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@booksbyyen
I don’t know what writer needs to hear this
but you can write something very plain.
You don’t have to write some genre-redefining masterpiece. You can write a story about two people very simply falling in love. You can just write a story about a person going to the store. You could, if you were so inclined, just re-write Star Wars but like, make all the names start with M.
Don’t let the fear of not-writing something transcendent stop you from just writing.
And we are back! The 2021 AU-gust prompt list is here! Go on and spread the word!
What is AU-gust? It stands for Alternate Universe August, and it is a creative challenge for everyone. Writers, artists, fans, anyone can join! Be sure to check out our FAQ for more answers! Join us on Twitter, AO3 and under the tags #AU_gust and #AU_gust_2021.
Special thanks to fishrains for the beautiful graphics!
[Image ID: 31 days challenge prompt list as follows: 1 Ancient Gods, 2 Exotic Vacation, 3 Hipsters, 4 Dancing, 5 Science Fiction, 6 Gaming, 7 Beekeeper, 8 Character Swap, 9 Roommates, 10 Utopia, 11 Summer Camp, 12 Fairy Tale, 13 Bad Horror Movie, 14 Chefs, 15 Crossover, 16 Hippies, 17 Wings, 18 Pirate, 19 Daemons, 20 Dystopia, 21 Soulmates, 22 Theatre, 23 Historical Fantasy, 24 Gangs, 25 Time Travel, 26 School of Magic, 27 Royalty, 28 Werewolf, 29 Pretend Relationship, 30 The Day the World Died, 31 Any two of the above. You have three Jokers: Norse Mythology, Fantasy, Arranged Marriage]
Character Pre-Intro | The "Bride"
"So we're getting married then, just like that? The displeasure is all mine."
Name | Victoria Price
Age | 28
Gender | Cisgender female; she/her
Sexuality | Bisexual
Occupation | Private Detective
Role | Protagonist
A bit of a loose cannon, Victoria Price has sharp instincts and a nose for trouble that she's not afraid to follow. As a detective, her methods are best described as 'barely organized chaos': the rulebook and protocol often flies out the window as she relies on her gut instinct and intuition to guide her rather than just the cold, hard facts. It probably is a habit that she should fix — but in this world it's all about results, and Victoria (usually) gets results.
While her friends would describe Victoria as spirited, spontaneous and passionate. If you ask her enemies (singular), he would say that she's annoying, reckless and a headache. Fortunately for Victoria, she has the sharp tongue and combativeness to point out that 'headache' isn't an adjective — which unfortunately, only serves to prove that she is.
Victoria is a believer in keeping her friends close and her enemies an arm's distance away. When she's forced to keep her enemy even closer to her than anyone else in her life however... Peace and compromise doesn't seem to be an option. Not when she always wants the last word.
Welcome to my character pre-intro! This is a pre-intro because many of my characters tend to take a life of their own that is often pretty different from what I initially intend them to be like. This is the foundation that I'm working off, but it is very possible that Victoria will change and evolve as I write her.
Let me know what you think of her, and be sure to check out her fake-groom!
As always, please RSVP to be put on the taglist by commenting/reblogging/sending me an ask, or check out this post here.
[Always the Bridesmaid WIP Intro]
reference image 1 | reference image 2
so i have this story where the youngest child of an emperor is targeted by an assassin, hired by a neighboring kingdom, and was wondering if you could offer reasons for her to be targeted instead of the crown prince?
i seem to have skipped over that part when worldbuilding and most reasons i come up with seem very weak and too petty
They could be marrying into a powerful alliance or perhaps there is a prophecy
Just dumping a few thoughts cause I love that the crown prince isn't targeted for once.. Maybe they came to know of a plot regarding the crown prince, or somthing related to any other siblings/those of royalty? Or perhaps they stand out for their looks and with the marriage thing, they don't want someone of that look to present their kingdom, if marrying into that kingdom? Like they have red hair, for example, and in that kingdom red is seen as evil/witchcraft/a disgrace to their gods? Could even be that they rejected a proposal, be it marriage, alliance or anything regarding the kingdoms people, and to get revenge, they go for the youngest?
Naughty words in a godless world
Imagine you're writing a story that takes place in a world that has no God, or gods, or saints. What do you do with exclamations like "Oh gosh!" (derived from "Oh God") or "Jeez!" (derived from "Jesus!")? And - oh god - what do you do with curses and swear words? If your characters can't say "Oh my god", "hell no", or "damn" because there are no gods to damn anyone to hell... what are your options?
