writings :)

these are mostly gathered from AO3, but some I came up with. If anybody wants me to add anything, feel free to make a comment or dm me. honestly, this is mostly for my own benefit lol

Coffee shop AU: Who is the barista, and who frequents the coffee shop?

Highschool/College AU: Who is the straight-A student, and who’s the backrow slacker?

Rivals to loves AU: Who takes their rivalry seriously, and who is half in it just to push the other’s buttons? 

Enemies to lovers AU: Which one switches sides? 

Soulmate AU: Who is eager to meet their soulmate? Who absolutely does not want to meet their soulmate? 

Single parent AU: Which one is the single parent? (Alt. if they’re both single parents: Which one is open to starting a new relationship from the start? Which one is never planning on finding love again… Until they meet the other and are instantly smitten?)

Doctor AU: Which one is the longsuffering doctor? Which one is the patient? 

Bodyguard AU: Who is the bodyguard? Who are they protecting? Which one is secretly pining for the other? 

Pirate AU: Who is the pirate? Who is the member of the royal family who did not sign up for this? 

Torturing characters is my favorite sport and insanity is just *chef’s kiss*. Know if you have any mental health issues to reach out and call someone, and this post is strictly on writing insanity. With that said, let’s get into it. I’ll break this up into four parts: What insanity is, the start, the decline, the end. 

What is Insanity?

There’s a lot of ways to go about insanity. But here, when I’m talking about insanity, I am NOT discussing anxiety, depression, etc because having mental illness doesn’t make you insane. Insanity is the extreme, typically associated with impulsive behavior, the inability to distinguish fantasy from reality, and the inability to preform day-to-day tasks because of psychosis. 

The Start

The Start is how they got insanity. Was it a previous mental illness that consumed them, or was their something magical involved? Insanity should be a slow process, so focus a lot on it. Do the other characters feel something is off, or is your insane character trying to hide it? Also, I break up the flow of my writing as I imagine when you’re insane, there’s a lot happening in your mind. I often have thoughts disturbed by others. And when I break up the flow, it disturbs the reader. At the start, only do this a little bit because they’ve just started and may not even know they’re insane yet, or refuse to admit it. 

The Decline 

This part I focus the most in, mostly because it’s the saddest in a way. I write first person, so you get what’s happening in their mind. Here, they’re seeing illusions maybe and are very impulsive. Their character is midway changing. Their may also be triggers depending on how their insanity started that can cue these impulses. Obsession is a tool I play a lot around with: an idea they started with at the beginning of the arc like they like to read, then I take the fact they like to read and do they only speak quotes from books they’ve read (sometimes jumbled together) or obsess over their favorite book–maybe their goal was to be the hero of the story but they’ve turned into the villain, idolizing their ideals they once hated. So, is/can your character fight back their insanity? Do the others with them know? 

This is the longest stage because insanity doesn’t happen over night. There will be a breaking point that will lead you to The End.

The End

If there was something before in them, they’re gone. They can have a redemption arc–maybe somebody put them into a mental institution and you’ll see them from time to time. Maybe that option isn’t available. However your characters deal with it is up to them. Whatever obsession they’ve fixated on has consumed them, their mind fighting against them. Not all insanity is violent, but it is the type that I write. Hallucination and violence against people they loved. Your character is gone, might be able to come back, and are still alive. 

 I also use a lot of format breaking. I bold and italicize certain texts, as well as break it up–aligning it to the left, right, and center. How do your characters handle this? Guilt, no matter what, is going to be important depending on how long they’ve been going insane and what they could’ve done to help sooner.

do they like to read? if so, what’s their favorite genre?

would they rather live in the countryside or a big city?

do they practice any religion?

do they meditate?

what is/was their relations like with their parents? siblings?

what is their favorite subjects in school?

what weird phase did they go through as a kid?

are they more like their mother or father?

do they have a mother/father figure outside of their parents?

do they respect elders? authority?

do they know how to swim?

can they ride a bike?

what board games are they good at? bad at?

do they like to run?

how do they treat those inferior to them?

do they like riding in airplanes?

what is their biggest fear?

biggest pet peeve?

what is their tell for lying?

how did they meet their closest friend(s)?

what is their guilty pleasure?

what is/would be their favorite tv show? movie?

have they ever dated someone? gotten married? did they break up? if so, why?

how do they act in awkward situations?

when in danger, do they have a fight or a flight reaction?

do they think pineapple belongs on pizza?

how old were they when they learned their first curse word? when they first said it aloud/to someone?

do they approve of swearing?

would they be able to survive living off-the-grid?

what kind of sense of humor do they have?

what is their biggest flaw?

are they good at making friends?

do they have any enemies?

what is their favorite color?

do they have a favorite song/music artist?

have they ever tried writing poetry?

do they know hand-to-hand combat? how did they learn?

what’s the biggest argument they’ve gotten into? who was it with and what was it about?

do they like sour candies?

do they prefer hamburgers or hot dogs?

what is their favorite genre? (books, movies, tv shows?)

