#todo

22 | like a cat, i enjoy the warmth and comfort of a cute pc

[vio---let]

More summer reminiscing: I built that London lego set sometime in July! Quite the addition to my shelf!! The reads are Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian and SOTB, WOTS by Murakami. Both quite solemn reads, honestly. Logged my thoughts down on my reading journal and felt pensive about them all over again.

[libraetorium]

[ revision log printable + google sheets ] — reviewing course material is an excellent way to retain information over the long term! to use for my exams, i made a little revision google sheet and a matching printable, which i’ve decided to share with the community (●っゝω・)っ～☆

✨ — at the time i didn’t realize it, but this is inspired by @s0manythings​‘ beautiful grade tracker printable + sheet set! go have a look!

✅ ——

feel free to tag with #studykyt if you use.

credit if necessary and don’t claim as your own!

modifications are ok for personal use!

i worked really hard on this, so likes + reblogs are much appreciated ♡ 

•  printable pdfs, available in 5 colors ( bubblegum, lavender moon, seafoam, silver & gold, studykyt colors ) + b&w version ( skyscraper ) + bonus color ( field berries ).

•  google sheets, available in 5 colors + bonus sheet ( field berries ). to use file in your drive, file ↬  make a copy. no drive? file ↬ download as ↬ microsoft excel.

• instructions manual on how to use the google sheet.

🔗 — printables • google sheet • manual

☆ — originals • more printables

—— happy studying! :: kyt / studykyt

[studythngs-deactivated20210528]

THIS IS AMAZING!!!! *-*

[briefblazeunknown]

applications for uk universities are coming up in a few months, so i figured i should post the tips i have collected from when i applied (since they’re all just sitting in a word document gathering dust), particularly for the personal statement! we had a talk from an admissions tutor who told us most of the stuff below + i attended 6 open days and picked up a fair few bits along the way (some stuff might be more relevant to sciences/physics)

the personal statement: what??

your personal statement is likely your only opportunity to try and ‘sell yourself’ to universities since most courses at most universities don’t interview

you send the same one to all your unis (even if you apply to different courses!)

4000 characters and 47 lines limit (you’ll probably hit the line limit first - keep copying and pasting it into UCAS to check this since it’ll probably be a little different to your word processors count). the average is about 500 words

example structure

80% academic, 20% extracurricular is generally a good guide

paragraph 1, intro: personal trigger for your interest in the subject you’re applying for! (not just ‘i’ve always been good at it/liked it’) - how your subject relates to society/current affairs if applicable and relevant (you’ll be seeing that word a lot). what aspects of the courses you’re looking forwards to (but don’t accidentally refer to something not done at all your choices) - prove that you know what you’re getting into

paragraph 2: what have you done to develop your interest? trips, books, wider reading - both in and out of school/college. link it to your subject! work experience, relevant volunteering. career aspirations - if you have one, put it in! it’s not set in stone just because you wrote it in a personal statement. part time job - skills gained (again, relevant ones), not just facts.

e.g. i worked in housekeeping part time => work under time pressure to a high standard and working effectively as part of a team

paragraph 3: non academic achievements e.g. duke of edinburgh - again, skills gained. if you’re doing a gap year, why/what are you doing etc - benefits?

paragraph 4, summary: short, just a few lines. final impression. recap - this should answer “why do you want to go to university and study your course” and “why do you deserve to be offered a place”. relevant to course - make reference to course choice/area, not generic. career aspirations are good to mention here. can keep it vague-ish for multiple courses, but course area should be clear!

this is just an example containing most of the stuff that should be in it - how you break it up doesn’t matter too much as long as it does have a structure (remember line breaks will influence your character/line count!)

good words/phrases

rewarding, improved, interested, taking part, reinforced, gained, strengthen, in addition, developed, broadening, hard work, commitment, enhanced, thrive under pressure

long list of advice

be concise - characters are limited and you have a lot to say

be honest - lying is a. unnecessary and b. will probably come out later

remember the person receiving this probably reads thousands, try and keep it interesting

organised & structured!

persuade the reader that you deserve a place

avoid generic statements - everything must be relevant. as much as they may be true, things like “i achieved good grades/always enjoyed this subject previously” are obvious fillers.

imagine this is your interview - as i said, you probably won’t get a real one! why do you want to study this, what makes you the right person for this course.

