The Moon Lies in Wait

Hi :)

How to write a road trip

For a road trip there are a few things to consider that change how you go about it:

Purpose

Just wanting to have a road trip

Is there a specific place they need to go to?

What is going to wait for them at the end?

Route

If there is a specific place, they need to be at they should take the direct route there

If it’s just for fun they can go and stop in any direction whenever they want

You can include some obstacles, like road blocks, traffic jams, construction sites, getting lost, etc.

If you use actual places, try to figure out the time it takes to get from point A to point B

Sleeping arrangements

A few options: in the car, in a tent, in a motel

Depends on where they are, their budget and the weather

Passengers

How many people are in the car?

What is their relationship?

Are they carefree and happy or is there tension between them?

Plot points

The plot is like a road trip itself - it moves from one point to another and then ends at a point you choose

So, you can choose different stations during the trip to include different plot points and further the plot

Maybe something major always happens when they have to stay in the car with nowhere else to go

Maybe they only have important conversations at night

End of the trip

You should interconnect the end of the trip with the end of the plot you wanted to get across

It’s like reaching the destination in both aspects

That makes for the most satisfying end for the reader

Road Trip Ideas

picnic at the side of the road

quick bathroom breaks

having a snack stock pile

homemade sandwiches

getting lost

fights about which way to go

being stuck in traffic

the perfect road trip playlist

and still fighting over the music

phone batteries being dangerously low and no way to charge them

trying to read an actual paper map

packing too many useless things

while forgetting something important

looking out for places to sleep

contemplating if the creepy motel is worth it

sleeping in the car, uncomfortable in all the wrong places

sleeping under the starry sky

not seeing a single soul for miles

randomly stopping at interesting things

watching the sun set and rise again

measuring time with McDonald’s signs they see

visiting small towns

coming across ghost towns

exploring the remnants of civilization

arriving at their destination feeling either more connected to each other or farther away from each other

I hope you enjoy this and have fun writing it!

“Kill your darlings” was an expression Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch came up with, to tell young writers not to fall in love with a particularly fine passage. He wrote,

If you here require a practical rule of me, I will present you with this: ‘Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it—whole-heartedly—and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings.’

The particular problem he was trying to address was trying to look smart by showing off a big vocabulary with flowery writing. More often than not, the person doing this doesn’t actually have the skill to pull it off, and they end up looking ridiculous. 

Painfully baroque prose isn’t a temptation for most writers anymore. This advice was given in 1916, long before simple sentences became fashionable. 

I’ve encountered this writing vice occasionally in literary writing workshops and magazines and academic journals, but it’s much more likely to show up in arguments on the internet when someone is trying to intimidate someone who disagrees with them instead of making an actual argument.  

This is the whole paragraph from the book that contains the advice:

in

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

7. earbuds or headphones?

8. movies or tv shows?

9. favorite smell in the summer?

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

12. name of your favorite playlist?

13. lanyard or key ring?

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

18. ideal weather?

19. sleeping position?

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

21. obsession from childhood?

22. role model?

23. strange habits?

24. favorite crystal?

25. first song you remember hearing?

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

28. five songs to describe you?

29. best way to bond with you?

30. places that you find sacred?

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

32. top five favorite vines?

33. most used phrase in your phone?

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

35. average time you fall asleep?

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?

37. suitcase or duffel bag?

38. lemonade or tea?

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

41. last person you texted?

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

44. favorite scent for soap?

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

47. favorite type of cheese?

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

51. current stresses?

52. favorite font?

53. what is the current state of your hands?

54. what did you learn from your first job?

55. favorite fairy tale?

56. favorite tradition?

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

62. seven characters you relate to?

63. five songs that would play in your club?

64. favorite website from your childhood?

65. any permanent scars?

66. favorite flower(s)?

67. good luck charms?

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

70. left or right handed?

71. least favorite pattern?

72. worst subject?

73. favorite weird flavor combo?

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

82. pc or console?

83. writing or drawing?

84. podcasts or talk radio?

84. barbie or polly pocket?

85. fairy tales or mythology?

86. cookies or cupcakes?

87. your greatest fear?

88. your greatest wish?

89. who would you put before everyone else?

90. luckiest mistake?

91. boxes or bags?

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

93. nicknames?

94. favorite season?

95. favorite app on your phone?

96. desktop background?

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

I wanna learn more about everyone’s writing, and honestly there are too many wonderful ones out there for me to find them all on my own.  So please help me!

