Anonymous asked:

For all of my writing life, I've pretty much stuck with the same series. I've decided I need time way from these characters and plot, so I want to start a new novel. Which is exciting! But I'm not sure how to start from scratch. Do you have any resources/advice that may help? I don't even know where to begin. I have ideas, but I'm not sure how to get them going. Glad you're back btw, I love your blog so so much!

writingquestionsanswered answered:

Beginning a New Story

There are few things more exciting for a writer than embarking upon a new project, but it’s a much easier prospect when you at least have a story idea. Trying to start a story without having an idea is like trying to build a house with absolutely no direction, instruction, or guidelines. Where would you even start?Choose Your Genre

The very first thing you need to decide is what kind of story you’re writing. Do you want to write a sci-fi story? A medieval fantasy? A contemporary romance? Choose a genre that inspires you, and preferably one you’re somewhat familiar with. It’s easier to come up with ideas for a fantasy if you’ve consumed a lot of fantasy books, TV shows, and movies. If you want to jump into a genre you’re not that familiar with, do a little research and do some reading/viewing of stories in that genre, too.Choose Your Setting

Now that you know your genre and what kind of story you want to write, it’s a good idea to think about where your story will take place. Some stories have fairly simple settings, like your character’s small town, home, and high school. Others have very elaborate settings, like a fantasy continent made up of several unique kingdoms. The bigger and more expansive your setting, the more “world building” you’ll need to do to flesh your setting out. But you won’t worry about that until later. Right now you just have to think about your story’s overall setting. For a medieval fantasy, it might be set in a fictional kingdom.

Conflict & Protagonist

Good stories revolve around conflict… internal conflict for character-driven stories (a problem in the character’s self), external conflict for plot-driven stories (a problem in the character’s world), and both for stories that are both character-driven and plot-driven. If you want to write a plot-driven story (external conflict), you may want to choose your conflict first, then decide who your protagonist will be. But if you want to write a character-driven story (internal conflict), you will need to choose your protagonist first.

Choose Your Conflict

Conflict causes a major upheaval in your character’s normal life, which forces them to pursue a goal that will resolve or help resolve the conflict. If you’re choosing the conflict first, you might look to the setting to give you ideas. In a medieval fantasy, external conflicts could be based on the monarch (such as a usurped throne), revolution (fighting against a corrupt monarch), something to do with magic or magical beings… there are lots of possibilities. If you figure out the conflict, your story idea will star to come into focus. If you’re choosing your conflict second and have already chosen your protagonist, you will need to think about who your protagonist is and what problem of self they’re facing. What is it about themselves or their life that isn’t quite right? What do they need to fix and why?

Choose Your Protagonist

The protagonist is the character primarily responsible for driving the events of the story and resolving the story’s conflicts. They’re a character who has a lot at stake if the conflict isn’t resolved.Most stories have a single protagonist, even if it’s an ensemble cast with multiple characters driving the events of the story. In really big ensembles, you might have a few characters that serve as the protagonist for their part of the story. If you’re writing a medieval fantasy, there would be lots of options for the protagonist. They could be the monarch or child of the monarch, a courtier or servant, a knight or a random villager.

Choose Your Motivation

Now that you know who your protagonist is and what’s turned their life upside down, it’s time to think about exactly how the conflict affects your character. What are the reasons they’re motivated to resolve the conflict? Let’s say in our medieval fantasy (genre) kingdom (setting), the monarch died and a usurper stole the throne and drove the rightful heir from the kingdom (external conflict.) How would the protagonist (a villager) be affected by this situation? Perhaps the monarch is terrible and the protagonist’s father has been wrongfully imprisoned under the usurper’s cruel laws. That would be a pretty good reason for your protagonist to want the usurper out of there…

Choose Your Protagonist’s Goal (and Role)

When you know the conflict and why the protagonist is motivated to resolve it, you can figure out what would resolve the problem (goal) and the protagonist’s specific role in achieving that goal. The goal is important because it’s what carries your protagonist (and the reader) through the story from beginning to end. The bulk of the story is about your character’s struggle to achieve their goal. In our example story, we know the protagonist wants to get rid of the usurper in order to rescue their father from false imprisonment. So, maybe their goal is to restore the rightful heir to the throne. Are they going to accomplish this alone? As part of a secret rebellion? What tasks will they specifically have to accomplish in order to achieve the goal?

