How to Avoid Melodrama In Your Writing | Writing Tips

[@ShaelinWrites]

YES MY NOSE IS SUNBURNT I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT

[@user-re4kc9on6f]

ShaelinWrites I know, your poor nose! I feel for ya girl, my face is lobster red from the beach.

[@kathalaluna]

show, don't tell. lol. btw I love you're confidence ♥

[@anyad6131]

Thank you,maybe my character shouldn't cry for three pages long...

[@InfidelProductionz]

I thought only Chloe Price says Hella.

[@KlaverKatten]

I felt bad for your nose the whole way through XD

[@soldiaz7261]

5:32 “The sun smiled down at him. That shiny bastard.”

[@TheSpiderjaws]

This deserves more attention.

[@alexandrias.1014]

Alt Title: How to Not Accidentally Write a Soap Opera Script. 😂😂

[@ShaelinWrites]

TRUE

[@ClintLoweTube]

Alex S. Good one! You should do a vid with that title.

[@3dstuff654]

"BUT SHE WAS HER SECRET INCEST LOVE CHILD TWIN SISTER ALL ALONG!!!"- the plot of about 7 TV shows

[@madisonvava8342]

“[Guy’s Name] I Lo V. E yOu!!” “No, I’m too D a nger ou s for youuuu!!” “Noo but I LWOVE WOOO!!” “I don’t want to see you get H Urt!” “Nooo! I’ll follow uoy!!” Scene.

[@anyad6131]

I have a scene like this except the girl throws herself onto the floor and cries for days

[@wiktoriakohman2200]

@@anyad6131 wut

[@sami6998]

End of 10 book long series

[@sami6998]

You forgot the down to earth side love interest

[@jacoba6747]

What is this Arrow?

[@ClintLoweTube]

Show vs Tell Balance: Tell protagonist is nervous about opening the door to meet the boss. Show protagonist is nervous when talking to the boss. If it's important: show. If it's minor: tell.🆑

[@everydaysam3547]

You’re my writing teacher ❤️

[@yas3170]

"And this locket represents my mommy issues, because it holds the secrets of my family that I don't understand... I don't know i'm just making stuff up"

[@lauren-skyeperry4736]

I came across this comment JUST as she started saying it in the video

[@Vickynger]

my heart sings with how much agrees with all you said. Is that melodramatic?

[@dorkle9085]

Maybe lol :)

[@greentokyo]

I love this video...IN MY SOUL!!

[@EC-rd9ys]

“Emotional texture.” That’s the phrase I’ve been looking for to explain the “show, don’t tell” rule. Nice.

[@clickers8049]

... can I forward this video to fanfic writers? (No shade to fanfic writers-I think it’s a great way for people to explore writing. But their stories often become very melodramatic)

[@kaceynm]

Nerds Are We haha tru

[@yas3170]

Much like YA, Fanfiction is targeted towards teenagers, my 15 year old self would LOVE all that melodrama. The angst, the filthy smut and lots of romance. Teens have intense emotions, more prone to depression, recklessness, high sexual urges... I think you get the idea

[@nairalleo4100]

i write fanfics and i agree

[@ross8093]

Lee Jazz your 100% write. But literally I've gone back to give I remember liking and I've just been shocked at how unreadable they've become to me.

[@suddenlystanning8307]

I read a lot that I don’t think are emotional *enough*. Like this person has been tortured (like with fire and shit) by their mom and were isolated by everybody. They end up getting adopted by this group of friends and like they kinda just go with it?? Like at least once I wanted them to break down when they were given a hug (which was probably the first hug they ever experienced). Or when someone said they’d always be there for them. That would’ve been a pivotal moment both for the main character and the other characters who don’t really know what they’ve been through. Sorry I just had to go off bc I didn’t think it was very believable but I’m a very emotional person so idk

[@UltimateKyuubiFox]

For the sobbing character who found out her sister had died, the easiest thing isn’t to change what they do, but to detach the description. “She found herself limp on the sand. Her throat was burning. She couldn’t see anything. The tides kept wading.”

