Always a Lost Cause

“Characters, especially protagonists, have to be likeable to be good characters” - Very limiting to the variety of stories that can be told and can stress the writer into ‘softening’ their characters flaws in fear of people not liking the character. Both Likable and Unlikeable characters can be interesting, which is what I think is a better word to use

”Write what you know” - Again, limiting. And impossible for variety. Do research, get to know different kinds of people. You can write a lot of things, even beyond your personal experience. I’m not saying DON’T write what you know, just there’s merit to not knowing as well

”Don’t be cheesy” - Hey cheesiness is part of the fun and charm, man. There’s nothing wrong with that

”Telling is bad” - In some cases, yes. And show don’t tell is good advice. But to say ‘don’t tell period’ is where I think the point is missed. There are some cases where telling can be genuinely appropriate. A character who feels the need to say what’s on their mind, a piece of lore the audience needs to know, or dialogue revealing aspects of a story or character. It’s not all about showing don’t telling, it’s also about deciding is it natural to tell in this moment, and if the answer is no, resort to showing

”Flat characters are bad” - No they’re not. There’s merit to a character that stays the same throughout the story. Maybe they’re a support, maybe they’re the support to others development, maybe they carry a purpose outside of changing in character. There’s multiple reasons why a flat character can work

”First POV stories are bad” - It’s a format. There’s a lot of merit to that format and being in a characters headspace. Ever played a video game in your life? More often than not, you have a character that is the player, and you are experiencing the story from their perspective

“Cliches are bad” - Cliches are human. Who cares? So long as you’re not doing the cliche for the sake of doing the cliche, it’s fine

”Don’t make your character too powerful, they’ll be Mary Sues” - What makes a Mary Sue is a character that is powerful AND have nothing going on outside of how powerful they are. (And on top of other criteria’s) It is absolutely possible to have a character who can obliterate bad guys and still be a compelling character. Maybe their struggle in the story is ego, or something else internal

10 Tips for Editing Other People’s Writing

by DailyWritingTips

Here are ten tips for a positive, productive critiquing experience:

1. Tolerate the Task When you write, you don’t have to be an aficionado or expert to produce an article or a story on a given topic. Editors don’t need these qualifications, either, and they don’t have to be enamored of the writer’s voice or technique. The same goes for someone conducting a critique: Don’t turn down a request for feedback just because you’re not interested in the subject or you don’t like the writing style. Help the writer succeed in reaching the audience they are writing for. (But don’t hesitate to express your opinion if you think the approach is flawed.)

2. Ask for a Clean Copy The manuscript sample you receive should appear exactly as it would look when it’s ready for submission to a publishing professional. Hard copy should be double spaced and must be free of handwritten annotations or emendations. An electronic document should be professionally formatted and at least mostly devoid of the writer’s notes to self.

3. Mark It Up If you’re reviewing an electronic copy, activate change tracking and edit it. Insert notes using the comment feature or by entering them in brackets, highlighted in boldface or with colored type or background, so they are easily located and distinguished from the content. If you’re working on hard copy, use a pen or a colored pencil for brief notes, and write or type your detailed queries and comments on a separate sheet of paper or in a computer document.

4. Evaluate the Writing, Not the Writer Compliments and complaints alike should focus on the product, not the producer. Refer to the sentence or the section, the character or their actions, the narrative flow or the exchange of dialogue rather than to the person who requested your help. Suggest how to improve the article or the story, not the writer.

5. Start — and Stop — with the Positive Whether you’re responding with general impressions or providing detailed feedback, begin by lauding the strengths of the sample, and reiterate your positive feedback when you summarize your critique. Refer to strengths, not weaknesses, and use positive language: “stronger,” “more interesting,” “a better approach.” Be frank but diplomatic: Even people who can take criticism need to hear that they’re doing something right, and that’s what you should start (and end) with.

6. Craft Your Critiques Be specific, not vague. Be active, not passive. Point out problems, but suggest solutions. Your goal is to clearly communicate to the writer about how they can more clearly communicate to their readers.

7. Guide, Don’t Carry The writer will appreciate focused feedback, and you should feel free to model precise changes in structure or tone and detailed revisions of narrative or dialogue, but do so sparingly. Think of your advice as patterns for the writer to use as templates, or you may end up rewriting the piece, and the writer will have learned little or nothing (except never to ask for your help again).

8. Invite Questions Set up a time to go over your critique after the writer has had a chance to review it. Welcome the writer’s requests for clarification and discussion. If the writer becomes defensive, mention that you have offered your perspective, and that they are free to act on your critique as they see fit.

