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sideblod dedicated to the art of writing. resources and prompts that i find helpful to my dedication to the writing art.

[helkingsley]

 Alright, so after a few conversation with some writers friends and some friends who want to get into writing, I decided I’d make a general one-stop-shop master list for all things writing. Any one of these can be expanded upon ( and probably will in the future if asked) but for now, I’ve listed a lot of resources here, some I’ve tried some I’ve only heard about or seen when browsing for information as I do when I’m on break at work.  For a majority of this I’m just going to list it but if I feel strongly I’ll add a tiny blurb about why I think it’s fabulous or why it worked best for me.

That being said I think a lot of these can be used for both fiction and creative non-fiction ( as I have a history with both and have had to write both. If anyone is interested in creative non-fiction I’d be more than happy to talk about it.) For Creative Non-Fiction I’ve put a small asterisk on the resource that are specifically geared toward this genre. All links are in the bracketed x’s. I hope this helps!

PLOTTING - OUTLINING - STRUCTURE

Online your story like a subway map [ x ] on NaNoWriMo Blog

The Pre-Writing Project [ x ] by Shenovels.

Create An Awesome Outline [ x ]  by Twincreatives

Genre Story Templates [ x ] by The Novel Factory

7 Basic Plots Infographic [ x ]  Presented by NovelNow & Christopher Brooker

Plotting a Series [ x ] by NovelNow

Plot Twist Generator [ x ] by Short Stori ideas

The Novel Writing Roadmap [ x ] by The Novel Factory I’ll be honest, this is tedious but there’s a lot of good information and it helps a lot. I found this a few months back and it’s been a lifesaver in some ways. If you’re stuck or don’t even know where to start this can give you a good idea of how to get started. Plus it includes synopsis writing which no one ever talks about.

Plotting for Authors Who Can’t Plot [ x ] by FabFreelanceWriting This isn’t the best in my opinion, but it does kind of give you a starting place and my best writing friend is not a plotter, found them helpful so you might too.

3 Awesome Plot Structures for Building Best Sellers [ x ] by Well-Storied

The Element EVERYTHING in Your Story Needs [ x ] by @thatkatiecooney

15 Techniques to Write Romance that makes Readers Swoon pt 1 [ x ]  & pt. 2 [ x ] by Kaitlin over at ink and Quills

CHARACTER - WORLD BUILDING - SETTING

How to Create A Character Profile [ x ] by Writerswrite

A List of 638 Primary Personality Traits [ x ] MIT

Character Development Worksheet PDF [ x ] by STLCC Not going to lie, I’ve used this a hell of a lot? Especially with my RP background. But it’s great to have on hand for any kind of fiction including non-fiction. Knowing your characters ( real or not is huge).

10 Elements of a Great Character [ x ] by thatkatiecooney This has saved my ass so many times.  This is explained so well and helped me in workshop explain where someone’s character (and my own) was lacking. It’s a great way to really dive into a good character, plus her examples are Disney related so bonus!

Bad habits for your character [ x ] by Wandering Quille

Worldbuilding by Map [ x ]

10 Questions to use in Worldbuilding [ x ] by The Writing Kylie

An introduction to world building [ x ] by well-storied

9 Elements of a Villain [ x ] by thatkatiecooney Just like before. godsent. I may or may not have a deep love affair with this blog, but the information is solid as hell.

7 Deadly Sins of World Building [ x ] by Charlie Jane Anders

How to Create Your Best Character [ x ] by C.J. Miranda

EDITING - REVISION - FEEDBACK

10 Questions to Ask Your Friend Who Just Read Your Novel [ x ] by Brandon @mordinwrites 

Self-Editing Basics [ x ] by Blake Atwood

Revising Drafts [ x ] by The Writing Center

5 Steps to Editing [ x ] by The Muse

The Editing Checklist [ x ] by Bryan Collins

Editing infographic [ x ] by ELA in the Middle I know this is geared for middle schoolers, but 1) I went through workshops with a lot of people who didn’t grasp the difference between copyediting and actual revision. 2) it’s a good refresher and can help you break down the monumental task of edits.

15 Questions to Send Beta Readers [ x ] by Ryan J. Pelton

Six (sets of) Questions to ask your Beta Readers [ x ] by thinking through our fingers

How To Be ( And Keep ) a highly Effective Critique Partner [ x ] by Standout Books

How to Find the Right Critique Partner: 6-Step Checklist [ x ] by K.M Weiland

How to Effectively Give and Recieve Constructive Feedback as a Writer [ x ] by Kimberly Cole  As someone who spent 4 yeas in workshops learning to give good feedback was so important and yet…I was still faced with unhelpful critiques meaning they didn’t bother? This is such an important step in the writnig process. And this helped me a lot. 

FORMATTING - SOFTWARES ( not Word or Scrivener )

Word Count: How Many Words Should my Book be? [ x ] by Jodi Brandon

Formatting A Book in Word  ( Kindle ) [ x ] by Colin Dunbar

How To Format a Book - 10 tips Editors Want You to Know [ x ] by Blake Atwood

How to Format A Novel Manuscript [ x ] by Kelly Hart

Guidelines for Formatting [ x ] by Writer’s Digest

Google Docs for Writers [ x ] by eadeverell

How to Format For Kindle using Word, 6 Steps [ x ] by Kristen Eckstein.

Converting Google Doc to Kindle .mobi file [ x ] by daveparsonsnz

Formatting Graphic Novels [ x ] by Laura Willard

Grammarly [ x ] The free version doesn’t allow you to tailor your type of writing but it’s a nice editing program. If you DO go for the premium the suggestions and edits are amazing, this helped me a lot in college and workshop. I still use it today as an add-on to chrome & word. THIS IS NOT A SUBSTITUTION FOR REAL EDITS THOUGH!

Open Office  [ x ]  It’s a nice alternative to Word, for free. I used this a lot my first two years of college because…poor and Word was expensive ( my college didn’t offer use free subscriptions until my junior year ) as hell.

YWriter [ x ] SpaceJock software * I used this for about 3 years? If you’re into a lot of organization and like to break up chapters, documents etc this is great. and Free. I suggest this for Non-fiction writers because you can write a memoir, biography, etc and have each chapter as its own file, meaning you can play around with linear time and order. For fiction, it seems… unnecessary to divide it so much but ey whatever floats your boat.

FocusWriter [ x ] I am someone who will get distracted by wi-fi, internet, Pinterest, Facebook etc when writing so I tried this out. It works but not for me. I like to go back and reread things I’ve written edit small things as I go. Which you can’t do with this app. For essay writing in college though this was great.

Evernote [ x ] This is more a productivity tool than really a writing software but worth the mention because I did write a few articles for a lit magazine in college in and it was definitely nice.

MARKETING FOR WRITERS

Skillshare Classes [ Especially theses ones x, x, x] This is a monthly subscription for premium ( around 11 bucks) which gets you access to a lot of classes in a million different topics. This place is my go to when I need to learn something ( marketing, business plans, twitter etc).

Udemy Classes [ like this one x] this is a one time fee of around 10-20$ per class. But the instructors are great, the projects and information is top notch too. But it does add up and I’ve only ever taken two classes here because of pricing.

5 Marketing Strategies if you hate promoting your work [ x ] by Hugh O. Smith

Content Marketing for Authors and Writers [ x ] by Joanna Penn

Resource guide & Freebies [ x ] by The Lady in Read.

Book Marketing 101 [ x ] by Jane Friedman

PROMPTS SITES & BLOGS

Writing Prompts @writingprompts

Picture Writing Prompts @picturewritingprompts

365 Creative Writing Prompts [ x ] by thinkwritten

Writing Prompts [ x ] Writer’s Digest

Writing Prompts [ x ] The Fake Redhead Writers

Creative Writing Prompts @unblockingwritersblock

Daily Writing Prompt @daily-prompts

Writing Prompts [ x ]  The Writer’s Academy by Peginue 

ADVICE & TIPS  BLOGS - PODCASTS 

Six Guidelines for Non-Fiction [ x ] by Writing Forward *

25 Tips To Make Your Non-Fiction Better [ x ] Writer’s Digest *

Jenna Moreci’s Vlog [ x ] @jennamoreci This woman is such an inspiration to me and her videos are hilariously funny and yet helpful as ever. If you haven’t seen/heard of her I 110% suggest you check her out.

Terrible Minds [ x ] by Chuck Wendig @terribleminds This was maybe the first writing blog/advice place I stumbled upon early on in high school. His humor was right up my alley. Sarcastic, frank and at times mind-in-the-gutter style just resonated with me, and still does. The advice and blog posts present were informative and sort of like a kick in the ass for me. Recently I haven’t visited as much as I once did, but that’s because I own his book, listed below which contained a few of my favorite posts from him. 

References For Writers @referenceforwriters

Write World @writeworld

Writer’s Corner @writerscorner

Grammar Girl Podcast [ x ]

Authority Self-Publishing Podcast [ x ] 

I Should Be Writing Podcast [ x ]

Creative If Writing Podcast [ x ]

The Creative Writer’s Toolbelt  Podcast [ x ]

English Major Humor  @englishmajorhumor This is on here just because I normally go to it as an unwinding type of thing. When I need a good laugh at some extremely, I-feel-this-on-a-spiritual-level, relatable content.

