The Dream Thieves Is The Most Perfect Book Ever Because Adam And Gansey Are Going Through A Divorce,

subtle ways to include foreshadowing

one character knowing something offhandedly that they shouldn't, isn't addressed until later

the crow rhyme

colours!! esp if like, blue is evil in your world and the mc's best friend is always noted to wear blue...betrayal?

write with the ending in mind

use patterns from tragic past events to warn of the future

keep the characters distracted! run it in the background until the grand reveal

WEATHER.

do some research into Chekhov's gun

mention something that the mc dismisses over and over

KEEP TRACK OF WHAT YOU PUT. don't leave things hanging.

unreliable characters giving information that turn out to be true

flowers and names with meanings

anything with meanings actually

metaphors. if one character describes another as "a real demon" and the other turns out to be the bad guy, you're kind of like...ohhh yeahhh

anyways add anything else in the tags

Stop making this prologue mistake

Are you making this mistake when writing a prologue? Lots of new writers don’t know what prologues are for.

But let’s first jump into what they are not for →

Infodumping, worldbuilding, or backstory! A prologue is not the place to set the image of what your world is, what led to it being this way, why your protagonist finds themselves in their current predicament, or retelling the backstory of your hero.

Why not? Because when a reader first opens your book, they don’t yet have an incentive to care about your world or your character, and therefore pummeling them with a ton of information about things they haven’t gotten to know yet (or care about!) is the easiest way to lose their interest.

I know you might be thinking - but how will they know whose story I’m telling and what world it’s set in? This comes down to one simple thing → Trust your readers.

Building your world, your characters, and their backstories organically throughout the story you’re telling is going to result in a lot more gratitude from your readers.

Why? Because you’re not serving them all the information on a silver platter. Instead, you’re letting them ask questions and discover things on their own. They will FEEL that sense of trust you’re giving them, when you don’t over explain yourself.

So what are prologues actually for then? A strong prologue should tease the story, or set up the central story question that you’re asking. It should never give away too much, but act as a small glimpse or hint of things to come. It should make your readers intrigued about the story.

Here’s how you can figure it out easily →

The simplest distinction to conclude whether you have a strong prologue is this: Does your prologue pose questions or answer them? If it’s the former - great!

If it’s the latter - rethink whether you need it, or you might simply be too untrusting of your readers.

Need helping plotting your novel out? Check out Novel Plotting Academy and don’t wait for New Year’s resolutions to start writing!

Enroll today through the link HERE or below!

the-plottery.teachable.com

Novel Plotting Academy

Simple Plotting Tools to Get You Clear on Your Story

a week in the life of London's youngest agency head (insp.)

pls give me 1(one) reason aces have ever been oppressed, and 1(one) example of aces being a part of lgbt history(before 2004 at least) and then maybe i’ll consider the idea that aces belong in the lgbt community lol

Pose references pt 17 🌈

more bases for pride before the month ends 😭😭

Do you have any third wheel meme templates? thanks

as a third wheel myself i am happy to provide these;

Just wanted to say I love your EPIC header, that line has been stuck in my head for days now :)

ANOTHER EPIC FAN! I’m obsessed with the new saga aaaaa

How to Make Readers Care About Your Plot

It's a funny little trick, really. Because the truth is readers don’t care about your plot.

They care about how your plot affects your characters. (Ah ha!)

You can have as many betrayals, breakups, fights, CIA conspiracies, evil warlords, double-crossings, sudden bouts of amnesia, comas, and flaming meteors racing directly toward Manhattan as you want.

But if readers don’t understand how those events will impact:

A character they care about

That character’s goal

The consequences of the event, whether positive or devastating

…then you may as well be shooting off firecrackers in an empty gymnasium.

Why Plot Without Character Falls Flat

Here’s an example:

A school burns down. Oh my god, the flames! The carnage! The dead and injured children! There are police everywhere—total chaos!

And your main character? Standing on the sidewalk, watching and crying.

Dramatic? Sure. But does the reader care? Not really. There’s no emotional connection, so it's basically a meaningless plot point.

Plot + Character Impact = Reader Investment

Now, let’s take the same event but give it stakes.

Meet Mary Ann. Mary Ann has been a middle school teacher for 25 years. This year, she gets a new student—Indigo. An unusual girl with clear troubles at home and a habit of burning things.