9. Follow Up Check in with the writer and see how they’re progressing. No matter how careful you are about being diplomatic, the writer may feel a bit battered, and part of your unwritten contract should include a clause requiring you to keep in touch about the project.

10. Know Your Limits It’s reasonable for a writer to ask you for a second light look at the piece after they have made changes in response to your comments, or to request that you provide a general impression about a revision based on your in-depth critique. But establish boundaries about how much time and effort you expend on the writer’s work.

Anonymous asked: Hi! First of all, thank you for answering all of our questions, it is very helpful, not only for the ones that ask but also others that might understand something they didn’t think about before, and I truly appreciate it! What I wanted to ask is this. I am really afraid of other people’s opinion on what I write. When I think too much about it, it blocks me and I can’t write. Do you think I should try to change, or that I should just keep on writing for myself?

First, thanks for saying that about the blog. It means a lot to me to know that it’s really helping people. :) <3

No, they’re not the same thing, and learning the difference can help avoid some mismatched expectations once your draft is ready for a new pair of eyes.

Beta Readers are a test audience.

Beta readers aren’t there to fix your grammar, point out every plot hole, or all the other more detailed things that a story needs eyes for– betas are used for measuring story enjoyment and gathering opinions on content. They don’t have to be writers as long as they’re willing to engage with a piece and give an honest opinion. They can be given pointers of things the writer is worried about, but generally they should be allowed to notice their own things and form their own impressions because they interact with a story in a way to measure entertainment rather than strict quality. Because betas give opinions you always want as many as you can get.

A test audience shouldn’t see a story until the 2nd draft or further because you should be fixing your own typos and natural mistakes from the 1st draft process, though there may be an “Alpha Reader” who works alongside the writer during the writing process. Some beta readers who have writing experience may dip into a more critique-like opinion, but ultimately the goals for betas and critics are on different levels.

Critique Partners have a more in-depth understanding of stories.

A true critique partner has a deep understanding of story mechanics, tropes, and writing in general. These people tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly, pointing out issues that are related to quality of storytelling and writing. While they may find enjoyment out of reading the story, and can certainly tell you, their job isn’t to be a test audience because a test audience isn’t supposed to have clear goals of tearing something apart. Critiques are meant to be much tougher than beta opinions and because of that they help increase skills even further.

While anyone can beta, people can only critique at a level around where their writing skills already fall. A novice writer is a novice critic, but that doesn’t mean they can’t bring some value to the table. It’s better to seek out a more experienced critique if you can, however you have to improve at the rate you feel is right for you, so don’t ask someone who’s been writing for 15+ years to tear you apart if you aren’t ready.

Like betas, you always want multiple people fulfilling this role to minimize missed issues, especially when working with less experienced critics. A critique may include opinions, but the background knowledge a critic uses to critique is based on facts of storytelling quality and writing skill. No story is ever perfect and you don’t have to follow all the rules, but a good critic can tell you when your rule-breaking isn’t working and why (or if your hard rule following is making it too formulaic).

A critique can tell you that your grammar needs work, but they aren’t going to go through it line-by-line and fix your mistakes for you. Fixing things for you falls under the wonderful job of an editor.

Editors are paid professionals for when it’s time to get serious.

These are the guys who go line-by-line and fix mistakes (at least if you’re editing for things like grammar). Yes, you can technically find a free editor, but anyone serious about bettering their work should just pay someone to do a real job. Editors who work in the field for a living or side job have a higher quality of return and the credentials to back up the contract. Fortunately, unless you have the intent to publish or are just really curious and have some money to spend, editors won’t be on the list of people who will be reviewing your work.

There are many, many types of editors, each with their own specialization and goal for improving a story. Some of them even share the same title so it gets confusing pretty quickly. Luckily, many professionals wear multiple hats for if you plan to self publish and need to hire, and if traditional publishing is the route then your publishing house would take care of that knowledge. 

No matter which kind of writing help you employ, always be sure to work out expectations beyond just a title with that person(s). It’s best to be on the same page so you both know what the goals are of the exchange.

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Sometimes where writing, particularly dialogue, can feel funky is the problem of voice, of that just doesn't sound like him, which can come down to individual words used. What's really interesting is this sense can ping even for characters you don't know at all, NPCs and background characters, not just the big main canon favorites that everyone knows intimately.

For example, I was writing a fic recently where I had typed out a character saying

"He was lucky he wasn't more seriously hurt."

And immediately had to backtrack because the word lucky felt wrong. I knew exactly what needed to go there instead without really thinking about it, but let's break it down a minute first.

