Story Development Assistance

Hi, its TheDorkOmen again! This blog will be all the things I've learned and found out about developing my stories!! I hope that this helps you but remember: Everyone's writing process is different. What helps me might not help you! But I can still try!

[the-citrus-scale]

1. Introduce Your Main Character (MC) Your reader needs to know who the MC is because it helps them interpret the things that happen to them. Ideally, you want to introduce your MC’s name, gender, age range, and disposition as early as possible—at least on the first page, if not the first paragraph. Please note that this doesn’t mean listing all these things off—no expository paragraphs of description, and, heaven forbid, DO NOT have your character look into a mirror and list off their physical features. Work it piecemeal into the action and dialogue tags. Get creative. 2. Set Expectations You need to let your reader know what kind of story this is going to be. Will your MC have a snarky inner monologue throughout the book? Then your first paragraph better end with a sarcastic one-liner. Will there be a lot of swearing or gore? You better showcase that on the first page so the reader knows what they’re getting into. Basically, you don’t want to ambush them with these things later. Not only does this give readers who won’t like your style an early cue that this isn’t their type of book (you don’t want them, anyway, trust me), it also gives people who WILL gel with your style a reason to keep reading. 3. Start with Action Seriously. Start as close to the inciting incident as you can—start as it’s happening, if possible. Don’t worry about explaining everything. A little mystery keeps readers invested. –> Continued at thewritersaurus.com

[thewritershandbook]

© (c ) copyright 1990-2011 Rebecca Sinclair

See the original HERE

[mechanicalriddle]

HEY DUDES I MADE THIS FILLABLE go check it out!! i also tweaked the pronouns to make it more inclusive! enjoy~

@thewritershandbook

[thewritershandbook]

Thank you @mechanicalriddle ! Looks Great! :)

[wingsy-keeper-of-songs]

@mechanicalriddle you are the true MVP. Thank you so very much!

[kaleido-scopophobia]

Surreal Body Horror Prompts

• You’ve never seen anyone else who has eyes. You think you might be the only one. You haven’t mentioned it to anyone.

• You go into a polluted lake. A few days later, you notice your veins look darker under your skin. Your blood feels oily.

• You find a full human skin on the side of the road. It looks fresh. The bones and muscles are all removed—it’s only skin. There’s no blood and no cuts.

• Every morning, you wake up with your mouth full of loose teeth. You’ve already grown new ones, though your starting to wonder if the loose ones were ever yours.

• You vomit hatched insect eggs one night. You have a strange crawling sensation in your stomach.

[hgk477]

How to explore the hotel at night

You’ve known the odd feeling you have when you traverse the halls of the hotel at night all your life. It is the other realm calling to you, you are just going about it wrong. Do not attempt if you are on the 4th floor.

Wait until it is after midnight, but before 3 am. Never leave your room at 3 am.

Be sure to have your keycard, you will need it to return safely. Take nothing else with you, they will steal it.

Put your hand on the door, and pray for a safe journey. It is not necessary, but it helps.

Exit the room with confidence. They will be watching.

Walk to one end of the hallway. Do not turn around, they are examining you.

Face the window and thank the moon for joining you. She will be your guardian; she will watch over you.

With the moon protecting you, count to three and turn around. You will immediately notice that the lights have dimmed. Do not be afraid, you have simply been accepted into the realm.

Walk slowly to the elevator. It will feel like you are walking through a thick syrup, but it is only the beings of the other realm greeting you.

Once inside, you will see the control panel will have multiple buttons to choose from. Never go to the 4th floor unless the moon has instructed you to do so.

You may explore wherever you please. Feel free to use all of your eight senses. You are welcomed as long as you do not take anything with you. Time has no meaning here, but it is up to you to remember it.

When you are ready to leave, return to the elevator.

Once inside, your heart will know the way home. Press the button and return to your floor.

Without turning around, exit the elevator on your floor and return to your room. They will say goodbye with a parting gift in your back pocket, but do not look at it.

Before entering your room, thank them for allowing you into their realm, and thank the moon for safe passage. Enter the room.

Go immediately to sleep, you will wake up in your own realm. The gift will be in your memories, so cherish it, whatever it might be.

Never return unless the moon commands it.

More guides

Making tea: a guide

A guide on how to befriend the woods. You will not regret it

If you are a researcher or adventurer and want to share a guide, join our subreddit!

[kaleido-scopophobia]

Some more body horror prompts

• The grass has had an unusually hair-like texture recently.

• Someone was decapitated a month ago. They haven’t stopped breathing.

• Someone in your town is selling his own skin as leather.

• You have to leave a cup of your blood under your bed every night. Every morning, it’s empty.

• Your sink always runs red for several seconds after you turn it on. The walls are leathery and strangely warm. The carpet sheds, but more grows back. You hear strange breathing at night.

[nonstandardrepertoire]

United States Road Trip Gothic

the ice tea is Different here. you try to remember the various regionalisms — is there sugar? lemon? caffeine? — but you’re right on the border between two zones. (you are always right on the border between two zones.) the beverage that finally comes is acrid and smoky, and you drink it while actively trying not to examine it any more closely

the burgers, on the other hand, are exactly the same. this diner calls it something different, something special, something unique, but it is the same burger you had last night, which was also called something different, something special, something unique. not the same as that burger, but exactly the same burger. you have eaten this burger every night of your life. you look around at the other diners and wonder if each of you has your own burger, or if you are all, every single one of you, biting down perpetually into one eternal, ever-recycled meal

the speed limit is dropping, as tho you are coming to a town. you would like to find a town. you are tired, your car needs gas, and you could use a break. the speed limit drops from 70 to 55, 45, 30, 25. you have not passed a welcome sign. the speed limit is 10. the road stretches ahead, shimmering under the sun, the landscape around it barren and desolate. the speed limit is 5

