Caitriona Lynch

Business Promoter. Start-up supporter, Advisory. Entrepreneurship advocate.

[Business For Biodiversity Ireland @BizBioIrl]

Thanks to all who attended the first Business For Biodiversity Ireland Forum for our member businesses online last week.

Log in to our site to suggest topics for the next quarterly catch-up to be held in person, invitations coming soon!

Join up today: https://t.co/KJhJc45lEq

[Natural Capital Ireland @NatCap_Irl]

Join the members forum for step-by-step guidance on a #BiodiversityStrategy for your business, access a library of resources & workshops, ask pressing questions & discuss private sector challenges of taking #ActionsForNature #BusinessForBiodiversity #BizBioForum #BizBioIrl

[Caitriona Lynch @cllynch]

Wow! I knew it!!

[Eoghan Collins @etmcollins]

Hot Take: Plot-Twists Should be Obvious
#WritingCommunity #amwriting
Wait! I have a reason for this if you give me less than 5 minutes.

Think about the worst plot twists you've seen. Normally we like a good plot-twist, but most bad plot twists have one thing in common: They come completely out of nowhere.

Imagine if Harry Potter woke up at the end of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone! That would have ruined an otherwise greatly loved story.

Instead, if the reader is paying attention, they should have been able to see the plot-twist coming, or at least understand it in hindsight.

My favourite plot-twists had me kicking myself for not seeing them coming.

So what can we learn from this?

FORESHADOW, FORESHADOW, FORESHADOW
- A fact stated at the start that you forgot about (First line of The Well of Ascension (#mistborn) by @BrandSanderson)
- A little problem that was overshadowed by the main events (Things not quite adding up in Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie)
- A seemingly insignificant detail that turns out to be crucial (Spider from another universe #SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse)

However, I think there's more to a good plot-twist than this.
The plot-twist needs pay-off.
- Kick into high-gear (realising this is way bigger than it seemed)
- Up the emotions (Darth Vader is Luke's father?!)
- Awe (Okay, that was really impressive reasoning)
- Satisfaction (Aha! I knew it!)

I hope you got some value from this post.

If you'd like to learn more about this idea, you can check out my blog post: https://t.co/w7MRefLy9k

And if you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, you can help me really quickly by:
1. Liking and replying to boost this post
2. Following for more creative writing content
3. Having a great day!

[Caitriona Lynch @cllynch]

Excellent post. How do you say cool??!

[Eoghan Collins @etmcollins]

Fantasy languages seem like worldbuilding overkill to some

But we’re writers, so we make them 🫡

The method is easy, only 5ish steps
However, the specifics can get as difficult as you like (uneasy glance at JRR-Tolkien)

Step 1. Make a document – this is your dictionary 📕

Step 2 (optional). Decide on grammar – English grammar? Gendered nouns? Subject-Action-Noun? Do some research to see all the options, if you’re interested

Step 3. Make some tables – 1 for pronouns, another for verbs, another for nouns, and another for specials (you can do numbers too if you like them, but they just make me self-conscious of my word counts)
Step 3.5. Use font-makers to make an alphabet/logograph/syllabary for your language
Credit - u/just-a-melon ^

Step 4. Write, and whenever you need to write something in Awesome Fantasy Language™, then write it, and add those words to your dictionary, so you can reference back and increase consistency.
Step 4.5. If you need a little help, Chat-GPT can chip in to answer questions and give some vocab, but this isn't nearly as good as doing it yourself

Step 5. Realise you’re nowhere closer to finishing your book, but hey, at least you can now say “I have not met my word count goals” in Awesome Fantasy Language™, right?

If you enjoyed this tweet or found it helpful, consider:
1. Liking and replying
2. Following for more writing content
3. Checking out the blog post I made on the same topic, with far more information for you to enjoy: https://t.co/MGMaDrudim

[Caitriona Lynch @cllynch]

This book is going to be epic!! @etmcollins

[Eoghan Collins @etmcollins]

Stories. They connect us, let us understand each other. They are one of the purest forms of art

But writing is hard.

So I'm writing a story with you, here and now. I'm going to talk you through my writing process and help you learn the art of storytelling.
Let's Write a Book!

