Morning routine that is mundane TO THE READER. Nobody cares how long your main character showers or what their favorite kind of cereal is. Only start your novel with your main character’s morning routine if it is something that isn’t routine to your reader. Does your MC have to steal their breakfast? Include that! Does your MC feed their dragon at the crack of dawn? That’s interesting! Do they spend way to long deciding what to wear? Nobody cares. That’s boring.
A dream. Readers will feel cheated when they read a bunch of interesting stuff only to find out none of it was real.
Excessive world building. Fantasy novels are especially prone to falling into this trap. Little bits of world building that are naturally woven into the narrative are fine. Info dumps are not. Remember, the purpose of the first chapter is to introduce the MC and get the reader invested in what will happen to them, not to give the reader a history lesson about a world they have no reason to care about yet.
Too long before the main conflict. While you don’t necessarily need to dive straight into the main conflict, you shouldn’t keep the reader waiting for it to start for too long. I suggest laying the groundwork for the main conflict in the first chapter and maybe hinting at it directly. That will help the plot get going at a good pace.
Without anything to ground the reader in what’s going on. The reader needs some time to get invested in the main character. While starting in medias res can work, you need to help your reader why they should care about what’s happening to the MC. Otherwise, you might as well be jingling keys in the reader’s face. Be especially careful about starting your novel with a chase scene or a battle since those can be disorienting and might not make it clear why the reader should be rooting for your MC specifically.
Without showing why your reader should care about the MC. Your MC should be one of the main things that keeps your reader hooked throughout the novel. If your reader doesn’t feel invested in them by the end of the first chapter, then there’s a good chance they won’t keep reading.
ok but like when did self-sacrifice become synonymous with death? writers seem to have forgotten that people can make personal sacrifices for the greater good without giving their lives. plots about self-sacrifice and selflessness don’t always have to end in death. suffering doesn’t have to be mourning. you can create drama and emotional depth on your show without killing everyone. learn to explore the meaning of living rather than dying
Death. Is. NOT. The. Only. Way. To. Advance. The. Narrative.
Fun things to sacrifice for your loved ones in your free time that don’t include death and actually set up for a whole new season of high level drama:
– humanity (mostly applicable to sci-fi/supernatural genre) – memories (mostly applicable to sci-fi/supernatural genre) – love for that special someone (mostly applicable to sci-fi/supernatural genre) – emotions (mostly applicable to sci-fi/supernatural genre) – rank/position/ – yourself/your brain/your skills (give yourself over to bad guys and become their brainwashed agent so your loved ones live) – years of bloody ruthless traditions to make way for peace (hi lexa and fuck jroth tbh) – freedom (includes that of speech/mind/will) – your grandpa’s fortune – hell even material possessions have that girl sacrifice her goddamn house so they can pay off her gf’s student loans or whatever juST STOP KILLING CHARACTERS TO FURTHER YOUR PLOT
Other things to sacrifice:
– your most sought-after goal
– a strongly-held belief or conviction
– your own chance at happiness
other fun things to sacrifice:
-a finger -an eye -10-20 years of your life -some of your vitality or dexterity -your ability to magically see in the dark -your proficiency in battle axes -your good looks -your memory of the man who killed your wife -everything but your head
hey here’s a great thing to sacrifice to advance the narrative:
– your revenge.
because revenge plots have been weirdly enshrined, especially in the action genre, and imo if you can’t concieve of your action hero giving up on revenge for the greater good they’re not much of a hero are they.
I see this a lot, no one has actual names, or any reference for names, that are legit Native American, varying among the tribes, for their characters.
Babynames.com and shit like that will give you names made up by white people.
However, I’ve got your solution.
Native-Languages is a good website to turn to for knowledge on a lot of native things, including native names. If you’re unsure about the names you’ve picked, they even have a list of made up names here!
Please don’t trust names like babynames.com for native names, they’re made up and often quite offensive to the cultures themselves.
Thank you!
Also modern Natives almost all have “typical” English speaker names. Jamie, Andrew, Becky, Anna, Zoe, Darius, Jana, Michelle, or names in the languages local to them- Francois, Arturo, Guadalupe. If we have native language names as well, we might not be sharing those with just anyone or casually using them. Or maybe we do. They might be a joke, they might be a nickname, they might be sacred and kept from everyone but family.