you are on a meandering back road between two nowheres. inexplicably, there is a heavy truck in front of you. there is nowhere to pass for miles and miles, until at last you reach a long flat stretch and zip around, zoom ahead. you turn the next corner, and find another truck in your way. it is the same truck

the highway you are traveling along somehow carries routes going in all four cardinal directions at once. you try to remember whether you were aiming for the state route or the interstate, but all the signs seem to be for county roads. did you need to go west or north across Nebraska anyway? you try to gauge your direction from the angle of the sun, but it is shrouded in impenetrable clouds

there are police cars studded every ten miles along this road, crudely hidden behind foliage, around bends. as you pass one — slowly — you look inside and notice there is no one. it is a shell, a malevolent carapace, a scarecrow designed to slow down rather than speed up flight. the husks increase in density until there are vast, glittering piles on either side of the roadway, blocking out any view of the landscape beyond. the drivers with local plates are doing 90 in a 65

you see a sign giving the distance to the next town. it’s an hour away. you drive on, and twenty minutes later, you see another sign giving the distance to that town. it is still an hour away. it has been an hour away for as long as you can remember

it is day seven of your trip. it is not actually day seven of your trip, but every morning you tell yourself it is, because seven seems like a nice number. you’ve still got a few days to go on day seven, but by day seven, surely the bulk of the driving is behind you. surely, you tell yourself. the bulk of the driving. behind you. that’s what it means to be on day seven, which is the day you are on. if you are cheerful enough in your morning humming, you sometimes forget that you told yourself this yesterday as well, and that you are already planning to tell it to yourself again tomorrow

there is road work ahead

[inky-duchess]

Fantasy Guide to Common Poisons

Poison is one of the best ways of dispatching a character, political enemy, unwanted spouse or annoying neighbours. Here are some of the top interesting poisons and if you don’t choose any, I’ll be adding a post on how to create your own poison. Please don’t kill anybody in real life (there I think that covers the legal side). Let’s kill some characters.

Nightshade

Or as it is more commonly referred to as Belladonna is a poisonous flowering plant. All of this plant is poison but the berries are infamously toxic. It is called Belladonna (pretty woman) as it was a cosmetic. It is poison yet it is used today in modern cosmetic surgery.

Hemlock

Hemlock is a flowering plant. All parts of the plant contain poison. It causes paralysis, mostly in the respiratory system.

Cyanide

Cyanide is a poisonous chemical. It kills by latching onto iron in the blood and constricting them, not allowing them to to transfer oxygen.

Batrachotoxin

This is a neurotoxin that lives on the sking of dart frogs. One frog has enough toxin kill around two dozen people. The poison attacks the nerves, causing paralysis.

Azaleas

Common flowers that are poisonous. It’s symptoms are nausea, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, coma, and death. It takes six hours to work.

Arsenic

This poison causes gastric distress, burning pain, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea. Arsenic is almost virtually indectable only found when a high dose is used or if there is an almond smell off the corpse.

[callitgoodwriting-deactivated20]

When You Have a Large Cast of Characters

(This post assumes these characters are banded together in at least one large group and must work toward a similar goal.)

Let’s look at the main components that are important in large cast stories:

Teams and Sub-groups

The larger the cast, the more teams and sub-groups there are (or at least, the more there should be). These characters can find themselves in groups through a number of ways: similar backgrounds, random circumstances, matching beliefs/moral compass, etc etc.

Sometimes you can group them into categories that work well with tension, humorous effect, and character development. Some categories include:

the selfish lone wolves that are forced to work together

nerds who don’t communicate well

the hero-types that can’t agree on anything

long-term friends and their ragtag bunch of new allies

honestly, just think about teams from the MCU

Sub-groups are typically a must for stories with a large cast, as it expands the plot, individual characterization/development, conflict, and clarification. It staggers introductions of each character, giving them proper significance within the story right off the bat.

POV

This is a tricky thing to carry out. Multiple points of view are necessary unless you are absolutely sure you only want to follow ONE character the entire story, which is a feat in itself and probably ill-advised (but you do you). However, if you decide to use multiple POVs, you then also have to choose whether you want to carry that out through alternating first-person narratives or use third-person. First-person is going to require a more in-depth understanding of the characters’ voice and more decisions of who within each sub-group gets to narrate (as well as how reliable and involved they are). Both can be used in different ways to interconnect each group’s storyline. All personal choice.

Communication

Communication, within any large group, sucks. So now imagine there has to be communication between individuals, sub-groups, and the overall group. Everyone is going to have their own style of communication (or lack thereof) and each subgroup is going to have a different dynamic for it as well. Learning how (mis)communication, lying, personal details, and rumors circulate through individuals, sub-groups, and the overall group is important to the realism and storyline. It sounds daunting, but just watch Guardians of the Galaxy or any Avengers movie with this in mind and you’ll understand how to do it easily in no time.

Loyalty and Relationships

Two things easily complicate a large group’s dynamic: loyalty and relationships.

These things can strain or strengthen sub-groups and/or the team as a whole. It depends on who is involved, what they could be jeopardizing, and a bunch of other factors.

They’re good things to consider the repercussions and effects of especially if you have love triangles, brokens hearts, lost friendships, secret histories, and trust issues floating around the team. 

Loyalty also directly corresponds with teamwork, another factor to consider. 

How to use all this

Team Profiles

Outlines of:

the members

teams and sub-groups

communication

loyalty

relationships within the group

teamwork and overall dynamic of the group

history 

etc etc

Adding Conflict

No matter what the main conflict is, having a large group that must work together provides an endless amount of other conflicts.

miscommunication

disloyalty

heartbreak

distrust

question of authority/leadership

conflicting personal interest

opposing beliefs

etc etc.

