Read, Write, Repeat @amortentiaquill - Tumblr Blog

Posts

thewritersarchive

So You Want To Write A Book..

Where Do Writers Find Their Ideas?

On Inspiration

How To Write A Novel

Getting Started With A Book

Hints About Writing A Story

Novel Outlining 101

From Notes To Novel

Plotting A Novel

Why Don’t I Have A Plot, And Where Do I Get One?

How To Create A Character

Creating Characters

Character Creation

Name That Character! (2)

You And Your Characters

How To Write Backstory Without Putting Your Reader To Sleep

How To Use Foreshadowing

How To Write Dialogue (2)

How To Make Your Writing More Interesting

Writing Block

How To Get Unstuck

Advice For Young Writers (2)

On Word Counts And Novel Length

Top 4 Ways to Know Your Idea is Novel-Worthy

How A Book Gets Published

How Do You Go About Getting Published

And remember: Google is your best friend.

#references

findingmyrecovery

Wanted to share this helpful tool with anyone who needs it. A lot of people have a hard time putting their feelings into words and identifying what emotions they are feeling. This is called a feeling wheel. It can help you get to the core emotion you are experiencing and help you name each feeling when you’re overwhelmed with many emotions

tarantallegra-blog

this is so cool

#references

fangirlsjustwannahavefun

EVERY TIME YOU WRITE A HUNDRED WORDS IT GIVES YOU A FUCKING KITTEN

#references

frankdelflno

Surnames Master Post.

Surnames are just as important as given names. So, I compiled a list of the websites I use to find my surnames.

English Surnames

Dutch Surnames

Spanish Surnames

Scottish Surnames

German Surnames

Italian Surnames

Irish Surnames

French Surnames

Scandinavian Surnames

Welsh Surnames

Jewish Surnames

Surnames By Ethnicity

Most Common Surnames in the USA

Most Common Surnames in Great Britan

Most Common Surnames in Asia

#references

janefriedman

A Map to Get Out of Writer’s Block via NY Book Editors

#references

ink-moth-deactivated20140321

A short list of several types of poison and their effects.

#references

dictionaryofobscuresorrows

vellichor

n. the strange wistfulness of used bookstores, which are somehow infused with the passage of time—filled with thousands of old books you’ll never have time to read, each of which is itself locked in its own era, bound and dated and papered over like an old room the author abandoned years ago, a hidden annex littered with thoughts left just as they were on the day they were captured.

epicreads

thegirlandherbooks

25 Adult Books For Fans Of YA - View the complete list on Epic Reads!

#references

fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment

The Smelling Post

smallestpapaya-deactivated20210

In romantic scenes between characters, a character’s scent is often described in books and fanfic, but when writing i have a hard time coming up with plausible and believable scents a character naturally has. can you come up with some suggestions, or a list or something? — Anonymous

DID SOMEONE SAY SMELLS?

My time to shine.

Okay, so. No fair making fun of me, but I’m pretty good at smells- I mean, I can tell all my friends apart by smell. On one memorable occasion, my mother asked me if one of my friends had left a coat at the house- I sniffed it, and told her no. (I was correct). My excuse is that like half of my cast are canines or part time canines, and so knowing the smells of things is Important Research.

Ahem. Without further ado, let’s talk smells!

Quick warning, though- not all of these are nice smells. You might not want to read this while eating? You can be the judge of how much described smells get to you. You were warned.

