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novlr · 1 year

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How to write charming characters

With both positive and negative aspects to their personalities, charming characters can be difficult to write convincingly.

Whether you're writing a romantic love interest or a compelling con man, here are some examples for giving your charming characters depth.

How do they behave?

Attentive listeners: they pay close attention to people around them

Take pride in their appearance

Are happy to share personal space

Speak with a strong voice and an energetic tone

Are often hospitable and give off an air of welcome

Always give the impression that they are happy to see you

Demonstrate empathy

How do they interact?

Have a firm handshake and make strong eye contact

Are often encouraging

Compliment freely

Use humour to create a fun atmosphere

Communicate physically (through touch and gesture)

Make a point of using a person's name

Initiate conversations

Describe their body language

Have a relaxed stance with a straight and confident posture

Inclusive and attentive

Mirroring: they will mirror the body language of the person they are interacting with

Will lean forward to show attention

Lightly touch to create connection

A slight head tilt to show interest

Rarely cross their arms or legs

Maintain eye contact

Describe their attitude

Carefree

Good sense of humour

Friendly and playful

Self-aware

Opinionated and confident

Exhude an impression of honesty

Good intuition

Highly social

Polite and respectful

Eager to please

Potentially manipulative

The positive aspects of charm

Charming characters put people at ease, praise them freely, and boost their confidence. They make friends easily, talk their way to favourable resolutions, and are often the centre of attention.

They have impeccable grooming, conveying trustworthiness and concern for others, leading to a sense that they have your best interests at heart.

The negative aspects of charm

A charming character can manipulate others for personal gain. They can be overbearing, exerting their will on less confident individuals.

Their charm often draws focus, making others feel inferior, making them perfect for a protagonist to exhibit personal growth, or for a villain that a reader will fall in love with.

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2soulscollide · 1 year

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[FREE] Notion Template for WRITERS

hello hello, it's me again!

as you can read in the title, today I'm bringing you a FREE notion template where you can organize all your writing!

i've posted two of these before, however, I think this one is way better and more aesthetic. for now, I've picked the dark academia theme, but I'm thinking of bringing other versions of it such as cottage core, light academia, etc.

the real question is, what is inside the template?

main dashboard with a wide view of your novels, inspo, ideas, and resources you save to read later. also, there's a side column with your info and social media, where you can manage your follower count and see your growth!

novel management: a full menu with everything you need to write your novel (brainstorm, plot, synopsis, characters, scenes, world building and, of course, writing)

to-do list

playlist

gallery view of your characters

word count

snowflake method

character building template

let's see the template

(don't worry, you'll get the empty version)

get your template here!

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heywriters · 2 months

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I'm definitely going to downsize the account with the intent of eventually deleting it—Pinterest has been a thorn in my side for years. However, I do have some big collections of quotes, creative ideas, character face claims, and other things there that I feel are useful.

First collections to go will be the external links & resources since many are dead or weren't good to begin with. I will keep those up until end of this poll (week) for anyone who wants to fave them.

Collections on the immediate chopping block are linked below!

Also, in part, I would like to remove as much art from my inactive accounts as possible. I know I can't stop Big AI from scraping Pinterest, but I can at least not leave a ton of unprotected (and often uncredited) stuff out in the open. It's simply a sentimental thing at this point.

Save whatever you want and support the artists if you can!

#writing #writers on tumblr #writeblr #last chance #pinterest #poll #writing links #writer resources #writing poll #writing resources #writing inspiration

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nocoastposts · 19 days

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Free Editing Tool For Writers

I've shared this free word repetition checker with a few people, so I figured I'd make a post about it. It's a super convenient way to edit your works for repetition.

Instead of using Ctrl + F to find repetitive words, you just copy and paste your text into a box. This automatically generates a list of all words you've used.

You can also use their free phrase frequency counter to find repetitive phrases. Just select the number of words in a phrase you'd like to check for (I selected two for this example).

It's all pretty simple. I've used this tool for years for both professional and fic writing, and it's a true lifesaver. Enjoy!

