Finally – A Proper TCF Timeline!

I’ve finally managed to make a vine compilation short enough that Tumblr will let me post it!

Random TCF Shower Thoughts Time:

do you think Cale would K.O. if he used Instant and Record at the same time?

How bad would Cale's records act up if he was trapped under some rubble somewhere for days during part 2, far from his family?

(longer idea inspired by us questioning Cale's third ability below)

Give me Cale with some sort of Survivor ability. Where Kim Rok Soo lives because he literally can't die. Where whenever he's on the edge of death, when his heart is about to stop, Survivor kicks in and goes above and beyond his limits to keep him from dying, be it by fighting or running away. Where during a battle Cale is fatally injured and his body stills for one second before immediately getting back up, forcing broken bones back into place and wiping blood from his face and gunning it towards the enemy like doom incarnate.

His family is screaming because "gods dammit Cale-nim/Unlucky bastard/Cale-nya/Human/Young Master/Dongsaeng you're bleeding out!!! you've done enough, stop fighting!!!" And something feels so Wrong about this and they don't like it one bit. But they can't place what's wrong until after the battle once they've forced Cale to lay down and realize he hasn't said a word and has been diligently listening to their demands that he rest and let them handle the rest.

His eyes are blank, not like when he uses Record, no it's worse somehow. There's nothing behind his eyes at all-Survivor is active and in control, not Cale. Cale's down for the count, deep deep down somewhere recovering because that attack did more damage than anybody realized and he's not waking up anytime soon.

Give me everyone losing their minds over this with worry and fear because there is Something walking around that looks like their beloved red head, Something that mechanically eats apple pie and drinks lemon tea but doesn't pet the kittens and give them a scammer smile. Give me the kids rambling about their days in his lap. Give me Alberu offering Cale golden plaque after golden plaque. Give me Choi Han quietly whispering to Cale in Korean while he guards him day after day. Give me everyone doing everything they can think of to get his attention and wake him up, only for Survivor to ignore it all.

Survivor is there to ensure Cale's physical wellbeing-to help him survive, not to help him live (because yes there is a difference)

About Kim Rok Soo’s abilities (spoiler alert for chapters 356+)

Have you guys ever noticed that all of Kim Rok Soo’s abilities that are revealed are related to time?

Record: Allows KRS to have perfect recollection of the past

Instant: Being able to move beyond human limitations in the present

I wonder if his other abilities are also related to time. Maybe he has one that is related to the future.

whats that defunct land quote again? every part of the film making process is awful, but not making film is even worse? idk something like that. anywah im being completely normal about art rn ::))

There's an actual moment in the novel in which we have Yuder literally burying two guys 6ft under because they, during a fight, accidentally broke two (2) candies Kishiar gave him.

I'm so glad he didn't overreact.

How to write romantic tension

Here are some of my best tips to write a romantic build-up! (I believe all of these are inspired by a couple in my current project, oops!) Happy Valentine’s to everyone!

💜 Disagreements

Nothing shouts romantic tension better than when one of the characters is annoyed by the other’s habits or opinions. Usually this stems from a personal issue, or even form knowing they’re attracted to the other person!

If character A smokes, character B could be annoyed at them because they used to smoke themselves, but subconsciously the complaints are just an excuse to keep the conversation going.

💜 Arm’s length

Try to keep your characters at an arm’s length from each other, and experiment with the tension you can create at a distance. This will make any closer moments MUCH more impactful.

If character A is usually polite and respectful of personal space, but in an emotional moment they lean a tad too close, that strikes character B much harder.

💜 The turning point

What is the point where it becomes obvious to your characters that they like each other? You don’t have to immediately seal this in a kiss or a confession. Play with how this knowledge subtly changes their behaviour with one another.

Character A may get progressively flirtier or bolder when they realize character B is completely accepting of their advances. They may start to do “coupley things”, like hand-holding, or subtle comfort touches, without even having to talk about “where they’re at.”

Did you know I’ve got a Youtube channel? Watch my first few videos now! Subscribe through the [link here] or below!

YouTube

The Plottery

I'm a fiction writing coach with a special focus on the power of outlining, and I'm here to help you go from an idea to a polished manuscrip

Susie and noelle.... gay people...

I like how alberu knows how cale operates. Like everybody seems to be assuming that cale is righteous and his morale compass is definetely "good", but alberu knows thats not the case. Its not so bad that everyone thinks so, i feel like it will be the running gag throrough the whole series, but i was hoping for at least someone to have an idea that cale is always strategizing and his intentions are not purely good.

Cale is kind, yes. But he is not righteous

I REALLY hope alberu does not change his view of cale, from someone who always has ulterior motives to a lawful good person

Writing Theory - Conflict 101

THEORY

goal + obstacle = conflict -> plot

You may have heard that a story needs conflict, but what does that mean?

No, it's not explosions. Or murder. Or smut.

Your character wants something, that's the goal. Something is in the character's way, that's the obstacle. The way your character deals with the obstacle to reach their goal is what makes an engaging conflict.