In the end, having a large cast of characters that work together is a daunting task, but hopefully this post broke down some of the trickier aspects in planning the story. Best of luck on your writing journey!

[alsothedorkomen]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS

[la-laborista-republiko]

[antifainternational]

Pro tips from original antifa.

[luckyfirerabbit]

Reblogging for reasons

[townlad-blog]

Wowsers. Is everything cool?

[kaleido-scopophobia]

Concepts to use in horror

• Being watched/followed. Can be used with plots like a home invasion or someone watching another person through a webcam.

• Losing control. Can be used with plots like possession, being forced to kill/hurt people to save oneself or a loved one, being blackmailed, etc.

• The nature of humanity. This can work when the “monster” is a human, and can call into question the concept of good and evil. Works well with the above in my opinion, as a human being doing monstrous things can sometimes lead to questions about humanity and whether humankind is good.

• The end of humanity. Can be cheesy (like in a lot of zombie plots), but is innately scary to a lot of people to think about. Things that seem more plausible, such as an apocalypse related to pandemics or environmental pollution, can come across in a more serious way when done subtly.

• Isolation. In some cases this can seem a little too convenient to the plot, but when done right isolation can up the terror of the plot, or even serve as the plot itself. Being trapped somewhere, like in the woods or in a small space, could work for this.

• One’s own insignificance. Most cases I’ve seen where this works well show the character’s smallness in relation to something else. The ocean, space, cosmic gods, etc.

• The unknown. Often works well with the above in my opinion. The ocean and space, for example, would be good settings for this.

• Instinctive responses. The human brain tends to naturally react to things like violence, disease and contamination, and other things that threaten survival. Using these things too gratuitously can easily become campy or even voyeuristic and insensitive, but they can be used well.

[writing-prompt-s]

20 Dialogue Prompts Part 1

Here is a list of twenty dialogue prompts! Thank you everyone for contributing!

“Hey man, remember that one time you almost destroyed the country?” “Yeah bro, that was wild.”

“The shortest moments are the longest memories.”

“Are - did you - did you just BLOW UP THE MOON?” “You said it was irritating.”

“You know, when you said you were pregnant, I honestly expected our child to be…you know.”

“We celebrate now, we may not see tomorrow.”

“For the last time: I’ve met the devil and you’re not him!”

“Sure, let me just..lie down here”

“Don’t cry for me. Celebrate over our legacy.”

“How could you be so selfish?!” “I learned from the best.”

“Pineapple /really/ doesn’t belong on pizza.” “Good thing this isn’t for you then.”

“You are one in a million” “Cool, where can I meet another 7000 of me?”

“You know what saddens me the most? The fact that when we both go back to our timelines, we won’t be able to befriend each other again. Hell, I don’t even know if we’ll be the same people!”

“Hi, I’m the Grim Reaper, and this is Jackass”

“Just because I fight on the side of the angels, don’t make the mistake of thinking I am one.”

“dude, I think your whole ‘im Steve I eat people’ thing is getting kind of old.”

“You worked for my uncle for 15 years, and he never once asked you to deal with a body?”

“Bruh, I don’t think possessing people is good for you”

“I leave you alone for one minute and now we have the king of hell, several cats and a large goat in our living room. What the hell were you trying to do?”

“What even *is* the right amount of eyes, Karen? You tell me.”

“How can you just leave me here, covered in orange juice and surrounded by your old victims?“ 

Want to send in a prompt or share a story? Join our subreddit here!

[naity-sama]

Some words to use when writing things:

winking

clenching

pulsing

fluttering

contracting

twitching

sucking

quivering

pulsating

throbbing

beating

thumping

thudding

pounding

humming

palpitate

vibrate

grinding

crushing

hammering

lashing

knocking

driving

thrusting

pushing

force

injecting

filling

dilate

stretching

lingering

expanding

bouncing

reaming

elongate

enlarge

unfolding

yielding

sternly

firmly

tightly 

harshly

thoroughly

consistently

precision

accuracy

carefully

demanding

strictly

restriction

meticulously

scrupulously

rigorously

rim

edge

lip

circle

band

encircling

enclosing

surrounding

piercing

curl

lock

twist

coil

spiral

whorl

dip

wet

soak

madly

wildly

noisily

rowdily

rambunctiously

decadent

degenerate

immoral

indulgent

accept

take

invite

nook

indentation

niche

depression

indent

depress

delay

tossing

writhing

flailing

squirming

rolling

wriggling

wiggling

thrashing

struggling

grappling

striving

straining

[littlestsecret]

Appetite -  craving, demand, gluttony, greed, hunger, inclination, insatiable, longing, lust, passion, ravenousness, relish, taste, thirst, urge, voracity, weakness, willingness, yearning, ardor, dedication, desire, devotion, enthusiasm, excitement, fervor, horny, intensity, keenness, wholeheartedness, zeal

Arouse -  agitate, awaken, electrify, enliven, excite, entice, foment, goad, incite, inflame, instigate, kindle, provoke, rally, rouse, spark, stimulate, stir, thrill, waken, warm, whet, attract, charm, coax, fire up, fuel, heat up, lure, produce, stir up, tantalize, tease, tempt, thrum, torment, wind up, work up