Choose Your Antagonistic Force and Obstacles

Just as every story has a protagonist, every story has an antagonistic force. Your character drives the events of the story, the antagonistic force opposes their forward motion by placing obstacles between them and the tasks they need to complete in order to achieve their goal. The antagonistic force can be one thing like the evil usurper, a group of things (like the usurper, their evil sorcerer, and their army), a creature (the usurper’s dragon), or a force (the wrath of nature, disease, bad luck…) While some stories can have multiple antagonists, there should be one unifying antagonistic force. We sometimes call these “henchmen” as they’re usually agents of the overall antagonist/antagonistic force. Once you know your antagonistic force, you can think about what kinds of obstacles they might place in the protagonist’s path. It’s sometimes helpful to plot out the protagonist’s path toward their goal–the specific tasks they need to achieve–then think about how the antagonistic force could thwart the more important tasks.

Bring it All Together

Now that you have all of this figured out, you can start fine-tuning things. You can figure out the smaller details and begin to create a sort of “road map” from just before the inciting incident, through the inciting incident, through the rising action (things are happening, your character is tackling each challenge as it comes their way), to the climax (the big showdown), the falling action (the aftermath of the big showdown), and finally the end.Finding Inspiration

There are lots of great ways to find inspiration as you go through this process. Pictures and music are a big go-to for me. History, myths, and fairy tales are another great source of inspiration. Sometimes, all it takes is to combine a few ideas from a few myths or fairy tales, and you can come up with something entirely new. Another idea is to jot down a list of your favorite stories in that genre. Then, for each one, write down your five favorite things about it. Then, go through and circle all the ones that stand out the most from each story. Try combining those into a new story. Story prompts are another great way to get ideas flowing.One Last Thing to Keep in Mind

Sometimes story ideas pop magically into your head out of nowhere, but when they don’t, the biggest mistake you can make is trying to force it. When you’re starting a story from absolute scratch, it’s going to take some time to sort out all the nuts and bolts and figure out how to put them all together. Be patient. Give yourself lots of time to brainstorm and let ideas stew. Do things to fill up your creative well, like consuming other stories (reading, watching movies and TV, going places, doing things), and try not to get frustrated. It may take days or even weeks for a plot to form. Give it the time it needs and don’t be afraid to follow weird threads. Be patient and open, and before you know it you’ll have a new story to work on.Good luck!

#writing help #plotting

evansyhelp reblogged

thewritinggrindstone

isabellestone

Alternatives to Outlining Fully

We all know I am a huge plotter – like excel spreadsheet level – but I wasn’t always like this. I’ve used many methods in the past and here are the best ones:

The Big Plot Points

In this method, you simply write out the big points like the catalyst, the midpoint, the climax and any big plot twists in your story. This helps you keep in mind the focus of your story as you write it, without actually plotting.

Baby Steps

More detailed than the Big Plot Points, Baby Steps involves writing all the little plot points down in chronological order. Think of it like a list of directions that get you from the first page to the end of the story. You can stray from the path, but this helps you know exactly where you’re going and what you want to achieve along the way.

Next 10 Steps

This is one I used a lot when writing fanfic in conjunction with the Big Plot Points. Here I would literally plan out the next 10 things that I wanted to happen in the story and treat it as a mini arc. If I’d known more about story structure, I could have done this 4 times and ended up with 4 acts (1, 2a, 2b, and 3). Instead, I did it 6 times and ending up with 170k words… don’t be me.

Save the Cat! Beat Sheet

An industry classic, the 15 beats of Save the Cat! can help you outline all the key moments that shape a story without interfering with panster discovery fun. This method breaks each of the 4 acts mentioned above into bite sized chunks to ensure that all elements of a compelling story are there. I would highly recommend the book Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody if you want to learn more about this essential method.

Enjoy Editing

Finally if outlining is not for you, you’ll need to become well acquainted with editing. All drafts take editing, but many pansters will spend more time on this stage than plotters, but then plotters spend more time plotting! There’s nothing wrong with being a complete panster, but it’s worth keeping in mind if you wish to forgo the plotting stage entirely.

As always, hoped this helped!

[If reposting to Instagram, please tag @isabellestonebooks]

Woohoo, some good writing advice :)

#writing help #plotting

evansyhelp reblogged

fixyourwritinghabits

wordsnstuff

Anonymous asked:

Hi, I'm working on a series but I'm having trouble mapping it out. Any tips?

wordsnstuff answered:

Hello! I have a few:

Don’t outline every single event before you even start writing the first draft of the first book. You’ll burn yourself out. Know when it’s time to leave some planning for later.
Focus more on how to build up multiple different paths for your story from the beginning. If you only plan for your story going one way and ending one way, your readers will find your story predictable and boring. Leave some mystery for yourself.
Plan the major turning points in the series, and create smaller scenes and subplots that will build up those major events.
Plan visually. Create a literal picture of your plot and its progression. I recommend making story maps. I make a story map for every single one of my stories and it is insane how much seeing my story physically laid out in front of me helps. Even if you think it won’t do you any good, there’s no harm in trying.
Keep track of every location, every character, every event, every world detail, etc. and keep that information handy for when you’re planning or writing. When you map out a series, you can easily forget details you’ve already figured out or lose track of characters, etc. You want to know your story inside out, so make that easier for yourself.
Don’t forget to plan your character development. Be intentional with the scenes you plan to reveal character development in.