Basically, everyone has a personal smell- that’s what they smell like under all the stuff that clings to them. It’s how they’d smell if they took a through shower without soap or anything, and then you smelled them. It doesn’t smell like a whole lot, basically- it smells like skin, and clean hair and human. Which is actually pretty pleasant, clean human is a nice smell. It does vary a bit person to person, but PEOPLE DO NOT EXUDE LIKE LILAC SMELLS AND BULLSHIT LIKE THAT, LET ME TELL YOU. FLOWERS OOZE OUT FLOWER SMELLS. PEOPLE DO NOT. IF YOUR CHARACTER SMELLS REALLY FLOWERY OR NICE AND IT’S NOT PERFUME, YOU NEED TO REEVALUATE WHAT YOU’RE DOING WITH YOUR LIFE. Ahem. That brings us to

Additional personal smells: People do not exist in a perfect bubble of cleanliness. Our bodies make smells. Probably the biggest one is sweat. There are a few kinds of sweat smells, actually- some more attractive than others. There’s your sour or stale sweat smell, a favorite of people who don’t bathe often enough and cook in it. Old sweat is nasty. Newer sweat doesn’t smell as bad, particularly if the person’s wearing the right kind of deodorant. Someone who’s pretty clean, but has just worked out will smell like sweat- but it’s an earthier, less sharp smell. It can still be pungent, but it’s not as bad. Fear sweat stinks- it smells warm and wet and sour. Sweat from being too warm (like sitting in the sun, or getting worked up) doesn’t smell like much- just like stronger, damp human. Sweaty feet are a bit scary. How hot your feet get without being able to breathe determines how much they’ll stink- so dedicated barefooters have unsmelly feet, and people who’re wearing thick socks in boots in the winter will stink like crazy. People will give off some smells too, that likewise get more pungent the longer they go without bathing. For example, sometimes vegetarians have lighter, less rich and irony smells. Teenagers smell worse, because hormones are petulant little bitches. If teenagers don’t shower often, they’ll get a greasy, weird smell. Kids smell nicer, and adults either smell alright, or bad. Babies in particular have soft, sweetly milky smelling skin, which almost makes up for the fact that they’ll be letting out all kinds of weird stink (spit up smells like violently spoiled milk, baby pee pretty much smells like any urine, and their feces smell really sharply bad, like… I’m sorry, that’s probably not something that you need. I know because I worked childcare for years. Eventually, you make it past the wall and things stop being as gross to you.) Elderly people also have a smell. You know the smell. Menstrual blood has a smell- it’s very different from fresh blood (meatier, and less metallic- which is because it’s working on becoming placenta), and you can sometimes smell it on someone if they’re using pads and need to change theirs. Fresh blood smells kind of coppery- the closest I can find to it is if you get a handful of change (I checked once, and I think quarters are actually closest? Might have been dimes), and let it heat up in your pocket, then smell it. People do actually fart. How bad that smells depends on what they’ve been eating. And breath is a thing. If the person hasn’t eaten anything lately, it just smells kind of neutral, damp and spitty. Foods and drink add smells- some are distinctive (coffee, garlic). Mints and toothpaste will freshen up a mouth, but they don’t last forever- so someone that smells of toothpaste has just brushed their teeth. Gum comes in a lot of flavors, and it will sweeten someone’s breath, too. Alcohol doesn’t have much smell in the glass, but once it’s in a person, they produce a smell as their body processes it. It’s not a super pleasant smell, but it’s not awful if they’ve been drinking lightly and are going to shower before it really sets in. You can actually tell if someone’s drunk or going into a diabetic coma (they act similarly), based on their scent- drunk people smell like booze, diabetics will smell fruity. Some illnesses have a distinct scent, it’s worth checking out.

