AY! Just asking, but does anyone write like...really slowly. I only got 5 pages done in two hours.

That is? A normal writing speed? A 2k words day is a good day for me and a whole bunch of peeps do something about that or less, and I'm talking multiple writing sessions. You're fine. It's fine. As long as words are happening to any extent, you're writing.

5 pages in 2 hours is pretty fast by my standards.

The 5 Commandments of Storytelling According to The Story Grid

The Five Commandments of Storytelling come from The Story Grid approach to writing, which was created by Shawn Coyne, who has worked in the publishing industry for over thirty years now and has edited hundreds of books. Drawing from the influence of Robert McKee (best known for writing Story) as well as from his vast experience, Coyne came up with concrete ways to measure and understand story. His work has helped thousands of writers find success, and I've personally turned to his approaches several times.

Which brings me to today's article. I recently had some questions that led me back to his work, and specifically to The Five Commandments of Storytelling. Now, I admit, I don't love the name "Five Commandments of Storytelling" because all five elements have to do mainly with plot and structure, and not the other elements of storytelling. But as I've talked about time and again on here, what we call it doesn't really matter, as long as you understand the concept. Coyne also says on his site that it's comparable to the ten commandments Moses got, in that, when boiled down, these are the five things you absolutely need to guide you when getting started in storytelling. 

Some of these items will sound familiar because we've talked about them from other angles before, but I'm covering them from Coyne's angle today, while also throwing in my own thoughts and approaches (don't worry, I communicate which is which).

First off, these five elements are structural elements, and like most structural elements, they work within any structural unit: scene, sequence, act, or the global story. Each of these units really have the same basic parts. For an explanation of how that works, read my post, "Scene vs. Sequence vs. Act."

1. Inciting Incident

I've talked about the inciting incident numerous times on here, but as a quick recap, the inciting incident is either an opportunity or a problem that disrupts the established normal. The protagonist is going on, living in his Ordinary World until bam an opportunity or a problem comes up that will (at least eventually) change the direction of the story--within the narrative arc it essentially kicks off the story. Harry gets a letter from Hogwarts and later learns he's a wizard and can attend a magic school (opportunity). Nemo gets kidnapped in Finding Nemo (problem). Two love interests meet in a romance (opportunity).

In a smaller unit (such as an act, sequence, or scene, as opposed to the whole story) this will be a smaller disruption.

While I prefer dividing these into "opportunity" or "problem," Coyne divides this into two different types:

a. Causal

This happens from an active choice. The example he gives is a wife leaving her husband.

b. Coincidental

This happens (you guessed it) from a coincidence, such as a plane crashing and forcing the protagonist to survive in the wilderness.

For what it's worth, the reason I prefer dividing the incident into "opportunity" or "problem" over "causal" or "coincidental" is because I feel that whether it's an "opportunity" or a "problem" affects the story and protagonist more (and helps you better infer how to write what happens next), whereas many inciting incidents that are causal could be changed to coincidental or vice versa without much effect. For example, Harry could have just as well coincidentally found out about Hogwarts, Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory could have just as well been given the Golden Ticket, Frodo could have just as well stumbled upon the Ring, and the stories would largely be the same. However, if Hogwarts or Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory were viewed as a problem or Frodo getting the Ring was viewed as an opportunity, that would be a very different protagonist with a very different story. 

Nonetheless, I admit that "causal" or "coincidental" can make a significant difference in some stories--a wife choosing to leave a husband is different than one "leaving" after happening to get hit by a car. And there is no reason you can't use both types of categories, and label Harry's as "opportunity, causal" or someone stuck in the wilderness after a plane crash as "problem, coincidental."

Coyne also reflects what I've read K. M. Weiland and a few others say: "the inciting incident of a global story must make a promise to the reader…the ending. The ending must be a perfectly reasonable and inevitable result of the inciting incident."

The inciting incident will give rise to a new desire or goal within the protagonist--or at least a more specific or refined one.

Learn more about Coyne's perspective of the inciting incident.