Hope this helps!

x Kate

If you enjoy my blog and wish for it to continue being updated frequently and for me to continue putting my energy toward answering your questions, please consider Buying Me A Coffee.

I’d also really appreciate it if you would check out my separate blog dedicated to my current work in progress.

#writing help #plotting

evansyhelp reblogged

writersources

writing-with-olive

A few tips for coming up with content for your story

So. You’ve got a story. You’ve been hard at work writing it/planning it, when suddenly, you hit a block. You don’t know what to add next in your story.

Now what?

Don’t worry - I am here to help give you some ways to come up with that juicy new content.

1) Think through your story when you’re relaxed.

There’s a reason we get all of our best ideas when we’re driving home from work/school, or just about to fall asleep, or in a shower. It’s because, usually, we’re pretty relaxed. When that happens, your brain decides it’s got permission to explore, since it’s not actively trying to keep you from getting eaten by tigers or whatever analogy people use to talk about modern-day stress responses.

Pretty much, find a way to relax. Then think through aspects of your story surrounding the content gap. What might need to happen in order to bridge that gap? The best part about this method is that it’s surprisingly effective - so long as you’re actively thinking about your story - and you also get to practice some self care at the same time. So for all you folks who feel guilty about taking care of yourself (please, please take care of yourself), here’s your workaround.

(This is a sort of medium-long post, so i’ve put the rest of the tips below the cut)

Keep reading

#plotting #writing help

evansyhelp reblogged

masterlist-database

sunnydwrites

Writing Tips Masterlist

Last updated May 28, 2021.

World-Building

Characters

Relationships

Emotions

Planning & Plotting

Editing & Prose

Motivation

Scenes

General Writing & Miscellaneous

If my work helps you or your writing, please consider supporting me my joining my Patreon!

If you’d prefer a one-time donation, you can also support or commission me for a story or advice post on Ko-Fi!

Join my Discord server!

#writing help #masterlist #long post #worldbuilding #character help #relationships #emotions #plotting #plot #editing #motivation

evansyhelp reblogged

fixyourwritinghabits

spiritomb-boy asked:

hey, i have an issue when it comes to physically writing things down. i've basically memorised all my worldbuilding, and if people call on me to explain a part that i already know, i can explain it. but the problem here comes with writing these thoughts down. every time i go to type up dossiers of my cultures, i draw up blanks, despite not lacking anything to write about. all my ideas take the form of feelings and vibes that i dont know how to capture. anything i can do to fix this? thank you

fixyourwritinghabits answered:

The blank page writing dilemma is extremely common and regularly trips up many authors, no matter how many ideas they have. I'm not able to write directly on a Word doc. I'm not able to put my ideas in an Excel sheet, even though I can do that for work, and I'm not able to use Scrivener, as helpful as it is. I can use the computer for everything but novel writing.

And yet, despite in my mid-30s with probable ADHD, I've been able to write a number of novels and short stories. I've got a literary agent, and maybe someday will actually sell a book, who knows? But the point is if I can do this, so can you. In order to get anything done, I turn it into an art project.

Now, I'm not an artist. I can't draw, and I don't have much patience for learning beyond the basics of other art forms. But I can take a bunch of differently colored sticky notes, assign each color meaning, and slap them to a huge project board laid out with an outlined plot structure (I personally use Save The Cat as a starting baseline). I can use some macaroni to make a fantasy map. I can create character flash cards and add vital information to each.

Gather Your Tools - It takes some trial and error to find the method that works for you. You can try flash cards, you can try sticky notes, you can try colored pencils or fancy pens (I have to use Uni Power Tank pens, nothing else works). If laying out your scenes on flash cards doesn't work because you don't like things out of order, put them on sticky notes. Give yourself enough room to expand out - on a table, on the floor, on your bed. As long as you're creating something, you are making progress.
Start Small - You have a big whole world in your head, of course it's going to be hard to write down. Pick one thing - a character, a setting - and focus on that. Make a character sheet, create a playlist, spend way too much time on Canva creating a moodboard. Whatever gets the idea out of your head and onto something concrete that you can see helps.
Your notes can be as detailed as you want - Know how a scene goes to the very last detail? You don't have to write it down in full. Alternatively, however, I find my scene notes tend to be what amounts to my first draft - I get an outline in there, some dialogue, notes on setting and mood. But it's entirely up to you and what suits your needs!
Look, just make those playlists and moodboards - It feels like it's wasting time, it's not. You're getting those ideas flowing any way you can. Use every tool that helps.

