Sunny Days

Enemies to Lovers is equally as compelling as Friends to Lovers.

“The rule of plot bunnies:”

Sometimes in the writing process, it gets hard to stick to just one idea. Brainstorming sessions often bring about more off-topic ideas than expected, or a random idea pops into existence during routine tasks. I call these ideas “plot bunnies”.

What is a plot bunny?

A plot bunny is a plot or character idea that isn’t completely thought out yet. Usually, plot bunnies have nothing to do with a current project, or only loosely fit into it. These ideas are often enticing and exciting to explore. Sometimes plot bunnies are simply discarded as half-baked ideas, or they’re used to suddenly create a new project in a spur of the moment decision. If you’re someone who constantly starts and drops projects, you could be a victim of plot bunnies.

I’m a victim or at risk of plot bunnies. What do I do?

You’re bored or getting bored of your current project. It might be hard to face, but if a stray plot thread can entice you away from your current project completely, you need to reconsider the outline or direction of the story you’re telling.

Keep a plot bunny journal. Stray, half-baked ideas are still ideas. Those are valuable, especially in times of writer’s block. It is hard to curb the enthusiasm of a new idea sometimes, but if it can’t fit into what you’re already writing, store it away into an idea book. That way, the next time that you have a writer’s block, there’s a chance that reading over these ideas can jumpstart your enthusiasm.

Reuse, reinstate, recycle. Sometimes even the most unfitting plot bunny can be incorporated smoothly into your current project if the idea or plot is restructured. This could breathe newfound enthusiasm into your work. Plus, it could always be cut in the editing stage if it strays too much from the main focus. Even if it does get cut, the plot bunny has fulfilled its job of keeping your enthusiasm for the work at hand. Restructuring an entire established plot around one idea may seem drastic, but often it’s exactly the quality of life boost that the narrative needs.

Follow that plot bunny, but take time to refine it. It’s a sad truth, but projects sometimes just don’t work out the way they were initially planned. If you’ve hit a brick wall in your narrative and decide that chasing a new, exciting idea will keep you from burning out, do so. Don’t throw away your previous idea, though. Keep the idea in case it can be refined later. If you do this, be sure to brainstorm and outline the new idea to give it more depth, otherwise you’ll run into another brick wall when your enthusiasm curbs again.

Consider balancing projects. This one is simple: If you have an ongoing project and you come up with a new one on the spot, consider jumping between them. This can give you a break to reconsider your first idea while still keeping enthusiasm. However, try keeping these ongoing projects to just two. If you find that you cannot limit yourself to two, then this probably isn’t the solution for you.

It is okay to like overused or cliche tropes.

It is okay to write overused or cliche tropes.

It is okay to enjoy objectively bad writing.

It is okay to accidentally use harmful tropes IF you learn from the critism on why that trope is harmful. Making mistakes and learning are a natural process in writing.

Hey Anon,

When designing a plot outline:

1. Write your plot around your characters, not your characters around your plot.

- This might seem obvious, but this avoids making a protagonist seem out of character.

- Structure your plot map around the choices a character makes, and then show the outcome of this decision.

2. Assure that there are natural challenges in the way of your characters’ success.

- Antagonists, for example, can offer an opposite force or position that makes the protagonist question their role or ideals.

- Foils make for another great roadblock. Watching another character take a different bend on the same metaphorical road always leads to a compelling narrative when written well. Especially if the protagonist is flawed and dynamic, and this difference distracts or infuriates them.

3. Choose characters wisely.

- It is okay to have static characters in a major role. They can be just as loveable as their dynamic counterparts.

- Focus on one or two dynamic characters. Having an entire cast of heavily dynamic characters is difficult to juggle well in a narrative. On top of that, having a mixture of the two types allows for all characters to be refreshing.

4. Don’t overthink it.

- Having fun is crucial to this process. If you’re not having fun, the reader isn’t either. Let yourself naturally stray from the plot if that makes sense to the characters you’re writing.

When writing a dynamic character:

Give that character a motivation, or even several motivations, for doing what they do throughout the story. 

While “their motivation is love” is a typical fallback for most writers, it should not reasonably be the only motivation. Give a character something to strive for in life that isn’t just another person. An ideal or ambition, a daydream, anything works.

Hey, great question, world building anon! This is highly dependent on the size of the details.

I’d say a good rule of thumb is to always keep character motivation and plot structure at the highest priority of any story. If you cannot find a sub-plot that shows off your cool ideas, and also naturally wraps back into the story, don’t include those details.

HOWEVER. I am a big supporter of the notion that nothing creative is wasted. If you’re really excited about your world and the work you’ve put into it, consider a spin-off story to explore those details!

When writing characters:

Understand that having a dynamic character within a story means that they will change as things in the story happen. They shouldn’t be in a sitcom where their thoughts and reactions never change; the places, people, and events around them should change them.