Okay, so imagine you're me and lucky feels off, so what do you do? You turn to the thesaurus. This is what you get:

[alt text added to image; should pull through]

These aren't... wrong. (Well, some of them are.) Most of them are synonyms of lucky in various contexts, but they're not one-to-one by any means. So first you have to know that, in this spoken context of describing a person who avoided a potential negative outcome, only some of these will work, because it needs to be an adjective that has to address a moment of good luck (as opposed to a pattern or a lifetime) and avoiding that potential negative outcome by chance. Most of the time, you can sort these out by saying them out loud in your chosen sentence.

"He was lucky he wasn't more seriously hurt"

✅ Original sentence, construction works.

"He was serendipitous he wasn't more seriously hurt"?

🚫 No. That doesn't make sense at all.

"He was blessed he wasn't more seriously hurt."

✅ Yeah, that works, in a vacuum, too.

Of the above, in the sentence of dialogue I created, the following work:

Blessed

Fortunate

Lucky

Only three. (If I changed the sentence structure to "It was ___ he wasn't more seriously hurt," I could try out a few more, maybe, like fortuitous and providential, but I'm not going to.)

Even with only three options, especially in dialogue, you have to be able to parse out what kind of person would use which. That was why lucky pinged as off to me, even though it works perfectly well in this context in a vacuum.

In my scenario, the person speaking was a highly educated, upper socioeconomic middle-aged man of authority for whom American English is a first language speaking to another man with whom he has only a professional relationship, a reason to worry about his standing within the state of said relationship, and a vested interest in maintaining a healthy level of respect and trust.

That is not a man who is going to say lucky.

I knew immediately and instinctively that he would say

"He was fortunate that he wasn't more seriously hurt."

He wouldn't say blessed unless I wanted to imply something about his religious and/or spiritual background and beliefs, which I did not. Lucky has a more common feel to it, a little more casual, and just wouldn't be the word of use for this kind of character in this situation. Reaching for the three-syllable word instead of the two, the one that echoes with a tiny bit more pomp.

You'll notice, too, that a that appeared as well, because a man like the character I described would be more particular about the formalities of grammar, even in cases where his meaning is clear without them.

A different character, someone of a lower socioeconomic status and/or in a much more casual situation might even say

"He got lucky he wasn't more seriously hurt."

Do you see how those four ways of saying the exact same thing sound and feel different?

"He was lucky he wasn't more seriously hurt."

"He was fortunate that he wasn't more seriously hurt."

"He was blessed he wasn't more seriously hurt."

"He got lucky he wasn't more seriously hurt."

The exact same sentiment, just tweaked to match the speaker.

masterlist. main navigation.

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1. Being prepared

Ironically, you need to be more prepared as a pantser compared to a plotter, because you won't have a detailed outline to come back to if you didn't have enough planning done. As a plantser, you need to know the general things of your WIP - How it starts, how the conflict begins and who/what it is, who your characters are, when the climax happens, dialogue and scene ideas, ships, characters, how the book ends, etc.

2. Characters & development

Besides the general plot, you also need to have an idea about your characters and their development. You don't have to create a detailed outline with plot points about your characters' arcs, but you need to at least know the general things - what kind of person they were before the arc, what triggered their development, who motivated them to change, and so on.

I recommend still making character sheets to annotate their appearances and such, because you're bound to forget them after a while, especially for minor characters.

3. Take down notes

Being a writer comes in a package with getting amazing ideas at the most random times. Plotters will furiously type in their ideas in their outline, but what about pantsers? You won't be able to do this.

That's why you need to keep a notebook with you, so that you can jot down random ideas whenever you get them and not forget any. It doesn't have to be neat or organized, but it has to exist.

4. Unnecessary scenes

Plotters will know all their WIP scenes in detail thanks to their outline, but that's not the case with pantsers. They will write scenes on instinct, based on their present ideas, without knowing if the scenes will make it to the last draft.

This might be hard, but be prepared to delete tons of unecessary scenes from your manuscript once you're in the revising stage. But this doesn't mean you need to be scared of what you write! Go write whatever comes to mind. It's better to delete an unecessary scene rather than not writing a potentially amazing scene.

5. Overwriter or underwriter?

As a pantser, it won't be easy to predict your WIP's end word count, although you already have a goal in mind. If you don't monitor your writing with an outline, you might end up writing too little or much.

To prevent this, know if you're an underwriter or an overwriter. If you're an underwriter, try to write more by adding more subplots or editing your descriptions and dialogues into longer ones. If you're an overwriter, limit your writing by avoiding scenes that serve no purpose to the plot or using shorter descriptions.

