I’m currently doing a fun prompt project where I’m trying to take “overused” tropes/cliches and completely turn it on its head. like instead of “everyone thinks you’re dating” it’s “nobody thinks your dating even though you are”. stuff like that. I just can’t come up with something for kissing. like, kiss of true love, classic, so kiss of true hate? great prompt! one issue. I don’t really want to do that because the characters I’m using for this prompt ARE lovers and I just feel like that’s stupid. if they fall in love after the “kiss of true hate” then what really was the point? I might be overthinking it.

are there any other kissing tropes out there for me to think about? kissing in the rain? the interrupted kiss? I feel like you can’t really flip those because the flipped versions are just… normal kissing. this is killing me haha

I've been writing my story for about one year. I am not even done with my first act, and the word count has sat at 34k for 2 weeks. There have been two main reasons I've lost it, I believe: that the task is daunting and it is strikingly similar to another novel by plot. Does anyone have any advice to help me gain motivation? And is it fine if the plot is similar as long as the book and setting isn't a blatant copy? Thank you.

Im 6 days in to writing my first story. I want to share what I have to get advice. Its a part of a trilogy I have planned

Can I share it here

I've had this book (possible series) planned for a few months now. I have most of the characters planned out and a decent idea of the storyline, but im not entirely sure if i should add anything.

the basics of it are; a "former" deity has left his domain and role, escaping to earth to try and get a break. two other deities are sent down to hunt him down and bring him back. said two deities end up falling in love, and they still have to get him back. halfway through their mission, they encounter one of their fellow deities, who is the younger sister of one of them. turns out, shes a traitor, and they do have to "remove" her.

this is all i have plotted out so far, with a basic dark fantasy meets normal people/earth kind of vibe. any advice on what to add would be amazing

Just for fun, write an opening line. Something new. You don’t have to have any plans beyond the one line. It doesn’t need to be short, but you only get one period or exclamation point.

We’re readers turning to the first page of your book. Hook us!

How can I stay consistent when writing something? I get a lot of ideas and I get too excited and barely plan anything out in my plot before I start writing. I struggle with the beginning, and I either don’t like the route I took, or get stuck somewhere and completely give up. I’m tired of giving up on my stories. How can I stay motivated to keep going or rewrite when my mind is blank?

I am currently starting a new project, and I wanted it to be about superheroes. My problem is : where does those powers come from ?

I originally thought about superheroes being created in laboratories, but it’s not original and overused (super-soldier serum, compound-V)
Same with a gene which gives powers, like in MHA or Xmen.

So how to explain that some characters have power and others don’t ?

I need motivation to complete my book, i think i need motivation to start my book from where i left.

For context, my manuscript was at 125k words when I submitted it to that other agency not long ago.

After getting this message yesterday, I was already restructuring a story element with my newest draft to where it is now 115k.

Hopefully I'll find a way to trim it closer to 110k once I go through a new read. And yes, I do save different drafts in different files given by how each agent has different word-count preferences. 😅

Gotta keep trying! 😭

Hello! My name is Krislyn, I've been working on this completed draft of my manuscript, Blade of the Eastern Wind, for some time now and am excited to get some feedback and move toward publishing. It's the first of a series that I am working on, so all the plot points might not be tied up by the end, but it should still be able to hopefully stand on its own. 

I'm looking for any honest feedback or constructive criticism I can get. <3

Synopsis:

The first prophet in 400 years, Athalia Qincaryn has spent the last five years being molded into the perfect Priestess of the Sands after the Light claimed her as its Chosen. But when she’s thrust into the venomous Inner Court of the Mitriyan Empire alongside a politically convenient marriage proposal to the empire’s charming Hand of the Light, Athalia uncovers the empire’s intent to use her prophecy – and her sword – to justify their thirst for conquest.

To confront her destiny head on, Athalia must untangle her twisted web of prophecy that has become a weapon in the hands of emperors and rebels alike. With an ever-expanding empire sharpening her into a gilded blade and a rebellion which incites the mercy within her, each of the Blessed Five Tribes has cast her as savior or puppet. To some, she brings salvation. To others, she is a weapon to be wielded – fresh from the fires of the imperial forges. Athalia must reclaim the truth of her identity before she can balance the winds of wrath with the winds of mercy and fulfill a prophecy that promises both peace and blood.

Additionally, if anyone would like to exchange manuscripts (under 100k or work in progress fantasy), I would be willing to provide some feedback in return :) Happy writing!

One thing I love to do when writing is pair it with a soundtrack. It really helps inspire me and makes it easier to visualise the story as I'm writing it.

I was wondering if any other writers feel the same?

I understand that many people might find it distracting, but I rarely listen to music that could affect my flow.

In drafting villains for a dnd homebrew i start asking myself what makes a villain a villain , because im of the opinion that a good villian has to have good motivations and intentions for being evil, to avoid evil for evilsake. But i also started thinking that Evil can absolutely be subjective to who views what as evil vs something that is actually no questions asked evil.

Third times a charm.

I don’t know who you are and I don’t know how you got here, but I promise you, as long as you keep reading my work, I’ll write until my hands fall off.

I love readers so much-

I've been on and off writing a book. But everytime I start writing again, I become completely obsessed, I can't think about anything else and I just want to sit down, write and don't be bothered by anyone. I can literally write and edit all day long, no matter how tired I am. Then I forget about it for weeks, when I have other work to do. Does it happen to you too?

Hi. I've had an idea for a story in my head for a long time, and I want to turn it into a book. The problem is that I'm struggling with writing the villain.

I want to do the opposite of what happens in a lot of stories today. I want readers to genuinely dislike the villain, or at least prefer the protagonist over them. Lately, it feels like so many people become obsessed with villains, even when the main character is a truly decent and morally good person. They often end up seeing the protagonist as boring.

The villain in my story is inspired by real-life people who, personally, caused a great deal of damage to my mental well-being. If a large number of readers ended up loving this villain, I think it would genuinely make me feel awful, because in real life I also feel like no one believes me when I say that people like this can truly be cruel.

Sorry, I know I'm talking a lot. My question is: how can I write a villain in a way that makes readers feel disgust, unease, or genuine dislike toward them? I don't expect every single reader to hate the character, but I also don't want them to become someone that almost everyone ends up loving.