One way to help write a dynamic character is to plot out their goals. You may not know how these goals change, but there should be room for those changes. 

Example:

1. My character wants to win a big dance competition for her mother.

2. Her friends help her realize that her mother isn’t someone to idolize; so she questions whether or not she wants to compete at all.

Want me to expand upon another of my past writing tips?

I was asked by a friend to elaborate on how to write an unlikable character, so here’s a few ways to help your audience believe why your main cast would keep your unlikable character around -

#1: Someone else in the group has a positive history with them.

This character can be a childhood best friend or a lover to another member of the cast, to give examples.

#2: Pity.

It’s completely believable (to an extent) that another character pities and sticks up for the unlikable character. If this character really messes up at some point, though, the pity should be thrown out the window in return for some humble pie.

#3: Skills.

In action stories especially, sometimes the well being of the group overshadows the constant grumbling of the unlikable character. Give the unlikable character some unique and useful skill that this group wouldn’t want to lose.

#4: Balancing.

Sometimes a character’s rarer, softer side overshadows their more apparent abrasive side. Balancing good traits with bad ones is useful for any character, but it can be especially important for unlikable characters. You can never go wrong with making an abrasive character strictly loyal to the main cast.

#5: Situational Necessity

1. There still isn’t enough gay marriage representation in media. 

2. Thus there aren’t enough models for healthy gay marriages yet. 

3. Ace/Ace partnership marriages. There is nothing wrong with two asexual (non-aro) people wanting a life partner; this is still perfectly healthy!

4. Breaking stereotypes. I want a lesbian wedding with both lesbians walking down the aisle together, both in white dresses. 

5. There isn’t just one way to have gay marriage representation, nor do gay marriages need to be “justified”.

6. Older gays/lesbians finally being able to marry after it became legal is equally as adorable as childhood friends-to-lovers.

When writing characters:

It’s okay to have unlikeable characters in any role in the story. They serve an important purpose, as not every person is entirely likable. 

However, sometimes unlikeable characters should be called out for some of their actions by the people around them. These call outs should be purposeful and sparse, otherwise readers will wonder why people hang out with them all.

When planning a dynamic character:

Be sure that their clothing, personality, and powers (if applicable) all match and build upon who the main character is. Unless there is an obvious plot reason for this not to be the case.

Clothing is particularly a good indicator of a changing mental scape of a character over time, but it should be purposeful. Any scenes with a character changing clothing that doesn’t result in showing off a new mindset is fluff, and needs to be written out.

——

Example:

The best friend of the protagonist starts out the story innocent and cheerful, but a traumatic event spirals them into depression.

Bright clothing, sweaters, or festive sweaters —>

Hoodies, sweatpants, brown/dark colored clothing

——

I point out brown in particular in this example because brown symbolizes covering up shame or trauma. When in doubt, look up a good color motif for each dynamic character; it’s a great way to give your readers another layer to who that character is.

In the writing process:

Everyone’s writing flow is unique. However I suggest writing at least three drafts of a project or more to truly assure that the writing is quality. 

DRAFT 1: The shitty one. This draft is GOING to be shitty, so you can absolutely pump out all the bland words and bad ideas you need to. This draft is about making sure the ideas get down into writing, however possible. Nothing will ever come out perfectly on the first go around, even if it was completely fueled by inspiration.

Note: Even if you don’t believe your finished first draft is “shitty”, be sure to sleep for a night and come back to your writing. It might still look good, but I promise you that you’ll notice flaws on that second day that you wouldn’t have on the first.

DRAFT 2: The Fixer-Upper. This is the draft that you go into with the idea of fixing the first draft’s obviously lackluster parts. The first step to this is to read the draft aloud to yourself or have someone read it to you. The second step is to erase, fill in gaps, and consider adding in scenes to help with the narrative flow of the story. 

DRAFT 3:The Final Draft. This draft requires yet another read-through, this time looking at any other grammar or spelling mistakes, as well as looking over the bigger scenes added in draft 2. This draft’s big purpose is to make sure that the draft is solid enough to publish or move on from.

When writing characters:

It is okay to write a homophobic/racist/sexist/transphobic character as long as that mindset is treated as a negative trait.

The moment that you paint those mindsets neutrally in the narrative, you tell the reader that you are okay with that mindset.

How do you make it negative?

Say, a female character, Karen, is homophobic. She’s out with her friends and/or family, and she quips a homophobic remark about a man walking by.

1. Have one, if not a few of her friends chastise her for the comment.

2. Have the man that she made the comment about scoff, turn around, and call her out. With the attention drawn, have everyone else around them glare/stare at her and her family/friends.

3. Have her children confront her and admit to not wanting to be around her because of her past comments.

4. In the narrative, literally state that she is a bad person.