#writeblr positivity

okay so there are three types of writers when it comes to dialogue tags.

the first type writes this:

"i can't believe you did that," she exclaimed breathlessly, her voice trembling with barely concealed emotion.

the second type writes this:

"i can't believe you did that," she said. "i just — i can't." "i know," he said. "do you?" she said. "yeah," he said.

and the third type has been told "said is invisible" so many times they've started doing this:

"i can't believe you did that," she whispered-yelled, her eyes flashing.

all three of these are wrong. (sorry.)

this is what's actually happening in each case.

1. the purple tagger

"you BETRAYED me," he snarled furiously.

the problem isn't the snarl. the problem is furiously. if he's snarling, we know he's not delighted. the adverb is doing work the verb already did, which means you don't trust your own writing. and your reader can feel that.

also: people cannot hiss words that don't have an s in them. "i love you," she hissed. no she didn't. she CAN'T have.

fix: one strong verb OR one adverb. never both. and only when said genuinely doesn't cut it.

2. the said-only purist

said IS invisible. that's true. but a page of nothing but "said" in a tense scene creates this weird flat affect where everything feels equally weighted. the invisibility is the problem, not the solution.

"get out," she said.

versus

"get out." she didn't look up from the counter.

the second one has no attribution at all. we know who's talking. and now we know she's not even giving him the dignity of eye contact. that's CHARACTER. that's free.

action beats do more work than tags. use them.

3. the said-is-dead convert

this one genuinely pains me because it usually comes from good advice received badly. someone told you to vary your tags, and now your characters are interjecting, conceding, deflecting, and sighing their dialogue like a victorian novel.

"we need to leave," he urged. "i'm not ready," she hedged.

hedged. HEDGED. what is she, a financial advisor.

the rule isn't "never use said." the rule is: your tag should disappear, and the line itself should carry the weight. if you need urged to tell me he's urgent, the line isn't doing its job.

the actual framework (one sentence)

ask yourself: does this tag add information the line doesn't already have, or am I patching a weak line with a strong verb?

if it's patching, rewrite the line.

- rin t. ✨

Hey tumblr, a close friend of mine and her family are going through a really difficult time right now. I don't usually share things like this, but seeing what she's been facing, especially alongside her mother and siblings, has been heartbreaking. her mother just created it and asked me to share it!

If you're able to donate to her GoFundMe to help prevent their eviction, it would mean so much. If not, sharing is appreciated too. ❤️:

okay. so. this is going to feel a little bit like a call-out, but in a “i have done this and will probably do it again” way, not a “you specifically are the problem” way.

because.....:

most writers don’t under-describe.

they don’t.

they over-describe, just… not the parts that actually matter.

and that’s where everything starts to feel off in a way that’s hard to explain but very easy to feel.

like you read a paragraph and go:

“this is technically fine. why am i bored.”

let me show you the pattern.

you will spend:

5 lines describing the curtains

3 lines describing the exact shade of the wallpaper

2 lines describing the way light hits the floorboards

and then when your character is:

about to lie

about to confess something

about to make a decision that will literally alter the trajectory of the story

you give it:

“she hesitated.”

and then you MOVE ON??

be serious for a second.

this is what i mean when i say you’re over-describing the wrong things.

it’s not that description is bad. i love description. i want to eat description. i want to live inside it.

but description has a job.

and its job is not “make the scene look pretty.”

its job is:

direct the reader’s attention to what matters emotionally.

so if you are describing something in detail, i need you to ask:

“why this. why right now.”

because if the answer is:

“i pictured it really clearly in my head”

i regret to inform you that your reader does not care. gently. respectfully. they do not care.

they care about:

what your character wants

what is getting in the way

what this moment means

everything else is background noise unless you make it matter.

here’s where it gets a little uncomfortable:

you are probably avoiding describing the things that feel harder to articulate.

like:

the exact shape of someone’s hesitation

the difference between anger and hurt in a single line of dialogue

the way attraction feels when it’s inconvenient

the moment a character realizes something they don’t want to know

that’s the stuff you skim past.