2. Progressive Complication

This is what we call the rising action, where the conflict escalates. The protagonist faces opposition from antagonistic forces. And the struggles should get more difficult, the stakes should get higher, and the costs bigger.

Coyne suggests giving each complication a number 1 - 10 for how serious the conflict is. A one means it's not that big of a problem and a ten means it will bring the protagonist to her knees. If you find most of them score pretty low, then the stakes aren't big enough in your story. (For what it's worth, I feel like this approach relates to and complements James Scott Bell's three types of death--the stakes need to get big enough to feel like death in some form or another.) This is also a good way to check that, overall, the story is escalating, not de-escalating.

Keep an eye out for "Points of No Return"--this is when a decision or an action cannot be undone (like death). "Ask yourself the simple question…how difficult would it be for my character to reverse his decision?" Coyne suggests. If most of your character's decisions can be easily reversed, and without significant ramifications, your complications and stakes aren't strong enough. "You’ve hit the Point of No Return when no matter what decision the character makes, he will be irrevocably changed by the experience." Either his world, life, or himself will not be the same.a. The Turning Point

While Coyne actually doesn't talk about it in the above article (though it's talked about here and here), the complications will hit a turning point. Like the inciting incident, we've talked about this a few times on my blog. A turning point can only be one of two things (well, or both of them):

Anybody else got that Evergiven sized writers block

“Where’s the next chapter?!” Well buddy you’re never gonna guess

What’s the comic sans trick?

alternative writing un-blockers i personally use for my executive dysfunction:

Another thing I thought was super cursed but then did end up helping was setting my font size to 8pt!! It's true that like this I can't write without glasses at all but it tricks your brain into wanting to fill that page even though it's a slower process and as a result you work faster

still here!

I haven’t talked about writing in a while but I did all the time in 2018! & still here :D

@byjillianmaria and @cwritesfiction are still around too!

:holds up hand: I’m dubiously here, though I mostly just reblog stuff because the ongoing pandabear has nuked my ability to interact and produce original content

and @gingerly-writing is still here, too!

still here on the periphery of writeblr, although I ditched my writing-themed username in favour of something wolf related 😅 (was artattemptswriting)

Still here!!  Albeit not as active as I used to be.  (And not posting original stuff quite as often, ah.)

@siarven Not exactly sure when you joined, but I know you were active around that time.  (They are also still active and you should check out their WIPs!)

Oh hi! I’m also indeed still here :3 (thx for remembering me!! <333) I think I joined around 2016 actually and was very active from that time until … 2019/2020 or so? Dropped away mostly because I got eaten by a fandom and now because I’m mostly editing my wip and most of my active writeblr friends became inactive, so there was much less tag games stuff and.. yeah XD

@lady-redshield-writes is still around, @kittensartswriting (though she’s gone sometimes for a while bc of uni), @fatal-blow I think we first interacted in tag games around that time too right? @albatris was definitely around back then too and @thehollowbetween (back then @/paper-shield-and-wooden-sword) is still around too, though more for art I think.

there are others but brain empty no thoughts XD <3

I would love to talk more to other people again. I do miss the community of Ye Olden Days!

I’m still sort of medium-here, but writing has fallen by the wayside. I promise I’m going to try to pick it up again!

I mean i’m still alive and well if anyone worries about that. Still writing. Going to publish later this year actually.

Just no interest in being known on tumblr anymore lol

Here and doing great anon! Just ended up falling back into my middle school fandom and writing 300k of fanfiction for it which was technically me rewriting a 150k fic but same thing right I’m still up to my eyebrows in wip ideas so I’ll probably be sticking with this for…..a few years probably 😅 But I’m sure I’ll get back to writing original fiction eventually! I’ll just be posting about it on my side blog instead of this one

Going through my follow list rn to see who I can find uhhh let’s see @lordkingsmith @fragmentedink @heavens-tiny-daggers @writerofscribbles @cupcakeswriting @aletheiawriting @capillaryspice @she-who-fights-and-writes @watwrites @writing-in-the-grave @lux-scriptum @idreamonpaper @perringwrites @sunnydwrites @theguildedtypewriter @atelierwriting @fruzsiwrites @cjjameswriting @j-is-gonna-write-28 @juniiparis @inky-duchess @stormdrivensea @writersblockandapotoftea @indecentpause @spencecreates @writingonesdreams @woodhousejay @indigo-inkwell @mightevenwrite @elliotlpowell @keeperofthequill @adie-dee @raiswanson

