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sania | she | british | english & media graduate | tracking #niascoffeeshop

[coffeenia]

im a student again so i suppose its time to dust this tumblr a little

[coffeenia]

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check out my food insta, I made some cinnamon rolls last weekend 😋

[coffeenia]

and im back! took a month break and now i gotta get back into the groove of things 

[coffeenia]

sorry i havent been around the past few days, i was getting to invested into my crochet project

[maruti-bitamin]

overthink

[creativepromptsforwriting]

Favourite Tropes

A compiled list of tropes and AO3 tags.

Mutual pining

Enemies to lovers (x)

Enemies to friends to lover

Sharing a bed

Fake dating

Oblivious idiots

Slow burn (x)

Miscommunication

Found families

Only one bed

Reunion

Blind date set up by mutual friends

Fluffiest fluff (x)

Sick fic aka one being the other’s caring nurse

Banter

Morally ambigious character

First time

A+ parenting (and it’s not sarcastic) (x)

Getting together

Power of friendship

Honeymoon (x)

First meeting

PWP

Established relationship

Hurt/Comfort

Enemy to family

Redemption (x)

Platonic love

Angst (x, x, x)

Domestic fluff

Time travel (x)

Sharing body heat

Fix it fic

Everyone is gay

First kiss

Amnesia (x)

Forbidden love (x)

Kid fic

5 times this and 1 time that

Smut (x)

Matchmaking

Whump

Snowed in/trapped

Unresolved Sexual tension

Resolved Sexual tension

Mystery (x, x, x, x)

Roadtrip

Love potion or sex pollen aka magic made them do it

Jealousy (x)

Missing moments/scenes

[writing-and-nutmeg]

I was shocked when I realized this 😳

[creativepromptsforwriting]

Ideas of fatal character flaws? :3

Hi :)

Fatal character flaws

Aristotle calls this ‘Hamartia’ - a tragic flaw or error. It can be anything happening to good or bad characters, even otherwise good character traits and with good intentions that ultimately lead to the character’s demise. They are often traits that don’t neccessarily lead to someone’s downfall, but can if they’re done to an extreme. So think of these otherwise normal ‘flaws’ as extremes.

ignorance - not seeking helpful knowledge

selfishness - not thinking about others

curiosity - getting involved in things they shouldn’t get involved in

impetuousness - being too passionate/ not thinking before acting

pride - not giving in/ not taking help from others 

hubris - exaggerated opinion of oneself/ thinking nothing can get to them

lack of self-control - can’t help/stop themself

indecisiveness* - not being able to make decisions

confirmation bias - only taking in information that supports one’s own belief 

arrogance -  thinking they are superior

Have fun!

- Jana

*Interesting example: Chidi from The Good Place. A morally great character who is so extreme in always trying to make the right choice and therefore not being able to make a decision until it is proven to be right, it basically lands him in hell.

[fragmentedink-archived]

Symbolism

I thought I might not be the only writer out there who likes to put symbolism in their stories so I found some things and what they represent!!

Animals

Alligator - stealth, survival

Ant - diligence, industry, community, remarkable strength, hard working, success, patience

Antelope - action

Armadillo - boundaries, self protection

Badger - aggressiveness, passion and drive

Bat - rebirth, longevity, joy, good luck

Bear - gentle strength, dreaming, introspection, power, protection

Beaver - builder, accomplishing goals

Bee - divine messenger, love, service, gathering, community

Bird - enlightenment, perspective, swiftness, vision, prophetic knowledge

Boar - nature-based wealth, prosperity, success, protection, courage

Buffalo - prayer, abundance, survival needs met, good fortune, healing

Bulls’ horns - a good symbol in meditation for motivation

Butterfly - rebirth, the soul, transformation, the three phases of life

Cat - feminine energy, mystical power, used to keep the wearer safe in travel, wholeness

Chameleons - ever-changing future, inconsistency

Cheetah - speed, focus

Cougar - power, swiftness, balance

Cows - red cows are a symbol of hope, inspiring symbol for nurturing efforts

Coyote - trickster

Crane - longevity. A pair of cranes symbolizes “Long Marriage”