because it’s messy. and specific. and requires you to make choices.

so instead, you describe the room.

because the room is safe.

the room will not expose you.

the room will not force you to decide what your character is actually feeling.

and i get it. i really do.

but also: that’s why your scenes feel flat.

not because nothing is happening.

but because the important thing is happening off-screen.

let’s fix it. practically. no vague advice. i don’t do vague advice.

next time you’re writing a scene, do this:

pick one moment where something shifts.

not physically. emotionally.

a realization. a decision. a change in power. a crack in composure.

and then instead of writing:

“she hesitated”

you stay there.

you stretch it.

you get uncomfortably specific.

what kind of hesitation?

is it:

the kind where she already knows the answer and is stalling

the kind where she’s hoping someone interrupts

the kind where saying it out loud will make it real

what does it feel like in her body?

what does she notice in the room because she’s hesitating?

(see how now the description has a job. it’s not random anymore. yay)

this is the shift:

description should orbit emotion.

not replace it.

not distract from it.

not hide it.

orbit it.

another thing. and i’m going to say this very gently because i know how attached we get to our sentences:

if you can cut a description and nothing changes about how the reader understands the scene?

it was never doing anything.

it was just sitting there. looking pretty. contributing nothing to the emotional experience.

and we do not keep freeloaders in this house.

this doesn’t mean your writing has to be minimal.

it means your writing has to be intentional.

you can describe everything if you want.

but then everything you describe needs to be pulling weight.

it needs to be revealing character, or building tension, or reinforcing mood in a way that actually connects to what’s happening internally.

otherwise it’s just… decorative.

and decoration is not story.

so next time you feel like your scene is “missing something”

before you add more description

ask yourself:

am i avoiding the part that actually matters?

and then go write that part.

even if it’s harder.

especially if it’s harder.

anyway. that’s your gentle (not gentle) reminder for today.

go make your characters feel things on the page instead of hiding behind the wallpaper.

i’m watching you.

(in a supportive way. mostly.)

I HAVE DIGITAL PRODUCTS!!!

if you're writing dark academia feel free to check out this packet filled with all the juicy prompts to spark ideas!

need help with your opening pages?! i have a free ebook for you all (aesthetic, cohesive and actually informative! it's free! but tips are highly appreciated!)

first of all: 💀 why does every enemies-to-lovers dynamic either hit like a literary gut punch… or feel like two cardboard cutouts aggressively flirting?

there is no in between. i don’t make the rules.

and if you’re here, i’m guessing you’ve tasted both. the elite. the devastating. the oh my god i need to lie down after this confession scene kind… and also the ones where you’re like “why do you hate each other again? because he smirked?? be serious.”

yeah. we’re fixing that today.

⚔️ if you’re writing enemies-to-lovers, we need to talk.

because most people aren’t writing enemies.

they’re writing:

mild annoyances

workplace rivals with ✨tension✨

people who had one (1) misunderstanding in chapter two and never emotionally recovered

and listen. that’s fine. that’s a trope. it’s cute.

but it’s not enemies-to-lovers.

🩸 step one: define your enemy

an enemy is not someone who:

is kinda rude

disagrees with your protagonist

has a “bad attitude” (???)

an enemy is someone who cannot coexist with your protagonist without cost.

read that again. PLEASE.

their goals? incompatible. their values? clashing at a moral level. their existence? actively making the other’s life worse.

what i'm talking about:

opposing sides of a war

hunter vs hunted

“if i let you live, everything i believe in collapses” energy

if they can just… avoid each other and be fine?

that’s not enemies. that’s tension with good lighting.