Today we're doing characters. Make sure to tell me what you think and offer book title suggestions in the comments!
If you'd rather a version with more images and a different layout, away from the shackles of Twitter, you can check out my blog post:https://t.co/28vVu96O3K

I’m going to be writing a story with all of you and walking you through the process. Step by step. I will show you the thought processes and methods I use at each point in this journey, giving you a really close up look at the creative process.

In this post we’re going to start with a premise and over the course of several posts we’re going to write and develop an impressive story. Make sure you read the whole thing, because I will show you all the steps needed to make a brilliant narrative and we won't stop until we have made something beautiful. Without further ado, let's dig into this!

Okay, here’s the idea, to begin with:

2 POV characters:

There will be a battle of wills. Some pacifists will become warriors, some will stand by person A. In the end, we will end with a poem, as the pacifists are killed by the enemy. The poem was said at the start, but is given context by the events of the story. Woman B will either die trying to protect them or mourn them. Neither woman is right, neither is wrong. They both lived life and learned from each other. They both doubt themselves, but hold to their beliefs. This is a story, but not a fable.

The story will probably change later, but it’s what we have for now, boiled down to its essentials. It’s probably worth mentioning that this is a fantasy story and will have worldbuilding and magic, so stay tuned for that.

But how did I come up with this?

Well, sometimes I like to browse Pinterest, looking at art and pictures of nature. Sometimes I like to just let my mind drift. Other times, writing prompts or elements of stories I’m reading can help produce an idea. However, my biggest tip for coming up with great story ideas is this:

GET A NOTEBOOK.

Get a notebook. A real, physical notebook. Not your phone or laptop or anything like that. A real notebook. A cheap one, but one that feels nice to write in. Find one that works for you. I personally don’t like ones with lined paper or detailed covers, but everyone is different.
Next, when you’ve got that notebook, whenever you daydream or an idea occurs to you in whatever mushy, half-baked form it comes, write it down. The act of writing down the idea helps solidify it in your mind, and allows it to develop into something interesting.

Sometimes this solidification gives you a full story. Other times you’ll need to take a character from last week, a world from three months ago, and a plot you’ve just come up with. Either way, the act of writing down your ideas is more effective for generating brilliant ideas than anything else.

This is my notebook. It’s filled with ideas. Some link, some don’t. It’s a bit of a mess, but that doesn’t really matter, because aside from names, dates, and other specifics, writing down the ideas and plots means I don’t forget them and they can continue to develop in my mind, not simply vanishing as ideas do.

Anyway, back to our story. Time to make the characters.

Step 1. Names, descriptions, and personalities

I’ll use two different methods for the names. The first, for woman A, will be https://t.co/mIaDoaRpCI.

And from this, we got “Shima” (She-muh), a Navajo name which means mother, but the meaning isn’t super relevant for this story, as it’s set in a fantastical world where America doesn’t exist.

For woman B, I will use ol’reliable:

Keyboard smash:

Sdjlf –> Sajlif
Ntjnd –> Natund
Ejtng –> Eitin
Maour –> Maouri
Lejoxzeih –> Lozeih

As you can see from my examples, it doesn’t always give a great name, but I like the name Lozeih, which we can simplify to Lozei (low-zay).

Next, we’ll get some descriptions and presonalities. For these I’m mixing two things.

The first is I’m taking the general image of the character that has devloped in my mind and trying to transfer that to a description.

The other thing I’m doing is going on google and looking up certain ideas. Certain groups of people, certain appearances, and trying to work those into what I’m writing, taking a moment to sit there and imagine what the character would look like.

Another technique that I sometimes use is looking up a bunch of traits, articles of clothing, and emotions and make tab groups so I can flick between the different characteristics of a character and see what fits and what doesn’t.

And finally, taking traits from people you know irl can be handy too.

I like to make my characters seem interesting from the get-go, whether that’s with unique descriptions, personalities, or hobbies. I hope I’ve achieved that here.