Cricket - good luck charm, singing, Spring, fertility

Crow - sacred law, gateway to supernatural, shape shifting, illusion

Deer - graceful gentleness, sensitivity, compassion, kindness

Dog - companionship, health, service, loyalty, protection, future prosperity

Dolphin - manna, joy, childlike play, helpfulness, breath of life, harmony, intelligence, self connection

Donkey - fertility, easy childbirth, efficiency, health, well-being, and luck

Dove - peace, innocence, fidelity, love, gentleness, kindnes

Dragonfly - good fortune, magic, vision, dreams, luck, and ancient knowledge, illusion

Dragon - wisdom due to long lives and potent magic, royalty, Emperor, eternity, courage, strength, rain, Spring

Eagle - courage, spirit, bravery, strength

Elephant - commitment, strength, astuteness

Elk - stamina, pride, power, majesty

Fish - miracles, providence, sea/water magic, good luck and prosperity, foresight, fortune, salmon in particular, are associated with knowledge

Fox - camouflage, adaptability, integration, tricksters, shape shifters, and possessors of great magic

Frog - healing, cleansing, messages, health, honesty, fluidity, purification

Gazelle - awareness

Giraffe - grounded vision

Goat - tenacity, diligence, can help to achieve goals, endure criticism, and stay safe. Goat’s fur or foot - an anti-evil talisman.

Goose - safe return, love of home

Grasshopper - nobility, prosperity

Hawk - nessenger, strength, foresight, truth

Hippopotamus - emotional depths

Horses - power, stamina, speed, transportation and communication - A black horse with a white marking on its forehead is lucky

Hummingbird - joy, pure love, celebration of life

Ladybug - delight, trust

Lamb - filial piety (dutiful respect or regard for parents).

Lion (baby) cubs - inspire mercy and gentleness.

Lion (grown) - inspire strength, courage

Lions - pride, nobility, cunning, courage, just laws, fairness, the sun, images can protect sacred ground.

Lizard - dreaming, foresight, ancient secrets

Lynx - secrets

Monkey - benevolence, drives away evil

Moose - self-esteem, assertiveness

Mountain Lion - wisdom, leadership

Mouse - frugality, rebirth, scrutiny

Opossum - strategy, diversion

Otter - medicine (woman), balanced feminine energy

Owl - deception, wisdom, clairvoyance, magic

Ox - evil spirits that disturb lakes, rivers, and seas

Peacock - wholeness, dignity, beauty, recognition, self assurance, pride

Pig - rebirth and rejuvenation

Porcupine - innocence

Rabbit - fear, fertility, moon magic, speed, swiftness, longevity, courage, strength