RECOMMEND BOOKS - LIT MAGS

Eat, Shoots & Leaves by Lynn Truss This is a grammar guide, but it’s funny and helps a lot for those of us who might not be the best at grammar ( or want to know more). 

Self Editing  For Fiction Writers  by Rene Browne & Dave King This was a textbook for a class of mine, and I never thought I’d ever keep a craft book, they always seemed to say a lot of things but this, was amazing. 

The Magic Words by Cherylyn B Klein This is more for Children’s Lit & Ya but the advice is solid regardless. Again another textbook I used in a publishing class and adored enough not to sell it back.

On Writing by Stephen King

Handling The Truth on the Writing of a Memoir by Beth Kephart*

Words For Pictures by Brian Michael Bendis This…is a shocker to anyone who knows me as I’m not the biggest Bendis support ( that’s a can of worms we shall avoid). But this book is chalk full of some good tips for those comic/graphic novelists out there. This is the only guidebook I’ve read on the subject and found it interesting.

Writer’s Guide to Character Traits 2nd Ed. by Dr. Linda Edelstein  This is very much a book I keep by my side when creating characters. It’s a psychology book for those of us who don’t know much about it. the break down is beautiful and there’s a lot of information, tips, and even some exercises to help

500 Ways to Write Harder by Chuck Wendig This book has a lot of great advice in it and when I was first venturing into this field as my career option I devoured it. Now I browse it and read it when I need a refresher. Much like his blog, the content it well very much the kick in the ass I need.

Why I’m including Lit Magazines? Because as someone who went to school for Creative writing Lit Mags has been a way for me to see what others are publishing and writing on topics I like. They look amazing and can often be a source of publication besides ebook, self-publishing and traditional publishing of novels. There are about a million out there, but I’ve listed a few I’ve researched/looked into or subscribe to.

The New Yorker [ x ] How to submit is here The most pretentious thing I have ever owned. I subscribed to this my sophomore year of college after reading a few great short stories and have been getting an issue ever since. I believe there’s also like an archive that’s free but don’t quote me on that. This is here because you can submit your work to them, as well as read amazing authors like T.C. Boyle or Jo Ann Beard * and others in many different literary fiction genres.

Poetry & Writers’ list of Lit Mags [ x ]

Ricochet Literary Magzine [ x ] This is for new/unpublished authors. I have not submitted to them but they look interesting and definitely caught my eye as they send feedback on submission if not published, which in my book is a great way to learn and definitely worth more in-depth look at.

The Fairytale Review [ x ] This is another magazine I subscribed to. Annually. It includes a poetry, essays, stories about/adapting/modern twists of fairy tale fiction. Each Issue is a different theme. and You can submit to them [ here ]. Since this is something I adore and write myself it’s a good way to see what others in this niche are doing.

Litro Magazine [ x ] I’ve recently been stalking this magazine. It’s fresh and does take unpublished/new writer work.

So in short….

but hopefully these help you or give you a jumping off point for the future. Feel free to comment/reblog with your own additions or contact me here if you want this expanded, more dteails have questions on my experiences using any of this.

Happy Writing!

**Disclaimer. I am not sponsored or paid to mention/speak nicely of any resource listed. Please don’t feel obligated to buy subscriptions, novels, resources etc unless you have the means and want to.** 

[thewritershandbook]

123 Ideas for Character Flaws

Absent-minded - Preoccupied to the extent of being unaware of one’s immediate surroundings. Abstracted, daydreaming, inattentive, oblivious, forgetful.

Abusive - Characterized by improper infliction of physical or psychological maltreatment towards another.

Addict - One who is addicted to a compulsive activity. Examples: gambling, drugs, sex.

Aimless - Devoid of direction or purpose.

Alcoholic - A person who drinks alcoholic substances habitually and to excess.

Anxious - Full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous.

Arrogant - Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance. Inclined to social exclusiveness and who rebuff the advances of people considered inferior. Snobbish.

Audacious - Recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like; insolent; braze, disobedient.

Bad Habit - A revolting personal habit. Examples: picks nose, spits tobacco, drools, bad body odour.

Bigmouth - A loud-mouthed or gossipy person.

Bigot - One who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.

Blunt - Characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. Frank, callous, insensitive, brusque.

Bold - In a bad sense, too forward; taking undue liberties; over assuming or confident; lacking proper modesty or restraint; rude; impudent. Abrupt, brazen, cheeky, brassy, audacious.

Callous - They are hardened to emotions, rarely showing any form of it in expression. Unfeeling. Cold.

Childish - Marked by or indicating a lack of maturity; puerile.

Complex - An exaggerated or obsessive concern or fear. (List specific complex.)

Cruel - Mean to anyone or anything, without care or regard to consequences and feelings.

Cursed - A person who has befallen a prayer for evil or misfortune, placed under a spell, or borne into an evil circumstance, and suffers for it. Damned.

Dependent - Unable to exist, sustain oneself, or act appropriately or normally without the assistance or direction of another.

Deranged - Mentally decayed. Insane. Crazy. Mad. Psychotic.

Dishonest – Given to or using fraud, cheating; deceitful, deceptive, crooked, underhanded.

Disloyal - Lacking loyalty. Unfaithful, perfidious, traitorous, treasonable

Disorder - An ailment that affects the function of mind or body. (List the disorders name if they have one.) See the Mental Disorder List.

Disturbed - Showing some or a few signs or symptoms of mental or emotional illness. Confused, disordered, neurotic, troubled.

Dubious - Fraught with uncertainty or doubt. Undecided, doubtful, unsure.

Dyslexic - Affected by dyslexia, a learning disorder marked by impairment of the ability to recognize and comprehend written words.

Egotistical - Characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance. Boastful, pompous.

Envious - Showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another’s advantages; covetous, jealous.

Erratic - Deviating from the customary course in conduct or opinion; eccentric: erratic behaviour. Eccentric, bizarre, outlandish, strange.

Fanatical - Fanatic outlook or behaviour especially as exhibited by excessive enthusiasm, unreasoning zeal, or wild and extravagant notions on some subject.

Fickle – Erratic, changeable, unstable - especially with regard to affections or attachments; capricious.

Fierce - Marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid.

Finicky - Excessively particular or fastidious; difficult to please; fussy. Too much concerned with detail. Meticulous, fastidious, choosy, critical, picky, prissy, pernickety.

Fixated - In psychoanalytic theory, a strong attachment to a person or thing, especially such an attachment formed in childhood or infancy and manifested in immature or neurotic behaviour that persists throughout life. Fetish, quirk, obsession, infatuation.

Flirt -To make playfully romantic or sexual overtures; behaviour intended to arouse sexual interest. Minx. Tease.

Gluttonous - Given to excess in consumption of especially food or drink. Voracious, ravenous, wolfish, piggish, insatiable.

Gruff - Brusque or stern in manner or appearance. Crusty, rough, surly.

Gullible - Will believe any information given, regardless of how valid or truthful it is, easily deceived or duped.

Hard - A person who is difficult to deal with, manage, control, overcome, or understand. Hard emotions, hard hearted.

Hedonistic - Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses.

Hoity-toity- Given to flights of fancy; capricious; frivolous. Prone to giddy behaviour, flighty.

Humourless - The inability to find humour in things, and most certainly in themselves.

Hypocritical - One who is always contradicting their own beliefs, actions or sayings. A person who professes beliefs and opinions for others that he does not hold. Being a hypocrite.

Idealist - One whose conduct is influenced by ideals that often conflict with practical considerations. One who is unrealistic and impractical, guided more by ideals than by practical considerations.

Idiotic - Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless.

Ignorant - Lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact. Showing or arising from a lack of education or knowledge.

Illiterate - Unable to read and write.

Immature - Emotionally undeveloped; juvenile; childish.

Impatient - Unable to wait patiently or tolerate delay; restless. Unable to endure irritation or opposition; intolerant.

Impious - Lacking piety and reverence for a god/gods and their followers.

Impish - Naughtily or annoyingly playful.

Incompetent - Unable to execute tasks, no matter how the size or difficulty.

Indecisive - Characterized by lack of decision and firmness, especially under pressure.

Indifferent - The trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally, remaining calm and seeming not to care; a casual lack of concern. Having or showing little or no interest in anything; languid; spiritless.

Infamy - Having an extremely bad reputation, public reproach, or strong condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal, or outrageous act that affects how others view them.

Intolerant - Unwilling to tolerate difference of opinion and narrow-minded about cherished opinions.

Judgemental - Inclined to make and form judgements, especially moral or personal ones, based on one’s own opinions or impressions towards others/practices/groups/religions based on appearance, reputation, occupation, etc.

Klutz - Clumsy. Blunderer.

Lazy - Resistant to work or exertion; disposed to idleness.

Lewd - Inclined to, characterized by, or inciting to lust or lechery; lascivious. Obscene or indecent, as language or songs; salacious.