[@anyad6131]

Or you could say something like, she threw herself head first into the sand and cried into the sand for 9 hours then she got up and went home

[@henryanderson6752]

AnyaDicki6969 lol As we all do.

[@idkdude1118]

@@henryanderson6752 a casual Saturday if you ask me

[@elchiponr1]

That's the most melodratic thing I've ever read 😂

[@User-fz2tw]

that is so melodramatic...

[@marichka-mulligan]

The problem of dreams in fiction is that often too logical and too chronologically consistent, while in reality you can't even remember the most of your dreams and add logic and overarching connections only when you retelling the dream to someone else. And the dream symbolism? I don't know about you but more often than not people don't use any real systems for dream symbolism and instead just write very straight-forward and obvious things. Like, I've studied a bit of folklore dream interpretation and it's just... insane sometimes? I remember one woman who retold this long elaborate dream about three moons distracting her from gardening and at the end interpreted that as a prophetic dream about three men who attempted to marry her and only the last one was successful.

[@yas3170]

Марічка Панф could never relate to dream logic lol, my dreams are lengthy and include story elements suited for novels. They're pretty dope.

[@kal-muzel875]

Lee Jazz mine too! They could be movies and I would watch them they have many twists you can't see beforehand

[@marichka-mulligan]

I also have some of these sometimes, but more often than not my dreams are connected by overarching feeling or leitmotifs. All in all, it's not that dreams are stripped of logic, it's just that logic doesn't necessary reflect the real world. Like, once I dreamt I was about to be executed Ned Stark fashion, when suddenly everyone and everything around me dissolved into colourful horses and flew away into the horizon, leaving me where I stood. Like, it happened, it had its consequences and it had kind of a reason - I didn't (and I don't) want to be executed. But was this the most logical and rational thing that could have happened? And my dreams aren't always linear - events might be rewound, perspectives change, sometimes to the point of confusion. But, well, can't speak for everyone.

[@ItsJustAdrean]

I had a dream the other day that my school was attacked by Japanese hornets, I got in a verbal confrontation with an atheist whose husband said I was stupid even though I was just trying to be nice and say hi, and then I rode home on a dog that was also a horse and a camel. But usually my dreams are very complex, story oriented, with very heavy and obvious personal symbolism. That last one coincidentally happened after I'd been up for 30 hours and had some allergy medicine LOL.

[@NipahAllDay]

Eh, I have a few dreams I can still remember even when I was a kid.

[@blockomaniac]

whenver i think of melodrama i think of that ember island play from Avatar:TLA

[@sakareeh]

I’m a year late but I love this comment hahaha

[@dillydally9869]

I beta read and your point about souls is SPOT ON. I see it a lot and very recently saw it in some writing that (I'm laughing while writing this comment) went from "you'll always be my best friend" to a Victorian era love confession "my soul cries out for yours when you're not here, my darling..." Souls were mentioned THREE times in just two paragraphs.

[@yurilookingforhisvictor7674]

Ewe, I just threw up.

[@christinemako7714]

Oh, that's pretty cringy

[@sharainahmed3333]

Hey I really needed someone who can beta read my fanfic. It's a TXT fanfic..if it's okay with you. Please let me know. I'll also be working on a romantic fantasy story soon but for now I am practicing my writing skills with this fanfic.

[@gregahunt]

dark souls 3

[@kaceynm]

Hey, this may be a stupid question but could you talk about pacing?

[@ShaelinWrites]

Definitely! Pacing is tricky, it's not a stupid question at all!

[@ClintLoweTube]

Kacey Marioghae Ebb and flo. That's a good basic.

[@xisalways-ls8lt]

My average pace is three miles per hour.

[@dealchemist720]

"Melodrama was my shit" LOL

[@ShaelinWrites]

the first step is realizing you have a problem and ohhhh boyyy I had one

[@marichka-mulligan]

Oh, I have a friend who needs this video just about now.

