focus;

wilder than i've ever been samara || 22 || istj || slytherin

[streetlifemanifesto]

Don’t trust morning you. Morning you is a dick. Morning you would sell your loved ones if it got them 5 minutes of extra sleep

[dalniente]

facts

[youcancallmearrow]

Don’t trust night you either! Night you looks at 11:30 PM and tells you a 45,000 word fanfic is the only fic that will do.

[beradan]

#I only trust afternoon me#And even that’s a tossup (via @heymacareyna)

[a-lil-strawberry]

I don’t trust me 24/7

[the-knights-who-say-book]

do characters in modern fairytale retellings know their life is a retelling? bc they act like they don’t even notice. i’ve never read a retelling where the main character is like “huh… wait a minute… my name is ELLA and i have TWO STEPSISTERS who are SUPER MEAN and i’m about to go to  BALL…. this is ringing a bell”

like, i want a retelling where the mc realizes what’s going on and is like “oh shit i am NOT having this” and then like, uses their knowledge to their advantage? like they realize that if their life is a cinderella retelling then their step siblings are probably going to destroy the beautiful dress they painstakingly sewed, and they should probably make sure the dress is safely protected at a friend’s house

OH. or a retelling where even though they do this, the retelling insists on happening anyway?? they save the dress, but then their step siblings tear up the painting they’ve been working on instead. they wear boots that can’t fall off to the dance, but somehow they lose one big dangle earring as they run away. the Retelling will Not Be Stopped, Ella-who-insists-on-going-by-their-middle-name-but-no-one-listens-to-them, the Retelling Must Have Its Sacrifice

[the-knights-who-say-book]

do characters in modern fairytale retellings know their life is a retelling? bc they act like they don’t even notice. i’ve never read a retelling where the main character is like “huh… wait a minute… my name is ELLA and i have TWO STEPSISTERS who are SUPER MEAN and i’m about to go to  BALL…. this is ringing a bell”

like, i want a retelling where the mc realizes what’s going on and is like “oh shit i am NOT having this” and then like, uses their knowledge to their advantage? like they realize that if their life is a cinderella retelling then their step siblings are probably going to destroy the beautiful dress they painstakingly sewed, and they should probably make sure the dress is safely protected at a friend’s house

OH. or a retelling where even though they do this, the retelling insists on happening anyway?? they save the dress, but then their step siblings tear up the painting they’ve been working on instead. they wear boots that can’t fall off to the dance, but somehow they lose one big dangle earring as they run away. the Retelling will Not Be Stopped, Ella-who-insists-on-going-by-their-middle-name-but-no-one-listens-to-them, the Retelling Must Have Its Sacrifice

[prokopetz]

Okay, this is in incredibly petty nitpick, but: if you’re writing a fantasy setting with same-sex marriage, a same-sex noble or royal couple typically would not have titles of the same rank - e.g., a prince and a prince, or two queens.

It depends on which system of ranking you use, of course (there are several), but in most systems there’s actually a rule covering this scenario: in the event that a consort’s courtesy title being of the same rank as their spouse’s would potentially create confusion over who holds the title by right and who by courtesy, the consort instead receives the next-highest title on the ladder.

So the husband of a prince would be a duke; the wife of a queen, a princess; and so forth.

(You actually see this rule in practice in the United Kingdom, albeit not in the context of a same-sex marriage; the Queen’s husband is styled a prince because if he were a king, folks might get confused about which of them was the reigning monarch.)

The only common situation where you’d expect to see, for example, two queens in the same marriage is if the reigning monarchs of two different realms married each other - and even then, you’d more likely end up with a complicated arrangement where each party is technically a princess of the other’s realm in addition to being queen of her own.

You’ve gotta keep it nice and unambiguous who’s actually in charge!

[prokopetz]

Okay, I’ve received a whole lot of asks about this post, so I’m going to cover all of the responses in one go:

1. The system described above is, admittedly, merely one of the most common. Other historically popular alternatives include:

The consort’s courtesy title is of the same rank as their spouse’s, with “-consort” appended to it: prince and prince-consort, queen and queen-consort, etc. This is how, e.g., present-day Monaco does it.

The consort is simply styled Lord or Lady So-and-so, and receives no specific title. I can’t think of any country that still does it this way, off the top of my head, but historically it was a thing.

(Naturally, your setting needn’t adhere to any of these, but it would be highly irregular for it to lack some mechanism for clarifying the chain of command.)

2. The reason why the consort of a prince is historically a princess even though those titles are the same rank is basically sexism. This can go a couple of ways:

In many realms, there was no such thing as being a princess by right; the daughter of a monarch would be styled Lady So-and-so and receive no specific title, so the only way to be a princess was to marry a prince.

In realms where women could hold titles by right, typically a masculine title was informally presumed to outrank its feminine counterpart. So, e.g., kings outrank queens, princes outrank princesses, etc.

In either case, no ambiguity exists.

(Interestingly, this suggests that in a more egalitarian setting where masculine titles are not presumed to outrank their feminine counterparts, or vice versa, you’d need to explicitly disambiguate rankings even outside the context of same-sex marriages. Food for thought!)

