Stars

Book reviews, tips and tricks for writing will be found on my blog. My opinions are not always popular but I’ll only tolerate respectful discussions if you have a different opinion. This is only advice. Not a war page.

[transmutetheblankpage]

GUIDE: NAMING A TOWN OR CITY

This post was originally from a FAQ, but since the original link is now defunct, I am re-posting it here.

There are many things to keep in mind when naming the town or city in your novel:

1) Genre/Theme/Tone

It’s very important to consider the genre and theme of your story when choosing a town name. Take these names for example, each of which indicates the genre or theme of the story: King’s Landing (sounds fantastical) Cloud City (sounds futuristic) Silent Hill (sounds scary) Sweet Valley (sounds happy and upbeat) Bikini Bottom (sounds funny) Radiator Springs (sounds car-related) Halloween Town (sounds Halloween-related) Storybrooke (sounds fairytale-related) 2) Time/Place It’s also important to consider the time and place where your story takes place. For example, you wouldn’t use “Vista Gulch” as a name for a town in Victorian England. You probably wouldn’t use it for a town in modern day North Carolina, either. Vista is a Spanish word and would normally be found in places where Spanish names are common, like Spain, Central and South America, the southwest United States (including southern California), Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Florida. 3) Size/Settlement Type An isolated town of 300 people probably won’t be Valley City, but a sprawling metropolis of 30 million could be called Windyville, because it could have started out as a small town and grew into a large city. 4) Geography Words like gulch, butte,and bayou tend to be regional terms. You probably wouldn’t find Berle’s Bayou in Idaho, or Windy Butte in Rhode Island. Words like mount, cape, and valley are dependent upon terrain. Most of the time, you won’t have a town named “mount” something unless there are hills or mountains nearby. You wouldn’t use “cape” unless the town was on a cape, which requires a large body of water. 5) History Is there a historical person or event that your town might be named after? The Simpsons’ hometown of Springfield is ironically named after its founder, Jebediah Springfield. Chattanooga, Tennessee is named after the Cherokee town that was there first. Nargothrond, in The Lord of the Rings, is an Elvish town with an Elvish name. 6) Combination of Words

person name + geographical term = Smithfield, Smith Creek

group name + geographical term = Pioneer Valley, Settlers’ Ridge

descriptive word + geographical term = Mystic Falls, Smoky Hill

person name + settlement type = Smithton, Claraville

landmark + settlement type = Bridgton, Beaconville

Word Lists

Types of Settlements

Geographical Features

Place Words

Common Suffixes

Other Descriptors

[agwitow]

Winter Doesn't Equal Dead and Dormant

I’ve seen a few things talking about how fall and winter are the time when life-driven beings/characters would struggle because everything dies and/or goes dormant. But that’s not true!

Plants that remain active during winter:

Spruce trees (and other evergreens)

Wintergreen boxwood

Sweet box

Mock rush

Holly

Plants that bloom during the winter:

Winterberries

Snowdrops

Witchhazel

Camellia

Christmas rose

Animals that remain active during the winter:

Arctic fox

Shrews and deer mice

Caribou

Lynx

Polar bear

Snow leopard

Penguins

North American river otter

Chickadee

Animals that give birth during the winter:

Bears

Squirrels

Badgers

Instead of portraying fall and winter as the time when our nature-based characters became lethargic, depressed, and/or distant, why don’t we show them being playful and incapable of sitting still? Or constantly baking, eating, and socializing. They could be extra flirty/frisky. They could be loud and jovial. Maybe they wear bright splashes of colour (like red, green, bright orange) to ‘pop’ against the snow. Maybe they get bit by the travel bug. There are lots of different ways for nature-based characters to behave!

Just something to keep in mind ^.^

[inebriatednovelist-deactivated2]

“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very,‘ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” -Mark Twain

[all-things-writing-101]

Writing tip of the day.