(Note that the images aren't 100% accurate, especially for Lozei, who is definitely older than the image and her clothing is different)

Shima
Physical:
I’m imagining Shima as having light-brown skin and braided hair that goes from blonde at the ends to a darker brown than her skin at the roots – naturally, of course, as it’s fantasy.  to She is a little short, but when she feels passionate about something, she projects the presence of someone twice her size. She wears a pearl ring on her right hand (which is missing a finger from a childhood accident, and caloused from farm work), and fidgets with the ring when nervous. She generally wears colourful, layered clothes, generally a blouse and wide trousers, which is the norm for most members of the community, both male and female.

Personality:

She is witty, when comfortable, and though she’s uncomfortable speaking before people, she forces herself to work as hard as she can to take her father’s place. She is also angry. No serene pacifist. She hates the people that killed her father and hates her god for being so unfair, while loving it at the same time. However, this hate and anger only makes her cling to her religion and morals more vehemently.

Lozei
Physical:
Lozei is an imposing figure. Big, well built, certainly a match for most of the men who once served under her command. She keeps her black hair short. Her skin is a little darker than Shima’s. She wears a dark sturdy linen shirt with leather bracers, a belt, and a shoulder belt (a baldric for those versed in such terms), along with sturdy trousers and worn boots. Actually, her outfit looks a little like Link's champion's leather's in the new Zelda game, but in a dark green or something.

Personality:

Lozei may seem like a rock, but she is just straining to protect the people around her, sometimes to a fault. She speaks gruffly, but get her drunk or tell a good joke, and you’ll hear a laugh heartier than any other. She also has a soft spot for animals, and while she eats meat, she says a prayer for the animal before eating.

Step 2. Relationships

A lot of people will tell you that relationships are all about emotions and that kind of mushy stuff.

They’re lying to you.

Relationships are about logic. Cold, hard logic. And that’s how I like to approach character relationships.

Okay, I’m exaggerating a little bit, but there is a lot of logic to building character relationships.
Shima is lovely and lives in a community and stuff, so she’s friends with loads of people, whereas talking to Lozei is like talking to a wall (minor exaggeration).
Because of this, Lozei has fewer close relationships.
However, there’s a bit more to it than that. Think of how and why certain relationships would develop.
This helps deepen and develop your characters into people who feel real.
Also, consider the plot. Do you need people to die? Do you need someone to open up from being an icy fortress? These all inform the way you build your relationships.

It's kind of like this:

Lozei is a bit of a lone wolf, (comes from the whole macho warrior thing) although she does have her loyal steed, Arit (the whole soft spot for animals thing), meaning “Wings” in this world’s equivalent of Latin.

Shima, on the other hand, is part of a large, diverse community, so her relationships won’t get images or descriptions, because otherwise we’d be here all day. You can read the descriptions when the story starts being written. Her relationships include:

Shima's father (deceased) – Arfa

-He was a kind, gentle man, who had to raise Shima without a partner, although he had help from the community, especially the priest and his sister
- He taught Shima most things she knows, from farming, to foraging, to reading the weather, to navigating

Shima's best friend – Ahurai

- Shima has a crush on Ahurai
- They used to play silly pranks on the priest and many of the other community members
- Ahurai has always struggled to remain peaceful, with her anger always being more violent than most
-She was taken in by the community after her parents died of a fever

The Priest - Venchi

- A stern man, disapproving of change
- He always has a lecture to counter a jokeHe is earnest and wants to help people. That’s why he learns medicine from everyone who passes through the community.
- He also left once, to apprentice to a doctor
- Taught Shima basic first aid, and instilled a firm belief in their religion

Shima's aunt – Malgua

- Mother of six
- No nonsense, but very caring
- Incredible cook, although she doesn’t often get time to make what she’d like to
Taught Shima to sew and weave

Step 3. Goals

We kind of set this up already, but we should lay these out clearly in order to get a better picture of what we’re doing. Goals are formed from a mixture of the idea-farming we did earlier and a little bit of logic now. Also, make sure to expand a little on who your character is with these. Give them some depth and some room to grow.

Shima: Protect her people and land, as long as it follows her religion, because for her people that is the most important thing in their lives. However, she cares for them. Cares so much she cries at night from the pressure and how scary it is to be fighting people with powerful weapons and magic when they can’t fight back. -> PROTECT: PEOPLE, LAND, RELIGION

This is the big goal, although she will have more laid along the story. That’s plot.