3. It would also be possible to have two kings or two queens in the same marriage without multiple realms being involved in the case of a true co-monarchy. However, true co-monarchies are highly irregular and, from a political standpoint, immensely complicated affairs. If you’re planning on writing one of those, be prepared to do your research!

4. The next rank down from “countess” is either “viscountess” or “baroness”, depending on which peerage system you’re using.

(Yes, that last one actually came up multiple times. Apparently there are a lot of stories about gay countesses out there!)

[prokopetz]

I’d like to argue with this, but I can’t.

[windwardstar]

What you need to write a novel, of course, is a deadline.

Chris Baty “No Plot? No Problem!”

[fanfichasruinedmylife-deactivat]

Reblog if you’re planning to do NaNoWriMo this year.

[pastelparrotlet]

Me: *solemnly* November is coming.

Friend: So?

Me, sifting through character sheets and plot maps: You don’t understand.

[sycretsside]

So I just started my short story writing class! These are dialogue tips

[lady-feral]

reference later

[sourwolfsam]

Gryffindors are bright mornings, leaves dripping in gold. They’re the trailblazers, unafraid of the road ahead. They’re laughing so loud your stomach hurts, the knowledge that your friends are right behind you wherever you go. They’re ice skating with someone you love, clinging on to them for dear life. They’re make-believe games with quests and dragons and swords pointing at the sky. They’re rosy cheeks, winter winds and freezing hands. They’re the adrenaline when a plane takes off, the drop at the top of a rollercoaster. They’re delighted screams and freedom, the wind through your hair. They’re panting, pillow fights, feathers bursting into the air. They’re finger painting and festivals and burning sunsets. They’re the burn in your lung after chasing something you’ll never be able to catch. 

Hufflepuffs are honey and flowers and the soft autumn sun. They’re knitted jumpers and scarves and soft tan boots. They’re fresh air and nature, the sound of birds singing. They’re rolling down a hill in the spring, grass stains on your knees, daisy chains in your hair. They’re waving at someone across a crowded room, bright smiles and laughter. They’re coming home after a long day and seeing your family. They’re playing fetch with your dog, your cat weaving between your feet. They’re fluffy socks and song birds and kraft notebooks with hand drawn patterns. They’re throw cushions on a bed, a tiny cottage surrounded by wilderness. They’re the ground beneath your feet, the air that you breathe. They’re the light you chase when you thought you’d never see the morning. 

Ravenclaws are leather bound books and overstocked libraries. They’re waking up at two am to google that thing that’s bugging you. They’re journals with half the words crossed out, scribbles and ink stains and missing pages. They’re stretching when you’ve been hunched over all day, rolling off the edge of a bed, burrowing in blankets. They’re torch light and held breaths and reverent whispers. They’re the entire night sky and everything beyond it; the embodiment of the universe. They’re desperate searches and hidden castles and ghost stories by firelight. They’re the mystery of a dark corridor, the force of a whirlwind. They’re the excitement of discovery, the rustle of crunched up paper. They’re the last whisper before you fall asleep. 

Slytherins are foggy hillsides and picturesque landscapes. They’re hand written love notes and subtle glances across a classroom. They’re black boots, long coats, buttons done up to the top. They’re tipping your head back to breathe the air, kicking up stones on a deserted path. They’re mirrored lakes, everything below the surface. They’re the confidence to get something right, the feel of magic in your fingertips. They’re holding your breath underwater, pretending to be a mermaid when you swim. They’re finding that one song that makes you want to create a storm. They’re the chill in the breeze, the force in the tide. They’re enchanted forests and lingering glances and long drives. They’re the lightning and the thunder and everything in between. 

[corvidprompts]

“I’m a monster, sure. A terror, a menace, a blight upon this earth. But I will never be as rotten as you.”

[yellowumbrellawriting]

Creating Dynamic Characters That Feel Real

Despite what people may have led you to believe, the plot or structure is not the most important thing about your story–whether it’s a screenplay, short story, novel. That’s not what makes the story real and important. That’s not why your readers care.

Characters are the most important part of your story. Without them, you have nothing. Your story is nothing.

If you want your readers to find your story complex, compelling, and dynamic, then your characters have to be complex, compelling, and dynamic. You’re thinking, “Oh, that’s easy. I’ve already done that.” Your babies are complicated. They’re beautiful but damaged. Intelligent but socially awkward. They want to be an astronaut; they want to save the world.

Sorry, but you’re full of shit.

Characters aren’t just characters, they’re real people, even if they only exist in ink and paper and your mind rather than in flesh and blood. They need to be as real to your readers as their mother, father, best friend, the person sitting next to them. Otherwise, you have failed. Flesh them out, bring them to life on the page.

Your characters are the heart and soul of your story, and you need to treat them as such. That is your job as a writer. And when you don’t do that, you not only fail your readers and your story, you not only do yourself a great disservice, but you also expose yourself. You reveal something to your readers that you don’t want them to know. As Claudia Hunter Johnson says in her book, Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect (which is an excellent book I recommend you all read), character creation is “an artistic and ethical issue.”

