My 10 Holy Grail Pieces Of Writing Advice For Beginners

my 10 holy grail pieces of writing advice for beginners

from an indie author who's published 4 books and written 20+, as well as 400k in fanfiction (who is also a professional beta reader who encounters the same issues in my clients' books over and over)

show don't tell is every bit as important as they say it is, no matter how sick you are of hearing about it. "the floor shifted beneath her feet" hits harder than "she felt sick with shock."

no head hopping. if you want to change pov mid scene, put a scene break. you can change it multiple times in the same scene! just put a break so your readers know you've changed pov.

if you have to infodump, do it through dialogue instead of exposition. your reader will feel like they're learning alongside the character, and it will flow naturally into your story.

never open your book with an exposition dump. instead, your opening scene should drop into the heart of the action with little to no context. raise questions to the reader and sprinkle in the answers bit by bit. let your reader discover the context slowly instead of holding their hand from the start. trust your reader; donn't overexplain the details. this is how you create a perfect hook.

every chapter should end on a cliffhanger. doesn't have to be major, can be as simple as ending a chapter mid conversation and picking it up immediately on the next one. tease your reader and make them need to turn the page.

every scene should subvert the character's expectations, as big as a plot twist or as small as a conversation having a surprising outcome. scenes that meet the character's expectations, such as a boring supply run, should be summarized.

arrive late and leave early to every scene. if you're character's at a party, open with them mid conversation instead of describing how they got dressed, left their house, arrived at the party, (because those things don't subvert their expectations). and when you're done with the reason for the scene is there, i.e. an important conversation, end it. once you've shown what you needed to show, get out, instead of describing your character commuting home (because it doesn't subvert expectations!)

epithets are the devil. "the blond man smiled--" you've lost me. use their name. use it often. don't be afraid of it. the reader won't get tired of it. it will serve you far better than epithets, especially if you have two people of the same pronouns interacting.

your character should always be working towards a goal, internal or external (i.e learning to love themself/killing the villain.) try to establish that goal as soon as possible in the reader's mind. the goal can change, the goal can evolve. as long as the reader knows the character isn't floating aimlessly through the world around them with no agency and no desire. that gets boring fast.

plan scenes that you know you'll have fun writing, instead of scenes that might seem cool in your head but you know you'll loathe every second of. besides the fact that your top priority in writing should be writing for only yourself and having fun, if you're just dragging through a scene you really hate, the scene will suffer for it, and readers can tell. the scenes i get the most praise on are always the scenes i had the most fun writing. an ideal outline shouldn't have parts that make you groan to look at. you'll thank yourself later.

happy writing :)

ALL ACTIVE DBD CODES

PRIDE - Pride charm

INSERTCOIN - Arcade machine charm

DECIPHERSTRIKE - 150k bloodpoints

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dipstickflopdoodle

3 years ago

so I go to animation school now

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dipstickflopdoodle

1 month ago

why do i keep seeing “young!ditzy!reader” or “trophywife!reader” or stupid shit like that where authors make the ‘reader’ the most fragile person in the world??

at the end of the day, this recession theory shit is real. and it is seen clearly as day on this app.

why are the inspo pics for the oneshot just blonde and skinny white girls?? why are we making the reader sweet and innocent and fragile??

and look, there’s nothing wrong about being a blonde and skinny white girl, but after seeing the same pictures as inspo for a series or a oneshot, it gets annoying and repetitive how there’s no diversity.

also, i’m not saying every post in the “x reader” tag is like this, but they just keep popping up on my feed and i had to speak my mind about it.

please, if anyone reads this, tell me if you found the same problem or i’m just going crazy.

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dipstickflopdoodle

3 weeks ago

crocheted this stegosaurus for my nephew who was just borned! made with cotton thread

pattern by Heidibears

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dipstickflopdoodle

2 years ago

Agneta and the Sea King from the Scandinavian folktale

464 notes View Post

dipstickflopdoodle

3 years ago

me, your friendly neighborhood villain apologist: zuko was never evil he was just 16

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dipstickflopdoodle

1 month ago

A digital drawing of Cinna and Katniss. Cinna has tan skin and brown hair. He’s smiling slightly with one hand in his pocket and the other extended over Katniss’ head. She’s clasping his hand and twirling beneath it. Katniss is in her interview dress: a red gown shifting to yellow at her feet, sequined in flame patterns up the entire length. She has brown skin stenciled with gold flames, and black hair braided with red ribbon.

Twirl for me

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dipstickflopdoodle

5 years ago

Oooo it’s me!!

❓ Riddler Bi Flag ❓

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dipstickflopdoodle

1 year ago

How to do a “dinosaurs kill everyone” without making just murder monsters

Make them pissed off and vengeful.

Take the idea of “humans hunting in a dimension where dinosaurs haven’t gone extinct idea”. And then cut off their supplies.

Imagine a large carnivore killing humans stuck in its territory systematically once it realizes they aren’t firing guns due to being out of ammo. And since its not hungry, its piles the bodies for later.

Its not roaring like a maniac, its not wasting energy running. It is leisurely taking them out. Imagine it taking shortcuts at a leisurely stride while humans run in panic.

Edit: And you get back to your vehicle only to find the local herbivores tearing it apart with the type of anger towards inanimate objects you normally see in bighorn sheep.

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dipstickflopdoodle

8 months ago

How to Enchant Items 🔮

To enchant an item is to infuse it with magical energy. This energy can come from a variety of sources, including celestial bodies, elements, crystals, herbs, or even yourself.

Some individuals use the words “enchant” and “charm” synonymously as a way to describe the process of infusing something with energy, but for the sake of this post and due to my own beliefs, you enchant something and it then becomes a charm. Alternately, a charm can be something with its own innate energy, like a crystal or herbal amulet.

Enchanting items to turn them into magical objects involves more than just intent - you must learn to channel and manipulate energy, and direct it into that item for enchanting to be successful.

Although, the process of enchanting is extremely versatile and there are many ways to do it.

Here are a few ideas on how to enchant items, in no particular order:

Surround the item with crystals of corresponding intent

Surround the item with herbs of corresponding intent

Place the item in a jar filled with herbs that represent your intent

Place the item in front of a candle and meditate on your intent

Anoint the item with an oil, charged water, or crystal elixir of corresponding intent

Hold the item in your hand(s) and visualize it filling with the appropriate energy

Hold the item in your hand(s) and speak or sing your intent aloud

Craft a symbol to keep near the item in an envelope or sachet

Sew, stitch, or carve a symbol into the item

Write your intention on paper and keep in an envelope with the item

Pair the item with a corresponding runestone or tarot / oracle card in an envelope

Take the item and put it in a box with other items that represent your intent such as crystals, herbs, talismans, amulets, etc.

Bury the item in soil with herbs and/or crystals that match your intent (please don’t put salt on your lawn though, unless you want dead grass)

Pass the item through incense smoke that matches your intent

Pro Tip: Time your enchantments with the appropriate planetary hour, day of the week, time of day, or lunar phase to increase your chances of creating a successful charm.