Assault -  attack, advancing, aggressive, assailing, charging, incursion, inundated, invasion, offensive, onset, onslaught, overwhelmed, ruinous, tempestuous, strike, violation, ambush, assail, barrage, bombard, bombardment, crackdown, wound Beautiful -  admirable, alluring, angelic, appealing, bewitching, charming, dazzling, delicate, delightful, divine, elegant, enticing, exquisite, fascinating, gorgeous, graceful, grand, magnificent, marvelous, pleasing, radiant, ravishing, resplendent, splendid, stunning, sublime, attractive, beguiling, captivating, enchanting, engaging, enthralling, eye-catching, fetching, fine, fine-looking, good-looking, handsome, inviting, lovely, mesmeric, mesmerizing, pretty, rakish, refined, striking, tantalizing, tempting Brutal -  atrocious, barbarous, bloodthirsty, callous, cruel, feral, ferocious, hard, harsh, heartless, inhuman, merciless, murderous, pitiless, remorseless, rough, rude, ruthless, savage, severe, terrible, unmerciful, vicious, bestial, brute, brutish, cold-blooded, fierce, gory, nasty, rancorous, sadistic, uncompromising, unfeeling, unforgiving, unpitying, violent, wild Burly – able-bodied, athletic, beefy, big, brawny, broad-shouldered, bulky, dense, enormous, great, hard, hardy, hearty, heavily built, heavy, hefty, huge, husky, immense, large, massive, muscular, mighty, outsized, oversized, powerful, powerfully built, prodigious, robust, solid, stalwart, stocky, stout, strapping, strong, strongly built, sturdy, thick, thickset, tough, well-built, well-developed Carnal -  animalistic, bodily, impure, lascivious, lecherous, lewd, libidinous, licentious, lustful, physical, prurient, salacious, sensuous, voluptuous, vulgar, wanton, , coarse, crude, dirty, raunchy, rough, unclean Dangerous -  alarming, critical, fatal, formidable, impending, malignant, menacing, mortal, nasty, perilous, precarious, pressing, serious, terrible, threatening, treacherous, urgent, vulnerable, wicked, acute, damaging, deadly, death-defying, deathly, destructive, detrimental, explosive, grave, harmful, hazardous, injurious, lethal, life-threatening, noxious, poisonous, risky, severe, terrifying, toxic, unsafe, unstable, venomous Dark -  atrocious, corrupt, forbidding, foul, infernal, midnight, morbid, ominous, sinful, sinister, somber, threatening, twilight, vile, wicked, abject, alarming, appalling, baleful, bizarre, bleak, bloodcurdling, boding evil, chilling, cold, condemned, creepy, damned, daunting, demented, desolate, dire, dismal, disturbing, doomed, dour, dread, dreary, dusk, eerie, fear, fearsome, frightening, ghastly, ghostly, ghoulish, gloom, gloomy, grave, grim, grisly, gruesome, hair-raising, haunted, hideous, hopeless, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrific, horrifying, horror, ill-fated, ill-omened, ill-starred, inauspicious, inhospitable, looming, lost, macabre, malice, malignant, menacing, murky, mysterious, night, panic, pessimistic, petrifying, scary, shadows, shadowy, shade, shady, shocking, soul-destroying, sour, spine-chilling, spine-tingling, strange, terrifying, uncanny, unearthly, unlucky, unnatural, unnerving, weird, wretched Delicious - enticing, exquisite, luscious, lush, rich, savory, sweet, tasty, tempting, appetizing, delectable, flavorsome, full of flavor, juicy, lip-smacking, mouth-watering, piquant, relish, ripe, salty, spicy, scrummy, scrumptious, succulent, tangy, tart, tasty, yummy, zesty Ecstasy -  delectation, delirium, elation, euphoria, fervor, frenzy, joy, rapture, transport, bliss, excitement, happiness, heaven, high, paradise, rhapsody, thrill, blissful, delighted, elated, extremely happy, in raptures (of delight), in seventh heaven, jubilant, on cloud nine, overexcited, overjoyed, rapturous, thrilled Ecstatic -  delirious, enraptured, euphoric, fervent, frenzied, joyous, transported, wild Erotic -  amatory, amorous, aphrodisiac, carnal, earthy, erogenous, fervid, filthy, hot, impassioned, lascivious, lecherous, lewd, raw, romantic, rousing, salacious, seductive, sensual, sexual, spicy, steamy, stimulating, suggestive, titillating, voluptuous, tantalizing Gasp -  catch of breath, choke, gulp, heave, inhale, pant, puff, snort, wheeze, huff, rasp, sharp intake of air, short of breath, struggle for breath, swallow, winded  Heated - ardent, avid, excited, fervent, fervid, fierce, fiery, frenzied, furious, impassioned, intense, passionate, raging, scalding, scorched, stormy, tempestuous, vehement, violent, ablaze, aflame, all-consuming, blazing, blistering, burning, crazed, explosive, febrile, feverish, fired up, flaming, flushed, frantic, hot, hot-blooded, impatient, incensed, maddening, obsessed, possessed, randy, searing, sizzling, smoldering, sweltering, torrid, turbulent, volatile, worked up, zealous Hunger -  appetite, ache, craving, gluttony, greed, longing, lust, mania, mouth-watering, ravenous, voracious, want, yearning, thirst Hungry -  avid, carnivorous, covetous, craving, eager, greedy, hungered, rapacious, ravenous, starved, unsatisfied, voracious, avaricious, desirous, famished, grasping, insatiable, keen, longing, predatory, ravening, starving, thirsty, wanting Intense -  forceful, severe, passionate, acute, agonizing, ardent, anxious, biting, bitter, burning, close, consuming, cutting, deep, eager, earnest, excessive, exquisite, extreme, fervent, fervid, fierce, forcible, great, harsh, impassioned, keen, marked, piercing, powerful, profound, severe, sharp, strong, vehement, violent, vivid, vigorous Liquid -  damp, cream, creamy, dripping, ichorous, juicy, moist, luscious, melted, moist, pulpy, sappy, soaking, solvent, sopping, succulent, viscous, wet / aqueous, broth, elixir, extract, flux, juice, liquor, nectar, sap, sauce, secretion, solution, vitae, awash, moisture, boggy, dewy, drenched, drip, drop, droplet, drowning, flood, flooded, flowing, fountain, jewel, leaky, milky, overflowing, saturated, slick, slippery, soaked, sodden, soggy, stream, swamp, tear, teardrop, torrent, waterlogged, watery, weeping Lithe - agile, lean, pliant, slight, spare, sinewy, slender, supple, deft, fit, flexible, lanky, leggy, limber, lissom, lissome, nimble, sinuous, skinny, sleek, slender, slim, svelte, trim, thin, willowy, wiry Moan - beef, cry, gripe, grouse, grumble, lament, lamentation, plaint, sob, wail, whine, bemoan, bewail, carp, deplore, grieve, gripe, grouse, grumble, keen, lament, sigh, sob, wail, whine, mewl Moving -  (exciting,) affecting, effective  arousing, awakening, breathless, dynamic, eloquent, emotional, emotive, expressive, fecund, far-out, felt in gut, grabbed by, gripping, heartbreaking, heartrending, impelling, impressive, inspirational, meaningful, mind-bending, mind-blowing, motivating, persuasive, poignant, propelling, provoking, quickening, rallying, rousing, significant, stimulating, simulative, stirring, stunning, touching, awe-inspiring, energizing, exhilarating, fascinating, heart