You have to know about the specific culture and people you are writing. Natvies are not a monoculture. There are hundreds and hundreds of nations and tribes and peoples.
I think a big part of why I read way more fanfiction than books is that there’s just a hell of a lot less exposition
the first 10 pages of most books are always “these are the main characters and here’s some background on each of them and this is the setting etc etc” and it’s such a fucking hassle getting to the plot sometimes
fanfic is just like “fuck it you know all of this already let’s go”
That’s a really good point.
Same here but there’s actually a point here of well written exposition. Take AUs for example. Even in the most complicated, as-far-removed-from-canon settings we get at most a single paragraph before the actual fic where the author gives us a quick rundown of the rules for that universe. The rest we are left to figure out on our own and it works.
We’re not spoon fed every trivial detail when all we want is to get to the plot. Everything that’s important is said at the moment it is important, not sooner not later. Especially in long fics characters often take on such a unique characterisation that you get to know them all over again but the readers do so organically, in the situations that define those characters as they happen. Same with looks. The fic author generally assumes the readers know what the characters look like and don’t spend paragraphs describing them, and only bring it up when it fits the plot.
I’ve read a few fanfics from fandoms I’ve never been in and surprisingly it still worked out. I had generally a good idea of who these people were, what they did where and why and how they worked together.
Point is, if you’re a writer writing original fiction, pretend it’s fanfic and everyone knows your setting and characters already. That way you’ll only have to add a few details if and when your beta readers mention needing more information and chances are they won’t need a lot.
Point is, if you’re a writer writing original fiction, pretend it’s fanfic and everyone knows your setting and characters already. That way you’ll only have to add a few details if and when your beta readers mention needing more information and chances are they won’t need a lot.
Bolding this fantastic advice.
Reblogging for the next time I write something original.
This is brilliant. I do a shit amount of world building but been blocked for the past week worrying about details and stuff.
Remember: you can always add in revisions. You just have to write first.
Like I keep saying; write like first chapter like you’re already halfway through the story.
Something I found that makes a scene easier and longer:
Writing the dialogue first.
I never used to do this, but one night it was really late and I was half asleep but I wanted to get some work done. So I decided to just fill in the dialogue I wanted for the scene.
I found myself with close to 1000 words of dialogue. (I obviously tagged who said what, how it was said, etc.)
When I came back to the document, I just filled in the action, the background, descriptions and plot.
I ended up with between 3000-4000 words in one sitting.
Maybe this won’t work for everyone, hell maybe someone else has already pointed this out, but I just wanted to share this writinf tip.
being unable to open their eyes for a few moments afterward
one small kiss, pulling away for an instant, then devouring each other
pressing their foreheads together while kissing
speaking normally, then after the kiss their voice is hoarse
guys furrowing their brow when kissing passionately
staring at the other’s lips, trying not to kiss them, before giving in
running their thumb over the other’s lips
when they lean forward a fraction as if to kiss the other person, then realize they shouldn’t and pull back to stop themselves
ripping the other away – “no we shouldn’t” – but when they kiss them again they moan and hold them close
one sliding their hand into the other’s hair slowly
their entire body freezing for a second when their love kisses them
accidentally being forced inches apart from each other, staring at each other’s lips, and just before they kiss someone pulls them back apart
when one stops the kiss to whisper “I’m sorry, are you sure you-” and they answer by kissing them more
a hoarse whisper “kiss me”
then licks their lips and says “please”
Also:
following the kiss with a series of kisses up to suckle an earlobe
following the kiss with a series of kisses down the neck
lightly running the very tip of the tongue around the outline of the lips with darting touches before actually kissing
raking a hand through the hair and getting a good handful to pull the other person closer (before or during the kiss)
starting with a kiss meant to be gentle, ending up in devout passion
softly moaning into the kiss
smiling just before or during the kiss
kissing tears away
kissing at laughlines/crow’s feet/frownlines
kissing pouty lips
lightly running fingers up along the neck while kissing
bringing up the hands to cup the other person’s face while kissing
slowly letting their fingers twine together while kissing softly
a huge smile on face(s) when the kiss ends
a gentle “i love you” whispered after a soft kiss, followed immediately by a stronger kiss
…. I like fictional kisses, mk?