He said, “Wiggle your pencil.

Put the tip of your pencil to the paper and keep the eraser end wiggling.

If you have nothing to write, write that: I have nothing to write, I have nothing to write, I have nothing to write, I have nothing to write, and eventually, by force of boredom, something else will come out.”

We would take 30 - 45 minutes every day to ‘wiggle our pencils’ in our wide-ruled notebooks, during which time, he was silent except to remind anyone who stopped to keep that pencil moving. 

I finished not one but two novel-length stories that year. It was fifth grade.

It took me forever to get the hang of starting scenes. Save yourself some time.

Do you ever find yourself over-using the word “run” (or “ran”) in your writing? Try using these words instead:

sprint / sprinted

dash / dashed

dart / darted

bolt / bolted

race / raced

speed / sped

hurry / hurried

jog / jogged

bound / bounded

hustle / hustled

scurry / scurried

tear / tore

rush / rushed

charge / charged

barrel / barreled

zoom / zoomed

scuttle / scuttled

scamper / scampered

book it / booked it

lovely, 

charming, 

delightful, 

appealing, 

engaging, 

winsome

ravishing, 

gorgeous, 

heavenly, 

stunning, 

arresting, 

glamorous,

 irresistible, 

bewitching, 

beguiling

graceful, 

elegant,

 exquisite, 

aesthetic, 

artistic, 

decorative, 

Use these as prompts, reference, or whatever else you’d like. I had fun making this list. 

Part 2 now published

Dialogue That’s Like a Love Letter

“It was always you.”

“Can you just hold my hand?”

“I wished every day to hold you once more.”

“You are a fountain of good fortune, my love.”

“Seeing your face is like drinking water after a lifetime in the desert.”

“There is something between us and it is the most beautiful thing I have ever felt.”

“If I could stay here with you forever, I would.”

“You had the deftness of a master thief when you stole my heart.”

“You are the first thing on my mind, the last thought before sleep, and my truest love.”

“If I could, I’d hand you my beating heart on a platter.”

Dialogue That Tugs at Those Heart Strings

“You made me feel weak.”

“I didn’t mean to love you so much.”

“You were the only person I thought I could trust.”

“You promised you wouldn’t forget me.”

“I don’t have anyone else.”

“I thought you still loved me.”

“You never cared that you broke my heart.”

“It wasn’t supposed to end this way.”

“Please just stay with me. For one moment at least.”

“You’re leaving now?”

“You didn’t miss me at all?”

“I can’t love you anymore.”

“I wish I was sorry.”

“All these years and you decide to break my heart now?”

“Did I ever really matter to you?”

Dialogue That is Angry

“Admit that you’re wrong!”

“Do not compare yourself to me.”

“My hate for you runs deeper than your ego.”

“You left me!”

“You will never know how I feel.”

“Liar!”

“I wish you were dead.”

“You will regret this.”

“Get away from me!”

“I don’t know you anymore.”

Dialogue That is Sunshine and Smiles

“This is my favorite time of day.”

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Feel it, it’s soft.”

“He’s adorable, what’s his name?”

“Let’s take the long way home.”

“I know it’s early, but you have to see this sunrise.”

“Paint with me.”

“I love it. It’s amazing.”

“Look at those stars.”

For people who are creating characters, here are some internal growth ideas your character may go through:

Reject the temptation to exact revenge, instead seeking justice through proper channels. 

Learn compassion for others, seeing people as individuals and caring about what happens to them. 

Challenge old beliefs and ideas and be willing to see the world from a new perspective. 

Let go of a dream or desire that is stifling their growth or causing them pain. 

Make a personal sacrifice so someone else can achieve an important goal. 

Learn to measure their self-worth according to their own standards rather than by the recognition or validation of others. 

