Let's Delve Into...

Writer wants to write, but writer’s depression doesn’t care. Writer isn’t blocked, so much as they are drained. Countless words and ideas on the top of their tongue and they can’t speak. Their pen rests on their desk, useless. If writer does not write, are they useless? Was writer wrong to allow depression to be a thief, to steal their love, their job, and their joy? Should writer try to fight, reclaim their humanity, even if it’s just to finish a sentence, or should they concede?

Your Protagonist is a Liar. If your story follows only the main character, we see things how they see them. A main character is an unreliable storyteller, if they mean it or not. We, just like the MC, aren't in other characters' minds. So, moments are misinterpreted. Your main character sees the world through their own biases. We only know the main character's impressions of the side characters, and the villains. We read only their perception of these characters.

That doesn't make them a villain, its normal. It's realistic and purely understandable. They can't fill gaps of information simply because they weren't there. So, they make assumptions, they make judgements, they remember things incorrectly. Memory isn't perfect, details are changed or forgotten. It's only natural.

Let your protagonist lie. Maybe they don’t even realize they’re doing it. Maybe they do. See what happens.

Character Tips: Pre-existing Relationships

When I read, I personally favor relationships that have pre-existing history to them and background. I love the drama so here are some times on writing established relationships (platonic, enemies, rivals, and romantic):

6 Tips on Writing Pre-Existing Relationships:

1. Background

You should know how these characters met and how they interacted. Based on how they interacted and how their relationship has developed you need to know that. Not necessarily the reader but you should know as the writer.

2. Length of History

How long have they had this relationship? If the characters have known each other since they were little kids and they’re best friends, they should know a lot about each other. That could be a conflict when one of them holds a big secret. If they’ve known each other for a week, then they shouldn’t know much about each other.

3. What perceptions do they have of each other?

What do they think of the other person? We all have separate ideas of how a person acts so your character should too. Are they friends but the one feels like the other is annoying. That defines a part of the characters relationship. Show this to create more complexity in the relationship

4. Show how they act physically around each other

How do they act around each other. Is character a very unaffectionate to most but only affectionate to character b? By showing how they express themselves and if it’s any different from how they normally do you can highlight the relationship better.

5. What do they like and dislike about each other?

What things does the other person do that irritates them. What do they do that they like? Are their problems that they have on the small to more complex level? How does it make each person feel. How do their personalities clash and work with each other. What do they admire and hate about each other?

6. Think about what needs work?

Think about if you want the relationship to develop and how it develops throughout the plot. If the characters are going through a tough time or if they’ve spent time apart and are reuniting, they’re going to have different interactions. This can help drive the characters to develop different perceptions about the other character involved.

These are just some tips to help get started or to think about. These tips are also broad and for most relationships. If people want more specific types of relationships written please tell me 🙏

I want to be reading fanfic, not writing it. Unfortunately, I want to be reading very specific fanfic which I will in fact first have to write.

Okay but also, it’s okay for stuff to be “ooc” sometimes. I know most of what I read is canon divergence or some type of alternate universe situation. The characters in in a different context, often with different backstories and relationships with each other. So duh, they’re gonna do and say shit they wouldn’t in canon.

Especially because most fanfic is some type of romance or erotica, and a lot of popular fandoms are targeted for younger audiences so any romance is the most minor of plot lines, if it even exists at all. Forget sex.

So it’s okay if someone says something that you can’t picture them saying. There in a different genre and maybe even a different world. Plus, just because you couldn’t picture it doesn’t mean the writer and everyone who enjoyed the fic couldn’t.

'he would not fucking say that' maybe he would if he knew he was starring in his very own porn fic for the sole purpose of delighting some freaks on archive of our own dot org. maybe he'd play it up for the cameras. ever consider that

Writing Tips: Character Interactions (First)

Not all characters are going to get along and some are going to get along really well. What’s important is working out their interactions.

Things to think about

1. Where do they first initially meet?

Depending on how they meet it can really alter the characters perception of the other. Between a bar, school, workplace, battlefield, or traveling someplace together. It will impact how they interact. If it’s a casual party then there is a more friendly vibe. If it’s a battlefield, friendliness isn’t exactly the thing to think about.

2. What do the characters first notice about another person?

Do they look at clothes first? Hair? Eyes? And do they acknowledge what they like or dislike in there head? Do they compliment the person on what they find attractive or unique?

