Turtle of the Hollow

Write down little things you find interesting and things you love in the media you consume and things you would do differently. Add some crappy doodles and stickers and stuff.

Then when you want to write, flip through it and see if anything inspires you.

“Don’t do one-liners, they take readers out of the scene!” Okay, except some people like cheesy or impactful one-liners?

“Leave more to the imagination, no one wants to read a whole page of description!” Okay, except some people like long descriptions?

Just because a piece of advice is 'sound' doesn't mean it's applicable to you specifically.

What I think the problem might be is the difference between 'characters that serve a narrative purpose' and 'writing a person'.

As a writer, it can be easy to get hung up on what role your characters are meant to serve within the overall story, and not really know who they are as a person. You might have some traits listed out, and a general idea of who they are, but for some reason nothing seems to click that makes them feel real.

What I've been doing to work through this issue is having my characters solve a problem.

Problem solving tends to reveal a lot about a person, and works well in character writing since stories are predicated on conflict and resolutions.

You said your character is 'selfish', right? How does that trait affect her ability to solve her problems?

What happens when she can't figure out the solution?

Does her selfishness prevent her from solving her problems? If so, what would she need to do differently in order to get the outcome she wants?

Why does this problem need to be solved at all? What about it makes it so important that she can't just walk away from it? What does that say about her as a person and her values?

I think a major issue that comes with writing characters that feel real is when their traits come off more like accessories they're wearing rather than something they embody. Their traits should shine through their actions in some way, affecting the choices they make, and how they go about their lives. Which is why I think giving your characters a problem to solve helps you, as the writer, channel those traits into a workable personability.

Some basic ideas for problems to solve.

Miscommunication. What does she need to say, and why can't she put it into words?

It can be really frustrating when you have a problem, but can't articulate it. Especially when it puts you at odds with friends and family. You mean well, but your intentions aren't coming across like you want.

What would it take for your character to finally be able to put her thoughts into words?

What would she need to do to clear up this misunderstanding?

Mundane Maintenance. This one might seem kind of silly, but figuring out how your characters deal with the problems of everyday life can be a great way to get to know them.

Does she tend to leave the 'unimportant stuff' fall to the wayside, until it becomes such a mess that she has no choice but to take care of it?

Has she just moved into a new home, and needs to organize everything?

Does she live with other people? If so, how does her living situation affect them? How do they coordinate around each other so they can live more peacefully with each other?

Malicious Interference. What does she do if someone is intentionally trying to get in her way.

