Do you write? Do you procrastinate? Then this is for you! I'll provide writing prompts, inspiration, random ramblings, and the kick-butt attitude to get you to cut the crap and JUST WRITE. -- Ask me questions! You can ask me about ANYTHING. I'll always be honest with you! -- If "Why Aren't You Writing?" is something you enjoy and/or something that benefits you, then feel free to drop a tip here:
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In an effort to pass as human, I taught myself how to tell jokes. But my ‘jokes’ always consisted of telling an outrageous lie (“my car doesn’t need oil changes because it runs on mana”) in the most deadpan tone imaginable.
And then when people go “What? Really?” I immediately come back with “No, of course not, that was a joke.” Because aren’t people supposed to look at the absurdity of the statement and realize it’s meant to be funny?
It wasn’t until much later that I realized this is not how jokes work. There’s supposed to be something in your face or tone that indicates you’re kidding, something I never picked up on.
I think this is why I always preferred British comedy; they’re masters of dry humor, which is more my style.
My sarcasm is so dry that people don’t realize I’m being sarcastic which is why I usually follow “are you being sarcastic” with “what are you talking about I’m autistic I can’t use sarcasm”
I mostly use black humor, I can’t control my tone anyway but in my experience either people get it or they think I’m serious. It doesn’t always go well.
I do this too, but my little brother does it even more. To the point that when we were teenagers, he’d make a joke at the dinner table and I’d be the only one laughing. And my parents would be like, “Was he joking? Was that actually a joke??”
I finally felt so bad for him, because I was going off to college and leaving him with these people who didn’t get him or his jokes, that I was like, “Yes!! It was a joke!! He is constantly joking and he’s really funny but you guys never get it because he has a really deadpan sense of humor!!!”
And our parents, super confused, ask him if this is true. And, still completely deadpan, he just goes, “Yup.”
honestly tho these 13/14/15 yr olds on here who animate their own shit and practice color theory and constantly churn out art really fill my dead aching heart with hope for the future. y’all are super fucking talented and i’m so proud of you motherfuckers. keep up the good work.
Heyo it’s back to school time and here’s a research tip from your friendly neighborhood academic librarian.When searching for any topic on the internet just type in the word ‘libguide’ after your topic and tada like magic there will be several beautifully curated lists of books, journals, articles, or other resources dealing with your subject. Librarians create these guides to help with folks’ informational needs, so please go find one and make a librarian happy today!!
this is the BEST advice, and there are so many options, both if you’re doing academic research, or just curious and looking for information!
Thank you for excellent additions and very much agre ewith you that cooking libguides are the best!! Have you seen all the ones from the Culinary Institute of America??
Oh! Building on your notes I figured I should mention to everyone that most academic institutions with a library are going to have a page with the research guides the librarians have made for their patrons. This will include basic topic guides on things like how to use the library or how to create citations. There will also be subject guides for areas of study like philosophy or biology. As well as specific course guides to assist classes that are being taught like FM 114: Introduction to the Fashion Industry or BME6938: Nanoparticle Nanomedicines.
If any of y’all have started university totally check out the ones your librarians have put up! There’s a ton up to help you along your research journey. And if you aren’t at university check them out too!! Some of the resources won’t be accessible but there’s loads of information you’ll still be able to use and get to.
Hello, fellow academic librarian specializing in instruction! Many libraries also include guides orientations on how to properly utilize non-subject specific databases. Watch those before diving into your first research project so you understand the tools and features available to you to make your life easier. Many universities subscribe to ProQuest or EBSCO and there are MANY tutorials that will teach you how to use them in less than 5 mins.
Believe me, you will save yourself A LOT of headache with both LibGuides and orientations. Good luck and happy hunting!
1. You ARE a writer, it doesn’t matter if you have already published a bestseller trilogy or have just written your first short story, you ARE a writer, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Writing is your career.
2. Do you love melodrama? Write melodrama. Do you love erotic? Write erotic. Do you love vampires? Write about vampires. Be honest to your passion. Write what you love and not what you think is cool.
3. If you are facing a creative block, you most likely just need to sit down and write anything to break that initial anxiety. Write a one page description of the clothes you are wearing, or the landscape from your window, or the last dream you’ve had.