Repeat after me: It is an artistic and ethical issue.

Keep reading

[andworldbuildingtoo]

Tired of Good Vs Evil?

I have other type of conflicts for you:

Order Vs Chaos

Tradition vs Progress

Discipline Vs Harmony

Selflessness Vs Egoism

Bacon Vs Tie      

Safety Vs Freedom

Individuality vs Community

Emotions Vs Stoicism

Romanticism Vs Enlightenment 

Nature Vs Nurture   

Life Vs Death

Bacon Vs Broccoli

 Pacifism Vs Self-Arming

Chance Vs Purpose

Talent Vs Hard work

 Passivity Vs Action      

Performance Vs Technique

Law Vs Good

Order Vs Harmony

Science Vs Nature

Human morality Vs Non-human morality (especially if both sides are “good”)

UPD: Added new ones

Also old three-way picture. Just in case if anyone might need it.

[smut-101]

240 Words to Describe Someone’s Tone/Voice

Abrasive - showing little concern for the feelings of others; harsh

Absurd - wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate

Accusatory - suggesting someone has done something wrong, complaining

Acerbic - sharp and forthright

Acidic - harsh or critical

Admiring - approving; think highly of; respectful; praising

Aggressive - hostile; determined; forceful; argumentative

Aggrieved -  angry and sad because you think you have been unfairly treated

Airy -  giving an impression of being unconcerned or not serious

Ambivalent - having mixed feelings; uncertain; in a dilemma; undecided

Amused - pleasantly; entertain or divert in an enjoyable or cheerful manner

Angry - incensed or enraged; threatening or menacing

Animated - full of life or excitement; lively; spirited; impassioned; vibrant

Anxious -  typically with a feeling of unease

Apathetic - showing little interest; lacking concern; indifferent; unemotional

Apologetic - full of regret; repentant; remorseful; acknowledging failure

Appreciative - grateful; thankful; showing pleasure; enthusiastic

Ardent - enthusiastic; passionate

Arrogant - pompous; disdainful; overbearing; condescending; vain; scoffing

Assertive - self-confident; strong-willed; authoritative; insistent

Authoritative - commanding and self-confident

Awestruck - amazed, filled with wonder/awe; reverential

Barbed - deliberately hurtful

Barking - utter a command or question abruptly or aggressively

Belligerent - hostile; aggressive; combatant

Benevolent - sympathetic; tolerant; generous; caring; well meaning

Bitter - angry; acrimonious; antagonistic; spiteful; nasty

Blasé - unimpressed or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before

Bleak - without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary

Bombastic - high-sounding but with little meaning; inflated

Booming - loud, deep, and resonant

Bored - to tire or make weary by being dull, repetitious, or uninteresting

Brash - self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way

Braying - speak or laugh loudly and harshly

Breathy - producing or causing an audible sound of breathing, often related to physical exertion or strong feelings

Breezy - appearing relaxed, informal, and cheerily brisk

Brittle - lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion; aloof

Bubbly - full of cheerful high spirits

Burbling - speak in an unintelligible or silly way, typically at unnecessary length

Callous - cruel disregard; unfeeling; uncaring; indifferent; ruthless

Candid - truthful, straightforward; honest; unreserved

Caustic - making biting, corrosive comments; critical

Cautionary - gives warning; raises awareness; reminding

Celebratory - praising; pay tribute to; glorify; honour

Chatty - informal; lively; conversational; familiar

Cheery - happy and optimistic

Childish - silly and immature

Chirping - say something in a lively and cheerful way

Clipped - speech that is fast, that uses short sounds and few words, and that is often unfriendly or rude

Cloying - disgust or sicken (someone) with an excess of sweetness, richness, or sentiment

Coarse - rude, crude, or vulgar

Colloquial - familiar; everyday language; informal; colloquial; casual

Comic - humorous; witty; entertaining; diverting

Compassionate - sympathetic; empathetic; warm-hearted; tolerant; kind

Complex - having many varying characteristics; complicated

Compliant - agree or obey rules; acquiescent; flexible; submissive

Concerned - worried; anxious; apprehensive

Conciliatory - intended to placate or pacify; appeasing

Condescending - stooping to the level of one’s inferiors; patronising

Confused - unable to think clearly; bewildered; vague

Contemptuous - showing contempt; scornful; insolent; mocking

Crisp - briskly decisive and matter-of-fact, without hesitation or unnecessary detail

