Hi Beast! Do You Know Any Good Websites For Story/plot Charting?

Hi Beast! Do you know any good websites for story/plot charting?

I had to do some research for this question! Look at you guys, making me dig through the bowels of the earth.

Hiveword - Requires you to create an account, but it’s free; allows you to make lists for your characters and their descriptions, list out your plot/story flow, has a built-in name generator and more

Read-Write-Think - Though this one seems to be geared toward younger kids, don’t be fooled - it has different charts that allow you to type out your plot, characters, setting, and resolution via visual maps; the only drawback is that it’s somewhat too simplistic, and doesn’t account for overly complex plots but it’s good for mapping out all the base information needed to plan your story

Scrapple - An app for PCs and Macs that is basically a combination between a mind map and a basic text-editing software, but geared specifically toward writers (if you don’t know what a mind map is, here’s a helpful article); the downside is that it’s $15, but there’s a free trial version available on the linked site

LitLift - Free site (with account registration) that allows you to organize your stories, characters, and plots (similar to Scrapple); also has sharing capabilities so that you can share your story within the site - you can also browse other peoples’ stories if they’ve been shared

Scrivener - Another app for PCs and Macs; like a more advanced version of Microsoft Word, except that it gives you an outliner to list out your ideas/plots/etc, ‘index cards’ to keep your ideas organized, ‘scrivenings’ - which basically function as tabs to switch between manuscripts, and a lot more; downside is that it’s $45, but once again there’s a free trial available on the linked site

Storyplanner - Site that has lists of resources where you can select from novel/short story, screenplay, or nonfiction and it asks you further questions in detail about your story; great for getting all your ideas out in one go (I look at it as sort of a ‘quizilla’ for your story, except it’s not full on Mary Sues and sadness); the site is free to use, but there is a premium edition, though you don’t really need it (you can just copy your answers to your nearest document)

Hemingway - Though this one is more useful for editing rather than planning, this in-browser site that allows you to either write right in the browser or copy/paste text into the window; points out any writing errors, repeated syntax, long-ass sentences, and all kinds of other helpful editing advice; there’s also a desktop version available for download

If anyone finds anything else that’s helpful, feel free to add it!

some fucking resources for all ur writing fuckin needs

body language masterlist

a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does

a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes

550 words to say instead of fuckin said

638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again

some more body language help 

my baba sent me this on whatsapp

Hello. Is it possible for you to create a master post of all Solas related audio dialogue you've uploaded? They are so relaxing (painful) to work to. Ma serannas.

me: I haven’t uploaded that much Solas audio, have I? me: *looks back at all the audio files I’ve uploaded*me: …holy crap

 I’m just a big fan of voice acting, lmao… Gareth David Lloyd is a sweet prince

solas talking calmly for 10 minutes (I’ve been meaning to make “solas yelling for 10 minutes” one too, because this kind of thing is great for fanfic reference, but I also have more than enough to make several more of him just calmly talking (and it’s soothing and easy to make them so I probably will when I need some stress-free task to do))

everything Solas says in elvish (except for one line he says to Mihris that I forgot, whoops)

(spoilers) every single possible line that Solas says in Trespasser 

(spoilers) the Negative Responses that Solas will say when he hates the Inquisitor in Trespasser

Solas and Varric’s conversation about the Man on the Island

everything Solas says about the Blight

Solas’ Journey to Skyhold speech

Solas’ reaction if you make him help you kill ancient elves :’/

my favorite Sera+Solas party banter 

Solas and Dorian banter hinting at what might happen in DA4

Solas dialogue that isn’t in the final game, that I only found by rummaging around in the files, so you can only really hear it here:

A missing/removed dialogue option for the last romance scene at Crestwood (warning: this is effing sad, and I couldn’t believe my ears when I found it)

Solas talking to Morrigan about Mythal!