Sooo, a lot of what you smell on someone is actually what’s been added to their own scent! We’ll start with products that go on people. Soap: Most people do use soap. YOU WILL KNOW if they don’t. Soaps have different smells, but generally, they’re mild, and smell pleasant and clean. Cheap soap smells a bit more like kitchen cleanser. Some soaps are scented- and they come in a dazzling array of flowers and spices and extracts, basically whatever you can imagine. Good scented soap will have a nicely balanced, not overwhelming scent that smells like the thing that it’s supposed to, and clings to skin in a way that you have to lean in a bit to get a good whiff of. Cheap scented soap smells like fake extracts, and can be too strong, or not smell like much at all. Soap is something that you can smell on someone from about hugging range. Shampoo/conditioner: Again, shampoo comes in an array of scents. You’ll be smelling someone’s shampoo if you’re close enough to smell their hair, which is pretty close. Shampoo can smell like anything from apples to some fake ‘ocean breeze’ shit to plain soapy-but-creamier-than-soap smell. Go to the store, sniff some shampoo. There are a lot of kinds out there. Other hair products, like gel and hairspray, across the board have an artificial, peculiar scent. Deodorant: Deodorant is one of those things that are gendered, when I don’t know why they need to be. The point is, women’s deodorant generally smells more flowery and perfumey, and men’s smells kind of spicy and darker. In my experience, women’s deodorant is a backstabbing and tricksy lot- let me tell you, sweat mixed with flowers is NOT a pretty smell. On a hot day, you end up smelling kind of putrid and rotting. Most of the guy deodorant smells (not axe stay far away from axe don’t go there Simba) go better with sweat. I could go on. I feel nearly as betrayed by women’s deodorant as I do by girl pockets. (Btw, if any of you wanted to know, Arm and Hammer makes deodorant that smells like absolutely nothing at all, is cheap, works well, and is nongendered. Because baking soda is god. Incidentally, you can also use plain baking soda to scrub with and to wash your hair with. So people camping might smell of baking soda, because it’s a good outdoors trick.) Perfumes/bodysprays/aftershave: Again, they come in most smells that you can think of- flowery, candyish and sugary smells on products intended for women, spicier and muskier smells for men. The good stuff actually smells like it’s supposed to, and is nuanced and not overpowering. The poor quality stuff smells sharp, with an alcohol-y bite, and the scents smell like extract, or are too sugary sweet, or smell sour. All of these will interact with a person’s personal smell, so scents smell differently on everyone. Maturity is a thing when it comes to scent, too- if you’ve ever been in a locker room with young teens, you’ve had tears brought to your eyes by people spraying clouds of this stuff. When you have a good scent and restraint, all you need is a dab or a splash. Poor application means that you can smell this on someone a mile away, good application means that you’ll smell this once you enter someone’s personal space. Lotion: Lotiongenerally has a softer, creamier base, and then has a scent over top. Again, it can be very pleasant, or really overpowering and bad. Lotion is a spreading smell that dissipates, to where you’d have to be close to someone to smell it. Detergent: People’s clothes contribute to their overall scent. There are many brands of detergent, and there are a few different smells. Fabric softener has a smell, too- it’s soft and sort of powdery. Clean clothes have a fresh scent, and they’ll smell like the fabric they’re made of (cotton has a crisp scent, artificial fabric doesn’t smell like that much, wool smells like sheep (kinda doglike)), and clothes that have been worn a bit smell like their owner. If someone’ll let you, you’ll be able to tell the difference between a clean shirt of theirs, and a shirt they’ve worn all day. Some people do things to give their clothes some smell- like putting their clothes in aromatic cedar chests, or hanging bits of cedar in their closet, or hanging little packets of scent, like lavender. Clothes are something that you’ll smell around hugging distance, usually, or within that person’s personal space. Unscented things: There are many reasons why people wouldn’t want to wear a lot of added scent. Some people are very allergic to artificial or natural scents, or work around people who are (there’s a scent ban at my uni, because some of the staff are pretty allergic). Lots of people who work with animals find that animals don’t care for a lot of scent, and leave it off (in particular, I know a lot of equestrians whose horses don’t like smelly stuff). Some people just prefer smelling like themselves, or have sensitive senses of smell, and find scents cloying.

Environmental smells!: People will have smells stick to them, in addition to what they put on themselves. So, consider what your character does all day. A baker might smell like flour and cinnamon. A janitor will probably smell like cleaning fluids. Someone who trains horses will smell like horse after a long day (which is a distinctive, large ungulate smell, mixed with sweet hay), and someone who has pets might smell a little like dog (all that hair on your clothes has a net effect). A bookshop worker probably smells like books and paper, and artists smell of their medium. Smokers, and people near smokers, will have a stale, smoky scent to them. Incense clings, and so does pot. Basically anything that has a smoky form clings like nobody’s business. Think about where they are, or what they do most of the day, and add some smells accordingly.