Critical - finding fault; disapproving; scathing; criticizing

Croaking - a characteristic deep hoarse sound

Cruel - causing pain and suffering; unkind; spiteful; severe

Curious - wanting to find out more; inquisitive; questioning

Curt - rudely brief

Cynical - scornful of motives/virtues of others; mocking; sneering

Defensive - defending a position; shielding; guarding; watchful

Defiant - obstinate; argumentative; defiant; contentious

Demeaning - disrespectful; undignified

Depressing - sad, melancholic; discouraging; pessimistic

Derisive - snide; sarcastic; mocking; dismissive; scornful

Detached - aloof; objective; unfeeling; distant

Dignified - serious; respectful; formal; proper

Diplomatic - tactful; subtle; sensitive; thoughtful

Disapproving - displeased; critical; condemnatory

Disheartening - discouraging; demoralising; undermining; depressing

Disparaging - dismissive; critical; scornful

Direct - straightforward; honest

Disappointed - discouraged; unhappy because something has gone wrong

Discordant - harsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony

Dispassionate - impartial; indifferent; unsentimental; cold; unsympathetic

Dispirited - having lost enthusiasm and hope; disheartened

Distressing - heart-breaking; sad; troubling

Docile - compliant; submissive; deferential; accommodating

Drawling - speak in a slow, lazy way with prolonged vowel sounds

Dulcet - sweet and soothing

Dull - lacking interest or excitement

Earnest - showing deep sincerity or feeling; serious

Egotistical - self-absorbed; selfish; conceited; boastful

Empathetic - understanding; kind; sensitive

Encouraging - optimistic; supportive

Enthusiastic - excited; energetic

Evasive - ambiguous; cryptic; unclear

Excited - emotionally aroused; stirred

Facetious - inappropriate; flippant

Farcical - ludicrous; absurd; mocking; humorous and highly improbable

Feathery - extremely light and soft or delicate

Flippant - superficial; glib; shallow; thoughtless; frivolous

Forceful - powerful; energetic; confident; assertive

Formal - respectful; stilted; factual; following accepted styles/rules

Frank - honest; direct; plain; matter-of-fact

Fretful - expressing distress or irritation

Frustrated - annoyed; discouraged

Gentle - kind; considerate; mild; soft

Ghoulish - delighting in the revolting or the loathsome

Glum - dejected; morose

Goofy - foolish; harmlessly eccentric

Grating - harsh and unpleasant

Gravelly - deep and rough-sounding

Grim - serious; gloomy; depressing; lacking humour;macabre

Growling - low grating voice, typically in a threatening manner

Gruff - rough and low in pitch

Gullible - naive; innocent; ignorant

Guttural - produced in the throat; harsh-sounding

Hard - unfeeling; hard-hearted; unyielding

Harsh - cruel or severe

Hearty - loudly vigorous and cheerful

Hoarse - sounding rough and harsh, typically as the result of a sore throat or of shouting

Honeyed - soothing, soft, and intended to please or flatter

Humble - deferential; modest

Humorous - amusing; entertaining; playful

Husky - sounding low-pitched and slightly hoarse

Hypercritical - unreasonably critical; hair splitting; nitpicking

Impartial - unbiased; neutral; objective

Impassioned - filled with emotion; ardent

Imploring - pleading; begging

Impressionable - trusting; child-like

Inane - silly; foolish; stupid; nonsensical

Incensed - enraged

Incredulous - disbelieving; unconvinced; questioning; suspicious

Indifferent - having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned

Indignant - annoyed; angry; dissatisfied

Informative - instructive; factual; educational

Insinuating - suggest or hint in an indirect and unpleasant way

Inspirational - encouraging; reassuring

Intense - earnest; passionate; concentrated; deeply felt

Intimate - familiar; informal; confidential; confessional

Ironic - the opposite of what is meant

Irreverent - lacking respect for things that are generally taken seriously

Jaded - bored; having had too much of the same thing; lack enthusiasm

Joyful - positive; optimistic; cheerful; elated

Jubilant - expressing great happiness and triumph

Judgmental - critical; finding fault; disparaging

Laudatory - praising; recommending

Lifeless - lacking vigor, vitality, or excitement

Light-Hearted - carefree; relaxed; chatty; humorous

Lively - full of life and energy; active and outgoing

Loving - affectionate; showing intense, deep concern

Macabre - gruesome; horrifying; frightening

Malicious - desiring to harm others or to see others suffer; ill-willed; spiteful

Matter-of-fact - unemotional and practical

Mean-Spirited - inconsiderate; unsympathetic

Mellifluous - sweet or musical; pleasant to hear

Melodious - pleasant-sounding

Mocking - scornful; ridiculing; making fun of someone

Monotonous - lacking in variation in tone or pitch

Mourning - grieving; lamenting; woeful

Muffled - not loud because of being obstructed in some way; muted

Naive - innocent; unsophisticated; immature

Narcissistic - self-admiring; selfish; boastful; self-pitying

Nasty - unpleasant; unkind; disagreeable; abusive

Negative - unhappy, pessimistic

Nonchalant - casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm

Nostalgic - thinking about the past; wishing for something from the past

Objective - without prejudice; without discrimination; fair; based on fact

Obsequious - overly obedient and/or submissive; fawning; grovelling

Oily - unpleasantly smooth and ingratiating

Optimistic - hopeful; cheerful

Outraged - angered and resentful; furious; extremely angered

Outspoken - frank; candid; spoken without reserv

Pathetic - expressing pity, sympathy, tenderness

Patronizing - condescending; scornful; pompous

Pensive - reflective; introspective; philosophical; contemplative

Persuasive - convincing; eloquent; influential; plausible

Pessimistic - seeing the negative side of things

Philosophical - theoretical; analytical; rational; logical

Piping - high-pitched.