Liar - Compulsively and purposefully tells false truths more often than not. A person who has lied or who lies repeatedly.

Lustful - Driven by lust; preoccupied with or exhibiting lustful desires.

Masochist - The deriving of sexual gratification, or the tendency to derive sexual gratification, from being physically or emotionally abused. A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences.

Meddlesome - Intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner, given to meddling; interfering.

Meek - Evidencing little spirit or courage; overly submissive or compliant; humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness.

Megalomaniac - A psycho pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.

Naïve - Lacking worldly experience and understanding, simple and guileless; showing or characterized by a lack of sophistication and critical judgement.

Nervous - Easily agitated or distressed; high-strung or jumpy.

Non-violent - Abstaining from the use of violence.

Nosey - Given to prying into the affairs of others; snoopy. Offensively curious or inquisitive.

Obsessive - An unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone.

Oppressor - A person of authority who subjects others to undue pressures, to keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority.

Overambitious - Having a strong excessive desire for success or achievement.

Overconfident - Excessively confident; presumptuous.

Overemotional - Excessively or abnormally emotional. Sensitive about themselves and others, more so than the average person.

Overprotective - To protect too much; coddle.

Overzealous - Marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea.

Pacifist - Opposition to war or violence as a means of resolving disputes. (Can double as a merit in certain cases)

Paranoid - Exhibiting or characterized by extreme and irrational fear or distrust of others.

Peevish - Expressing fretfulness and discontent, or unjustifiable dissatisfaction. Cantankerous, cross, ill-tempered, testy, captious, discontented, crotchety, cranky, ornery.

Perfectionist - A propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.

Pessimist - A tendency to stress the negative or unfavourable or to take the gloomiest possible view.

Pest - One that pesters or annoys, with or without realizing it. Nuisance. Annoying. Nag.

Phobic – They have a severe form of fear when it comes to this one thing. Examples: Dark, Spiders, Cats

Practical - Level-headed, efficient, and unspeculative. No-nonsense.

Predictable - Easily seen through and assessable, where almost anyone can predict reactions and actions of said person by having met or known them even for a short time.

Proud - Filled with or showing excessive self-esteem and will often shirk help from others for the sake of pride.

Rebellious - Defying or resisting some established authority, government, or tradition; insubordinate; inclined to rebel.

Reckless - Heedless. Headstrong. Foolhardy. Unthinking boldness, wild carelessness and disregard for consequences.

Remorseless - Without remorse; merciless; pitiless; relentless.

Rigorous - Rigidly accurate; allowing no deviation from a standard; demanding strict attention to rules and procedures.

Sadist - The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. Deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty.

Sadomasochist - Both sadist and masochist combined.

Sarcastic - A subtle form of mockery in which an intended meaning is conveyed obliquely.

Sceptic - One who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.

Seducer - To lead others astray, as from duty, rectitude, or the like; corrupt. To attempt to lead or draw someone away, as from principles, faith, or allegiance.

Selfish - Concerned chiefly or only with oneself.

Self-Martyr - One who purposely makes a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy from others, as a form of manipulation, and always for a selfish cause or reason.

Self-righteous - Piously sure of one’s own righteousness; moralistic. Exhibiting pious self-assurance. Holier-than-thou, sanctimonious.

Senile - Showing a decline or deterioration of physical strength or mental functioning, esp. short-term memory and alertness, as a result of old age or disease.

Shallow - Lacking depth of intellect or knowledge; concerned only with what is obvious.

Smart Ass - Thinks they know it all, and in some ways they may, but they can be greatly annoying and difficult to deal with at times, especially in arguments.

Soft-hearted - Having softness or tenderness of heart that can lead them into trouble; susceptible of pity or other kindly affection. They cannot resist helping someone they see in trouble, suffering or in need, and often don’t think of the repercussions or situation before doing so.

Solemn - Deeply earnest, serious, and sober.

Spineless - Lacking courage. Cowardly, wimp, lily-livered, gutless.

Spiteful - Showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite; vindictive person who will look for occasions for resentment. Vengeful.

Spoiled - Treated with excessive indulgence and pampering from earliest childhood, and has no notion of hard work, self-care or money management; coddled, pampered. Having the character or disposition harmed by pampering or over-solicitous attention.

Squeamish - Excessively fastidious and easily disgusted.

Stubborn - Unreasonably, often perversely unyielding; bull-headed. Firmly resolved or determined; resolute.

Superstitious - An irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear from an irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.

Tactless - Lacking or showing a lack of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others.

Temperamental - Moody, irritable, or sensitive. Excitable, volatile, emotional.

Theatrical - Having a flair for over dramatizing situations, doing things in a ‘big way’ and love to be ‘centre stage’.

Timid -Tends to be shy and/or quiet, shrinking away from offering opinions or from strangers and newcomers, fearing confrontations and violence.

Tongue-tied - Speechless or confused in expression, as from shyness, embarrassment, or astonishment.

Troublemaker - Someone who deliberately stirs up trouble, intentionally or unintentionally.

Unlucky - Marked by or causing misfortune; ill-fated. Destined for misfortune; doomed.

Unpredictable - Difficult to foretell or foresee, their actions are so chaotic it’s impossible to know what they are going to do next.

Untrustworthy - Not worthy of trust or belief. Backstabber.

Vain - Holding or characterized by an unduly high opinion of their physical appearance. Lovers of themselves. Conceited, egotistic, narcissistic.

Weak-willed - Lacking willpower, strength of will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans. Easily swayed.

Withdrawn - Not friendly or Sociable. Aloof.

Zealous - A fanatic.

[lets-get-fictional]

Do you have any tips for writing enemies to lovers?

Hi, love!  Thanks for your question and your patience<3  I’m currently writing somethingsimilar to this, so I hope my experience can help you here!

Enemies-to-lovers is a popular trope, but it’s often treatedcarelessly by writers – especially TV/movie writers who rush through thetransition to fit a single movie or episode arc.  There’s nothing worseyou can do in this situation than to rush your arc.  Falling in love isalready a time-consuming plotline – but transitioning from enemies, who arealready shutting each other out, to lovers?  The quicker it happens, theless believable it becomes.

I have a lot of notes on how to write enemies to lovers, sobear with me as I list them out.

Writing Enemies to Lovers: The Basic Ingredients

1. Give them some similar traits.

No matter what, two people can’t fall in love if they don’trelate on some level.  The first step to creating possible love interestsis to find where they’ll connect.  Are they a hero and a villain? Evil and good?  Night and day?  I bet they both love animals. Maybe they’re both way into politics.  Maybe they share a commonenemy.  Maybe they’re both neat freaks or a bit sassy or super gay or lovethe same music.  It can be a few important things or a bunch of superficialthings – just make sure they have something that can tie themtogether.

2. Put them on the same side of something.

When two people are mortal foes, it can be hard for them tosee each other in any other light.  Bringing in a common enemy (ananti-hero, a natural disaster, a person in power), or a common interest (amutual friend, a school play, a moral cause), can land foes on a teamtogether.  This forces them to become aware of each other’s strengths, andto consider (and worry about) each other’s weaknesses.  This is perfectfodder for an eyebrows-raised, “Hey, they don’t suck at this particularthing,” moment.

3. Get them alone.

With other people watching (especiallyfriends/coworkers/allies), little groundwork can be made for your twohate-lovers.  If you get your characters alone together, you’re given abounty of opportunities to bond them, including but not limited to: actualconversations, accidental (or faux-accidental) physical contact, the sneakymoment of checking each other out, etc. etc. etc.  People are differentwhen you get them away from their friends – less extreme, less rowdy, lessunreachable.  If you have to trap your characters in an elevator theold-fashioned way, damn it, you’re the only one who can do it.

4. Let them fight their feelings.

If these two are truly enemies, there isn’t going to be amoment of, “Oh, I like them.  Huh.  Neato.”  Oh, no. There will be internal backlash – they will beat their emotions back with abroom, and deny them to anyone who asks.  There will be extra hatefulglares, more middle fingers, and basically anything they can do to remindthemselves that they don’t like this person.  If you show thisinternal conflict, it both (a) makes the feelings seem real, organic, and (b)creates a more realistic transition from hate to love.

5. Love can sound like hate.

There’s a reason people say indifference is the trueopposite of love.  When your two enemies start to feel things foreach other, this will probably spark a lot of ranting, arguing, anddoor-slamming.  It creates a fixation – you sit there and you stew andyou tell your friends, “Remember when they did thatstupid thing?  Yeah.  Screw them.”  Your friends roll theireyes.  When will you stop talking about this person?  Just kiss themalready.

6. Sexual tension is a powerful tool.

If your characters experience sexual attraction, this is agreat way to accelerate their relationship against their will.  It’s theage-old, “My mind says no but my body says yes,” dilemma.  Yourcharacters can’t stand each other, or the image they have of each other, butthey’re attracted like magnets and can’t shake it.  This can make for somepretty hot – or pretty hilarious – scenes.

