#eversince23

so, reading will always be my number #1 tip. it doesn’t have to be super smart philosophical books or anything, any books whatsoever will do. it’s meant to get you thinking, analysing, etc. even if you’re reading a bad book and find yourself thinking, ‘god, this is dreadful’, try to catch all the subconscious bits that you’re not vibing with: unrealistic conversations, forced chemistry, overdone descriptions, etc. so this way, you’re also learning what NOT to do when you write, you know what i mean? and then, as you read more, you will probably end up drifting to a genre that speaks to you. mine is literary fiction. so now when i read literary fiction books, i can’t help feeling inspired. like, oh, we’re describing the process of sending a text for two paragraphs? i’m so down!!! like, the point is to read something that makes you excited--and then sit down and try to write something that makes you feel excited like that

and paying attention to yourself is what can really help the narration come through. it can get ridiculous, too, because i’ll be going through something awful, like heart’s hurting, hands shaking, and i’ll think, ‘oh, shit, this feeling would look so vivid in a story, i have to remember this’ sshdg and then, you can do the same for your characters, like try to picture what they would be thinking in that moment. i even act out some scenes to myself lmao it’s basically asking the question: ‘if this was happening to me, how would i react?’ and sometimes, reading my dialogue out loud had me deleting entire paragraphs of narration in-between, like, nah nah, the momentum is too strong for y’all to be having these thoughts now, we’ll have them later lol. and also, i think that once you start developing empathy for your characters (even the ‘bad’ ones), they become so much more vibrant. now you’re thinking, ok, what would have to happen for me to behave like such a massive shithead? you know? shjfh

and the same goes for noticing things around you: like when you’re sitting in a cafe, not doing anything, what do you notice? the music playing? the damp ring your cup has left on the table? the smells from the tables around you? maybe someone’s talking very loudly at a nearby table? maybe the baristas are taking the trash out? you know, just people-watching. and then once you sit down to write, you immerse yourself in the scene that your characters are in--now they’re the ones witnessing their surroundings, and you can describe it through their eyes, because you know what things would be noticeable. it honestly doesn’t even have to be a direct experience. maybe you’re watching a film or something and there’s a restaurant scene. and you notice the lighting, the shape of the plates, etc etc. and then you bring emotion to it. like, imagine you’re already irritated as hell, and someone at a nearby table is chewing with their mouth open. i’d probably want to rip my hair out or hit them (and myself) with my chair!! and then that’s exactly what you use to narrate the scene and enhance the emotion you’re going for

it’s also good to consume as much art as you can: paintings, films, etc. you get inspired through them, but you also learn to see how certain things can strengthen the emotions you’re feeling as you’re watching it. like, you look at a painting of a stormy sea, and you’re not just thinking ‘damn, what a beautiful shade of blue’, right? you’re probably also thinking, ‘damn, those waves are making me feel weirdly anxious’. or you notice how a scene of two characters breaking up in a tv show is made 50% more intense when they’re standing in the rain, clothes all wet and uncomfortable. and i think it’s good to pick up on the emotions you feel while consuming art, because that’s what your readers will feel when they read your work, and you write about a storm or about two characters in the rain. you know? (i love storms & the rain shdjfh)