🗡️ step two: make the hatred make sense

this is where people fumble it CONSTANTLY.

they jump straight to:

banter → sexual tension → accidental hand touch → oh no i’m in love

NO. come back. sit down.

before attraction, there needs to be justified hostility.

and not surface-level “you insulted me once.”

i’m talking about (and yes please quote 'rin t' on this!):

betrayal

loss

ideological opposition

deeply ingrained bias they don’t even realize they have

the kind of thing where, if someone asked your character:

“why do you hate them?”

they wouldn’t hesitate. they’d have a list

the twist:

👉 both sides need to be right. (or at least feel right)

if one is clearly wrong, you don’t have enemies-to-lovers. you have “problematic person gets redeemed because they’re hot.”

and we are not doing that today.

🔥 step three: attraction should feel like a problem

this is where it gets fun. :)

when they start catching feelings, it should not be:

“oh this is inconvenient but kind of exciting :)”

it should be:

“this is catastrophic. this compromises everything.”

love = risk.

because now:

their judgment is compromised

their loyalties are tested

their identity starts to crack

they should be actively resisting it.

denying it. sabotaging it. making worse choices because of it.

if falling in love doesn’t cost them something?

you skipped the entire point of the trope.

🕯️ step four: force proximity (but PLEASEEE make it hurt)

you can’t resolve enemies-to-lovers from opposite sides of the map.

they need to be stuck together.

BUT-important distinction-

not in a cute “one bed at the inn” way (yet. we’ll get there. don’t worry.)

in a:

forced alliance

mutual threat

political arrangement

survival situation

where they have to rely on each other…

while still fundamentally not trusting each other.

this creates:

tension

vulnerability leaks

moments where they see each other as human (ugh. disgusting. hate that.)

and every time that happens?

it should complicate things further.

💔 step five: the shift is not soft. it’s violent.

i need you to understand this.

the transition from enemies → lovers should feel like something breaking.

because it is.

their worldview? breaking. their assumptions? breaking. their sense of self? yeah. that too.

there should be a moment where:

they realize they were wrong about the other person

and it doesn’t feel good.

it feels like:

guilt

confusion

grief for the version of reality they believed in

this is what makes the payoff hit.

not the kiss.

the reckoning.

🗝️ step six: they don’t “fix” each other

if i see one more enemies-to-lovers arc where:

“he became a better person because she loved him 🥺”

i will simply pass away.

they don’t fix each other.

they force each other to confront things they were avoiding.

that’s different.

love isn’t the solution.

it’s the pressure that reveals the cracks.

🖤 final thought (and a gentle threat):

if your enemies-to-lovers could be replaced with:

friends-to-lovers + mild inconvenience

and nothing changes?

you didn’t go far enough.

push them harder.

make it uglier. riskier. a little bit devastating.

so, question to you my chaotic writers... what’s the real reason your characters hate each other?

not the surface answer.

the one they’d never admit out loud.

i’m nosy. tell me everything. 👀 I LOVE HEARING your thoughts (i reply because yes, i am a real person!)

I HAVE DIGITAL PRODUCTS!!!

if you're writing dark academia feel free to check out this packet filled with all the juicy prompts to spark ideas!

need help with your opening pages?! i have a free ebook for you all (aesthetic, cohesive and actually informative! it's free! but tips are highly appreciated!)

hey writers! i decided to start focusing more on substack, because i wanna start giving you all more quality content to help with your writing! i believe every writer should get paid for their work, that's why i plan to monetize half of my substack in the near future. right now i'll be keeping it free. please feel free to check out my work and support me by subscribing for FREE.

okay but can we talk about writing advice that actually made my writing worse for a second

like not in a “this is bad advice for everyone” way in a “this absolutely sabotaged me personally” way

because ??? some of this set me BACK

1. “show don’t tell” (taken too literally) this one almost ruined my prose

i got so scared of “telling” anything that every sentence turned into… over-explained action

instead of writing:

she was nervous

i’d write:

her fingers tapped against the table, her leg bouncing, her breath uneven, her gaze flickering toward the door--

and it just KEPT GOING

like yes, showing is important but at some point you’re not “immersive” you’re just exhausting

