How To Finish Your Novel In 1 Year

How to think of a meaningful plot when writing fanfiction?

A lot of advice on plot structure starts with determining an inciting incident or a change to the world, but in a fanfiction context most of that real estate is already spoken for by the canon itself. I've always struggled a lot with finding *things to write about* when I want to go beyond small "plotless"/fluff fics. How do you figure out an original plot that manages to fit "in between" the existing canon in a way that still feels cohesive?

Fan-Fiction: Figuring Out a Plot

If you want to write plot-based fan-fiction of your favorite canon source, there are lots of ways to do that...

1 - Mimic Canon Conflicts - What type of conflicts are at the heart of the canon story? For example, let's say you're writing fan-fiction for your favorite legal drama. Canon conflict probably mostly revolves around trying legal cases. So, creating your own legal case for the team to solve would be a good option.

2 - Explore Off-Screen/Implied Events - Sometimes characters reference events that happened in the past or off-screen. These can be great sources for a conflict. For example, maybe two characters are sent to a prison to interview a potential witness, but this happens off-screen and is only referenced when they return. Maybe someone asks how it went and one of the characters says, "Don't ask." Maybe it's because they didn't get much information, but this could be a fun place to explore something more happening. What if there was a lockdown when they were at the prison? What if their car broke down on the way home and they ended up in a weird situation? What if their interview with the potential witness led them on a wild goose chase to track down another potential witness or some source of information? Lots of possibilities in off-screen/implied events.

3 - Explore Character Backstory/Personal or Professional Life - Characters usually have interesting back stories and sometimes interesting lives beyond what's explored in canon. The team in your favorite legal drama all had lives before they joined that legal team, and they all have personal lives, too. These can be great places to look for potential conflicts/plot ideas.

4 - Explore Character Relationships - Character relationships are a fun source of conflict. Are there two characters who don't get along? Maybe it'd be fun to see what happens if they get snowed in at the office together for a weekend. Are there two characters who have good romantic tension? What happens if they get sent on a dangerous errand together?

5 - Take an AU Approach - Sometimes it's fun to take canon events and flip them upside down as though they occurred in an alternate universe. Maybe there's a high profile case the team almost lost, which would have been disastrous, but they ultimately won. So, explore what would have happened if they'd lost. Or, what happens if a different character led the case? What happens if a character makes a different decision than they did in canon? These are all great possibilities for conflict.

There are lots of other possibilities, of course... crossovers, genre flips, introducing original characters, and so much more. But hopefully this list will give you some good places to start.

Have fun with your story!

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How do I describe a tired person? I got 'dark circles under the eyes' but it kind of stops there.

Tips for creative writers who want to write about fantasy:

1. Build a rich and immersive world: Create a detailed and imaginative fantasy world with its own history, geography, cultures, and magical systems. Consider the rules and limitations of your world's magic to ensure consistency.

2. Develop unique and compelling characters: Craft memorable characters with distinct personalities, strengths, flaws, and goals. Explore how their backgrounds and abilities shape their experiences and interactions within the fantasy realm.

3. Weave in elements of magic and mythology: Introduce mythical creatures, mystical artifacts, and ancient legends into your storytelling. Use them to add depth, mystery, and wonder to your fantasy world.

4. Embrace world-building details: Pay attention to small but significant details in your world-building, such as food, clothing, customs, and languages. These details will enhance the believability and richness of your fantasy setting.

5. Create a compelling conflict: Develop an engaging conflict or quest that drives your story forward. This conflict could involve a battle between good and evil, a personal journey of self-discovery, or a struggle for power and redemption.

6. Blend familiar and unique elements: Combine familiar fantasy tropes with fresh and inventive ideas to create a unique reading experience. Balance the comfort of the familiar with the excitement of the unknown.

7. Use vivid and descriptive language: Paint a vivid picture with your words, using descriptive language to transport readers into your fantastical world. Engage all the senses to bring your settings, creatures, and magic to life.

8. Establish consistent rules and logic: While fantasy allows for imagination and magic, it's important to establish rules and logic within your world. This will ensure that readers can follow and invest in the story without feeling confused or disconnected.

9. Include themes and depth: Explore deeper themes and messages within your fantasy story. Address topics such as power, identity, morality, and the human condition to add layers of depth and resonance to your narrative.

10. Read widely in the fantasy genre: Immerse yourself in a variety of fantasy novels to familiarize yourself with different styles, world-building techniques, and storytelling approaches. Analyze what works and doesn't work for you as a reader and apply those insights to your own writing.

