Hello, I'm not sure if it's just me but I can't seem to read ur ask policies. The link just sends me here.

Are you using the Tumblr app? Unfortunately, most links don't seem to work with the app. (It's an absolute garbage app...)

You can access any of my links on mobile by pressing down on the link with your finger so that it copies to your clipboard. Then go to your browser app (Google, for example) and paste the URL into the browser. This will bring up the relevant page.

I'm not sure what else I can do at this point. The tumblr app has unfortunately made WQA more and more difficult to run. With the majority of users now using the garbage app and having no access to the main site or any links hosted there, my options will be to spend time answering the same questions over and over and over again (which will put my turnaround time from the current two weeks to about three months) or I can just outright delete questions that I've already answered even though people have no way to access those old answers because they're on the garbage tumblr app.

I really have no idea what to do, but every time it comes up it makes me just want to close WQA down for good.

*** But, I will do some further troubleshooting on this to see if there is a workaround or if a new theme would solve the problem. Just know that it will put me another week (so three weeks) out in turnaround time. As much as I wish I could dedicate my entire day to this blog, I can't. If I have to spend my question answering time fixing the blog, it puts me behind.

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

*** The Tumblr mobile app is a dumpster fire. If you're using it, you will not be able to access my links unless you press on the link, copy it to your clipboard, and paste it into your browser.

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Trouble with Act III and Villain Motivation

feelingthedisaster asked: I have some issues with my current WIP. The basics are: a guy wants to be a "soldier" (not exactly, but I won't get into worldbuilding), but because he's an outcast he's blamed for the theft of an object that goes missing. He learns about a witch who can help him find the object and they go on a mission to find it, but he learns it was the witch who stole it because she was bored and accepted the job to hang out with people. Here are my concerns:

[Ask edited for length]

Issue #1 - I feel the witch's motivation is not strong enough. There is backstory explaining her loneliness and wanting to have friends, but stealing an object to go on a bogus mission and hang out with someone doesn't feel realistic.

You could definitely go a little bit further to bolster this motivation. Since you mention using Save the Cat!, and since the witch sounds like she might be a redeemable villain, have you considered. her "shard of glass" (psychological wound) that's driving her? What happened in her past that makes her feel like she isn't worthy of making friends in the usual way? Fleshing that out and building upon it creates a little more logic to why she would go so far out of her way just to get some companionship.

Issue #2 - My plot sucks. Act I - the solider gets kicked out, Act II - he and the witch go on the bogus mission and he finds out she's the true thief, Act III - I have no idea. It feels shitty, boring, and I wouldn't want to read this. Honestly, I just want to write my characters and made up plot so it would make sense, but I don't like the plot.

Well, looking at Save the Cat!, in Act III you need to solve the problems created in Act II. In other words, we need to look back at your story's midpoint... what was the false victory or false defeat? How did things get progressively worse or progressively better for the hero after that? In what way was the hero pushed to rock bottom? Based on what you've laid out for me, I feel like a good route to go (if you haven't already) is for there to be a false victory toward the end of Act II, perhaps where the witch--sensing that the hero is losing faith in her ability to help him find the object--tells him they're really close. They've almost got it. Then, as the "bad guys close in" moment, maybe (because they've grown close), she admits that she was the one who stole the object in the first place and promises to take him to it. But... ALL IS LOST! They get to where she'd hidden the object and it's gone! Now neither one of them have the object! At the end of Act II is the hero's "dark night of the soul" where he has to contemplate everything that's happened so far... getting kicked out, finding the witch and trusting her to lead him to the object, growing close to the witch, being betrayed by the witch (she's the true thief). And maybe he even really hurts her feelings by ditching her because he's so mad. This guy has hit rock bottom...