DO NOT LIST. don’t do it. expand on everything you put down, make it relevant - what your experiences are isn’t important, what you got from them is.

spelling and grammar. check it, check it, check it again - and this must be done by a human, spell checkers don’t notice if you use the wrong word (it’s best to go with a teacher or parent, something like that, not other students or people on the internet - be very careful about sending your personal statement to people online).

don’t talk about things that belong in other sections - e.g. how good your grades are (they can already see these), extenuating circumstances (should be explained by your referee in the reference). repeating yourself makes you look desperate to fill space.

avoid ambiguity - explain yourself! e.g. ‘i did my gold award’ - in what?!

authentic - don’t be pretentious

avoid being generic

‘i’m looking forward to having an experience to remember for the rest of my life’ it lasts 3+ years; you’re going to remember it. don’t say it.

‘looking forwards to independence’ - very rarely a choice when you go to uni. virtually everyone else is in the exact same situation here. don’t waste characters on things that aren’t relevant or really important.

‘my family…’ they do not care about your family, they care about you. it is about you.

avoid cliches

add comments, views and explanations to your points - pretend it’s an english essay or something - making a point by itself gets you no marks

use your own experiences - you will have enough, don’t make it up.

‘i’m quite good’ - avoid neutral or passive terms to describe yourself. be positive and show off that you do have these skills!

similarly don’t be uncertain - ‘i usually meet deadlines’ is pretty unconvincing

don’t play things down!

do your research - know which modules you will study in your courses so you can keep things relevant. talk about things you are particularly excited about and why.

what have you done outside of the a level course requirements?

obviously, don’t mention any of your unis by name or location (or course if they vary)

avoid humour: when someone makes a joke in front of a large audience, if they didn’t come to see them make jokes you will notice that maybe half laugh. you don’t know which half the person reading your personal statement will fall into. don’t do it.

make connections between interests and courses

draft and redraft and redraft until it’s perfect… and then check it over a few more times!

… but don’t let the people who check it over for you rewrite it! this must be your personal statement if you want to get anywhere

it’s run through sophisticated plagiarism/similarity software by UCAS. don’t write with a friend, don’t get one off the internet.

hopefully some of this helps someone out there, good luck!

[madisonsmagazine]

MY WRITING MASTERPOST

I just have a lot of writing tips and masterposts and just stuff in my likes and I decided to put them all into this. All rights goes to the people who made them.

Cool Other Masterposts:

Writing Specific Characters

Writing References

Writing Masterpost

Character Guides

Writing Help for Writers

Ultimate Writing Resource List

Lots of RP Guides

Online Writing Resources

List of Websites to Help You Focus

Resources for Writing Bio’s

Helpful Links for Writing Help

General Writing Resources

Resources for Biography Writing

Mental Ilnesses/Disorders Guides

8 Words You Should Avoid While Writing

The Ultimate Writing Masterpost

General:

The Official Ten-Step Guide to Becoming the Next Gatsby

The Periodic Table of Storytelling

Joss Whedon’s Top 10 Writing Tips

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

34 Writing Tips that will make you a Better Writer

50 Free resources that will improve your writing skills

5 ways to get out of the comfort zone and become a stronger writer

10 ways to avoid Writing Insecurity

The Writer’s Guide to Overcoming Insecurity

The Difference Between Good Writers and Bad Writers

You’re Not Hemingway - Developing Your Own Style

7 Ways to use Brain Science to Hook Readers and Reel them In

8 Short Story Tips from Kurt Vonnegut

How to Show, Not Tell

5 Essential Story Ingredients

How to Write Fiction that grabs your readers from page one

Why research is important in writing

Make Your Reader Root for Your Main Character

Writing Ergonomics (Staying Comfortable Whilst Writing)

The Importance of Body Language

Fashion Terminology

All About Kissing

Genre Help: Romance

187 Mental Illnesses

Types of Mental Illness

Eye Color List

Spectral Groupings

Do you have trouble creating your titles?

On being a co-writer || Additional tips on effective co-writing 

The length of a chapter

How to deal with too many story ideas

On writing two stories simultaneously || a similar ask

When a story stops working

Copyright

Reading critically for writers

The question of outlining

Avoiding publishing scams

Finding story ideas

Tips on building a platform [guest blog]

How much does writing “in genre” matter?