Raccoon - dexterity, disguise

Raven - magic

Robin - growth, renewal

Rooster - courageous, warlike disposition, warmth and life of the Universe

Scorpion - the “fire within” that often needs careful tending

Seal - inner voice

Sheep - sacrifice

Snake - cunning, evil, supernatural power

Spider - destiny, fate, weaving

Squirrel - gathering

Swan - grace

Tiger - courage, bravery, fierceness, strength, being in the now

Turtle - mother earth

Weasel - stealth

Whale - record keeper

Wolf - teacher, A Guide to the Sacred

Zebra - Individuality

PLANTS

Aloe- Healing, protection, affection

Amaryllis- Pride

Anemone- Forsaken

Angelica- Inspiration

Apple blossom- Preference

Arborvitae- Unchanging friendship

Aster- Symbol of Love, Daintiness

Basil- Good wishes

Bay- Glory

Begonia- Beware

Bittersweet- Truth

Black-eyed Susan- Justice

Bluebell- Humility, kindness

Candytuft- Indifference

Red carnation- My Heart Aches, admiration

- White carnation- Innocence, pure love, women’s good luck gift

- Pink carnation- I’ll never forget you

- Yellow carnation- Disdain, disappointment, rejection

Chamomile- Patience

Chives- Usefulness

Chrysanthemum- Cheerfulness

Clover, white- Think of me

Coreopsis- Always cheerful

Coriander- Hidden worth

Crocus- spring, Youthful gladness

Cumin- Fidelity

Cyclamen- Resignation and good-bye

Daffodil- Regard

Daisy- Innocence, hope

Dill- Powerful against evil

Edelweiss- Courage, devotion

Fennel- Flattery

Fern- Sincerity

Forget-me-not- True love memories

Gardenia- Secret love

Geranium- oak-leavedTrue friendship

Gladiolus- Remembrance

Goldenrod- Encouragement, good fortune

Heliotrope- Eternal love

Holly- Hope

Hollyhock- Ambition

Honeysuckle- Bonds of love

Horehound- Health

Hyacinth- Games and sport, playfulness, rashness

– Blue Hyacinth- Constancy of love

– Purple Hyacinth- Sorrow, forgiveness, regret

– Yellow Hyacinth- Jealousy

– White Hyacinth- Loveliness, prayers for someone

Hydrangea- Gratitude for being understood; frigidity and heartlessness

Hyssop- Sacrifice, cleanliness

Iris- A message

Ivy- Friendship, continuity

Jasmine- white- Sweet love

Lady’s-mantle- Comforting

Lavender- Devotion, virtue

Lemon balm- Sympathy

Lilac- Joy of youth

Lily, calla- Beauty

Lily, day- Chinese emblem for mother

Lily-of-the-valley- Sweetness, purity

Lotus Flower- Purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration, and rebirth

Magnolia- Love of nature

Marjoram- Joy and happiness

Mint- Virtue

Morning glory- Affection

Myrtle- Good luck and love in a marriage

Nasturtium- Patriotism

Oak- Strength

Oregano- Substance

Pansy- Thoughts

Parsley- Festivity

Peony- Bashful, happy life

Pine- Humility

Poppy, red- Consolation

Rhododendron- Danger, flee

Rose, red- Love, I love you.

Rose, dark crimson- Mourning

Rose, pink- Happiness

Rose, white- Purity, heavenly, I’m worthy of you

Rose, yellow- Jealousy, decrease of love

Rosemary- Remembrance

Rue- Grace, clear vision

Sage- Wisdom, immortality

Salvia, blue- I think of you

Salvia, red- Forever mine

Savory Spice-  interest

Sorrel- Affection

Southernwood- Constancy, jest

Sunflower- Adoration

Sweet pea- Pleasures

Sweet William- Gallantry

Sweet woodruff- Humility

Tansy- Hostile thoughts

Tarragon- Lasting interest

Thyme- Courage, strength

Tulip, red- Passion, declaration of love

Tulip, yellow- Sunshine in your smile

Valerian- Readiness

Violet- Loyalty, devotion, faithfulness, modesty

Wallflower- Faithfulness in adversity

Willow- Sadness

Yarrow- Everlasting love

Zinnia- Thoughts of absent friends

Color

Red: Excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence, all things intense and passionate, sincerity, happiness (Only in Japan)

Pink: love and romance, caring, tenderness, acceptance and calm.

Beige and ivory: symbolize unification. 

Ivory: symbolizes quiet and pleasantness. 

Beige: calm and simplicity.

Yellow: signifies joy, happiness, betrayal, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, gold, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard and friendship.

Dark Blue: Symbolizes integrity, knowledge, power, and seriousness.

Blue: Peace, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, technology, depression, appetite suppressant.

Turquoise: calm. 

Teal: sophistication. 

Aquamarine: symbolizes water. 

Lighter turquoise: a feminine appeal.

Purple: Royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, honor, arrogance, mourning, temperance.

Lavender: femininity, grace and elegance.

Orange: Energy, balance, enthusiasm, warmth, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant, demanding of attention.

Green: Nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, service, inexperience, envy, misfortune, vigor.

Brown: Earth, stability, hearth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, simplicity, and comfort.

Gray: Security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring. Silver symbolizes calm.

White: Reverence, purity, birth, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage (Western cultures), death (Eastern cultures), cold, clinical.