6. Zero drafts

With loads of unplotted aspects of your WIP, such as dialogues, scenes, and plot twists, you're bound to need multiple drafts before you finish your manuscript. Your first draft will most likely just be a compilation of your initial thoughts that stull need to be organized.

My advice is to have a zero draft - a draft that blocks the major beats in each scene - where you just need to write all of your thoughts and ideas. This way, you won't be pressured to write too much.

7. Y'all are valid!

Lots of people claim that panters aren't valid - that writers can only be plotters, because you need to know everything about your story before you start it.

FINDING INSPIRATION

By this definition, there are two different types of inspiration. Lets look at the second one first, because it’s the easier to talk about. 

Inspiration as a sudden stroke of brilliance.

This is the kind of inspiration a lot of people think of when they consider the world. It’s the muse, the genius. It’s that moment when you’re not expecting enlightenment but it hits you anyway, with such force that you have to race to your keyboard or art pad or so-forth to let the creativity flow out so you don’t explore from it.

It’s also completely and entirely unpredictable. You can’t force yourself to have this sort of inspiration.

It’s also not the mark of a Good Creator to have this kind of inspiration. Most of the best works ever made were made without the slightest touch of sudden brilliance.

This sort of inspiration is lovely to feel and it’s empowering to work under, but it’s irrelevant to the end result of a project. Good creations are not produced by sudden brilliance but by showing up and doing the work. 

(For more about this, see Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED talk here)

Inspiration as a mental process.

This is a softer, less-spoken-of kind of inspiration. It’s the inspiration that comes from a painstakingly assembled pinterest board or playlist, the inspiration that takes time and effort to produce, the inspiration that doesn’t hit you over the head but fills you up, slowly, though energy and understanding of one’s self.

There are many ways to produce this inspiration, and each individual creator will only respond to some of them. Lets consider a few now:

Visuals. Having visuals that remind you of the thing you’re writing, drawing, etc, can spark inspiration for a lot of people, especially if they relay the atmosphere of the project, getting the creator in the mood for it.

Sound. Playlists with music that fits the type of creating, the project itself, or some particular aspect of the project, like a scene or a character, can be a fantastic source of inspiration and if you form a habit out of only listing to that music when you’re preparing for or actively creating that thing, it trains your brain to turn on “creating mode” so to speak. 

Habit. In the same way, any sort of habit that’s specific to your creation process can be very useful: setting up your workplace in a creation only area, with the same background noise, a similar drink, a similar time of day, etc. 

Meditation. Now, I don’t mean the sort of meditation where you drop everything from your head and float away from your body. I mean deliberate contemplation. Meditate on your project, on where it’s going and what it means to you, on the emotions it invokes and the reasons you chose to write it in the first place.

Interaction. Sometimes you have to start without any inspiration and by diving into your project you’ll gain that inspiration through your interaction with your creation. Maybe it’s work for the first five paragraphs or the first sketch, but as you find your flow and connect with that you’re doing it might just embrace you in return.

But remember: this sort of inspiration doesn’t come every time you want it. Even the most dedicated creators will lack it entirely some days, and that’s perfectly normal. Inspiration like this is a really nice bonus that can help you find joy in shaping your creation, but it, like sudden brilliance, isn’t necessary to the creative process. It’s just a nice bonus.

–watch, read, or look at something similar, but different, to what you want to make–like if your story is a modern adventure, watch classic adventure movies.  If it’s a political thriller, try something that’s one but not the other, or look into similar genres, like heists.  if you’re doing intense relationship work, watch something with a close relationship that’s also funny, or intense where the character’s alone, and consider the differences.  If you’re losing your romance in porn, try Jane Austen to get the characters and passion building with clothes on, or if you want to lovingly describe the human form, find photography shoots of significant others. 

–Study it.  Why does it work?  What makes those characters work together so well?  What is similar to your idea?  Is it a friendship?  The character’s goals?  A single interaction?  An expression?  What could you use from it to make your story better–could it be funnier?  More sincere?  More suspenseful?  Do you need less time focusing on plot, and more on relationships? 

–What’s it doing wrong?  Is it unfortunately of-its-time, as far as racism and misogyny?  Did it speed through a plot development that fascinated you, and spend too long on something else?  Is its science terrible?  Is its porn unsexy, or out of place?  Did it leave a relationship dangling, or resolve it in an unsatisfying, too-predictable way?  Keep those mistakes in mind as you write your own. 