Playful - full of fun and good spirits; humorous; jesting

Pragmatic - realistic; sensible

Pretentious - affected; artificial; grandiose; rhetorical; flashy

Quavering - shake or tremble in speaking, typically through nervousness or emotion

Querulous - complaining in a petulant or whining manner

Rasping - harsh-sounding and unpleasant; grating

Reedy - high and thin in tone

Refined -  elegant; cultured

Regretful - apologetic; remorseful

Resentful - aggrieved; offended; displeased; bitter

Resigned - accepting; unhappy

Restrained - controlled; quiet; unemotional

Reverent - showing deep respect and esteem

Righteous - morally right and just; guiltless; pious; god-fearing

Robust - strong and healthy; vigorous

Saccharine - excessively sweet or sentimental

Satirical - making fun to show a weakness; ridiculing; derisive

Sarcastic - scornful; mocking; ridiculing

Scathing - critical; stinging; unsparing; harsh

Scornful - expressing contempt or derision; scathing; dismissive

Scratchy - rough; grating

Sensationalist - provocative; inaccurate; distasteful

Sentimental - thinking about feelings, especially when remembering the past

Shrill - high-pitched and piercing

Silvery - gentle, clear, and melodious

Sincere - honest; truthful; earnest

Skeptical - disbelieving; unconvinced; doubting

Smarmy -  excessively or unctuously flattering; ingratiating; servile

Smoky - a raspy, coarse and tone of quality that is deeper than usual

Snide - derogatory or mocking in an indirect way

Solemn - not funny; in earnest; serious

Somber - oppressively solemn or sober in mood; grave

Sonorous - imposingly deep and full

Sour - resentment, disappointment, or anger

Steely - coldly determined; hard

Strident - loud and harsh; grating

Stony - not having or showing feeling or sympathy

Suave - charming, confident, and elegant

Subjective - prejudiced; biased

Submissive - compliant; passive; accommodating; obedient

Sulking - bad-tempered; grumpy; resentful; sullen

Surly - bad-tempered and unfriendly

Sympathetic - compassionate; understanding of how someone feels

Thoughtful - reflective; serious; absorbed

Throaty - deep and rasping

Tolerant - open-minded; charitable; patient; sympathetic; lenient

Tragic - disastrous; calamitous

Tremulous - shaking or quivering slightly

Unassuming - modest; self-effacing; restrained

Unctuous - excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, especially in an affected manner; excessively smooth, suave, or smug

Uneasy - worried; uncomfortable; edgy; nervous

Urgent - insistent; saying something must be done soon

Velvety - soft; smooth

Vindictive - vengeful; spiteful; bitter; unforgiving

Virtuous - lawful; righteous; moral; upstanding

Whimsical - quaint; playful; mischievous; offbeat

Witty - clever; quick-witted; entertaining

Wonder - awe-struck; admiring; fascinating

World-Weary - bored; cynical; tired

Worried - anxious; stressed; fearful

Wretched - miserable; despairing; sorrowful; distressed

[immzies-adventures-through-books]

Finally. A character with sense.

[wannabewriiter]

dialogue prompt #42

A: “You’re a killer.” B: “I prefer artist.”

[ghostflowerdreams]

Awesome Sites and Links for Writers

Just about every writer out there has several go-to websites that they use when it comes to their writing. Be it for creativity, writer’s block, to put you in the mood or general writing help. These are mine and I listed them in hopes that you’ll find something that you’ll like or find something useful. I’ve also included some websites that sounded interesting, but I haven’t tried out yet.

Spelling & Grammar

Grammar Girl – Grammar Girl’s famous Quick and Dirty Tips (delivered via blog or podcast) will help you keep your creative writing error free.

The Owl – is Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) it's a great resource for grammar guides, style tips and other information that can help with your writing, especially academics.

Tip of My Tongue — have you ever had trouble of thinking of a specific word that you can’t remember what it is? Well, this site will help you narrow down your thoughts and find that word you’ve been looking for. It can be extremely frustrating when you have to stop writing because you get a stuck on a word, so this should help cut that down. 

Free Rice – is a great way to test your vocabulary knowledge. What’s even better about this site is that with every correct answer, they donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. So, please disable your adblock since they use the ads on the site to generate the money to buy the rice.

HyperGrammar – the University of Ottawa offers up a one-stop guide for proper spelling, structure, and punctuation on this site.

AutoCrit – the AutoCrit Editing Wizard can check writing for grammar errors, clichés and other no-no’s. It also provides a number of other writing resources as well.

Writer’s Digest – learn how to improve your writing, find an agent, and even get published with the help of the varied blogs on this site.