[@lormill4851]

SHE DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH FINGERS!!! WHY?!! WHY, LORD, WHY?!! (soul perishes in anguish)

[@anyad6131]

Me writing a lighthearted children's book

[@dorkle9085]

Wat

[@s-h7015]

The hard part about writing teenagers (and even emotionally stunted adults) is that they are melodramatic, but you don’t want to make it TOO melodramatic.

[@croc2112]

Why

[@croc2112]

You don't want them to show raw emotions

[@howanuwrites9874]

*First!* Love the Fact you are back to giving tips for other writers *:)*

[@nahanabubucker6775]

I love that animation thing that u have of yourself at the end, it’s so cute!

[@ShaelinWrites]

My best friend made it for me!

[@Lisa_Flowers]

*sees title* ho boi just @ me Shaelin, just @ me (even if you don't really know who I am lol). Also thank you for the advice, you just saved me about five years and a lot of self-loathing lol. Melodrama is what makes it so hard for me to read my first drafts because yikes. Also, the balance between subtlelty and being heavy handed is really hard for me. I tend to try really hard to be subtle but clear but it always becomes really obscure and it's so frustrating. I think I do overcompensate for being heavyhanded.

[@lukasnovella9001]

Mentioning Souls. The only time I’ve used souls in reference to an emotion was it felt like my soul was splitting apart, as their soul (it was an actual magical entity) was LITERALLY being ripped from their body

[@skilletlord3800]

I TOTALLY DID THIS. I had one of my characters break up with the other, and looking back on it is almost like reading fanfic.

[@jakerockznoodles]

I don't mind dreams if there is something tangible to them. I'd argue that films like Inception and The Matrix kind of succeed in that because there are consequences to what happens in these dreamworld, giving the story a sense of stakes.

[@ShaelinWrites]

Those are perfect examples of stories that make dreams an actual part of the story and its systems, rather than just a vague ~~symbol

[@katara2021]

Agree with everything but the dream point. Dreams done badly can be melodramatic but they can reveal the subconscious. When I was having difficulty with a subject in school I would have dreams about missing the exam, or splashing water over the paper or misremembering everything. Or me hanging from a weirdly tilted roof by my fingers while my family is having fun just a few steps away and then my mom crushes my hand and I fall. I'm afraid of lizards, I've had dreams of going into a room and then looking upto a ceiling filled with lizards. So melodramatic isn't it but its true. Dreams have bigger impacts on some people. My mom has night terrors. I had a nightmare when I was 9 that is the reason I'm afraid of mirrors in a room I sleep in.

[@godsoloved24]

That abusing Murphy's law point is kind of how I feel about writing that overuses the "yes-but, no-and" plot tool.

[@jmkand]

You give really good advice and I've learnt so much from you, but could you maybe prepare some more specific/concrete examples of the points you're listing? Sometimes the advice itself is a little hard to understand without an excerpt from a book or smth to back it up. Other than that, thank youuuu

[@danicepabillon6887]

I agree. There should be example

[@boldandbrash1990]

Every time I get a notification for your videos, I get so excited! This one did not disappoint! ❤

[@neuroticnovelist]

You’re spoiling us😭😭💕💕

[@janinebohl7488]

I feel so caught O.O Probably almost everything I write is melodramatic. But it is getting better, I think. I somewhat realised it myself. I just love making up those metaphors that describe extreme pain. For the sake of it being readable, I'd have to reduce it a lot. Edit: In my current project it is a lot better than in my old ones. There is hope!

[@paulapoetry]

Great subject. I agree with your point that melodrama is often something to be focused upon during revisions. My characters cry too much, lose it too much, and smash things up in temper. Maybe I feel like doing those things myself and hold back, so my characters go OTT. Who knows, right? I honestly can't remember ever knocking down and smashing up everything in my own home, out of anger or sadness. My characters do that. I think book, and more so TV, characters are prone to it. I guess it's an obvious way to show that a character is distressed. Very obvious...! 😀💝

[@kayeherl9195]

Would A Series of Unfortunate Events count as abusing Murphy's law 😂😂

[@billyalarie929]

A Series of Unfortunate Events would count as absolute genius

[@dakifillet]

don't avoid melodrama. buy it on itunes now! 😘

[@thewordsmith1763]

LORDE IS QUEEN

[@claramd2250]

YES YES YES

[@cheesecakelasagna]

Lmao I knew there'll be a comment like this here

[@drawingfandome]

Omg thanks for the subtex tip! I low key could not figure out why some of my scenes hit and others fell flat. Bc in the good scenes I showed what was happening without saying it giving subtext but in the bad ones the narrator simply described what was happening and how they felt without subtext

[@jackieoram409]

Your videos have improved in quality so much in the last few months. Bravo!

