How Fortunately I Met You.

"Don't put numbers into your stories." Jeezus.

Guide: Keeping Numbers & Number-Related Details Straight in Your Story

I was midway through my answer when I realized this would be a good opportunity for a quick guide.

About That Post...

Honestly, I think the OP was probably a bit of a tongue-in-cheek, hyperbolic rant from a writer who had a frustrating review or critique. The problem is, a lot of people seem to be taking it as genuine/good advice, and that really concerns me.

Obviously, it's fine to be vague about dates, ages, distances, or anything else if that's what you want to do. But don't leave numbers out because you're not willing to do the work to keep your story's details straight. Doing the work to figure that stuff out and keep it straight is part of your job as a serious writer.

Hey, Buddy! Let's Do Some Research!

Look, I get it... when you're excited about a story idea, you just want to go wild and start writing. But if your story uses real world people, events, locations, items, or other elements--or heavily relies on them as inspiration--you need to sit down and do some research.

This doesn't mean you have to choose exact dates for your story if you don't want to. But if your story is loosely set in the 1880s (or inspired by an 1880s setting,) you'd better have a good idea of what did and did not exist in the 1880s so you can be sure you're not using a 1914 fashion trend or 1700s slang.

And, doing research doesn't mean you have to research every single element of your story before you start writing. You can stop and research as you go. In the middle of my writing session tonight, I spent 15 minutes researching what kind of pine tree would grow near the coast in my WIP's inspiration setting. And even though that location will never be named in my story, I care about my writing enough to take the time to make sure my details are accurate.

WQA’s Guide to Internet Research Researching an Historical Topic Writing About Difficult to Research Topics

Timelines: A Writer's Best Friend

Whether or not you choose to be specific about dates in your story, I strongly advocate the use of a story timeline, even if you're not usually a "planner." Having a detailed story timeline (that includes important back story events) helps ensure that you don't mix up dates, lose track of how much time has passed between events, or create overlapping events.

There are loads of different ways you can create a timeline, and no way is better than any other. You can jot important dates and events down on post-its, use an app, draw out a timeline on a piece of paper, create something in Word... whatever you want to do is great! Here are some different timeline styles I've used. Some of these are timelines from actual WIPs.

Standard Line Timeline

Calendar Timeline (You can print these out at Time and Date...)

Basic Scene List & Timeline

Complex Scene List & Timeline (This one is based on Save the Cat!)

Color-Coded Timeline

And, if you're like me and you have trouble keeping character ages straight throughout important back story events, I give you...

The Color-Coded Character Age Chart

And, honestly, that's how you keep numbers and number-related details straight in your story. Research and timelines. It's just that simple!

So, don't be afraid to include numbers or number-related details in your story if you want them there. :)

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HEAR ME OUT - I am a POC, a Filipino who realized a bit too late about how cool my country is.

I'm so sick of just sitting back and seeing my pre-colonial culture fade into obscurity like this.

I've been thinking of making literally any media-related thing for Bikol / Bicol mythology to maybe help it become more known cause I really think it's super decent and was highly impressed when I first learned bits about it on the internet years ago.

This is why I made that post about Bulan a few months/years back cause i'm just... so passionate abt this alright?

Every time I remember that Bikol myths could be mainstream if only the right pieces of media was published by now, i just.... feel so bad

I just want to produce something memorable and will make the internet go nuts over it.

I just want to make our culture, like, mainstream.

No more Philippines as just an outsourcing country that's used for manpower and left to fade into obscurity.

It doesn't even have to be me, but if you want something done, sometimes you yourself have to work on it.

So I want to do this.

If any of you folks want to help bring an idea to life, I'll be all ears.

We could do a book, a webcomic, a game, an album, literally anything. I'm technically still just a young adult with no money and no job but I want to work on something I can be proud of, even if there's no pay.

And while exactly zero people will probably respond, just let this be my promise to myself, and also a message to hold accountability. I'm putting this out on the internet (granted, the deeper parts, but still) so I convince myself better to do this.

As a side note, someone has actually written a book Percy Jackson-style about this, I've read it and while there's a lot to criticise about it and stuff to improve upon, it was still a step in the right direction!

The book is entitled The Seventh Moon by Jeremiah Cordial. Check it out and support the author if you can.

TLDR:

I wanna create a piece of media regarding Bicolano mythology as a passion project, so if you have a similar drive, don't hesitate to hit me up and we could work on one! Or don't lmao, either way i'm doing smth!