This is all good and well, but how to get from preparing to write? Well, this is where it gets challenging. A detailed book, like Book In A Month, can help, writing advice is not one size fits all, and writing books are not rigid structures to stick to, but guides.

Make a reward system - I use stickers . Seriously. In addition to my notes, I have another sheet pinned above my desk with each chapter listed, the goals for each (draft, edited, etc), and a spot for a shiny sticker (also, I used to be a teacher, and you never get over the joy of using stickers). But any system will do, as long as you keep it to something that's easy to maintain and won't break your bank.
Chuck your goals - Can't get a chapter done? Focus on a scene. Can't get the scene to work? Focus on a chapter. Write your dialogue in script form, sketch out fight scenes with notes on details to add later. Everything is fixable, as long as you have something to fix.
Can't write on a computer? Try something else - Okay, look, I can't draft anything if I don't do it by hand. Is this the greatest idea? Maybe not, but it allows my brain to slow down and get the words to where I want them to be. I don't draft fast, but I do draft well because I'm handwriting, and my first attempt often resembles the final version.
Form habits and rituals - I have to write with a certain type of pen (hello, Uni Power Tank I have to buy online because they only make them in Japan). I have to write on a certain type of paper, with specific margins, because any size deviance between pages will drive me nuts. Is this stupid and arbitrary? Yes. Does it work for me? Also yes, which is why I do it. Find that kooky writing habit that works for you, and keep to it. If it works, it works.

There's nothing wrong with you. Your lizard brain knows writing is hard and it doesn't want to do hard things if it doesn't have to, so you have to find ways to trick your brain into wanting to do the hard thing (by hiding the fact that it's hard). It won't be easy, and you'll still have a lot of moments of frustration, but creating the right writing habits that work is the first step to getting those worlds out of your head and onto the page. Good luck!

luxflora

My go-to strategy for first-draft, getting-it-on-paper (or google doc) is to use voice to text! It's saved me on several essays, and if I'm having trouble on a story, it helps there too. I hit the microphone button and ramble for awhile, trying to piece together a cohesive idea (I want this in my story... I know these characters do this... maybe they get there by this? Yes, and...), and go until I'm relatively satisfied. Even if I have to stop and do something else, when I come back, I have a starting place. There's a lot of editing that text, because the voice-to-text isn't perfect (and there's lots of "um"s and "and"s), but I consider that an opportunity to reflect on what I said and put it together more coherently!

fixyourwritinghabits

I spent all day telling myself 'don't forget to mention text-to-speech, don't forget to mention text-to-speech' and what do you you know....

#writing help #drafts #worldbuilding #plotting

evansyhelp reblogged

wordsnstuff

Plot Development : A Collection

Patreon || Ko-Fi || Masterlist

–

General

Plot Elements

Outlining

Theme

Execution

–

Masterlist

If you enjoy my blog and wish for it to continue being updated frequently and for me to continue putting my energy toward answering your questions, please consider Buying Me A Coffee, or pledging your support on Patreon, where I offer early access and exclusive benefits for only $5/month.

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#writing help #masterlist #plot #plotting

evansyhelp reblogged

kbunburyhelps

princessdiary

𝙍𝙀𝙈𝙄𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍. when crafting a reply, for the love of god please use the “yes, and” or “no, but” rule. here’s a short clip of tina fey explaining the concept. this keeps a thread alive, encourages plot growth and helps to keep your partner interested. for example,

he sat down at the table. “do you want coffee?” “no,” she replied, “but i’d love a steamed apple juice.”

this works because now, the first character has a few options for their reply. he can make a cruel or lighthearted assumption about the second character; he can ask why (an open-ended question is always a great go-to btw) she wants steamed apple juice; etc. clearly, the “no, but” has stimulated the conversation much more than a simple “no” would have.

this rule also applies to plotting. i find it’s actually more difficult to employ ooc, because it really does require a lot of thought at first — rapid-fire replies won’t cut it. eventually, though, when you and your partner become more acquainted with your characters & their dynamic, it’ll come a lot easier. for example,

person one: ok so what if they went on an ice cream date person two: omg cute! yes! i bet it was at, like, ten o’clock at night. eve just totally showed up at dominique’s apt out of nowhere person one: AH LOVE THAT. dom’s 100% in her footsie pajamas already. she’s literally dressed like a penguin and opens the door and full-on DIES.

notice how both people are fully-engaged with their characters & their preferences, habits, instincts, expressions, etc. person two could have easily replied “omg cute!” and left it at that, but then person one is left with absolutely zero content to work with. this will bring plotting to a complete or stuttering halt. no exceptions.

but what if you’re plotting, and you disagree with something your partner says? i refer you back to the “no, but” rule.

person one: ok so what if they went on an ice cream date person two: honestly eve is SO lactose-intolerant so that wouldn’t work ugh. BUT she’s such a green juice girl?? maybe they went for, like, a hot yoga session and then hit up a juice bar? person one: that’s perfect!!! idt dom has ever tried green juice so the concept of eve daring her to try it.. so cute.

both instances work. both encourage character and relationship development. it’s a very simple, very easy adaptation to make, and you’ll find that — regardless of whether you’re in a group or a 1x1 setting — you get far more in-depth, detailed, partner-committed plots.

