Internal Conflict Writing Ideas

How to introduce your character in 3 steps

A friend of mine was the source of this very pertinent question. So I decided to write a blog entry about it. Because how do you introduce your character without sounding fake ?

Remember that, in real life situation, no one calls you by your name. Have you noticed that none of your friends is adressing you by your name, unless they're trying to get your attention or that something serious is happening ? That should be the same in your story : find a situation where it is relevant to use names. Or stick to nicknames, which is a more common way to address your friends.

Use another character. If you can’t come up with a situation, you can always rely on a side character to introduce your MC. It’s also the perfect way to describe your character rather than simply using mirror, which is convenient yet very cliché. But the fun thing to do is to make several characters talk about your MC : their opinion might go in different directions due to their relationships, their own sensibility and attention to details. It’s also a good way to breath life into your side characters so please consider that option seriously.

The reader doesn’t need to know everything, especially on the very first page. Unless the info is relevant to the plot, there is no need for the reader to know MC’s favourite food or eye’s color. If you’re on character-sheet-side (which I’m not btw), you should be careful about wether the reader the story will progress or not. Try to be balanced !

What I really want to stress in this article is the importance of action when introducing your character. You want the reader to know your character is courageous ? Put them directly into a situation where they can show courage. You want to describe their hair color ? What about that moment when the light is flickering in a way that gives their hair a peculiar effect that catches the eye of another character ?

Don’t worry, your creativity will always find a way ~

If you were to write a thesis on Vivziepop, what would you write about?

I may unironically publish this legitimately. Not just some blog post online, just a genuine review of our failures in mental health, media education, and online echo chamber culture bred out of the #relateable content mill of apps like TikTok.

There's nuance to all of this. It's not a one finger pointing at Vivziepop necessarily. But an acknowledgment of how her rise as an artistic content creator directly correlated to multiple systemic failures of society in regards to mental and physical health, education, economics, social liberties, and civil and governmental unrest over the last decade.

The pandemic in specific played a massive role in her ability to cultivate a foothold in animation and media. The lack of new content from any major studios, as well as the accessibility granted through venues like social media, added with the government imposes isolation of quarantine and the desperation to connect through parasocial relationships are merely what pushed her over that last hurdle.

The ideal human condition is to create. And when placed in this ideal, this is what she created. Taking advantage of chaos, uncertainty, and insecurity, she dug through the dredges of the internet's most unstable and susceptible people to get to where she is. Combing for people desperate for attention, catharsis, and community. It's why the fanbase (and even the critics) mirrors many high-control religious groups in tone and behavior.

There's so much more I could go into in regards to philosophy and even theology on the matter. But maybe I should just write.

JUST SOME THOUGHTS! I don’t really like the “go from the top up” advice on drapery/clothes - if you’re having difficulty try it like this!

YES I see the typo… I’m so sorry folks… I was in a frenzied rush to make this…… and I’m too lazy to fix it……

Every time an Alastor redesign gets rid of his stupid fucking bob a star is born <3

I need to rip out my uterus and sacrifice it to the blood gods

I haven't seen HB, but I reefer seeing that clip of Stella ordering a hit on dtolas while he was sitting across from her at the breakfast table and thinking "Oh my gosh! She's gonna be so fun!"

Because (at least to me, I know some people feel different) writing a horrible character can be really fun to watch and write at that level of absurdity.

I wanna see Stella taking carriage rides when Stolas isn't home in hopes that she'll see him on the street and get to run him over.

I wanna see Stella rent out a mall for Via's birthday to show him up, AND pay using Stolas' credit card

I wanna see Stella burning Stolas' expensive silk bedsheets and replacing them with wool or something he's allergic to. She won't burn his clothes because then he'll look bad next to her in press photos, so she hangs them up and has the servants fan the smoke over them so the smell sets in.

I wanna see Stella go to brunch with the girls and have them comfort her when the divorce goes public. Maybe one of them offers to get the poison that her grandmother used to assassinate *her* husband.

I wanna see Stella have a "Mother Knows Best" number @ Via where she talks about how Goetia girls are born to be bred, and how if Via's future husband disrespects her she should see it as a promise of what's to come, and learn from her mother's mistakes.

I wanna see her have a girl's night out, get to party and dress in ways she never could before, and in her newfound freedom she just decides to murder Stolas because it's what she wants.

I uh...really want to see her have good things while also unabashedly wanting to cut off her husband's head.

I wish Stella was your character and not Viv's.

I am Ehab Ayyad ❤ a palestinian youngman from Gaza🍉🇵🇸, seeking to find safety and peace ☝️for my family if twenty members. We have been ❤🇵🇸🍉passing through all forms of torture and pain for almost ten months because of the war on Gaza.

Life is very miserable and tragic❤🇵🇸 as we are now deprived ❤🇵🇸🍉of all means of living. Drink water, healthy food health care and medicine❤🇵🇸 have become things 🇵🇸🍉❤of the past. We are dying dear friends. That is why I am asking you to help us break through this tough situation.Life in hot tents is incredibly sad and miserable. We are now experiencing the worst circumstances we have ever had in our life. The war has stolen happiness and life from us.