Remember, fantasy writing is an opportunity to unleash your imagination and transport readers to extraordinary realms. Have fun, be creative, and let your passion for the genre shine through in your storytelling.

Happy writing and happy adventures in the realm of fantasy!

Random, but a really handy way to make things seem creepy or wrong in horror is to make them incongruously neat or clean:

In the middle of a horrific battlefield, you find one corpse laid aside neatly, straightened and arranged, its arms crossed neatly across its chest

As you walk through the garden, you gradually realise that the oddness you’ve been noticing about the trees is that they are all perfectly symmetrical

As you move through the abandoned house, you realise that suddenly that there’s no dust in this room, no dirt or cobwebs

You hear hideous noises coming from behind a locked door, screams and pleas, and visceral sounds of violence. When you manage to break down the door, there is no one there, and the room is perfectly spotless

In the middle of a horrific battlefield, a hollow full of churned mud and blood, you find five corpses cleanly dismembered, each set of limbs or parts neatly laid out in their own little row

You witness a murder, a brutal, grisly killing that carpets the area in blood. When you return in a blind panic with the authorities, the scene is completely clean, and no amount of examination can find even a drop of blood

You run through the night and the woods with a comrade, pulling each other through leaves and twigs and mud as you scramble desperately towards freedom. When you finally emerge from the forest, in the grey light of dawn, you turn to your companion in relief, and notice that their clothes are somehow perfectly clean

You hand a glass of water to your suspect, talking casually the whole while, and watch with satisfaction as they take it in their bare hand and take a drink. There’ll be a decent set of prints to run from that later. Except there isn’t. There are no prints at all. As if nothing ever touched the glass

You browse idly through your host’s catalogue, and stop, and pay much more attention, when you realise that several items on a dry list of acquisitions are ones you’ve seen before, and it slowly dawns on you that each neat little object and number in this neat little book are things that belong (belonged?) to people you know

Neatness, particularly incongruous neatness, neatness where you expect violence or imperfection or abandonment, or neatness that you belatedly realise was hiding violence, or neatness that is imposed over violence, is incredibly scary. Because neatness is not a natural thing. Neatness requires some active force to have come through and made it so. Neatness implies that the world around you is being arranged, maybe to hide things, to disguise things, to make you doubt your senses, or else simply according to something else’s desires. Neatness is active and artificial. Neatness puts things, maybe even people, into neat little boxes according to something else’s ideals, and that’s terrifying as well. Being objectified. Being asked to fit categories that you’re not sure you can fit, and wondering what will happen to the bits of you that don’t.

Neatness, essentially, says that something else is here. Neatness where there should be chaos says that either something came and changed things, or that what you’re seeing now or what you saw then is not real. Neatness alongside violence says that something came through here for whom violence did not mean the same thing as it does to you.

Neatness, in the right context, in the right place, can be very, very scary

And fun

Common Occupations in the Middle Ages

Almoners: ensured the poor received alms.

Atilliator: skilled castle worker who made crossbows.

Baliff: in charge of allotting jobs to the peasants, building repair, and repair of tools used by the peasants.

Barber: someone who cut hair. Also served as dentists, surgeons and blood-letters.

Blacksmith: forged and sharpened tools and weapons, beat out dents in armor, made hinges for doors, and window grills. Also referred to as Smiths.

Bottler: in charge of the buttery or bottlery.

Butler: cared for the cellar and was in charge of large butts and little butts (bottles) of wine and beer. Under him a staff of people might consist of brewers, tapsters, cellarers, dispensers, cupbearers and dapifer.

Carder: someone who brushed cloth during its manufacture.

Carpenter: built flooring, roofing, siege engines, furniture, panelling for rooms, and scaffoling for building.

Carters: workmen who brought wood and stone to the site of a castle under construction.

Castellan: resident owner or person in charge of a castle (custodian).

Chamberlain: responsible for the great chamber and for the personal finances of the castellan.

Chaplain: provided spirtual welfare for laborers and the castle garrison. The duties might also include supervising building operations, clerk, and keeping accounts. He also tended to the chapel.

Clerk: a person who checked material costs, wages, and kept accounts.

Constable: a person who took care (the governor or warden) of a castle in the absence of the owner. This was sometimes bestowed upon a great baron as an honor and some royal castles had hereditary constables.