Lozei: Redeem herself. Recover her honour and prove that she can win battles, even with the worst soldiers possible. However, as she gets to know Shima and her people, her goals become more personal. She can’t let these people die. She has to show them that they have what it takes to survive and has to make them stand up for themselves. This is more important than any honour. -> REDEMPTION, HONOUR, SALVATION

This story is really shaping up. I'm really excited to keep writing this with you. I would love to get some suggestions and feedback regarding the story.

Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out, because in the next post, we will be worldbuilding! We will craft a world that lives and breathes, inside, around, and beyond our story, while also providing a firm thematic base from which to explore our characters and their beliefs.

And finally, I'd like to thank denamorado on Freepik for the background to the thumbnail image.

[Caitriona Lynch @cllynch]

Really great analysis @etmcollins #magic

[Eoghan Collins @etmcollins]

Magic is crucial in fantasy writing

Hard Magic (exemplified by @BrandSanderson’s Mistborn) is popular, but Soft Magic can be just as good or better

Today, I will make the case for Soft Magic Systems. A thread 🧵
#writing #WritingCommmunity

[Caitriona Lynch @cllynch]

Great insights @BrandSanderson @etmcollins

[Eoghan Collins @etmcollins]

I love the “Ideals” in “The Stormlight Archive” by Brandon Sanderson
Here is my (spoiler-free) analysis of how Sanderson uses these Ideals to seamlessly weave together character development and plot progression
A thread 🧵

[Caitriona Lynch @cllynch]

Sage advice @etmcollins

[Eoghan Collins @etmcollins]

Writing a novel is hard and there’s no write (pun intended) way to do it. That is why, for a change, today I want to share 5 Tips For How NOT to Write a Book, based on my personal experience
A thread 🧵
#WritingCommmunity #WritingTips

[Caitriona Lynch @cllynch]

@QCompounding Free course

[Compounding Quality @QCompounding]

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3️⃣ Reply 'free course' below

[Coding Ireland @codingireland]

Our founder @joycealan opening remarks at the @instgc National Conference at @atu_ie. Alan spoke about the inspirational moment when a student runs their first piece of #code and how crucial it is to prepare students with #digitalskills for the future.

#STEM #IGC2023

[Caitriona Lynch @cllynch]

@heyBarsee Free

[Caitriona Lynch @cllynch]

Not too late for a great gift idea and, perhaps, an investment in all our futures
#entrepreneurship #codingforkids #codinglife #futureisanattitude https://t.co/dcm2JzcJYk

[Caitriona Lynch @cllynch]

Fascinating

[Johnny Robinson @SqueegeeGod]

How to Generate 100+ Leads/Mo For Your Home Service Business!

We filmed a 30-min training inside of our Home Service Academy detailing our FB ads framework that's responsible for generating over 50K+ leads.

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(Must be Following)

[Ollscoil na Gaillimhe | University of Galway @uniofgalway]

Some news!

We are changing our name✍️

Our university has been at the heart❤️of our beautiful city since 1845 – we are becoming Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway #UniversityofGalway

[Eoghan Collins @etmcollins]

#Writerslift I don’t do these often, but let’s see if you can help me reach 50 followers

Dear #author thank you! Here is my #ShamelessSelfpromoSaturday that I can serve you. Share your #links, #art, #blogs, or join to say hello.

#WritingCommunity!
#FF #RT #Like

[Caitriona Lynch @cllynch]

What’s your vote?

[Eoghan Collins @etmcollins]

New homemade book cover!
These are fun to make and here you go!
#WritingCommunity #amwriting #writing #art

[Eoghan Collins @etmcollins]

I’ve seen a lot of #writerslift tweets popping up so I decided to hop on the band wagon.
Post your books, poems, short stories, WIPs, anything, and I’ll #FolloForFolloBack
Let’s get a nice writerslift going, I look forward to seeing what you have
#WritingCommunity

[Eoghan Collins @etmcollins]

Okay, good, I’ve been wondering where my love life went wrong…

This is the guy whose main character carved out the heart of his girlfriend…

EVEN BETTER!

Unironically, though, this seems like it will be a lot of fun
@DerekLandy #WritingCommunity #ValentinesDay