I’m Trying To Read

Bonus: If I buy a book I get to keep it! The publisher can't turn up at my house at random and confiscate all the books I bought.

The most interesting question you can ask about any character is not what do they want. it's what do they believe they deserve. because those two things are almost never the same and the gap between them is where your entire story lives. a person can want love completely and believe they don't deserve it and that belief will destroy every good thing that comes toward them in ways they won't even notice they're doing. write the gap. the gap is the character.

im about to maul someone.

"stories dont need conflict" girl anything can be a conflict if ur story is about chickens going on adventures the conflict is the fucking fence they gotta hop over. if ur story is about making a lovely cup of tea the conflict can be turning on the stove. like u literally cannot write a story without conflict

ALSO i hate mfers who say this shit and then go "thats why i like ghibli movies cuz theyve got no conflict" OH YOU MEAN HOWLS MOVING CASTLE, NAUSICAA, PRINCESS MONONOKEY CASTLE IN THE SKY ETC THAT ARE ALL ABOUT THE HORRORS OF WAR

even the ones that arent about the horrors of war. in kiki's delivery service kiki growing up and learning to trust people and accept help is the central conflict of the story!! my neighbour totoro's central conflict is how the girls are dealing with their mom being sick and the responsibility they feel this puts on them!! i could go on!!