[@ShaelinWrites]

Thank you! I got a job making youtube videos for Reedy and so they bought me some new camera gear and ain't dat quality niceeee

[@jackieoram409]

ShaelinWrites 👏👏Yaaaass

[@1ifuckingloveyou]

This is one of the best writing videos I have ever seen. I love how specific you get with your advice

[@cjpreach]

SHAELIN, YOU SAID, "Save it for editing." GREAT thought! I am going to lead a NaNoWriMo group beginning in September, and we are going to emphasize sequencing the writing work. "No Backspacing" and "Save it for editing" will be two of my main themes. September - Creative brainstorming and story elements. October - Outlining. November - "Write, Write Baby! Sweat, Sweat!" December+ - Edit. Rewrite. Edit. Rewrite. ad infinitum Another helpful video. Thanketh Ye.

[@Anna-zr9pz]

I love your videos! They never fail to motivate me to get cracking on my projects. I can't wait for your writing update 😁 Do you think you could do a video on how to build a world/society/government in a sci-fi/fantasy novel?

[@kirakiraclover7050]

Hi, Shaelin! I just wanted to come on here and say that I've been subscribed to you on my personal (private) channel for a long time, and your videos have really helped me with bettering my writing and with the confidence I have in my writing abilities. I still struggle with it from time to time, but watching how much your channel has grown and knowing that you're planning on creating your own short story collection just makes me so happy! I hope you can keep encouraging others to write, and please, please, make an announcement video for when you decide to publish your book!

[@ClintLoweTube]

KiraKira Clover Confidence is over rated. Do the work and you will be fine.

[@ginge641]

What about a system where the soul is made out of concrete? Excuse me, I'm off to write that shit.

[@ShaelinWrites]

BRILLIANT

[@ginge641]

Well shit, I forgot I'd ever written this.

[@DrTomb]

Time to make the most melodramatic piece of art anyone’s ever seen

[@Rednodge_9]

looking forward to it.

[@PhoebeWritesFiction]

Great advice - I love that you always pinpoint such specific techniques :)

[@shaghayegh5711]

I love u, i always felt all of these flaws in my writings but wasnt consciously aware of them, they just bothered me. Hope i can write better from now on, love u❤

[@Eldorado1239]

There was anger in her soul. Even her dreams were full of anger. During day, all she could think of was her anger. She punched the wall, breaking two fingers and dislocating her shoulder. "I'm so angry!", she yelled as the volcano poured lava into the streets and a meteor hit Earth. Keep reading, there's a lot of suspense right now!

[@EarthenDemon126]

I disagree about the 'knowing your genre' part. I feel like restricting a piece of writing to a particular genre puts borders around your thinking and limits what can happen in your book. If anything, I think the genre label shall be applied after the book has been written, and not during.

[@garbledsand-which2321]

This.

[@shawnahern2341]

Like a d&d character alignment

[@Henbot]

That would be nice but a lot of Publishers dont do that and aim on genre first

[@leech1355]

Aw that was very cute outro music. Thanks for another great video Shae! Still very excited that you're back.

[@kristiemao4275]

I enjoy your writing videos so much. You're my favorite KZbin Booktuber. I've learned a lot watching them. I was actually worried about this topic in my writing this week.

[@ashtongaskill3980]

Glad to have your videos back!

[@leahgodson2319]

Wow; you just explained why some films make me feel like not watching! This will help me in my writing. Thank you Shaelin.