3. How do they perceive the other person initially?

Depending on how they interact it can lead someone to have a bad impression or good impression. This is where it can be fun. If character A is pretending to be amiable and kind, does character B fall for it or are they able to see through it. Further more, if character a says something off putting does character b think they’re weird or just awkward.

4. Use internal thoughts or description to show the perceptions they have

Use the description or thoughts to make the first interaction more memorable. If character a is more of a scrutinizing or judgmental type then have them often being far too harsh or vivid in how they describe someone. Juxtapose that different description types too. Imagine if character b then describes the same person in much kinder light. It creates an array of perceptions about a singular person.

5. Attraction

Think about how your character acts when they are attracted to another person. Are they very upfront and honest? Flirtatious? Or are they shy and freeze up when in the face of someone their attracted to? Do they pick on them?

6. What have they heard about the other character before they interact?

Think about what have they heard about them before. If character a is known to be a chauvinist and character b meets them how would that skew their interactions. Would they be more on guard with them or more annoyed with them when they possibly solidify the rumors. Or if character a goes against that thought would character b feel guilty for thinking of them that way.

7. Biases

Everyone has biases whether we want to admit it or not and your characters should have biases as well. This can push your characters to deepen their relationships and also have them grow as characters as well.

8. Have they met prior?

If they’ve met prior how did that go. What all history do they share. This is more for the first on screen interaction. If they are meeting again has the other person changed? Personality wise and physically wise. What was their relationship like before this meeting. If so try to show the distance in time and then trying to re familiarize themselves with each other.

9. What is the purpose of their meeting?

Are they being introduced through a mutual friend or is this a fight? Are they in a bar and they just were dancing with each other. Whatever the context is let that shape how the characters act with each other. The environment and purpose of the meeting is going to greatly alter how they act.

10. Have fun

Just have fun with it. The characters should be written in how they would interact with the person. I’m how they would present themselves and in how they would go about it. They should do it uniquely to. Have their nervous ticks shown.

There are plenty more tips to give but these are things I think about when writing first meetings in stories.

Perhaps if I had written my brilliant idea down when I first had it, instead of waiting to do it later, I wouldn’t be currently struggling to remember that idea

Shout out to the autistic who’s abilities have regressed as they’ve gotten older.

“You didn’t used to be like this when you were a kid.” I know please don’t remind me

So right now I have 9 wips (well, and 2 other ideas that I’ll come back to eventually).

4 of the wips are fanfiction. Because I don’t always finish things, I haven’t posted them yet, but one is close to posting level, probably in the next few weeks if I have time.

3 of the other wips are all different books in the same series that I know for sure I want to publish one day. (I’m just taking my time with it because I need to sort my life out before I’m able to dedicate time, money, and energy into publication)

1 wip I barely ever touch. It will be a series as well and I’ll get to it after the other series.

The last wip is one I’ve had mixed feelings about since I had the idea.

But today I had another idea, that would involve getting rid of the last wip to use the world building and one of the characters.

My life is still a mess, so publishing won’t happen any time soon, but there’s a part of me that wants to abandon my fanfics and just write original stories. I’ll just have to be okay knowing nobody will read them anytime soon.

hi! i need help with writing descriptions, no matter they always feel very boring and repetitive, especially if it’s a one character scene, when i try to describe emotions and such — it just all feels very tell no show?

Hey anon!

So I'll divide your question into 2 parts :

a) the general description and b) describing emotions

GENERAL DESCRIPTIONS:

1. Describe With Purpose, Not Just for Filler:

Every description should do something—set the mood, reveal character, or add tension. Ask yourself:

Does this description tell us something about the character?

Does it affect the scene's mood?

Would the scene feel different without it?

Example: Instead of listing details about a room, show how a character interacts with it.

The room was small, with a wooden desk, a single chair, and a bookshelf in the corner. (Factual but lifeless.)

The room barely fit the essentials. The bookshelf leaned slightly to one side, stuffed past its limit, and the desk was clean—too clean, like someone had wiped it down one too many times. (Gives a sense of personality.)

note: this is not to say that simple doesn't work. Simple does work too. In fact in descriptions I prefer not to overload the reader with too much info. Sometimes tell not show is exactly what you want.

2. Use Comparisons, But Make Them Interesting

Instead of just saying something is big, small, cold, warm—compare it to something vivid. But avoid clichés like "as cold as ice" or "as dark as night."

Example:

(The house was huge.)