Syntaxis – it allows you to test your knowledge of grammar with a ten-question quiz. The questions change every time you take the quiz so users are sure to be challenged each time around. It definitely helps writers know if there’s something that they need to brush up on.

Word Frequency Counter – this counter allows you to count the frequency usage of each word in your text.

EditMinion – is a free robotic copy editor that helps you to refine your writing by finding common mistakes.

Proofreading for Common Errors – this is a simple tutorial on proofreading your writing by Indiana University.

BBC – has a section for helping you with your skills, especially in writing, from grammar to spelling, to reading, to listening and to speaking.

Tools

Copyscape – is a free service that you can use to learn if anyone has plagiarized your work. It’s pretty useful for those that want to check for fanfiction plagiarism.

Plagium – is another a copy detection system, that provides a very similar service to Copyscape and uses Yahoo! rather than Google to perform its searches. Just keep in mind that searches for simple text up to 25,000 characters remains free of charge, but any larger requires credits to be purchase.

Write or Die – is an application for Windows, Mac and Linux which aims to eliminate writer’s block by providing consequences for procrastination.

Written? Kitten! – is just like Write or Die, but it’s a kinder version. They use positive reinforcement, so every time you reach a goal they reward you with an adorable picture of a kitten.

Fast Fingers – offers you an easy way to improve your typing skills. It’s puts you through a quick typing game that tests your typing speed and improves it at the same time. It’s also a great way for writers to warm up.

Information & Data

RefDesk – it has an enormous collection of reference materials, searchable databases and other great resources that can’t be found anywhere else. It’s great to use when you need to find something and check your facts.

Bib Me – it makes it easy to create citations, build bibliographies and acknowledge other people’s work. This is definitely something that academics will love. It’s basically a bibliography generator that automatically fills in a works cited page in MLA, APA, Chicago or Turbian formats.

Internet Public Library – this online library is full of resources that are free for anyone to use, from newspaper and magazine articles to special collections.

The Library of Congress – if you’re looking for primary documents and information, the Library of Congress is a great place to start. It has millions of items in its archives, many of which are accessible right from the website.

Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names – is the most accurate list of popular names from 1879 to the present. If your character is from America and you need a name for them, this gives you a accurate list of names, just pick the state or decade that your character is from.

WebMD – is a handy medical database loaded with information. It’s not a substitute for a doctor, but can give you a lot of good information on diseases, symptoms, treatments, etc.

MedlinePlus – is the National Institutes of Health’s Web site that contains information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. It also offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for free.  You can use the site to learn about the latest treatments, look up information on a drug or supplement, find out the meanings of words, or view medical videos or illustrations. You can also get links to the latest medical research on your topic or find out about clinical trials on a disease or condition.

Mayo Clinic –  is a nonprofit medical practice and medical research group.

World Health Organization (WHO) – is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. Its current priorities include communicable diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS, Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis; the mitigation of the effects of non-communicable diseases; sexual and reproductive health, development, and ageing; nutrition, food security and healthy eating; occupational health; substance abuse; and driving the development of reporting, publications, and networking.

Google Scholar – is an online, freely accessible search engine that lets users look for both physical and digital copies of articles. It searches a wide variety of sources, including academic publishers, universities, and preprint depositories and so on. While Google Scholar does search for print and online scholarly information, it is important to understand that the resource is not a database.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac – this classic almanac offers yearly information on astronomical events, weather conditions and forecasts, recipes, and gardening tips.

State Health Facts – Kaiser Family Foundation provides this database, full of health facts on a state-by-state basis that address everything from medicare to women’s health.

U.S. Census Bureau – you can learn more about the trends and demographics of America with information drawn from the Census Bureau’s online site.

Wikipedia – this shouldn’t be used as your sole source, but it can be a great way to get basic information and find out where to look for additional references.

Finding Data on the Internet – a great website that list links that can tell you where you can find the inflation rate, crime statistics, and other data.

Word References

RhymeZone – whether you’re writing poetry, songs, or something else entirely, you can get help rhyming words with this site.

Acronym Finder – with more than 565,000 human-edited entries, Acronym Finder is the world’s largest and most comprehensive dictionary of acronyms, abbreviations, and initials.

Symbols.com – is a unique online encyclopedia that contains everything about symbols, signs, flags and glyphs arranged by categories such as culture, country, religion, and more. 

OneLook Reverse Dictionary – is a dictionary that lets you describe a concept and get back a list of words and phrases related to that concept. Your description can be a few words, a sentence, a question, or even just a single word. 

The Alternative Dictionaries – is a site that you can look up slang words in all types of languages, including Egyptian Arabic, Cherokee, Cantonese, Norwegian and many, many others.

Online Etymology Dictionary – it gives you the history and derivation of any word. Etymologies are not definitions; they’re explanations of what our words meant and how they sounded 600 or 2,000 years ago.

MediLexicon – is a comprehensive dictionary of medical, pharmaceutical, biomedical, and health care abbreviations and acronyms.

Merriam Webster Online – the online version of the classic dictionary also provides a thesaurus and a medical dictionary.

Multilingual Dictionary – it translate whatever you need from 30 different languages with this easy-to-use site.