[@93maija]

One type of dreams I feel like can make sense in fictional stories, is the type of recurring dreams that everyone experience from time to time. Like when a character is going to do something important the following day. Doing a speach in front of lots of people, or getting up early to travel somewhere, and things like that, it would be completely logical for them to have dreams about oversleeping, miss the flight, forgetting their lines, etc. That's totally normal and totally relatable. If the dreams aren't described in full detail, I think it would be fine to just mention the general topic of it, and how they leave the character feeling super stressed and nervous.

[@glittergem5770]

The videos where you give writing advice are the best!

[@rachsmith3479]

I love your voice. ❤️

[@deffdefying4803]

Regarding subtext: I heard somewhere that you should make one sentence have the power of two.

[@Happy_Birthday_Videos]

Excellent points and delivery :)

[@bigeric23blog]

Your enthusiasm and passion really come across in this video-making you even more attractive. Outstanding work. ⭐️

[@bowtiesarecool1011]

thank u thank u!!! I'm writing a contemporary fiction romance/drame/murder mystery and am outlining/rough writing the scenes where my adult protagonist has to kill her father (who is the murderer) when he tries to kill her when he finds out she knows he did it. It is very emotional, but I don't want it to come off as melodramatic and it's all in the writing. These tips are super helpful as always

[@rawaneljack6575]

My MC is melodramatic intentionally, but this helped me with the narrative and the rest of the characters ❤️

[@safiurrehman3255]

This is the energy I want in every video 💯

[@thinginground5179]

Thank you for the wisdom, rudolph.

[@rubyelfcup9685]

Just wonderful. Thank you, Shaelin.

[@victoriablackwell1339]

This video is extremely helpful to me. I almost recognized some of these things myself, but after watching this video, it was more obvious. I am currently working on my first book, so I need this information. Thank you so much! I would recommend this video to all new writers.😁

[@sirdelrio]

Cliche lines feel melodramatic because, since they've been so over-used, whatever image/emotion they try to convey, it feels cheap and unearned, aka melodramatic.

[@Thagomizer]

I had a mentor in grad school who occasionally wrote "too dramatic" in the margins.

[@AnnaStock55]

I've missed your videos and your amazing advice! Thank you!

[@Alice82916]

Your advice helps me so much! Thank you❤️

[@aishwaryasrivastava6181]

I am on a ShaelinWrites Marathon today 😂

[@jge8144]

16:11 cute picture! The music goes with it.

[@KreativeHogwartsLegacyGUIDES]

I REALLY needed this video. I would say like if you agree, but yeah pretty much advice that we all need, and literally no one besides this video ever addresses it

[@shannonmurphy75]

That was actually advice from Stephen King: On the technique of writing, he said two things: "Keep your paragraphs short and end chapters on a cliffhanger". Think I'll take his advice, considering he's the best selling author in the history of the world.

[@James.Stark.Ben.Edition]

What if you want to write a soap opera on purpose?

[@starjones1]

James Stark: Ben Edition then add as much melodrama as you possibly can

[@yuuri9064]

Your videos are always so informative and entertaining! Great job! (P.S. I like the end music!)

[@tennisboy1314]

This was really helpful. Thanks, Shaelin.

[@lisarenfrow2676]

Thank you for your videos, they are helping me become a better writer.

[@fishschtick8985]

Very helpful! Glad you made this!

[@StellaDonna88]

lol I love this. Tbh, I'm a sucker for a dream sequence done well. Some of my favorite stories feature (or are about) dreams.

[@Mana_Ski]

I feel like I'm breaking all of these 🤣 (they do actually make sense in the context of my WIP)

[@justluc8556]

This is just what I need aha. I'm not a new writer but when I get excited about something in the story I find myself writing melodramatic 😂 Thanks for the great tips!