Overcome their fear of success by ceasing his pattern of self-sabotage. 

Follow their own path rather than the one dictated by others, no matter how loudly or threateningly they speak. 

Find the strength to forgive another person and free themselves of damaging emotions. 

Gain the confidence needed to take a risk; in doing so, they will understand that true living is not about success or failure, but about trying. 

Reject toxic relationships and the crippling doubts surrounding their own worth. 

Learn that sharing their pain with others is a step toward letting it go. 

Become more decisive, rejecting the fears that have encouraged them to let others be the decision-makers in their life. 

Realise that refusing to admit they were wrong is worse than being wrong in the first place (since it inhibits growth and prevents change).

Reject fear and show courage by standing up to someone in a position of power or influence. 

Acknowledge defeat gracefully so they can move past it and try again. 

Reject the need for constant positive reinforcement by allowing someone else to enjoy the spotlight. 

Learn that there is a time to act and a time to listen, despite it being their nature to do one over the other. 

Let go of a deep loss and begin to move on. 

Set aside pride and seek wise counsel to improve their chances of success. 

Realise that fear itself doesn’t make them weak; avoiding or denying fear is what weakens a person.

Learn that true strength comes from the willingness to be vulnerable and own their insecurities rather than hiding them from others.

Step outside of their comfort zone, despite their fears, to try something new. 

Decide that their own happiness is important and take steps to obtain it despite the judgemental attitudes of others. 

Outline if it increases productivity

Follow writing “rules” if they increase productivity

Do whatever it is that increases productivity

Productivity is not necessarily measured in word count; productivity is the feeling you get after you’ve done something

Share with other people if it increases productivity

Keep it to yourself if it increases productivity

Get distracted from the actual work… if it increases productivity

Really. First drafts and the process to get there can be as rule abiding or breaking as you want them to so long as you find yourself being productive. You can have a long process that takes years for a story, you can have a short one that takes months. The lucky thing is that one writer’s process has no bearing on another’s so there’s no point in criticizing, but for yourself, you want to walk away every time you work on your story feeling as productive as possible.

This is why there are no “rules:” So much of writing is built on figuring out what works for you, and no two people will be the same. If you’re getting discouraged a lot and can’t find yourself finishing a first draft, try changing up one of the things I listed above!

I’m not saying this to be like “uwu positivity!” I mean literally if you focus on what you shouldn’t do, you will get paralyzed and write nothing.

Example:

“Don’t use adverbs!”

Okay. You’re sitting at your desk, staring at an empty document.

She closed the door loudly–

Oh no! Adverbs are bad! What do you do? Quick, backspace that sentence. Now what do you write instead? Your fingers hover over the keyboard. It can’t be an adverb, you know that for sure, but what can it be?

Great. Now you’re back to a blank document .

“Try to use strong verbs.”

You sit back down in front of your computer. Okay. You know what has to happen. You can picture your character storming into the room and the door closes–

She slammed the door–

There! You found a word you were actively searching for, rather than just excluding all the words you shouldn’t use. Now you can leave that phrase on the page and move onto the next one.

Obviously there is a lot of good writing advice out that that is framed in a “don’t” way, but look for the ones that can be easily reframed to a “do” configuration. One of my favourites is don’t introduce an important character more than half way through the story. Easily reframed! Try to introduce important characters before the halfway point.

On the other hand, don’t start your book with a dream sequence doesn’t flip easily. If you can’t use a dream sequence, what do you use? You know one thing you can’t do…but that really doesn’t narrow things down much, does it?

You’re only focussing on what you can’t do, so this advice isn’t offering you somewhere to go, just somewhere to stay out of. That doesn’t mean it’s inherently terrible advice–but it’s not going to move you forward. Instead, try start your story with a hook that makes you interested in the characters. A bit vague, but now you’re thinking. What’s interesting about my characters? My plot? What would make people want to read this before they know all the cool stuff I’m going to include later in the book?

Below the read more is a lesson on writing effective dialogue in fiction. As with everything in art, rules are there to be broken, so please do treat the below lesson as a guideline rather than a legal document, and remember that it is based on what works for me as well as advice I have received from other writers. It might not match your style, and that’s all right. It’s also a very lengthy blog post, but I have used headings to try and break it up and there’s a little contents of sorts at the start, so feel free to skim/skip where needed. 

If you do find it useful, however, please consider helping me through a tricky time by sending a few pennies my way via ko-fi.