4. If, after years of writing, you lose your passion, just take a time away from it. Don’t force yourself to write just because you HAVE TO be a writer. You are free. Write as long as it is fun.
5. You are not perfect. Your stories won’t be perfect… and that’s great. Just have fun.
6. Some people will love your book, some won’t. Some people will completely adore your writing, some won’t. Some people will give you 5 stars, some will put your story away. Reviewers will review. Writers will write. People need their space for liking/disliking a book, and, as a writer, you must respect that.
7. You have greatness in you. You have awesome stories to tell. Start right now… WRITE.
8. There’s no such thing as good ideas or bad ideas. Bad ideas can turn into awesome stories. Good ideas can shrink into terrible books. It doesn’t matter which idea you choose. Anything, if well developed, will become awesome.
9. Don’t wait for a magical momentum of great inspiration. This momentum is a lie. You are full of life and inspiration right now. There’s no best moment to start than right now.
10. Take inspiration from history. Something that happen in Joseon dynasty three hundred years ago might as well happen again in nowadays New York. Why not? History repeats itself.
11. If you have no idea what to write about, go back to your childhood. Which movies/series did you watch everyday? Watch it again! What imaginary friends did you create? Play with them again. Our childhood has a major influence in our artistic spectrum. Going back to your roots will show you new paths to take.
12. Write down 10 story ideas everyday. Collect ideas. Exercise your brain.
13. If you are divided between two (or more) ideas, write the first page of both. Keep writing the one that excites you the most. Let your passion decide, not logical arguments.
14. DON`T EVER choose an idea based on how easy will it be to sell/advertise. Only cliche and boring ideas are easy to sell. Choose the most difficult/complex/crazy/absurd ideas.
15. Don’t ask too much of your characters. They don’t need to be the most complex soul on earth, or the most heroic, or evil, or wise. Don’t overthink every step they take. Put your characters together and let them live. It’s that simple.
16. Imagine what would happen to your life if you went through the same events as your character. Put yourself in their shoes.
17. Antagonists are not bad by association. They are just an opposite force to the protagonist. If there’s no need for your antagonist to be evil, don’t force it. Antagonists are allowed to be wise, good, kind, fragile, sick, beautiful, nice, traumatized, bullied, broken, scared, afraid as well… just like protagonists are allowed to be evil.
18. Give your characters proper names, there’s no need to be fancy. Think about what type of names their parents would be able to come up with.
19. Speak dialogues out loud before writing. Record your voice if needed. Dialogues are informal, fast and easy.
20. When writing a couple, prioritize dynamics over kisses. Let your characters work together for a common goal, let them know each other, accept each other’s flaws to finally trust each other. Let them be partners in crime (well, not necessarily in crime). Take your time. And even after they go canon, keep working the dynamic.
21. Don’t give in to stereotypes. Not every prince will be arrogant. Not every master will be wise. Not every orphan will want a family. Not every character will have a dream.
ABOUT FICTIONAL WORLDS:
22. Imagine yourself living in your fictional world. Walk around, find a restaurant, eat something. Visit a friend. Or go to the market. Imagine the buildings, and the people, and the cars. Use your five senses in this exercise. Don’t worry about characters or plots, visit your fictional world like a tourist, take mental photos, make memories, have fun.
23. There are thousands of things happening at the same time as your story. Maybe it’s the most severe winter in 50 years, or maybe a serial killer is everywhere in the news, maybe the last mayor suddenly died in a plane crash. Let this parallel events shape your fictional world. If it’s winter, people might be sick and hungry. If there’s a serial killer, people are scared. If the last mayor died, someone might have caused it.
24. If your story happens in 20’s Tokyo, research, research, research. Read anything you can find about the period and place: economic, political and demographic situation. Read about celebrities, sport tournaments, scientific discoveries, even crime cases. Having all angles of knowledge will not only make your world more realistic, but also give you plot ideas.
25. This might sound stupid, but create a routine for your characters inside this environment. Where they sleep, where they work, where they eat… routine is realistic, because we all live in one. The reader will recognize the characters’ routine and sympathize with it.
26. Describe your environment using the senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch. That’s why Studio Ghibli locations are so magical… they make you feel like you are there by exploring the senses.
27. Make a list of things that could go wrong to your characters… use them as plot.
28. You don’t have to worry about creating a style, write as direct and understandable as possible. Readers will appreciate it and you won’t pressure yourself in the process.