So, your "Break into III" is the moment where your character realizes what he must do to fix everything... First, realizing he can sympathize with the witch and forgive her, he must find her and accept her apology and apologize to her, too. Next, he figures out what happened to the object and how they can get it back. And finally, he realizes how he can get accepted back into whatever he was kicked out of without causing problems for the witch. So, Act III will be him realizing all of this, finding the witch, convincing her to listen to his apology and accepting her apology, telling her what he figured out about who stole the object from her--and how they can get it back, strategizing that plan, executing that plan, facing off against whoever took the object from the witch and getting it back once and for all, then returning the object to its rightful owners and proving that he didn't steal the object. (And, maybe they can blame whoever stole it from the witch to keep the witch from getting into trouble?) And then maybe the hero gets reinstated, or maybe he chooses to go off with the witch on more adventures. It's up to you. And it doesn't have to be any of this exactly, but hopefully it gives you some ideas for what else you can do.

I want to change the entire plot but I don't know how. On top of everything else, my chapters are short.

Well, hopefully now that I've shown you how much more your second and third acts can be, you won't need to change your plot. I think you already have everything here for a great story. You just needed to flesh things out a little bit more. Hopefully this helps you get there.

As far as your short chapters, I just answered another ask about that. Chapters are either a single scene or a group of 2-3 related scenes. So, when your chapters are too short, it's usually because your scenes aren't accomplishing everything they need to. This post goes into detail about that, so hopefully that will help!

Happy writing!

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Do you have any advice for coming up with titles? I'm having trouble with thinking of one that works, I'm thinking of having mine be like a word or a few that mean something else within the story, and you find it out later as you read. Something to do with the power of friendship/love, or following your heart. But I'm not very knowledgable when it comes to etymology, or even just made up words that could have multiple meanings. I don't want it to sound too cheesy or obvious either, something mysterious and poetic.

Coming Up with a Book/Story Title

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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Hi! I am writing a story and planned the basic locations such as rooms it will be set, but I'm struggling with how to connect them. It will be set in a castle but I don't seem to be able to make a full map for the place, so I wanted to ask if you have any tip regarding this? For example how can I describe the scenery and scenes in a way people can imagine it, but don't have the problems when I say another newer information in connection to how something looks/placed which can destroy someones view completely that they'll need to reimagine it.

Fleshing Out Castle Layout

It sounds like you need to do some research on castle layouts. There are many castle layouts available online, but you may want to start with looking at real castles that match the type of castle you're imagining, then see if you can find a layout online for it. Knowing the proper names for different rooms and how they're usually laid out will help you tremendously.

Also, it's important not to get too bogged down with describing your location. Readers will never imagine exactly what you're imagining, no matter how much effort you put into the description. Your goal as a writer is to create a sense of place by giving them a few details that allow them to create their own interpretation of the setting in a way that works with what needs to happen. (See: The 3 Fundamental Truths of Description)

Happy writing!

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Ok I have a bit of a specific question about pacing. When Im writing, the story flows naturally enough but when im rereading it, it feels too choppy (?) Like, the scenes feel like they’re happening too fast one after the other, the sentences feel too disjointed. Ik i shouldn’t be too harsh on my first drafts, but I’m not entirely sure how to edit it either. Thanks so much, you’re blog is super helpful btw!! <33

(Not me rereading this ask to see if it’s badly paced XD)

Struggling with 1st Draft Pacing

Scenes happen one after the other... that's how scenes work. :) So, that in and of itself isn't an issue. But if you find every single one of your scenes are consistently long, short, or otherwise the same length, it might be an issue.

Ultimately, all that matters is that each scene does the work it needs to do. Scenes are sort of like mini stories. They should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. They should create or advance conflict/story elements, develop characters or setting/world, deliver important information such as back story or off-page events, or some combination of the above.

So, looking at each of your scenes, ask yourself the following questions:

-- What is the character trying to accomplish in this scene, and how does that move the story forward or give the reader critical information?

-- What is my goal for this scene as a writer? What do I want the reader to take away from this scene as they head into the next scene?

-- What is the central conflict of this scene? Or in other words, what are the opposing elements that create a question for the reader? (For example, which belief will the character choose to stick with? Who will win the argument or fight? Will the character get the thing they're after? What will the character do since a thing is being denied to them?)