7. Give them a moment of horrified realization.

Eventually, the feelings will grow strong enough that one orboth of them will have to sit there, probably on the bathroom floor a littlebit drunk with one sock on, and realize: “I love that f*cker.”  It’llbe a scary moment for them.  It’s not that they haven’t known it – theyjust have yet to accept that it’s something to deal with, until now.  Thiscan be prompted by a dangerous situation, a shared activity, or a failed attemptat another romance – so when they really sit and think about it, theyknow.  Then it becomes a question of either “how do I get rid of this?”or “how do I pursue this?”.

8. Try their hand at flirting.

Whether one or both characters have come to accept theirfeelings, someone’s gotta start flirting.  A glancing touch across thearm; a small comment that could kind of be construed as amicable; a lingeringglance; that first peek at their enemy’s smile.  Something cute and quickand immediately followed by an existential crisis will do in a pinch. Without this water-testing, readers won’t have any image of what thisrelationship will look like – and if it can succeed.

9. Craft the perfect kiss/hug/confession.

When the time is right, create an undeniable display ofattraction to transition into a new phase of their relationship:the “welp-we-both-like-each-other” phase, which comes right beforethe “we-decided-to-(stay-platonic/start-romancin’)” phase.  The BigKiss/Confession is the most iconic climactic love scene, in which the twocharacters take a chance and become vulnerable with each other – and kiss, orsay, “I love you,” or do anything that can’t be construed in any otherway.  Want to extend the drama?  Interrupt them, or have it beone-sided, or let it turn into a fight until they decide, “Forget it, thiswas stupid.”  Readers will swoon.

10. Finish up with an awkward adjustment period.

If and when your characters do enter a relationship, makesure it’s a little tentative at the beginning, to keep it realistic.  Yourcharacters have made a huge shift in their dynamic – there will be somelingering arguments and love-hate, and maybe a bit of discomfort going publicwith their romance.  Then come the usual growing pains of a new relationshipgetting serious – figuring out how to navigate each other’s flaws, learning tobe open with their feelings, dealing with unresolved fights from before theirrelationship.  It won’t be perfect right away.  That’s the beauty of it.

I hope this helps you, love!  I adore love-haterelationships, and I hope you enjoy crafting your own enemies-to-lovers as muchas we’ll all love reading them :)  Good luck!

– Mod Joanna ♥️

Ifyou need advice on general writing or fanfiction, you should maybe ask us!

[heywriters]

Hi. So I have a question. I'm going to write about a city I've never been to, New York, do you have any tips on how to do this?

Hello, dear. I get asked this often and 4/5 times it’s about New York City, so you’re getting a resource list so I can just direct people to your ask from now on!

Writing Real-Life Locations

How To Write About A Real Location If You Haven’t Been There

7 Tips for Writing About Places You’ve Never Been

How to Write Creative Nonfiction: Writing about Place

How To Write About Place In Creative Nonfiction 

Misplaced: why do novelists disguise real locations?

Basics of Describing Settings

How to Describe the Setting in a Story

Discover The Basic Elements of Setting In a Story

How to Write Descriptions and Create a Sense of Place 

How to practice location descriptions

Fictional vs. Real Settings: Which Are Best?

Writing About New York [City]

my list of NYC writing links & tips

Humans of New York (for local character/lifestyle examples)

Google, bro. everyone and their grandma has written about NYC.

Have fun researching! Consider taking a trip, if you can!…I’ll be jealous…

+ If you benefit from my updates and replies, please consider sending a little thank you and Buy Me A Coffee!

+ HEY, Writers! other social media: Wattpad - Pinterest - Goodreads

[melancauliflower]

Tips For Writing Small Towns

The Everybody Knows Everybody

Usually false. If you lived in a town of 300 people, you might know of everybody, but it’s unlikely you would know each and every person’s individual bask story, job, and family life. As the number goes up, the less likely it is that everybody knows everybody. 

Everyone is racist

In my state the more rural you go the more conservative it gets, but it certainly doesn’t mean that everyone who lives in a small town is racist. When a small town has a higher population than the surrounding area, including tourists/seasonal activity, those towns tend to be more ‘accepting.’ Towns along coasts (sea towns, port towns, whatever you want to call them) also tend to be less conservative, as they usually get a larger number of tourists.

Everyone loves/hates living in a small town

In books and movies small town characters often either love living in a small town or hate it. In real life it’s more complicated. Give you characters complicated relationships with their small town life. 

Schools

I’m so sick and tired of seeing small towns in movies with huge high schools. Most small towns don’t even have their own high school or even middle school, usually it’s combined with nearby towns. (That also depends on how far apart the residents are spread out.) If it’s a combined-town school then yes, there will be a good number of students.

Economy?

Before I answer this question I’ll split small towns into two groups:

Tourist/seasonal towns, business towns, commuter towns, and low population towns. 

Tourist/seasonal towns

Have a low number of full time residents

Are by the ocean, mountains, national park or something else that would draw visitors

Have an ‘off’ season where tourists don’t visit as much 

Are considered vacation places

There’s a wide range, but if you take in the seasonals to count middle-upper class

Business Towns

Towns that people live in because of their career 

Such as college towns, mill towns, and factory towns

When businesses fail these towns will plummet into poverty

Are mostly lower middle class

Commuter Towns

Commuter towns are towns located by highways or larger towns (such as port towns and other business towns) 

These towns are different than suburbs because they are not close enough to a large city

Are mostly middle class, there will be residents who commute to larger towns for jobs such as lawyers and doctors

Low population towns

The stereotypical small town

Often located in “the middle of nowhere”

Can either be spread out or very close together

Are found in rural parts of states

Are mostly lower middle class

Of course, every small town is different! My experience comes from New England small towns, but feel free to add on to this post! 

[creativepromptsforwriting]

Reactions to… an almost kiss

"Oh."

"Oh, I didn't mean, like, ok..."

"Nothing happened here, right?"

"So, that almost happened..."

"You were really about to kiss me, weren't you?"

"...Were we just about to do something stupid?"

"Why did you stop?"

"Tell me you felt that too."

"Okay, wow. That was close."

"You leaned in first."

"I panicked, alright?"

"I thought you were going to kiss me."

"I wanted to."

"Don't look at me like that."

"So we're just going to pretend that didn't happen?"

"Right. Cool. Totally normal."

"My heart is beating ridiculously fast right now."

"If someone walked in right then, we would've had some explaining to do."

"You hesitated."

"We need to stop having moments like this."

"If I kissed you, I don't think I'd be able to stop."

"I almost ruined our friendship just now." (or made it better...)

"Can we talk about what just happened?"

"Can we never talk about what just happened?"

"You know, for a second there, I thought you were finally going to do it."

More: Reactions to… Masterpost

If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! 🥰

[justawritingaid]

When Characters Don’t Communicate: Problem or Reality?

You know how annoying it is when characters could solve their problems by just communicating better (or by communicating at all)?. You get frustrated and call it unnecessary drama, but then you think about how many real life problems could be solved if people would just talk. Few people in real life communicate frequently and effectively, so it’s funny how accurate that fictional “cliche” can be.

Spitting out feelings is hard. Talking about problems is hard. A lack of communication can be realistic, but stories can’t always directly mimic reality if they want to be good stories.

Imagine if dialogue truly included all the “uh”s, backtracking, corrections, stammers, forgotten words, etc. of realistic speech. Not only would it be a total pain in the ass to read, it would take up so much of the text that the story would barely have room to flourish. Oftentimes, adding more reality to a story can help increase its quality, but there’s a difference between acceptable breaks from reality vs bad storytelling.

So why does so much communication-oriented drama in fiction fall flat or make it seem like the drama is just added for fun? It doesn’t explain why (or the “why” is a poor reason). It’s perfectly realistic to have characters not communicate properly, however you have to show the readers the reason why and make sure that reason is a good one. Why does the character act this way? What’s stopping them from talking? And most importantly, the reason why they eventually talk needs to be up to the same standard. 

There are some factors that determine if lack of communication in a story is a genuine and understandable problem vs a cheap way to add tension. Many of these overlap with each other:

Character personality. If you present a character as someone who is good at communication, but then they refuse to communicate for one specific thing, it’s going to be frustrating to read and seem unrealistic. Now, that’s not to say that this character can’t have some specific reason to behave differently in that instance– but you have to show that reason to the readers. Not every character can get away with having communication issues without it being annoying or looking cheap. Sometimes, even for the characters where poor communication makes sense, it’s easy for readers to find them to be annoying so craft them carefully.

Genre and role of conflict. Lack of communication that stems from a character being unable to show their feelings is a form of conflict, usually inner conflict. Inner conflict is the driver behind stories using the “character vs self” model, also often known as “character-driven stories”. It can show up in more plot-driven stories, however you have to be careful because writing in a genre is a promise to your readers that you’re going to deliver a certain type of story. Not all genres can explore communication issues caused by personal problems and not all plots are equipped to work with them.

The actual reason. Some issues are more forgivable to not being resolved as quickly than others, but your readers need to be told why it’s not a simple fix. Don’t be afraid to explore the potential consequences that are holding the character back. The reason(s) needs to make realistic sense, be understandable for who the character is, reasonable to the situation they’re in, and add to the story in a meaningful way.

