Post by Chris Heath on May 28, 2011 20:37:01 GMT -5
I’ve been noticing a lot of people have been losing their muses lately and so I thought I should write out some helpful tips. We can’t always expect to be inspired to write every post but sometimes trudging on is more rewarding than waiting for an epiphany. I’ve been in threads where it really didn’t pick up or become interesting until the end of the thread, sometimes going through the motions is necessary to make it to the good part.
I want to touch on plot line before we move onto the tips. Discussing the overall plot line before going into the thread can easily prevent the loss of a muse, if you can make details about the situation before hand it will allow things to move that much easier. Avoiding the “first meeting” thread is usually a good idea, thrusting your heroes in a situation is great since it would give you more to write about. If skipping the first meeting thread it would also be a good idea to exchange information on what each character should know about each other.
Keep in mind this is my opinion, everybody has their own process but if that process isn’t working you might want to follow these tips.
1. Responding- Your character is always doing something, describe his/her response, remember gestures and facial expression, perhaps they are showing emotions through a gesture. Tone of voice and if they have a certain dialect can easily separate your characters from the pack.
2. Flashbacks- Adding in a small flashback is an interesting way to keep a thread interesting along with fleshing out your character. Triggering it can be done horribly please try to set it up with tact and have it connect with the immediate situation in some way.
3. Observations- If at a loss as to how to flesh out a post sometimes its prudent for your character to observe his or her surroundings. Don’t be afraid to make up details around your characters immediate vicinity. It may be hard to describe but adding in music is always an element that can be played with.
4. Characters- NPC’s made on the fly for a thread can turn out interesting. Don’t be scared to kill off npc’s at random, especially if your character is evil . Fight threads benefit the most from npc’s but if things are getting too stale throwing one in can spice things up.
5. Wandering Minds- Describing your characters thoughts can easily take up a few paragraphs. Some characters are continuously conniving so describing their thought process is more important than others. Does their thoughts match the mood their showing? Would they rather be doing something else? Are they looking forward to anything?
6. Constant Flow- Keep on writing even if it doesn’t make sense, after a few edits or so there can usually be at least an acceptable response born from the effort.
7. Secrets- Be aware of what your character knows. Most human characters shouldn’t know anything about shifters or anything from the fae realm. If you’re a shifter or fae character, secrecy is very important to maintain. All shifter types can detect each other though.
I want to touch on plot line before we move onto the tips. Discussing the overall plot line before going into the thread can easily prevent the loss of a muse, if you can make details about the situation before hand it will allow things to move that much easier. Avoiding the “first meeting” thread is usually a good idea, thrusting your heroes in a situation is great since it would give you more to write about. If skipping the first meeting thread it would also be a good idea to exchange information on what each character should know about each other.
Keep in mind this is my opinion, everybody has their own process but if that process isn’t working you might want to follow these tips.
1. Responding- Your character is always doing something, describe his/her response, remember gestures and facial expression, perhaps they are showing emotions through a gesture. Tone of voice and if they have a certain dialect can easily separate your characters from the pack.
2. Flashbacks- Adding in a small flashback is an interesting way to keep a thread interesting along with fleshing out your character. Triggering it can be done horribly please try to set it up with tact and have it connect with the immediate situation in some way.
3. Observations- If at a loss as to how to flesh out a post sometimes its prudent for your character to observe his or her surroundings. Don’t be afraid to make up details around your characters immediate vicinity. It may be hard to describe but adding in music is always an element that can be played with.
4. Characters- NPC’s made on the fly for a thread can turn out interesting. Don’t be scared to kill off npc’s at random, especially if your character is evil . Fight threads benefit the most from npc’s but if things are getting too stale throwing one in can spice things up.
5. Wandering Minds- Describing your characters thoughts can easily take up a few paragraphs. Some characters are continuously conniving so describing their thought process is more important than others. Does their thoughts match the mood their showing? Would they rather be doing something else? Are they looking forward to anything?
6. Constant Flow- Keep on writing even if it doesn’t make sense, after a few edits or so there can usually be at least an acceptable response born from the effort.
7. Secrets- Be aware of what your character knows. Most human characters shouldn’t know anything about shifters or anything from the fae realm. If you’re a shifter or fae character, secrecy is very important to maintain. All shifter types can detect each other though.