Gen was scared but not anymore

I looked back at all scenes with Gen in Tsukasa Empire and I noticed interesting thing. Gen would never stay on Tsukasa’s side because he NEVER felt comfortable there. He looked actually scared and always with his guard up. He never smiled in genuine way. He kept his distance. He wasn’t fine with Tsukasa’s plan. I actually think Gen wore bags with fake blood not since he found Ishigami Village but since he noticed how messed up Tsukasa is. He wore that to protect himself in Tsukasa Empire and it just happened to be more useful against Magma. I really feel bad for Gen. He looked miserable around Tsukasa only looking for chance to escape.

But then he joined Senku’s group in permanent way and his whole attitude changed. He started to smile in genuine way. He felt comfortable and that let him enjoy spending time with people. He started to mess around without fear of getting hurt by some meathead who wouldn’t understand the joke. Gen himself even said that Senku’s side is the safest place on the world. He is really happy now.

they deserve each other

I don't know if you can answer this one, but basically, I know what needs to happen in my story and I know where it's going but it's like I can't get it there or don't have the ideas to get it there, if that makes sense? For example, I'm writing a short story and for this particular scene, these two characters need going to kiss to get the story going, but the dialogue and scene feels so flat or it's like I have no ideas to get from point A to point B.

Trouble Getting from Point A to Point B

You may think you know what needs to happen in your story, and you may think you know where your story is going, but knowing random things that have to happen and a general ending aren't usually enough to make a story unfold. For some writers it is, but not for most of us.

There are some key things a story needs in order for you to fill in those moments...

1) Motivation and Goal - every story is about someone who wants something trying to get that thing, so the first thing you need to figure out about your story is what your character wants, why they want it, and the steps they need to take in order to get it.

2) Internal Conflict - Your character's history, experiences, and current situation all play a role in who they and what they need. What does your character want to change about themselves or their situation?

3) Antagonistic Force - When you're trying to reach a goal, there's almost always an antagonistic force creating obstacles you must overcome. If you're training to run a marathon, those obstacles are probably created by the limitations based on your current level of fitness. If you're trying to survive a gladiator-style fight, the antagonistic force is whoever/whatever put you in that situation and on a smaller scale, whoever/whatever you need to fight to survive.

4) Stakes - Stakes are the things that matter most to your character. These are the reasons your character is motivated in the first place, the reason they want to pursue their goal. Stakes are the best thing that could happen if your character succeeds, and the worst thing that could happen if they fail. What's the worst that can happen?

Sometimes, when you're trying to reach a goal, the stakes are raised. This could be a natural raising of the stakes, like a smoldering volcano showing sudden signs that it's about to blow and threaten the character's family in the village below. It could be an intentional raising of the stakes, like the villain kidnapping your character's significant other, forcing your character choose between slaying the villain's dragon that's terrorizing the village, or saving their loved one.

Your character's goal tells us where the story is going. Your character's motivation tells us why the character wants to get there. Their internal conflict tells us why they want what they want, and why they do the things they do. The antagonistic force tells us who or what they're up against and what obstacles they'll have to overcome on their way to reaching their goal. Stakes tell us how things can get increasingly worse/increasingly more tense.

When you know all of these things about your story, you start to understand the individual things that need to happen, like the moment when your character finds out their loved one was kidnapped, or the moment when the smoldering volcano starts to rumble. When you know the individual things that have to happen, you can build scenes around them. When you know what your characters want, why they want it, what internal conflict drives their choices, and what's standing in their way, you understand what your characters would need to talk about in each scene.

Have a look at the following posts for more help:

Guide: How to Turn Ideas into a Story Guide: Filling in the Story Between Known Events Guide: How to Outline a Plot Basic Story Structure How to Move a Story Forward

Good luck with your story! ♥

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No thoughts, just sexy aswang

First Moves (SakuAtsu)

Atsumu had always been the one to make the first move, may it be through messages or asking Kyoomi out for dates. Kiyoomi got so accustomed to it that he panics when Atsumu doesn't message him for an entire day. He goes back to their messages and rereads them.

Everything's fine. Atsumu used emojis, sent him some memes and even some selfies. So, he evaluates his responses to make sure he didn't sound uninterested or check if he could've said something that might've offended Atsumu or put him in a bad mood. But in the end, he found nothing out of the usual.

"Stop overthinking it. He tells you things he doesn't like, so there's no need to panic," Kiyoomi whispers to himself, but he still finds himself pressing the call button.

