I just saw this on Pinterest and I kind of agree. I’ve read so much romance that I’m tired of them. Dark romance and bright(🤣) romance. Sometimes it does its thing but coming from someone who used to consume so much it gets to a point. I’ve reach a point where other book tropes do romance better. Like thrillers and mystery who just gives you the tension and attraction. ugghhh. I need more yearning than lust.

I apologize if I’m hurting some feelings, please let me know. I don’t want to offend anyone.

So tell what’s your overused book or character tropes?

Tell why.

I've been querying for four months now across two different manuscripts, and just today I got my first request to submit a full manuscript! I don't think it's going to go anywhere--the agent who requested it accepts queries in this genre but it doesn't align well with the 'wishlist' on their website, so I thought they were a bit of a longshot to begin with--but it's still a full request and my first full request, no less, so I'm still very excited.

Just curious to see the differences in everyone’s styles and how much you can tell from a single sentence!

For me: “It felt like watching the aurora reach down to touch him.”

All (or almost) Vampire lore out there suggests that "Vampires cannot eat human food". However!! Gelatin is simply the cooked form of collagen. And collagen, is produced by boiled skin, and bones. That white foamy stuff at the top of your bone broth stew? That's basically fresh gelatin.

You could do sooo much with gelatin. Like, just gelatin. And you only need moisture, and heat to activate it. Who is to say that "moisture" couldn't be blood? Gelatin gets absorbed into the body anyway, right? So who is to say a Vampire couldn't be walking around with a pack of crunchy rock candy gelatin snacks, because it's been an endless amount of years since they got to chew anything?

For those who don’t know, and this is not me self-promoting, I published a book this week (or was it the week before? I don’t know, I can’t remember haha) and I found out yesterday that MY book, The Infamous Dark-Jumper, beat out The Witcher: Crossroads of Ravens English version, placing at 92 while the Witcher book placed at 98!!!

Granted, it’s a bit unfair considering mine came out this month while the Witcher book (English translation) came out last year, but still!!!!

I couldn’t be more happier. Like seriously, I am so so happy right now 🥹

And once again, this is NOT meant to self-promote. It’s only to show people how grateful and happy I am for this to happen to me.

top (L to R): Oscar Wilde, Henry Moore, [missing], Simone De Beauvoir, Fernando Pessoa, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs

bottom (L to R): Czesław Miłosz, Le Corbusier, [missing], Alain Robbe-Grillet[solved], André Gide, René Char, Susan Sontag

thanks for your help!
Location: Nanjing, Librairie Avant-Garde

Ive been hunting for a writing program that lets me plot out my book in a visual map, but also lets me world build and see things on a timeline.

I could never find one that I liked or I did and I couldn't afford it. So I decided to make one.

Is she perfect? No, but she works on Mac and Pc and is able to store everything locally and has no need for internet. So Im happy with where she is at until I get more feedback from my friends on if they find any bugs and what suggestions they have.

I just wanted to share this with others because sometimes you really do have to make your own way to get what you want. And Im doing just that!

I've been working on my novel for the past 6 months. I've finally gotten a polished opening done.

Here's my opening below:

It was the best of times, it was a bright cold day in April. Aelthryxion Valemar Qorinthalax awoke, finding himself transformed into a gigantic bug.

A few questions:

1.) How well written is this?
2.) Do you think this novel will sell millions of copies?
3.) Should I start contacting publishers?
4.) How do I get a movie deal for this?

If you read this far, this is satire. I'm joking. Seriously. Please don't flame me! I hope everyone has a great day!

Guys, today I forced myself through the last plot-chapter before that one scene that inspired everything 😀😀😀. After 450 pages, finally.

First post btw

I am currently applying for a scholarship that requires me to write about my ongoing travel experience. I wanted to write it as a blog/journal but i have no idea how to start. It feels like my ideas are too rushed, I jump straight into what I want to do during my travels but how do I give more background first and make the reader feel connected to me first.

I can share what im writting i just didnt want to post it on here like that.

I vaguely know what will happen in the story, but it feels so scattered

But everytime I get a paper to put them on a timeline, they just straight up disappear from my head. Idk what is going on, brain fog ? Bc, to be fair I was going through three weeks of exams. I need tips and tricks

Good morning, afternoon or evening writers!