2. “cut all adverbs” this made my writing feel so stiff it hurt

i started replacing simple phrasing with weird, clunky sentences just to avoid using one single “-ly” word

like… why am i doing gymnastics to avoid “quietly”

no one is giving out medals for adverb avoidance 😭

3. “write every day no matter what” this one burned me OUT

because instead of listening to my brain when it was fried, i forced myself to produce words i knew weren’t going anywhere

and then i’d reread it later and hate everything i wrote

which made me want to avoid writing even more

consistency matters, yes but forcing it when you’re running on fumes just trains you to associate writing with dread

4. “plan everything before you start” this killed my excitement SO fast

i’d spend weeks outlining every detail and by the time i actually started writing…

the story already felt “done” in my head

no curiosity left. no momentum.

now i leave gaps on purpose so i actually want to keep going

5. “make your writing sound pretty” this is the one that made my writing feel the most fake

i was so focused on making sentences sound “good” that i stopped focusing on what was actually happening

everything turned vague. floaty. kind of… nothing

like yeah it sounded nice but nothing hit

now i care way more about clarity and impact than sounding impressive

6. “your first draft should be terrible” okay this one is half true but also messed with my head

because i took it as: “don’t even TRY”

so i’d write things i knew weren’t working and just leave them

instead of… fixing them a little? making them better?

your draft doesn’t have to be perfect but it also doesn’t have to be painful to read 😭

idk i think the biggest thing i’ve learned is:

advice isn’t universal

what helps one writer can absolutely wreck another

so if something is making your writing worse, harder, or more miserable

you are allowed to drop it. immediately.

no guilt. no “but everyone says this works”

like okay… it doesn’t work for ME.

what are some of your favorite characters/relationships/WIPs from around writeblr? hype up your friends!

oooh, this is a hard question!! There's so many good answers! But uh, let's see. In no particular order, and definitely forgetting several people:

Quintin and Nikolaos by @oh-no-another-idea

Isi, Robin, and SB + Aella and Theo by @akindofmagictoo

Ailin by @diphthongsfordays

Literally everyone from the Valloroth universe by @space-writes

Maura and Keelan by @reneesbooks

Aspen by @ashen-crest

okay. writers of tumblr. i’ve compiled a list of things i desperately wish someone had sat me down and said before i started writing, not that i would’ve listened, because i was 14 and powered entirely by hubris, iced coffee, and my wattpad era.

anyway. here we go:

1. stop rewriting chapter one. i know you think it’ll fix everything. it won’t. it’s a hydra. you cut one head off, two Google Docs appear.

2. your first draft is not a treaty with god. it can be messy. it can be unhinged. it can have 47 placeholders named “idk something happens.” it’s fine.

3. perfectionism is just fear wearing a blazer. write badly on purpose. humiliate your draft. it builds character (yours).

4. word count culture is a scam. you are allowed to write 200 words and call it a day. you are allowed to write 5k and then disappear into the void for three business weeks.

5. google docs autosave WILL betray you. download backups. then back up your backups. then sacrifice a pen to the writing gods idk.

6. description is not pretty synonyms. it’s specificity. the torn movie ticket in their pocket. the buzzing light in the hallway. the chipped nail polish on their thumb. write the thing not the aesthetics around the thing.

7. dialogue isn’t two Shakespeare ghosts monologuing at each other. interruptions. trailing off. people lying. people avoiding the truth. people saying “whatever man.” let it get messy.

8. you don’t need a whole map before you start. sometimes you just need one character with one problem and the stupidest idea imaginable.

9. reading your old writing will make you cringe but also cry a little because wow you cared so much. keep that version of you alive.

10. don’t wait to ‘be good.’ you get good by writing the stuff you think is embarrassing.

11. also: nine out of ten times, your “bad” idea is actually the one that goes feral and grows teeth and becomes your WIP.

12. hydrate. no further explanation.

ok that’s it because if i keep going i’ll start confessing things about the time i wrote a whole novel in 2017 that will never see daylight again.