#beginner writers

Greetings Herbarium fam! Here's another struggle writers have: writing in passive voice. I'll have more on this, but for now, here's a quick tip for powerful prose:

Choose the ACTIVE Voice!

It's direct, clear, and makes your writing punchy.

PASSIVE: "The ball was thrown by the boy." (A bit roundabout, right?)

ACTIVE: "The boy threw the ball." (Boom! Clear and strong.)

We are fostering a space that is welcoming, kind and supportive and if you think you'd benefit from such a space, you are most welcome!

Just click the link below and you'll be taken to an application. You just need to tell us why you’d like to join etc (it's to help keep the space safe).

Also, although this is mostly for the Dragon Age fandom (we welcome fanfics, analytical writing etc), we do also welcome writers who are working on original stuff (we already have one such writer!)

It’ll operate like a sort of library that readers can join, but it gives you so much more control over who can read and interact with your work!

Any questions, you can ask me on here ❤️

Set yourself a daily word count. You don't have to do it daily, just make sure everytime you sit down and write you do it with the thought of "I'm gonna write at least a page today".

Don't let bad writing demotivate you. Fuck it, if its bad, it's bad. You can edit it. But don't just stop at bad scenes, write your way through it.

If you're stuck in a scene and you don't know what's coming next, write another chapter. Just a random one. Maybe one you don't even know where to put it in the plot.

When you don't know how to write a scene, write the dialogue, then add the actions.

Don't loose yourself in endless planning. Your characters are bitches, they're gonna do it differently anyway.

Following that, don't characterise your characters in detail before you start writing. As I said, they know better. Instead, characterise them while you are writing.

The Comic Sans writing tip works.

You don't have to edit every chapter right after writing it. You're gonna have to edit the whole thing again anyway and you're gonna change things in previous chapters, so save your time and finish the story before you edit.

Never speak the sentence "I'm kinda in a flow, writing is so easy currently." The writing gods can hear you and they hate you.

If you have no motivation to write, read.

Don't be afraid to try out stuff.

Don't be afraid to be evil.

Drink enough water/tee/coffee.

"I have an idea for my story, but I'm gonna memorise it, I don't have to write it down." YES YOU DO.

Make sure you can answer the question "Oh, what is your book about?" with two simple sentences.

Have fun and find your way. Every writer is a little different. Don't care too much what others do.

do u have any tips for baby writers such as myself? especially on how to write characters and not make them sound very OC -🐛

hi 🐛!!! ahh!! honestly i consider myself a baby writer, but even so i've been writing for years. writing isn't just something to treat as 'oh i have the ability to type letters so i will' you actually have to care about what you're writing!! here is a small list of tips i have about writing and writing characters!!!

im really glad you like my writing!! but i still have a ways to improve myself, which is a big reason as to why i started uploading my writing in the first place.

CHARACTER WRITING

— read either the source text or some fan favourite fics of your character. what is different and what is similar through each of the different texts? use similar language and actions when describing the character

— figure out what is and isn't attractive. this works for platonic and romantic relationships, is their character a bit too bland for you to write about them in the way you want? change them slightly, make a 'grumpy and mad at everyone' character only like your character, or set it up in a way where they're slightly calmer around them.

— if you think it's getting to out of character, try shifting the focus away from that character. if you're writing about james potter (source: marauders) and he starts sounding like lip gallagher (source: shameless) then step back and write about lip, otherwise you'll blur the line between your characters too much.

— but, who cares? they're your characters for a reason, if im going to read what you write, i want to know you wrote it and not some random kid trying to write. i want to see what you do to bring characters bring to life, show me how your remus lupin is different from the real remus lupin.

GENERAL TIPS

— its hard to figure out where you would start and stop, especially when writing one shots. in my opinion, look at what you're writing (smut, angst, fluff ect) and start from there. smut is usually best to end just before the slow act, where as fluff should go through the entire act, angst should almost always end during the peak, where there's a chance to end positively or not.

— the whole 'show don't tell' rule is stupid, because sometimes i want to hear the characters blatantly say their sad. i like feelings being brought up and told, be bold.

— your writing is just that; yours. if i wanted to read the same thing over and over, i would, but i look for new stories and new portrayals of the characters. i want your story to impress me, even if its a 'two characters, one bed' trope. tell me how your story changes it up, and how you make the story play out.

— when you struggle writing a scene, stop writing, put on some music and imagine what's happening in the scene. what do you see? put some dot points of what's important to you in the moment, is the wind blowing? does the air smell weird and does your character notice?

im not amazing when it comes to writing, but if you ever need some feedback (honest but not harsh) feel free to send me a message and/or your work!!