I was wondering if you knew any basic guides to outlining a novel for the first time?

she-who-fights-and-writes:

Outlining a story is very, very important. Without an outline and thorough planning, your story will veer off in wildly different directions and will cost you a ton of time editing later, like my book did.

1. Get the characters down first

Characters are like the chess pieces of the story. Their moves and strengths/weaknesses will decide what is going to happen and how it will happen. Sure, you can have a nice plot and setting, but without the characters, the story is meaningless.

Here is the character chart that I usually use:

  • Name (First/Middle/Last/Maiden name)
  • Aliases/Nicknames
  • Age
  • Race
  • Gender
  • Sexuality
  • Height
  • Weight
  • Eye color
  • Hair color
  • Clothing style
  • Religion
  • Political views
  • Personality Traits
  • Strengths and Weaknesses
  • Likes and Dislikes
  • Family
  • Friends
  • Enemies
  • Role in the story
  • Backstory/past

2. Choose a template

Just bulleting the events does not give the plot the dimension that it deserves and does not really accommodate side plots.

I personally use the zigzag method that I discovered from this post. I branch off of the zigzags for my side plots so it looks kind of like a graph.

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You can also use the subway method, which I found on the nanowrimo website.

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There are a whole other host of outlines to choose from if you search them up!

3. Know that you don’t have to stick to it

An outline is just that: an outline. It’s not the final decision for the plot, it’s the first draft for the plot. If you’re writing and one of the points just isn’t working anymore, you don’t have to keep it because it was a part of your outline.

Write what feels right.

Happy outlining, and good luck with your story!

amberum:

AliExpress snailmail stationary💌

I often get questions where I buy my snailmail stuff so here’s a list with some of my fav things & where to find them, all very affordable + free shipping!

1. Wax seal spoon

€2

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2. Wax stamp letter 🔠

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€1,70

3. Wax stamp bee🐝

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€2.70

4. Sealing wax, different colours❤🧡💛💚💙💜🖤

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€0,70

5. Leafs & flowers wax stamps 🌿🌼🌱🌺

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€2,90

6. Wax beads, different colours, great for mixing & creating new colours (50pcs)

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€1,60

7. Rose wax stamps 🌹❣ http://s.aliexpress.com/mAV3quAB?fromSns=

€2,30

8. Envelopes brown, black or white (20pcs)✉

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€2,70

9. Wax stamp without print (only the head, not the handle)

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€2

10. Star & moon wax stamps🌙⭐🌠

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€2,60

11. See through envelopes💌 (10psc)

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€1,80

12. Astrology wax seals🌚🌝

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€2,10

🌱 grow ur psychic gifts! 🌱

bratty-aphrodite:

✨ Hi everyone! By popular request, I’m going to be covering the topic of psychic/spiritual gifts and how to fully utilize them. Before I get into it, I want to clarify that EVERYONE has these abilities but not everyone is aware of them. Some people have easier access to their gifts, much like how some people struggle at math while others naturally excel (lmao not me). Like any skill, psychic abilities can be strengthen and exercised through dedication, consistency, and patience. You won’t instantly wake up as fucking Jesus. Another note, being ‘psychic’ isn’t as wild and whimsical as it sounds. It can be at times  but don’t expect to start seeing ghosts popping up on every corner or fairies chilling out in your bedroom. It doesn’t work like that! The energy is much more subtle and takes time to understand, much like learning anew language. Anyways, lemme shut up and get into this shit….🔮🔮

1.  Be conscious of you health & drink tons of water! Your body is  a vessel for your spirit and, if it’s not functioning at it’s fullest capacity, it will limit your connection to your higher-self. Water is also a cleansing/charging tool for the body, mind, and spirit. When you’re doing readings or energy readings for other people it can be extremely draining for your soul. It’s important to replenish through water, high-vibrational foods, and keeping the energy circulating with exercise. For those of you with chronic illness or physical limitations, it’s okay if you can’t do intense exercise everyday. Do as much as you can within your given situation! Respect your body, it takes good care of your soul and is the vehicle for all of your spiritual work!

2. Meditation + meditation + meditation.  I feel like this is the dreaded tip because so many people convince themselves that meditating is hard!  My suggestion is to sit or lie down for five minutes after you take a shower in the morning/night. Be still and take a few breaths. It’s completely normal for thoughts to pop into your head. Don’t try to push them away! Instead, acknowledge them & then set them aside. Keep focusing on the stillness. Move your attention into your body. Is your breathing natural and rhythmic? Are your shoulders tense? Is there any discomfort? Keep breathing deeply until all of the tension evaporates. Next, try to extend your awareness to the energy around you. What does the energy of the room feel like? What are you hearing? Are you smelling anything new or unusual? Can you physically feel energy? Keep expanding your energy during meditation until you feel connected to the space that you’re in. You should finish feeling a buzzing energy flowing through your body. This is called a receptive or psychic state. Learn how to reach and hold this state because it will increase the clarity of your intuition x100! 

3. Be present. Realize that these gifts are with you 24/7 and you can practice them whenever, all you have to do is live calmly in the moment. If you’re not actively listening then how are you ever going to receive messages? Psychic energy usually comes in gentle, subtle waves which means we have to be attentive if we wan’t to feel it. Focus is also necessary. You can’t fully receive info from your intuition while also thinking about a million other things!