pounding, heart stopping, inspiring, riveting, thrilling Need -  compulsion, demand, desperate, devoir, extremity, impatient longing, must, urge, urgency / desire, appetite, avid, burn, craving, eagerness, fascination, greed, hunger, insatiable, longing, lust, taste, thirst, voracious, want, yearning, ache, addiction, aspiration, desire, fever, fixation, hankering, hope, impulse, inclination, infatuation, itch, obsession, passion, pining, wish, yen Pain -  ache, afflict, affliction, agony, agonize, anguish, bite, burn, chafe, distress, fever, grief, hurt, inflame, laceration, misery, pang, punish, sting, suffering, tenderness, throb, throe, torment, torture, smart Painful -  aching, agonizing, arduous, awful, biting, burning, caustic, dire, distressing, dreadful, excruciating, extreme, grievous, inflamed, piercing, raw, sensitive, severe, sharp, tender, terrible, throbbing, tormenting, angry, bleeding, bloody, bruised, cutting, hurting, injured, irritated, prickly, skinned, smarting, sore, stinging, unbearable, uncomfortable, upsetting, wounded Perverted -  aberrant, abnormal, corrupt, debased, debauched, defiling, depraved, deviant, monstrous, tainted, twisted, vicious, warped, wicked, abhorrent, base, decadent, degenerate, degrading, dirty, disgusting, dissipated, dissolute, distasteful, hedonistic, immodest, immoral, indecent, indulgent, licentious, nasty, profligate, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, shameful, shameless, sickening, sinful, smutty, sordid, unscrupulous, vile  Pleasurable -  charming, gratifying, luscious, satisfying, savory, agreeable, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, nice, pleasant, pleasing, soothing, succulent Pleasure -  bliss, delight, gluttony, gratification, relish, satisfaction, thrill, adventure, amusement, buzz, contentment, delight, desire, ecstasy, enjoyment, excitement, fun, happiness, harmony, heaven, joy, kick, liking, paradise, seventh heaven  Rapacious-  avaricious, ferocious, furious, greedy, predatory, ravening, ravenous, savage, voracious, aggressive, gluttonous, grasping, insatiable, marauding, plundering Rapture -  bliss, ecstasy, elation, exaltation, glory, gratification, passion, pleasure, floating, unbridled joy Rigid -  adamant, austere, definite, determined, exact, firm, hard, rigorous, solid, stern, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, concrete, fixed, harsh, immovable, inflexible, obstinate, resolute, resolved, severe, steadfast, steady, stiff, strong, strict, stubborn, taut, tense, tight, tough, unbending, unchangeable, unwavering Sudden -  abrupt, accelerated, acute, fast, flashing, fleeting, hasty, headlong, hurried, immediate, impetuous, impulsive, quick, quickening, rapid, rash, rushing, swift, brash, brisk, brusque, instant, instantaneous, out of the blue, reckless, rushed, sharp, spontaneous, urgent, without warning Thrust -  (forward) advance, drive, forge, impetus, impulsion, lunge, momentum, onslaught, poke, pressure, prod, propulsion, punch, push, shove, power, proceed, progress, propel (push hard) assail, assault, attack, bear down, buck, drive, force, heave, impale, impel, jab, lunge, plunge, press, pound, prod, ram, shove, stab, transfix, urge, bang, burrow, cram, gouge, jam, pierce, punch, slam, spear, spike, stick Thunder-struck - amazed, astonished, aghast, astounded, awestruck, confounded, dazed, dazed, dismayed, overwhelmed, shocked, staggered, startled, stunned, gob-smacked, bewildered, dumbfounded, flabbergasted, horrified, incredulous, surprised, taken aback  Torment - agony, anguish, hurt, misery, pain, punishment, suffering, afflict, angst, conflict, distress, grief, heartache, misfortune, nightmare, persecute, plague, sorrow, strife, tease, test, trial, tribulation, torture, turmoil, vex, woe Touch -  (physical) - blow, brush, caress, collide, come together, contact, converge, crash, cuddle, embrace, feel, feel up, finger, fondle, frisk, glance, glide, graze, grope, handle, hit, hug, impact, join, junction, kiss, lick, line, manipulate, march, massage, meet, nudge, palm, partake, pat, paw, peck, pet, pinch, probe, push, reach, rub, scratch, skim, slide, smooth, strike, stroke, suck, sweep, tag, tap, taste, thumb, tickle, tip, touching, toy, bite, bump, burrow, buss, bury, circle, claw, clean, clutch, cover, creep, crush, cup, curl, delve, dig, drag, draw, ease, edge, fiddle with, flick, flit, fumble, grind, grip, grub, hold, huddle, knead, lap, lave, lay a hand on, maneuver, manhandle, mash, mold, muzzle, neck, nestle, nibble, nip, nuzzle, outline, play, polish, press, pull, rasp, ravish, ream, rim, run, scoop, scrabble, scrape, scrub, shave, shift, shunt, skate, slip, slither, smack, snake, snuggle, soothe, spank, splay, spread, squeeze, stretch, swipe, tangle, tease, thump, tongue, trace, trail, tunnel twiddle, twirl, twist, tug, work, wrap  (mental) - communicate, examine, inspect, perception, scrutinize Wet - bathe, bleed, burst, cascade, course, cover, cream, damp, dampen, deluge, dip, douse, drench, dribble, drip, drizzle, drool, drop, drown, dunk, erupt, flood, flow, gush, immerse, issue, jet, leach, leak, moisten, ooze, overflow, permeate, plunge, pour, rain, rinse, run, salivate, saturate, secrete, seep, shower, shoot, slaver, slobber, slop, slosh, sluice, spill, soak, souse, spew, spit, splash, splatter, spout, spray, sprinkle, spurt, squirt, steep, stream, submerge, surge, swab, swamp, swill, swim, trickle, wash, water Wicked -  abominable, amoral, atrocious, awful, base, barbarous, dangerous, debased, depraved, distressing, dreadful, evil, fearful, fiendish, fierce, foul, heartless, hazardous, heinous, immoral, indecent, intense, mean, nasty, naughty, nefarious, offensive, profane, scandalous, severe, shameful, shameless, sinful, terrible, unholy, vicious, vile, villainous, wayward, bad, criminal, cruel, deplorable, despicable, devious, ill-intentioned, impious, impish, iniquitous, irreverent, loathsome, Machiavellian, mad, malevolent, malicious, merciless, mischievous, monstrous, perverse, ruthless, spiteful, uncaring, unkind, unscrupulous, vindictive, virulent, wretched Writhe -  agonize, bend, jerk, recoil, lurch, plunge, slither, squirm, struggle, suffer, thrash, thresh, twist, wiggle, wriggle, angle, arc, bow, buck, coil, contort, convulse, curl, curve, fidget, fight, flex, go into spasm, grind, heave, jiggle, jolt, kick, rear, reel, ripple, resist, roll, lash, lash out, screw up, shake, shift, slide, spasm, stir, strain, stretch, surge, swell, swivel, thrust, turn violently, tussle, twitch, undulate, warp, worm, wrench, wrestle, yank 