Repetitiveness of the issue. If a character is just shy and they never learn to work through it, especially if they don’t even try, then the communication tumor is much more likely to be seen as annoying, boring, or the story as stagnant. When something is constantly an issue but it’s never addressed, the writing is significantly more likely to be seen as cheap– particularity if this issue is part of the main plot!

Getting over the hurdle. Because the reasons for poor communication can be never-ending, the ways it can be resolved mirror that. The point at which a character learns to work through their communication issue is a climax of that particular issue and plot, so don’t treat it like some throwaway concept. The bigger the communication issue, the bigger the climax. 

Your characters may not be amazing communicators all the time, but to avoid creating cheap drama you need to show readers the reasons for the poor communication, why those reasons matter, and give a satisfying conclusion to the conflict.

Bad poor communication in a story uses it as a plot tumor or an excuse for an event or reaction. 

Good poor communication in a story treats it as an exploration of character with something to add to the story as whole.

Communication issues are conflict, not excuses for something to happen or not happen. Treat the conflict properly and it can add depth to a character and plot, with a good splash of realism, but treat it poorly and your story will be poorly crafted. Reality, in this case, needs to be handled carefully to benefit a story.

————————

Thinking of asking a question? Please read the Rules and Considerations to make sure I’m the right resource, and check the Tag List to see if your question has already been asked. If you can give back, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or via Venmo Username: JustAWritingAid

[theliteraryarchitect]

Hey, help me please. How do you write description in your novels? Not a character one, surrounding ones. How do you describe from 3 POV , the background of the novel?

5 Tips for Writing Great Descriptions

Hi there! Thanks for writing. I talk at length about this in my book The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers (See Chapter 4 / “Building Your Story World,” Chapter 16 / Setting the Scene, and Chapter 21 / “Choosing the Right Details” for the majority of the discussion about description, but it’s peppered throughout), so I’ll just give a brief rundown here. :)

Tip #1: Use concrete, sensory details

That means describing, with precision, a detail you can see/hear/touch/taste/smell. Avoid using vague words that are hard to visualize or sense, like “the house was ugly” or “the weather was bad.” Instead, choose a sensory detail (or two) for your descriptions, for example “the house was a wretched shade of salmon pink” or “the wind was blowing I could taste dust in my mouth.”

Tip #2: Try not to over- or under-use descriptions

It’s common for beginning writers to either use no description, or go completely overboard. I give examples of both in my book. While there’s no hard rule about how much description is too little or too much (it depends a lot on the particular story, genre, and the writer’s style), I personally like to include around 4-5 sensory details per page.

The idea is to give the reader a solid sense of where they are without going on and on, making them want to skim over as you carry on for paragraphs about the smell and texture of a doily.

Tip #3: Use more description during important parts of the story

Description draws your readers attention to what you’re describing. Use that to your advantage. If that doily contains a blood stain that’s a pivotal clue in your murder mystery, by all means spend three sentences describing the particular color red of the blood or the weird smell it emits. Where you linger, the reader will linger.

Tip #4: Use description to set the scene

Use more description at the beginning of a new scene, or anytime the location of your story changes. I talk about this in the section on transitions in my book. Summary gets a bad reputation in fiction, but these transitional paragraphs are the perfect time to paint the scene with sensory details about your character’s surroundings.

Tip #5: Pay attention to “camera movement”

One common thing I see in writer’s manuscripts is what I call “jerky camera movement.” Here’s an example:

Jesse pulled into the driveway of the suspect’s mansion around noon. A white, floppy dog barked ferociously in the window. It was a warm, sweltering day. Jesse looked down and realized her shoe was untied. The house had three large columns in front, each wrapped with a gawdy red bow. 

In this example, the “camera” moves from the driveway, to the dog in the window, to the “day,” to Jesse’s shoe, to the outside of the house. If that was your head, looking around the scene, you’d get dizzy pretty fast. Here’s a smoother movement, starting wide and focusing in on Jesse’s untied shoe.

It was a warm, sweltering day. Jesse pulled into the driveway of the suspect’s mansion around noon. The house had three large columns in front, each wrapped with a gawdy red bow. In the window, a white, floppy dog barked ferociously. As Jesse approached the door, she looked down and realized her shoe was untied.

These aren’t perfect examples because I’ve dashed them off just now, but you get the idea :) Try not to make your reader seasick by making them look all over the scene (unless you’re trying to achieve that effect, for example, in a scene where your protagonist is drunk or discombobulated).

Hope this helps!

[theliteraryarchitect]

Fiction Writing Advice Posts

Hey all, Some of you know that in addition to this Tumblr blog I also keep a blog on my website. A lot of the posts overlap, but not all of them, so I’ve made this list for your reading pleasure:

How to Control Your Pacing

How to Write During a Pandemic

How to Read Like a Writer

What if Your First Draft DOESN’T Suck?

How to Do World-Building Research

How to Properly Format a Manuscript for Submission

10 Questions to Ask an Editor Before Hiring Them

Creating Character Arcs with the DCAST Method

How to Choose the Right Point of View for Your Story

A Beginner’s Guide to Multiple Point of View

Show Don’t Tell? Not Always. Here’s When to Use Summary

8 Ways to Improve Your Fiction Writing

How to Spot Bad Writing Advice: 6 Red Flags to Look For

5 Reasons to Kill Your Critique Group

Are You Using Too Much Stage Direction?

Why Nobody Cares About Your Plot

How to Use Adverbs Like a Pro

How to Activate Your Passive Characters, One Verb at a Time

3 Easy Ways to Transform Boring Descriptions

3 Ways to Increase Conflict in Your Dialogue

A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Killer Feedback from Beta Readers

How to Know What Kind of Editing You Need

10 Best Books About Fiction Writing

xoxo

[wordsnstuff]

hi! i hope you’re doing well do you have a list of words to describe facial expressions? also, words to describe laughter? thank you :))

Vocabulary & Description...

I’ve sort of taken this ask as an opportunity to make a “collection” of my resources for vocabulary, description, etc. Below is a list of articles that one would find helpful for writing description (of mostly anything).

The Vocabulary & Resources

All About Colors

A Writer’s Thesaurus

Words To Describe Body Types and How They Move

Words To Describe… (Face, Facial Expressions, and General Behavior)

Resources For Describing Characters

Resources For Describing Emotion

Describing Setting

Resources For Describing Physical Things

Describing Heartbreak

Utilizing The Vocabulary

Using Vocabulary

Expanding Your Vocabulary

Describing Where Your Characters Are

Balancing Detail & Development

When To Use “Felt”

Showing Vs Telling

How To Better Your Vocabulary & Description

Adding Description

Tips on Descriptions

Giving Characters Stage Business

Additionally:

How To Develop A Distinct Voice In Your Writing

Showing VS Telling in First Person POV

Writing In Third Person POV

Improving Flow In Writing

How To “Show Don’t Tell” More

What To Cut Out of Your Story

Editing & Proofreading Cheat Sheet

A Guide To Tension & Suspense

On Underwriting

Ultimate Guide To Symbolism

Expanding Scenes

–

Masterlist | WIP Blog

If you enjoy my blog and wish for it to continue being updated frequently and for me to continue putting my energy toward answering your questions, please consider Buying Me A Coffee, or pledging your support on Patreon, where I offer early access and exclusive benefits for only $5/month.

[concerningwolves]

Characters: Building, Breaking and Rebuilding

Characters are the inhabitants of the worlds you create. They drive your stories and pull in fans. They are how you provide representation and channel conflict. The problem is, these super important members of your paper population don’t like to behave.

Sometimes you need to break them down and start again

Look at where they started, their original inspiration or, if that’s too vague, their core characteristics. Remove everything else that contributes to their personality, such as backstory and desires. Just examine the set of basics that made their skeleton and ask yourself some questions. Some possibilities are:

What other desires might they have? How do these basic traits impact their relationships with others? What flaws might these traits and characteristics lead to? Why are they like this? Can they grow? If not, try tweaking their basics. What are their fundamental morals? Their personal code? Are there any tropes that they fall into? Do you like this trope? What could these basics do for creating conflict? How much pressure can they take before breaking?

After that, you can start to remould them based around those new answers. There is a set of important things that you should always consider when making characters, whether they are new ones or old ones being redone.

Desires

Without desires, your characters are listless and uninteresting. There is one exception, which I will cover later on, but for the most part characters must must must have at least one desire to drive them. It could be something really simple or honest, like a steady job or a roof over their head. If you’re creative, even the most basic of desires can drive an enthralling plot.

What does your character want, more than anything? What would they do to get that thing? How do their morals and personal code influence the lengths they will go to in order to fullfill their desires? Are their desires typically good things, or bad things? How does this drive them? Do their desires define them as a person, or are they just side wants that come to the forefront because of the plot?

Flaws

I made a post on flaws, traits and disabilities (link at the end), where I talked about the ways these things are linked but are not one and the same, and covered the different types of flaws. Some considerations:

How do these flaws govern their actions? Their relationships? What kind of flaw is it? Negative or positive? How could these flaws drive conflict?

