• You gain that skill level only through practice. So practice.
• No matter what you’re writing, no matter how badly you think you’ve written it, there is ALWAYS some audience that will love it and cherish it.
• You can use what you write the first time around as a first draft and just rewrite it again later when you feel like tackling the story again!
• Rewriting the same story over and over is a valid writing process. It’s literally just creating new drafts. Each iteration will be better than the last, because each is building on your growing skill and experience.
• If you love the story, it will always be worth telling simply for your own enjoyment. If no one else ever sees it, that’s okay! Your art should be for you first, anyway.

• Forehead kisses, and smiling through the kiss
• Resting their forehead on the other’s after a kiss
• Tucking strands of loose hair behind their ears, with a thumb caressing their cheek
• Interlacing their fingers with the other’s when they least expect it
• Sleepy back hugs when the other person is busy whipping up breakfast in the kitchen, catching them by surprise
• Just doing their own things in the same space; being so comfortable around the other even in their pyjamas
• Holding both their hands while holding their gaze gently, just before leaning in for a kiss
• Switching positions with the other when walking down a busy sidewalk because your feel the need to keep the other safe
• Being playfully clingy in the mornings when one has an off day and the other has to rush to work
• Getting them something from the store when they only mentioned it in passing
• When one is overseas for a work trip and everything they see reminds them of the other person (bonus: whenever it happens, they take a picture and drop the other person a text.)
• Squeezing their hand reassuringly and holding their hand throughout an intense social situation (eg. a large school reunion which the more introverted person is dreading)
• Kissing away their tears
• ^ and letting the other cry on their shoulder even when their t-shirt gets soaked from their tears
• Meeting them where they are, mentally and emotionally; never forcing them to do anything they aren’t comfortable with
• Wholeheartedly supporting their dreams, and putting that into action by making concrete plans for it to happen
• Dropping the other person an encouraging text before an important interview/event
• Surprising the other with flowers just because; no occasion and no reason needed
• Picking the other person up from work when it’s getting late, and walking them right to their doorstep after
• Good morning and goodnight texts
• Making the other person a Spotify playlist with songs that remind them of their relationship and growth
• Remembering the littlest of things — activities they like and dislike, favourite brands of stationery, go-to ice cream flavour, choice of popcorn
• Writing little notes on post-its and leaving them in random pages of their textbook, so that they will get a little endorphin boost when studying

• 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

• a heart that seems to freeze, then pound
• rushing blood
• rising body tempreture
• tingling skin
• stalled breaths
• adrenaline spikes

• momentarily forgetting all else
• wanting to share the experience with others
• giddiness
• disorientation
• euphoria
• an inability to find words

• a racing heartbeat
• shortness of breath
• knees going weak
• feeling overwhelmed as if the room is closing in
• collapsing

• 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

“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.”

Creating a unique and authentic voice for your characters is an essential part of writing compelling fiction. Whether you're writing a short story or a novel, your characters' voices need to be distinct and believable in order to engage your readers. But how do you find that unique voice? In this post, we'll discuss some tips and tricks for developing your characters' voices and making them stand out from the crowd.

One of the best ways to develop your character's voice is to create a backstory. This backstory should include details about the character's upbringing, relationships, and life experiences. By understanding your character's background, you'll be able to better understand how they would speak and interact with others.

For example, if your character grew up in a wealthy family and attended an elite private school, they may have a more refined way of speaking than someone who grew up in a working-class neighborhood. Similarly, if your character has experienced trauma or hardship, they may speak in a more guarded or defensive manner.

Another way to develop your character's voice is through their dialogue. Pay attention to how your characters speak to one another and how they interact with others. Do they use slang or profanity? Are they verbose or succinct? Do they interrupt others or listen carefully?

Creating unique speech patterns and quirks can also help to differentiate your characters. For example, one character may use a lot of metaphors in their speech, while another may speak in short, clipped sentences. These details can add depth and complexity to your characters and make their voices more distinct.

Finally, experimenting with point of view (POV) can also help you find your character's voice. Writing from different perspectives can give you a better understanding of each character's unique voice and personality. For example, if you're writing a novel with multiple POV characters, try writing a scene from one character's perspective and then rewriting it from another character's perspective.

By doing this, you'll be able to compare and contrast the different voices and get a better sense of each character's personality. You may even discover new aspects of your characters that you hadn't considered before.