Hercules foils a stand-off at the store. It turns out that the culprit of the stand-off is Rocket Raccoon who was trying to buy some things at the store but the people were too freaked out over a talking raccoon with a gun. Hercules catches Rocket Raccoon and much to Rocket’s annoyance, he is mistaken for a dog. 

There are many different styles of editing depending on how you like to approach the process. Many writers edit once they’re finished with their entire novel and then focus on writing a new draft. Other writers, however, release their novel chapter-by-chapter, especially if they’re writing fan fiction or publishing on FictionPress—so they don’t have the luxury of focusing on the entire novel. As someone who has done both, I thought I could offer some tips on editing by chapter.

Here are a few tips on editing by chapter:

Think of each chapter as its own story.

Each chapter of your novel should have a beginning, middle, and end. There should always be something important going on and something that drives the plot forward. If you begin to think of chapters as mini stories, it will help you structure your chapters and your writing will improve. When editing, keep these things in mind. If the chapter starts with a problem, how has the situation changed by the end of the chapter? If everything is the same, maybe you should hold off ending the chapter. Is there rising action? Was something important said? The length of your chapters will vary, but a chapter should be long enough to get its job done. Think of what you’re trying to say with each scene and how those scenes will build on each other to create a chapter.

Decide what you want your chapter to lead into.

Think about how you want your chapter to end. A lot of novels end their chapters with an exciting moment, so that readers will want to continue reading immediately.  Take some time to think about what you want to explore in the next chapter. Will you jump ahead in time? Will you change POV? Is there a specific plot point you want to address. The end of one chapter should help set up the start of the next chapter in some way. If you’re editing chapter-by-chapter for online publication, make sure you do the necessary set up because you most likely can’t go back and change it.

Keep a general outline of major plot points.

When editing this way, you really need to keep track of what you’re doing. It helps to keep track of major moments that will happen in your novel. Try to build chapters that lead up to these moments successfully. If a character’s death is coming up, make sure you establish that character properly before you reach that moment. Keeping a general outline will help you figure out what chapters are coming up and will help you edit confidently.

Check for grammar mistakes.

I always wait until I tackle all the other problems before I check for grammar mistakes. However, this is a super important step before you publish your chapter online. Check it over a couple times, read it to yourself, etc. Don’t just scan over it; really try to read it line-by-line a few times. Grammar mistakes will often take readers out of your story, so try not to take it lightly.

The beginning of your story is, in a way, one of the most important and vital parts of the entire book. Even the first word alone can decide whether your readers will want to keep reading, or won’t. It is important to create a good hook that helps to start the general flow of the plot line to draw the reader into the story, and I know it can be hard. So, here are some DON’TS to starting your story.

1. Alarm clocks!

I know it feels easy to start off a story with your character waking up to the sound of an alarm clock, but this is NOT the way to start off a story that you want to be popular.

Have you ever heard of the term “Déjà vu”? Well, that’s exactly what I feel, and I’m sure some of you feel when you see this type of beginning. So. Many. Stories. Begin. With. This! The whole point of the beginning is to hook in your reader, and one way to catch their attention is by making your story, as well as the beginning, UNIQUE!

Unique= Not like the rest!

2. Prologues

Some of you may be surprised at this one, I know if I were younger than I am today, I would be, too. Because, I used to use prologues ALL THE TIME. But, prologues can be, a lot of times, annoying, and useless. If you really think about it, you don’t need prologues in your book, because prologues are just backstories that lead up to chapter one. And readers know this, so, most of the time, they’ll either skip it or read it without their full attention, therefore boring them and making them less optimistic about your story.

Some of you may be saying “But what if I need a way to explain my story at the beginning?”. Personally, I love when a book starts out when the reader has no idea what is going on. It makes me want to keep reading to find out, therefore catching my attention. Leave the explaining to a later time in the beginning section of your story!

3. Dreams

Please don’t open a story with a dream. Sure, the action of a dream can hook a reader, but after revealing that it was only a dream, it can disappoint the reader, as well as frustrate a reader. Especially when, after the action of the dream, the story is slow and boring, with the main character getting out of bed and going to school, or getting ready for work, etc. When this happens, I am mentally hurling your book across the room and at the wall.