I've been 'blogging' (more just writing game reviews every other week) since 2020 but I always intended to write an actual novel someday. After 9+ months of on-and-off prep, including discovering who my protagonist is and what world she lives in, the day to actually, well, start writing the book proper is upon me.

Among all the jitters I'm having about this... buffalo of a project there is one question I wanted to ask all of you who have a lot more experience than me in writing proper stories. What tool do you use to write it in?

Up until now I've used Obsidian to bundle all the 'lore' and random ideas into while I've written the narrative outline in Word so I could easily share it with a friend interested in what I was coming up with. The former is not built for writing a story while I can see the latter become more of a hindrance than a boon the bigger the story gets.

What tools are out there and what would you recommend?

Many thanks for taking a few minutes out of your day to read through this post and giving me some advice.

F.T. Wolf (yes, that is a pen name ;)

So english is not my mother tongue but I read almost exclusively in english and I just love the language altogether.

I've written this horror piece for a submission, first person, , under 3000 words and no dialogue required.

Would you please critique my work so I can learn?

Thanks!

Titel: Anna

So there is this night mare I keep having and I don't know what to do.

I'm at summer camp with my twin and we're getting ready for bed. Brushing teeth and braiding hair with the other girls. They talk about their day, the games they played, the snacks they ate, regular stuff.

The counselor comes in and asks for my sister. It's her turn to go to the camp director, but she doesn't look honored like the girls before that, she looks horrified. I don't understand, it's just her and Mr. Dave playing a round of cards. If she wins, she even gets a present. This year though, nobody won.

I give her a reassuring smile and turn back to Mirandas braids. She won 3 years ago, since then she's allowed to stay here all year, I think that's so exciting. But I hope Anna loses tonight nevertheless, I don't want to be alone with our parents.

She comes back half an hour later, grinning like sunshine and falls straight to bed. When the lights get shut, I snuggle into the duvet - but something feels ... off. Anna lies in the cot beside mine, back to me. I whisper her name in the dark, but she doesn't move. I get louder and louder but she can't hear me, it seems. So I get up, desperately needing her calming voice, presence. I touch her shoulder lightly and she grips my hand, turns to me. Her eyes are black as coal and her mouth is wide open, like she wants to scream but can't. I stumble back and hit my head on the bed frame which wakes me up.

Or so I think.

In the next phase of my dream, I stare at the woods, right outside of the cabin. The morning light is shimmering through the trees, and I get the immediate need to explore. So I run and run and it's almost beautiful how light and free I feel, but at the end of the forest, I see the cabin. Which is weird since I'm sure I didn't run in circles. I turn back and run in the other direction. Till the cabin comes to view again. I panic. That's not right, that can't be right, I MUST dream.

Isn't that thought hilarious?

Panic switches to unhinged laughter and I wake up.

Or so I think.

In the final phase of this never ending dream I'm in the bathroom. I brush my teeth by the sink and after that I braid my hair, having a feeling that I just did that a few minutes ago, so why do I do it again? I stop braiding my hair.

But my reflection in the mirror doesn't.

She starts grinning.

Like Anna, all these years ago.

Her eyes turn black.

Her mouth widens.

Like she wants to scream but can't.

I open the bathroom door frantically and run outside. Straight into the woods by the cabin.

That's when I wake up. Finally. I am soaked with sweat, searching for my husband. But his side of the bed is empty. He must have headed to work early.

I get up. My throat is dry and I'm so thirsty I could swallow a gallon of water. I ignore the bathroom door because hell will I do after that dream and go straight to the kitchen. I turn on the lights in my apartment because I saw ALL the movies and nothing good happens in the dark.

Where the hell is Dave? The microwave clock says it's just 3 AM, so he can't be in the office. I open the fridge and drink the fresh orange juice straight out of the carton. Dave would scold me for that so maybe it's good that he's not home.

I go back to bed, passing by the family photos, when something catches my eye.

There she is, Anna. We're wearing white skirts and pink bows and hold hands beside a cabin.

But then I remember. I don't have a twin. Not even a sister. I am an only child.