#writer resources #writers of tumblr #writers #writeblr #writerscommunity #writers on tumblr #writing tips #fic writing

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inklore · 11 months

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—🍊. 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐀𝐔'𝐒 𝐎𝐔𝐓

this is not a writing challenge, this is just a list of summer au's that have been collecting dust in my google docs that i'm both sick of looking at, and also feel like for those who also really enjoy writing summery fics, could always use more inspiration or ideas for au's or scenario's (even if it's just smutty or fluffy blurbs).

please make note that anyone can use these for any fandom or character. it's literally for everyone, for whatever ship, gender, or verse. no one owns au's and everyone makes them their own and writes differently. so please do with the content below as you wish!!

you don't gotta tag me if you use one but would i love to read your beautiful work? hell yeah so feel free to if ya feel like it.

i separated each into categories + some might have added context or prompts because i have zero self control and like to be extra and add ideas onto things lmao.

hopefully someone finds these fun and helpful, happy writing my loves <3

LOCATION.

beach

ocean

ice cream parlor

lake town

ranch

summer camp

summer school

island

boat

fishing town

resort

the woods

national park

public pool

destination wedding

renaissance fair

lake house

bar

theme park

capecod

italy

winery / vinyards

country club

cruise ship

concert

RELATIONSHIP BASED.

brothers best friend ('unfortunately' spending the summer with your family)

neighbors au

exes back for the summer

bodyguard au (character a has to follow around reader whose some princess/rich girl on a vacation, bonus points if she's supposed to be on lockdown but refuses to stay at the hotel, even more bonus points if her parents sent her on this vacation as a rehabilitation for her bad habits)

best friends dad (you're spending the summer with your bestie and god her dads hot as hell)

mermaid x human

frat boy x good girl (last minute studying together before summer break, or maybe the frat is throwing a big grad party and reader decides to let loose for the first time in forever)

frat boy x sorority girl (it's giving rich hoes who can't stand each other who get caught doing something and have to do community service with each other alllll summerrrrr long, can you think of anything worse?!)

sitcom stars (they're both on some summer love show but fall for each other instead, or you're two celebs supposed to be fake dating on some mtv drama show in palm springs but you actually fall for each other)

park ranger x someone who thought going camping alone would be fun but oh shit i know nothing about the wilderness au

ex-best friends ex (a summer love but put revenge and 'we're only fucking because this friend screwed me over and it'll really show them' au anyone??)

lifeguard x parent au (or you saved my life let me repay you wink wink)

dads best friend

house sitter x house owner (or neighbor, or family member who came home early and wtf are you doing here and who are you?? or even the old i asked the neighbor to watch our house but also my wife wink wink)

babysitter who tags along on vacation with the family au

fake dating (for the summer)

friends to lovers was made for summer au's!!!

superhero x vigilante (nightly meet ups to keep the streets safe)

friends with benefits but only for the summer au

painter x muse

body found on beach x person who found them (+ the added bonus of the two of them working together to figure out wtf happened and how they got there)

sugar baby x sugar whathaveyou (free vacation? hell yeah)

roommates (renting a room for summer what could go wrong)

tour guide / local x tourist

camp counselor x parent of camper

friend group on a drama filled vacay au

the only single people at this resort for couples au

sad housewife x pool boy

DARK THEMED.

cult au

slasher au

hitchhiking gone wrong (or right)

monster au (summer is the perfect time to go exploring for the monster in the woods or the lake, ocean even, obviously)

haunted house au

ghost hunting au

hunter x prey (bonus points if they don't know they're being hunted until it's too late)

safe house au (gone wrong)

kidnapping au (it's giving 365 days but less shitty ok)

stranded au (on an island, in a creepy town, etc)

bestie's trip gone wrong au (the innocent looking guys at the pool who are gorgeous are actually super shitty and deadly omg, or the couple in the hotel room next to us are insane wow, or someone is killing us off...but it's someone within the friend group)

stuck in an abandoned amusement park au

INSPIRED BY.

grease au

dirty dancing au

x au (70s-80s pornstars au + added slasher element if ya wanna make it dark)

daisy jones & the six / rocker au (summer tour anyone?)

the white lotus (cheating au?? a couple hoping a vacation will fix their marriage, maybe even the whole shitty husband leaves you there and you fall for one of the resort workers)

50 first dates au (but make it 'i bet i can make you fall in love with me by the end of summer)

jurassic park au

i know what you did last summer au

friday the 13th au

the final girls au (aka you end up in your favorite movie and have to find your way out with a side of 'oh shit there's my fav character what if i stayed and made them fall in love with me instead', or go full final girls au and you're stuck in a cult horror movie and have to survive the night to get out of it)

outer banks / goonies au

schitt's creek au

romeo and juliet (1996) au

mama mia au (the prequeal tho aka boning a bunch of people and omg i'm pregnant who is the baby daddy tho??)