Although, there is an exception to the “no-dream” rule as long as, after the dream, you continue the story at almost the same level of thrill and action, but, I have found this hard to do. My advice, just don’t start your story with a dream in the first place.

~~~

This page only provides a list of transitional words; be certain you understand their meanings before you use them. Often, there exists a slight, but significant, difference between two apparently similar words. Also remember that while transitions describe relationships between ideas, they do not automatically create relationships between ideas for your reader. Use transitions with enough context in a sentence or paragraph to make the relationships clear.

Example of unclear transition:

The characters in Book A face a moral dilemma. In the same way, the characters in Book B face a similar problem.

Improved transition:

The characters in Book A face a moral dilemma, a contested inheritance. Although the inheritance in Book B consists of an old house and not a pile of money, the nature of the problem is quite similar.

Examples of Transitions:

Illustration 

Thus, for example, for instance, namely, to illustrate, in other words, in particular, specifically, such as.

Contrast

On the contrary, contrarily, notwithstanding, but, however, nevertheless, in spite of, in contrast, yet, on one hand, on the other hand, rather, or, nor, conversely, at the same time, while this may be true.

Addition

And, in addition to, furthermore, moreover, besides, than, too, also, both-and, another, equally important, first, second, etc., again, further, last, finally, not only-but also, as well as, in the second place, next, likewise, similarly, in fact, as a result, consequently, in the same way, for example, for instance, however, thus, therefore, otherwise.

Time

After, afterward, before, then, once, next, last, at last, at length, first, second, etc., at first, formerly, rarely, usually, another, finally, soon, meanwhile, at the same time, for a minute, hour, day, etc., during the morning, day, week, etc., most important, later, ordinarily, to begin with, afterwards, generally, in order to, subsequently, previously, in the meantime, immediately, eventually, concurrently, simultaneously.

Space

At the left, at the right, in the center, on the side, along the edge, on top, below, beneath, under, around, above, over, straight ahead, at the top, at the bottom, surrounding, opposite, at the rear, at the front, in front of, beside, behind, next to, nearby, in the distance, beyond, in the forefront, in the foreground, within sight, out of sight, across, under, nearer, adjacent, in the background.

Concession

Although, at any rate, at least, still, thought, even though, granted that, while it may be true, in spite of, of course.

Similarity or Comparison

Similarly, likewise, in like fashion, in like manner, analogous to.

Emphasis

Above all, indeed, truly, of course, certainly, surely, in fact, really, in truth, again, besides, also, furthermore, in addition.

Details

Specifically, especially, in particular, to explain, to list, to enumerate, in detail, namely, including.

Examples

For example, for instance, to illustrate, thus, in other words, as an illustration, in particular.

Consequence or Result

So that, with the result that, thus, consequently, hence, accordingly, for this reason, therefore, so, because, since, due to, as a result, in other words, then.

Summary

Therefore, finally, consequently, thus, in short, in conclusion, in brief, as a result, accordingly.

Suggestion

Okay, so today we’re going to talk about a little something I like to call forshining.

Foreshining? What are you on about?

I’m so glad you asked. Foreshining is a term I use when an author foreshadows something so heavily that it’s not a subtle hint anymore. It’s like they really want you to guess the plot twist, and rather than showing you it’s shadow, they just light up the whole damn thing.

The problem is that plot twists are a game, and the game is only fun when it is good and fair.

What‘s the plot twist game and what makes it good?

The plot twist game is when you leave a trail of breadcrumbs for your reader. If they follow them correctly, they get to guess the plot twist!

If you want to make the game good, you have to lay multiple trails of breadcrumbs and then the reader only guesses the plot twist if they follow the right trail.

These should be little hints, actions from that character, word choices they use. You can do the same to form the red herring trials you lay toward other suspicious characters.

Okay, but what makes the game fair?

Have you ever read a book where the author just pulls the the plot twist out of no where and it’s really disappointing? That’s because the game wasn’t fair. The author didn’t give the readers a chance to guess the plot twist at all, so it’s not fun when you find out what it really was.

A good plot twist is one where if you reread the book you would be able to see the trail, but first time around the writer distracted you with a bigger, juicier trail. Maybe the hints just seemed like light relief before a big breakthrough. Maybe there’s something far more interesting going on. Whatever it was, use a sleight of hand: readers looking here 👋? Plot twist clue here 🤚.

How do I avoid foreshining?

Simplest way? Beta readers. Get people to read over your story start to finish. Make sure they haven’t heard you talk about the plot twist, or anything about the plot at all. Try and give it to some self proclaimed plot twist spotters, like myself, who get very bored with always expecting the so called ‘plot twist’, that has been heavily foreshadowed to the point of foreshining. They will be able to tell you if you made them work hard enough, or whether they felt you spoiled the game. Then take that advice on board and try to make some changes.