What a “real writer” is

Pennames and aliases

A series of thoughts on series titles

The self-pub miniseries: the why

The self-pub miniseries: the what

Rewriting fanfiction into original fiction

Formatting long quotes and songs 

Characters:

10 days of Character Building

Name Generators

Name Playground

Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test

Seven Common Character Types

Handling a Cast of Thousands Part 1 - Getting To Know Your Characters

Web Resources for Developing Characters

Building Fictional Characters

Fiction Writer’s Character Chart

Body Language Cheat

Body Language Reference Cheat

Tips for Writers: Body Language

Types of Crying

Body Language: Mirroring

Character Building Workshop

Tips for Characterization

Character Chart for Fiction Writers

Villains are people too but…

How to Write a Character Bible

Character Development Exercises

All Your Characters Talk the Same - And They’re Not A Hivemind!

Medieval Names Archive

Sympathy Without Saintliness

Family Echo (Family Tree Maker)

Behind The Name

100 Character Development Questions for Writers

Aether’s Character Development Worksheet

The 12 Common Archetypes

Six Types of Courageous Characters

Kazza’s List of Character Secrets - Part 1, Part 2

Creating Believable Characters With Personality

Angry

Bad Asses

Bitches (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Childishness

Emotional Detachment

Flirtatious

The Girl Next Door

Introverts (2)

Mean Persons (2)

Psychopaths

Party Girls

Rich (2) 

Rebels

Sarcasm

Serial Killers (2)

Shyness (2, 3)

Sluts

Villains (2)

Witt

Body Language Cheat Sheet

Creating Fictional Characters Series

Three Ways to Avoid Lazy Character Description

7 Rules for Picking Names for Fictional Characters

Character Development Questionnaire

How to Create Fictional Characters

Character Name Resources

Character Development Template

Character Development Through Hobbies

Character Flaws List

10 Questions for Creating Believable Characters

Ari’s Archetype Series

How to Craft Compelling Characters

List of 200 Character Traits

Writing Characters of the Opposite Sex

Making Your Characters Likable

Do you really know your characters?

Character Development: Virtues

Character Development: Vices

Character Morality Alignment

List of Negative Personality Traits

List of Positive Personality Traits

List of Emotions - Positive

List of Emotions - Negative

Loon’s Character Development Series - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Phobia List A-L (Part 1), M-Z (Part 2)

30 Day In Depth Character Development Meme

Words for Emotions based on Severity

Eight Bad Characters

High Level Description of the Sixteen Personality Types

How Not to Write Female Characters

Writing Female Characters

How to write empowering female characters

Why I write strong female characters

Red Flags for Female Characters Written by Men

Writing strong female characters

The Female Character Flowchart

Eight Heroine Archetypes

Eight Hero Archetypes

Help on picking character names

A tip about realistic characters

Strategies to create believable characters

Additional tips on writing PoC characters

Advice on writing genders

Creating unstable characters

Ambiguous Antagonists

A tidbit on psychological trauma [trigger warnings]

On writing accents

What makes characters stick with me

Sweetening up character description

Making an introverted character stand out

Conveying too much or too little character “inner reflection”

Revealing a character’s asexual orientation

Revealing a character’s gender & orientation

A habit of killing characters

When characters aren’t standing out

Breaking hearts with character deaths

Quick tips on expressing character 

Character development versus pacing 

A mini guide to character voice

A Description Resource

55 Words to Describe Someones Voice

Describing Skin Colors

Describing a Person: Adding Details

Emotions Vocabulary

90 Words For ‘Looks’

Be More Descriptive

Describe a Character’s Look Well

100 Words for Facial Expressions

To Show and Not To Tell

Words to Describe Facial Expressions

Describing Clothes

List of Actions

Tone, Feelings and Emotions

Writing A Vampire

Writing Pansexual Characters

Writing Characters on the Police Force

Writing Drunk Characters

Writing A Manipulative Character

Writing A Friends With Benefits Relationship

Writing A Natural Born Leader

Writing A Flirtatious Character

Writing A Nice Character

Fiction Writing Exercises for Creating Villains

Five Traits to Contribute to an Epic Villain

Writing Villains that Rock

Writing British Characters

How To Write A Character With A Baby

On Assassin Characters

Disorders in general (2, 3, 4, 5) 

Attention Deficit Disorder

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Anxiety (2, 3, 4, 5) 

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Alice In Wonderland Syndrome

Bipolar Disorder (2, 3)

Cotard Delusions

Depression (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)   

Eeating Disorders (2, 3)

