Slieve League Cliffs, Ireland

Who could've ever seen it coming 🤷‍♂️

I like this idea

Lad

no money accepted

cashier: that’ll be 18 bucks please! me: alright! do you accept credit? cashier: no me: ok… i have cash cashier: we dont accept cash either me: ……… cashier: get out me:

If you’re looking for a mind fuck, try this one

Depression and Anxiety Announce Co-Headlining Secret Show in Man’s Head

And here I thought The Hard Times was satire

Writing Advice Masterlist

CRAFT

How to write subtext

When to use summary and when to use scene

What is purple prose vs descriptive style

What to consider when writing for teens and children

The different types of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person

When to show and when to tell

Showing vs. Telling in plot, character, setting, dialogue, etc. 

What is good telling?

Psychic distance (what it is + comparing 3rd omniscient, 3rd limited, and 1st person)

How to write strong dialogue

How to avoid melodrama

How to create powerful similes and metaphors

How to lengthen or shorten a novel

How to use 2nd person

YA vs NA vs Adult

Transitioning a book from being YA to being adult

The push and pull of hope and despair

How to introduce a flashback

Is it okay to use a POV shift for one scene?

Writing conflict and antagonist forces in a contemporary work/a piece with no villain

Describing setting in a way that’s in character

Using Symbolism

How to describe music

How to write a sex scene

Writing sexual or romantic tension/attraction

How to write a kiss scene

Writing romantic or sexual attraction (when you’re aromantic/asexual)

How to be subtle with theme

How to plan a story’s conflict

How to write a 1st person witness narrator

Where to add a character description

First sentences

Avoiding repetitive sentence structure

How to write a death scene

How to write body language

Using specificity to come up with original ideas

How to cut -ing verbs

Past vs present tense

What can be ambiguous and what needs to be explained? + Magical realism vs fantasy

Describing something abstract/intangible

Creating tension

How to improve your description (writing exercise) 

Using collective (aka: “we”) POV

Experimenting with form

Creating causal relationship between scenes in a non-linear plot

PLOT, STRUCTURE, AND CONCEPT

What is structure?

How to know if a plot is satisfying

How to develop plot material

How to develop a novel idea from nothing

How to write the beginning of a novel

How to write a story that is mostly internal

Finding the balance between plot driven and character driven

Common pitfalls of a meet cute

Plotting a contemporary novel

Plotting the 2nd half of a novel

Plot beats in the 2nd half of a novel

Pacing tips

How to develop a specific idea

Working with subplots

More on subplots

How to keep your plot moving forward

Writing backstory

How does structure work in literary fiction?

Writing plotless or slice-of-life fiction

CHARACTER

How does a character arc work?

Character development questions + exercises

How to use MBTI as a character development tool

How to find a character’s unique diction and vocabulary

How to write a problematic/morally grey/morally bankrupt character + with recommended readings

Is it okay to write a problematic main character? Where is the line?

Writing an anti-hero

Balancing out an unlikeable character

Writing a romance with a mentally ill character without romanticizing their mental illness

More thoughts on respectfully writing mental illness

How to do research to write a character with mental illness

What do I do if I feel like I write the same character over and over?

How to add character depth

As a male writer, can I write 1st person from a woman’s perspective?

Should a book have a comic relief character?

How to write a character mistake

Character motives

How to write more complex character psychology

How to develop side characters

How to write an active character

How to manage a book with a very large cast

Writing an unreliable narrator

Writing LGBTQIAP+ characters

On writing diversity

On respectfully writing queer characters 

Is it okay to write outside your lane?