Writing Software

Open Office – why pay for Microsoft products when you can create free documents with Open Office? This open source software provides similar tools to the Microsoft Office Suite, including spreadsheets, a word processor, the ability to create multimedia presentations, and more.

LibreOffice – is a free and open source office suite. It was forked from OpenOffice.org in 2010, which was an open-sourced version of the earlier StarOffice. The LibreOffice suite comprises programs to do word processing, spreadsheets, slideshows, diagrams and drawings, maintain databases, and compose math formula.

Scrivener – is not a free program, but it’s certainly a very popular one. It's great for organizing research, planning drafts, and writing novels, articles, short stories, and even screenplays.

OmmWriter – is for Mac OS X, a free simple text processor that gives you a distraction free environment. So you can focus only on your writing without being tempted or distracted by other programs on your computer. They are currently working on a Windows version of their software as well, so keep an eye out for that if you’re interested.

FocusWriter – is another free distraction-free writing application that keeps your writing space simple and clean without sacrificing functionality. It includes a daily goal tracker—work count and time spent writing—spell checking, real-time feedback on variables like word and page count, and tabbed document browsing. The great thing about this is that it's available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Q10 – is a free portable distraction-free writing tool for Windows. The interface includes nothing but a tiny bar at the bottom that displays the character, word, and page count—you can toggle the bar off for a totally distraction free workspace. 

Evernote – is a free app for your smartphone and computer that stores everything you could possibly imagine losing track of, like a boarding pass, receipt, article you want to read, to do list, or even a simple typed note. The app works brilliantly, keeping everything in sync between your computer, smartphone, or tablet. It’s definitely a useful app for writers when you have ideas on the go.

Storybook – this open source software can make it easier to manage your plotlines, characters, data, and other critical information while penning a novel.

ScriptBuddy – is a full-fledged screenplay software program. It handles the proper screenplay format automatically, so you can concentrate on your story. It is easy to use and the basic version is free.

TheSage – is a free application, which is a comprehensive English dictionary and thesaurus that provides a number of useful and in some cases unusual search tools.

Sigil – is ideal for e-book authors because it's a free EPUB editor with a stack of essential features.

YWriter5 – is a free word processor and is designed for Windows XP, Vista and beyond. It's a small but very comprehensive tool which helps you to plan your novel. It breaks your novel into chapters and scenes, helping you keep track of your work while leaving your mind free to create. You can set up deadlines, for instance, and the program’s Work Schedule report will let you know how much you’ll have to do, each day, to finish on time. You can even enter your characters, locations and items and freely organize them into scenes. This definitely sounds like it’ll be useful for NaNoWriMo writers.

Kingsoft Office (WPS Office) – is an office suite for Microsoft Windows, Linux, iOS and Android OS. The basic version is free to use, but a fully featured professional-grade version is also available. This software allows users to view, create and share office documents that are fully compatible with dozens of document formats, including Microsoft PowerPoint, Word and Excel. In other words, the format is similar to a Microsoft Word document (.DOC or .DOCX file) and supports formatted text, images, and advanced page formatting. Kingsoft Writer documents can be converted to Microsoft Word *.doc files in the software.

Creativity, Fun & Miscellaneous

National Novel Writing Month – is one of the most well-known writing challenges in the writing community, National Novel Writing Month pushes you to write 50,000 words in 30 days (for the whole month of November).

WritingFix – a fun site that creates writing prompts on the spot. The site currently has several options—prompts for right-brained people, for left-brained people, for kids—and is working to add prompts on classic literature, music and more.

Creative Writing Prompts – the site is exactly what it says. They have 100+ and more, of prompts that you can choose from.

My Fonts – is the world’s largest collection of fonts. You can even upload an image containing a font that you like, and this tells you what it is.

Story Starters – this website offers over one trillion randomly generated story starters for creative writers.

The Gutenberg Project – this site is perfect for those who like to read and/or have an ereader. There’s over 33,000 ebooks you can download for free. 

The Imagination Prompt Generator – click through the prompts to generate different ideas in response to questions like “Is there a God?” and “If your tears could speak to you, what would they say?”

The Phrase Finder – this handy site helps you hunt down famous phrases, along with their origins. It also offers a phrase thesaurus that can help you create headlines, lyrics, and much more.

Storybird – this site allows you to write a picture book. They provided the gorgeous artwork and you create the story for it, or just read the stories that others have created.

Language Is a Virus – the automatic prompt generator on this site can provide writers with an endless number of creative writing prompts. Other resources include writing exercises and information on dozens of different authors.

Background Noise/Music

SimplyNoise – a free white noise sounds that you can use to drown out everything around you and help you focus on your writing.

Rainy Mood – from the same founders of Simply Noise, this website offers the pleasant sound of rain and thunderstorms. There's a slide volume control, which you can increase the intensity of the noise (gentle shower to heavy storm), thunder mode (often, few, rare), oscillation button, and a sleep timer. 