Finally- a word about how smells are perceived by other people: You mentioned romantic scenes in your ask. Based on some sciencey stuff, it is a thing that you’ll like the way someone that you like smells. It has to do with like hormones and pheromones and stuff. Personally, I generally like how my friends smell, because I’m fond of them. Generally, if you’re close enough to get a good whiff of someone, you’re in each other’s personal space. If their smell reaches you from outside that bubble, it’s either tempting, or an invasion of your space. If you’re really close to someone, it can be nice, or torture, based on whether they smell like light soap and cedar and a bit of shampoo, or if they smell like sour, unwashed human mixed with urine. Be sure to describe the effect the smell is having on the smeller- does the putrid scent of someone who hasn’t showered make them gag, or does smelling their lover make their back muscles relax as they breathe in? Some people have better senses of smell than others- but because we, as humans, don’t have that great a sense of smell, we usually smell the dominate, strongest scent of a person, and can sometimes make out other smells if we work at it. Non human characters might be able to glean even more interesting information- dogs smell the way that we see, which could make for some very interesting descriptions.

Alright, there you are! I hope that helped.

#references

emilymikkelsen-deactivated20150

SCRIVENER is an incredibly functional, user-friendly long-form writing platform that makes organizing novels a cinch. These screens (they have captions, so click on them) are just a basic overview of how to use the program. A few more notes:

I use 2-3 Scene documents per chapter folder and write about 2,000 words a chapter (I write Young Adult.)

You can color code & set yourself word count goals. Tutorial here.

The Literature & Latte site provides a very nice 30 day trial for Scrivener (I recommend trying it out during NANOWRIMO because if you win, a discount for downloading the program is often included as a prize! It’s already pretty affordable but who doesn’t love coupons? Also, to extend your trial time you can just do what I did and never close it, it only ticks down the day by how many times you open and close it. But really, buy it.)

It saves everything in one neat and tidy project file (when you save it, it creates a folder wherever you name the file path. IE: MY DOCUMENTS —> (TITLE OF YOUR BOOK FOLDER): then there will be a file that simply says “PROJECT” and that’s it!

Option to compile in multiple formats.

Initially developed for Mac, has a Windows version now.

Has features to compare word counts from file to file, track the usage of key words/phrases, and built in character development templates. You can even insert pictures into your documents.

DOWNLOAD TRIAL OR PURCHASE HERE.

I will have an actual writing-based post tomorrow. This is what I use for writing novels and it’s made it so much easier.

#references

lilbookofkell

Book Resources

Paperback Swap - Trade books for free

BookCloseOut - Bargin Books

Download Textbooks

75 Books Every Writer Should Read

20 Useful Free PDF ebooks for Designers and Bloggers

446 Places for Free Books Online

ReadPrint - Free Online Books

Millions of Free PDF e-books

The best places to get free books

Digital Classics

Books Should Be Free

Full Books

Free Classic Audiobooks

#references

jaclynday

thegirlandherbooks

Looking for a new book to add to read this year?

I sometimes get in a reading rut where I read the same types of books over and over and have to make a conscious effort to switch it up. (It helps that I try to alternate fiction and nonfiction.)

I created the 2013 Reading Challenge as an easy and fun way for me (and you) to fit more varied books in this year. A lot of people create goals of reading a certain number of books in a year, but I think that can be stressful or worse—you may end up racing through shorter, mediocre books in order to reach your quota for a given month. I used to try and race through books in order to tick them off a numbered list, but I’ve found that it’s more challenging and enjoyable to try and read books that are outside my comfort zone, or in a genre I’m not familiar with or that I haven’t read in years.