I have no idea how this got lost in my inbox-

If you're worried about the pacing of your writing, there's several different places where the rushed sensation might be coming from. I myself am not very good at pacing, especially when it comes to Chronic, but there is some advice that I take to heart while I myself am trying to improve

All My Writer's Pacing Tips & Tricks

In my opinion the most difficult focus pacing when writing is of course the plot. You don't want it to feel like its dragging on for all eternity, boring anyone who reads it. But you also don't want it to read as rushed and back-to-back-to-back.

Sentence & Paragraph Variation

Making your sentence length more diverse can help guide the eye, and give the writing a natural feeling whilst reading

The same can be said for paragraph size

But you can also use both to influence the pace and atmosphere in writing

Shorter, more direct sentences, and smaller conjoined sentences in a short paragraph give a fast sensation. It can be really helpful during an action scene, a scene with a lot of chaos, or to build anticipation

Meanwhile longer sentences, and paragraphs, with intense attention to detail or descriptions, can give a longer and calmer feeling. This is especially helpful when setting a scene, or bringing attention to something subtly that tells us about the characters, story, or moves the plot

Emotional scenes also require more detail

Some ways you can change sentence structures is by adding what a character is actively doing

For example

Original: Aldrich sighed. He had enough of it all, so he got up and stood at the window.

Now this sentence isn't bad, but if we're trying to give a sense of Aldrich's impatience and restlessness from this, we need the timing to feel the same to the reader.

Tweaked: Aldrich heaved a prolonged sigh. Wrapping his finger nails against the side table, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, biding for even the slightest change in the lighting outside. The unease itched inside his muscles. Next thing he understood, he was standing at the window, scanning the outside furiously.

– A lot of questions I receive revolve around editing and proofreading, so I decided to make an extensive guide to editing your own writing. I collaborated with some amazing friends on this post so this is dedicated to them as well as all of you. I hope you find it useful. Enjoy!

Know The Difference: Editing vs. Proofreading

Editing is about the content, proofreading is about the technical detail and accuracy. Once you know the difference and you separate the two into different tasks, going through and actually doing it will seem less daunting. Deciding which to tacking first depends on what you’re like when you edit, but if you struggling with focusing on actually improving the content because you get distracted by grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, then proofreading first may be a good idea. 

Be Intentional With Your Vocabulary

Avoid adverbs

Be frugal with unique adjectives

Only use dialogue tags when absolutely necessary

Be mindful of overused words

Take the time to find the right words

The words you choose can make all the difference so pay special attention to them.

Just Keep Snipping

A basic rule to editing that people often forget it, if it doesn’t serve a purpose, you should cut it out. A short book that is amazing all the way through is better than a long book that is redundant. Don’t worry about leaving your readers in the dark or not having enough content. As you edit, you’ll find ways and places in which to input more information.

Flow & Rhythm

This is the part where you make sure the writing itself sounds how you want it to. It’s important to read your writing aloud during this stage. Some things to pay attention to regarding flow and rhythm:

sentence length/variation

sentence structure

syllables and how they fit together

how your writing sounds out loud

Eloquence

Say it once and say it clearly. Redundancy bores readers so quickly, so when putting information forward, be clear, concise, and don’t add fluff. You don’t need to write a whole paragraph about how a character feels in a situation. It’s important to give the reader just enough to read between the lines.

Grammar

Common Grammar Mistakes To Look For

Subject-verb agreement errors

Sentence Fragments

Missing Comma After Introductory Element

Misusing The Apostrophe With “Its”

No Comma In A Compound Sentence

Misplaced Or Dangling Modifier

Vague Pronoun Reference

Wrong Word Usage

Run-On Sentence

Superfluous Commas

Lack Of Parallel Structure

Sentence Sprawl

Comma Splice

Colon Mistakes

Split Infinitives

List from here x {Explains these further and more in depth}

Improper Use of Phrases

“could have” not “could of”

“My friends and I” not “me and my friends” {If you take away “my friends” or “I”, or one of the nouns in a sentence in general, the sentence should still make sense}

“I couldn’t care less” not “I could care less”. This should be a no-brainer.

etc.. I could go on.

Familiarize yourself with these common mistakes and avoid making them at all costs. It’s also helpful to have someone read over it and let you know when they find issues with phrases you used. Please be attentive to these mistakes because making them can destroy your credibility as a writer.

Utilize The Senses

If you’re describing something in your writing, you should be slipping in words and little details that appeal to the reader’s senses, When editing, look for opportunities to slip in how a place smells, how a food tastes, how something feels to the touch, etc. It’s unbelievable how much this enhances your story.

Punctuation & Format

Punctuation Rules In English

the period (or full stop in British English)

the comma

the exclamation mark

the question mark

the colon

the semicolon

the quotation mark

the apostrophe

the hyphen and the dash