-- What would happen if you removed this scene from the story? Would the plot still work? Would the reader still know what they need to know in order to understand the story?

Your answers to these questions will help you better understand whether or not the scene could be doing more, what more it could be doing, and maybe even whether or not the scene can be cut.

Once you make sure you're writing strong, necessary scenes that pull their weight in the story, you should find that your pacing improves. You may still end up needing to tweak the pacing (see: Exposition, Action, and Dialogue, and How to Pace Your Story; Slowing the Pace within a Chapter, and Pacing Feels Too Fast for more help.)

Happy writing!

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I'm trying to improve my writing and feel confused and worry over my punctation. Especially when it comes to dialogue tags and the use of semi-colons. They've always confused me. Is it alright to use a simile after a diagloue tag? So for example: "Of course I like ice-cream," he replies, like the answer was obvious.

Worried About Punctuation

Don't stress too much about punctuation. The whole reason we edit, polish, and have proof readers and editors is because being a writer doesn't necessarily mean you have a flawless grasp on punctuation.

Things you can do to improve your punctuation as you write:

-- use built-in punctuation checker in your writing program -- stop and Google the rule you're not sure about -- highlight/note the rule you're not sure about and check later -- ask someone who might know

Things you can do to improve your punctuation after writing:

-- Google things you're not sure about as you self-edit -- Use Strunk & White's or other punctuation book for help -- Use program like Grammarly or Pro-Writing Aid to edit -- Ask an eagle-eyed/educated friend to proofread for you -- Hire a proofreader or editor

Things you can do to learn better punctuation:

-- Google rules you're not sure about and fix yourself -- Read a punctuation guide like the one at Grammarly -- Purchase a punctuation book or workbook -- Watch punctuation explanation videos on YouTube

One last thing... just so you know, "like the answer was obvious" is not a simile. A simile is not any sentence containing "like" but rather a sentence comparing two seemingly unalike things using the words "like" or "as."

In the sentence "like the answer was obvious," nothing is being compared to something else. Rather, the sentence is saying "as though the answer was obvious."

Examples of a simile:

-- Her cheeks were like red tomatoes. -- His gaze was cold as ice. -- He was like a king peering out at his waiting subjects. -- The tension was thick as Aunt Betty's day-old brownies.

Having said that, yes, you can absolutely follow a dialogue tag with a simile:

-- "Of course I like ice-cream," he replies, his gaze cold as the scoop of mint chocolate chip on his cone.

And, you can also follow a dialogue tag with anything relevant to the dialogue:

-- "Of course I like ice-cream," he replies, like the answer was obvious.

I hope that helps!

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How do you decide how much of the mundane/obvious to include and what to skip over? Like, if plot point A is Monday night and point B is the next day, how much of waking up, etc, is too much? It feels strange if I don't describe it all but I don't want to clog my story

How Much Mundane/"Everyday" to Include in Story

Here's the thing... we all live in the world and function in it, to some degree or another, every single day. We understand all the mundane everyday things that go into existing, like waking up, taking a shower, brushing our teeth, doing our hair, getting dressed, etc. We don't need to have that described to us just because that time passed in your story.

If scene three ends at 9pm Monday night, and the important plot point of scene four begins at 2pm on Tuesday afternoon, we don't need to see anything that happens between 9pm Monday and 2pm Tuesday unless it's somehow critical to our understanding of what happens at 2pm. Even then, we may not need to actually "see" it... it could be something filled in via exposition or dialogue.

Ultimately, every scene should start close to the interesting thing that's going to happen in the scene. How far before that thing depends on what it is and what groundwork needs to be laid out ahead of time, but mundane life things are rarely part of that ground work. You might include it once in a while because it's showing what your character's home life is like, or your character is using that time to process what happened the night before. But before you include the mundane stuff, ask yourself what it's accomplishing. If you can take it out without hurting the reader's understanding of the plot, characters, or world, it doesn't need to be there. :)

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Hi! Do you have any tips on what to do when you get stuck on the small details when writing? I love writing when I get in the flow, but when I'm writing during a dry day and I get stuck on trying to find the perfect word to fit, I can't move past it and I get distracted instead because I lose focus. I know as a first draft, I should not get stuck; but it feels like if I don't find the word now, then by the time the second draft comes along; I wont remember what I was trying to say and lost a chunck of impact. Do you haveany tips that could help to not get stuck in the moment, but still allow one to revisit the point for fixing?