Kiyoomi hears the ringing, and his heart immediately starts beating erratically.

What if he's busy? What if he finds it annoying? What if everything's fine and I look like I'm too clingy? What if he gets mad?

All these questions keep running in Kiyoomi's head, making it difficult to make the first move. He sighs as his thoughts get the better of him, but before he could even turn off the call, Atsumu's voice pulls him out of his head.

"Hey, Omi-kun! What's up?" Atsumu asks on the other side. Kiyoomi gulps and straightens his back as he tries to keep his composure.

"Nothing," Kiyoomi answers, there's silence on the other side of the line, and this makes Kiyoomi panic once again.

"Oh, then why'd you call?" Atsumu asks. His tone's normal, and yet Kiyoomi still feels like something's off.

"I just missed you," Kiyoomi whispers, it was so small that Atsumu almost didn't catch it, "I'm sorry for bothering you so late at night,"

"What? No, don't apologize! I like it, actually," Atsumu says, "it makes my heart really soft hearing you say you miss me,"

Kiyoomi can imagine Atsumu smiling on the other end of the line, and this made him feel silly for panicking over Atsumu not messaging him.

"So, what now?" Kiyoomi asks as he lays on his bed with a calmer heart and a smile on his face.

"I don't know, tell me about your day. I just slept the entire day, so I don't have much," Atsumu answers.

Kiyoomi smiles, "okay,"

Kiyoomi then proceeds to tell Atsumu about his day, and they ended up talking until past nine. Once Atsumu notices, he says, "Omi, we have to go to sleep. We still have Saturday training,"

"Oh," Kiyoomi says and turns to the clock, "I guess this is good night then,"

"Yeah," Atsumu says, "but before you hang up,"

"What is it?"

"I just wanted you to know that it made me really happy that you called," Atsumu says, making Kiyoomi grin wide, "Then I'll call you more often,"

Kiyoomi doesn't hear a response, but he does hear a muffled scream which makes him chuckle, "Okay, I'll call you tomorrow morning,"

"Okay, Omi-kun, good night. I love you," Atsumu says, making Kiyoomi's heart run wild.

"Good night, I love you too, Atsumu," Kiyoomi says and hangs up before turning on his side and sleeping with a smile on his face now that he knows that making the first move won't annoy Atsumu.

if you’re offline or away and i message you something (like a link to a meme or a picture or w/e) honestly just assume that i’m just leaving it there for when you get back and not expecting you to answer straight away. i don’t need you to respond with “hey, sorry, i wasn’t at the computer!” or anything. i was leaving u a gift for later.

Okay. If you are doing research - especially history research, here are a couple steps to possibly save your life.

1) Get thee to wikipedia.

Seriously. You can’t site it because it has the academic credibility of some random graffitti, and you can’t quote it because the exact writing and content changes every time it gets edited, BUT:

It will almost certainly be more accurate than printed encyclopedias, which are updated every ten years or so, and only require a few eyes compared to wikipedia, where any trolling will probably get you banned or suspended in hours. Not to mention it’s getting a LOT more peer reviews. So you can’t quote it, but it’s probably fairly accurate.

And the best part? After just about every tidbit of information, there’s going to be a little citation number. If you click it, it’ll take you down to the references section (and even highlight the relevant one). You can then go to the original source - which will be much more credible. What’s more is you’ll have specific page numbers (if it’s a book), and you’ll know exactly what kind of information you’re looking for.

2) If it’s a book, Internet Archive is your best friend

The search function isn’t great if you’re looking up questions like you would into your google (or ecosia - if you want to do a good thing for the earth) search bar, but if you know the author and year the book was published, it’s great. You’ll have this information already on hand from step one, if that’s how you found the book in the first place.

There are about 30 million books on Internet Archive and counting, so there’s a good chance they’re going to have what you’re looking for. However, about half of them are check-out only. Checking out is actually easy. You need to set up a free account, and make sure to give them a valid email address because they will send you a verification email. After that, you can check out any book you want for an hour. (excelent for focus!)

If you are only looking at specific pages, you should be fine, but there’s also other longer options for checking stuff out for some books. (I think?)

Also, in many books, you can search for specific keywords within the book, and there’s a little slider at the bottom to find pages.

3) watch Overly Sarcastic Production’s “How to do research”

Seriously. It’s amazing. My first point is confirmed in the video which is just more proof that I’m right /hj

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