Aaaaa thank you for tagging me!! This made me miss those times so so much :')

I'm here and alive, though I haven't been active in the community in quite a while and haven't had much time to write either. These days I'm mostly studying and drawing all the time, but there's a story idea I've been thinking a lot about!! I'd love to get back into things again, and hopefully soon I'll be back <3

I think everyone I can remember has already been tagged so I'm just gonna add my thanks again, and that y'all are super cool and I can't wait to be back 🌸🌾

Writing mistakes that editors will call you out for!

Disclaimer: this is a harsh and mean informative post on mistakes that make your writing amateurish or fanfiction-like. In the professional world, editors will call you out on them in a much harsher way that here.. but hey, they’re easy to fix! Of course, the quality of writing is often a matter of individual taste and experience, though there is a theory to it and ways to make your work clear and interesting to your readers.

That aside, here are 7 writing mistakes that hinder your writing!

1 – Dialogue tags

This is BY FAR the most common mistake that amateur writers do, and particularly prelevant in fanfiction. Alternative dialogue tags (whisper, shout, murmured) should be used VERY sparingly. “said”, “replied”, and “asked” should build up the majority of the tags you use.

Oftentimes, the reader will understand the tone based on what the character says or by their actions.

2 - Tense changes

Pick a tense and stick to it. Many times, amateurs waver between past and present which leads to awkward reading. Choose which tense you prefer and stick to it. An extra caution should be taken when using past tense, however, to correctly use past preterite (I ate) vs past perfect (I had eaten). While both can be used, they are different so make sure you understand when to use which.

3 – Pointless dialogue

It’s time to cut the small talk. While chitchat and banter may be fun to read, particularly in fanfiction, editors will ask that you remove it if it doesn’t advance the plot. What you want to do is cut down on the filler in your story, and if that means your characters NOT having an argument about macaroni cheese, then so be it. Save dialogue for important and meaningful conversation only—your readers will prefer it, I promise.

4 – Pointless description

Hand in hand with the previous point, description should be kept consise and relevant. We don’t need to know what your character is wearing or the details of their “black, leather, zebra-print sofa under the wide windowsill in the master bedroom”. Keep the descriptions short, fed into the plot little-by-little and relevant to what is happening. Your readers are smart—they can imagine the rest for themselves! That’s what makes reading fun!

5 – Use the character’s name

The blue-eyed boy has a name for the great purpose of you using it! Literal writing, nine times out of ten, is better! Green orbs are distracting, but green eyes are to the point and clear. It’s the same with names! The name, title, role (butler, governess etc), or pronouns should always be the default. Any other term should be used sparingly when there is no other alternative.

6 – Abandon the pet names

Yes, pet names are cute and fun, but not when they’re in every sentence of conversation. Things like “babe”, “baby”, “sugarpuff sunshine fairy” should be used SPARINGLY. I can assure you, the love interests saying it once or twice in the novel will have a far greater impact on the reader than if they say it every time they call their partner. An overuse of pet names becomes distracting and make the character seem both immature and a caricature. It also has a similar effet to repeating the other person’s name during a conversation—it leads to unnatural dialogue as we only really say the other person’s name to them in order to get their attention.

7 – Immature characters

This is a biiiiig one in fanfiction. You may see characters who are adults in their mid to late twenties but who still behave like teenagers. Granted, if you are a teenage writer, this can’t always be corrected, though it does become apparent to any reader over the age of eighteen.

Truth be told, adults mature and don’t react as overtly as many poorly-written characters do. A twenty-eight year old is very unlikely to tell two teenagers who are making out at the kitchen table to “get a room”, nor are they likely to be victim of some horrible miscommunication that leads to a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers situation. Of course, it is still possible, though it does read as unrealistic and makes it apparent that the author has not yet reached the age of the character they are writing about. Take reference from real people around the age of your characters and if all else fails, you could always look for the possibility to age them down.