Reblog this and talk about your WIP for a bit! I wanna know what your project is! Tell me about what you’re excited for! Describe your characters! 

My WIP is a novel called The Moon Lies in Wait, and follows the life of young girl named Emily Lyn. After the brutal deaths of her parents, she is abducted by the creatures responsible--intelligent yet soulless beings known as monsters--and taken to their world, where she is enslaved and tormented physically, mentally, and emotionally for over a decade. Over the years she loses herself, becoming almost as cruel and apathetic as the creatures that kidnaped her--until a run-in with a stranger, one who claims to have ties to her past, leads Emily to question everything she’s ever known. 

A) existential crisis - self-deprecating - ask themselves everyday if they should just give up on writing - continues to write anyway - feels like they should be doing more (both in writing and irl) otherwise feels like they’re just wasting time - (they’re not tho i believe in them) - likes to complain about writing but they really love it and wouldn’t know what to do without it

B) make it stop - looooooooooooooooong stories - thinks their stories have too much filler scenes and that they’re boring the readers - but they can’t stop - unconsciously brags about their word count - 2,000 words turn to 20,000 words real quick without noticing it - how do they do this - probably bad in one-on-one conversations irl

C) do it for yourself - *mildly interesting thing happened in their life* “now how do I exaggerate this so I can add it in my story” - rants about their irl problems thru their writing - *cries while writing angst bc it’s too real* - they’re the main character - makes people they don’t like the antagonists

D) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) - ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) - smut scenes that will make you consider kinks you didn’t know you have - makes their characters fuck in the middle of a zombie apocalypse just bc - afraid to write in public for obvious reasons - just wants to write porn but ends up adding fluff/angst - sometimes it’s the other way around - kinky but sexually frustrated irl

E) God - organized - has a minimum word count everyday and follows thru it - knows how to separate irl emotions to story emotions - intricate outline - perfect grasp of how the story will flow - what we all aspire to be

Welcome to week eight! Writeblrs, I want to hear about your ideal writing spot. What is your favorite place to write? Your desk, your bed, a coffee shop? What’s your dream writing spot like? Let’s talk about the environment that gets us in the zone. 

Send an ask, reblog, or comment to join the conversation! 

It’s hard to say which I prefer. I think I’m definitely more productive at my desk, but the bed is so comfortable…

How many gods and goddesses are there?

How are the gods and goddesses related to each other? How similar are these relationships similar to human ones?

Is there a ‘chief’ god? What makes them the strongest one? Have they always been the strongest?

How much do the gods meddle with human affairs? What motivates them to get involved?

Can humans have kids with gods? What special abilities to these kids have? How are they viewed by society?

Do humans pray, make offerings, or do other things to try to appease the gods?

Do people and/or societies tend to worship one god or goddess at a time, a handful that reflect their interests and priorities, or the whole pantheon? How does this vary between people and cultures? How do people who worship different gods or worship them to different degrees interact?

Which gods are the most widely revered? 

What is the mythology’s creation myth? How does that reflect society’s values?

What traits does the mythology tend to idolize? What does it demonize? Have people’s interpretations of these things changed over time?

Who are the main, famous heroes of this mythology? What makes them so well regarded?

Do gods have different names, personalities, or physical portrayals in different cultures?

Have details about some gods been lost over time?

Do gods and goddesses look like humans? Animals? Something else entirely?

 BASICS

What is their name? Is there any meaning in their name? Their age? What are the quick simple things that make your character? What is there role in your story?

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

What is their body type and their height? What is their skin color? What is their hair, eyes and face shape? Are they considered attractive? Is there any birth marks or scars or distinguishing features? What do they think of their physical attributes?

SPEECH AND VOICE

What speed do they talk? Do they ramble or are they careful with their words? How does their speech reflect their personality? What is the repetition in their internal monologue?

ORIGINS 

What is their emotional and physical origins? What was their childhood like and how does that manifest in their current life? What does their origins mean to them? What is the relationship with their family or guardians? How does their origins effect the story now? What haunts them? What makes them believe or reject the lie?

PERSONALITY 

What is their positive character traits? Flaws? How does those positive traits and flaws manifest in the story? How is their personality linked to their origins and ghost?

CHARACTER ARC

Are they going to experience a positive character arc? What is the lie? What is their truth? How will they learn that truth? Are they going to experience a negative character arc? What is the lie? What is the truth? How are they going to reject the truth for the lie? Are they going to experience a flat character arc? What is the lie they are fighting? What is the truth? Why do they believe that truth? How will other people learn the truth via your character?

A PASSAGE