The Do's and Don'ts of Writin...

By xxdelinquentxx

70.3K 2.7K 404

For all you amateur writers on Wattpad that want to write a smashing book. Here are the top tips. There are f... More

A/N
PLOT: Opening scene.
PLOT: How to plot
PLOT: Main characters
PLOT: Creating characters
PLOT: Build a Protagonist
PLOT: Antagonist
PLOT: Why is a good guy an antagonist
PLOT: The villain
PLOT: Chekov's friend rule
PLOT: Naming chapters
PLOT: Potential non-romantic/non-sexual B-plots
PLOT: Set the scene
PLOT: Introducing backstory
PLOT: Scenes
PLOT: If you're stuck in the middle of the scene
PLOT: How to switch things up
PLOT: Increasing tension
PLOT: Give scenes momentum
PLOT: Plot twist ideas
PLOT: Leaving holes
PLOT: 10 ways to punch your reader in the gut.
PLOT: How to end your story
PLOT: Story endings
LANGUAGE: Instant turn offs when reading
LANGUAGE: Paragraphs
LANGUAGE: Punctuation Pt. 1
LANGUAGE: Punctuation Pt. 2
LANGUAGE: Dashes
LANGUAGE: Show don't tell
LANGUAGE: Keep an eye on 'was'
LANGUAGE: Don't overuse the word "very"
LANGUAGE: That
LANGUAGE: Words instead of "whispered"
LANGUAGE: Words instead of...
LANGUAGE: Swearing
LANGUAGE: Stutter Pt. 1
LANGUAGE: Stutter Pt. 2
LANGUAGE: How children speak
LANGUAGE: Specifics
LANGUAGE: Re-write
HOW TO: Top 10 tips for actually writing
HOW TO: Writing exercises
HOW TO: World-building
HOW TO: Girls names
HOW TO: Boys names
HOW TO: Surnames
HOW TO: Character description
HOW TO: Character cliché's
HOW TO: Character personalities
HOW TO: Physical personality
HOW TO: Tropes I love and hate
HOW TO: Making representation obvious
HOW TO: Break the black girl stereotype
HOW TO: Writing blind characters
HOW TO: Writing deaf characters Pt. 1
HOW TO: Writing deaf characters Pt. 2
HOW TO: Coming-out scenes
HOW TO: Anxiety disorders
HOW TO: Social anxiety
HOW TO: Panic attacks
HOW TO: PTSD
HOW TO: ADHD characters
HOW TO: Bad mental illness tropes
HOW TO: Glasses
HOW TO: How to describe eyes
HOW TO: Use of eyes
HOW TO: How to spot a liar
HOW TO: Body language that conveys embarrassment
HOW TO: Body language cheat sheet
HOW TO: Over-repetitive character actions
HOW TO: Helpful things for action writers to remember
HOW TO: Writing techniques for action writers
HOW TO: Interesting villains
HOW TO: Villain motive prompts
HOW TO: Anti-villain motivations
HOW TO: Lovable Villain
HOW TO: Heroes
HOW TO: Fun ways for characters to be wrong
HOW TO: How to blur the lines between good and evil
HOW TO: Character's that slowly descend into madness.
HOW TO: Light and dark
HOW TO: Stealth characters
HOW TO: Types of fight scenes
HOW TO: Guns
HOW TO: Gun terms
HOW TO: Injury
HOW TO: Where to hit in a fight
HOW TO: Writing pain
HOW TO: Writing blood loss
HOW TO: Malnourishment and dehydration
HOW TO: Drowning
HOW TO: Character collapsing
HOW TO: Modes of death
HOW TO: Killing characters
HOW TO: Sad character deaths
HOW TO: Mourning
HOW TO: Trauma leaves an impression
HOW TO: Murder terminology in layman's terms
HOW TO: Murder tips master post
HOW TO: Calming sentences
HOW TO: Creating romantic chemistry
HOW TO: Stages of attraction
HOW TO: Small, intimate moments
HOW TO: Tiny turn-ons
HOW TO: Non-sexual forms of intimacy
HOW TO: Important OTP things to consider
HOW TO: Imagine your OTP Pt. 1
HOW TO: Imagine your OTP Pt. 2
HOW TO: Types of kiss prompt's Pt. 1
HOW TO: Types of kiss prompt's Pt. 2
HOW TO: Best romantic cliché's
HOW TO: Reasons not to kiss them
HOW TO: Childhood best friends/friends to lovers trope
HOW TO: Relationships your readers will ship
HOW TO: Cool ways for men to be gender non-conforming
HOW TO: A list of attractive things to see/read a man doing
HOW TO: Under-represented gender character types
HOW TO: Bad boy vs. abuser
HOW TO: Possessiveness 101
HOW TO: Male characters
HOW TO: Female characters
HOW TO: Female character traits.
HOW TO: Women in History
HOW TO: Historical time periods
HOW TO: Medieval fact file
HOW TO: Historical marrying age
HOW TO: Royalty
HOW TO: Royal titles
HOW TO: Female court positions
HOW TO: Fantasy sub-genres
HOW TO: Fantasy world-building
HOW TO: Top 10 fantasy tropes
HOW TO: 12 things to ask about your magic system
HOW TO: Build a fantasy religion
HOW TO: Poisons
HOW TO: Pills and potions
HOW TO: Potential curse/hex ingredients
HOW TO: Magical tools/objects masterpost
HOW TO: Alchemical Substances
HOW TO: All purpose tools of witchcraft
HOW TO: Candle magic omens
HOW TO: Curses
HOW TO: Magic terminology
HOW TO: Latin phrases to use as incantations Pt. 1
HOW TO: Latin phrases to use as incantations Pt. 2
HOW TO: Hag Stones
HOW TO: Necrobotany
HOW TO: Magical universities
HOW TO: Urban city witch
HOW TO: Mages, healers and druids
HOW TO: Emotions through magic
HOW TO: The faerie star
HOW TO: Locations in Norse mythology
HOW TO: Kill a God
HOW TO: Dragons Pt.1
HOW TO: Dragons Pt.2
HOW TO: Wolves
HOW TO: Vampire's Pt. 1
HOW TO: Vampire's Pt. 2
HOW TO: Vampire's Pt. 3
HOW TO: Zombie ability
HOW TO: Supernatural concepts
HOW TO: A list of great comebacks
HOW TO: Iconic meme dialogue
HOW TO: Movie tropes I love
AU: Instead of coffeeshop AU
AU: Fam Jam AU's
AU: Being forced to share a bed AU
AU: Bed-sharing
AU: Obligatory AU's I really want
AU: AU's I really want to see written
AU: Meet ugly
AU: Arranged marriage AU prompts
AU: Soulmate AU prompts
AU: Fantasy AU prompt
AU: Time travel costume department
AU: Angels
AU: Domestic monsters
AU: Storm magic
AU: New England gothic
AU: Florida gothic
AU: Southern California gothic
AU: Texas gothic
AU: American public school gothic
AU: Mysterious little towns
AU: Random
WRITING PROMPT: 100 Prompts that will make you cry
WRITING PROMPT: Hurt/comfort dialogue prompts
WRITING PROMPT: 119 sarcastic prompts
WRITING PROMPT: 1 (PREVIEW)