overboard au

OCCUPATIONS.

naturalist

farmers market vender

dog walker / dog sitter

dive bar singer

surfer

swim instructor

vet

journalist

camp counselor

author

cowboy

undercover pi

contractor

car wash attendant

lifeguard

gardener / landscaper

summer intern

tour guide

tutor

nanny

theme park owner

bartender

house sitter

summer farmhand

golf course caddy

sign-holder

movie theatre worker

uber driver

wedding photographer

hotel receptionist

RANDOM.

heatwave (how ever will we stay cool?)

shipwreck / stranded on an island au

rainstorm / hurricane au (stuck inside oh no what will we do??)

love triangle that shit

matchmaking au

love letters in a bottle au

drunken karaoke

kissing in the rain is top tier

workaholic letting loose au

(illegal) car racing au

road trip au

#feel free to add to this list if you wish #writing prompts #writer resources #fic au's #prompts #fic resources #au's #writing reference #fic help #resources !

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frenchkisstheabyss · 8 months

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✨ cutesy dividers because why not? ✨

I figured I'd try out making some dividers that give some fluffy, sweet vibes so, as usual, if you see something you like, take it my loves.

#aesthetic dividers #dividers #line dividers #separators #post dividers #cutesy shit #fluff #fan fic author #fan fic writing #fan fic stuff #writer help #writer resources #fic writing

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hayatheauthor · 1 year

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How To Write Mythical Creatures Without Sounding Redundant

Mythical creatures are an essential part of literature. Whether it be fantasy, romance, or horror, they are often used as plot devices or notable characters in various different genres due to the familiarity of their myths, which can often draw the readers in. However, authors often forget about the liberty they possess when writing with mythical creatures and stick to a redundant narrative or tropes that can bore a reader.

If you’re a writer working on a piece with mythical creatures, here are some tips on how to write mythical creatures without sounding redundant.

Do Your Research

Writing with a mythical creature is akin to writing with a character created by another person (like you would in fanfiction). While writers can choose to ignore any sort of backstory or myths established by the original creator, it’s essential to do your research in order to ensure your readers aren’t underwhelmed or annoyed by your inaccurate representation.

Researching your mythical creatures also gives you the freedom to twist and turn their myths to your liking. For example, the Japanese Kitsune are foxes that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wiser.

According to yōkai folklore, all foxes have the ability to shapeshift into human form. This backstory could be twisted and instead used as a werewolf–esque lore for a character. Maybe they’re an old Kitsune or ancient Inari and can shift between fox and human.

If you never research the creatures you’re writing with, you run the risk of not knowing what you’re working with which could lead to accidentally offending the community the creature stems from or even backlash from your readers.

It’s important to realise that unlike everything else about your book, mythical creatures weren’t created by you thus if you choose to use their name and mythology you should respect their stories and at the very least know what type of a creature you’re writing with.

Combine Their Story With Yours

There is a big difference between establishing a mythical creature’s backstory and completely committing to it while writing. Yes, you need to do your research and know your mythical creature’s back story, however, once you establish this you now have the creative freedom to use their lore and myths and essentially customise them to your story.

Not every vampire shines like diamonds in the sunlight, but Edward certainly did. Thor definitely wasn’t blond or as benevolent in the original mythologies, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love Marvel’s Thor either.

If we take my earlier example into account, technically, most foxes seen by humans are weak and possess only one tail which is why they cannot shapeshift, thus the werewolf lore wouldn’t really work for a Kitsune. However, as a writer, you’re given the creative liberty to combine their lore with your story in order to create your desired character.

This ties into the importance of researching your mythical creatures. After all, how would you know what you are or aren’t changing if you never looked into those creatures?

Establish A Reason, And Stick To It

It’s important to know why you decided to write with this mythical creature in the first place. What makes them the right choice for your book? What is their significance to your plot? Would you be able to attain the same result you need if the creature was swapped for a different one?

Once you have established a concrete reason for why you want to write with this mythical creature, go on to see how this will tie into your plot. Maybe your side character is secretly a vampire which helps the main character since they won’t be wounded in battle easily and can go undercover to spy on the antagonists.