Mary Ann defends Indigo when the school administration wants to expel her, citing safety concerns. Mary Ann sees something familiar in Indigo—something that reminds her of her own sister, who was institutionalized as a child.

One day, Indigo explodes in rage, screaming, “Burn it down! I’ll burn this whole place down!”

Mary Ann is shaken. This isn’t just defiance—this is a real threat. She nearly sides with the administration but, haunted by her sister’s fate, fights for Indigo’s second chance.

Indigo is placed in counseling. A compromise that will hopefully solve the problem.

That night, Mary Ann sleeps soundly. She did the right thing. Didn’t she? But the next morning, on her drive to school, the radio blares an emergency bulletin. There's a fire at the school.

Mary Ann speeds through red lights. Her stomach twists. When she arrives… it’s too late.

Oh my god, the flames! The carnage! The dead and injured children!

The exact same plot point—but now it matters.

How to Make Your Plot Matter to Readers

The secret? Before you set something on fire (literally or figuratively), give your character—and thus your reader—a stake in the outcome.

1. Tie Events to Character Desires and Fears.

Why does this event matter to this character?

How does it challenge their values, beliefs, or personal history?

2. Make the Conflict Personal.

The fire isn’t just a disaster—it’s a gut-punch because Mary Ann fought for Indigo.

The outcome isn’t just tragic—it’s haunted by Mary Ann’s past regrets.

3. Show Consequences.

Readers need to feel what’s at stake before, during, and after the event.

The weight of the aftermath makes the plot stick in the reader’s mind.

The result? Higher engagement, deeper emotional connection, and a plot that actually matters.

Summary: It’s Not About the Events—It’s About the Impact on Your Characters

I used a fire in this example, but this applies to any plot development.

Even something subtle—a whispered secret, an unread letter, a missed train—can have devastating emotional weight if it affects your character in a meaningful way.

Make your readers care about your plot by making your character care about it first.

Hope this helps!

/ / / / /

@theliteraryarchitect is a writing advice blog run by me, Bucket Siler, a writer and developmental editor. For more writing help, download my Free Resource Library for Fiction Writers, join my email list, or check out my book The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers.

Drawing bases & references #34

some bases for your archer ocs 🏹🏹🏹

*ehem* I wanted to let you guys know I just posted a new article on my shops: a pack with all the PSDs of the bases I did on may! it has 68 files for you to use 😊 If you're interested, it's only 12usd (will change to 15usd in the future so go grab it now if you can!)

It's on my ko-fi and my (not so) new patreon page ✨✨ right now i'm only posting my free bases there as well, but I plan to open a tier with exclusive bases and more stuff in the near future 💖💖

Check links on my pinned post or bio 💖 ty for reading!

Alternatives to google docs

For various reasons, this is now a hot topic. I'm putting my favorites here, please add more in your reblogs. I'm not pointing to Microsoft Word because I hate it.

Local on your computer:

1.

LibreOffice (https://www.libreoffice.org/), Win, Linux, Mac.

Looks like early 2000 Word, works great, imports all formats. Saves in OpenDocumentFormat. Combine with something like Dropbox for Cloud Backup.

2.

FocusWriter (https://gottcode.org/focuswriter/) Win, Linux.

Super customizable to make it look pretty, all toolbars hide to be as non-distracting as possible. Can make typewriter sounds as you type, and you can set daily wordcount goals. Saves in OpenDocumentFormat. Combine with something like Dropbox for Cloud Backup.

3.

Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview) Win, Mac, iOS

The lovechild of so many writers. Too many things to fiddle with for me, but I'm sure someone else can sing its praises. You can put the database folder into a Dropbox folder for cloud saving (but make sure to always close the program before shutting down).

Web-based:

4.

Reedsy bookeditor (https://reedsy.com/write-a-book) Browser based, works on Firefox on Android. Be aware that they also have a TOS that forbids pornography on publicly shared documents.

My current writing program. Just enough features to be helpful, not so many that I start fiddling. Writing is chapter based, exports to docx, epub, pdf. You can share chapters (for beta reading) with other people registered at Reedsy.

5.

Novelpad (https://novelpad.co/) Browser based.

Looks very promising, there's a youtuber with really informative videos about it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHN8TnwjG1g). I wanted to love it, but the editor didn't work on Firefox on my phone. It might now, but I'm reluctant to switch again.

------

So, this is my list. Please add more suggestions in reblogs.