HOW TO: Not romanticising heavy topics

388 12 0
By xxdelinquentxx


Romanticising can show up with kore than just heavy topics, and it's important to distinguish between romanticising (which is often about a situation) and character/narrator perspective (which is more about tone). It's possible for perspective/tone to romanticise something - but it's usually acceptable if done with meaning and purpose and/or if it's accurate to an individual and how they think. However, it should still very much be kept in check and here are someway it tends to pop up:

Wrong tone - the narrators tone doesn't fit the event, usually propping it up in a 'good' light when it's clearly a wrong act. In general, an improper tone isn't right to use - however it can also show narrator perspective really well. A murderer isn't going to narrate someone getting shot the same way as a volunteer at an animal shelter would; someone who doesn't see an act as 'wrong' or 'a big deal' won't narrate it as such. Not all narrators are 'ideal people' (they really shouldn't be to be interesting) and their perspective should affect the tone of the description. So, look at you narrator and decide what hind of tone realistically fits for those heavy topics given who they are. 

Ignorant character/narrator - this is related to tone in that a character will narrate based on what they think of life and situations - which can come from romanticised ideas from a community, culture, friends etc. Romance is often romanticised (until the person enters a romantic situation and then the view is corrected), as is violence (especially the idea that it solves problems easily, when it really doesn't). Not everyone has a clear view of reality and that can be reflected in writing. Some writers choose to have a more down-to-earth character to help correct this narrator  or at the very least how the reader that the narrator doesn't have an accurate way of thinking. 

No consequences, or unrealistic ones - this is the real issue behind romanticising. Characters get away with things they shouldn't have, reality doesn't kick in when it makes no sense not to, r situations are just unrealistic in general. There are some characters who actively try to avoid the consequences or just live in a way that lets them, and that's okay as long as it's made lear that it's not normal nor an 'easy escape.' You can have a character who thinks romantically about something, but then learns the reality later on because of consequences. 

It's important to realise that consequences can appear in multiple ways; social, economic, physical, emotional - realistic consequences touch on all those elements (one more, I'm sure I forgot some). It's easy for writers to focus on punishing a character for bad acts with events that humiliate or cause pain, but it's often better to focus more on how the characters life would be affected more subtle ways (or not so subtle, depending on the reality behind the issue). 

It's often very powerful for a character with a set idea of something (a romanticised ides) to experience reality and change that thought - often more so than just having a character who knows what's right 24/7.

General stories aren't moral tales (unless you're purposefully writing one, but I don't think you are), and even if they were, sometimes bad people get away with and things. While romanticising is definitely bad, a degree of it can be true to certain aspects of life and it's okay if you want your writing to reflect that in how your characters think. Romanticised situations and consequences are where the real trouble begins. It's not the writers job to beat readers over the head with an idea that something is bad (if you want to, then write a moral tale instead of a story for entertainment) but realistic consequences are often the best way to avoid romanticising while keeping an interesting story. 

You can still have a character who avoids romanticised tone, ignorant, and suffers realistic consequences, but you want to be careful not to make them too 'perfect', particularly with thought and perspective. Everyone has something that they romanticise in one way or another, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that heavy subject you're writing about. It really depends on the story and subject as to what level of realistic romanticised perspective that you're willing to work with. 

Realistic consequences are the key! Perspective and knowledge can also play a part in avoiding romanticised things, but you want to be careful to make sure it's accurate and the narrator still has the appropriate tone and the knowledge for who they are.

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