Avoid Getting Stuck During First Draft

It's not that you shouldn't get stuck during the first draft. It's just that you should try not to get stuck on things that aren't ultimately important to the first draft.

So, word choice for example... if you come to a point where you need a particular word, and you don't know that word--or don't know the perfect synonym for that word--just put in a placeholder with the word you know or a short description of what you're trying to say. For example:

Kiera perched carefully at the edge of the [word that means "rocks sticking out from a cliff's edge] and gazed into the distance.

You can put this in brackets but also bold it, highlight it, or use a different font color so that you don't miss it when you're doing your revision.

Placeholders work for all sorts of things, not just word choice. You can use placeholders for information you don't know or haven't figured out yet:

Kiera pulled out her [some sort of futuristic binoculars that allow her to see miles and miles out... maybe some kind of infrared, too, showing lifeforms] and scanned the horizon.

Characters:

It had been more than three moons since she'd seen [MMC], and she wasn't sure she'd see him again.

Places:

Twenty years back, Kiera had done a mission in [Desert City] with Tazmin.

Special Details to be researched:

Tazmin investigated her wound. The blade had [some sort of superficial cut that is bleeding but wouldn't require stitches] Kiera's arm.

And so on. Really, anything that you don't know right now and can spend time figuring out later.

Placeholders allow you to keep writing when you're in writing mode, so that you can make progress without constantly losing steam to look things up and figure things out.

I hope that helps!

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I don't understand why other people's fanfictions are so good, but mine are so bad. I think I'm making a mistake somewhere but I don't know where.

The fiction written by others are very good, but when I read my own writing, I feel like they are terrible.

Can I fix this feeling? (sorry for the bad english. )

Fan-Fiction: Feeling Inferior

It's very, very difficult to judge our own writing accurately. We can be our own worst critics or our own biggest fans. The reality is, we're often unable to see our own strengths and weaknesses. That said, just because you feel like your writing is terrible doesn't mean it is.

This is why it's so important to get other eyes on our fiction. That can be alpha readers, such as friends or family members who enjoy the source material, or you can sometimes find people online who are willing to beta and give you feedback. Either way, you need other people to be able to tell you where your story shines and where it needs more polish. That's the only way you can learn what you need to improve and what you already do well.

Outside of that, the best you can do is keep writing, keep learning about the craft of writing, and see if you can figure out what it is that the other stories are doing that you're not, then learn how to do those things. You will get more confident in your writing as time goes on! ♥

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So, say you have a story idea. The development is going well, you have your characters, etc… but when you try to actually start your outline, it’s like it all suddenly turns to static. It suddenly just isn’t understandable and you can’t get it out of your brain and onto paper - and you’ve tried all sorts of methods to outline before. You can’t figure out the plot fully if you can’t get it out of your head which is proving to be a frustrating task. That’s the issue I’m having right now, and I’d love some suggestions or ideas on how to combat it.

Struggling to Outline Story

You have a story idea... and you say "the development is going well" but all you mention is characters. You might have a general premise, developed characters, and a fleshed out setting... but do you have a plot? Does your plot revolve around conflict? Do you know the goal your characters will have to reach in order to resolve that conflict, the plan they'll follow in an attempt to reach that resolution, what obstacles they must overcome along the way, and who/what is responsible for putting their obstacles in place? Do you know what plot points are typical in the type of story you want to tell?

If you don't know all of the above, that's probably why you're having a difficult time outlining.

Here are some previous posts that should help:

Plot Driven vs Character Driven Stories Understanding Goals and Conflict How to Move a Story Forward Basic Story Structure Finding a Story in Characters and Setting

Happy writing!