Good luck!

Last line tag

Thanks for the tag @deadlycupid!

Tagging @fruzsiwrites @andiwriteunderthemoon @flyingfalconflower

This is really pretty and also a mood!!! *-* thank you for the tag 💕💕

"At what point are we not separate people anymore? At what point do the branches entangle so much that you can't tell one from another? 

If you help keep me on my feet, at what point will I lose the ability to walk by myself?"

Tagging @inexorableblob @alpinewriter @ohlooksheswriting if you'd like to!!

Reblog to send every single person who has read one of your stories a forehead kiss

You try so hard to handle everything gently. Making only the most necessary movements: the lightest touch, the faintest brush of fingers.

Why?

I'm afraid I'll break/hurt them, I need to be careful,, I have to watch my hands, they are clumsy and,, not good,,, no matter how much I wash them they'll never be clean enough

Clean enough?

Not clean enough to hold that book, not clean enough to hold their hand.

What if I stop being careful for a second and my hands do some irreversible damage?

I'm afraid, I've hurt people before though I didn't mean no harm. It's too easy to destroy.

I must always be cautious.. I couldn't stand to see something falling apart in my hands again

So... I found this and now it keeps coming to mind. You hear about "life-changing writing advice" all the time and usually its really not—but honestly this is it man.

I'm going to try it.

underrated trope: “i’ve lost my memory and idk who you are but i just have this feeling that i’m supposed to trust you”

This - but the feeling is absolutely, completely, 100% wrong.

Person 1: “I don’t know what it is about you…I just know that I can trust you.”

Person 2, their actual, literal worst enemy: “Excuse me, what?”

Cue enemies to friends to lovers speedrun.

Writing characters who are exposed to cold and hypothermia

Because I know many people live in countries without cold winter and I’ve read way too many otherwise amazing fics where the MC faints after an hour in 20 F° (about - 6.5 C°), all this while clad in heavy clothing, sweaters, scarfs and winter coat.

Hypothermia

While everyone reacts differently to different temperatures, there are some rules and symptoms of hypothermia. Symptoms, in order as hypothermia progresses:

Body temperatures of different stages of hypothermia:

Keep in mind that some people are more sensitive to cold due to their age or physique. People with increased risk of hypothermia include:

Treatment

Everyone with hypothermia needs immediate medical assistance, but until that arrives the character can be helped with the following actions:

If the shivering stops even though the character hasn’t returned to a warmer place, that’s actually a very bad sign and means that the person’s heat regulation systems are shutting off.

Another thing to note is that when a person faints from the cold, their body temperature is already so low that they must be warmed up immediately, otherwise they die.

I wanted to add because what OP gave is good but there’s a few things I wanted to add from your local disabled author partly because while its good info some of it makes me uneasy as someone who has trouble with temp regulation. And looking at it again I know you didn’t mean just only but the wording here isn’t great: Certain medical conditions that can cause people to have trouble regulating their temperatures. But you must be wondering they already mentioned underweight.

Yeah they did. But here’s the thing that’s not the only kind of condition. Thyroid issues, mitochondrial diseases (genetic disorder), etc. can also cause this same problem. Someone doesn’t necessarily need to be underweight to have a medical condition that will cause temp regulation problems. Also I don’t particularly like the implication here that the type of drugs with the hint of it being something like weed or cocaine can cause temperature issues. I just. I take medicine whose side effects include issues with temp sensetivity. And it just makes me feel uncomfortable how some of this is phrased. So I needed to add on. Even if some of this is out of there

Thank you for the addition! This is really helpful and I appreciate it and I'm sorry for anything in my post that might be hurtful

[image ID: an introduction banner for The Garden: A Neurodivergent and Disabled Writeblr Network. The image is desaturated and shows a collection of leaves with the words “The Garden” displayed overtop in large white letters. Underneath “The Garden” is a dark green rectangle with the words “A Neurodivergent and Disabled Writeblr Network” displayed in white letters overtop. /end ID.]

