Im Smart But Not Smart Smart. More Like Dumb Smart

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story outlining methods, pt. 1:

take off your pants!! (“take off your pants!: outline your books for faster, better writing” by libbie hawker)

this outline starts with a character — specifically their biggest flaw — and leads to five points that will make up the core of your story. it’s best for plots and subplots that focus on overcoming the flaw!

this outline doesn’t just have to be used for coming of age novels. it is just as important in your dystopian, fantasy, or thriller novels that the main character learns something or has changed by the end.

STEP ONE: think about your character

your main character — what is their name, and what are their important features?

what are your character’s flaws? what about their FATAL flaw? ex: hubris, overconfidence, stubbornness, etc.

STEP TWO: think about the end of the story

the story (whether the main plot, a subplot, or a facet of the main plot) is the journey lead to overcome the flaw. now that you know the character’s flaw, you know what lesson they need to learn.

the end of the story = the flaw mastered, the lesson learned.

STEP THREE: think about the external goal

the external goal is the plot, the outer motivation to push the character to the end of the story where the goal is mastered. if you remember my post on quests, you know that a quest has two reasons to be there: the external factor (shrek saving fiona for his swamp), and the real reason (the lesson learned)

the external goal should provide a chance for the character to recognize their flaw and begin to change. how does your plot tie into their character development?

STEP FOUR: think about the antagonist

thinking about the external goal should reveal who the antagonist is. the antagonist should want to achieve the same goal or a goal that impedes with the protagonist’s goal. the antagonist should be the biggest obstacle to the character.

STEP FIVE: think about the ally/allies

the character(s) that is capable of forcing the protagonist down the correct path. where your protagonist most likely will resist changing and confronting their flaw, the ally will help force them to do so anyway.

STEP SIX: think about the theme

so what’s the point of your book? if you are struggling to boil it down to one sentence, you might want to think about it a little longer. this is what keeps the story feeling coherent. what are you trying to tell us?

STEP SEVEN: think about the plot

each main plot element should somehow relate to the core of the book, aka the character’s development in overcoming their flaw

OPENING SCENE - set the stage. address the flaw or the theme

INCITING EVENT - what forces the character out of their everyday life and into the story?

REALIZING EXTERNAL GOAL - what makes the character begin seeking their goal?

DISPLAY OF FLAW - if the character’s flaw hasn’t been made blatantly clear, now is the time. make it known to the reader.

DRIVE FOR GOAL - what is your character’s first attempt to reach their goal?

ANTAGONIST REVEAL - how do you first show your antagonist’s opposition to your character?

FIRST THWART - what happens to your character that keeps them from reaching their goal?

REVISIT FLAW - show the character’s flaw again, even if they themselves aren’t aware of it yet.

ANTAGONIST ATTACKS - what does the antagonist do that makes things worse?

SECOND THWART - where your character fails most likely due to the attack

CHANGED GOAL - the character finds a new goal or focuses on the external goal in a different way

ALLY ATTACKS - what does the ally do to force the character to see the flaw?

AWAKENING - the character knows what they must do to reach the external goal. how will you show that the character has also awakened to their flaw? how will you show them changing?

BATTLE - the final showdown with the antagonist!

DEATH - the character’s flaw dies here. how will you show that the character truly is different now?

OUTCOME - show whether the character won or lost the external goal, reveal the theme of the story.

naturally, you don’t have to follow that outline exactly, but it can be a good place to start ;)

zlibrary gone... FUCK TIKTOK FUCK BOOKTOK I hope that app burns in hell

OG Shen Qingqiu waking up and remembering his torture at the hands of Luo Binghe. Yue Qingyuan is above him, all concerned because he’s been running a fever for days now. The thing is about remembering the torment he went through, is that he remembers that Yue Qingyuan died.

He remembers that demon bringing the remains of Yue Qingyuan to him. Even under all of that torture, Shen Jiu had never once broken. Not until he learned that Yue Qingyuan was dead. Gone. Because of him. “A-Jiu?” The words are softly uttered and then he suddenly has a lap full of Shen Jiu in his lap. 

He’s trembling, Yue Qingyuan realizes, still with shock for a moment before he wraps his arms around him. He doesn’t know what to think, nor why he’s awoken, only to show such an intense reaction. Yue Qingyuan has never seen him so shaken before.

He’s about to speak, but today is a day for yet another shock. “Qi-ge.” Those words that he never thought to hear again are uttered, and he goes still in his shock. Something had happened to so thoroughly shake Shen Jiu that he’d uttered those words that brought a bittersweet pain to his chest. 

Shen Jiu needs a bath, to be properly taken care of, but Yue Qingyuan pays that no mind for now. “I’m here. Xiao Jiu, I’m here.” Come what may, he won’t leave him like this. No matter what. He won’t abandon his Xiao jiu ever again.

(And if his robes are stained with tears in the aftermath, Yue Qingyuan doesn’t dare to speak of it once Shen Jiu has composed himself. Yet the image of Xiao Jiu crying will forever be ingrained in his mind. Ah, he thinks through the pain, This is what breaking feels like.)

Wei Wuxian: *after climbing out of the Burial Mounds like an angry goblin* The Wen remnants will no longer hide in the shadows, and you will give into our demands!