[aghostnotaguardian-archive]

//MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS - HERE IS THE ANSWER TO THE PROBLEM OF FINDING THAT RIGHT WORD!!!!!

[hyba]

I’m really excited for next week’s Tipsy because as I mentioned before I’m going to be creating a special one about how to use a modified version of the SPRITE analysis in your worldbuilding! ^^ I modified it slightly, so now it’s actually SPLITE, because I felt it worked better for worldbuilding. 

So, SPLITE stands for Social, Political, Locational, Intellectual/Ideological, Technological, and Economic. This is essentially a guide you can use to create your world and make sure you check off all the Big Things people might want to know about it!

Looking forward to sharing it with you because I’m making a helpful sheet you can download and save for future reference! ^^ Let me know if you want to be tagged in this upcoming Tipsy! 

[alsothedorkomen]

Can I be tagged in this?

[davidfarland]

You and Your List

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine, a New York Times #1 Bestseller, was scheduled to do a book signing in North Carolina. He was excited because another #1 New York Times Bestseller was scheduled to be signing with him at the same time, and he imagined that this would be an epic event. So he went onto his mailing list and emailed his fans, letting them know about the big event.

He arrived at the book signing on a stormy winter evening and found out that his turnout was okay, given the weather. But the newer writer, who was debuting his second novel, had no fans show up at all. It was a total bust.

My friend asked the new writer what had gone wrong, and the new writer answered, “I guess my fans didn’t get the memo.” You see, the new writer hadn’t emailed his fans. He didn’t even know that he was supposed to keep a list.

Every writer—everyone who even wants to be a writer—needs to have a way to contact fans. If you have a new book debuting, your publisher can’t do much to help. They don’t keep records of who has purchased your book. So it is up to you to generate some excitement.

Keeping a list is easy. You simply put up a web page and invite people to get on your mailing list. On your web page you can blog about anything that you like—your love of emperor penguins, your Aunt Sophie’s lime pie recipes, or your desire to backpack across Mars before you die. You don’t have to talk much about your writing at all, but you do need to start now.

You see, building that list can take years. You invite past schoolmates, old friends, relatives, or people you’ve worked with. You might share information about your writer’s journey with them and give them excerpts from your upcoming works.

It gives you a way to begin creating a fan base, and when you have a book come out, you’ll find that literally thousands of people may contact you. .

Begin building your list now. Make sure that when your books come out, your friends get the memo.

Oh, and don’t rely on Facebook anymore. When I post a message to my 5000 friends on Facebook, so few of them see it, it really doesn’t work anymore. You see, the people who run these social media sites really don’t want you to be able to advertise to your fans—unless you pay them handsomely—which is why you can’t trust your business to social media.

***

The folks at Infostack have a new bundle that gives you thousands of dollars worth of tools to help build your own fan base for less than $50. This should be especially valuable to self-published authors, but if you want to build a large fan base, I can see how this is worthwhile for any writer. Pick it up today! I’ll only be sending out one reminder.