Growth

Characters need to grow to keep interest. I still maintain that Jane Eyre is such a lovable character because we see her grow from a child who has strong ideas but is ill-equipped to convey them and so becomes difficult, into a woman who knows how to stand her ground and uphold her morals while learning along the way to forgive and understand. She’s only one example of literal thousands, but you would do well to keep this in mind. Growth doesn’t mean a total revolution of character, it just means learning and expanding from the original stem.

What could motivate them to grow? Why would they need to? Who helps them along the way? Would they understand their need to grow themselves, or would someone have to push them to it?

Bending and breaking

My favourite ever piece of advice is that your characters are like geodes and must be broken before they can be displayed in their full colours. I’ve forgotten where I heard it/read it, and the actual words, but the gist of the quote has stayed with me for years. It is so true! Find every weak point and jab your pointy pencil in there, hard.

What are their worst fears? Would could they do that would cause them huge emotional distress? Would could push them to do said emotional distress-causing thing? What are their limits? Who or what could be a point of weakness for them?

Making mistakes

Put simply, let your characters fuck up. They’re your characters, yeah, but they’re just characters. There is no need for them to be perfect, smart, witty players in your plot. Readers want to see themselves, at least in part, in the books they choose, and readers are only human.

What could your character do that would be irreversable? Would they care enough to try and reverse it? How would other characters react?

Real life

Following the same philsophy as above, let real life happen to your characters, even if they’re in space running through a hostile planet or a fantasy world of your own creation.

Do they have a family, children? Could they fall in love and mess up? Are there people being left behind for the sake of this character’s goals? Is there a family member or close friend who could die of completely mundane causes? If the situation around your character is anything but mundane, this would be all the more heart breaking. Are there any small, personal life things that they have forgotten about in the course of the plot?

Real life lends itself to sub-plots, which are really important for driving the story as a whole.

Loopholes

How do your characters fail to fit this criteria? What can you do with this? Can it be turned to your advantage? Be creative!

For example: the one exception to having desires could be the flaw of a character being exceptionally apathetic to the point of making thing s worse for other characters, or having to force themselves not to have any desires to survive (see: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margret Atwood, in which Offred is a passive protagonist to make a point about the society of Gilead). In the case of the flaw of extreme apathy, play with what could potentionally change this. Or, as in the book Apathy and Other Small Victories, have a plot that revolves around the protagonist doing nothing and play with the chaos and hilarity that ensues. 

Finally, consider the world they live in. Study their backstory, what they came from and where they are going, and put all of these together.

Some other posts on characters to help you out:

Ways to create and develop characters

Rules for character building (including where they came from and where they’re going, and how this helps their growth)

Distinctions between flaws, disabilities and traits-  plus the different kinds of flaws and the considerations you could make

This has been part of my weekly set of advice articles. Each week I make an article or series of articles on the things you have asked for help with, or things that I feel need to be covered, such as aspects of representation. Check the tag, #artie gives advice.

If you need any help on anything else in the meantime, general or specific, drop an ask!

Best of luck ʕ •́؈•̀ ₎

[writeness]

A mini-guide on how to line edit! I’m gonna try and make a big long post later, but for those who don’t want to read a lot of words, here’s some quick tips!

What is line editing?

Line editing is a level of editing focusing on the sentences & paragraphs. It looks at the structure of each sentence to see if it’s conveying the idea the best it can. You want to upgrade the prose and clean up the text.

When do I do line editing?

After developmental (or “big picture”) editing, before copyediting (grammar & spelling). Don’t do line edits before you really workshop your piece, because you might end up getting rid of a lot of sections in developmental edits.

Ok, but Kels, what do I do?

Right, here are the quick-and-dirty line editing tips I use:

Use the “find” tool to search up your crutch words and get rid of them. These are words like: very, definitely, just, kind of, sort of, somewhat, somehow, maybe, enough, really, seem, sudden, guess, etc. etc. Everyone has different crutch words—I personally use “just” a LOT so I went and got rid of most of them! I tend to keep crutch words in dialogue to make it sound more natural, but up to you!

Look at your “that”s. Most of the time, a “that” in a sentence can be deleted. Read the sentence without the “that” and see if it makes sense. for example: “She told me that yesterday was her birthday.” vs “She told me yesterday was her birthday.” You can do without the “that” and it makes for cleaner, more concise writing!

(this is a pain BUT) read every sentence out loud. You might notice weird turns of phrase that you’d be better off changing, or clunky phrasing, missing words, weird pacing etc. if reading the WHOLE thing seems like A LOT (it is) do it one chapter or scene at a time and take a break! this will help u notice all of the weird small things that you just don’t pick up on while reading in your head

look at sentence structure! do you have a lot of long sentences? too many short sentences? a looooong paragraph of description that isn’t broken up? do a lot of your sentences start with the same word/phrase (like “He went upstairs / He called his mom / “Hi mom…” / He thought it was weird….” all in one paragraph, even with some other stuff between it?) make sure you’re changing up the composition so your readers dont get glossy-eyed!

read your dialogue out loud SEVERAL times. each time try for a new inflection. make sure it reads the way you want it to. make sure it sounds like something a real person would say. look at it again, and make sure it matches the character. make sure it’s not too heavy-handed or cliche or obvious to the theme.

look at your metaphors & similes. is there a better, more creative way you can say that?

word choice! word choice word choice word choice. this goes along with the reading aloud and metaphor bit, but pay close attention to the word choice. Are you using strong verbs/adjectives? was that an adverb you can get rid of? can you use one word there instead of two? 

double check plot and character inconsistencies. this goes past just dialogue—look at actions & thoughts, too. while a lot of this might be caught in developmental edits, some stuff is bound to slip by. question EVERYTHING.

Some more resources: 

Line Editing article | ShaelinWrites video | Alexa Donne video | Crutch Words list 

best of luck, writers! 

[bookishdiplodocus]

How I turned an idea into an outline

With NaNoWriMo around the corner, I thought I might show you how I plotted my novel.

This is the story structure I used:

0% inciting incident

0%-20% introduction in the world, ends with a point of no return

20% first plot point: the hero receives his marching orders

20%-50% response to the first plot point

35% first pinch point: reminder of the nature of the antagonistic force

50% midpoint: big fat plot twist that changes the hero’s AND reader’s experience

50%-80% attack: the stakes are higher now

65% second pinch point: again reminding the reader of the antagonistic forces at hand

80% second plot point: the final injection of new information into the story to give the hero everything she needs to become the primary catalyst in the story’s conclusion (no new information past this point)

80%-100% resolution + final conflict + return home

I didn’t make this up. I think it’s by Larry Brooks, if The Internet informs me correctly. Fun Fact: once you pay attention to it, you’ll see this structure everywhere. Just take a look at any Harry Potter book, for example.

These points are the “bones” of my story. Next, I decided what “flesh” to put on them.

I simply made a list of things I like to read about:

Books about books and libraries

Magic

Quirky characters

Intelligent, fast-paced and sometimes silly

So, I combined this list and the structure points into a story that makes sense. Because I don’t want to spoil my plot / I am still to shy about my wip, I will make up a new plot for this post, so I can show you.

0%: The hero does something magical without knowing how she did it. She discards it, because everybody knows it can’t have been real.

0%-20%: We see the daily life of the hero: she is unhappy because all she wants to do is read, but she is not allowed to. She reads in the dead of night and is punished for it by her evil stepcousin. She finds a book on magic.

20% It all clicks together: she can do magic!

20%-50% The daily life for the hero changes. Instead of reading all night, she practices magic. She now loves books even more. She has little victories over her evil stepcousin, but hasn’t won yet.

35% The evil stepcousin finds out that she can do magic and takes away the magic book.

50% She discovers she can do magic without the book.

50%-80% The hero is not the only one who is bullied by the evil stepcousin. Her younger cousin is a victim as well, and he doesn’t have magic to defend himself. The stakes are raised, this is bigger than herself now. The younger cousin also wants to read, so they have several bonding moments over reading.

65% The evil stepcousin hurts the younger cousin, he’s in a coma now.

80% The hero discovers the evil stepcousin could do all these evil things because he knows magic too.

80%-100% The hero confronts the evil stepcousin, fights him off, nearly loses but wins in the end. He gives up and releases his power over the younger cousin who wakes up from the coma.

It’s not the most genius plot ever, but I literally made this up in minutes. So can you! And imagine the genius plot you can come up with if you spend more than a few minutes on it.

Then I calculated how many scenes I need in which part of the story. My wip is a YA or 12+ book, so I want it to contain about 75,000 words in total. I want my scenes to be around 1,000 words long to keep it snappy, so I need 75 scenes.

Scene number 1 (0%) is the inciting incident, scene number 15 (20%) is the first plot point, scene number 26 (35%) is the first pinch point, scene number 37 (50%) is the midpoint, scene number 49 (65%) is the second pinch point, scene number 60 (80%) is the second plot point and scene 75 (100%) is the last scene.

Some sidenotes on the 1,000-word scenes:

That’s more of a vague rule of thumb than a strict rule. If your scene needs to be longer or shorter, make it longer or shorter of course. My wip has some 2,300-word scenes as well.