1. Listen to music! I can’t tell you how much this helps me with setting a scene.

2. Listen to audiobooks. Doing this can help improve your writing, that way you can strengthen your characters voice.

3. Write down ideas on paper wherever you are. Or in the notes in your phone.

[all-things-writing-101]

Writing tip for characters reactions.

1. Make sure you’re characters are developed enough. If you can make them as realistic, or as tangible as possible, you’re going to have less trouble writing their reactions.

2. Give them opposite traits. Have a shy character? Make them have an arrogant side. Have a selfish character? Give them something they will share. No one is one sided.

3. Give them enough time. If you’re character experienced heartbreak, they’re not going to get over it over night. That’s not only realistic, but it’s insulting. You need to give your character reasonable time to truly feel something. This will give the story the depth required to be true.

[the-right-writing]

Things almost every author needs to research

How bodies decompose

Wilderness survival skills

Mob mentality

Other cultures

What it takes for a human to die in a given situation

Common tropes in your genre

Average weather for your setting

[clevergirlhelps]

yoooo

How bodies decompose

Wilderness survival skills

Mob mentality

Other cultures

What it takes for a human to die in a given situation

Common tropes for your genre

Average weather for your setting

[candy-m-s-deactivated20180720]

Where has this been when I needed it???

[kiramartinauthor]

how do i know when to use -, –, or —? i know the short one is for between words (like twenty-two) but i’m not sure how to know which length to use when writing it into the sentence (i hope i phrased that right??). are there rules? does it matter?

You’re going to be able to find a lot more in depth answer here. But the short of it is:

- : This is a hyphen.

– : This is an en-dash.

— : This is an em-dash.

The hyphen is used to connect words, like you say. Ex: Twenty-two, ex-boyfriend.

The en-dash is used in the context of a span of time. Ex: 1996–2018, February–March.

The em-dash is used when inserting a thought. Ex: He wouldn't—couldn't—go home.

Good question! Hope this helps 😊

[theinformationdump]

Body Language Cheat Sheet for Writers

As described by Selnick’s article:

Author and doctor of clinical psychology Carolyn Kaufman has released a one-page body language cheat sheet of psychological “tells” (PDF link) fiction writers can use to dress their characters.

[lunarmoment]

Because I realize all my characters do is look at each other and have their eyebrows shoot up. Sometimes they even lower their eyebrows too!

[tfota-incorrectquotes-blog]

Taryn: The best revenge really is being nice.

Jude, unsheathing Nightfell: Or murder.

[all-things-writing-101]

Writing tip for characters reactions.

1. Make sure you’re characters are developed enough. If you can make them as realistic, or as tangible as possible, you’re going to have less trouble writing their reactions.

2. Give them opposite traits. Have a shy character? Make them have an arrogant side. Have a selfish character? Give them something they will share. No one is one sided.

3. Give them enough time. If you’re character experienced heartbreak, they’re not going to get over it over night. That’s not only realistic, but it’s insulting. You need to give your character reasonable time to truly feel something. This will give the story the depth required to be true.

[callitgoodwriting-deactivated20]

The Five Senses [Extended Edition]

I’m not talking about a sixth sense (or am I??) Here is most everything a character can be aware of:

Volume

Rhythm/Pattern

Smell

Touch

Pressure

Friction

Time

Sight

Taste

Color

Depth

Relative sizes

Sound

Pitch

Tone

Personal emotion

Awareness of awareness

Heartbeat

Gravity

Motion of self

Exterior motion

Body position

Temperature

Balance

Muscle tension

Energy

Moisture/humidity

Sound direction

Reality

Group emotions

Consciousness level

Pain

Perception of conclusions

Perception of imagination

Awareness of not knowing

Awareness of others

Awareness of location

[all-things-writing-101]

Mystery writing tips.

1. Think outside the box. Anything is possible with fiction.

2. Keep the tone of your story consistent. Often, mysteries may initially start out as the genre states but then turn into something else. Don’t do that. Keep everything running smooth.

3. Timing is everything. The big reveal has to be timed perfectly. This takes a lot of practice. A rule of thumb, usually it’s best to reveal the deadly truth when the characters are weakest or at their breaking point.

