Writingreblogs - Blog Posts

duckwithablog

2 years ago

this might be weird to ask, but how do I critically look at another person's writing and implement what I like in their writing in my own writing? I've been having trouble improving in my writing, and frankly Im not sure how to go about doing that, even. It's easy to see what I like about another person's writing, but hard to pinpoint exactly why...

THIS IS NOT WEIRD TO ASK. It is, in fact, the most important question EVER.

How to Read Like a Writer

Re-read. If you get halfway into a chapter and think, Wow this chapter is super creepy–I wonder how they did that. Or get to the end of a book and think, I feel the poignancy of the fragility of human life in an inherently volatile economic system–I wonder how the writer made me feel that way… Go back and re-read that shit.

Read slowly. When you read like a reader, you read pretty fast. When you go in for your second, or third, or fourth re-read of a passage, chapter, or book that you want to know more about, read it slowly. Really. Slowly.

Read for technique, not content. Readers read for content (”In this paragraph, Damien gave Harold a classified envelope.”). Writers read for technique. (”In this paragraph, the writer made me feel curious about the contents of the envelope by giving sensory details about its appearance and weight.”)

Ask the right questions. They usually start with HOW: How did the writer make me feel? How did they accomplish that?

Read small. Did a chapter make you feel sad? Find out WHERE EXACTLY. What paragraph, sentence, or WORD did it for you? Was it a physical detail? A line of dialogue? A well-placed piece of punctuation? Stories are made of words and sentences. Narrow it down.

Practice. Reading like a writer is a skill that takes time to develop. Over time, you’ll get better at it!

How about y’all? Anything to add to this list? I made it off the top of my head so I’m sure I’m forgetting something. What have been your experiences with learning to read like a writer?

Hope this helps!

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The Literary Architect is a writing advice blog run by me, Bucket Siler. For more writing help, check out my Free Resource Library or get The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. xoxo

⋰ ⊹˚. ♡ Alone on Valentines? ⋰ ⊹˚. ♡

I was halfway done before most of this got deleted. I am going to scream cry and convulse on the floor. As it's way to late for me to be awake rn, I'll just do this in two parts, for the sake of my sanity </33

I know for a fact that most of us are probably gonna be spending this Valentine's alone, reading fanfic, and honestly same. But let's imagine for a second that that isn't the case.

The turtles react to you being alone on Valentines Day

GN reader, romantic, crushing/pining, fluff

Raphael

flabbergasted

like that's his initial reaction

i imagine that you guys would just be chilling in the lair, talking, and you slip out that you might be spending valentine's alone

he goes "oh, okay!" before he double takes and says

"wait- really?"

he honestly thought that you would've had a date for valentine's this year

because like... why wouldn't you? you're so attractive, and charming, and lovable, who wouldn't want to date you?

no matter how you feel about being alone (unbothered, sad, etc etc) raph will do everything he can to make you feel better

you don't deserve to be alone! no one does!

so he proudly states that "if you don't have anyone to spend the day with, then raph'll spend it with you! there! now you won't be alone anymore."

he says this all with this big smile

doesn't realize that he basically just asked to be your date

you realize it tho

ofc, you say yes, because who can say no to raph?

and raph just nods to himself, proud, before he processes what he just said

oh. he just scored a date with you.

jaw drops at this realization. OH. HE JUST SCORED A DATE. WITH YOU.

BY ACCIDENT??

vows to make this the best valentine's you'll ever experience

it might be hard, being a giant turtle and all, but by pizza supreme is he gonna try his best anyways

Donatello

bro you didn't even tell him this information

he literally eavesdropped on your conversation with april while he was nearby

pretends to be really engrossed in whatever he was doing while he strains to listen to what you guys are saying

is also confused when he finds out. according to his statistics, you have plenty of qualities that make you attractive. so why are you spending valentine's alone?

forgets that the data he used to make said statistics are based off of his experiences with you. He then considers that maybe not everybody got butterflies in their stomach whenever you were around

BRO HAD TO REMIND HIMSELF THAT NOT EVERYONE HAD A CRUSH ON YOU LMAO

when april leaves the room, he internally goes aha! an opportunity! and tries to make a move

he acts cool as he talks to you, but don't be fooled, he is internally combusting

not so subtly suggests that you should spend valentine's in the lair with him instead of being alone. tells you that not all love is romantic, and as... friends... you guys have a right to celebrate today as well

damn he is not making this easier on himself

of course, his brothers and april are gonna be there too!! obviously!!

you get to spend time with all of them.