also: •jawline kisses •when someone kisses the other person’s hand(s) •shoulder kisses •cheek kisses •when one person’s face is scrunched up, and the other one kisses their lips/nose/forehead •that thing where someone turns into an unexpected kiss, like there were turning around and the other person was just super close •accidental kisses that turn into a giggling fit •kissing eyelids to show reverence •top of head kisses •when one person says “move away if you don’t want this” and the other person moves in for the kiss •height difference kisses where one person has to bend do wn and the other is on their tippy toes •kisses where one person is sitting in the other’s lap •awkward fumbling kisses where their both so excited that it’s sloppy and teeth clash •kisses where a person punctuates every word with a chaste kiss •kisses meant to distract the other person from whatever they were intently doing •KISSES
breaking the kiss to say something, staying so close that you’re murmuring into each other’s mouths
moving around while kissing, stumbling over things, pushing each other back against the wall/onto the bed
hands in each others’ hair
kissing so desperately that their whole body curves into the other person’s
throwing their arms around the other person, holding them close while they kiss
hands on the other person’s back, fingertips pressing under their top, drawing gentle circles against that small strip of bare skin that make them break the kiss with a gasp
lazy morning kisses before they’ve even opened their eyes, still mumbling half-incoherently, not wanting to wake up
routine kisses where the other person presents their cheek/forehead for the hello/goodbye kiss without even looking up from what they’re doing
Petition to sit down all the people who make coma theories about Adventure Time and tell them “listen, this fucking show is about the last human living in a post-apocalyptic world where deadly magic has been reawakened following a global thermonuclear war that wiped out the rest of the human species, how much fucking darker do you want it to be”
Even though I thought my first Creative Writing professor was kind of a douche, he made a good point about this. One of our first assignments was to write in this eerie, otherworldly style (we were mimicking a specific author whose name escapes me), so we had to write about eerie otherworldly things happening. It’s no exaggeration to say that more than half the class had a “big reveal” where we find out that the story’s strange events and themes are all in the mind of some person in an insane asylum, or someone having a drug trip.
My professor said something like, “you just successfully wrote a world that feels separate from our own, but got frightened last minute and shoe-horned in normalcy. You showed that you were afraid to commit to something different and interesting.” Though I’m typically a contrarian and a piece of garbage, I am inclined to agree with my professor. I feel like people who write coma theories and the like are afraid to accept that the world of the story is separate from our own. They like everything wrapped up in this crazy little realism box where nothing out of the ordinary happens in fiction.
you win the Best Addition to a Post prize
Thank you 🙂
This pretty well hits the nail on the head as to why I generally hate coma/dream theories and people who think they’re so fucking deep for coming up with it. In my book it’s LAZY, plain and simple.
I think the only times I can think of where “It was all a dream” really works are in pieces like Over the Garden Wall, Ink, Coraline, and Mirrormask. In all of those, the characters ‘wake up’ again in their ‘normal’ world, but there’s a very strong implication that the dream world is as real, if not more so, than the ‘real’ world, and the things they did in the dream world had a very direct impact on the waking world– not in an “I’m gonna be a better person” sense, but literally who lives and who dies at the end of the story.
Notably, in most of those, it’s stated flat-out within the first couple of minutes that the character in question is dreaming. It’s not a big reveal, it’s a fundamental detail of the setting.
If you’re gonna do a dreamworld, actually commit to doing a dreamworld.
Whatever it is you do, ACTUALLY COMMIT TO IT.
Another problem with coma theories in stories that aren’t specifically about a dreamworld is that it completely nullifies any character growth or change or hardship. None of it matters anymore, which is a betrayal of the audience’s investment in the world and characters. That’s why it feels lazy and unsatisfying- it makes all other plot threads and elements unnecessary.
a black girl character growing her hair out long breaks more stereotypes than a black girl character having short hair
a black girl character getting to be soft and fragile breaks more stereotypes than a black girl character being strong all the time
a black girl character being protected and comforted by others breaks more stereotypes than a black girl character having no one to look out for her but herself
a black girl character being considered pretty or cute by other characters breaks more stereotypes than a black girl character being considered unattractive
not everything that is empowering for white girls is empowering for black girls
the sexism we face overlaps, but it is not the same
bullshit central 