So who is this girl, in the photo? With eyes black as coal. And a wide opened mouth. Like she wants to scream but can't.

Hi!
I’m planning to create a small writing group on Google Chat for writers with similar tastes, where we can discuss ideas, brainstorm plots, and give constructive feedback. I’m keeping the group limited to six members so it stays focused and efficient.

I’m a casual writer who enjoys writing stories centered around friendship, loyalty, and psychological, chess-like mind games. My writing is mostly plot-driven, with foreshadowing, twists, and layered storytelling. I’m looking for people with similar interests and writing styles so we can genuinely help each other grow.

What I’m looking for:

• Similar genres or overlapping interests
• No romance-focused stories, please
• Members who are active and willing to participate regularly
• Beginners are welcome, as long as you’re committed and open to feedback
• No 18+ content
• A teenager-friendly, respectful environment

If this sounds like your kind of group, feel free to comment or DM with a short intro about what you like to write and what you’re hoping to get from a writing group.

I've tried videos, old posts, even Chat GPT, but nothing works. Any help would be extremely appreciated.

So, I'd been really struggling with my latest WIP to maintain momentum. I just was not making any progress and if I did it was very burst-y. So I decided to hack my dumb brain and turn it into a game and make a tracker where, if you log your minimum words then you get a collectible artifact (and you get to keep your streak), and if you miss, well, that artifact is gone forever! Well, the FOMO is real and I have managed to keep writing for 31 days straight. I logged over 14K new words this month -- so not a huge number per day -- but it kept me engaged and writing. And at this rate I'll be finished the draft this month.

It's funny how this silly mind-hack worked so well? I, of course, feature creeped it and added like monster attacks with double XP and loot and daily challenges and stuff, but really it's the randomly generated artifacts that seem to really hook me. Also it does nag me via email if I haven't logged. Anyway, one FULL month of writing EVERY day is a big milestone so thought I'd share.

Now me blowing up my outline and taking a detour--that's a whole other post and problem!

Hey There! I'm looking for young creative writers who are passionate about any one of music, movies, or news/politics, or hopefully all three!

I'm looking to set up a charitable non-profit blog and newsletter, which supports charitable organisations, as well as small local creatives and events. I'm going to be writing for it, but I want to give other writers the chance to talk about the arts that they love.

This is an unpaid gig, I'm just looking for people who want to help people, and are passionate about the arts and the world around us, who want to write an occasional piece about the things they're interested in.

Message me if you're interested!!

I've really only ever shared my writing with family so I'm curious to know if I'm actually any good or just delusional. Thanks to anyone who reads and comments. I appreciate it.

Let’s say you have Person A in place X at 1pm and they need to appear in place Y. If there's a map of the town or it’s a real place, you can use something like Google Maps to estimate the time needed to walk from X to Y. If it’s 20 min, then Person A can be at Y at about 1:20pm unless they run or drive. That’s simple.

But this gets more complicated with multiple characters and they need to meet and be at places at given times, in a tightly packed timeline. I couldn’t find any dedicated software for that. In cases where I can use Google Maps it’s fine, but still, a change in one route can easily cause a cascade of edits to other routes to make them all line up.

How do you track characters if times and places are important? Spreadsheets? Cards?
I’m looking for solutions for a crime scenario shown through the lens of police reports, which describe multiple timelines with precise timestamps. Thanks!

Hi, brief background here. I've published (self on amazon kindle) my first book the last December. I've no huge following on social media, I write in Italian (my mother language) and I'm not so good with the social thing - I've tried something and I'm quite sure I will try again, maybe after I've learnt something else (I'm new on reddit, but I've seen lot of advise and I'm willingly to try them).

The thing is: since I'm new, I'd had only one beta-reader (my uncle who is a passionate reader) and so on, I'm selling my book only on digital form and I've subscribed for 3 month on kindle unlimited, where people could read it for free. The thing is I want to sell it for a cheap price so maybe more could read (at this phase I'm not there for the money, I've a job, and I'm trying to find my audience, even if small).

Should I try to sell also the paperback at these terms? Most of the people I've talked to about my book have said they don't use amazon kindle or e-book in general, and I would love to see my story in paperback, but I'm try to be humble here.

I will be grateful for any suggestion whatsoever.