Creating a unique and authentic voice for your characters is crucial for engaging your readers and bringing your story to life. By creating backstories, using dialogue, and experimenting with POV, you can develop your characters' voices and make them stand out from the crowd. Keep experimenting and trying new things, and you'll soon find the perfect voice for each of your characters.

Here are some motivation ideas specifically designed for your villains! Can you recognize any of these in your own antagonists?

1. Keeping a secret from their past
2. Keeping “peace” in society
3. Avenging a loved one
4. Finding a person who wronged them
5. Discovering truth about their identity
6. Making the world in their image
7. Making a political point
8. Progressing in their career
9. Having a specific image for society
10. Wanting to get something they were deprived of
11. Lead a community
12. Win a war
13. Start a revolution in their image
14. Keep themselves in power
15. Conceal their past or their roots
16. Raise a new generation in their image
17. Running away from their past or a particular person
18. Burying themselves in work as distraction
19. Finding someone they lost
20. Bringing someone they lost back from the dead
21. Concealing their mistakes or sins to save their skin
22. Get someone’s attention
23. Ruin a life because they had their ruined the same way
24. Prove their worth
25. Protect the only person they care about
26. Find the answer to a mystery that’s been following them
27. Beating a disease
28. Curing someone they love
29. Having a child, but they’re infertile
30. Haunting someone as revenge

Here's what the class schedule looks like!

novlr.org

• Think of it as the “zero draft” instead of the first draft. “Garbage draft” works too.
• Write it out on paper with pen, or add messy notes to your documents everywhere to really reinforce the idea that there’s no pressure or expectation for perfection.
• Don’t look at any of the draft as you write it until you’re done the draft. Looking back at bad writing while working on the same project can be really discouraging, so just don’t look. 
• Once you finish the draft, wait a couple weeks. Long enough to distance yourself from it, so you can come back to fix it with a clear head. 
• Don’t compare your first draft to published books. Ever. Those books might be on their tenth, twentieth, thirtieth draft. It’s unfair. Don’t bully yourself or your project.
• Set yourself a goal, x words per day, x minutes spent writing, whatever you want. Just make sure it’s achievable. Don’t set yourself up for failure unless you’re asking for discouragement.
• You got this <33 Just get that draft down. 
• When you finish the draft, rewrite the whole thing, using the original draft as a reference if you like. There will almost certainly be countless details you want to change, so rewriting the story will be easier than fixing the original. 

1. "Do I even wanna know?" "... no."
2. "I hate math!" "You say that now, but when it comes to sharing food you love math."
3. "Why is there ketchup on the floor?" "Oh, that's not ketchup." "Right. Nevermind, forget I asked."
4. "I'm gonna say it." "Don't you fucking dare-" "Flibbity-gibbit." "Dammit."
5. "Are we just gonna... keep holding hands?" "Dunno. It's nice though."
6. "On a scale of one to ten, how stupid are you?" "Oh buddy, I don't even make the listing."
7. "I think that you're a little scared of me." "Gee, what gave that away? The screaming?"
8. "Babe, c'mon." "I'm not your 'babe' when I'm pissed off!"
9. "Can you please be civil?" "No." "Just this once?" "Also no. I have a reputation."
10. "We can't do this anymore. It's too dangerous." "When has that ever stopped us?"

Here’s a quick cheat-sheet to some common terms you may run into during your writing career!

Save the post so you can find them easily 😊

you’re in your childhood room. The door is open a crack. Your family is talking downstairs.

you’re in your childhood room. The door is open a crack. Your family is talking downstairs. · Playlist · 26 songs · 1 likes

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• you’re a haggard adventurer discovering worlds beyond your wildest dreams
• you’re a hero who’s just lost everything
• you’re a scholar searching for the secrets of the universe
• you’re a villain plotting to take over the world
• you’re an ancient god
• you’re falling in love
• you’re fighting the final battle
• you’re having a tea party
• you’re in a chase scene
• you’re in the medieval times

Here’s my take on writing better dialogue for your novels. Think of it as art imitating life! A lot of thought goes into well-crafted dialogue, and the key to this is keeping consistent with your character voices.

Did you know that I have a Youtube channel? Follow the [link here] or below to subscribe and watch my latest video!

The Plottery

I'm a fiction writing coach with a special focus on the power of outlining, and I'm here to help you go from an idea to a polished manuscrip

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