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Non-Magical & Magical Romance

Anonymous asked: How can we write couples from different worlds metaphorically and literally? I know it's up to me, but how can I write that they want to keep meeting? She's a non-witch and quite despises magical people (who have no contact with the normal world.) Why would they be interested in each other? Why would they want to meet again?

[Ask edited for length]

I'm not sure what you're asking when you want to know how to write a couple "metaphorically" and "literally." Maybe symbolism vs portrayal? No idea, but we'll get to that in a moment. :)

When people are writing an "opposites attract" type romance and say "I have no idea why they would keep meeting" I know there's something critical missing from their story: a conflict.

Stories revolve around conflict, which is a problem in your character's heart and mind, or a problem in their world, and sometimes both. When you're writing an "opposites attract" romance, the conflict needs to be something that causes their first interaction, then keeps them interacting afterward.

So:

1 - What can happen to the woman that causes her to go to a place where she would run into the magical guy? For example, maybe she loses something or something happens that forces her to go looking for an item or information.

2 - What is the guy doing that causes him to be in the place, at the right time, to run into the woman, and what does what he's doing have to do with why the woman is there?

3 - How does the guy's situation cause him to want to get involved in the lady's situation? How do their situations intersect in a complimentary way, even if the people themselves are opposites?

4 - What goal must they both try to reach in order to resolve their individual conflicts? What plan can they create that forces them to work together toward this resolution?

As they interact, they'll start to get to know each other and bond, which will start to make their opposing positions less of a problem.

As for portraying them metaphorically and literally... assuming you're referring to symbolism (as I can't think of another option), you can think about the themes that embody their opposing situations (magical vs non-magical), the themes surrounding the unique relationship that develops (unlikely friendship, forbidden love, opposites attract) and start to look for symbols that reflect these themes and tropes. Then work these into your stories where they make sense. For example, maybe the magical guy has a beloved dog and cat who are very close, and that would be symbolic of the "opposites attract" theme/trope.

Happy writing!

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I'm having trouble deciding what weapon to give my character in a way that would suit their personality, fighting style, and situation. Do you know any resources that can explain different weapons, how they'd be used in battle and out, and whatever else?

Matching Weapon to Character

The weapons available to your character depend on when and where your story takes place, so a broad list of weapons would be too much data and not very relevant. For example, if your story is set in a futuristic city, they're probably not using maces, cannons, and battle axes. On the other hand, if your story is set in a fantasy world modeled after Ancient China, they're probably not using a flintlock, a cutlass, or bayonets.

Once you have a list of appropriate weapons, you can look at each one individually to learn how they were used, which will help you match to each character's fighting style and situation.

Happy writing!

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Hey there! I need some help and advice on not using 'as' all the time to join sentences when multiple things happen at once. I'm finding it everywhere in my story!

Eg. She opened the door as the monster turned the corner. The window rattled as the monster's footsteps stomped against the floor. A painting on the wall fell to the floor as the door slammed shut. etc.

How can I stop?

Over Reliance on "As" to Join Cause and Effect

Like so many things where writing is concerned, this is something you'll need to correct in revision, and then the more you do it in revision, the more naturally it will come to you as you write. So, for now, it's just a matter of rewording...

The monster turned the corner at the very moment she opened the door, the windows rattling with each stomp of its footsteps. She slammed the door shut again, and a painting on the wall fell to the floor.

She opened the door at the very moment the monster turned the corner. The windows rattled with each stomping footstep. Fear jolted through her, and she slammed the door shut, causing a painting to fall off the wall.

So... there's no magic to it. No trick. Just a matter of playing with the words. Moving things around, trying out different things, and arranging the words in a way that doesn't require the constant use of "as" or any other word that feels excessive.

It's something you can bear in mind as you write, but ultimately it's something you'll pay attention to when you revise. And the more time you spend revising sentences to eliminate "as" or other excessive words, the better you'll get at doing it when you're actually writing. :)

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Hello! Small question, how would one go on to portray panicked rambles? I have a character who is afraid of the dark who has to escape with his friend through a dark cave, but as I was trying to write his panicked pleadings, they came across as flat and rational due to how the dialoge is written. I tried to make it feel rushed by conjoing some of the words together, but it looked a bit odd to me. Do you have any tips?

