You Know That Feeling When You Have A Great Idea For A Fic But Your Words Aren't Wording And Nothing

when in writers block (bc me too)

yes i realize this isn’t 100% foolproof and doesn’t work for everyone but it sure as hell helps me (at least a bit) when i don’t know where to start. good luck writing and may words flow from you faster than water in the largest waterfall ever <3

reread your old writing

revisit unfinished discarded projects

just write. everything. search up prompts and write your characters into them even if you’re not feeling it — which i know is easier said than done but we as writers need to realize that sometimes we gotta do what we don’t want to do

start a new book (ignore the pile of unfinished wips ok??!?!?!!!)

browse apps ((like pinterest) sounds anti productive but actually helps)

inspiration is literally everywhere and in everything u just need to know where to look, whether that be online or in person where you’re observing relationships w people and how humans act

on the opposite end of the spectrum: close that google doc… and just take a break. most ideas come when you’re not trying to force them out like ur life depends on it

ask a friend to read some writing and give their prediction of what will happen next… then use it !

just don’t give up!!!!!!! think about how an incredible book could be written and we wouldn’t even know because writers block kicked in & u gave up </3

do you ever just … picture a whole scene, a whole fanfiction in your head, you know how to place every single word of the english dictionary that you need (or your language dictionary), you know how to structure your sentences, you know just what your characters are going to say to each other and then… and then you just open microsoft word.

Reasons to keep writing:

it brings you joy

somebody has to take care of the characters

you have a lesson to teach

it gets you through everyday life

there's people excited for the next chapter

to provide hope for yourself and others

if you don't tell the story, no one else will

it's a way of expressing yourself / what you go through

to make yourself and others feel less alone

people adore your writing

your characters would miss you if you left

nobody can take your place / write your stories for you

to leave something behind to be remembered by

to release your emotions

to inspire other people

what is writing you ask

well, sometimes it's being in front of Word and typing sometimes it's spending forty minutes watching advanced tips and tricks on blacksmithing in order to understand a subject you know absolutely nothing about

"The magic system is never fully explained" yeah that's how life works. Imagine having a story set in modern day America and the characters have several pages of exposition on combustion engines and telecommunication networks before we get to the plot

How to Use Character Flaws to Enrich Your Writing

Readers identify with characters who are relatable and peppered with imperfections. When a writer crafts believable character flaws, they open the door to interesting conflict, engaging personalities, and ample character development.

What Is a Character Flaw?

A character flaw is a trait that prevents a character from being perfect.

Sometimes this fatal flaw leads to a character’s demise or at least undercuts their character strengths and presents a prominent setback they must overcome.

Any character can have flaws, including a protagonist, antagonist, love interest, confidant, deuteragonist, tertiary character, or foil.

Why Give Your Characters Flaws?

A character’s flaws serve many functions, particularly ensuring that the character is relatable and engaged in inner conflict. Carefully crafted flaws can do the following:

Make the character relatable to an audience of readers or viewers

Present an obstacle that must be overcome during the course of the story

Create character weaknesses that another character in the story can exploit

Create an obstacle that prevents a character from immediately solving a conflict

Set off a character arc that allows a character to grow and change

Provide quirks that distinguish characters from one another and make them memorable to audiences

Emphasize broader themes that are amplified via specific character flaws

Create comedy—from Homer Simpson to Michael Scott, the best comedic characters are hopelessly flawed

What Is an Example of a Character Flaw?

In the Thomas Harris novel The Silence of the Lambs (and its subsequent film adaptation by director Jonathan Demme), Hannibal Lecter has what could charitably be called a personality disorder: He is a cannibal and a sadomasochist.

Lecter’s character flaws, however, are somewhat offset by his brilliant mind, which he uses to help the main character, Clarice Starling, apprehend a serial killer tormenting Appalachia.

Lecter is an example of how in fiction, even characters with the most severe personality flaws can embody a degree of three-dimensionality.

12 Character Flaws to Use in Your Writing

The array of possible character flaws is boundless. Here are 12 time-tested character traits that inherently generate conflict:

Perfectionism: A finicky perfectionist is never satisfied. They can rarely accept that a project has been completed, and they rarely accept the finished work of others. Perfectionism is a great flaw for a detective, a doctor, or an office worker.

