I’m back with more advice! On today’s episode: fights. How to write them? How to plan them?

I’m here to help! Wether your a plotter, a pantser or somewhere in between, here are three things you should establish before writing a fight scene.

1) Who wins?

It seems like fairly obvious advice, but when I was a much younger writer, time after time, I’d go into a fight scene with no plan regarding the outcome. Whenever I felt like the fight was over, I’d end it, and whoever came out on top was the winner, regardless of how it made sense in the narrative. 

Establishing a winner from the beginning allows you to build the fight up in a trajectory that makes sense. Once you know who wins, you can better choreograph the scene to keep readers guessing.

2) What are the stakes?

Once you know who wins, you must then decide what the stakes of the fight are. What happens if they lose? If they win? What is gained or lost? This can vary wildly, depending on what genre you’re in. Sci-fi and fantasy will commonly have world-ending stakes a la Avengers: Infinity War. Romance or contemporary stories are more on the ‘suspended from school’ end of the spectrum. 

Either way, you must know what the fight accomplishes for the characters — good or bad. Not only must you know, but you must make sure it’s known for the reader too. If we don’t understand why the characters are fighting, the fight will be confusing and there will be little to no emotional tie.

3) What are the characters’ fighting styles?

This is more secondary information, but I think it’s important for at least the author to know. Ask yourself: Do my characters have previous fighting experience? Do they prefer one style to the other?

A boxer will fight differently from a wrestler. MMA and Karate do not look the same. If your characters have experience in any discipline, put some time towards researching it so you accurately portray it. Even non-combat sports can impact how someone fights. 

If your characters have no fighting experience, they’re much more likely to be ‘scrappy.’ And no — someone with no combat background will not win against someone who does, unless they have untapped magic punching powers. Keep it realistic. 

Good Evening, Y’all!

First let me start off by introducing myself. My name is Camille Morgan. I’m 28. I live in North Alabama, but I grew up in Northern California. I have two pitbulls named Luna and Nova, and fantasy books are my jam. I love to read them. Write them. Obsess over them. If I have too many drinks, I start to ramble about them to strangers who absolutely do not care about fantasy like I do. 

I won't lie, I dabble with sci-fi too. But it just doesn’t hold my heart like a well written fantasy epic can. 

Unfortunately for me, writing doesn’t pay the bills, so I currently work as a 911 operator so I don’t starve. It’s not glamorous work. In fact, if I never have to take another call where someone cut their fingers off, I would be ecstatic. To transition into a career where I can live off my passion, that’s the dream.

Hopefully y’all can help me. My DM’s are always open for advice. But for now I would just be happy if I could share my work with you.

Right now, I have three major WIPs.  The one I’m currently writing is tentatively titled First Born, and it's a Rumpelstiltskin retelling. The tale revolves around a woman named Mara who lives with her four adopted daughters in a shack by the woods. In order to save her children, Mara makes a deal with a dangerous fae, but she has no idea what it's like to be in his debt until it is far, far too late. 

The second is one is called The Hunter and the Witch, and guess what? It’s about a hunter and a witch. But Sierra isn’t just a normal hunter. She’s the last of her kind, and she has teamed up with a witch named Adelaide to find a book that can end all vampires. But, their story isn’t totally as it seems, and a vampire lord named Alaric is dead-set on unraveling their mysteries before they can destroy his world. FULL DISCLOSURE: I have been working on this book the longest, and every time I work on it, it’s like my fingers can’t match what's in my brain. Will this tale ever see the light of day? Perhaps. But my skill level just isn’t there yet. 

The third is a loose premise, but one that I treasure all the same. It’s the story about a girl named Leona, an executioner in one of the world's last mega-cities. It’s a fallout-esque, post apocalyptic saga, and Leona is the baddest bitch in the land. Only catch? Leona is barely 18, and when she begins to realize she’s been groomed her entire life to be a tool of a corrupt government, things around her begin to implode.Eventually she goes through the typical existential crisis one would expect from a stone cold killer, but is the rebellion all that it seems? WHO KNOWS!