... mostly with donnie, though. especially with donnie.

if you agree, he'd say "perfect! shall we call it a date, then?"

say yes. the look on his face and the growing blush on his cheeks is so worth it

I'll Cover for You

Hey There! I Read 'new Romantics' And I Love Your Writing! Is It Alright If I Request Some Romantic Hurt/comfort

Donnie:

He's the type of person to try and get to the root of the problem. But, that doesn't mean he won't let you rant a little

He'll be working on something while you sit and rant about your assignments at school or a job. Just know that he is listening to every word you say. You don't have to worry about that

Expect a pat on the shoulder or head from one of his mechanical arms on his battle shell. This is Donnie we're talking about after all

He'll ask a few questions and suggest what you can do when you've calmed down a little.

He might need to calm down a little too, though. Because Donnie was probably freaking out the moment you entered the room on the verge of tears

Donnie will give you some kind of alarm that tells you when to take a break from your work. If you ignore the alarm, Donnie will know

All in all, he loves and cares about you more than his tech. That is saying something

Raph:

Raph is the oldest sibling, besides April. So, he knows how to comfort people. It's basically an instinct for him

Doesn't matter if you're stubborn. He will carry you over his shoulder if it meant getting you away from your schoolwork. Don't underestimate him. He's done it to Donnie

He lets you hold one of his stuffed animals while you vent. You can just hold it without saying anything too. Just be careful with it because Raph loves those guys like they're his children

Raph will hold you too and give you comforting words. He might slip into a baby voice if you're stressed enough. That's more of an instinct

Once you're calm, he reassures you that you're doing the best you can. You're just one person after all. He's impressed you can do the schoolwork you do at all

He'll start to check on you more often after this incident, making sure you're not stressed out like that again

The experience as an older sibling may have helped, but Raph still prides himself as someone you can go to. Even though that's what being a couple is all about

Mikey:

Mikey knows you're stressed before you can even tell him. He's much more in tune with his emotions. It comes with him being the youngest and also the family therapist

The first thing Mikey does is gently pull you away from your assignments and toward his sketchbook

this usually works and you're venting while making several marks on the paper. this only works if you're not stubborn however

If you are, he's pulling out the glasses. You will have to run if you don't want to deal with Dr. Feelings. Actually, I don't running will work. That boy has stamina and will find you...

Once he gets the words out of you, Mikey smothers you with physical affection. I'm talking hugs, cuddles, and many kisses

He reassures you that he loves you, and tells you that it's okay that you're busy

Mikey would give you his heart if it meant you'd never be stressed again. Please don't let go of that heart

April:

Mayhem is now your certified therapy-dog. Although I don't know whether or not he's a dog. But that's okay because he's a dog in spirit

Anyways, back to April. She's your shoulder to cry on and someone to hold

She's also going to hype you up and tell you you're doing great. If you need someone to point out the good things from your failure, she's your gal (she's known to struggle with failure too, man)

If you're struggling with a class she either took before or has the same class as you, she'll try and help you

She'll invite you to stay the night if you need it. You'll do some self-care together

Much like the others, she's affirming that she cares about you and loves you

Through your stress, April is going to worm her way through it and reach out

Leo:

Motherfucker is portaling to your room and pulling you away from your schoolwork

"Leo, I was working!" "No <3"

He's taking you into a pillow fort, pulling you under the blankets, and putting on Jupiter Jim

Despite how he presents himself, Leo has a keen eye. He may not be as emotional as Mikey, but he knows when you're stressed and swamped with work

So, he does what any good boyfriend does and makes a fun night out of comforting you

Again, you're watching Jupiter Jim, he's doing an entire skin routine with you. By the end of it, he's holding you as you grow tired and fall asleep

He knows you won't stop working until you have nothing left, however, he'll let you know that he's always going to be there no matter what

Thank you for requesting! Hope you enjoyed reading these headcanons