Writing a Panicked Ramble

Some things to keep in mind:

1 - Make sure there's context for the panic. Whether you lay the foundation for that panic ahead of time, or have to build to it in the moment, it's important that the reader has context for why this character is panicked. Otherwise, something like, "This is fine, I'm okay, there's nothing lurking in the shadows..." just falls flat. Why is this person panicking about being in the dark cave? Are they afraid of what may be in the cave? Are they afraid due to a past bad experience in a cave--or maybe just in darkness? Do they have some underlying fears that are being triggered? Again, you can lay these out ahead of time or use dialogue and thought to explore them in the moment.

2 - Use thought, emotion, and physical cues to add dimension. Dialogue on its own, even with context, doesn't go as far as dialogue that is bolstered by the character's thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations and body language. "This is fine, I'm okay, there's nothing lurking in the shadows..." he chanted to himself as images of hungry cave bears and rabid bats played through his mind. Every shifting shadow or far off noise sent cold fear slithering down his spine. His teeth chattered when he finally managed, "Are we almost out?" See how much more expressive that was?

3 - Make sure the environment/situation fits the reaction. Sometimes a character's reaction falls flat because we don't do a good enough job illustrating the things they're supposed to be reacting to. For example, if you haven't done a good job describing this dark cave and the things that are triggering the character's fears, their panic isn't going to feel warranted. You can do the work of describing the environment or situation as they get into it, or if necessary, as it's being experienced. And, if the character's reaction is supposed to feel unwarranted... for example, maybe they're panicking as though they're in a dark, scary cave, but they're not, then you can use other characters, dialogue, and description to offset what the character thinks they're experiencing versus what they're actually experiencing.

Happy writing!

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i’m autistic so when i’m doing Anything i am almost always specifically Avoiding noticing my surroundings, anything going on at all, so when it comes to descriptive writing i’m slowly realising i actually don’t know What to write. i can get a little bit in about physical body things like emotions or pain etc but i don’t reeaally know how to describe an environment or room or anything but i’m not really wanting to start looking for that in real life because it would overwhelm me so i’m not sure how to like. learn it, i guess?

Describing Environments as Autistic Writer

Describing environments can be tricky for any writer, but there's a great method you can use that will help make it easier. For any environment you need to describe, go looking on Google Image Search, Pinterest, Pexels, Shutterstock... wherever... for inspiration photos that represent that environment.

For example, let's say I need to describe a high school gymnasium. Google Image Search gives me lots of great pictures:

I can go through and find ones that match what I'm envisioning. Or, if I have nothing in mind, whichever one stands out as being a good fit. You can bookmark the image, save it, screen cap it, or print it out. Or, you might just keep the image open for reference while you describe the environment in your story.

Some people find it helpful to create "mood boards" or "aesthetics" with lots of different pictures that represent one location. Then, any time they need to describe that environment, they can look back to the collage image for reference.

Depending on whether you're a "planner" or a "pantser," you may want to gather all your inspiration photos in advance, or you may want to just wait until you come to an environment you need to describe and search for the inspiration images then.

Either way, once you have a photograph to guide you, it's much easier to figure out how to describe what the environment looks like. You can talk about things like layout, architectural structure/elements, size, shapes, color and texture, and decoration. You may also wish to include other sensory details, such as sound, smell, and feel... such as the echo inside a gym, the smell of rubber mats, and warmth from a lot of people crowded together to watch an event.

I hope that helps!

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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Amount of World Description in Sci-Fi/Fantasy

blissfulphilospher asked: How much world description is necessary to write in a sci-fi or fantasy story which is based on a different world? Not overwhelming but still covering all the major points which drive the plot and give readers a vague idea or imagery for them to imagine the setting. For example if the sky isn't blue, so how would you show that the sky isn't blue without telling it. Should I place a character unfamiliar to the world to show that or just throw the info in between and shock the readers 'what the hell?!' when they already have thought the the sky is blue.