#player help #plotting #threads

evansyhelp reblogged

heywriters

bookishdiplodocus

How to stop researching (or worldbuilding) and start writing

This is actually advice my mentoring professor gave me when I was writing my first thesis.

He said: Accept that you are never done. There is always more to know, more to research, more questions raised than answered. At some point, you just got to start writing.

Now, “easier said than done, this accepting”, I thought.

I started writing because my thesis deadline was looming. But what if you’re writing a novel and you have no deadline? How do you know when it’s okay to stop researching? When is it okay to stop worldbuilding? (Which is just like doing research, but in your own head instead of in reality.)

My advice to you is: start writing, and you’ll run into the gaps you still need to fill. Then you know what to research before starting your second draft. Let your story tell you what it needs.

For example:

Just fill your margins with a to-research-list for your future self.

That way, it’s also managable: “I finished my first draft, and I have a list of 317 things I need to decide on.” Instead of: “I saw on tumblr that you can’t build a world without knowing everything about the sewage system! And gosh, I haven’t invented three languages yet!”

Advantages:

You get things done.
It’s not overwhelming.
You don’t spend your time inventing things you’ll like so much that you want to infodump them into your story.
You mainly research things that are relevant to your story.
Well, knowing you, you already researched enough irrelevant stuff too.
You get things done.

I hope this was helpful. Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions, and happy writing!

Follow me for more writing advice, or check out my other writing advice here. New topics to write advice about are also always welcome.

Tag list below the cut, a few people I like and admire and of course, you can be too. If you like to be added to or removed from the list, let me know.

Keep reading

#writing help #plotting #worldbuilding

evansyhelp reblogged

merryhelps

memesfromstuff

A GUIDE TO BECOME BETTER AT PLOTTING & PLOTTING ETIQUETTE.

So, one thing I hear over and over again in my time in the RP community, is the sentence “I suck at plotting.” Understandably, plotting can be difficult. Maybe you don’t know much about the other person’s muse, that muse’s fandom or universe. Maybe you’ve already used all your ideas on other plots and can’t think of any new ones. Maybe you don’t have much practice with plotting or you just automatically default to winging things because it’s easier, so you’ve gotten a bit rusty. Regardless of the reason why you think you suck at plotting though, I definitely believe there are some tips and tricks to learn how to become a better plotter or refresh your plotting skills, and I want to share some of those tips and tricks in this post.

TIPS AND TRICKS.

1) ASK QUESTIONS. This is probably the most important part of plotting if you’re stuck and can’t think of any ideas. If you don’t have any ideas, ask questions. Some examples of questions you can ask:

“What kind of theme are you interested in writing? (angst, fluff, ships, etc.)” or “What kind of dynamics would you be interested in? (romantic, friendships, enemies, frenemies, family, etc.)” or “Should we do a first interaction or something pre-established?”

The above are some questions that can narrow down on the millions of opportunities for plots that is only limited by your imagination, and instead give you a set direction when you try to come up with ideas. Think of it like a painter looking at a blank canvas. Staring a painting is always the most difficult because you have to figure out what to draw, and there are endless opportunities, which can be intimidating. But once you’ve figured out what to draw (for example a flower) it becomes a lot easier to put that painting brush down on that canvas and start painting.

If you’re still stuck after asking these questions, you can also ask questions directly about the other mun’s muse. Some examples: “How would your muse react to x, y,z?” or “.”

Some other questions you can ask. “Would you be up for doing an AU? / Would you be up for making a crossover verse for x,y,z fandom?” (If asking for the other mun to make a crossover verse for their muse, you can also offer to give information about said universe in case the other mun isn’t familiar with it.)

2) DON’T BE AFRAID TO SHARE YOUR IDEAS. If you have an idea, or even a part of an idea, don’t be afraid to share it. Even if the other mun isn’t interested in that particular idea, maybe that idea can spark an idea for them and they’ll probably tell you something akin to “I’m not sure my muse would fit in that setting, but I could see them x, y, z.” Oftentimes, even ideas that don’t work or interest your RP partner can help spark new ideas, maybe in the same direction or maybe in an entirely different, but just as much fun direction. It also shows your RP partner that you’re at least willing to make some effort with coming up with ideas, which will in turn, make them more interested in coming up with ideas of their own.