I created the below lists as a way to get started, but the books I’ve listed for each section are just my personal recommendations. The important thing is not to read any of them just because I’ve listed them here—you should only read them if they jump out at you as being interesting or worth your time.

Above all, reading should be fun. I used to feel like I had to finish every book I started no matter how much I hated it or how bored I got. I don’t do that anymore. If I’m not enjoying myself, I don’t finish the book. You know yourself better than anyone! Only choose what you know what will bring you genuine pleasure and enjoyment. (And won’t be a waste of your time!)

Have fun and let me know what books you pick in each category! I’ll keep you updated by posting reviews here when I’m finished.

Read a childhood favorite you haven’t picked up in years.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise McGraw

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

Read a nonfiction book about religion or religious culture (or the lack thereof).

Rapture Ready! by Daniel Radosh

The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose

The Prophet’s Prey by Sam Brower

A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian D. McLaren

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

Who Speaks for Islam? by John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed

Read a classic you haven’t touched since high school English.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Read a popular historical fiction novel.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George

Read a nonfiction book or memoir about an illness or disease.

Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi

The Journal of Best Practices by David Finch

Ninety Days: A Memoir of Recovery by Bill Clegg

The Mercy Papers by Robin Romm

An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison

Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety by Daniel Smith

Read an entire popular YA book series.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

Divergent series by Veronica Roth

The Ender Saga by Orson Scott Card

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

The Time Quintet by Madeleine L’Engle

Redwall by Brian Jacques

Read a book that was made into a movie or television show released within the past year.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones)

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill (The Woman in Black)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)

Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Life of Pi)

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (Les Miserables)

John Carter on Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter)

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (The Hobbit)

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Anna Karenina)

Read one of the books on New York Times reviewer Michiko Katutani’s Meanest Reviews list and decide for yourself whether the meanness was warranted.

“The Original of Laura” by Vladimir Nabokov

“Chronic City” by Jonathan Lethem

“The Discomfort Zone” by Jonathan Franzen

“A Long Way Down” by Nick Hornby

“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer

“Until I Find You” by John Irving

“The Dying Animal” by Philip Roth

“Point Omega” by Don DeLillo

“Nocturnes ” by Kazuo Ishiguro

“The Witches of Eastwick” by John Updike

“NW” by Zadie Smith

Read one of Amazon’s Editors’ Picks for January 2013.

Me Before You: A Novel by Jojo Moyes

Ship It Holla Ballas! by Jonathan Grotenstein, Storms Reback

Hikikomori and the Rental Sister by Jeff Backhaus

Tenth of December: Stories by George Saunders

Rage Is Back: A Novel by Adam Mansbach

Little Wolves by Thomas James Maltman

Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus

Jujitsu Rabbi and the Godless Blonde by Rebecca Dana

My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor

The Fifth Assassin by Brad Meltzer

Read a nonfiction true crime book.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

My Life among the Serial Killers: Inside the Minds of the World’s Most Notorious Murderers by Helen Morrison and Harold Goldberg

The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer

Devil in the White City by Jonathan Larson

Manhunt by James L. Swanson

Columbine by Dave Cullen

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston

Mind Hunter by John Douglas

Read a book about a sport that usually doesn’t interest you in the slightest.

Moneyball by Michael Lewis

Secretariat by William Nack

The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn

The Game They Played by Stanley Cohen

Paper Lion by George Plimpton

Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger

Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox

Read a collection of short stories.

Blasphemy by Sherman Alexie

Dear Life by Alice Munro

Night Shift by Stephen King

The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway by Ernest Hemingway

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger

Naked by David Sedaris

Eleven Kinds of Loneliness by Richard Yates

The Best American Short Stories 2012 by Tom Perrotta and Heidi Pitlor

Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls by Alissa Nutting

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Do you have any books to add to these lists? What will you read in one of the categories?

