Writing Help

The Iberian peninsula prior to the Carthaginian invasion and partial conquest was a melange of different tribal influences, with the Celtic influx being the most  recent and most pervasive as this map shows.

Types Of Writer’s Block (And How To Fix Them)

1. High inspiration, low motivation. You have so many ideas to write, but you just don’t have the motivation to actually get them down, and even if you can make yourself start writing it you’ll often find yourself getting distracted or disengaged in favour of imagining everything playing out

Try just bullet pointing the ideas you have instead of writing them properly, especially if you won’t remember it afterwards if you don’t. At least you’ll have the ideas ready to use when you have the motivation later on

2. Low inspiration, high motivation. You’re all prepared, you’re so pumped to write, you open your document aaaaand… three hours later, that cursor is still blinking at the top of a blank page

RIP pantsers but this is where plotting wins out; refer back to your plans and figure out where to go from here. You can also use your bullet points from the last point if this is applicable

3. No inspiration, no motivation. You don’t have any ideas, you don’t feel like writing, all in all everything is just sucky when you think about it

Make a deal with yourself; usually when I’m feeling this way I can tell myself “Okay, just write anyway for ten minutes and after that, if you really want to stop, you can stop” and then once my ten minutes is up I’ve often found my flow. Just remember that, if you still don’t want to keep writing after your ten minutes is up, don’t keep writing anyway and break your deal - it’ll be harder to make deals with yourself in future if your brain knows you don’t honour them

4. Can’t bridge the gap. When you’re stuck on this one sentence/paragraph that you just don’t know how to progress through. Until you figure it out, productivity has slowed to a halt

Mark it up, bullet point what you want to happen here, then move on. A lot of people don’t know how to keep writing after skipping a part because they don’t know exactly what happened to lead up to this moment - but you have a general idea just like you do for everything else you’re writing, and that’s enough. Just keep it generic and know you can go back to edit later, at the same time as when you’re filling in the blank. It’ll give editing you a clear purpose, if nothing else

5. Perfectionism and self-doubt. You don’t think your writing is perfect first time, so you struggle to accept that it’s anything better than a total failure. Whether or not you’re aware of the fact that this is an unrealistic standard makes no difference

Perfection is stagnant. If you write the perfect story, which would require you to turn a good story into something objective rather than subjective, then after that you’d never write again, because nothing will ever meet that standard again. That or you would only ever write the same kind of stories over and over, never growing or developing as a writer. If you’re looking back on your writing and saying “This is so bad, I hate it”, that’s generally a good thing; it means you’ve grown and improved. Maybe your current writing isn’t bad, if just matched your skill level at the time, and since then you’re able to maintain a higher standard since you’ve learned more about your craft as time went on

How different is your second draft from the third draft?

Not much. First to second there's often proper construction work. Second to third draft we're in the territory of "I showed the mss to some friends and I need to fix that thing Janice didn't get in Chapter 5, and the goof that Bill pointed out in Chapter 7 and I probably need to write a new beginning to Chapter 11 because I'm confusing absolutely everyone...."

i’ve not posted much this year but merry Christmas and happy holidays from me and these two little birdies x

Hey, quick question. Editing is a bit like an endless loop when you're always finding some mistake or the other with your work. So how do you know when to stop editing?

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Hello Seraphicshadow!

Thank you for submitting your question, I appreciate it let me see if I can answer question!

How to know when to stop editing:

You’re Making Changes, Not Improvements

When You Can’t Tell What’s Good Or Bad.

When You Give Up

You’re Making Changes, Not Improvements

When you’re making edits and it seems as if the changes you’re making aren’t enhancing or improving your overall story that’s a sign you most likely don’t need anything else .

“Dirty” or “muddy”? Is this sentence better here or in the next paragraph? “A” or “the”?

When your edits reach a point where you’re sweating over one tiny thing after another, all you’re doing is holding yourself back.

When You Can’t Tell What’s Good Or Bad

Sometimes you work on something so hard and for so long, you can’t tell what’s what anymore. When you reach this point, step away from the computer. Congratulations, you’ve edited so hard you’re no longer qualified to edit your own work.

When you just run out of ideas for changes because it all looks the same to you that’s a good indicator to stop.

When You Give Up

If you’ve been editing so long you’re ready to throw in the towel, why not take a break and submit your story to an editor look at it? You know, before you take a lighter to it.

Someone with a fresh perspective may be able to point out options you hadn’t thought of. Or even better, their comments about what’s already working may be just what you need to regain your confidence.

Your old friend, Mary Sue, appears perfect, but actually has the ability to manipulate time and constantly rewinds it in order to give the appearance of perfection, with zero consequences. You, however, can secretly remember every single previous iteration.

The Emotion Thesaurus: Amazement

Hello everyone! This post will discuss the emotion amazement.

This section is taken from the Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi.