Having 1,000-word scenes does not mean I have 1,000-word chapters, that would be really short. I will divide my novel into chapters after I’m finished writing my first draft.

For NaNoWriMo, maybe you could write scenes of 1,667 words, so you do one scene per day. A 50,000-word novel has 30 scenes of 1,667 words. Inciting incident is at scene 1, first plot point at scene 6, first pinch point at scene 11, midpoint at scene 15, second pinch point at scene 20, second plot point at scene 24 and scene 30 is your last scene. That’s just an idea, you got to see what works for you.

Then I made up in one sentence what will happen in every scene. For example: “They meet the dragon and he sends them on a sidequest.” Now my outline consists of 75 one-sentence scenes. This way, I prevent the problem of the sagging middle and other pacing problems and I still get to surprise myself when writing.

From those one-sentence scenes, I flesh out every scene into a first draft, using the process I described in my post How I never have to face an empty page when I write.

And that’s my first draft! I hope everything is clear. Feel free to ask me questions if it isn’t.

I’m gonna tag a few people I admire, who I hope are interested. If you aren’t, feel free to ignore me, or message me to take you off my tag list. If you would like to be added to my writing advice tag list, let me know.

Lees verder

[vivienvalentino]

some sites for when you’re bored and looking for new music

spotalike creates a playlist based on a song

magicplaylist  creates a playlist based on a song

dubolt  creates a playlist based on an artist

boilthefrog creates a playlist between any two artists 

predominant suggests you albums based on cover art color   

music-map  suggests similar artists

gnoosic  suggests similar artists and songs

[writeworld-blog]

How to Write a Fight Scene (Rebloggable Version)

Admin Note: This post is a rebloggable copy of our page on fight scenes. The page is being phased out, so from now on all updates will be made on this post and not on the page. 

Among the typically difficult scenes writers face in their stories, the fight scene definitely ranks high on the list. Below you will find several resources with tips for writing a good fight scene.

Action with a Side of Zombies: One of our articles focused specifically on writing action scenes. Bonus:  the examples all include zombies.

ArchetypesAndAllusions: An article on the three main types of fighters and their various approaches to kickin’ ass (or not).

TheCreativePenn.com: Alan Baxter, speculative fiction author, gives some great advice on characterization, setting, martial style, and cliches. 

StoryHack.com: A PDF that takes you through writing a fight scene step by step by Randy Ingermanson, compiled by Bryce Beattie.

MarilynnByerly.com: An extremely good guide to writing fight scenes. This guide includes tips on character viewpoint, mapping the fight, and tricks for writing each type of fight. 

Shelfari.com: This site is an interview with famed fantasy author R.A. Salvatore on how to write great fight scenes.

TheBusinessOfWriting: C. Patrick Schulze gives some good, solid advice on identifying and writing your fight scene.

EzineArticles.com: Marq McAlister explains how to make a fight scene pack some serious punch. This article is good for fine-tuning.

Martin Turner: Focusing specifically on sword-fighting scenes, Martin Turner writes in great detail on every conceivable detail of this type of time-honored fight scene. 

SeriousPixie.com: Susan tells you about the three types of fight scene writers and explains how to fix the problems that arise for each type.

David Alan Lucus: This multi-part guide gives advice in exhaustive detail on how to write an awesome fight scene.

NightFoot: This Tumblr post offers some great tips for writing fight scenes.

Film Crit Hulk: A shoe-in for screenwriters, the Hulk and special guest Tom Townend talk shop on how to write a great movie action scene.

Harry Edmundson-Cornell: Harry writes a series on the fight scene geared toward writers of Superhero comics.

How To Fight Write: The knowledgeable and thorough admins of this exceptional Tumblr blog will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about fight scenes and weaponry—even if they have to beat it into you.

Scholagladiatoria: A YouTuber with lots of weapons teaches you how they were/are properly used to their greatest advantage.

These links provide advice specifically for writing battle scenes:

Gerri Blanc: eHow’s article on battle scenes is a basic step-by-step list for you. It’s a good introduction to writing battle scenes.

StormTheCastle.com: This article takes you through an in-depth guide on how to write battle scenes for fantasy stories.

Rhonda Leigh Jones: Jones lists some dos and don’ts of writing battle scenes.

Other resources:

List of Martial Arts: Looking for a fighting style? Find it here!

List of Weapons: Every type of weapon you can think of is listed here.

List of Military Tactics: From troop movements to siege warfare, this list has got you covered.

Asylum.com: A few examples of awesome battle tactics from history.

BadassOfTheWeek.com: Get some inspiration for awesome fight scenes and fighting characters from this compendium of badassitude.

Thearmedgentleman: Austin has offered to share his knowledge on weaponry with any writers who have questions. Thanks, Austin! 

Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can find every post we’ve ever made or reblogged about fight scenes in our “fight” tag. You might also find our “action scene” tag useful. 

We hope this helps! If you have another link or a tip for how to write fight/battle scenes, hit up our ask box and let us know!

[mevima]

List of Vocal Sounds for Smut

I present to you a - probably quite incomplete, I’m sure I’m missing a lot of speech sounds - reference list and a bit of a guideline for the different ways one can describe the sounds your characters make whilst writing smut. I’ll definitely be referring to it, because I sometimes get stuck on exactly how to describe a particular noise. (aka, “he can’t groan again, he just groaned last paragraph”)

Sounds (noun, both independently and describing speech): breath/breathe, gasp, moan, groan, pant, whimper, whine, shout, yelp, hiss, grunt, cry, scream, shriek, sob, growl, curse, sound, sigh, hum, noise, squeak, snarl, howl, roar, mewl, wail, choke, keen, purr

Sounds (noun, describing speech): rasp, husk, drawl, plea, murmur, whisper, beg

Descriptors (adjective): loud, hushed, quiet, low, high, high-pitched, little, tiny, soft, deep, unrestrained, restrained, strained, breathy, rough, sudden, short, drawn-out, sharp, harsh, hard, thick, smooth, thin, heavy, impassioned, insistent, hungry, passionate, repeated, filthy, debauched, sweet, slow, deliberate, guttural, languid, surprised, husky, distracted, happy, pleased, satisfied, wordless, cut-off, bitten-off, contented, hoarse, extended, long, depraved, aching, choked, strangled, broken, helpless, shuddering, shaky, trembling, urgent, needy, desperate, wanton, shattered, pained, eager

Combine a descriptor and a sound for best effect - for example, “needy moan,” “pleased hum,” or “sudden scream.” You can even use two: “low, rough grunt,” “sweet little cry,” “desperate, filthy noise,” as long as you don’t repeat a word that means the same thing, unless you really want to emphasize it. Avoiding repetition is pretty key here. You don’t usually want to say “hushed, quiet gasp” except on rare occasions when it’s very important how soft the sound was.

Use your own common sense, as well; some sounds and descriptors don’t generally work well together. “Deliberate shriek” probably wouldn’t work well, and neither would “languid grunt,” but again, this is all very situational - play around! Have fun.

Feel free to add to my lists, use for your reference or pass them around. It would be fun to see a randomized generator made, too, I’m just too lazy to do it myself. ;)

[shudder-shock-deactivated202204]

Also useful: https://laurelclarke.wordpress.com/2014/08/18/sexy-thesaurus-romance-erotica-words/

[badassunicorn2016]

Writing Tip June 4th

A list of body language phrases.

I’ve included a very comprehensive list, organized by the type of body movement, hand and arm movements, facial expressions etc. In some cases, a phrase fits more than one heading, so it may appear twice. Possible emotions are given after each BL phrase unless the emotion is indicated within the phrase. (They are underlined for emphasis, not due to a hyperlink.)

Note: I’ve included a few body postures and body conditions as they are non-verbal testimony to the character’s physical condition.

Have fun and generate your own ideas.:-)

Eyes, Brows and Forehead

arched a sly brow:  sly, haughty

blinked owlishly:  just waking, focusing, needs glasses

brows bumped together in a scowl:  worried, disapproving, irritated

brows knitted in a frown: worried, disapproval, thoughtful

bug-eyed:  surprised, fear, horror

cocky wink and confident smile:  over confidence, arrogant, good humor, sexy humor

eyes burned with hatred: besides hatred this might suggest maniacal feelings

eyes flashed: fury, defiance, lust, promise, seduction

eyes rolled skyward: disbelief, distrust, humor

forehead puckered:  thoughtful, worried, irritation

frustration crinkled her eyes

gaze dipped to her décolletage: sexual interest, attraction, lust

gimlet-eyed/narrowed eyes: irritation, thoughtful, mean, angry

gleam of deviltry:  humor, conniving, cunning

kept eye contact but her gaze became glazed: pretending interest where there is none/bordom

narrowed to crinkled slits:  angry, distrust

nystagmic eyes missed nothing (constantly shifting eyes):  Shifty

pupils dilated:  interested, attraction to opposite sex, fear

raked her with freezing contempt

slammed his eyes shut:  stunned, furious, pain

squinted in a furtive manner:  fearful, sneaky

stared with cow eyes:  surprised, disbelief, hopeful, lovestruck

subtle wink:  sexy, humor/sharing a joke, sarcasm

unrelenting stare: distrust, demanding, high interest, unyielding

Place To Place, Stationary Or Posture

ambled away:  relaxed, lazy

barged ahead:  rude, hurried

battled his way through the melee:  desperate, anger, alarm

cruised into the diner:  easy-going, feeling dapper, confident

dawdled alongside the road:  lazy, deliberate delay for motives, unhurried, relaxed

dragged his blanket in the dirt:   sadness/depressed, weary

edged closer to him:  sneaky, seeking comfort, seeking protection, seeking an audience

he stood straighter and straightened his tie:  sudden interest, sexual attraction