[@shaibaliqbal]

Melodrama is the opposite of a mellow drama, period :)

[@OktoberFilms]

Haha! Love a good rant and this was up there. Now... I agree. You probably wouldn’t start crying if your sister died. You’d start of being numb and void of emotions. Empty. Crying comes later, once you understand that she’s actually dead. You wouldn’t grasp that right away. Your sister isn’t supposed to die and your mind will protect you from the impact for a while. As for dreams. Ouch. My first novel was built around dreams, but then they were real. It’s just that the protagonist didn’t know until his life had fallen apart. Putting dreams into a Nordic Noir (someone called that novel that and I found it cool enough to repeat it whenever anyone asks... and even when they don’t) is kind of fun. No melodrama because everyone is cold inside, but trying to deal with being cold inside. Anyways, loved the video.

[@starjones1]

“Over the Top Reactions” What if the whole point of the story is the main character dealing with mental disorders that cause her to over-react/under-react at random times? Like, learning to over come this thing that is tearing apart her relationships and making her hate her humanity?

[@benwykes4736]

Well, I'd think that would be fine so long as the prose itself doesn't become melodramatic (unless it's first person, in which case it naturally would reflect thd character's overreactio).

[@fkdjdjcmckdjdjf3728]

~then this isn't about you~

[@Zwerggoldhamster]

You should learn sign language. Very easy to say 12 with just one hand ;)

[@pheonixrises11]

Zwerggoldhamster Ahhhhhhhhhh that makes sense

[@schleepy6362]

I think cliches feel melodramatic because some cliches (like the REALLY bad ones) are SO played out that we don't relate to the emotion they're trying to convey anymore. Like, "He looked like a deer in headlights" is one that doesn't make me imagine "OhmygodImabouttoDIE" like the phrase is TRYING to express, it just makes me imagine a literal deer in headlights. Cliches like that feel like something a writer turns to when they can't express the emotion proper on their own. To be convincing and EARN your emotion, it's best to be original and memorable.

[@evilgenius97]

I love dreaming i enjoyed hearing you dont like the dreams in stories dont plan on writing

[@sirensings2787]

so my story kicks off with a whole load of death (specifically a whole kingdom's death, but whatever). i'm torn between making the mc really upset over not being able to save them or just in shock- because on both sides, he never really knew his kingdom, he just fought with them in a few battles. _help please_

[@LadyOfTheEdits]

Make him shocked. This will make him relatable. I mean, would you cry over that?

[@greengrendel]

Where you had souls, my melodrama was all about eyes when I was a teen. The color of them, the expression, characters looking eachother in the eyes or avoiding them... lol. Just watch out for whatever your personal cliche is.

[@edenmckinley3472]

Great video. Definitely agree with you on the souls thing, although I don't think YA has an excuse to be overemotional just because the audience is. I am a teen writer and I have put a lot of effort into avoiding melodrama, but I still get contaminated with it. Melodrama would be a young man running from his sister's grave crying out that he will take revenge on whoever her murderer was, collapsing at a plot-important spot and weeping. It would be much more interesting to say something like this: I stared at the pool as I let the carnation's blushing petals slip from my fingers one at a time. They fluttered in the wind and landed on the glassy surface like paratroopers heading out for a mission. But as soon as they touched down, they just ... stopped. They weren't going anywhere; they had served their purpose. And that purpose was to look pretty for a day before we swept them into the trash. They would look prettier if they were white, I thought. Kristian had hated pink. I tossed the stem into the water, disrupting it's peaceful existence. Footsteps sounded behind me and I recognized the gait to be Dad's. He stopped, and I braced myself for the sigh that inevitably followed. "Danny," he said softly, "We're going back to the house, now." "Okay." "You coming? Or do you need a minute?" I wanted to tell him that I was fine. But neither Kristian nor I are good liars. Were. Were good liars. "The flowers should have been white," I said instead. "I told Mom, right before we met with the funeral coordinator, 'make sure the flowers are all white'." Dad sighed again, but not his usual frustrated or satisfied sigh. This one was empty of gusto. "Your mother's not in a good place right now." "Are any of us?" "Danny." I turned to look him in the eye. His hair was grayer than it had been last Christmas, the skin on his throat more shriveled. Or perhaps that had only happened in the past few days. Time had been funny lately. "Danny," he repeated. "Please come home. It's late." I was still. I wasn't sure what I waited for, and to this day I'm still not sure. But after sixty seconds, I nodded. We walked up the hill together, and the whole way I tried to scrub the pink petals from my vision. Not sure who these characters are or what's going on, but I would be interested to hear anyone's feedback on whether they think I've nailed it or not. I don't post my work anywhere online, so this is the first time I've ever opened up.