parentheses and brackets

Source x

When proofreading and marking up your manuscript, it can save a lot of time and energy if you use marks instead of actually write out everything, so here is a little chart I found that may be useful to you:

Other Things To Look Out For

Make sure you know who is talking

Keep tense consistent

Vary the tone from scene to scene

Run-on sentences

Inconsistencies in story details

Plot holes

Causes and effects of events are explained

Facts and technical details {Make sure you’ve researched them well}

Deviations from established background (know your story really really well and make sure your reader does too)

General Tips

Go in assuming that your work is full of errors. Maybe it’s not, but it’s better to be prepared for the worst and solve the issues now rather than when it’s too late

DO NOT BE SENTIMENTAL. Yes, easier said than done, but it’s possible. 

Make the text less recognizable to yourself in order to catch details you may not otherwise.

Print out your manuscript and physically write out the changes.

Read your writing out loud. Sometimes writing looks like it makes sense, but in reality sounds wrong. 

Do it in short periods over time so that you don’t inevitably get lazy with paying attention to little details

Keep in mind that editing usually takes longer than actually writing the draft because it is less fluid and requires more thought and problem solving.

Don’t rely on spelling and/or grammar checking software; they’re not always correct and can easily misinterpret what you’re trying to get across. 

Check for a single error at a time. It may be time consuming and tedious but it’s more effective than the alternative.

Give yourself time and read slowly through it multiple times

Split up large chunks of text to make it easier to handle. Don’t go through your whole manuscript page by page as if you were just reading it as a book. Go chapter by chapter or scene by scene or even sentence by sentence.

If something seems off, investigate it. Don’t take a chance and leave it be. If you’re stumped, highlight it and have someone else look over it.

Have a strategy. Maybe not at first, especially if you don’t extensively edit your work regularly, but with time you’ll find what works for you and what doesn’t. Create your own system and use it to save yourself some time and confusion.

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1. Write for yourself

This is the #1 tip I will always give to writers, so you've probably heard me say this a few times. Don't write for others, but write for yourself.

People have different tastes. There will always be some who dislike your book, and some who consider it their favorite. Lots of people hate famous books like Percy Jackson or Six Of Crows, and I'm sure you've disliked a popular book before. So instead of writing a book that others would read, start writing a book that you would read. If you end up liking your book, I can assure you that many others will too.

2. Flesh out characters

When you're excited to write a new WIP, you might delay your character building process and decide to start writing while trying to figure out the characterization on the way. I've done this a couple of times, thinking that it would speed up my writing process, but trust me, it did not. It actually slowed down my writing instead.

If you start writing your wip without at least finishing 80% of your character building process, you'll find yourself getting stuck in scenes, not knowing what your character would say or do, which is very inconvenient.

If you ever get bored of character building and really want to start writing instead, I suggest writing one-shots unrelated to your WIP. By doing this, you don't have to worry about writing your characters out of character, and its actually useful to their characterization process.

3. Experiment!

If you feel like there's something off with your writing, or you're beginning to feel that writing is a chore for you, experiment with different writing techniques. Switch up your genre, time period, plotting method, etc.

For reference, I used to be a pantser who writes plot-driven mystery stories. But now, I'm more comfortable with being a plantser who writes character-driven low fantasy stories! Basically, don't be afraid of change, because it might help you later.

4. Know your ending

In my opinion, the most important thing to consider while writing a story is your ending - not your beginning or middle. You can rewrite your beginning chapters anytime, and you can always figure out your middle chapters later, noone knows how to write the middle of a story anyway.

But if you don't know the ending of your story, you're screwed, buddy. Without knowing how your story ends, you can't write the events that build up to that ending.

You're unsure about your novel's ending at first and decided to throw in a last minute plot twist? That means you've been foreshadowing the wrong ending the whole book, and you gotta rewrite. You don't know how your characters will develop throughout the book? You won't be able to write the journey of their arc throughout the story. Hassling, right? That's why, try not to start writing your WIP without having a possible ending in mind.

5. If you write, you're valid.

Nowadays, the standards of being a writer is that you have to write a full-length novel and be traditionally published. This isn't true, not even the slightest.

You write poetry? You're a writer and valid. You're a screenwriter? Bro, look at the word. ScreenWRITER. valid. You write fanfictions? Valid, and you're not cringey. You have NO idea how much I worship fanfiction writers for writing what canon won't give us. You're writing but don't want to be published? You're still valid. As long as you write, you're valid, because that's the whole point of being a writer.

6. Don't follow every single tip