Please don't leave us alone in such dire times. Your kind contribution either through donating whatever you can or sharing my posts will be highly appreciated and valued.❤🇵🇸🍉

gofundme.com

Donate to Help my family survive the war on Gaza by fleeing to safety, organized by EHAB AYYAD

Hello my supporting friends ! ❤ I am Ehab Ayyad , 22 yrs , … EHAB AYYAD needs your support for Help my family survive the war on Gaza by

sorry for being weird and evasive. i was raised to believe that having wants and needs was a moral failing

How to Write REALISTIC and SMOOTH Dialogue

In a story, dialogue is quite important, it helps the readers paint a picture of what's happening and the characters themselves. However, it can be difficult to avoid the unnaturalness and choppiness that comes with a lack of experience. But luckily, I have put together A LOT of advice on how you can get over that rockiness and improve!

*** KEEPING YOUR DIALOGUE REALISTIC, AND PACING ***

>> Keep your characters in character:

Dialogue is a remarkably quick way for readers to determine your character's personality. Thus, you want their speech patterns to remain fairly consistent so the audience won't get confused. If your character is more serious, then they will use less slang and perhaps a more impressive vocabulary. If your character is more relaxed, they will use more slang and compress the words. (such as "dunno," "kay," "y'know," etc.)

Basically, you want their tone to match their traits so the way that they talk is more realistic and personlized to themselves. If the way all your characters speak is the same, there's something wrong. A strong tip is to put yourself in your character's shoes and imagine how they would respond!

>> Take the situation into consideration:

This is another part of keeping your characters in, well, character. Different emotional situations will have a different effect on separate people, so make sure that you have an idea of how your character will act during stressful, irritating, and sad times.

If your character is normally cold, they will struggle if it comes to comforting other people because they have less experience in that field.

>> Don't take too long with their words:

Unlike when narrating something, most people talk just to get the idea across. They will be more specific and quicker with what they say. (This excludes any character who likes to talk a lot.) Unless it's on purpose, they won't dance around the topic. Think of when you casually chat with your friends; you're pretty unlikely to use certain words and/or phrases that might be common to use while narrating.

If you want to explain something complicated, instead of writing out a paragraph of just one person talking, use a question-and-answer prompt! This is where another character continuously asks related questions that get answered by another person, so you can indirectly reveal your explanation.

*** HOW TO WRITE A SMOOTHER CONVERSATION AND DIALOGUE TAGS***

>> Having a variety of dialogue tags:

This is a pretty basic thing to look out for if you're new to writing conversations. Using words like "said," every other sentence can easily make it feel choppy and robotic. Instead, use words like "murmured," "smirked," etc. to paint some emotion into their words. Additionally, vary the location of the dialogue tags! They don't all have to go after the statement, you can include something in the beginning or even the middle, too!

Examples:

Beginning - She tilted her head, "What are you talking about?"

Middle - "Oh," he blinked, "I actually never thought about that."

End - "Wait up!" She exclaimed loudly, waving her hands around.

>> Using no dialogue tags to create a smooth conversation:

Having too many tags can also overwhelm your reader--remember, sentence variety is a crucial part of writing--so you can always drop them if they're unneeded. This applies when your characters (two is the suggested amount) are talking back and forth in a pattern straightforward enough for the reader to understand who's talking without it having to be labeled.

Dropping dialogue tags in these moments can create a smoother atmosphere during the conversation because the reader only has to focus on the talking present.

*** USING SLANG, STUTTERS, FILLER WORDS, AND PAUSES ***

Human speech is often not perfect; when talking, we often make mistakes such as filler words, grammatically incorrect phrases, etc. Hence, for more natural-sounding dialogue, it's important to incorporate some of these.

>> Pauses and stutters:

When reading dialogue, we read it at a steady pace unless it's written otherwise. However, that steady pace can soon get too robotic and too smooth. Luckily, there are several ways to change this! You can use dialogue tags, (ex: she quickly spoke) commas, and ellipsis (...). These are often integrated when the character is hesitant, nervous, answering something, or when they need to admit something. The same idea applies to stutters--they're mainly used to demonstrate anxiousness, which can be found in varying situations.

>> Filler words and slang:

Filler words can really just be used where you see fit. They may be used in the situations I previously mentioned (because it shows someone stumbling over their words) but it's ultimately up to you!

Slang, just like everything else, should not be used too often, or it will seem forced and exaggerated. The point is to sound natural, and increasing amounts of repetitiveness can ruin it. It's also important to remember that in real life, our conversations move slower; when someone speaks, another person usually doesn't respond quite literally, right after. However, in writing, dialogue can actually often seem that way, which is why using tags and these imperfections of speech is pivotal for building a realistic conversation!

*** CONCLUSION ***

Lastly, a key point when writing dialogue is to ALWAYS read the conversations! Whether it be in your head or out loud, it can often help you catch anything that seems off! Additionally, like I mentioned at the very beginning, write dialogue from your character's perspective! Imagine yourself as them and how they/you would talk. Try to keep your dialogue tags, sentences, and word use varied to create a natural conversation!

If you were struggling before, I hope that this (extra) long guide was able to really offer you some insight and useful tips! If you read this far, thank you!

Happy writing~

3hks <3