3) SOMETIMES, LESS IS MORE. A part of why some people seem to fear plotting is because they think they have to come up with intricate plots with lots of details and planning. And while that can definitely be fun, a lot of the time, LESS IS MORE. And by that, I mean, if you can just come up with the most basic of settings, sometimes, that’s more than enough to go on. Maybe that setting is something as simple as figuring out how your muses should meet. After all, if you plot out everything from how they should meet, to how their relationship should form, all the way to the end, there isn’t really a lot left to explore when you are going to actually sit down and write threads together and that can take away from the fun. It can also be that you plot out all these things, and when you start writing, you feel forced to take it in that direction when it just doesn’t flow naturally. So yeah, sometimes less is, in fact, more, and you shouldn’t ever be worried that you have to come up with big, detailed plots.

4) BACK-AND-FORTH / EXCITEMENT. Also what I like to call “Yelling about our muses to each other.” This can be a great way to plot without even thinking about plotting. It usually requires some good chemistry with the other mun, but if you are both excited about your muses and the potential for them interacting together from the beginning and show that excitement in your ooc messages, sometimes, just yelling those excitements at each other can spark a lot of ideas. Just a simple “I can see our muses becoming really good friends!!” will set in motion that back-and-forth yelling about your muses type of conversation that leads to ideas just spilling out naturally. Just the excitement in the messages themselves makes the plotting more fun and makes it come more naturally.

ETIQUETTE / DON’TS.

1) IF YOU’RE THE ONE ASKING TO PLOT / INTERACT. If you’re the one who approaches the other mun about plotting and / or interacting, DON’T leave the job of coming up with ideas to the other mun. If you’ve approached someone for plotting, chances are their muse caught your interest for some reason, and you could see an interaction between that muse and yours. Instead of putting all the job on them, express from the beginning why you could see an interaction between their muse and yours. Trust me, it makes the plotting so much more easier, not just for you, but for the mother mun, too. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to be asked to plot, and then the person asking never actually contributes to any ideas.

2) PLOTTING IS A GROUP-PROJECT. Kind of connected with the above, but if one mun alone ends up coming up with all the ideas, it can make that mun feel like you’re not really as excited or as willing to put in the work as they are. No one likes to feel like they’re the only one in a group project doing all the work.

3) IF PLOTTING WITH A MULTIMUSE BLOG… Help the mumu-mun out by telling them which of their muses you’re the most interested in interacting with from the get-go. Even if you are interested in all of their muses, it’s usually very helpful for a mumu-mun to have some options to choose between. Or at the very least, you can ask them which of their muses they are having the most inspiration for lately.

4) NON-CONTRIBUTING RESPONSES. If someone writes you multiple sentences with ideas when you’re plotting ooc, don’t just reply with one word sentences like “Yes!”, or non-contributing sentences like “Sounds good to me!” or “I’m fine with anything!” I’ll admit, this is something I’ve been guilty of, and I think pretty much all of us has at some point, and while I do think it’s something you can get away with if you only do it on occasion, if you give these types of responses multiple times to the same person throughout the same plotting session, it can get frustrating to the other mun after a while. It kind of ties in with #1 and #2, that you’re leaving the other mun to do all the work. At the very least, if you feel like you don’t have any IDEAS to contribute with, you can still show your excitement over the idea. For example “That sounds like so much fun! I can’t wait to write that out!” Maybe even ask something akin to “Is there anything else you think we should plot out, or do you want to start with what we’ve got so far?”

There are probably a lot more tips and tricks and do’s and don’ts that could be added to this list, but this is what I can think of at the top of my mind. Feel free to reblog if you feel like this was helpful and/or could be helpful to someone else!

#player help #plotting #etiquette

evansyhelp reblogged

merryhelps

plotting etiquette : a players guide

[ coming soon / an admins guide ]

plotting is an essential part to writing together; whether you’re in a group, an indie blog or even a 1x1, you need to be able to communicate with your peers in order to build a story. and that’s why we’re all here, right? to create worlds, no matter what the context, and most importantly, to do this with others. roleplaying is a team effort - no matter what universe you’re writing in. below the cut are some helpful tips, tricks and advice to remember when attempting to plot with others. if you’ve found this guide useful, please like and/or reblog to spread the word - and hopefully help out others along the way. ***a part two will be out next week for admins on how to promote and help your group with plotting.

i. ‘i’m scared of bothering people!’

this is a statement i’ve seen the most often around the rpc - whether it’s from a various text post people reblog, or as an admin who’s been on the receiving end of messages like this.

it’s important to remember that most of us get a little nervous about reaching out. while writing original pieces or fanfiction can give you some distance between the creating portion and the feedback process, there’s no real space for roleplaying. it’s an instantaneous thing - we put our words out there on the screen, and someone else has to reply to that in some capacity.