Black: Power, sexuality, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, depth, style, sadness, remorse, anger, anonymity, underground, good technical color, mourning, death (Western cultures), austerity, detachment.

[writing-with-olive]

This one goes out to all the writers who can’t write every day.

To the writers with other jobs.

To the writers battling depression or anxiety.

To the writers who experience burnout often.

To the writers who have to balance school and a social life on top of everything else.

To the writers who have complicated family situations.

To the writers who are dealing with sickness, either their own or someone else’s.

To the writers that just aren’t able to write every day regarless of the reason.

This one goes out to all of the writers who keep writing even when things get hard and even when writing is the thing that has to give a little. I see you. I’m here for you. You are fricking amazing.

[dizzyallaround]

what ever happened to personality!!! i want decorative towels that arent boring!!! i want NOVELTY!! i want people to come over to my house and look at my trinkets and immediately think this lady is a wacko and also her stuff is haunted

[writingwithcolor]

The Middle East Is Not Entirely A Desert: Worldbuilding from Climate

@just-a-funny-little-brain said:

Hello WWC! Thank you for this amazing resource you have created. I have a story set in a fantasy world where the bulk of the story happens in a semi-arid Middle East-like climate. I had planned on creating a whole new culture for my characters, inspired by pieces from cultures in our world that live in similar climates, because I wanted to create a culture that had three fairly socially equal genders, which from my preliminary research doesn’t seem to show up in any major cultures in that region. (I would prefer to not change the biome of the setting, since the main quest centers around ending a drought)

But when reading through your blog, I saw the mods mention a number of times being tired of half-hearted representation. Would it be better to choose a specific IRL culture to base my story on and then tweak it to include a third gender? From my perspective (nonbinary, white, North American), that seems like a bad idea, but I thought I should ask people who would have a better idea of the best way to handle this.

You may be a bit confused. When we talk about half-hearted representation on the blog, we’re talking about characterization. We advise people to incorporate specific aspects of a character’s culture into the story; merely changing their skin and keeping them functionally and culturally white is often not meaningful rep. With that out of the way, if the only thing from the real world you’re using is the climate, then why not just worldbuild from scratch? Make that third gender! Make your own religion! Make your own customs! That being said: 

The Middle East has a variety of biomes and is not entirely just a desert

Here are some major Middle Eastern forests! Wow! Why doncha look at that!

Cultural innovations are indeed rooted in adapting to the environment, so there are a lot of adaptations to the desert that you see in certain regions of the Middle East, but that is not the only place… 

How about the Gobi Desert in East Asia? 

How about the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa?

How about the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert in North America? 

How about all the other deserts I have not named?

Think of all the different cultures that live in this climate type!

I would research the ways in which cultures that live in desert regions have developed innovations related to housing, clothing, water procurement, etc. as a basis. And, you know, avoid generalizing entire subcontinents as you just have. 

If you have any other questions about pulling inspiration from specific IRL cultures for your world, send us another ask!

Followers: If you are from a culture based in a desert region, we invite your input! Let us know what kinds of innovations and practices your culture might have that come from its relationship to the environment. 

But once again, say it with me, folks:

*The Middle East Is Not Entirely A Desert*

~Mod Rina

[writingwithcolor]

Pan-Asianism and Fantasy Countries (China, Japan, Korea)

Anonymous submitted:

Hello! In one of your posts you talked about Pan-Asianism and how harmful it is to Asian communities, especially in fantasy. What I’m worried about is a country in my fantasy novel that might accidentally touch on that.

Namely, the country is question has multiple different ethnic groups living within it, due to its huge size, and at least three of those groups are based off of China, Japan, and Korea respectively. Because of this, I’m worried that having these ethnic groups be under the same country’s banner might perpetuate Pan-Asian stereotypes. I’m hesitant to do away with the idea of having these groups recognized completely, as two major characters have heritage from this country. They’re both written as being distinct from one another, and it’s mentioned various ways within the work that x character is specifically x ethnicity while y character is y. Their coding is specific to their respective ethnicities (eg, clothes, skin tones, names, etc).