You need to know how your mythical creature’s background benefits your plot. And if it doesn’t, then maybe consider why you need to use this mythical creature in the first place.

Know Where You’re Going

You need to know where your mythical creature is going to end up at the end of your book so that you can leverage their mythology to your advantage. Using the previous example, your vampire could nearly go back to the protagonist with the important information but then get a stake in their heart and cloned by a Kitsune to give the antagonists the upper hand.

You can also use their lore as plot devices or easter eggs to move your plot along. A Kirin could be used to show the birth of a new era at the start of the book but be found dead near the end to symbolise the beginning of a war. They don’t necessarily have to be mentioned at any other point in your book, but the mythological significance of such a moment would help convey your message for you.

If you are unsure where your mythical creature will end up at the end of your book, you could take a look at how their story ended in their lore. This would especially work well for characters such as gods or cacodemons.

I hope this blog on how to write mythical creatures without sounding redundant 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.

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the-slumberparty · 1 year

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Rewriting your work!

Ever think of turning a fic into an original work? Or maybe you just want to revive and old WIP. Check out the following with tips on rewriting drafts and manuscripts.

Rewriting and Editing

How to Rewrite Your Novel

Try These 7 Smart Rewrite Tricks To Build Epic Writing Skills

The 6 Best Ways to Rewrite Your Book

How to Rewrite: 7 Tips for Strong Rewrites

#writer resources #writing resources #rewriting #original work #navy and roo sleepover #navy and roo's sleepover

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spnfanficpond · 2 months

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Monthly prompt: Sky and Water.

Your fic must include both elements! (Moodboard is not necessary but can be an inspiration!)

Feel free to share with us your creation! We’ll be more than happy to reblog it!!!

#monthly prompts #spn fanfic #writer resources #fan fiction

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superbwritersroom · 26 days

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You enter a room, and it's full of people just like you.

Well, not just like you - not all look or sound like you, and more likely than not, you'll have different opinions and outlooks on things. But the shared passion oozing out of them all, the relatable issues and road blocks being discussed, and the posters on the wall of the men and women from the show you're all obsessed with tells you you're in the right place.

This, is the room full of writer's - just like you.

Some are just beyond the windows that line one side of the room - natural light babes, inside & outside. There's the dark and moody lit space too. A couple at desks, some are on the floor, couches or squishy chairs. Some have turned a corner into what appears to be a fully functioning coffee shop, another a library. Some are smoking, others are staring at the ceiling and crying. Many are laughing and talking together. Quite a few are hosting more than three different kind of beverages at their work stations. Almost all are snacking.

One girl, who's half a bag deep in Salt & Vinegar chips, sees you, and she smiles, before shouting: You're here!

She bounds up to greet you, and begins to tell you all about this magical place you've entered.

Excuse the mess, the pencil and eraser shavings and crumpled up pieces of paper are kind of a hazard of the job, you know?

Hopefully the sound doesn't bother you? Some people have the silent keyboards and some have the really clacky type-writer ones. Maybe invest in some headphones? Or if you like sound, that one over there has been playing the exact same song on repeat for two weeks, we have a bet going for how long she'll last. And that one? Well, they're about to - ah, yup don't worry they're just screaming at the blank Google Doc. It happens.

Well, here's your spot. Right there's a map for the lay of the land, sure you'll get the hang of it quick, but don't hesitate to reach out if you're lost or have questions - just drop something in the Mailbox.

You're a writer! Congrats, kid!

She starts to walk away and then backtracks, pointing a finger as she corrects herself:

not kid. Cause we're 18+ here.

And with a peace sign, she's off. And you're in the writer's room. What will you do first?