Jin Zixuan, now in charge after he and Meng Yao got together and decided dear old daddy was better off dead: Sure. Watcha want, fam?

Every other cultivator in attendance: *worried murmuring, absolutely sure he’ll open his mouth like a cat from hell and eat them all, or something equally stupid*

Wei Wuxian: We demand; equal rights, equal freedoms to roam around and cause as much bullshit as any other cultivator or citizen, and the blood of your firstborn children!

Wen Qing: *shoves him in the side* What? Why blood?

Wei Wuxian: So we have something to give up in the negotiations and make them think they have the upper hand.

2YO Jin Ling: *has been, till now, playing with Wei Yuan on the ground, looks up at his new uncle he’s heard so much about with big eyes* Da-JiuJiu? Da-JiuJiu, I got an owie while playing earlier, is this enough blood? *points to his scraped knee*

Wei Wuxian: *big tears in his eyes* The offer... is accepted...

Oh my gosh lqg zl is too perfect. Would sy still transmigrate? What would that look like?

yes sy will still be there to be a disaster

but z!lqg is not gonna have any of his bs. this is on the premise that there’s a system (bc without a system, all of sv falls apart) he’ll be skirting the line of driving sy!sqq crazy with ‘does lqg actually know things or am i just crazy?!’ and lqg is ‘god this face and its monosyllabic grunts are perfect. no one knows i noes’

but seriously, he’d try to help with lbh’s single-minded obsessive love (his attachment issues, essentially), but unknowingly get roped in a la the lqg/lbh/sqq ot3 type bs

(”look i’m only here because none of you know how to suck dick to save your mom’s life i- okay sorry, i meant, none of you know how to suck dick. just. okay. stop looking!” “asking shishu, how can we learn if we cannot watch?”)

Z!lqg is waiting for the perfect moment to drop the transmigrator fact. let’s say he’s escorting both sqq and sqh soemwhere and they’re being all secretive and millennially, and at them talking semi-seriously and trying to convince z!lqg to take them somewhere with z!lqg refusing their cheap excuses and grievances bc it’s funny, they just drop a ‘hmm. so sad. alexa, play despacito’ and walks away

(airplane and cucumber go insane trying to figure out which username z!lqg is. finally: “i’m not any username, i’m a reader of your own transmigration novel. so technically, my god-mode tier is higher than either of you”)

(sqh: ”you can’t just say shit like that!” sqq: “you fucking douche, you -” lqg: “cucumber man, i hold the secrets to keeping your chrysanthemum unplucked, i suggest you shut your mouth” sqq: “okay... chrysanthemum-bro” lqg: “okay fuck you, good bye, you can ride airplane express home” sqh: “no, liu-juju, come back pls, don’t leave me with this bitch” sqq: “airplane you fucker, you’re the btich)

the peaks will have no peace. everyone feels like they’re in a mass hallucination at the sight of their friend-amosity.

I SUPER LOVE TIM AND CASSANDRA BECAUSE:

they went from stranger (hell yeah Timothy avoid Cass because he felt intimidated by Cass’ assassin background) to friends 

Cass is always ready to rescue help Timothy

she took care of Tim and worried about him, not only because the big brood Bat told her so but she did it on her own accord too

while Tim took care of her too, they took care of each other and I love it so much

CASSANDRA IS TIM’S FAMILY. I REPEAT CASSANDRA IS ONE OF TIM’S PRECIOUS FAMILY

TIM WON’T LET GO, HE WON’T LET CASS GO. SHE’S FAMILY.

AND TIM IS A DEAR PERSON FOR CASSANDRA TOO. SHE EVEN ASKED TIM TO JOIN HER BECAUSE IT WAS HER DREAM. CASS WON’T LET TIM UNDER THE BAT BECAUSE SHE THOUGHT THE BAT WILL USE HIM LIKE HOW CAIN USED HER. CASSANDRA WILL MISS TIM

AND TIM WILL MISS HER TOO.

EVEN WHEN CASS BEING A VILLAIN (brainwashed by Deathstroke), TIM WON’T LET ANYONE HURT HER

AND AFTER SHE CAME BACK, TIM IS THE ONE WHO STILL TRUSTS HER AND DEFENDS HER, WHEN NIGHTWING CLEARLY SHOWS HIS DISTRUST.

EVEN THE BIG (A**HOLE) BROODING BAT DOUBTS HER WHEN SHE WENT MISSING, TIM STILL TRUSTS AND DEFENDS HER. TIM BELIEVE HER.

HAVE I SAID THAT TIM ALWAYS BELIEVE HER AND DEFEND HER? YES, I HAVE AND HE DOES. 

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE PEAK OF IT: CASS LEFT GOTHAM BUT TIM STILL REMINDS HER THAT SHE WILL ALWAYS BE HIS FAMILY, THAT HE ALWAYS GOT CASS’ BACK. HE GIVES HER HER NEW PERSONA (which the main reason I love Black Bat so much, because there is a beautiful history behind it).

THIS IS THE END OF MY ESSAY, PLEASE LOVE THEM.

i went to the dentist today and my dentist honest to god said “can i ask you a question…….what the hell is in your mouth”