Welcome to The Garden! We are a group/network dedicated to supporting, providing resources to, and creating a space for neurodivergent and/or disabled writers. We would also love for this to be a space for resources and advice with writing neurodivergent and disabled representation. 

We are pro self-diagnosis and completely welcoming of those who think they may be neurodivergent and/or disabled but don’t have a solid answer or access to resources. We as a group cannot ultimately decide where the boundaries of neurodivergence and disability end, but we welcome those who are questioning or are unsure if they fall under the neurodivergent and disabled umbrellas but want to find community with those who share your experiences. We’re also welcoming of those with invisible illnesses.

However, we do not accept bigots of any kind, nor do we accept those who excuse plagiarism. We intend for The Garden to be a safe space for all.

While the network is for all ages, the Discord server is 16+. This is for the safety and comfort of everyone involved. Those under 16 are still free to use the resources we provide, follow the blog, send asks, and use the tracking tag (#ndgtracking).

That all being said, we are still under heavy construction. We need feedback from you guys on how to run this network as well as the Discord server. Please, if you’re able to, check out this Google Form and provide any feedback you can!

This blog and the Discord server are not ready for operation yet, as we would like to get some feedback. However, we will let you know when they are!

Neurotypical and able-bodied people, please boost this post so that it’s able to reach more people!

WIP Line Chain Tag

I was tagged in this by @oblolongue, @crystallized-ink, @talesofsorrowandofruin and @writing-valentines, thank you! Since I can barely keep up with all the tag chains, I decided to put this into one post.

Rules: Write the latest line from your wip and tag as many people as there are are words in the line.

This is the latest line from Unwritten Sacrifice:

15 words, 15 tags. Here we go: @kessler-writes, @undecidedpersonality, @fleetingfictions, @cozy-kaye, @strangerays, @letsgetsquiggly, @sheyshocked, @mel-writes-with-her-dragons, @authortango, @sleepyowlwrites, @leave-her-a-tome, @apocalypsewriters, @writinglyra, @blindthewind and @crystallized-ink.

I was tagged by @lova-writes and I hope it’s cool I just added onto your post.

So the rules say write the latest line from your WIP and tag as many people as there are are words in the line. This line doesn’t have a WIP but it’s on of those 3 am ideas that still sound good after sleep.

I ‘counted’ 27 words…… I’ll do as many as I can and what ever is left over can be filled by literally anyone tagged or not.

@aela-writes @annoyingwritingtrash @ashen-crest @analogued @apocalypsewriters @writing-with-olive @wildswrites @woodhouse-jay @helen-the-bear @storyhole @fayoftheforest @world-of-skies @pimclementine @pagesofcursive @fablesrose @vivian-is-writing @toffeeacademia @themidnxghtwriter @rhikasa @raenawrites @riaisntwriting

I literally have no idea how many people I tagged and I’m gonna call this good enough. Anyone else who surprisingly wasn’t tagged and want’s to add to this chain please do. And to those I tagged…..Thanks, I like your blogs, let me know if you want me to stop tagging you. Have a nice day!!!!

Thanks for the tag!

My last line:

Skipping articles, I counted 14. I’ll do as many as I can… Tagging: @chazzawrites, @apocalypsewriters , @pagesofcursive , @littlerothridinghood , @writes-about-gays-and-dragons , @pens-swords-stuff , @pretend-im-normal , @fayoftheforest , @annoyingwritingtrash , @vellichor-virgo , ehh good enough. If you’re not on the taglist but wanna be, just consider yourself tagged!

Thanks for the tag @cozy-kaye and @helen-the-bear!

Last line from The Tavern:

Tagging @wanderlust-t @writerfae @teasenpaiwrites @fruzsiwrites @lordfenric

Thank you for the tag, I love you!! ❤️

My last line is

"I'm afraid I have forgotten how to belong somewhere"

I haven't been active for so long that I have no idea how many of the people I know here are still around so for now I'm tagging whoever sees this! Have a lovely day y'all

V.E. Schwab’s advice on creating memorable characters.

this has changed me character creation entirely

STOP SCROLLING AND READ THROUGH

please