So what I’m asking is, even if I’ve tried to be specific in my characters’ coding so that it’s not samey, would it still be perpetuating Pan-Asian stereotypes to have these ethnic groups all be from the same country? I figure I can just rewrite it so that there’s separate countries in order to preserve the representation, and I don’t mind doing that. The IRL history between these groups has me a bit worried, too. Any help you can give would be appreciated. Thanks!

Is It Necessary? 

My #1 thing with this is–do they really need to be one individual country? You could just change it into three actual countries as they are in real life so that there’s no confusion as to the exact countries that these are reflections of.  

I’d also be worried about their history too. There are several instances of Chinese nationalism leading to other East Asians getting hurt (the Sino-Japanese wars, the Wanpaoshan incident…) and E.Asian on E.Asian bigotry shouldn’t be dismissed just because we come from the same region of the world.

~ Mod Emme

An Alternative Political Structure:

I suppose one option is the Roman Empire approach, where you have a single empire, but with reasonably meritocratic forms of governance allowing for local autonomy at the state/ province level and social mobility regardless of a person’s ethnic/ national background. The Mongols did this during the Yuan dynasty. The Tang dynasty had a similar relationship with the neighboring tributary states and protectorates it relied on for trade and economic prosperity. In modern terms, something like the EU might also be worth considering.  

This approach would require much research into E. Asian history, pre-modern warfare and political science, particularly the principles of statesmanship and diplomacy needed to use mutual, overlapping interests to ensure harmony between regions with different needs, resources and cultures. There’s a difference between a single country under one banner and a large region united by consistent infrastructure, currency, and governance that nevertheless respects local diversity. 

If you’d like to avoid pissing off too many people, I recommend only partially coding these countries so they are more obviously Not-China, Not-Korea and Not-Japan. A country like China is too diverse to be coded as a single nation anyway, and even Japan is home to at least 3 distinct ethnic groups. 

- Marika.

May I recommend that if there’s a capital city, or if there’s a governing Empire of some sort, that the city/seat of power in question is not Japanese-coded? Putting a Japanese-coded group in charge of a “Pan-Asian” political body calls to mind some very nasty historical imperialism, all the way down to the name/purported concept. Like Marika said, it’s best if you break up the countries, and preferably even better if you make those groups only partially recognizable. 

~Mod Rina

Avoid Connotations of Historical Imperialism

Marika and Rina made excellent additions! 

Like Marika said, all of these countries are home to so many more than just one ethnic group; Chinese people don’t all fit one single ethnic group, you have a huge variety of ethnicities as reflected through how China’s changed over time. Hans, Manchurians, Hui… China isn’t a monolith!

On Rina’s addition: Yes! An extremely popular series that’s often praised for its “Pan-Asian” world (not naming any names but it rhymes with Bavatar the Blast Bairbender!) does use the “Imperialist Japan” and “Imperialist China and PRC” tropes. It feels gross to base fictional imperialism after IRL imperialism- especially if the people that they do genocide are representative of/coded to be the people that they actually massacred in real life. :’)

As for putting the Chinese-coded country in power: haha please don’t do that either. Taiwan, Tibet, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and so many other places have suffered at the hands of Chinese imperialism. 

~ Mod Emme

Agreeing with all the mods above, and adding in my own two cents as a Korean mod.

Please please please don’t make a “Pan-Asian” country where either Japan-coded or China-coded groups are in charge over a Korea-coded group. For one, being mistaken for either Chinese or Japanese a very common microaggression for Koreans. For another, there is the Japanese annexation of Korea that happened within the past century. There was also the very recent conflict between China and Korea (in 2017 regarding THAAD if anyone is curious) in which a Chinese government official stated that “a small country(小國) [Korea] should not rebel against a great country(大國) [China]” which caused all kinds of anger from Koreans. This is not meant as a criticism against Chinese or Japanese people as a whole, just as a reason for Koreans to react negatively to the idea of being under Chinese or Japanese rule.

I highly recommend just making them all separate countries.