A know-it-all attitude: An arrogant, self-righteous know-it-all has great potential to fall flat on their face, whether comically or dramatically. High school stories often feature a know-it-all foil to the main character. These archetypes work particularly well in comedy, especially when the know-it-all suffers from a broader lack of intelligence.

An inability to move on from the past: Many police procedurals and superhero stories feature heroes haunted by their past, such as murdered parents or the victim they could not save. This major flaw presents obstacles as they work to solve crimes—but when the obstacles are overcome, the story’s happy ending feels earned.

Laziness: Laziness is a flaw that leads to obvious conflict, some of which can be quite funny. Lazy sloth detectives and doctors can be either hilarious or the source of grave conflict, depending on the tone of your storytelling. A lazy character in a position of authority can generate a lot of tension for your plot.

Physical vulnerability: Some characters suffer from a physical weakness that can escalate into a fatal flaw. Superman’s tendency to wilt in the presence of kryptonite hamstrings him, while the great warrior Achilles was undone by his fabled heel.

Low self esteem: People who fundamentally dislike themselves make for fascinating characters. Jesse Pinkman’s self-loathing leads him down all sorts of dangerous paths in Breaking Bad. On the other end of the spectrum, the young adult author Judy Bloom has crafted gorgeous character arcs from youthful characters, like Linda Fischer in Blubber, who begin their journeys with low self esteem.

Vanity: Vanity is the undoing of many real world characters, and so it also works beautifully in fiction. Politicians, artists, models, and athletes in stories are routinely undone by vanity as they gradually develop a bad reputation. Ordinary people can be wrecked by vanity as well, so it’s a common character flaw in many forms of fiction.

Lust for power: Unbridled thirst for power has undone many a character, from Mr. Kurtz in Heart of Darkness to Frank Underwood in House of Cards. Power is intoxicating, and characters who seek it are both relatable and easy sources of conflict.

Lack of maturity: Many character arcs begin with a person in a hopeless state of immaturity who then grows over the course of the story. Immaturity can also manifest as rudeness, like when a bigmouth makes tactless remarks.

Fear: Common in action dramas and comedies alike, fear—be it cowardice in the face of duty, a specific phobia of spiders, or an irrational fear—is a great character flaw that naturally drives a story.

Hedonism: Some characters cannot resist temptation, whether that involves an illicit drug, food, or a fetish. Sometimes this excessive desire is due to addiction—it’s no secret that many famous protagonists are alcoholics—and sometimes it’s due to a general lack of self-restraint and willpower. For a character like Fyodor Karamazov in The Brothers Karamazov, hedonism and lechery make him both tragically amusing and subtly sinister.

A gruff exterior: Some characters seem initially impenetrable because they are taciturn, standoffish, or even hostile and lewd. Typically these characters house a vulnerable interior beneath their coarse shell. Bringing out that vulnerability and lack of self-worth can be a strong driver of story.

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Having OCs is actually the worst because those little fuckers will talk about you behind your back.

How do you manage to finish all your stories? Cuz when I begin to write one, my motivation crashes in 0.2 secs.

-vesper

{Let’s Talk Writer Motivation..!!}

Hello there, vesper/ @1-800-milfdilf !! That is a really good question. I appreciate you taking the time to come into my asks and talk to me about that 🥰

Haha, I certainly feel you about the motivation crashing in sync with when I start writing. It can be difficult to write when you lose motivation in 0.2 seconds or if you’re experiencing writers block… this is all extremely valid ♥️.

To answer your question, what I have found is that the key to accomplishing my writing is not motivation. It’s discipline. Yes, I write when I feel like it, but in a disciplined manner. I have a goal to write every day. And a secondary goal to post something at least every other day. And I hold myself to that standard with discipline.

Now, this might not work for everybody. And that’s okay. It’s just what works for me. And I will note, this distinction and priority of discipline over motivation can be applied to more than just writing. You can apply it to almost any task or goal.

Try it out, and let me know if it’s helpful to you! Hopefully, you found this informative and helpful. Thank you again for the question! I hope you have a lovely day/night!! 💞💞💞

Talk with Me ❤️‍🔥

when you know exactly how you want a scene to go but as soon as you sit down to write it you are suddenly staring at some of the worst sentences mankind has ever strung together.