[@berryXjerry216]

I'm late, but the way you put it is pretty good. There is of course no subtext, but I understand it's just a one minute written text. I really hate melodrama too, especially in books and movies, but I don't know when to get the right feeling either. In fact, I completely avoid emotion just in case, so my heroes tend to be cold. Maybe because I myself am ashamed to feel and I just want to feel nothing, but anyway.😅 If you ever feel ready, you can make a Wattpad account and upload your work there. Trust me, it's a friendly community for all aspiring writers.

[@edenmckinley3472]

@@berryXjerry216 Thanks! I've never joined wattpad because I thought it was only for fanfiction. And yeah, there's not much subtext in the little blurb I wrote because I did it stream-of-consciousness and edited only to correct spelling mistakes.

[@thecornercreep9043]

This is a mood

[@elbazart]

Great video about a topic which a lot of young authors wrestle with. I would add that many times melodrama is the result of characters having an emotional moment too early in the story, before we have become invested in the story. Having the same exact moment later on could actually work , once it has been earned.

[@sn-rn4pv]

Good post! Literally updating. Thanx.

[@jamesblackwell5120]

Okay but... the first point is a bit hard to swallow... I mean... you trusted yourself that putting up all those tapestries was a good idea and we all know how that turned out...

[@ShaelinWrites]

SAVAGE AF

[@thezantgeneral677]

Moderation is the key to success.

[@FunkyJeff22]

Dreams are great in stories about internal conflict. They strip away all the unnecessary parts of the story and leave all that matters - the character and their conflict. Bonus if the dreams are super wild compared to the rest of the story.

[@commentercommentypants7904]

Oh, bless your heart. I'm hoping this helps me. I'm writing a novel at the moment where a woman spends her entire adult life on the run from a serial killer who kills those around her to torment her. She keeps wanting to kill herself, but most of her close family and friends have died trying to keep her safe. She's understandably a mess of guilt, terror, and pain, and that's how I want the character to be. I don't want her to sniffle sometimes -- I want her to show the very real mental issues that would develop under the circumstances. Still, I don't want her to be a "woe is me" character whose literal existence revolves around sorrow and fear. I want her to be broken, but still trying to find something to live for, and to have that drive to actually LIVE rather than just survive lead her to finally kill the man who's been torturing her for decades and continue on. However, I keep getting the horrible, creeping feeling as I write that she's coming across as frustratingly mopey, overly dramatic, and boring, even though both me and the people I've had read it don't see that. Either this will help me fix the issue or chill on it.

[@a_good_rat]

Yessss thank you for this 🙏💕

[@Pinkstarclan]

I think the reason (or one of the reasons) why cliches come off as melodramatic is bc melodrama means that the emotions of the characters are unearnedly intense compared to the readers'. With cliches, we've seen them before, so we're desensitized. So while a cliche for a /character/ is a brand-new event happening to them or a phrase they genuinely feel fits, and their emotions react accordingly, for the readers, it's brushed over like any visual noise.

[@rowan404]

My protagonist sobs loudly on several occasions because that’s what I do when I have a meltdown and I want to normalize it.

[@triniferrari1395]

ALL THIS CONTENT THE INTERNET IS QUAKING (also, I'm definitely guilty of melodrama, and I've been thinking lately about how to make my work more subtle so the timing of this video couldn't be more perfect ❤)

[@thebraxtonater8466]

My first book is cringy. Lol. I wrote it when I was a freshman and published in the summer before sophmore year. Book 1 is too much action 😂

[@Henbot]

I get the point about dreams, though I think it can be done very well myself like in The Witcher and ASOFAI. Loved Twin Peaks approach to dreams and Lynch