A Dead Fish.

Alright, Tumblr writers. Sit down. Drink some water. I’m back with more writing tips I learned the hard way, usually at 2am while questioning every life choice I’ve ever made. Take what helps. Leave what doesn’t. Argue with me in the comments if you must.

1. Your tone doesn’t have to stay consistent to be good. You can be funny and devastating. Soft and brutal. Whiplash is sometimes the point. Life doesn’t stick to one genre — your writing doesn’t have to either.

2. Trauma shouldn’t only explain behaviour; complicate it. If a backstory only makes a character quieter, sadder, or “stronger,” it’s underused. Trauma creates contradictions: wanting closeness but flinching from it, craving stability but sabotaging it. That tension is the point.

3. If you’re exhausted by your own story, take that seriously. Burnout while writing isn’t a sign that your story is bad — it’s usually a sign that something is off in the process. You might be editing while drafting, forcing the plot to go somewhere it doesn’t want to, or circling the same emotional beat without letting it change. Before you delete anything or decide you “hate” the story, step back. Distance fixes more drafts than starting over ever will.

4. If you suddenly lose all motivation halfway through a scene, don’t push — jump. That drop usually happens right before an emotional beat you haven’t figured out yet. Instead of forcing filler, jump past it. Write the aftermath. Write the reaction. Once you know where the scene lands, going back to fill in the middle is way easier.

5. Don't be afraid to kill your darlings. Sometimes, you write a line or a scene that you love, but it doesn't fit the story. It's okay to cut it. Maybe it can be used elsewhere, or maybe it just needed to be written to get you to the next part. Your story will be stronger for it. But make sure to save it somewhere else for later.

6. Let characters surprise you. Sometimes, a character will do something unexpected. Don't fight it. Let them surprise you. Maybe they'll reveal a hidden side or take the story in a new direction. Trust your characters—they might know where they're going better than you do.

7. If your dialogue sounds stiff, check how the character answers. Real people dodge, deflect, misunderstand, and answer questions with different questions. If one character asks something important and the other responds clearly and honestly on the first try, it can feel fake. Add friction. Let them avoid the point. That’s usually where the tension lives.

8. If you get a sudden burst of inspiration for a totally different scene, write it immediately. Don’t worry about continuity. Don’t worry about spoilers. Don’t worry about “doing it out of order.” That excitement is your brain handing you something important. You can always stitch it in later — you can’t always get the feeling back.

9. If you ever catch yourself thinking, “I should probably explain this,” pause. That urge usually shows up right after you’ve written something subtle and start worrying the reader won’t get it. Before you add explanation, ask: is the clue there? If the emotion, action, or detail already points in the right direction, trust it. Over-explaining often flattens moments that were already working.

10. If you don’t know how to start a scene, start a few seconds late. Writers often open scenes too early — characters entering rooms, greeting each other, settling in. Skip that. Start where something is already happening: mid-conversation, mid-thought, mid-tension. Readers will catch up faster than you think. (A LOT of my writing starts like this, but lots of people like it... so it works I guess.)

11. If you write your main character as “normal,” don’t abandon that the second they're thrown in a difficult situation. If you establish a character as ordinary — awkward, untrained, unsure — they shouldn’t suddenly start moving smoother, or reacting like a seasoned fighter the moment things get hard. Stress doesn’t usually make people cooler or more competent; it makes them messier. If you want them to survive a difficult situation, let it be through panic, luck, instinct, help from others, or small, clumsy decisions. The moment they act like a different person, they stop feeling real — and readers will notice.

12. If your redemption arc starts with instant forgiveness, it isn’t redemption. Redemption requires effort, discomfort, and time. The character should change before they’re accepted again — not after. Forgiveness is a result, not a starting point. Saying the character did some bad things but the second they apologise everything is forgiven (or to an extent) not only sounds unrealistic, but simple too.

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Okay, that’s it. No more tips. I’ve run out of wisdom and it’s past the hour where good decisions are made.

If even one of these made you go, “oh. that explains a lot actually,” then this post did its job. You don’t have to use all of them. You don’t have to agree with me. Writing isn’t a checklist — it’s trial and error and accidentally discovering your best scenes while doing something “wrong.”

So write out of order. Let the tone shift. Let your characters be complicated and a little inconvenient. Skip the boring parts. Trust the moment before you explain it to death.

And if your draft feels messy or unfinished or emotionally confusing?

Good. That usually means you’re close.

Go write something that surprises you. Something that hurts a little. Something you’ll reread later and realise you were braver than you thought.

You’re not doing it wrong.

You’re writing.

by writingwithoutconfidence (you all make me more confident <3)

Writing Tips

My Writing (very long though)

1. Strip Away Their Last Defense

A breakdown only lands if the character has nothing left to protect themselves with. Take away the coping mechanism they’ve relied on — their pride, their control, their relationships, their denial, or their hope.

The breakdown isn’t caused by pain. It’s caused by the loss of what kept them standing in that pain.

2. Make the Trigger Small but Devastating

The moment that breaks them should often be quiet, personal, and specific, not just the biggest explosion. A single line of dialogue, a realization, or a tiny betrayal can hurt more than the obvious disaster.

3. Let Them Resist the Fall

Don’t drop them instantly into collapse. Let them try to hold it together first. That resistance creates tension and makes the fall feel earned and painful.

4. Show the Internal Shatter Before the External One

Start with the internal fracture — the belief that dies, the truth they can’t ignore, the hope that finally gives out — then let the external breakdown follow.

5. Let the Breakdown Change Them

A real breaking point permanently alters the character. After this moment, they don’t return to who they were before — even if they heal.

✦ Sensory Cheat Sheet for Writing Breakdowns

Use 2–3 of these at most so the scene stays sharp and not overloaded.

Physical Sensations

Chest feels tight, hollow, or painfully heavy

Hands shaking, numb, or clenched too hard

Throat burning, closing, or unable to form words

Sudden weakness in knees or limbs

Feeling too hot or too cold all at once

Emotional Sensations

Sudden exhaustion rather than loud sadness

A sense of “what’s the point anymore?”

Feeling disconnected from their body or surroundings

A sharp wave of shame, guilt, or self-loathing

Emotional numbness replacing intensity

Mental Experience

Thoughts looping uncontrollably

A single devastating realization repeating in their mind

Trouble focusing on anything except the pain

Feeling like time has slowed or stopped

A sense of being very small, trapped, or exposed

Behavioral Tells

Going silent instead of crying

Laughing at the wrong moment

Snapping at someone who doesn’t deserve it

Making a reckless or self-destructive choice

Withdrawing completely from others

Environmental Mirroring (Optional but powerful)

A room that feels too quiet, too loud, or too small

Harsh lighting or deep shadows

Weather that contrasts their emotion (sunny during despair, storm during numbness)

A comforting object that now feels meaningless

✦ Final Tip

A breakdown isn’t about how dramatic the moment is — it’s about how personally devastating it is for that specific character. The more tailored the pain is to their fears, flaws, and desires, the harder it hits the reader.