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#player help #plotting #guide

evansyhelp reblogged

dear-indies

capricxs

so you’ve been roleplaying for years… things change, the way the community does things shift, and sometimes there’s new skills you need to pick up and adjust to in order to make your time rping as creatively rich and fulfilling as it can be. one of those things that’s become extremely important is plotting & hcing. either in groups, in indie, or doing 1x1s, these two are the foundation to your interaction (unless you’re the type to wing it). sometimes when i interact with people, it seems they don’t really click with this process, so in the guide below, i’ll help to explain why these are so important, and how to do it in a way that not only gives you a rich plot, but helps inspire and keep your writing partner engaged with you.

disclaimer — this is just my personal experience and opinions being shared. i am not the end-all-be-all on how to interact with writing partners. this is just here to get people to begin thinking about things they otherwise wouldn’t have thought about.

questions regarding this help post can be found here. let’s jump in!

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#player help #plotting #guide #r

evansyhelp reblogged

kbunburyhelps

whiskersofrph-blog

Below the cut is a short, but hopefully helpful guide to plotting with another person in a group roleplay. I used to really struggle with this, but I’ve since sort of learned how to work around the difficulties of plotting (my next step is, you know, not being shy). This is all just personal experience from some nine years of roleplaying. If you find this helpful at all or think someone might benefit from it, give it a LIKE or REBLOG

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#player help #guide #plotting #r

evansyhelp reblogged

riomoons-deactivated20210731

wasthatnotarchived

Tips for plotting:

Throw ideas out there. Roleplaying is not a one-player game! Nothing’s more frustrating than trying to come up with ideas with no input from the other person, so just toss them out there. Can’t think of anything? Well… you know those big long lists of drabble prompts? Use them as starter prompts! Or put your iTunes on shuffle and build a scenario around a random song. Inspiration is everywhere if you know where to find it.
Give your partner information on your character. Much as we read headcanons/about pages, we’re not you. We don’t know your characters as well as you do and deeper insight as we talk helps us come up with more ideas.
Backstory is awesome. If it makes sense, don’t be afraid to suggest that your characters have a past together. Sometimes plotting backstory can lead to awesome future plots and awesome flashback threads. Double-win!
Ships don’t always have to be the focus. Don’t get me wrong. Shipping is something a lot of people enjoy, but please, keep in mind that there are others that don’t enjoy it as much. I personally prefer to let a ship develop naturally, rather than saying right at the start ‘okay these two will get together’. And remember– there’s a lot of different types of relationships out there, not just romantic ones! Friendships, rivalries, enemies, awkward acquaintances, familial relationships… they’re all awesome, too!
Don’t be afraid to say ‘no’. Sometimes, a plot gets thrown out there that you just don’t like, or that makes no sense for your character. This is okay! As I said, we don’t know your character like you do, and forcing a plot is a 99.9 percent guarantee that a thread will fail.
Don’t get offended if your partner says ‘no’. In that same vein, we know our characters better than you do. We know what makes sense for them and what doesn’t and, as mentioned, forcing a plot is a good way to wind up with a dropped thread.
AUs are your friend. Personally, I love them. Nothing’s more exciting to me than dropping my character into a new world. Zombie apocalypse? Dystopia? Steampunk? Assassins? Yes to all!
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Sometimes plots sound great when you’re talking about them, but when you go to actually thread them, they just don’t work. That’s okay! Just go back to the drawing board. Throw out more ideas. Just because one thread fails doesn’t mean all of them will!
Communication is key. If you have an idea, tell your partner. If you don’t like an idea, tell your partner. If something’s not working, tell your partner. If you want to try something, tell your partner. Don’t make assumptions. The key to good plotting is keeping the lines of communication open.

I hope this helped some of you. Now get out there, and get plotting!

#player help #plotting #plot #tips #long post #r

evansyhelp reblogged

clevergirlhelps

nimblesnotebook-blog

Anonymous asked:

How does one go about establishing a parallel universe?

nimblesnotebook-blog answered:

Establish the rules for creating parallel universes: How are they created? Does every little choice create another universe? Are they created through magic or scientific experiments? Are they created every time a star dies? Are they created every time someone dreams? Are there specific people capable to creating another universe (either intentionally or by accident)?
Establish the Point of Divergence: What was it that made one universe split into two or more? How does the POD affect the parallel universe (i.e., what are the differences and similarities)? The POD does not have to be recent. It could just be “the big bang created two universes instead of one and they are exactly the same in every way except for X”.
Establish rules for travel: How do people travel between universes? Are there any rules that people have established when it comes to traveling to another universe? What are the reasons for these rules? What are the dangers of travel? Who is able to travel? If you travel to a parallel universe, are you able to return? Are there any physical effects of travel? What happens if someone travels to a universe where they are dead?
Establish the differences: Keep track of everything that is different in the universes. Making a chart might be helpful for this. You should also consider how these differences affect other differences. Think of each difference having a domino effect.