You see this on a plot level as well as on an individual scene level: Character wants X, but obstacle Y, so they have to go do Z

Conflict is like the engine of the plot, so if it's missing in a scene, then it's likely to feel redundant, boring, as if the story came to a halt (because it did; the engine stopped).

The goal and obstacle pair generally appear in two orders, with a "reaction" element:

Character sets a goal, but an obstacle happens, so the character reacts by changing course

Something happens (obstacle), character reacts to it and decides on the next action (goal)

You can alternate between the two, then you get something like this: character tries to accomplish something, something gets in their way, forcing a new approach, character reacts to the changes and decides how to move on from here, sets a new goal, tries to reach goal, faces obstacle...

This can also keep your character active rather than passive. Even in a reactionary scene, your character is responding and making a decision, rather than being a puppet to external forces. It can be smart to not have too many reactionary scenes back-to-back, as this can also feel passive. The goal-obstacle-reaction type scenes don't really have this problem and you can intersperse them with reactionary scenes now and then for variation.

You can have one major goal and many smaller goals. The goal(s) can also shift over the course of the story.

If you struggle to think of an obstacle, ask yourself: what is preventing my character from achieving their goal right now? Why can't they walk up to the villain and defeat them? Why can't they pull their love interest into a kiss? Why is your story longer than two paragraphs?

Ideally, goals and obstacles (and conflicts) are interwoven with character development, theme, etc., making for a solid plot where all these elements form one smooth fabric together. As a beginner, it's alright to first pick one thing to exercise rather than trying to balance all these things at once. Learn to create these bare bones of a plot and then improve upon that foundation.

EXAMPLE: Revenge of the Sith

Anakin would like Padmé to not die. = goal; He doesn't know how to prevent it. = obstacle

Stop the Sith = goal; Not knowing who the Sith Lord is = obstacle

These form conflicts and they push the plot forward. There are several smaller goals, like defeating Dooku/saving the Chancellor, preventing Palpatine from dying, manslaughter, killing Obi-Wan...

A scene with the goal - obstacle - (reaction) order: Anakin wants to use Palpatine's knowledge (goal), but Mace Windu is about to make that permanently impossible (obstacle). Thus, Anakin needs to pivot from yelling to slashing in order to reach his goal.

A scene with the obstacle - (reaction) - goal order: Anakin, the superstar Jedi, has just helped a Sith Lord kill a Jedi master (obstacle/problem; goes against the bigger "stop the Sith" goal). This has an effect on him (reaction; "What have I done??") and leads to a decision: join Palpatine. This then sets him on his next goal(s): destroy the Jedi to prove he's worthy.

Here you see how those two "types" of scenes flow into each other.

EXERCISE

Write two short scenes - one for each type (reactionary and goal-obstacle-reaction). They don't have to be unrelated.

Now, write another two scenes, but this time make them successive.

See if you can do this in the form of a short story: write 5-10 successive scenes.

Celebrate that you've just written a story! :D

These techniques, like so often with writing, need practice to sink in. So write some fun short stories or wacky scenes, and you'll notice you get better the more you do it. Have fun!

WEBSITES FOR WRITERS {masterpost}

E.A. Deverell - FREE worksheets (characters, world building, narrator, etc.) and paid courses;

Hiveword - Helps to research any topic to write about (has other resources, too);

BetaBooks - Share your draft with your beta reader (can be more than one), and see where they stopped reading, their comments, etc.;

Charlotte Dillon - Research links;

Writing realistic injuries - The title is pretty self-explanatory: while writing about an injury, take a look at this useful website;

One Stop for Writers - You guys... this website has literally everything we need: a) Description thesaurus collection, b) Character builder, c) Story maps, d) Scene maps & timelines, e) World building surveys, f) Worksheets, f) Tutorials, and much more! Although it has a paid plan ($90/year | $50/6 months | $9/month), you can still get a 2-week FREE trial;

One Stop for Writers Roadmap - It has many tips for you, divided into three different topics: a) How to plan a story, b) How to write a story, c) How to revise a story. The best thing about this? It's FREE!

Story Structure Database - The Story Structure Database is an archive of books and movies, recording all their major plot points;

National Centre for Writing - FREE worksheets and writing courses. Has also paid courses;

Penguin Random House - Has some writing contests and great opportunities;

Crime Reads - Get inspired before writing a crime scene;

The Creative Academy for Writers - "Writers helping writers along every step of the path to publication." It's FREE and has ZOOM writing rooms;

Reedsy - "A trusted place to learn how to successfully publish your book" It has many tips, and tools (generators), contests, prompts lists, etc. FREE;

QueryTracker - Find agents for your books (personally, I've never used this before, but I thought I should feature it here);

Pacemaker - Track your goals (example: Write 50K words - then, everytime you write, you track the number of the words, and it will make a graphic for you with your progress). It's FREE but has a paid plan;

Save the Cat! - The blog of the most known storytelling method. You can find posts, sheets, a software (student discount - 70%), and other things;

I hope this is helpful for you!

(Also, check my gumroad store if you want to!)