Cook: roasted, broiled, and baked food in the fireplaces and ovens.

Cottars: the lowest of the peasantry. Worked as swine-herds, prison guards, and did odd jobs.

Ditcher: worker who dug moats, vaults, foundations and mines.

Dyer: someone who dyed cloth in huge heated vats during its manufacture.

Ewerer: worker who brought and heated water for the nobles.

Falconer: highly skilled expert responsible for the care and training of hawks for the sport of falconry.

Fuller: worker who shrinks & thickens cloth fibers through wetting & beating the material.

Glaziers: a person who cut and shaped glass.

Gong Farmer: a latrine pit emptier.

Hayward:  someone who tended the hedges.

Herald: knights assistant and an expert advisor on heraldry.

Keeper of the Wardrobe: in charge of the tailors and laundress.

Knight: a professional soldier. This was achieved only after long and arduous training which began in infancy.

Laird: minor baron or small landlord.

Marshal: officer in charge of a household’s horses, carts, wagons, and containers. His staff included farriers, grooms, carters, smiths and clerks. He also oversaw the transporting of goods.

Master Mason: responsible for the designing and overseeing the building of a structure.

Messengers: servants of the lord who carried receipts, letters, and commodities.

Miner: skilled professional who dug tunnels for the purpose of undermining a castle.

Minstrels: part of of the castle staff who provided entertainment in the form of singing and playing musical instruments.

Porter: took care of the doors (janitor), particularly the main entrance. Responsible for the guardrooms. The person also insured that no one entered or left the castle withour permission. Also known as the door-ward.

Reeve: supervised the work on lord’s property. He checked that everyone began and stopped work on time, and insured nothing was stolen. Senior officer of a borough.

Sapper: an unskilled person who dug a mine or approach tunnel.

Scullions: responsible for washing and cleaning in the kitchen.

Shearmen: a person who trimmed the cloth during its manufacture.

Shoemaker: a craftsman who made shoes. Known also as Cordwainers.

Spinster: a name given to a woman who earned her living spinning yarn. Later this was expanded and any unmarried woman was called a spinster.

Steward: took care of the estate and domestic administration. Supervised the household and events in the great hall. Also referred to as a Seneschal.

Squire: attained at the age of 14 while training as a knight. He would be assigned to a knight to carry and care for the weapons and horse.

Watchmen: an official at the castle responsible for security. Assited by lookouts (the garrison).

Weaver: someone who cleaned and compacted cloth, in association with the Walker and Fuller.

Woodworkers: tradesmen called Board-hewers who worked in the forest, producing joists and beams.

Other medieval jobs included:

tanners, soap makers, cask makers, cloth makers, candle makers (chandlers), gold and silver smiths, laundresses, bakers, grooms, pages, huntsmen, doctors, painters, plasterers, and painters, potters, brick and tile makers, glass makers, shipwrights, sailors, butchers, fishmongers, farmers, herdsmen, millers, the clergy, parish priests, members of the monastic orders, innkeepers, roadmenders, woodwards (for the forests). slingers. Other Domestic jobs inside the castle or manor:

Personal atendants- ladies-in-waiting, chamber maids, doctor.

The myriad of people involved in the preparation and serving of meals- brewers, poulterer, fruiterers, slaughterers, dispensers, cooks and the cupbearers.

By Lise Hull READ MORE

12 Writing Tips From Flannery O’Connor

Flannery O’Connor was an American author. Here are 12 writing tips from her writings.

On the anniversary of her birthday…

10 ideas for character personalities

Creating unique and interesting characters is essential to any good story. Here are some ideas for character personalities to help you develop your own characters:

The Rebel: A character who defies authority and rules, often causing conflict but also inspiring change. Stubborn, working for a greater cause, but often ignores those closest to them.

The Optimist: A character who always sees the bright side of things, even in the darkest of situations. They might be the comic relief, and they’ll tend to be naive in dangerous situations and often put themselves at risk of heartbreak because they see the best in people.

The Pessimist: A character who always expects the worst, often bringing down the mood of those around them. They might be very sarcastic, witty, and grumpy, and they can only be handled well by certain characters - they match well with softer, laidback personalities.

The Perfectionist: A character who strives for perfection in everything they do, often to the point of obsession. They’ll never really be satisfied with anything they achieve, no matter how good it is, and they have trouble with friendships and relationships.