#parallel universe #parallel universes #alternate universe #alternate universes #plot #plotting #world building #askr #r

evansyhelp reblogged

velvetywrites

Finding Plots in Roleplays

Because I’m really fed up with people in roleplays, constantly whining that they have no plots, here are a few simple tips and approaches on how to find plots. Now, I’m not going to give you a list of possible plots or scenarios but rather the tools on how to come up with interesting ones that hopefully aren’t the typical “bumping into each other” scenario.

First of all, being in a roleplay requires you to seize the initiative!! I’m sure there’s already dozens of rants but I can not emphazise it enough. Directly message other players instead of complaining for the hundredth time. I can assure you that in 90% of the cases you won’t get a new plot and rather annoy people. Preferrably with already a rough idea idea in mind. Those don’t have to be the ultimate masterplan for a groundbreaking plot; a small idea or a simple twist can be enough. Give your possible partner something to work with.

Note that this is not the ultimate way to go about plotting and roleplaying but simply my personal perference; what I’ve found to work best for me.

So how do you go about plotting?

I’m sure everyone has their own methods and preferences. (I know there’s people who prefer to not plot at all and simply “go with the flow” without spoiling themselves about the other character’s deepest throughts beforehand which is just as fine.) But it’s all about using your imagination and a few tricks can help to spark yours.

Goals:

A very important thing are goals. Where do you want to go with your character? Is there an endgame? What are your character’s goals? Do they have any? (Read more on goals here)

Having their goal in mind, think about how you’re going to reach it, which road do you want to take? What plots could help you to reach it - What is your character’s approach on accomplishing their goals? Try to roughly figure out a their personal storyline.

It is also helpful to know about the other characters in the roleplay as they are the characters whom you build upon the path towards your main goal. It’s this knowledge that can help you to find possible plot partners. Note, however, that not everthing evolves around your character, other players have their plots as well so build a path with them.

Biography:

Which gets us to the next point: I strongly advise that you always have a link to your biography on your character’s page for quick access. Biographies will help you find similarities and differences between your characters as well as basic information such as their occupation. Maybe they can help each other on their journey, give support or be the enemies etc.

History: If the roleplay, for example, is set in a small town it’s rather unrealistic for your character not to know at least a few people. Remember your characters came a certain way up onto the point where they are now and all have their own, long history which makes them a person, makes them who they are. Try to build a connection with other characters. Maybe they were childhood friends, partners in crime, went on an adventure together, put obstacles in your character’s way or maybe even saved their life. Everyone they meet can have an impact on your character’s life.

Current Plots:

There is always other plots going on between different characters though most people hardly have the time to read about everything going on on the dash, hence they won’t necessarily know about it.

What I always find a good thing to have is a seperate page on your account to keep track of your paras and personal mainplot (I’m still not very familar with gifchats so I’ll leave them out for now but I believe you could simply add them in the timeline as well). Not only does it help you to not get lost with what you’ve written so far but other players as well. They can easily catch up with your character’s main plot and possibly add to the plots.

I always organise those pages as a sort of timeline but you can also sort them character. Give a short summary of each para/history with a character to provide a quick overview. Whichever works best for you. Example: (x).

Also, be open to involve other players in your plots or think about how you could get involve new members to integrate them into the roleplay.

Sometimes, to spark your imagination, it simply helps to bounce ideas off of others or seek inspiration in books, music, life etc. Talk to the partner’s you’d like to plot with and don’t be afraid. Even if it may take a while, I’m sure you’ll be able to find an idea to build upon. Also, don’t be discouraged if someone turns you down. They just might have enough paras going on already. Not everyone is able to manage a dozen paras at once.

And if after all, you still have trouble or need help, message the admin(s)! I’m certain you’ll be able to figure out something together. But at least try to make an effort first.

Ultimately, everyone has to find their own way and figure out which works best for them and brings the most fun. There’s no one who can tell you what to do as there is no right or wrong but I’m hoping I could give you a few tips and suggestions what I’ve found to work for me.

- Aaren

#player help #plotting #plots #plot #guide #r

evansyhelp reblogged

rpher

↳ in character drama is sooooo important in a roleplay, it's basically what drives the entire plot along. so here are a few ways to start in character drama, from the perspectives of both admins & roleplayers. please like or reblog if this helps you! :)

rpher

#guide #player help #ic drama #plotting #r