The house loomed over the street like it had been dropped there by mistake, too grand for the tiny patch of land it stood on.

3. Vary Sentence Structure & Rhythm

If every description is the same length, it starts feeling robotic. Mix short and long sentences to create flow.

Example:

The sky was dark. The streetlights flickered. The pavement was wet from the rain. (Too stiff, repetitive.)

The sky hung heavy, a sheet of unbroken black. The streetlights flickered—weak, sputtering ghosts against the dark. Rain pooled in the cracks of the pavement, reflecting the city in distorted, shattered pieces. (More dynamic and immersive.)

4. Make Mundane Actions More Engaging

Common actions—walking, drinking, sitting—can feel repetitive. Instead of always describing how someone moves, describe what their movement says about them.

Example: (She sat down on the chair and drank her coffee.)

The coffee was bitter, but she didn’t add sugar. She was too tired to care, or maybe just used to the taste of things that didn’t quite go down easy.

5. Use the Five Senses

Relying only on sight makes descriptions feel flat. Bring in sound, touch, smell, and taste to create depth.

Example: (The market was busy and full of stalls.)

The market was a riot of noise—fishmongers shouting deals, the metallic clang of knives against chopping boards. The air smelled of salt, spices, and the sharp tang of citrus from a freshly cut lemon.

6. Avoid “List” Descriptions

Instead of dumping all details in one go, weave them into the action.

Example:

The car was old. The paint was peeling. The tires were worn out. The seats were cracked. (Feels like a checklist.)

She ran a hand over the car’s hood. The paint peeled away in thin, brittle flakes, catching on her fingertips. One of the tires sagged, low on air. Inside, the leather seats were cracked, their stuffing exposed like old battle wounds. (More immersive.)

7. Change the ‘Camera Angle’

If descriptions feel stale, shift perspective. Zoom in on small details or pull back for a bigger picture.

Example: (The sky was blue and the trees were tall.)

(Zoom in) The sky stretched unbroken, a shade of blue so deep it looked painted on. A single cloud drifted by, lazy and indifferent.

(Zoom out) The valley lay sprawled below, a patchwork of green and gold, rivers carving silver veins through the earth.

DESCRIBING EMOTIONS:

1. Ditch the Label, Focus on the Reaction

Instead of saying "She was nervous," think about how that nervousness manifests. Does she tap her fingers against the table? Does she try to swallow, only to realize her throat is dry? Does she force a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes?

(She was scared.)

Her grip tightened around the mug, the warmth failing to chase away the cold in her hands.

The doorknob rattled. She flinched so hard her knee slammed into the desk, sending a sharp jolt up her thigh.

2. Use the Environment as a Mirror

Solo scenes can feel isolating if it’s just a character thinking in a void. Use the surroundings to echo their mood. If they’re anxious, maybe the room feels too still, the clock ticking just a little too loud. If they’re sad, maybe the sky outside is stubbornly blue and bright, like the world refuses to match their mood.

Example: The cold wind pushed against her back, and for a second, it felt like someone was there. But when she turned, it was just the empty street behind her.

3. Sensory Details Are Your Best Friend

People experience emotions with their whole body. What does fear taste like? What does joy feel like against the skin? Even a simple emotion like anger can be described in different ways—burning hot like a wildfire, or cold and simmering like a blade pressed to the throat.

Example:

Her jaw ached from clenching so hard. The words pressed against her teeth, sharp and bitter, demanding to be let out.

His vision blurred at the edges, not from tears, but from the heat rising in his skull. He could hear his own pulse, a steady drumbeat against his eardrums.

4. Using body language:

Example:

He smiled, but it was tight—too tight. Like if he let go, he might crack right down the middle.

5. Break the Inner Monologue Habit

If your descriptions feel like a constant stream of thoughts (I feel sad, I feel angry, I feel lonely), try breaking it up with actions.

Example:

She stared at the email, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Then she backspaced everything she had typed, closed the tab, and shut the laptop. She’d try again later. Maybe.

His fingers found the bracelet at his wrist, the one she had given him years ago. He traced the worn-out engravings with his thumb, the metal warm against his skin.

She set two plates on the table before remembering. Staring at the extra one, she let out a breath and put it back in the cabinet. Old habits.

At the end of the day, writing descriptions is like learning to see the world through your character’s eyes. The more you practice, the more natural it’ll feel.

Hope this helps! 💛