Here is a list for inspiration
In general, non-religious curse and swear words refer to local cultural taboos.
Many languages swear by referring to cleanliness: dirty, sweaty, sticky, smelly etc. This includes things you do on the toilet.
Some languages, like Dutch, use diseases as curses and insults. For example, someone nasty/bothersome might be called a "cancer sufferer" in Dutch. These swear words are combinations of (derivates of) typhus, cholera, and cancer.
Societal hierarchy and family trees, mainly the inferior positions like a bastard (seen as inferior in the family tree) or a derogatory word that refers to lower class people (seen as inferior in that society).
On the other hand, you could insult a highly valued member of the other person's family, like their mother, or of their society, like their Queen/Emperor.
Sexual taboos, often implying someone (or their mother) is more sexually active than society accepts of them.
Calling someone the word for someone's genitalia refers to the same taboo.
How do you apply this to your language?
You could use explicit/taboo words as ... :
... an intensifier: "It was a shit-hot day."
... a negative adjective: "This is a shitty job."
... an insulting noun: "This journey is shit."
Or try to be creative and combine different taboos for a multi-hit offense. My favorite one is the Spanish "I shit in your mother's milk", which combines insulting the other person's mother, the taboo of bodily functions, and the taboo of cleanliness.
During my research I came across this article, which contains a number of concrete examples from all over the world you can draw inspiration from.
And on a less offensive note, you could always make up your own equivalent of "Merlin's beard!", "Great Scott!", or "For Pete's sake!" (Pete, by the way, is a catholic reference: Pete is Saint Peter.)
I hope this was helpful. Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions, and happy writing!
Follow me for more writing advice, or check out my other writing tips here. New topics to write advice about are also always appreciated.
Tag list below the cut. If you like to be added to or removed from the list, let me know.
And if you come up with creative curses, feel free to add them in the comments :)
I would also suggest to take superstitions of the world/locale into account!
For instance, a sailor might swear by the tides, or like, [gasp] "sky's breath, that's a big cannon!" or "Well, a Storm upon ye then!"
Like, stuff referencing the common dangers inherent in their life would be the basis for negative swear replacements like damn and hell, while the things sailors cherish and revere like the stars to chart by and the winds to sail by and easy waters etc. would replace the positive religious swear like "jeezus," "mother mary," "my g-d," etc.
This is a good addition!
Helpful guide to creating fantasy curse words!
fictional things that deserve more love + writing prompts
the I LOVE MY WIFE guy
the guy who refuses to listen to anyone expect his wife (even if she isn't his actual wife)
two characters deciding to live for each other as opposed to dying for each other
the guy who goes from I'LL DIE FOR MY WIFE to I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU HURT MY WIFE because she cried over him being a martyr
the female character who is a total cinnamon roll but could also kill you (she won't, but she could)
boy who takes —1— good look at his love interest and decides it's the love of his life
friends to strangers to lovers
the character who refuses violence until one of their loved ones are in danger
characters trying to wingman their friends but it ends in disaster
rom-com male dumping his love interest when she refuses to communicate with him
genuine friendship between a man and a woman without it turning sexual
childhood best friends to lovers
villains who made being bad their hobby ''i thought i told you to get a hobby'' ''i did. i choose murder.'' ''last time i checked killing innocent people isn't a hobby.'' ''it is it to me.''
frenemies who don't get along being locked in a confined space together
best friends to i don't care if we get married to other people we'll still be buried together
fake dating
morally grey female characters
characters who's smart individually but chaotic disasters when together
bad boy bad girl / good boy bad girl
long-term relationships, characters doing mundane, domestic stuff
found family (dysfunctional but we love each other anyway) and with no focus on romance
best friends to enemies to best friends (platonic version)
a character being single/becoming single without ending up in relationship
not clumsy anti-heroes, but reckless ones. anti-heroes who doesn't understand why they can't just stack their victim in the closet and get rid of the body the next day, and forget that the murder weapon is in their back pocket
a slow burn kissing early on, then denying their feelings for like eight months
enemies to lovers but i actually stab you this time although you have nowhere to go so now i have to bandage you up
A cult intends to sacrifice you to awaken their goddess. What they don’t know is that you ARE their goddess.
Hi, just have a quick question. I'm trying to come up with a story, but I've found that it's easier for me to create the characters rather than the story itself. Is it possible to create and develop the characters first, then write the story when I've sorted out the main plot?