You can look at it here https://davidfarland–infostack.thrivecart.com/traffic/

[hyba]

I actually didn’t understand the need for a mailing list for a long time. Everyone kept raving about how everyone needs one for their blog or business or website or whatnot, but very few people actually told me why - at least, not in a way that actually made me think that I would make one at some point. 😅

And then I was listening to a podcast (I think it was either a B2B sales podcast or a writing podcast - or maybe it was an article, not a podcast?) and the person, for the first time, made it click in my head. Email sticks around. People have the same email accounts for the majority of their lives. When you create an email list, then, it’s something that you can be certain will always reach that person. I’ve had the same emails since I was in middle school. Anything I signed up for - newsletters, magazines, websites, games, etc. - I’ll always find emails from it in my inbox. I still get emails for universities that I only checked out briefly in high school. I still get emails from software companies whose products I haven’t used in years. I check my email accounts every day - even promotional emails and junk every now and then.

Email accounts stick around for a long time.📧📧📧📧📧

Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, MySpace, IG, Pinterest - social media platforms have a really high number of people who leave the platform without deleting their accounts, never to be seem again. These people might be following you, and you might think you have a great many followers that’ll be there when you have a book signing or whatnot, but the truth is that A) a lot of people leave platforms and never return, so they won’t see your updates and events and posts, and B) even if they’re on that platform, they follow so many other people that they probably won’t ever see your posts when you need them to - their feed will always be busy. Just here on Tumblr, I often have to visit writeblr blogs to get up to date with what other writeblrs in my community are up to because my feed is so full from the 300+ active blogs I follow!

So, yeah. Email lists. Very good. Very useful. I finally get it, and I can’t believe I have waited so long to get one. 😅 Time for me to make some email lists! Hopefully that’ll come with my author website 😊

Looking forward to it!!

[frognonbinary-deactivated202412]

i’ve been doing my homework on how to break into a writing career and honestly. there’s a Lot that i didn’t know about thats critical to a writing career in this day and age, and on the one hand, its understandable because we’re experiencing a massive cultural shift, but on the other hand, writers who do not have formal training in school or don’t have the connections to learn more via social osmosis end up extremely out of loop and working at a disadvantage. 

[frognonbinary-deactivated202412]

like, i didnt know about twitter pitch parties!! i didnt know about literary agents and publishers tweeting their manuscript wishlist, in hopes that some poor soul out there has written the book they really want to read and publish!! this isnt some shit you learn about in school! you really need to know the ins and outs of the writing community to be successful! 

[frognonbinary-deactivated202412]

for anyone interested, here’s what i’ve learned so far in my quest for more writing knowledge:

1. Writer’s Market 2019 is a great place to start– it gives you a list of magazines and journals that you can send your work to depending on the genre as well as lists a shit ton of literary agents that specify what genres they represent, how you can get in contact with them and how they accept query letters. this is a book that updates every year and tbh i only bought it this year so i dont know how critical it is to have an updated version  

2. do your research. mostly on literary agents because if you listed on your site that you like to represent fluffy YA novels and some asshole sends you a 80k manuscript about like…gritty viking culture, you will be severely pissed off. always go in finding someone who you know will actually like your work because they’re the ones who will try to advocate for you in getting published.

3. learn how to write a query letter. there are slightly varying formulas to how you can write an effective query letter. you’re also going to want to get feedback on your query letter because its the first thing the literary agent will read and based on how well you do it, it could be the difference between them rejecting you outright and giving your manuscript a quick read

4. unfortunately, you’re gonna want to get a twitter. Twitter is where a lot of literary agents are nowadays, and they host things like twitter pitch parties, where you pitch your manuscript in a few sentences and hashtag it with #Pitmad #Pitdark, some version of pit. a lot of literary agents and publishers will ALSO post their manuscript wishlists, which is just the kind of books they’d like to represent/publish, and they hashtag this with #MSWL (it is NOT for writers to use, only for agents/publishers)

5. connect with other writers, literary agents, publishers at book events. you will absolutely need the connections if you want to get ahead as a writer. thats just kind of the state of the world.

[promptsforthesoul]

[junipernight]

Resources and Advice for Depressed Authors

-  Four Tips for Writing When You Are Depressed: Exactly what it says on the tin.

- If routines help you, but you struggle to establish one with writing, you may just be expecting too much. Set an intentionally small goal, whatever that may look like for you, but then focus on reaching that goal every day. You may discover that when you aim for a light word count each day, you are able to overshoot your goal on many days, but still be able to reach it on the worst days. This in turn makes it easier to avoid self-judgement if you’re still working on the whole treating-yourself-kindly thing. Avoid sharing the specifics of this goal with people, especially people who write easily and people who have overblown confidence in your abilities as a writer, because nothing takes the accomplishment out of writing every day for 3 weeks in a row for the first time in your life like your dad saying, “Only xxx words a day?” 

-  Why Writers are Prone to Depression: a discussion of several famous depressed authors, some theories about why authors are disproportionately likely to be depressed, and some lifestyle choices that could potentially help a little. 

- “’Getting’ Yourself to Write” - an entreaty to stop and consider why you might be avoiding writing in the first place, a criticism of writing advice that focuses only on developing unquestioning self-discipline, some advice for treating yourself kindly as an author, and one of the most mindful Tumblr posts I have ever read. A round of snaps for @wrex-writes, everybody.

-  Why You Should Let Your First Draft Suck and some advice for getting your inner critic to shut up and get on with it until you can at least finish the first draft.

-  Why You Don’t Need To Worry About Hating Your Own Work: some potential explanations for why you hate your own work, and some ways to re-contextualize it.

- How to Stay on Task: This is, technically, a guide for adults with ADD, not authors with depression, but I for one seem to have developed the concentration of a goldfish as some sort of bizarre coping mechanism for dealing with di/stress, so I believe it may be helpful anyway.

- Try writing in 15- to 20-minute bursts.