4. Don’t cheat. If you’re story isn’t fantasy, don’t use supernatural elements in mysteries. That will make your audience feel foolish and it will lose all creativity.

5. Study real mysteries and crimes. The best way to add realism is to use real life events! Study what happens during investigations. Study human reactions. This is all very important.

6. Don’t make the novel too long. Sometimes mysteries can be short stories. If you have everything planned but once you get to a certain page or word count, things may start to drag out. Simply put, you may need to shorten the story.

7. Pick your point of view carefully. This is my most important tip. This will make or break your story. Write a few test chapters in each point of view if you have too. See which one harnesses your vision.

[all-things-writing-101]

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. Review.

My rating is a solid 3.5 star.

I found this book compelling. My favorite aspect was the parental figures and the relationship between Madoc and Jude.

I enjoyed the characters, Jude held my interest because she isn’t a good person, she longs to be like her gaurdian and often has violent thoughts. I also enjoyed her sister Vivi, who’s rebellion brought smiles to my face.

Carden was amusing and I’m a sucker for a good ol cute guy with tragic family history.

Now for my cons. I found the story to be inconsistent. It didn’t always flow smoothly from plot point, which was difficult to even register. Events just happened. Without any backbone. I also found the storyline with Locke unnecessary.

But I’m excited for the second novel. I have strong faith this series is going to be a good one.

[all-things-writing-101]

Prepare yourselves for book reviews.

My reviews will be very thorough and honest, most likely will contain controversial opinions.

Coming soon.

[all-things-writing-101]

Fantasy tip.

Try not to over complicate the magic system when planning. This can very easily stump you. Start small and the gradually add layers.

Writing is a process and outlining is no exception.

[the-writers-small-corner]

Alternative words

Source: pinterest

[all-things-writing-101]

Writing advice.

How to strengthen your plot and characters.

1. Don’t always follow advice.

I know...I have a advice blog. But my tips won’t always work for you. Neither will others work for me all the time. The point of advice and tips is to simply help you with your own strengths. Simply put, not everyone is going to be good at writing certain things or genres.

2. Evaluate a book you neither hate or love.

An issue I’m seeing with trying to write a book correcting or taking a stance against a book or a theme you hate is that, you will most likely create a plot hole or write something that sounds like a fairytale.

Popular books are popular for a reason. They follow a certain formula so it’s good to really study that. But taking a book that you feel neutral or meh about can be an advantage. What would you do to fix what you don’t like? How would you write the story?

This forces you to think critically. And being critical, makes it easier to fix a problem.

3. Don’t mislead with your selected genre.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read a book that completely misinformed me. Where a fantasy genre is clearly promised and yet? Hardly any mystical events take place. This is a very bad mistake.

This misleads your audience. Make a choice and follow the formula with the genre.

4. Young adult or New Adult?

Okay. Controverisy time. I have heard so many people criticize Young Adult fiction for being unhealthy, problematic and simply don’t want to read about teenagers.

Let me tell you something by someone who’s read hundreds of adult books. They are equally if not worse, of those criticisms. People claim to be too old to write young adult and then write their stories without any depth, character development or any stand out qualities.

My point is this. Write what you WANT! My book has adults, dark themes such as mental health untreated, victims of abuse, disturbing characters. All of these characters are over the age of twenty.

But I don’t write language or sexual themes. So clearly, I can write mature, adult characters but without the uncomfortable unnecessary things in typical adult fiction.

5. Realism.

Say I’m wrong but it’s time to get real. Books are fictional. Don’t claim that it’s bad to lead people into believing something is okay but then quickly say it’s fictional when people get attached. Not cool and very hypocritical.

Characters are people written in a fictional world that doesn’t exist. That is the truth. It’s a story. You can’t form an opinion on something you haven’t even read.

If you want realism in a book there’s a genre called Nonfiction.

These are all my own opinions but I’m really tired of seeing people bash one another for their own personal likes. We should help one another not make each other feel bad.