Well that's it for right now. I have other ideas bouncing around in my head, but what I feel like I need is a community. I truly have no idea what I’m doing, and while my coworkers tell me I have talent, that doesn’t mean shit unless I have direction. I’m hoping this community will take me under its proverbial wing, and I can finally finish a novel.

Like I said, my messages are always open. If you want to read something, you want to offer me advice, or if you just want to shoot the shit, let me know. 

hey guys! my name is Kennedy or Kenny, and this is my writeblr reintroduction, as you most likely figured out from reading the title. I’ve been within the community for about a year now but I took a really long break to figure some things out with my personal life as well as with my writing. Since I currently have some spare time with my school being cancelled for the rest of he year (queue hesitant joy) I figured now was as good a time as any to jump back into the community.

Here’s some real basic stuff about me...

I’m seventeen and a current junior in high school

I write fantasy, dystopian, romance, lgbtq+, and poetry!

My absolute favorite series right now is Throne of Glass

When I was nine I managed to steal my mother’s copy of Hunger Games and fell in love with reading and writing.

I’m a little shy, but once I get comfortable with someone I’m really open!

I am tired!! All the time!!! It’s a little ridiculous

I have FOUR cats. YEs. The number has gone up tremendously in the past year and my one dog named buddy is VERY overwhelmed

Now, for the reasons I am here... I have a ton of wips, many of which are still stirring around my brain. My main series is The Natural Orders, which is what I will mainly talk about. It is a fantasy science fiction series based around gods, which are actually a species, and follows Heather (Pandora), Quinn, and Natia. Other than that, I have a high fantasy series called That Which Sinks and Floats, and a low contemporary fantasy novel called The Major Arcana that will be mentioned as well!

Since I’ve been absent for so long I’d really love to connect with old followers and new ones alike!! I’ve missed the community so much and would be ecstatic to find some new people to follow!!! :)

An introduction

About me

Hi! I'm quillsonparchment, and I'm a new writeblr. I mainly read typical classics and YA, but I also like most other genres of fiction!

What I'll post

I've mainly been reblogging other writing tips, and I'll continue to do that. I'll start posting my own tips that I've found useful. I will also start posting regarding my own WIP (details down below), so moddboards, tags and excerpts.

My WIP

Current title: Irida

Genres: fantasy, romance, LGB

Summary: Prince Phillip from the kingdom of Irida isn't beautiful or smart like his brothers, but he always tries to be kind. And his kindness is his fatal flaw. He still hasn't found himself a wife, despite most of the women in the kingdom willing to die for him. But, for the first time in years, he's found himself a true friend: Oliver, the new gardener. He'd much rather roam around the gardens with him than court a girl any day.

It's a retelling of many fairy tales: Rumplestiltskin, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Peasant's Wise Daughter, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and many more, but not in the typical way.

Below is a link to the Spotify playlist for the story. It contains songs that I think represent what happens in the story.

The number one song that represents the story is It's A Hard Life by Queen. Partly because I absolutely love their music, and also because of what the lyrics say. I'll leave you to figure out how they're relevant.

I will be starting writing in July, as part of Camp NaNoWriMo.

Note to other writeblrs

I’m Sam (22, INFP/ISFJ, Tired College Student) and I’m interested in anything with:

lgbtq+ romance

science fiction (super bonus points if it includes androids/robots with Feelings (tm) )

urban fantasy

YA

dark academia

horror/psychological horror

Finally! A proper introduction!

Feel free to ask me any questions and/or ask to be added to the tag list!

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Status: outlining / first draft

Content Warnings: flashbacks and discussion of abuse, swearing, sexual scenes rated M for Mature, miscarriage.

Synopsis: Emily Haxton has decided to move house to live in the guest house on her aunt's property. She has been through a lot and another move will not phase her, at least, that's what she thinks until she sees her dead mother's face in the creek in the woods. That's when Cameron Bara shows up, a charming and handsome man who is more than happy to take her out for coffee. Soon enough, Emily learns that she's not the only one battling demons of the past.

Main Characters

Emily Haxton

Cameron Bara

Olivia Haxton