip things to shreds with her fingernails

Person A: "I am a weak man."

Person B: "Please get up--"

Person A: "A WEAK MAN, I AM."

Hey! Are there blacksmiths in your story? I'm a hobbyist blacksmith and I'm here to help!

Blacksmithing is one of those things that a lot of people get wrong because they don't realize it stuck around past the advent of the assembly line. Here's a list of some common misconceptions I see and what to do instead!

Not all blacksmiths are gigantic terrifying muscly guys with beards and deep voices. I am 5'8, skinny as a twig, have the muscle mass of wet bread, and exist on Tumblr. Anybody who is strong enough to pick up a hammer and understands fire safety can be a blacksmith.

You can make more than just swords with blacksmithing. Though swords are undeniably practical, they're not the only things that can be made. I've made candle holders, wall hooks, kebab skewers, fire pokers, and more. Look up things other people have made, it's really amazing what can be done.

"Red-hot" is actually not that hot by blacksmith terms. when heated up, the metal goes from black, to red, to orange, to yellow, to white. (for temperature reference, I got a second degree burn from picking up a piece of metal on black heat) The ideal color to work with the metal is yellow. White is not ideal at all, because the metal starts sparking and gets all weird and lumpy when it cools. (At no point in this process does the metal get even close to melting. It gets soft enough to work with, but I have never once seen metal become a liquid.)

Blacksmithing takes fucking forever. Not even taking into account starting the forge, selecting and preparing metal, etc. etc. it takes me around an hour to make one (1) fancy skewer. The metals blacksmiths work with heat up and cool down incredibly fast. When the forge is going good, it only takes like 20 seconds to get your metal hot enough to work with, but it takes about the same time for it to cool down, sometimes even less.

As long as you are careful, it is actually stupidly easy to not get hurt while blacksmithing. When I picked up this hobby I was like "okay, cool! I'm gonna make stuff, and I'm gonna end up in the hospital at some point!" Thus far, the latter has yet to occur. I've been doing this for nearly a year. I have earned myself a new scar from the aforementioned second degree burn, and one singe mark on my jeans. I don't even wear gloves half the time. Literally just eye protection, common sense, and fast reflexes and you'll probably be fine. (Accidents still happen of course, but I have found adequate safety weirdly easy to achieve with this hobby)

A forge is not a fire. The forge is the thing blacksmiths put their metal in to heat it up. It starts as a small fire, usually with newspaper or something else that's relatively small and burns easily, which we then put in the forge itself, which is sort of a fireplace-esque thing (there's a lot of different types of forge, look into it and try to figure out what sort of forge would make the most sense for the context you're writing about) and we cover it with coal, which then catches fire and heats up. The forge gets really hot, and sometimes really bright. Sometimes when I stare at the forge for too long it's like staring into the sun. The forge is also not a waterfall of lava, Steven Universe. It doesn't work like that, Steven Universe.

Welding and blacksmithing are not the same thing. They often go hand-in-hand, but you cannot connected two pieces of metal with traditional blacksmithing alone. There is something called forge welding, where you heat your metal, sprinkle borax (or the in-universe equivalent) on it to prevent the metal from oxidizing/being non-weldable, and hammer the pieces together very quickly. Forge welding also sends sparks flying everywhere, and if you're working in a small space with other blacksmiths, you usually want to announce that you're welding before you do, so that everyone in a five-foot radius can get out of that five-foot radius. You also cannot just stuck some random pebbles into the forge and get a decent piece of metal that you can actually make something with, Steven Universe. It doesn't work like that, Steven Universe.

Anvils are really fucking heavy. Nothing else to add here.

Making jewelry is not a blacksmithing thing unless you want jewelry made of steel. And it will be very ugly if you try. Blacksmithing wasn't invented to make small things.

If there's anything here I didn't mention, just ask and I'll do my best to answer.