Taylor's Challenges

the masterlists for any challenges taylor has hosted herself

Community Challenges

the masterlists for any challenges put on by other blogs in the fandom that taylor has participated in/read

Writing Challenges 🧡

any writing challenges taylor comes across, whether she's participating or not, are reblogged with the tag:

writing challenges 🧡

General Tags for Resources:

writing prompts 🧡

encouragement 🧡

inspiration 🧡

writing advice 🧡

quotes 🧡

music 🧡

memes 🧡

non-writing resources 🧡

#superb writer's room 🧡#stranger things fanfiction #stranger things #writing things #writer resources

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prompt-heaven · 8 months

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100 different AUs

academic au

alien au

alpha/beta/omega au

amnesia au

apocalypse au

artist au

arranged marriage au

assassin au

athlete au

babysitter/nanny au

bakery au

bartender au

billionaire au

bodyguard au

bodyswap au

bookstore au

bounty hunter au

brother's best friend/dad's best friend au

camgirl au

camp counselor au

chef au

circus au

coffee shop au

cowboy au

cult au

dark au

deserted island au

dog walker au

dystopian au

enemies to lovers/rivals au

fairy tale au

fake relationship au

fantasy au

farm au

firefighter au

fisherman au

flower shop au

friends with benefits au

ghost au

grocery store au

guardian angel au

haunted house au

historical au

hitchhiker au

holiday au

hospital au

hunter/prey au

kidnapping au

law enforcement au

library au

lifeguard au

lumberjack au

mafia/mob au

maid/butler au

magic au

master/slave au

mechanic au

mermaid au

model au

modern au

monster au

mundane au

music store au

neighbour au

office/coworker au

paranormal investigator au

pen pal au

pirate au

prison au

private detective au

reincarnation au

road trip au

rockstar au

roommate au

royalty au

scientist au

sex worker au

single parent au

slasher au

soulmates au

space au

spy au

stalker au

stepcest au

street racer au

sugar daddy au

superhero au

surfer au

tattoo artist au

teacher/professor/tutor au

time travel au

treasure hunter au

undercover au

vampire/werewolf au

veterinarian au

vigilante au

wedding planner au

western au

witch au

yandere au

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novlr · 10 months

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How do you set a scene without overusing visual descriptions?

Practical Tips to Show, Don’t Tell

Show, don’t tell is probably the most common writing advice any author will ever receive. Instead of explicitly telling readers what is happening or how characters are feeling, showing allows them to experience the story firsthand. It’s good advice, and important for writers to take to heart, but sometimes it can be difficult to get the balance right. Here are some practical tips to show, don’t tell:

Set the scene

To really immerse your readers in your story, you want them to feel as if they’re in it – experiencing the world you’ve built. By writing about how characters perceive and interact with their surroundings, you’ll draw your readers in.

Examples:

Telling: It was winter, and the water was cold.

Showing: I hunched my shoulders up, burrowing deeper into my coat as my heavy boots crunched through the thin ice forming at the water’s edge.

Keep up the pace

Excess scene description will almost always bring your narrative pacing to a screeching halt. Instead of describing the scene every time, describe your characters’ actions within it.

Examples:

Telling: The lake was frozen and the trees were covered in snow.

Showing: My heart pounded as I almost lost my balance on the ice beneath my feet. I ducked and weaved my way home, dodging the snow that the howling wind shook loose from the treetops above me.

Keep your language descriptive, but simple

When it comes to show, don’t tell, it can be easy to fall into the trap of over-describing. Language that is too flowery or over the top can be just as bad as telling. You want to set a scene, not explain it to death.

Examples:

Too much: The azure-blue lake glinted like diamonds under a glittering sun that shone like a lightbulb in the darkness.

Just right: The sun reflected off the ice brightly, highlighting the deep blue of the water beneath it.

Create a sense of character

The way a character speaks and acts can be the perfect way to show your readers who they are and set a scene without over-describing it. For example, you can use body language, like gestures and posture to reveal a character’s emotions or attitude in a way you can’t reveal by simply describing the scene. Sometimes an intricate description of the location is not as important as how the character feels in the moment

Examples:

Telling: The room was the same as he remembered as a child, with its red carpets, brown-papered walls, high ceilings, and huge wooden table propped in front of large bay windows. It made him anxious.

Showing: He shuffled anxiously to the table overlooking the garden, his mind heavy with the weight of childhood memories.

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gal-palanaeum · 7 months

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Writer info! How to add to the Collection

There are a few housekeeping things to offer as we enter the last week of the femslash fest. For those who are familiar with ao3 basics:

Upload your fic to ao3 anytime before the 26th! Just make sure to gift your fic to your giftee if their ao3 handle is in their bio, and add your fic to the Cosmere Femslash Fest 2023 Collection. This Collection is currently Unrevealed, which means your fic will stay hidden from everyone until it is revealed on the 26th.