Is she confrontational? If so, would that make her problems better or worse? If it's worse, what would she need to do differently in order to get this person to stop interfering with her?

~~~

As a final note, along with how your characters solve a problem, how do they feel once they've resolved it? That can also tell you a lot about a person.

Is she relieved, or exhausted?

Was it worth it in the end, or did she wish she never attempted it in the first place?

Let's be honest. You open social media and see that someone:

• signed a contract with a publisher,

• wrote a book in three months,

• gets thousands of likes on their excerpts,

• or simply writes so well that everything inside you clenches with envy and admiration at the same time.

And after that, sitting down with your own draft becomes almost impossible. Because a voice inside says: "They're better. They're faster. Why even try?"

I know this feeling. And I want to say one thing that no one says out loud.

Comparison is not your flaw. It's how your brain is wired.

We are evolutionarily programmed to evaluate ourselves relative to others. In cave times, someone weaker than their neighbor really risked going without dinner. So don't berate yourself for comparing. It's not weakness. It's an ancient mechanism that just picked the wrong target.

But right now, it's working against you. And you can negotiate with it.

The hard truth: you're comparing your rough draft to someone else's polished final version.

Behind every beautiful page you read online, there is:

— several rewritten drafts,

— a pile of deleted text,

— editorial revisions,

— sometimes — years of work the author never mentions.

You only see the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the surface are tons of effort, doubts, and failed attempts. No one posts on their stories about crying over chapter three at two in the morning. But that doesn't mean it never happened.

What actually helps — tested on myself and others.

1. Change the question

Instead of "Why are they better than me?" ask: "What can I learn from this author?"

Look at what exactly caught your attention in their writing. The rhythm? The dialogue? The imagery? Then close their book and try applying that technique to your own story.

You can turn comparison into learning. It transforms pain into benefit.

2. Keep score only for yourself

Start a document or notebook called "My Victories." Write down everything, even the small things.

"Wrote 200 words today even though I didn't feel like it at all."

"Figured out how the characters escape the dungeon."

"Rewrote a dialogue and it finally sounds right."

"Just sat down at my desk — that's already a win."

When you feel like you haven't achieved anything, open this list. You'll be surprised at how much you've already done.

3. Remember — scene by scene.

The author you envy didn't write their entire book in one sitting. They wrote one scene. Then the next. Then another.

You write the same way. Page by page. You don't know what your path will look like compared to someone else's. But the only way to reach the end is to keep writing without looking at the neighboring lanes.

4. Remove triggers for a while

If visiting certain accounts makes you feel terrible — unsubscribe from them for a month. Not forever. Just give yourself a break. You don't have to constantly keep up with other people's successes, especially when you're vulnerable.

No one will know. No one will judge. It's caring for yourself, not weakness.

5. Compare yourself only to yesterday's you

This is an old mantra, but it works. Look at your writing from six months ago. See any progress? Even a little? Then you're heading in the right direction.

It doesn't matter how fast someone else is moving. What matters is that you're moving at all. Slowly but steadily. Your path is unique because no one else has lived your life, seen the world through your eyes, or carries the stories that you carry within you.

And finally, the most important thing.

Your book won't become better because you suffer more from comparing yourself to others. And it won't become worse because someone else wrote something amazing.

I like that. I'm definitely going to try that one out.

To add on to this list, Never judge yourself on a bad day.

There are those kinds of days when nothing feels right. You spend 3 hours trying to work through this one scene, and all you get down is 2 paragraphs, both of which you hate and want to delete.

You think to yourself that you'll never make it as a writer, so why even bother?

It can be way too easy to beat yourself down during these days, and convince yourself that this is all writing will ever be.

Do not trust your self judgement on these kinds of days. They're not based in objective truth. All it is is a bad day. Give yourself some space to decompress, gain some distance, and let yourself relax for a bit.

I also write fanfiction and I was so envious of people who could pump out like 100k words. Over time, I knew how to write longer fic chapters but for my original writing I was so still so stagnant. Unlike fanfiction where the world is already built for me and a close community meant fast reader interaction, I struggled a lot with overthinking, imposter syndrome and "perfect first draft" syndrome since original fiction is held to a much higher standard. At least it did in my mind. I have not finished a novel ever and I've been writing since as long as I can remember.

Plus I am a pantser, and who the fuck was going to tell me that writing outlining and actually following them are two completely different beasts?

My introduction to flash fiction came from my desire to get more into urban fantasy which I liked more than high/epic. Unfortunately it's not a very well known genre but I did find some stories I like right here on Tumblr!

Then I did it. I opened my notepad and started writing. I didn't want to use google docs because it felt too "official" but I could not believe how I actually wrote the first sentence. I literally titled the note at first "lesbian magical study date" and it's a kinda "magic in the mundane" story about how a girl's pet dragon ruins a study date with her crush. It was so fun, and, after a few days of editing that one, I got working on another one. This time, about a dimensional travelling diner called Swirly Burger. I know it's cliche but I just started listening to Midnight Burger so can you blame me?

I got a comment on a fic that is less than a year old and it was mostly an apology for being a comment on an "old fic" and how late they were in commenting.

Fandom is not trends.

Fandom is a cross between a library and having a slumber party with your friends.

and no, this isn’t me saying “write that messed up, disgusting thing” because while, yes, write it if it’s what you want (I myself enjoy writing dark fics, something I believe would be considered “vile” to a lot of people), this is me saying in a world of censorship and capitalism, ao3 really is a treasure.

There might be a regicide soon or maybe, Alastor is just being nice, who knows? 🤷🏻

Hmmm, I do miss drawing them. I will be drawing them more in may (maybe) 🍎📻🫶🏻

And a doodle, where they made a bet on how long Alastor can do planks with Lucifer timing him lmao

Alastor is the offense; Lucifer is the defense

Lucifer swoops in to shield Alastor from attacks since he's nigh indestructible