4. Listen to high-vibrational music!  I’m a hoe for rap music and alternative-pop artists with lyrics that are either depressing af or kind of trashy haha. While music is awesome, it also carries a vibration that can influence our own state of being. The majority o music being made now produces a lower vibration which blocks some of our receptivity. In order to boost your vibration again, listen to about 5 minutes of 528hz or 432hz beats at the end of the day! 528hz & 432hz are described as restorative, healing frequencies that help us get our energetic shit together. I always feel 100x better after five minutes of listening! I’ll link some of my faves!

1 //  2 //  3 

5. Journal & then journal some fucking more! Write down predictions so you can check them later, record any spiritual experiences, and possibly try some automatic writing. To tap into my intuition, I like to just as a question and write down the first things that come to mind. Don’t worry about rather or not they make sense, literally DO NOT THINK ABOUT IT. When you feel like you’ve written everything you need, read over what you wrote and see if any of it connects. Look for an answer within the random shit that came to mind. 9/10 you’ll find what you need! This teaches you to trust that little voice in your head or the visions that come to your minds eye. 

6. Practice, duh. Ask your friends if they’re okay with you trying to read their aura or pull some cards for them! Think of your psychic abilities as a muscle, in order to strengthen them you have to actually put in the work. One of my favorite exercises is a guessing game involving cards. You can use playing cards, tarot cards, UNO cards, whatever! Place the deck face down and, before you pull from the top of the deck, try to guess what card you’re going to flip over. Then do it again and again until you’re damn near 100% accurate. Or until you’re wrist is exhausted form flipping over cards all night. Whichever one comes first! Another wonderful exercise is psychometry which is the act of reading an object. It’s easier to start off with an object with tons of energy such as a wedding ring, anything metal, a beloved stuffed animal, or a crystal. Try to find the story behind the object and really feel the energy behind it!

7.  Get yo self some crystal babies! I’m obsessed with crystals. I seriously can not live without my children! Crystals hold energetic properties that can help us align with out psychic nature and enhance our gifts. There are tons of options but some of my personal favorites for intuitive + psychics are amethyst, clear quartz, black tourmaline, labradorite, rose quartz, and fluorite.

8. Leave your house and go out in nature. You don’t have to live near an abundant forest or breathtaking mountain to reap the spiritual benefits of fresh air! Mindfully spending time in nature is a refreshing form of meditation and brings us closest to our own intuition!

9. Sage + Incense! Clear space = clear mind. Spoke cleansing and burning incense allows us to remove any blockages in our surroundings. Before reading for a client, I always burn some sage or light up the incense. For those of you in dorms or are hush hush about your spirituality, use Florida Water! It’s a liquid household cleansing and spiritual cleansing tool that I adore. You can buy it as a spray or in a bottle. 

10. Visualize. Practicing visualization stimulates your third eye, allowing you to receive vivid and powerful clairvoyant messages. There are a hundred different ways to practice visualization but I recommend visualizing your third eye/pineal gland, located between your eyebrows, opening up. As you imagine it opening and glowing, you may even feel a slight tingle on your forehead. This is a sign that you’ve actually opened your ‘third eye’ chakra. From there, simply have fun visualizing whatever you want. Imagine a tiny pink dinosaur flying over your wall or something lmao. This just warms up the psychic muscle!

Once again, these gifts require effort and consistency. Your psychic intuition is not an accessory to play around with. It should be taken care of with hella respect and gratitude! At the same time, don’t stress too much of none of this comes easily to you.  I’ve worked incredibly hard to get where I am, incorporating every single one of these tasks + more & I still have way more to grow! If I can make sense of this weird psychic shit, you can too haha. Start applying a few of these tips and you should see improvement within weeks. Now go out there are slay the spiritual game of life bby! ⭐️⭐️

drst:

doomy:

doomy:

i made a chrome extension that automatically blocks amazon and all of its child companies during the worker strike (prime day) and that can also be used to block any sites for future strikes in a scheduled way.

here’s the code rn, i uploaded to the chrome webstore but it’ll take a bit, ill update when I get it published so it’s easier to install

https://github.com/piedoom/webstrike

it’ll do nothing until prime day starts, and then it’ll block every amazon site until the strike is over. v janky rn but it works.

Here’s the extension

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/webstrike/gncbiclggjkgcnecfcfpdclkdojpjajj

ui is kinda trash rn but..

image

(i cant reblog this post but this was useful – it also blocks some more child companies not listed here)

image

again it’s only for chrome and i made it in like 3 hours so it might be fucked but afaik it works fine.  just install it and leave it be, it’ll automatically activate on strikes.

the list is handy if you want to avoid supporting any Amazon owned businesses for the duration as well

hyratel:

renniequeer:

When hurricane season hits its peak and the storms are damn near constant, sure, I’ll pour out my offerings to Thor.

But we name those storms. We personify and anthropomorphize them. We hail them as beings with their own energy and presence. Even people who claim no belief in any higher power will do this.

“Remember Andrew? He was a bastard.”

“Irma’s angry; she’s going to hit us hard.”

The strongest? We never call another storm by that name, and in the areas heaviest hit, you see a sharp, sharp decline in children bearing that moniker. Around here we know–you don’t give a kid that name, it has too much power and rage behind it. It’s ill luck.

So I offer to the storms, too. To tell them, hey–I see your power, your might, your rage. I see your majesty. Please, slow down. Please, be calm. Transform your rage into gentle showers and winds that are just strong enough for us to know it’s you. 

Be kind to us, great storms; show us your power in a way that causes the least amount of harm.

@dovewithscales strong energy in this post