Writing asexual characters

Writing friendships

Writing a healthy romantic relationship

Why I will always writing about ‘problematic’ characters 

Integrating character descriptions

Tips for character motivation/yearning

Writing character body language

WRITING PRACTICE AND PROCESS

How to get back into writing after a long break

How to deal with criticism

The pressure to create in the writing community

Advice for teen and new writers

How to work on multiple projects at once

Dealing with rejection

What to do if you’re on deadline and don’t have an idea or finished draft

How to revamp and old idea to fit your current writing style

Realizing you won’t have time to write all your ideas, and what to do

What to do if you don’t have a plot

Dealing wth jealousy as a writer

Dealing with Creative Slumps and Low Motivation

Dealing with low-confidence and doubting your abilities

PLATFORM & PUBLISHING

Starting a platform

More on starting a platform

Why I chose to traditionally publish

Pros and cons of different social media platforms for writers

Resources for finding literary magazines to submit to

Starting an author tube channel

SHORT STORIES

How to write a short story collection

Is the concept right for a novel or short story? + How to write a character arc in a short story

Should a short story be structured using novel structures like 15 beat?

How much planning do I do for a short story?

How to outline a short story

More on outlining a short story

How to title a short story

My short story writing process + how to get started with short stories + how to edit a short story + short story tips

More tips on how to write a short story

Writing the ending (aka moment of character reflection, or moment of ‘lift’) of a short story

More on writing the end of a short story

OTHER STUFF

How to get started with screenwriting

How to format a screenplay

Best pieces of writing advice I’ve ever gotten

My top 10 writing tips

Should you change your work for judgemental family members?

How to share your work with your family if you write about dark or mature content

How to slay an English exam composition

What is literary fiction?

Can a fantasy novel also be literary fiction?

How to lead a writing workshop

How to read more

Advice for creative writing majors (in Canada and elsewhere)

A list of useful essays on craft

American subdivisions be like

What happens once you kill yourself? Because I'm ready to go.

You wanna know what happens once you kill yourself? Your mother comes home from work and finds her baby dead and she screams and runs over to you and tries to get you to wake up but you won’t and she keeps screaming and shaking you and her tears are dripping onto your face and your dad hears all the screaming and runs into the room and he can’t even speak because the child that he loved and the child that he watched grow up is gone forever and finally your little sister runs into the room to see what all the fuss is about and she sees you dead. The person she looked up to and loved. The person she bragged about to  her friends, the person she wanted to be just like when she grew up, the person that made her feel safe. But she’s never really going to get to grow up and smile and laugh and love because she’ll always be consumed with this feeling of missing you. And now there’s something missing from your family and they can barely look at each other anymore because everything reminds them of you but you’re gone and hurts more than anything. and you think that your mom never cared because she was always busy and yelling at you to finish your homework and clean your room and forgot to say I love you sometimes but really, she loved you more than anything and she doesn’t leave the house anymore, she can’t even get out of bed and she’s getting thinner and thinner because it’s too hard to eat. Your father had to quit his job and he doesn’t sleep anymore, every time he closes his eyes he sees his baby dead, and the image never goes away no matter how much alcohol he drinks. And at school your best friend sees that your seat is empty and she gets this sick feeling in her stomach and that’s when she hears the announcement. You killed yourself. And suddenly she’s screaming and crying in the middle of class and no one even bothers comforting because they’re all  busy sitting there staring at your empty seat with tears dripping down their cheeks and all she wants is for you to hug her and tell her it’s gonna be okay like you always did, but this time, you’re not there to do it, everything is dark now that you’re gone and her grades are slipping, she barely goes to school anymore and she ended up in hospital after taking too many pills because she wanted to see you again. the girls who used to make fun of the way you dressed feel their throats get tight, they don’t talk to each other anymore, they don’t talk to anyone, they’re all in therapy trying so hard not to blame themselves but nothing works. and your teacher who always gave you a hard time stares blankly at the wall, she quits her job a few days later. And then your boyfriend hears the news and he can’t breathe, he still calls you a lot just to hear your voice and he talks to you on facebook but you never message him back, he can’t fall in love again because every girl he meets reminds him of you, he’s never going to get over you, he loved you and he cries himself to sleep every night, hating himself and slicing his skin because he couldn’t save you and he’s never going to hold you in his arms or hear you laugh again. Now everyone who knew you, whether they were a big part of your life or someone you passed in the hallway a few times a week, they carry this aching feeling around inside them because you’re gone, and they miss you, and they don’t know why you left but it must’ve been their fault and they should’ve stopped you and they should’ve told you they loved you more and that feeling is never going to go away. And so you killed yourself

but you killed everyone else around you too.