29. Write with the flow, don’t reread, don’t rewrite, don’t erase, don’t edit, don’t look back. Just write like you are having a dream, free and wild.
30. Prefer ambient sounds over soundtracks to listen to while writing. Songs and soundtracks might evoke feelings that go against your story. Ambient sounds, however, are neutral. Search for rain sound if it’s raining in your story, search for a train ride if your characters are traveling by train. Youtube is an ambient sound paradise.
31. Use words you know. There’s no need for Thesaurus. The less fancy words, the better.
32. The most important aspect of your story are the feelings. Don’t worry about a perfect orthography and flawless narrative. The most boring books I’ve read were flawless in semantics, but had no emotion to offer. And how do you put emotion to a story? Well, readers LOVE to watch the world burn, so give it to them. Take your characters to the extreme. Fuck everything up. Write down the three most important emotions you want your readers to experience and explore them throughout the story. Be mean.
33. For every action, there’s a reaction. If your character had a bad experience, he/she needs time to recover.
34. I’ve seen hundreds of charts on how to build a story. These charts are bullshit. They are cliche. They are boring. They take away the fun of exploring. You don’t need to write about the most epic journey of the most epic fantastic universe… with dragons. Maybe, if you write about a baker in love with breads, it will turn out much more interesting than… dragons. No one knows for sure how to create a story. We are all on the same boat here. So we might as well enjoy the ride.
ABOUT EDITING:
35. Decide on how many times you will read your book before publishing it. A book is never completely ready, so don’t beat yourself in editing. Don’t read the same book more than five times. Write. Edit. Publish. Move on.
36. Read out loud, or using voice programs, it’s easier to spot mistakes.
37. Editing is basically a cutting out job. Cut out everything that doesn’t make the story move forward. Cut phrases, paragraphs, characters, scenes, even whole chapters if they are not working. I’m serious about cutting. I have a friend that once cut the first half of his book.
38. Adverbs… well, these little bastards are tricky. Avoid them as much as possible. Not only they are annoying for readers, they also break the text fluidity and causes pleonasm. For example: “Mr. Jones screamed loudly.” If he screamed, he was loud. Verbs are strong words, they most always won’t need a description. “Suddenly” should just change to “adverb-who-should-not-be-written”. Hahaha, I’m kidding. You can use it… but be careful.
39. Editing requires full attention, so don’t edit for hours non-stop. Give yourself many breaks. For every twenty minutes of editing, take five minutes for walking, eating, watching a youtube video or anything. You deserve it.
FINAL TIP:
40. Write the story you look for in a bookstore. Be your first and most important reader.
BAD trope: girl is cold to all men, has no interest in dating, meets a sunshine boy who makes her realize she DOES want to date and falls in love
GOOD trope: girl is cold to all men, has no interest in dating, turns out shes a lesbian!!! meets a sunshine girl who makes her realize she is gay and falls in love
fantastic-nobody-blog1 asked: Mr. Gaiman, I'm on the journey to write a lot of different things. Novels, Comics, Screenplays, and so much more. My biggest problem is that with so many projects/ideas in mind, I constantly jump from one to another because I can't decide which project is the "right" one. I worry all the time that if I finish the wrong story, no one will want to read it and I'll blow my chance as a writer. Do you have a way of knowing when it's time to write/release a story, or am I just being silly?
You aren’t being silly, but you need to start finishing things.
There is no “right” project. You have lots of bad sentences and clumsy stories, awkward comics and terrible screenplays inside you, and you get to the good ones by writing the other ones down. Imagine that each time you write “The End” a “You are now much closer to being Good” light will go on inside your head, and it will be true. Some of those stories will be bad enough you won’t want anyone ever to see them. Some of them will be wonderful. But what you are doing is learning and getting better.
There is no “wrong story”. There are just stories you should write down and finish and learn from. The thing that is most likely to “blow your chance as a writer” is not writing.
There is no rest on your journey to find him. No matter how cracked, drenched, frozen, or burnt your pads get - you must not stop. Ignore the ache in your claws, your bones, your muscles - the strength of your desire will dull your pain.
Run until your body is ragged and broken. You cannot turn back. Follow your instinct until the end.