#references

aneira-hailey-blog

100 Words for Facial Expressions

1. Absent: preoccupied 2. Agonized: as if in pain or tormented 3. Alluring: attractive, in the sense of arousing desire 4. Appealing: attractive, in the sense of encouraging goodwill and/or interest 5. Beatific: see blissful 6. Bilious: ill-natured 7. Black: angry or sad, or see hostile 8. Bleak: see grim and hopeless 9. Blinking: surprise, or lack of concern 10. Blissful: showing a state of happiness or divine contentment 11. Blithe: carefree, lighthearted, or heedlessly indifferent 12. Brooding: see anxious and gloomy 13. Bug eyed: frightened or surprised 14. Chagrined: humiliated or disappointed 15. Cheeky: cocky, insolent 16. Cheerless: sad 17. Choleric: hot-tempered, irate 18. Coy: flirtily playful, or evasive 19. Crestfallen: see despondent 20. Darkly: with depressed or malevolent feelings 21. Deadpan: expressionless, to conceal emotion or heighten humor 22. Dejected: see despondent 23. Derisive: see sardonic 24. Despondent: depressed or discouraged 25. Doleful: sad or afflicted 26. Dour: stern or obstinate; see also despondent 27. Downcast: see despondent 28. Dreamy: distracted by daydreaming or fantasizing 29. Ecstatic: delighted or entranced 30. Etched: see fixed 31. Faint: cowardly, weak, or barely perceptible 32. Fixed: concentrated or immobile 33. Furtive: stealthy 34. Gazing: staring intently 35. Glancing: staring briefly as if curious but evasive 36. Glaring: see hostile 37. Glazed: expressionless due to fatigue or confusion 38. Gloomy: see despondent and sullen 39. Glowering: annoyed or angry 40. Glowing: see radiant 41. Grim: see despondent; also, fatalistic or pessimistic 42. Grave: serious, expressing emotion due to loss or sadness 43. Haunted: frightened, worried, or guilty 44. Hopeless: depressed by a lack of encouragement or optimism 45. Hostile: aggressively angry, intimidating, or resistant 46. Hunted: tense as if worried about pursuit 47. Impassive: see deadpan 48. Inscrutable: mysterious, unreadable 49. Jeering: insulting or mocking 50. Languid: lazy or weak 51. Leering: see meaningful; also, sexually suggestive 52. Meaningful: to convey an implicit connotation or shared secret 53. Mild: easygoing 54. Mischievous: annoyingly or maliciously playful 55. Moody: see sullen 56. Pained: affected with discomfort or pain 57. Pallid: see wan 58. Peering: with curiosity or suspicion 59. Peeved: annoyed 60. Petulant: see cheeky and peeved 61. Pitying: sympathetic 62. Pleading: seeking apology or assistance 63. Pouting: see sullen 64. Quizzical: questioning or confused 65. Radiant: bright, happy 66. Roguish: see mischievous 67. Sanguine: bloodthirsty, confident 68. Sardonic: mocking 69. Scornful: contemptuous or mocking 70. Scowling: displeased or threatening 71. Searching: curious or suspicious 72. Set: see fixed 73. Shamefaced: ashamed or bashful 74. Slack-jawed: dumbfounded or surprised 75. Sly: cunning; see also furtive and mischievous 76. Snarling: surly 77. Sneering: see scornful 78. Somber: see grave 79. Sour: unpleasant 80. Stolid: inexpressive 81. Straight-faced: see deadpan 82. Sulky: see sullen 83. Sullen: resentful 84. Taunting: see jeering 85. Taut: high-strung 86. Tense: see taut 87. Tight: see pained and taut 88. Unblinking: see fixed 89. Vacant: blank or stupid looking 90. Veiled: see inscrutable 91. Wan: pale, sickly; see also faint 92. Wary: cautious or cunning 93. Wide eyed: frightened or surprised 94. Wild eyed: excited, frightened, or stressful 95. Wistful: yearning or sadly thoughtful 96. Withering: devastating; see also wrathful 97. Woeful: full of grief or lamentation 98. Wolfish: see leering and mischievous 99. Wrathful: indignant or vengeful 100. Wry: twisted or crooked to express cleverness or a dark or ironic feeling