For those who are unfamiliar with ao3 or need a refresher–once you have created your ao3 account and written a fic, this is what to do:

In ao3, go to your dashboard and click “post new”.

Give your fic the appropriate rating, warnings, and tags (Here’s a comprehensive, searchable guide for how to use ao3 metatext)

Under “Post to Collections / Challenges”, type in Cosmere Femslash Fest 2023. That’s us!

Under “Gift this work to”, enter your giftee’s ao3 account name from their bio, if they provided one.

Enter your fic in html or richtext format. (Want a script that does the html formatting for you? Click here! Note that in the google doc it says “post to ao3” in a dropdown menu, but that’s a misnomer. It doesn’t actually post it, it just does the html formatting. You still have to copy and paste it into the box in ao3.)

Submit the fic, and you’re done! We will confirm with you that everything’s good to go.

Upload your fic whenever you're ready! The fic will stay hidden in the Collection until the reveal on the 26th. If you need help with anything, check out the links above. You can also send us an ask or DM me @cosmereplay.

#cosmere femslash fest 2023 #writer resources #writer check in #described

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sugoi-and-spice · 11 months

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Okay Hi again. I'm the Anon that made Dust Daddy Bible a thing. I wish to open the Dust Daddy Bible again and take a few new notes as I am curious if you can reveal some hcs about the Reader that once again has already been revealed/you wish to share? Maybe even some Hcs bout other characters like Spinner? Maybe some hcs that'll never see the light of day that you wish to share?

I'm also a bit curious on what inspired you to write PN and how does your general planning looks like for the series? I was inspired by you to start my own fanfic but alas...making hcs and an actual story is very hard and ends up in the dirty mostly white gutters fast.

Hey Anon! So glad to hear that my weird little Au fic inspired you!! I'm certainly happy to explain my inspiration and process a bit!

This took A LOT longer to write up than I anticipated, but I wanted to be thorough lol. So, in an effort to not make these novel of a post any longer than it needs to be, I'm just gonna answer the second half of your ask, rather than the headcanon stuff. But if you wanna re-ask that in a separate message I'll be happy to answer. ^_^

Alright, onto Spice's Fanfic Plotting 101!

So full disclosure: I get a lot of (if not most) of my ideas from other media and in some case other fanfics. For Play Nice, I was really inspired by the fic: The Danger Next Door by ratmonkey. I really liked that dynamic of the creepy forced friend with the popular girl and wanted to explore that in a one-shot. But of course, as I got writing, I ended up taking it in a completely different direction that I thought better suited the types of long-format stories I liked to tell and fit better in my writing style. And they went in two wildly different directions.

I'd never be ashamed of that idea origin though -- and neither should any of you. If you decide that you want to write literally the plot of Titanic but with Jujutsu Kaisen characters, fucking do it - it'll be original just on the basis that it'll be written by you. It's as the saying goes:

Good artists borrow, great artist steal.

So that's where the original idea came from. But as for expanding an idea into a full fic? Lately, I've been using the three following steps to do that:

1. Pilot.

2. Outline.

3. Schedule.

Self-explanatory right? No? Haha, well then--

So a pilot, in the way that I'm using the term, is the first episode of a tv show that serves as a prototype of a series. When a network likes a concept that they're pitched, they'll typically order a pilot episode to showcase the series' potential and gauge audience interest before committing to making a whole season.

This is essentially the same thing I do with a fanfic concept - a Pilot Phase. I write the idea as a one-shot or short multi-chapter fic, something that has a satisfying ending if I leave it as is, but that I could also expand on later. I measure how good or poor the response is as well as my own enjoyment and inspiration while writing, and if it's all great - I'll move forward into turning it into a longfic.

After that, I move into the Outline Phase. Outlining goes such a long way in keeping a fic consistent and motivated, imo. There are a lot of writers that start writing without any goal in mind, and then eventually burn out because they run out ideas. No shade to anyone who does btw! There are writers out there who can write without an outline and make something complete and amazing. And even those who do end up running out of ideas and abandoning a fic, fanfiction is all about fun at the end of the day. But for someone looking to break out of that habit and finish their long fics consistently and with quality, outlining and having a clear direction can really help mitigate these pitfalls.

