honeychild

A Writing Cheat Sheet: for linking actions with emotions. 

Character relationships are important to add dimension to the characters and can help make them and the plot more realistic. This isn’t just for romantic relationships because building the characters’ platonic and familial relationships are important as well. So here are a few tips on creating believable and endearing relationships your readers will love.

Don’t rush into it. This goes for platonic relationships as well as romantic ones. A big cliché complaint with romance stories is that the two characters tend to meet and fall head over heels in love with each other after two conversations or one loving glance across the room (sorry Romeo and Juliet). While romantic connections can begin on the first date, the characters probably shouldn’t be professing undying love and devotion to each other an hour after meeting. The problem isn’t so much the length of time that they’ve known each other as it is how well they know each other, which is why character friendships need time too. If your characters spend two full days together where they really get to know each other deeply and we can see the progression from strangers to people who understand each other, great. If their relationship spans a year but all they do is check each other out then you have a problem. Make them know each other and interact in meaningful ways to create the relationship and show how it came to be.

Show their history. Not every relationship your characters have is going to be created in the span of time in which the story takes place. Your character might have a best friend they’ve known for ten years or three older siblings. Just because these predate the beginning of the story doesn’t mean you don’t have to show what kind of relationship they have. You can say that so-and-so is the best friend but you have to make us believe it. Are they the kind of friends that tell each other everything, like even what they probably shouldn’t? Or are they more the kind that have fun and leave the drama when they go out? Show what kind of relationship the characters have rather than just telling.

Give the reader a sense of why the relationship fits. In some stories you read about the guy and the girl who are just so cute together and they’re falling in love but…why? Why does this pairing work? Having things in common is important, particularly in things that are important to the character, like values. But they can and should also have differences, some of which serve to make the other better. Together they should push each other and support each other. If you make them connect in this way it makes the connection much stronger to the reader and that makes them want to cheer them on more. If it’s all about the smooching it can get rather boring quite quickly.

Tweets have a much shorter time in the spotlight, unless they go viral and/or spark discussion.

That said, Twitter isn't built for in-platform long-form, and your best bet is to use it to redirect traffic and attention to your links elsewhere. In writer terms, Twitter is for pitching and marketing your story, not directly sharing the text.

Which brings me to: writing Twitter is best for (but not exclusive to) writers with finished or almost-ready-for-viewing manuscripts. It isn't best practice to pitch a story you aren't finished writing. In fact, it's polite to have a polished draft ready, not a rough one.

I mentioned on a discord discussion that "Writeblr is where you go to get writing, writing Twitter is where you go to get read." and someone agreed with me. I'm as comfortable a Twitter user as a Tumblr user, but most of my writing activity is here because I'm too early in the process to be talking about my book with agents and editors. I need to have something substantial to show them if they ask.

Writing Twitter has a combination of novelists, poets, short fictionists, and journalists. If you want to be picky about your networking niche (which is valid!), look through a person's bio and past tweets to see what category they tweet most about to see if this is someone you're interested in following.

Lastly, Twitter requires active interaction. You definitely have to put yourself out there way more than you do on writeblr. Seek out public tweets and reply to them.

Oh and it's probably a given, but just in case it needs to be said - if you intend to use writing Twitter as a career-building / networking venue, then using a human profile picture and a proper name (use a pseudonym if you must) will make people more comfortable interacting with you and taking you seriously. (Again not a hard and set rule.)

That said, here are some places to start reading, participating, or studying to get a feel for writing Twitter:

General hashtags where discussions happen: #writingcommunity, #amwriting, #amediting. I know there's a more niche #amwritingfantasy, #amwritingfiction (because those are my genres) but have not checked if it exists for other genres. I don't particularly follow #authornews but I see it get used here and there.

Diversity hashtags - not much discussion, mostly a mixture of discovery features and opportunities. Again, these are limited to hashtags on my radar, but if you ask around you'll definitely find a hashtag for your community. It won't always be active, but it'll be there. #writersofcolor, #writersofcolour, #SouthAsianWriters, #writeLGBTQ, #readwomen. I've encountered #blackwriters and #blackauthors but have not checked for which is preferred, if any. #ownvoices is a pretty universal hashtag, and is particularly active on Twitter.

If you're from a major city in the States, I'm willing to bet there's a hashtag for your city or state if you dig around for it.

Hashtags and communities not specific to writing, if you want to get a feel for how else Twitter is used: #ActuallyAutistic, #NeurodiverseSquad, #VisibleWomen, #PortfolioDay

Now if you're ready for the full force of writing Twitter, below is the real good shit:

#amquerying and #MSWL (stands for Manuscript Wish List) is where agents and publishers announce that they're looking and share what they're looking for in submissions.

@PitchWars is one of only three accounts I'll recommend (for now). They have two important projects you should be watching: #pitchwars and #pitmad, a mentoring program and a manuscript pitch party respectively.

The second account you need to be following is @AuthorMentorM and their hashtag is #AuthorMentorMatch.

The third is @DVpit_ and their hashtag is #DVpit.

Some last bits of advice:

Diversify who you follow. Follow agents, major publishers, indie publishers, literary critics, small presses, even writing advice accounts. Your fellow writers are probably following those accounts too.

If you really feel like going on a follow spree, look for one account you like (like an admired author, a dream publisher) and scroll through their Follower/Following lists.

When in doubt, tweet a question asking help and use the #writingcommunity hashtag. You will get assistance.

Twitter as a space is not as generous with trigger warnings. The more popular and generalist hashtags (stuff like #ownvoices) can and do get used for political arguments instead of intra-community discussion. Browse at your own risk.

Susan Orlean, The orchid thief

For that trait NOT to fall totally flat, one or more of these things need to happen:

The trait exacerbates a situation in a bad way. (An extremely honest and trusting character reveals an important secret to the Big Bad’s lackey)

The character is given a choice to either act according to their traits or to subvert them. Often the subversion has the better outcome. They either maintain their trait and take a risk, or character development ensues. (A greedy character must escape. Leaving behind their riches goes against their very being, but it would allow them to escape easier. If they try to take some of their treasure with them, they do so at massive risk.)

 The character is put in an environment or must work with a person that opposes their trait. (An extremely tidy person must live in their slob cousin’s filthy apartment for a week. / The character has a debilitating fear of being alone and they are stranded on their own on an island.)

Outbuildings include this springhouse, with its antique red clay roof tiles.