Amazement

Definition: overwhelming astonishment or wonder

Physical Signals:

widening of the eyes

a slack mouth

becoming suddenly still

sucking in a quick breath

a hand covering one's mouth

stiffening posture

giving a small yelp

rapid blinking followed by open staring

flinching or starting, the body jumping slightly

taking a step back

a slow, disbelieving shake of the head

voicing wonder: I can't believe it! or Look at that!

pulling out a cell phone to record the event

glancing to see if others are experiencing the same thing

pressing a hand to one's chest, fingers splayed out

leaning in

moving closer

reaching out or touching

eyebrows raising

lips parting

a wide smile

spontaneous laughter

pressing palms to cheeks

fanning oneself

repeating the same things over and over

squealing dramatically

Internal Sensations:

a heart that seems to freeze, then pound

rushing blood

rising body tempreture

tingling skin

stalled breaths

adrenaline spikes

Mental Responses:

momentarily forgetting all else

wanting to share the experience with others

giddiness

disorientation

euphoria

an inability to find words

Cues of Acture of Long-Term Amazement:

a racing heartbeat

shortness of breath

knees going weak

feeling overwhelmed as if the room is closing in

collapsing

May Escalate To: Curiosity, Disbelief, Excitement

Cues of Suppressed Amazement:

holding oneself tightly (self-hugging)

walking in jerky, self-contained strides

clamping the hands to the chest

looking down or away to hide one's expression

eyes widening a bit before control is asserted

mouth snapping shut

a stony expression

taking a seat to hide emotion

making excuses if reaction is noticed

stuttering, stammering

I don't 'write' my characters, I just watch them do stupid shit and write up the incident report.

📚 The Art of Subtext in Writing 📚

Let’s talk about subtext. It’s one of those things you feel when you read, but maybe don’t consciously notice, and yet—it’s everywhere. It’s in the way characters talk to each other, the details they avoid, the glances that linger, and the things left unsaid. Subtext is what gives a story depth, pulling readers into the unspoken layers underneath the surface. It’s like the heartbeat of a scene, or the feeling you get when you’re reading and know there’s more to what’s happening than meets the eye.

So, why is subtext important? Because it makes stories feel real. Life isn’t always clear-cut; people don’t say exactly what they mean, emotions can be complex, and motives aren’t always laid out on the table. Subtext reflects that complexity, making your characters and situations feel richer and more relatable.

Here are a few types of subtext and how to use them effectively:

1. Romantic/Emotional Tension

This is probably the most common type of subtext, especially in romance or drama. Think of characters who clearly like each other but won’t admit it. They argue, they bicker, they avoid eye contact, but all that is subtext for “I’m secretly into you.” Use this when you want your readers to root for a connection that isn’t obvious or acknowledged yet.

2. Conflict Subtext

Not all conflict is overt—sometimes it’s in the snappy dialogue or forced politeness. A character might “agree” with something on the surface while feeling the complete opposite. This kind of subtext is powerful because it lets readers see two conflicting layers: the polite conversation happening outwardly, and the resentment or anger bubbling underneath.

3. Dramatic Irony

This is when the reader knows something the character doesn’t, creating tension or humor. Subtext here involves leaving hints in the writing that make readers feel “in on it.” For example, if a character is convinced their plan is foolproof but readers already know something’s about to go wrong, you create an undercurrent of impending doom or anticipation.

4. Thematic Subtext

Subtext isn’t just for characters; it can also layer meaning into the theme of a story. If your book’s theme is about, say, identity, you might use subtext to show how a character hides certain parts of themselves around certain people. They might be saying one thing while subconsciously revealing their discomfort or need for acceptance.

5. Cultural/Social Commentary

Sometimes the best social commentary is subtle. Rather than outright saying, “This society values material wealth over happiness,” you might show a character who’s obsessed with buying status symbols while feeling deeply unfulfilled. This approach can make readers reflect on the message more personally and deeply.

How to Use Subtext

To work subtext into your writing, trust your readers. Give them just enough so they can pick up on what’s below the surface without spelling it all out. Here’s a small exercise: write a scene between two characters who are pretending to be friendly but actually dislike each other. Notice how tone, body language, and word choice convey the tension without anyone actually saying, “I don’t like you.” It’s all about restraint.

something I don’t see people bring up a lot when talking about worldbuilding, especially when you’re creating cities, is wind. prevailing winds in many places in the northern hemisphere blow from west -> east, and because industrial production tended to take place in the centre of cities, workers would live downwind of factories while the wealthier classes would live on the other side, away from air pollutants, which is why a lot of cities have a poor east-end and a rich west-end, a spatial configuration that persists in many places that are now post-industrial

and in general the built environment has a durability to it that persists far past the historical moments that produce those configurations. this means that the stated aims of a city via a vis city planning are frequently at odds with the physical layout of the city itself. so if you want to create a city that feels like it has a long history to it, working through its earlier stages of production can help with decisions you make about its layout, and also allow for weird spatial contradictions in a city that has to constantly fight against its own physical history