Coffitivity – a site that provides three background noises: Morning Murmur (a gentle hum), Lunchtime Lounge (bustling chatter), and University Undertones (campus cafe). A pause button is provided whenever you need a bladder break, and a sliding volume control to give you the freedom to find the perfect level for your needs and moods. It’s also available as an android app, iOS app, and for Mac desktop.

Rainy Cafe – it provides background chatter in coffee shops (similar to Coffitivity) AND the sound of rain (similar to Simply Rain). There’s also individual volume and on/off control for each sound category.

MyNoise: Online Fire Noise Generator – If you love the sound of fire crackling in a fireplace, this is the site for you.

8tracks – is an internet radio website and everyone can listen for free, well it use to be completely free. Unlike other music oriented social network such as Pandora or Spotify, 8tracks doesn’t have commercial interruption (that’s if you get 8tracks Plus). Users create free accounts and can either browse the site and listen to other user-created mixes for as long as they like, and/or they can create their own mixes. It’s a perfect place to listen to other writer’s playlist, share yours or find music for specific characters or moods. Note: Joining is still free, however you’re now limited to 1 hour of free listening for each week (or more depending on how much people like your mixes). If you want unlimited access it’s $30 per year or $5.00 a month.

Playmoss – with 8tracks no longer having free unlimited listening and no commercial interruptions many people looked for an alternative and Playmoss is what 8tracks use to be. It has all the same basic features that 8tracks has, only with extra goodies like unlimited skips, able to see the entire tracklist before playing, start at any point in the playlist, see how many playlists contain a certain song and even collaborate playlists with other people.

[beeftony]

A few pieces of free writing advice for new fanfiction writers:

Don’t publish something right after you finish it. Give it a day or so and read it again. That way, you can read what’s actually on the page instead of what was going through your head when you wrote it down. Your brain has a tendency to filter out all sorts of mistakes that become obvious when you reread it.

You can also try changing the font; your brain will work harder to decipher the text as you’re reading, making you more likely to notice mistakes.

Don’t feel pressure to update too soon. You’ll burn yourself out very quickly if you do that. Set a regular update schedule and stick to it (mine is every two weeks, and that’s because I only have one story to worry about). If your readers want more, then awesome! You’ve done your job. But if they like your stuff that much, they’ll be willing to wait. After all, it’s not like you can get your favorite TV show to air the next episode early just for you, right? Why should your fanfic be any different?

If your story is going to be a long one (i.e. more than 30,000 words or so), it’s in your best interest to write a big enough portion that you’ll have a buffer to get you through the dry patches when you fall victim to writer’s block or you just get busy. This is where setting a good update schedule is important; you can calculate how long you have before you need to produce new content (mine was nine weeks when I started my current story, and I was updating weekly at the time).

If you’re having trouble with dialogue, try writing it in a vacuum. No narrative, no dialogue tags–nothing but the stuff in between the quotation marks. If you can’t tell who’s talking based on the words alone, or the dialogue doesn’t get information across on its own, then your dialogue needs work.

On that note, always keep a character’s voice fresh in your head (if the source material is one that includes an auditory component). Pay attention to words they use often, the way they structure their sentences, what sort of things they value, love, hate, fear, etc. How a character talks is informed by these details.

If you have the patience for it, an outline can work really well for keeping your story focused. If you’re like me, however, a good alternative is to write your notes in the form of a brief plot synopsis like one you would find on wikipedia, and base the actual content of your story on that. Don’t be afraid if the finished product differs from your initial notes, either. Often the best ideas occur when you’re in the middle of actually writing the story.

Ignore any piece of writing advice you hear (including the ones on this list) if not adhering to it will make your story better. Remember, all of this shit is made up anyway.

[tempestdash]

Also:

It’s not a job – except when it is – it’s a hobby, a passion, a love, an adversary, a son of a bitch, a slog, a moment of clarity, a stupid move, a joy, a madness, a purpose, a reason to get up, and a reason to put the rest away.

It simply IS.  And it is what you take from it and what you bring to it.  

There was a spark – a firestarter – that happened to you that got you to put those first words on the screen and send it out into the world.  When you lose your way, go back there and find it again.  Be prepared for it not to work a second time. It may be time to go searching for something new.

But:

There are rules for writing out there, really complicated ones.  Go learn them.  You can’t ignore them until you know why they are there.  The truth is, the better you know your audience, the fewer of those rules apply. But when you’re new, when you’re an unknown, you don’t have an audience. So stick to the rules.

How to learn the rules: read non-fanfiction.  Read old and modern stuff in equal measure. Charlotte Bronte and Nora Roberts both have things to teach you!  You know how sometimes when you take a copy of a copy it doesn’t turn out quite as sharp as the original?*  Fanfiction is can be like that. Read more source material, it will help.

But, yeah, ignore rules that are holding you back. There’s no real good way to know when you’re being held back by rules, but if you’re reading these lists looking for advice, odds are you still could benefit from them. :)

*Apologies to Harold Ramis.

[beeftony]

Some excellent additions! You’re one of the biggest influences on my writing, so hijack my posts as much as you like.