- Rune

[the-nerdseye-view]

Celestial/Space Name Inspiration

Feminine:

Alcyone: star system in Taurus constellation

Amalthe: moon of Jupiter

Andromeda: galaxy

Antlia: constellation meaning “pump”

Aquila: constellation meaning “the eagle”

Ara: constellation meaning “the altar”

Astra: Latin, meaning “star”

Aurora: can refer to “Aurora Borealis” or a constellation in Orion, or even a Latin name meaning “dawn”

Callisto: moon in Jupiter

Calypso: moon of Saturn

Cassiopeia: constellation meaning “the queen”

Crescent: term for lunar/planetary phase

Dawn: word name

Electra: star in constellation of Taurus

Europa: moon of Jupiter

Libra: constellation and one of the zodiac signs

Lyra: constellation

Nebula: word name for “interstellar cloud of dust”

Nova: can refer to “supernova” (destruction of a star via explosion)

Sagitta: constellation meaning “the arrow” (associated with Sagittarius, the archer)

Seren: Welsh name meaning “star”

Soraya: lunar crater in Alphonsus

Star: word name

Terra: Latin word meaning “Earth”

Thebe: moon in Jupiter

Titania: largest moon of Uranus

Vega: star in constellation Lyra

Masculine 

Altair: star in constellation Aquila

Aries: constellation and zodiac sign

Atlas: word name; represents the god of endurance and astronomy in greek myth

Blazar: word name; meaning: a very active galaxy

Castor: star in Gemini constellation

Celaeno: star in Taurus constellation

Cepheus: constellation meaning “the king”

Cloud: word name

Comet: word name

Cosmos: word name

Cygnus: constellation meaning “the swan”

Eridanus: constellation meaning “the celestial river”

Jupiter: planet

Leo: constellation and zodiac sign

Mars: planet

Oberon: second largest moon of Uranus

Orion: constellation meaning “the hunter”

Pollux: star in Gemini

Pyxis: constellation meaning “the compass”

Rigel: brightest star in Orion

Skoll: moon of Saturn

Solar: word name (energy from the sun)

(Note: a lot of these names are also Greek myths…which I didn’t mention here but is really interesting to read about as well).

(Other name inspiration on my blog) 

[aritany]

me: i’m gonna write. right now

my brain: did you mean literally anything else?

me: no. i mean i’m going to open the word document and start typing words into it

my brain:

[sandydragon1]

Tips for Writing Healthy Romantic Relationships

Don’t base them exclusively on physical and/or sexual attraction. While these kinds of attraction can certainly strengthen relationships, they can’t create anything but a weak foundation for a relationship on their own.

Know how your characters like to show and be shown affection. Not everyone shows their interest in others the same way. Some people like to give gifts. Others like to cuddle. Still others like giving compliments. Different people like to receive different kinds of affection as well. 

Remember that love at first sight is a myth. You can have lust at first sight and romantic interest at first sight, but true love takes time to develop.

Show the characters interacting and getting to know each other. This should be obvious, but it is all to common for a character to be given a love interest at the last minute or to be paired off with someone the reader hasn’t seen them interact with much. Remember, the reader doesn’t have to see every little thing they do together, but the relationship will feel forced to the reader if they don’t see the characters interacting and establishing that they genuinely care about each other in a significant way. If the reader views your character’s significant other as little more than a stranger, then you’re doing something wrong.

Have both characters do things for each other and contribute to the relationship in meaningful ways. Relationships are two way streets. While you don’t need to keep score of exactly who does what for who (Relationships are not a competitive sport!), the relationship should seem fairly balanced or, if it’s not, then the characters should be working to change that.

Don’t give your characters completely incompatible traits. While it’s healthy for people to differ from each other, there are some differences that even people that are otherwise perfect for each other probably can’t overcome. For example, a environmental activist would have a hard time having a healthy relationship with someone who wants to chop dow a forest. Basically, know your characters’ deal breakers so that you won’t try to match up characters who are simply incompatible with each other.