The Joker: A character who uses humor to cope with difficult situations, but may also use it to mask their true feelings. They often feel a lot worse than they let on, and they put others ahead of themselves.

The Loner: A quiet character who prefers solitude and may struggle with forming connections with others, though they tend to be quite emotionally smart and observant.

The Leader: A character who takes charge and inspires others to follow them, but they can get carried away with the power in their hands. They’re confident and they know it, and they often end up hurting people with their behavior.

The Follower: A character who prefers to take direction from others and may struggle with making decisions on their own. These are often very passive characters who rely on help from others - typically from one specific protector.

The Nurturer: A character who is caring and compassionate, often putting others' needs before their own, and making sure that everybody else is happy. They have people-pleasing tendencies and will hide their own opinions if they find it might upset others.

The Adventurer: A character who is always seeking out new experiences and challenges. They may be impulsive and thrill-seeking, but also courageous and resourceful.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Remember, the key to creating memorable characters is to make them unique and multi-dimensional, beyond the archetype of personality that they fit into!

The Character Bible and my two other Writer’s Toolboox are dropping in just 8 days! They’ll have masses of resources, materials, character theory and even customizable character sheets.

Character Movements (Lips) Part 2

1. Smiling: The character's lips curl upwards at the corners, indicating happiness, friendliness, or amusement.

2. Frowning: The character's lips turn downwards, indicating sadness, displeasure, or concern.

3. Pouting: The character pushes their lower lip forward, often conveying disappointment, sulking, or a desire for attention.

4. Biting lip: The character lightly bites or presses their lips together, suggesting nervousness, anticipation, or hesitation.

5. Licking lips: The character's tongue briefly touches or moves across their lips, indicating desire, anticipation, or hunger.

6. Pressing lips together: The character's lips are firmly pressed together, indicating determination, frustration, or holding back emotions.

7. Parting lips: The character's lips slightly separate, often indicating surprise, shock, or readiness to speak.

8. Trembling lips: The character's lips quiver or shake, suggesting fear, anxiety, or suppressed emotions.

9. Whispering: The character's lips move closer together, and their voice becomes softer, indicating secrecy, confidentiality, or intimacy.

10. Mouthing words: The character moves their lips without making any sound, often used to convey silent communication or frustration.

Lil’ Tip

I see two common formulas when a character is severely hurt

injured >> panic >> faint

or

injured >> hide it >> faint

While these two formulas are great, I am here to propose other things people do when they are in severe physical pain. pain to this degree throws a persons entire body out of wack, show it!

here are some other less commonly found things people do when they’re in severe pain:

firstly, repeat it after me, kids! not everyone faints when they’re in a ton of pain! some people wish they could faint

but they do tremble, convulse, or thrash uncontrollably (keep in mind, trembling and convulsing are something the body does of it’s own accord, thrashing is an action taken by the person)

hyper/hypoventilate

become nauseous

vomit (in severe cases)

hallucinate

lose sight (temporarily)

lose hearing (temporarily)

run a low-grade fever

run a high-grade fever (in severe cases)

become unaware of surroundings

develop a nosebleed

develop a migraine

sweat absolute bullets

feel free to add more in comments/reblogs!

This is why your characters don't feel real

Here are the top reasons why your character could be feeling flat or unreal. What every author aims for is to make palpable realistic characters who feel like someone we could actually know.

They have no internal conflict(!)

You haven’t got a clue about their backstory.

Or about what their struggle/internal conflict is rooted in.

You write them to fit the plot, instead of letting them react the way they should in the given moment (even if this leads to a huge change in the story!).

You fail to think about their dynamics & backstory with each important character in their narrative.

You don’t give them a motivation/goal going into each scene.

There are so many factors that go into making a character feel real - and you might hear advice that this is because they don’t have an interesting personality, or a unique character voice, but honestly? These are surface-level reasons. These are not going to make or break your character.

What IS going to make them interesting is internal conflict —> a struggle which we meet them in, a story of overcoming the struggle that we get invested in, and a root cause for the struggle in the character’s backstory.

Would you like to learn more about crafting realistic character who lead the plot FOR you? 🤯

You might want to give my 6-month group coaching program a go! It's designed specifically to help overcome this issue and teach you how to plot ANY story with ease. It uses a mix of writing their classes, with group coaching sessions to work specifically on YOUR project.

The first group kicks off Feb 11th, so grab your spot now!

Find out more through [the link here] or below!

https://www.novlr.org/the-complete-novel-coach