It sounds like you're overthinking things a little... there's no reason it would "shock the reader" if you told them the sky isn't blue. They're reading fantasy or sci-fi... the reader is prepared for a world other than the one they're used to.

I think, too, you might be thinking in terms of what's "realistic" in terms of how people expound on the world around them, but fiction isn't the real world... we're not trying to put things in term of how people actually think or actually see the world around them. We need to do what's best for the story. And so, in real life I might not walk down the street and mentally remark on the color of the sky, in fiction it's necessary for a character to do that (if the color of the sky is notable, that is.)

Having said that, the amount of detail necessary isn't measurable by genre... I can't say, "In sci-fi you need this much, and in fantasy you need this much..." The amount of description you need to describe your world depends on the world, the needs of the story, and your writing style. Ultimately, all that matters is the reader has all the information they need in order to understand the plot, characters, and world, and to have a sense of place as they read. Exactly how much description gets that job done is up to you to figure out. And how much more you give beyond that is a matter of your personal style.

Here are some previous posts that might help:

The 3 Fundamental Truths of Description The Right Amount of Description (5 Tips!) Description: Style vs Excess/Deficiency Weaving Details into the Story Guide: Showing vs Telling

Happy writing!

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

Hello I have a question on behalf of my friend who doesn't have tumblr. So, my friend has been working on her long story for about 2 years now when she found time after school. However, it was recently discovered that she has a tumour in her brain that she will have surgically removed within the coming months and while she told me the chances of anything happening is low, she is still worried and has expressed concern over her story. She told me that she has so much of the story planned out but not written down, so many details or plotpoints etc.... So her question is: how can one prepare for the worst case senario if you have an unfinished story? There are so many details and conversations that need to happen.

Friend Concerned About Surgery/Not Finishing Story

It's very nice of you to ask on her behalf. Just to clarify, though, I'm not a legal expert, so I can't give you or your friend legal advice. Just some ideas based on personal experience.

As much as I wish this would be an easy thing for your friend to address, it isn't. Our stories are copyrighted the moment they are written down in a tangible form, and if something happens to us, that manuscript and all of the pertinent documents and notes become part of our estate. That said, it would be up to the executor of the estate to determine what is done with the story based on the person's wishes as outlined in their will. If someone wanted another person to finish the story for them, they would be designated as this person in their will and the executor would contact them and give them any documents and instructions that were needed. But, ideally, this will have been arranged between the writer and other person long before. If there isn't time for those conversations, your friend could put as much of the detail and instructions as they can in a document and have it kept with their important documents.

If your friend doesn't have a will or an estate (if they're a minor, for example), this is just something that will have to be arranged between them and the person they want to finish their story, but they should also make sure to notify their parents/guardians that this permission has been given, and may even want to give the person a notarized document stating that they give the person permission to finish the story. Otherwise, the friend's family could potentially file for copyright infringement.

I worry a little because I remember getting a similar ask a while back about someone who had been reading a story in progress, and it looked like the writer had passed, and this person wanted to know if they could just finish the story since they'd talked to this person and knew where the story was going. And I'm hoping this ask isn't coming from the same person looking for some loophole that would allow them to go ahead and do this. So, just in case and to clarify: you can't finish someone else's story without their express written permission. It doesn't matter whether that story was posted online and abandoned, or whether they told you what was going to happen and you're the only one who can finish it, or even if you had a verbal agreement. The best anyone could do in that scenario would be to contact the family (who either hold the copyright or have a right to contest infringement) and ask for permission.

And, in the case of this ask specifically, if the friend wants you or someone else to finish their story if the worst happens, they need to make sure they have granted you written permission that is notarized or otherwise legally commissioned.

Ultimately, your friend probably will want to talk to a lawyer. Though, I am deeply hoping that they come through their surgery safely and successfully so they don't have to worry about it. ♥

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here