Have them share interests. This is a great way to add substance to relationships outside of physical attraction and compatible personalities. Maybe they both like fishing. Maybe they share a passion for baking. Whatever you decide to have them like, don’t be afraid to use your characters’ shared interests as opportunities for them to bond. Also, if your characters don’t share a lot of interests/hobbies, consider having one character introduce the other to their hobby or have one character take initiative to try something the other likes. This is a great way to show how much your characters care about each other because it demonstrates your characters’ genuine interest in what makes their partner happy. 

Let the relationship experience at least a few bumps in the road. No relationships are perfect. Let your characters disagree, argue, and maybe even have a full on fight. Relationships that withstand obstacles seem stronger to readers, especially if the characters grow as people because of these hardships. 

[raevenlywrites]

Some specific examples, because generalized lists like this can sometimes be hard to work with when trying to think of how to work them into a piece

*Noticing each other and filing that knowledge away for later: bringing a jacket for if they get cold again, packing a water bottle since they always seem to forget one, picking up a food mentioned casually as being one they like, calling back to something loved in childhood (seriously telling each other innocuous little things and having them come back is the BEST)

*Personal behavior impacted based on the new relationship: changing which side of the street they walk on because they now feel protective, trying not to be so loud/animated when talking because it makes the other person nervous, ordering extra fries because SO will steal some, wearing hair down because SO made an offhand comment about it

*Thinking about them when they’re not around: Filling away funny stories to share or neat places to take them later, wondering what they’re up to right now, picking something up with the intent of taking it home to them, leaving messages or surprises where they’ll find them, daydreaming about having them in their life

*Other characters noticing the change in behavior: (this one can be the difference between something feeling organic/part of the narrative vs feeling forced) “you seem different” comments on appearances and behavior, “I haven’t seen you around as much” type comments, friend harkening back to other relationships for compare/contrast, TEASING (oh my god do friends TEASE)

[cadewrites-deactivated20230812]

Character Creation Template

Full Name-

Age:  Birthdate: Birthplace: Gender: Orientation: Species: Race: Ethnicity: Class/Occupation: Side Interests/Passions: Title(s):  Nickname(s): Aliases: Dominant Hand:

Appearance- Eye Color: Hair: Hair Color: Skin Color: Face: Height: Weight:  Body: Clothing Preferences: Misc.:

Relationships- Significant Other(s)/Spouse(s): Parent(s)/Guardian(s): Sibling(s): Extended Family: Friend(s): Children/Charges: Pet(s): Enemies/Rivals:

Personality Traits- Good: Bad: Neutral: MBTI Type: One Sentence Summary: Strengths: Weaknesses: Quirks:

Weapon(s) of Choice- Fighting Style-

Backstory (Bullet Points)-

Backstory (Notes)-

Disabilities- Physical: Mental: Illness: (If)Trauma/How They Originated:

Drives/Motivations-

Likes & Dislikes-

Beliefs- Religious: Political Views: Expectations of Others: Expectations of Themselves: Expectations of the World/Society (Secular):

Values-

Recurring Feelings (Could Be Traits)-

Misc.-

Role in the Story-

Primary Goal-

Fear (Major & Secondary)-

Physical Desires-

Style of Self Expression-

Self Image- Self Esteem: View of Themselves: What They Think Others Think of Them:

Demeanor/General Mood & Disposition-

Posture/How They Carry Themselves-

Speech- Speech Pattern: Languages Known: Regions Speech Pattern Originated (Race/Ethnicity/Household/Etc…): Impediments:

How They Express Affection-

What Controls Them/What They Are Weak For-

What Part of Them Will Change-

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Here it is! The character creation template I use for my writing. If people have things they think I should add, please feel free to add to this. I add to it all the time so this isn’t the finished product. In fact, it’s actually an amalgamation of many other different helpful character creation posts that can be found here! But for those who don’t want to root through it, here are some specific references:

Your Character’s Personality Character Categories 42 character development questions!  Character Creation

*Also! Sometimes over-planning a character can be bad for their development and creation. If that’s the type of writer you are, I don’t recommend using this to make the character, but rather making the character first through other means and then copying the info down on the template as it pops into your head just to keep track of it.