Outlining can also work wonders for eliminating the ever-dreaded blank page. If I'm starting a chapter, even copy-and-pasting a word for word description like the following gives me something to work with:

"The beginning of MC and Shigaraki’s new routine. Bratty back and forths. Although by the end of it, Shigaraki decides that the time they have together is not enough and sets a new plan in motion."

And then I can expand and flourish the language from there, I'm not starting from nothing.

But of course, writing out a whole outline can be just as intimidating if not more so - after all, how do you go from a blank page to "here's all the plot!"? Well, this is why the Pilot and Outline Phases actually go hand and hand for me. Writing a Pilot/One-shot version when I'm first inspired by an idea means that when I start expanding it into a long fic, I'm also not starting from nothing! I already have a story or dynamic started, so it's a lot easier to build ideas and plot-points off of that, rather than just pulling a whole story out of thin air. They're very symbiotic.

Now, writing a good outline could easily be a whole giant post itself, and there's no one right way to do it. For me, I really like to use my outlines to track character arcs and different storylines. Play Nice has about four major different Plots and Sub-Plots going on that I label alphabetically and track in each episode.

Now as anyone that has read Play Nice can tell, these story beats are not necessarily all separate scenes or plotlines or anything - the A, B, & C Plot of this episode are all part of the same actual scene, but I still like to note them and the different effects that even one line of dialogue has on all these different plot points!

Identifying which story beats belong to which plot points helps me keep track of the progress of each one so that I don't write five chapters in a row just about Shigaraki and his relationship with AFO and suddenly realize "Oh shit! MC hasn't been in the story for like five chapters!" (Extreme example, but you get what I mean lol).

I also write out character guides and such in my outlines with the characters' wants, needs, and - in these AU fics - their alternate backstories. Crafting those things for a character however could, once again, be it's own whole post - but knowledge of Want vs Need and keeping character arcs in mind is what takes any piece of media to that next level, not just fanfic. :)

(You can find a great brief on Want vs Need here - welcome to Spice's film school friends xD)

One last note on outlines, is that you don't have to be beholden to them. I move around plot points I've outlined for earlier episodes into later episodes all the time. Play Nice was originally outlined as like a 15 chapter long-fic, but as the story has developed, that's obviously doubled (potentially tripled as I already brain-storm the sequel lolol). But yeah, Outlines are a map, not a bible.

So the Pilot and Outline phases make up the bulk of my patented fanfic process lol. But the icing on the cake that really keeps a fic moving for me is to keep a Schedule.

Full transparency if you didn't know already, I've worked professionally as a freelance writer for a little over three years now. And before that I got a BFA in Screenwriting. So I'm admittedly pretty used to having weekly deadlines for my creative writing now. My grades and rent have depended on it for 7+ years. There were absolutely weeks where, even on a project I loved, the absolute LAST fucking thing I wanted to do that week was write. But I had to push through if I wanted to get paid.

By setting the same type of schedule and expectations for myself, I'm able to hold myself accountable and force my way through even the worst writer's block. There's no real other trick to this one, I'm sorry to say. You just need to set a doable schedule and stick to it.

Now, I am fully aware of the irony of me stressing the importance of schedule right when Play Nice is in a bit of a slowdown - but I am only human. And while I have switched to a monthly posting schedule, I do still keep a similar writing schedule: I try to finish at least a rough draft of a chapter every two weeks. It just takes me a lot longer to edit the chapters now because they're so freaking long these days.

And, you know, this isn't my job. I write fanfic to have fun and explore ideas and themes that I don't necessarily want connected to my personal brand (*cough* Non-Con & Problematic Relationships *cough*), as well as to write for fun without the worry of whether or not an idea is sellable. If any of you do decide to take these tips and tricks for yourself, please remember to keep having fun and not put too much pressure on yourself!

(Also, a little Step 2.5: I try to have at least two chapters - preferably three or four - written past what I'm posting that week. For example, Chapter 20 is the last chapter I uploaded, but I'm actively writing the rough draft for Chapter 23 at the moment. I write in little arcs essentially, that way I can switch out moments between episodes and make edits to keep them all connected).

So, yeah! That's more or less my process! There's a lot more I could say but this post is already way too long, so if you have any follow-ups please feel free to send them in. Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk lol. I hope it was helpful for some of you and not just super lecture-y and pretentious. 😅 At the end of the day, whether you write a one-shot or a long fic, finish or abandon it, the fact that you put your ideas into existence is amazing.

¡Adiós!

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