fear or love?

1. Who are they closest to? How did they meet and what do they like to do together?

2. What were they like as a child? Were they quiet and reserved, outgoing, or a bit of both?

3. Are they an early bird or night owl?

4. What are 3 of their irrational fears?

5. How affectionate are they? What are their top love languages?

6. On an average day, what can they be found doing after dinner?

7. What are 3 foods they can’t live without?

8. What will always make them smile? What will always make them cry?

9. What was their first kiss like?

10. Favorite place? Do they go there often?

11. Who was their child hero/heroine?

12. Are they hot-headed or even-tempered? What frustrates them the most?

13. What special abilities or talents do they possess? Did they develop through training or were they born with them?

14. Choose an AU you think would be interesting for them to be a part of. Who would they be?

15. Are they the type to adopt strays (animals or people?) What or who have they “adopted” over the years?

16. How do they like their baths/showers? Hot/cold, long/short?

17. Do they consider themselves to be romantic? Why or why not?

18. How has their hair changed over time? What is their favorite hairstyle?

19. What do they wish they knew more about?

20. How many friends do they have?

21. What are they most afraid of? What made them fear this?

22. What is something others admire about them? Are they aware that people admire them for this?

23. Where would they fall on a politeness/rudness scale of 1-10 (1 being the most polite and 10 being the rudest)?

24. Where did their name come from? Does it have meaning?

Every writer inevitably gets to that scene that just doesn't want to work. It doesn't flow, no matter how hard you try. Well, here are some things to try to get out of that rut:

1. Change the weather

I know this doesn't sound like it'll make much of a difference, but trust me when I say it does.

Every single time I've tried this, it worked and the scene flowed magically.

2. Change the POV

If your book has multiple POV characters, it might be a good idea to switch the scene to another character's perspective.

9/10 times, this will make the scene flow better.

3. Start the scene earlier/later

Oftentimes, a scene just doesn't work because you're not starting in the right place.

Perhaps you're starting too late and giving too little context. Perhaps some description or character introspection is needed before you dive in.

Alternatively, you may be taking too long to get to the actual point of the scene. Would it help to dive straight into the action without much ado?

4. Write only the dialogue

If your scene involves dialogue, it can help immensely to write only the spoken words the first time round.

It's even better if you highlight different characters' speech in different colors.

Then, later on, you can go back and fill in the dialogue tags, description etc.

5. Fuck it and use a placeholder

If nothing works, it's time to move on.

Rather than perpetually getting stuck on that one scene, use a placeholder. Something like: [they escape somehow] or [big emotional talk].

And then continue with the draft.

This'll help you keep momentum and, maybe, make the scene easier to write later on once you have a better grasp on the plot and characters.

Trust me, I do this all the time.

It can take some practice to get past your Type A brain screaming at you, but it's worth it.

So, those are some things to try when a scene is being difficult. I hope that these tips help :)

Intimately Indifferent

CONSUME.

Forgotten Dreams

To you.