- 10 Affirmations for Creative Writers: Some basic writing affirmations, how affirmations work, and some advice to creating your own specific affirmations. (In addition to their tips, here’s one from me: the subconscious doesn’t respond to negations, so phrase your affirmations in ways that avoid words like “not” or “don’t.” For example, “I can stay on task!” will work better than “I won’t be distracted!”)

_______________________________________________________

That’s it for now. Y’all know the drill: If you have moderate to severe depression, seeking a  good therapist and possibly taking medication are the best things that you can do to manage your depression. Still, I don’t know how much writing-specific advice general therapists can give. I’ve never asked.

Also, even if you’re not clinically depressed, or don’t know if you’re depressed, these resources may still be helpful to you if you, too, want to write but have difficulty concentrating, lose motivation halfway through all your projects, and/or hate your own work despite previous excitement or positive feedback…. which all lowkey sound like symptoms of depression to me tbh, but who am I to label you when I can’t even confidently label myself? So go forth and accept yourselves and your work, darlings, and add on to this if you want because Azar knows I need the help too! <3

[wrex-writes]

Ohhh awesome list! And not just cuz I’m on it :)

[wonderful-language-sounds]

Free Online Language Courses

Here is a masterpost of MOOCs (massive open online courses) that are available, archived, or starting soon. I think they will help those that like to learn with a teacher or with videos.  You can always check the audit course or no certificate option so that you can learn for free.

American Sign Language

ASL University

Sign Language Structure, Learning, and Change

Arabic

Arabic for Global Exchange (in the drop-down menu)

Intro to Arabic

Madinah Arabic

Moroccan Arabic

Arabe (taught in French)

Catalan

Intro to Catalan Language & Society

Intro to Catalan Sign Language

Chinese

Beginner

Basic Chinese I. II, III, IV , V

Basic Mandarin Chinese I & II

Beginner’s Chinese

Chinese for Beginners

Chinese Characters

Chinese for HSK 1

Chinese for HSK 2

Chinese for HSK 3 I & II

HSK Level 1

Mandarin Chinese

Mandarin Chinese for Business

More Chinese for Beginners

Start Talking Mandarin Chinese

UT Gateway to Chinese

Chino Básico (Taught in Spanish)

Intermediate

Chinese Stories

Intermediate Business Chinese

Intermediate Chinese Grammar

Dutch

Introduction to Dutch

English

Online Courses here

Resources Here

Faroese

Faroese Course

Finnish

A Taste of Finnish

Basic Finnish

Finnish for Immigrants

Finnish for Medical Professionals

French

Beginner

AP French Language and Culture

Basic French Skills

Beginner’s French: Food & Drink

Diploma in French

Elementary French I & II

Français Interactif

French in Action

French Language Studies I, II, III

French: Ouverture

Intermediate & Advanced

French: Le Quatorze Juillet

Passe Partout 

La Cité des Sciences et de Industrie

Vivre en France - A2

Vivre en France - B1

Frisian

Introduction to Frisian (Taught in English)

Introduction to Frisian (Taught in Dutch)

German

Beginner

Beginner’s German: Food & Drink

Conversational German I, II, III, IV

Deutsch im Blick

Diploma in German

German at Work

Rundblick-Beginner’s German

Intermediate

German: Regionen Traditionen und Geschichte

Landschaftliche Vielfalt

Gwich’in

Introduction to Gwich’in Language

Hebrew

Biblical Hebrew

Know the Hebrew Alphabet

Teach Me Hebrew

Hindi

A Door into Hindi

Business Hindi

Virtual Hindi

Icelandic

Icelandic 1-5

Indonesian

Learn Indonesian

Irish

Introduction to Irish

Irish 101

Irish 102

Italian

Beginner

Beginner’s Italian: Food & Drink

Beginner’s Italian I

Introduction to Italian

Italian for Beginners 1 , 2, 3 , 4 , 5, 6 

Intermediate & Advanced

AP Italian Language and Culture

Intermediate Italian I

Advanced Italian I

Letteratura italiana

Japanese

Genki

Japanese JOSHU

Japanese Pronunciation

Sing and Learn Japanese

Tufs JpLang

Kazakh

A1-B2 Kazakh (Taught in Russian)

Korean

Beginner

First Step Korean

How to Study Korean

Introduction to Korean

Learn to Speak Korean

Pathway to Spoken Korean

Intermediate

Intermediate Korean

Nepali

Beginner’s Conversation and Grammar

Norwegian

Introduction to Norwegian

Norwegian on the Web

Portuguese

Curso de Português para Estrangeiros 

Pluralidades em Português Brasileiro

Russian

Beginner

Easy Accelerated Learning for Russian

Advanced

Reading Master and Margarita

Russian as an Instrument of Communication

Siberia: Russian for Foreigners

Spanish

Beginner

AP Spanish Language & Culture

Basic Spanish for English Speakers

Beginner’s Spanish: Food & Drink

Introduction to Spanish

Restaurants and Dining Out

Spanish for Beginners 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Spanish Vocabulary

Intermediate

Spanish: Ciudades con Historia

Spanish: Espacios Públicos

Advanced

Corrección, Estilo y Variaciones 

Leer a Macondo

Spanish:Con Mis Propias Manos

Spanish: Perspectivas Porteñas

Swedish

Intro to Swedish

Swedish Made Easy 1, 2, & 3

Ukrainian

Read Ukrainian

Ukrainian Language for Beginners

Welsh

Beginner’s Welsh

Discovering Wales

Multiple Languages

Ancient Languages

More Language Learning Resources & Websites!

Last updated: April 1, 2018

[h4rrisw0lf]

This is awesome. Wish there were links for BSL - but so great all these other options!

[vuurkorf]

OH MY LORD LOOK AT ALL THIS KNOWLEDGE WTFFFF