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and @FERN-THE-SEEKER (go there for WITCHCRAFT)
fern | he/him | adult | this is just anything
pfp from this picrew π π ππ π π
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(a non-suffering writerβs guide to structure, sanity, and staying mildly hydrated)
Hey besties. Letβs talk outlines. Specifically: how to do them without crawling into the floorboards and screaming like a Victorian ghost.
If just hearing the word βoutlineβ sends your brain into chaos-mode, welcome. Youβre not broken, youβre just a writer whose process has been hijacked by Very Serious Adviceβ’ that doesnβt fit you. You donβt need to build a military-grade beat sheet. You donβt need a sixteen-tab spreadsheet. You donβt need to suffer to be legitimate. You just need a structure that feels like itβs helping you, not haunting you.
So. Hereβs how to outline your book without losing your soul (or all your serotonin).
β
π 1. Stop thinking of it as βoutlining.β
That word is cursed. Try βstory sketch.β βNarrative roadmap.β βPlanning soup.β Whatever gets your brain to chill out. The goal here is to understand your story, not architect it to death.
Outlining isnβt predicting everything. Itβs just building a scaffold so your plot doesn't fall over mid-draft.
β
π§ 2. Find your plot skeleton.
There are lots of plot structures floating around: 3-Act. Save the Cat. Heroβs Journey. Take what helps, ignore the rest.
If all else fails, try this dirt-simple one I use when my brain is mush:
Act I: Whatβs the problem?
Act II: Why canβt we fix it?
Act III: What finally makes us change?
Ending: What does that change cost?
You donβt need to fill in every detail. You just need to know whatβs driving your character, whatβs blocking them, and what choices will change them.
β
π 3. Make a βscene bucket list.β
Before you start plotting in order, write down a list of scenes you know you want: key vibes, emotional beats, dramatic reveals, whatever.
These are your anchors. Even if you donβt know where they go yet, theyβre proof your story already exists, it just needs connecting tissue.
Bonus: when you inevitably get stuck later, one of these might be the scene that pulls you back in.
Plot the spaces between those after youβve nailed these. Think of it like nailing down corners of a poster before smoothing the rest.
Youβre not βdoing it wrongβ if you start messy. A messy start is a start.
β
π§ 5. Use the outline to ask questions, not just answer them.
Every section of your outline should provoke a question that the scene must answer.
Instead of:
β βChapter 5: Sarah finds a journal.β
Try:
β βChapter 5: What truth does Sarah find that complicates her next move?β
This makes your story active, not just a list of stuff that happens. Outlines arenβt just there to record, theyβre tools for curiosity.
β
πͺ€ 6. Beware of the Perfectionist Trapβ’.
You will not get the entire plot perfect before you write. Donβt stall your momentum waiting for a divine lightning bolt of Clarity. You get clarity by writing.
Think of your outline as a map drawn in pencil, not ink. Itβs allowed to evolve. It should evolve.
Youβre not building a museum exhibit. Youβre making a prototype.
β
π§Ό 7. Clean up after you start drafting.
Hereβs the secret: the first draft will teach you what the storyβs actually about. You can go back and revise the outline to fit that. Itβs not wasted work, itβs evolving scaffolding.
You donβt have to build the house before you live in it. You can live in the mess while you figure out where the kitchen goes.
β
π 8. If youβre a discovery writer, hybrid it.
A lot of βpantsersβ arenβt anti-outline, theyβre just anti-stiff-outline. Thatβs fair.
Try using βsignposts,β not full scenes:
Hereβs a secret someoneβs hiding.
Hereβs the emotional breakdown scene.
Hereβs a betrayal. Maybe not sure by who yet.
Let the plot breathe. Let the characters argue with your outline. That tension is where the fun happens.
β
πͺ΄ TL;DR but emotionally:
You donβt need a flawless outline to write a good book. You just need a loose net of ideas, a couple of emotional anchors, and the willingness to pivot when your story teaches you something new.
Outlines should support you, not suffocate you.
Let yourself try. Let it be imperfect. Thatβs where the good stuff lives.
Go forth and outline like a gently chaotic legend π§
β
written with snacks in hand by
Rin T. @ thewriteadviceforwriters ππ§ βοΈ
Sometimes the problem isnβt your plot. Itβs your first 5 pages. Fix it here β
π€ Free eBook: 5 Opening Pages Mistakes to Stop Making:
β¦ A free (and actually helpful) guide to leveling up your first 10 pages β¦If you're unsure whether your opening is β¨doing enoughβ¨ to hook re
"incurious" still GOAT insult. You could be better but you're not. You could learn but you won't, and for no good reason, just a base dispositional apathy. Get fucked
βDo it scaredβ βdo it aloneβ are all great tips, but my biggest takeaway from therapy is do it messy. This is especially true if youβre getting out of a burnout, which I experience often. Literally just do it messy. You donβt need to pick the perfect trail to walk, the perfect playlist to listen to, whatever the fuck it is. You donβt need to have a meticulous to do list and wake up at the exact time you planned and drink the exact amount of water you planned to drink. Like the biggest thing for people like me to remember is sometimes itβs okay to do it messy. Put on a random yt workout and just get it done in sweats. Do 5 minutes of a daunting task and go from there. Sometimes just getting up is a win during intense burnouts or depressive funks. Literally just do it messy.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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the thing is, stephen king is generally pretty good at creating complex, well-rounded characters, which makes it all the more jarring when one of those characters abruptly comes out with what i'll term a "kingism". i don't know how best to define a kingism other than "you'll know it when you see it". it's the voice of the author intruding on the voice of the character, and in this case the voice of the author has a bad sense of humour and is ravenously, inexplicably horny
one of the hallmarks of a kingism is that when a character is being Horny On Main (or In Maine), they can never do it in a normal way. they have to come up with a sequence of words that nobody has ever said before in the history of the english language. here's another example:
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worst mistake u can make w your male oc is giving him a sister that's cooler than him..... like sorry idw hear abt him anymore can he move tf out of the way
the idea that a sex scene in fiction is fundamentally useless/simply for audience titillation UNLESS theyβre fucking infodumping exposition while they bone or something is so funny and myopic to me. like, you really genuinely believe for real that there is NOTHING to be gained about your understanding of a story or characters simply from how they approach and engage in sex? really for real?
Ask yourself, how does this piece make you feel? (No wrong answers)
Look for an artist statement nearby. What does it say about the artist and their relationship to their work? What does the artist say that they are trying to convey with their art? What contextual clues can you pick up from what they say about their background, or what they omit?
Look at the title of the piece. What is the artist saying about their work by naming it that, either explicitly or implicitly?
Look at the medium. Is there anything about the piece that stands out to you, knowing what it's made of?
Look at the year it was made. What cultural events might have been happening around this time? Was this piece part of a particular art movement? What was the purpose of that art movement, and what was it trying to say?
Accept that sometimes, you still might not get it. This is perfectly okay.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
β Live Streamingβ Interactive Chatβ Private Showsβ HD Qualityβ Free Actions
Free to watch β’ No registration required β’ HD streaming