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig: demonstrates physical condition – he has to pee

hips rolled and undulated:  sexy walk, exaggerating for sex appeal

hovered over them with malice/like a threatening storm: here it’s malice, but one may hover for many reasons.

hunched over to look shorter:  appear inconspicuous, ashamed of actions, ashamed of height

leaped into action feet hammering the marbled floor:  eager, fear, joyous

long-legged strides:  hurried, impatient

lumbered across:  heavy steps of a big man in a hurry

minced her way up to him: timid, sneaky, insecure, dainty or pretense at dainty

paced/prowled the halls:  worried, worried impatience, impatient, diligently seeking pivoted on his heel and took off:  mistaken and changes direction, following orders, hurried, abrupt change of mind, angry retreat

plodded down the road:  unhurried, burdened, reluctant

practiced sensual stroll:  sexy, showing off

rammed her bare foot into her jeans: angry, rushed

rocked back and forth on his heels: thoughtful, impatiently waiting

sagged against the wall:  exhausted, disappointment

sallied forth:  confident, determined

sashayed her cute little fanny:  confident, determined, angered and determined

shrank into the angry crowd:  fear, insecure, seeking to elude

sketched a brief bow and assumed a regal pose: confident, mocking, snooty, arrogant skidded to an abrupt halt: change of heart, fear, surprise, shock

skulked on the edges of the crowd: sneaky, ashamed, timid

slithered through the door:  sneaky, evil, bad intentions

stormed toward her, pulling up short when: anger with a sudden surprise

swaggered into the class room:  over confident, proud, arrogant, conceited

tall erect posture:  confidence, military bearing

toe tapped a staccato rhythm:  impatience, irritation

tottered/staggered unsteadily then keeled over:  drunk, drugged, aged, ill

waltzed across the floor:  happy, blissful, exuberant, conceited, arrogant

Head Movement

cocked his head:  curiosity, smart-alecky, wondering, thoughtful

cocked his head left and rolled his eyes to right corner of the ceiling:  introspection

droop of his head: depressed, downcast, hiding true feelings

nodded vigorously: eager

tilted her head to one side while listening:  extreme interest, possibly sexual interest

Mouth And Jaw

a lackluster smile:  feigning cheerfulness

cigarette hung immobile in mouth: shock, lazy, uncaring, relaxed casualness

clinched his jaw at the sight:  angered, worried, surprised

curled her lips with icy contempt

expelled her breath in a whose:  relief, disappointment

gagged at the smell: disgust, distaste

gapped mouth stare:  surprised, shock, disbelief

gritted his teeth:  anger, irritation, holding back opinion

inhaled a sharp breath:  surprise, shock, fear, horror

licked her lips:  nervous, sexual attraction

lips primed: affronted, upset, insulted

lips pursed for a juicy kiss

lips pursed like she’d been chewing a lemon rind: dislike, angry, irritated, sarcasm

lips screwed into: irritation, anger, grimace, scorn

lips set in a grim line: sorrow, worried, fear of the worst

pursed her lips:  perturbed, waiting for a kiss

scarfed down the last biscuit:  physical hunger, greed

slack-mouthed:  total shock, disbelief

slow and sexy smile:  attraction, seductive, coy

smacked his lips: anticipation

smile congealed then melted into horror

smile dangled on the corner of his lips: cocky, sexy

smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulder:  conceit, sarcasm, over confident

sneered and flicked lint off his suit: sarcasm, conceit

spewed water and spit: shock

stuck out her tongue: humor, sarcasm, teasing, childish

toothy smile:  eagerness, hopeful

wary smile surfaced on her lips

Nose

nose wrinkled in distaste/at the aroma

nostrils flared:  anger, sexual attraction

nose in the air:  snooty, haughty

Face in General

crimson with fury

handed it over shame-faced

jutted his chin: confident, anger, forceful

managed a deadpan expression:  expressionless

muscles in her face tightened:  unsmiling, concealing emotions, anger, worried

rested his chin in his palm and looked thoughtful

rubbed a hand over his dark stubble:  thoughtful, ashamed of his appearance

screwed up her face:  anger, smiling, ready to cry, could almost be any emotion

sneered and flicked lint off his suit: conceit, derision, scorn

Arm and Hand

a vicious yank

arm curled around her waist, tugging her next to him:  possessive, pride, protective

bit her lip and glanced away:  shy, ashamed, insecure

brandished his fist:  anger, threatening, ready to fight, confident, show of pride

clamped his fingers into tender flesh:  anger, protective, wants to inflict pain

clenched his dirty little fists: stubborn, angry

clapped her hands on her hips, arms crooked like sugar bowel handles:  anger, demanding, disbelief

constantly twirled her hair and tucked it behind her ear:  attracted to the opposite sex, shy crossed his arms over his chest: waiting, impatient, putting a barrier

crushed the paper in his fist:  anger, surrender, discard

dived into the food: hunger, eager, greedy

doffed his hat:  polite gesture, mocking, teasing

doodled on the phone pad and tapped the air with her foot:  bored, inattention, introspection

drummed her fingers on the desk:  impatient, frustrated, bored

fanned her heated face with her hands: physically hot, embarrassed, indicating attraction

fiddled with his keys: nervous, bored

firm, palm to palm hand shake:  confident, honest

flipped him the bird: sarcastic discard

forked his fingers through his hair for the third time:  disquiet/consternation, worry, thoughtful

handed it over shame-faced:  guilt, shame

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig:  physical need to relieve himself

limp hand shake:  lack of confidence, lack of enthusiasm

propped his elbow on his knee: relaxed, thoughtful

punched her pillow:  restless, can’t sleep, angry

rested his chin in his palm:  thoughful, worried

scratched his hairy belly and yawned:  indolent, bored, lazy, relaxed, just waking

shoulders lifted in a shrug:  doubtful, careless discard

slapped his face in front of God and country:  enraged, affronted/insulted

snapped a sharp salute:  respect, sarcastic gesture meaning the opposite of respect

snapped his fingers, expecting service:  arrogant, lack of respect, self-centered

sneered and flicked lint off his suit

spread her arms wide: welcoming,  joy, love

stabbed at the food: anger, hunger, determined

stood straighter and smoothed his tie:  sudden interest, possible sexual interest

stuffed his hands in his pockets: self-conscious, throwing up a barrier

sweaty handshake:  nervous, fearful

touched his arm several times while explaining:  sign of attraction, flattery, possessive

wide sweep of his arms:  welcoming, all inclusive gesture, horror

Sitting or Rising

collapsed in a stupor:  exhausted, drunk, drugged, disbelief

enthroned himself at the desk:  conceit, pronouncing or taking ownership

exploded out of the chair:  shock, eager, anger, supreme joy

roosted on the porch rail like a cock on a hen house roof:  claiming ownership, conceit, content

sat, squaring an ankle over one knee:  relaxed and open

slouched/wilted in a chair and paid languid attention to:  drowsy, lazy, depressed, disinterest, sad, totally relaxed, disrespectful

squirmed in his chair: ill at ease, nervous, needs the bathroom

Recline

flung himself into the bed: sad, depressed, exhausted, happy

prostrated himself: surrender, desperate, miserable, powerless, obsequious, fawning, flattering

punched her pillow:  can’t sleep, anger, frustrated

threw himself on the floor kicking and screaming: tantrum

Entire body and General

body stiffened at the remark:  offended, anger, alerted

body swayed to music:  dreamy, fond memories, enjoys the music

bounced in the car seat, pointing:  excitement, fear, eager

cowered behind his brother:  fear, shyness, coward, desperate

curled into a ball:  sorrow, fear, sleepy, defensive

heart galloping:  anxiety, joy, eager

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig

humped over his cane, each step shaking and careful: pain, aged

inhaled a deep breath and blew out slowly: buying time to find words/thoughtful, reconciled

quick and jerky like rusty cogs on a wheel:  unsure of actions, self-conscious, tense, edgy

rocked back and forth on his heels:  impatient, cocky, gleeful

manhandled the woman into a corner:  bully, anger

slumped shoulders: defeat, depressed, sad, surrender

stiff-backed:  priggish, haughty, affronted

stood straighter and straightened his tie:  sexual interest, wants to make an impression

stooped and bent: aged, arthritic, in pain

stretched extravagantly and yawned:  tired, bored, unconcerned

sweating uncontrollably: nervous, fear, guilt

tall erect posture:  confidence, military bearing

was panting now at:  afraid, exhausted, out of breath, sexual excitement

-Sharla Rae