A cute little line missing from the ball at Halamshiral

Solas calling f!Lavellan “lethallan”

the Inquisitor asks Solas what he knows about the Temple of Mythal (no audio)

more missing dialogue from the Temple of Mythal, featuring Morrigan and Abelas (not Solas dialogue, but interesting) - (1) (2)

also this would probably interest you (not uploaded by me)

Solas laughing compilation 

storytime with Solas 

Inquisition party banter (5 hours long)

Lmao how cute.

Reblog this for a chance to get a love letter from a Death Note character in your Ask Box

Remember, it could be literally anyone. You’ve been warned.

What sort of questions should I be asking my beta readers?

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR BETA READERS:

When I send out my chapter to be read over by my beta readers, I always include a set of questions typed out at the bottom, grouped into different categories such as: plot, pacing, character, setting, etc. 

You might want to tailor the questions depending on the genre or which chapter it is. For example, if it’s the first chapter you’ll want to ask them about how well your story managed to hook them, or if they managed to easily get an idea of the world you’ve introduced them to. If it’s the climax you might want to ask if the action scenes are fluid, and if the plot twist/s were predictable or surprising. 

Here’s some example questions that you could use:

Opening Chapter:

What is your first impression of the main character? Do you find them likable? Annoying? Boring?

After reading it for the first time, what is your first impression? Was it cohesive and compelling? Boring and confusing?

Did the first sentence/paragraph/page efficiently grab your attention and hook you in?

If you were to read this chapter in a bookstore/library would you be convinced to buy it? Or would you need to read further before deciding? Why or why not?

Did you get oriented fairly quickly at the beginning as to whose story it is, what’s going on, and where and when it’s taking place? If not, what were you confused about at the beginning?

Does the first chapter establish the main character efficiently? Do they feel believable?

Characters:

Could you clearly imagine what the characters looked like? If not, who?

Who was your favourite character and why? Has your favourite character changed? (if this hasn’t changed feel free to skip this question) 

Are there any characters that you do not like? Why do you not like them? (Boring, annoying, problematic, etc.) 

Was there ever a moment when you found yourself annoyed or frustrated by a character? 

Could you relate to the main character? Did you empathise with their motivation or find yourself indifferent? 

Were the characters goals/motivations clear and understandable? 

Did you get confused about who’s who? Are there too many characters to keep track of? Are any of the names or characters too similar?

Do the characters feel three-dimensional or like cardboard cutouts? 

How familiar have you become with the main characters? Without cheating could you name the four main characters? Can you remember their appearance? Can you remember their goal or motivation? 

Dialogue:

Did the dialogue seem natural to you?

Was there ever a moment where you didn’t know who was talking?

Setting/world-building:

Were you able to visualize where and when the story is taking place?

Is the setting realistic and believable? 

How well do you remember the setting? Without cheating, can you name four important settings?

Genre:

Did anything about the story seem cliche or tired to you? How so? 

Did anything you read (character, setting, etc.) remind you of any others works? (Books, movies, etc.) 

Plot/pacing/scenes:

Do you feel there were any unnecessary scenes/moments that deserved to be deleted or cut back?

Do the scenes flow naturally and comprehensively at an appropriate pace? Did you ever feel like they were jumping around the place? 

Was there ever a moment where you attention started to lag, or the chapter begun to drag? Particular paragraph numbers would be very helpful. 

Did you ever come across a sentence that took you out of the moment, or you had to reread to understand fully? 

Was the writing style fluid and easy to read? Stilted? Purple prose-y? Awkward?

Did you notice any discrepancies or inconsistencies in facts, places, character details, plot, etc.?

Additional questions:

What three things did you like? What three things did you not like? 

Can you try predicting any upcoming plot twists or outcomes? 

Was there ever a moment when your suspension of disbelief was tested? 

Is there anything you’d personally change about the story? 

Was the twist expected or surprising? Do you feel that the foreshadowing was almost nonexistent, or heavy handed? 

Feel free to tailor these to your needs or ignore some of them if you don’t think they’re useful. Basically, your questions are about finding out the information about how others perceive your own writing and how you can improve your story.

-Lana