#references

aida-caroti

Describing Voices

Does your character have a particular voice type in mind? Do they have an accent? Are they monotonous? Does their voice grate? Is it silky? Sultry? Low? High-pitched? Do they slur? Stutter? What in the world is the difference between some of these? Here are some links below to help further identify your character:

Words to Describe Someone’s Voice ~ With definitions of each

An Article About Describing Voice ~ Includes some thought-provoking questions to ask yourself and some exercises

Voice Types ~ Describes and gives examples of types like soprano, alto, etc.

Panix.com Character Chart ~ An extremely in-depth character chart; scroll down to the Voice Quality category for examples of some of the many types of voices, ranging from aphonic to glottalized to yawny.

Vocal Qualities ~ Directly from the above link, for those who want to head straight for the quality types.

Vocal Impressions ~ Lists listener comparisons with examples from celebrities, such as Morgan Freeman and Marilyn Monroe. (example: “She sounds like… diamonds dipped in caramel.”)

Speech Patterns ~ With examples from different well-known folks

Gender and Speech Patterns ~ An interesting article about the observation of speech between men and women

Speech Accent Archive ~ A very broad archive that includes different audio samples of accents ranging from Afrikaans to Ancient Greek to Korean to Zulu. Can search by geography as well.

Speech Impediment (Wikipedia) ~ Includes links to different pages such as stuttering, cluttering, muteness, and the social effects.

What Makes A Man’s/Woman’s Voice Sexy? ~ Just what it says on the tin.

Other Words/Synonyms for ‘Said’:

Synonyms-Antonyms.com ~ Listed according to usage

TheCaveOnline ~ Includes categories and meanings for each one

550 Alternative Words for Said (HubPages) ~ Includes adverb / phrase modifiers

—

Have more ideas/links? Have a question? By all means, submit your input and questions to The Writers’ Helpers!

-J

#references

writeworld-blog

This generator provides you with the event that gets the story rolling and a secondary conflict to keep you going!

#references

imgfave

amazinglyartisticadvice

Good reference for writers OR artists.

#references

novazerowriting-blog

How I Outline Plot (Using 6-Stage Plot Structure)

Most writers dread outlining their stories. I don’t really know why. For every good book I’ve written, there’s been a nice, meaty outline. An outline consolidates every detail of your story and keeps it in a place where you can easily see the transition between scenes, chapters, and acts. My personal method has only 5 steps.

1. Create a synopsis for your story. Or just write down what you kinda want to happen. It can be pretty rough.

2. Create a table in your document. I’m using Microsoft Word 2007.

3. In a fresh document, divide your story into three acts: beginning, middle, end. (If you’re using the 6-Stage Plot Structure, assign the parts their names.) Here, I broke it into four sections but there shouldn’t be very much back story in your actual book at all.

4. Decide what happens in your story to start it (Mirabelle leaving her house), and put that in the first square of your table (the top square circled in green.) What happens after that? That second thing (Mirabelle hesitates) goes in the second square, (the bottom square circled in green). Pretty simple.

5. Continue filling in the squares with whatever material you have. You have gaps? No problem. You’ve got entire chapters missing? No problem. When you create a synopsis, or write your goals for a story, you tend to figure out your plot as you go. It’s normal to have gaps after that, too—filling in character sheets or just a good, ponderous shower can unlock the mystic gaps of your plot. Whenever you think of something, WRITE IT DOWN.

And there you have it! Your book is outlined, and you have a temporary synopsis, too. I’m not kidding about writing down every idea you have, by the way. Whether you think it’s stupid or not, it could save your book’s life when chapter nine is just a glaring, blank space with nothing to say.

I hope this was comprehensive, but if you have any questions let me know!

#references

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Read, Write, Repeat