Facitious Disorders

Histrionic Personality Disorder

Multiple Personality Disorder (2)

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Night Terrors

Kleptomania (2)

A Pyromaniac

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Psychopaths

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (2) (3)

Sex Addiction (2)

Schizophrenia (2)

Sociopaths (2)

Aspergers Syndrome

Apathy 

Autism

Someone Blind (2)

Cancer (2, 3)

Disability

Dyslexia

Muteness (2, 3)

Stutter

Actors

Ballet Dancer (2)

Christianity

Foreigners

Gamblers

Hinduism

Hitmen

Satanism

Smokers

Stoners

Taoism

Journalists

Vegetarians

Alcohol Influence (2, 3, 4, 5)

Cocaine Influence

Ecstasy Influence (2)

Heroin Use

LSD Influence

Marijuana Influence (2, 3)

Opiate Use

Tips on Writing Dialogue:

It’s Not What They Say…

Top 8 Tips for Writing Dialogue

Speaking of Dialogue

The Great Said Debate

He Said, She Said, Who Said What?

How to Write Dialogue Unique to Your Characters

Writing Dialogue: Go for Realistic, Not Real-Life

Tips on Writing Point of View:

Establishing The Right Point of View

How to Start Writing in the Third Person

The I Problem

Style & Craft of Writing:

The literary “weak verb”

Do you have word tics?

Victoria’s Vitamins: vague descriptive words

Victoria’s Vitamins: mood

Breaking writing habits

Varying sentences

Describing colors

Sweetening up character description

Purple prose

Grammar is a tricksy thing

“Smartening” the language of your narrative

Building suspense and making readers sweat

A couple tips about description in fast-paced scenes

Content:

The story of exposition

10 ways to hit your reader in the gut

Make your reader root for your main character

Make your reader hold their breath

What’s the big deal about intros?

A tip about description

The word count of your manuscript

Things that make me keep reading

Choosing ideas and endings

When to describe setting

Battling cliches

Is your story YA, NA, or adult?

When a plot isn’t strong enough to make a whole story

Flashbacks with multiple POVs

Bulking up your word count

Avoiding cliches

Conquer that opening line || response || discussion

Tips on revealing setting awesomely kind of

Deciding between different ideas for the same story 

Revision:

You’ve finished your manuscript! Now what?

Revision sucks but doesn’t have to suck

Where to find beta readers/critique partners

Tips on taking critique

Tips on giving critique

What to do with bad writing advice

Additional insight on bad writing advice

Five quick steps to get into revising that manuscript

When to say you’re done revising

Beginning the awesome journey of revision

Friends are not always the best readers 

Plot, Structure, & Outline:

Writing A Novel Using the Snowflake Method

Effectively Outlining Your Novel

Conflict and Character Within Story Structure

Outlining Your Plot

Ideas, Plots and Using the Premise Sheets

How To Write A Novel

Creating Conflict and Sustaining Suspense

Plunge Right In…Into Your Story, That Is

Tips for Creating a Compelling Plot

36 (plus one) Dramatic Situations

The Evil Overlord Devises A Plot: Excerpt from Stupid Plot Tricks

Conflict Test

What is Conflict?

Monomyth

The Hero’s Journey: Summary of Steps

Outline Your Novel in Thirty Minutes

Plotting Without Fears

Novel Outlining 101

Writing The Perfect Scene

One-Page Plotting

The Great Swampy Middle

How Can You Know What Belongs In Your Book?

Create A Plot Outline in 8 Easy Steps

How to Organize and Develop Ideas for Your Novel

Create Structure in your novel using index cards

Choosing the best outline method for you

Hatch’s Plot Bank

Setting & Making Your Own World

Magical Word Builder’s Guide

I Love The End Of The World

World Building 101

The Art of Description: Eight Tips to Help Bring Your Settings to Life

Creating the Perfect Setting - Part 1

Creating a Believable World

Setting

Character and Setting Interactions

Maps Workshop - Developing the Fictional World Through Mapping

World Builders Project

How To Create Fantasy Worlds

Creating Fantasy and Science Fiction Worlds

Helpful Tools & Software:

Tip Of My Tongue - Find the word you’re looking for

Write or Die - Stay motivated

Stay Focused - Tool for Chrome, lock yourself out of distracting websites

My Writing Nook - Online Text Editor, Free

Bubbl.us - Online Mind Map Application, Free

Family Echo - Online Family Tree Maker, Free

Freemind - Mind Map Application; Free; Windows, Mac, Linux, Portable

Xmind - Mind Map Application; Free; Windows, Mac, Linux, Portable

Liquid Story Binder - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $45.95; Windows, Portable

Scrivener - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $39.95; Mac

SuperNotecard - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $29; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable

yWriter - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free; Windows, Linux, portable

JDarkRoom - Minimalist Text Editing Application; free; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable

AutoRealm - Map Creation Application; free; Windows, Linux with Wine

Grammer & Revision:

How To Rewrite

Editing Recipe

Cliche Finder

Revising Your Novel: Read What You’ve Written

Writing 101: Revising A Novel

20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes

Synonyms for the Most Commonly Used Words of the English Language

Grammar Urban Legends

Words Instead of Walk (2)

Commonly Confused Adjectives

A Guide on Punctuation

Common Writing Mistakes

25 Synoms for ‘Expession’

How to: Avoid Misusing Variations of Words

Words to Keep Inside Your Pocket

The 13 Trickiest Grammar Hang-Ups

Other Ways to Say..

Proofreading

300+ Sophiscated and Underused Words

List of Misused Words

Words for Sex

100 Beautiful and Ugly Words

Words to Use More Often

Alternatives for ‘Smile’ or ‘Laugh’

Three Self Editing Tips

Words to Use Instead of ‘Walk’, ‘Said’, ‘Happy’ and ‘Sad’

Synonyms for Common Words

Alternatives for ‘Smile’

Transitional Words

The Many Faces and Meanings of ‘Said’

Synonyms for ‘Wrote’

A Case Of She Said, She Said

Creativity Boosters:

*Creative Writing Prompts

*Ink Provoking

*Story Starter

*Story Spinner

*Story Kitchen

*Language is a Virus

*The Dabbling Mum

Quick Story Idea Generator

Solve Your Problems By Simply Saying Them Out Loud

Busting Your Writing Rut

Creative Acceleration: 11 Tips To Engineer A Productive Flow

Writing Inspiration, Or Sex on a Bicycle

The Seven Major Beginner Mistakes

Complete Your First Book with these 9 Simple Writing Habits

Free Association, Active Imagination, Twilight Imaging

Random Book Title Generator

Finishing Your Novel

Story Starters & Idea Generators

Words to Use More Often

How to: Cure Writer’s Block

Some Tips on Writer’s Block

Got Writer’s Block?

6 Ways to Beat Writer’s Block

Tips for Dealing With Writer’s Block

Improvement:

Improve Your Writing Habits Now

5 Ways to Add Sparkle to Your Writing

Getting Over Roleplaying Insecurities

Improve Your Paras

Why the Right Word Choices Result in Better Writing

4 Ways To Have Confidence in Your Writing

Writing Better Than You Normally Do

How’s My Driving?

Motivation:

Backhanding procrastination

On habits and taking care of yourself || Response

More troubles with writing motivation

The inner critic and ways to fight it

The writing life is hard on us

For troubles with starting your story

Writing to be published

“You’re a writer, will you write this for me?”

Writing a story that’s doomed to suck

Writing stamina builds slowly

When depression goes and writing goes with it

Additional inner critic strategies

Tips on conquering NaNoWriMo (or any project, really)

You will change as a writer

Ways to keep writing while in school

13 quick tips when you’re starting your novel

First draft blues

Getting in your own way 

Writing an Application:

How to: Make That Application Your Bitch

How to: Make Your App Better

How to: Submit a Flawless Audition

10 Tips for Applying

Para Sample Ideas

5 Tips on Writing an IC Para Sample

Writing an IC Sample Without Escaping From the Bio

How to: Create a Worthy IC Para Sample

How to: Write an Impressive Para Sample

How to: Lengthen Short Para’s

Prompts:

Drabble Stuff

Prompts List

Writing Prompts

Drabble Prompts

How to Get Into Character

Writing Challenges/Prompts

A Study in Writing Prompts for RPs

Para Prompts & Ideas

Writing Prompts for Journal Entries

A List of Para Starters

[booksandsharpies]

My study place today! Every time before I study, I like to clean up my room and make everything look nice, then it just feels like everything is a bit more manageable! 

[nerd-aesthetics]

first day of the last year of high school; my timetable is a disaster but i’m kind of happy to be back.