Characters first, story second method…
I think it’s possible, and for a lot of writers, a bit more fun to start with the characters and build the plot around them. It can strengthen the characters’ motivation-driven-action within the story and the plot can be better suited to fit them. If you’re going to go with this order of operations, I suggest spawning plot points from your characters directly by dissecting them and designing a plot around answering key questions about who they are, what they want, and what they need.
I would start here with a game of 20 questions:
What do they want?
What do they think they need?
What do they actually need?
What are they willing to do to get it?
What’s in their way?
Who is willing to help them?
Who is willing to work against them?
What are the pros and cons of them achieving their goal?
What makes them want to achieve it in the first place?
How can the origin of their motivation be their downfall?
What will they learn as they work to achieve their goal?
What will they learn once they succeed/fail?
How will they change for the better?
How will they change for the worse?
How can their flaws help them succeed?
How can their best qualities hinder their success?
Who will they gain in the process?
Who will they lose in the process?
When will they be satisfied with their achievement?
What is their biggest fear?
All of these elements can become plot points or scenes, because by the end of the book you want the reader be be able to answer these questions. You create a plot around characters by having them drive it. Test them, expose them, force them into situations that reveal their deepest textures and colors, and try to teach the reader something by the end of it.
–
Masterlist | WIP Blog
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Prompt #572
“Your place is on the throne.”
“No, my place is by your side.”
Person A: “Out of all the people I’ve met in my life, you have to be the most infuriating.”
Person B: “And yet you never push me away.”
Prompt #13427
“My brother sold me. I’m hardly concerned with family or money.”
Well, let’s see, now. That’s eighty four and fifteen plus two. A hundred and one! A hundred and one? My, where did they all come from?
101 DALMATIANS (1961)
what’s your nervous tick? i rub the back of my left ear with my right hand
yo the notes on this are a gold mine if you’re a writer
So for years black girls have had to read fanfics where y/n was automatically described as being paled skinned with long flowing hair and blue eyes. We couldn’t relate to it exactly, it excluded us, it ignored us. But we read it cause it was all that was out there. Now when we start writing fanfics for other black girls to feel included and represented, now you all are saying that you ‘‘can’t relate to it” therefore don’t support black writers when we were supporting your work all those years even though you were acting like we don’t exist within these fandoms.
That’s why my blog is for the culture ALWAYS
It’s incredibly frustrating because I’ll be reading about the characters turning shades of pink and I’m like. I don’t turn pink. Black people don’t blush. If this is suppose to be reader insert why the hell is it saying that? I don’t have blue eyes or flowing hair? The actual heck.
Bruh don’t get me started, we’ve come a long way but why are ppl complaining when we got something to ourselves? Jeez. You have trillions of stuff, let us have our own.
Ways to describe a gender neutral, ethnicity-neutral character:
Blush = cheeks/face heating up
Describe how skin feels instead of how it looks
Hair being soft instead of long/flowing/silky
Maybe don’t even describe hair. Running one’s fingers through it doesn’t require a length or texture.
Why are we describing an insert’s eye color anyway? “I’ve always loved the color of your eyes.” There you go.
It’s so easy to have characters admire someone without relying on their appearance.
If you can’t, then maybe you’re not as good a writer as you think you are.
an educational graphic about critical thinking for tumnblr
The all important journalist questions, and then some.
A missing line from Why:
“If you really want to be a critical reader, it turns out you have to step back one step further, and ask not just whether the author is telling the truth, but why he’s writing about this subject at all.“
That is an excellent addition.
One other one for How: “how could this be exploited by someone acting in bad faith?” Closely coupled with a What: “what are the limits on the ill-effects this could produce?”
And a quick check for double standards: “who, or what, is the speaker not applying this principle to?”
(This is also a great guide for interrogating historical documents such as, say, a constitution, a press release, a speech, a letter, a diary, a bill of rights, political policies, &c)
I need to grab this and adapt this for my little filmmaking courses.
Because these questions are equally indispensible when YOU are the author of the script, the book, the story, the speech.
if you tag me in a chain post and i don't do it it's not because i hate you it's because i am very lazy. i love you thank you for tagging me.
Prompt
It was a moonlit night when the princess was ‘stolen’ from the castle by a wicked dragon.
A few days later, a knight arrived to the kingdom, ordered by the king to rescue the fair princess.
What the king didn’t know was that the knight was a shapeshifter who just so happened to turn into a dragon.
- submission by queen_svanstrom on Instagram
