Writing Tips

helping me become a better writer one word at a time

[dungeoneering102]

Worldbuilding Wednesday - Going to a New Country

So your PCs enter a new town, a new province, a new whatever. What’s important is that they entered an area that has its own distinct borders and is filled with denizens. Be it a town, a country, a dungeon, it doesn’t matter.

Now how do you differentiate one new are from another? This is gonna be our main question.

How is Ancient Rome different from Medieval England? How will the players feel when they go to Feudal Japan to Ancient Egypt? Realistically speaking, there will be a big smack of cultural backlash. I believe it is important to emulate this in D&D, otherwise every village is the same Fantasy Medieval Setting TM.

To make each area unique, they have to have unique CULTURE. To make unique culture, you need to know what MAKES culture.

EXAMPLE #1: Ancient Rome

Culture is made up of elements within itself and outside itself. Let’s take Ancient Rome as an example. What defined the culture of Ancient Rome?

Rome was a Republic. People had an active role in politics. As such, talking politics was very common amongst townsfolk.

Rome had a focus on arts and culture, so everyone also loved talking about that.

Rome was expansive and included a large diverse group of people, BUT they made sure that all these people assimilated to Roman culture. So you’d see a lot of different kinds of ethnicity (or species if we are in a fantasy setting), but they wouldn’t act too different from one another, generally speaking.

The kingdom, while vast, was interconnected by roads, and travel was safe.

Rome constantly warred with the Barbarian hordes, who symbolized the disorderly wilderness and chaos to Romans. By extension, Romans symbolized to themselves absolute civilization. This distinction often made Roman underestimate their enemies (see Hannibal of Carthage).

EXAMPLE #2: Medieval England.

Let’s compare Rome to England circa Middle Ages, and you should be able to see the differences between the two.

England ran under a feudal system. This system relied on peasants to do the heavy work, while noble lords and ladies handled all the politics. So a common peasant won’t know a thing or two about complex politics.

Similarly, peasants weren’t educated. They couldn’t read, didn’t understand science. So they won’t be of much use.

Noblemen lives in towering castles and keeps, and didn’t accept every other schmuck inside.

The Church had strong power and controlled communities or even the King. It could sway the opinion of the people, so people tended to often discuss elements of religions

The kingdom was not safe to travel. Small settlements were connected by tiny roads that cut through heavy woods filled with abominable beasts. So most villagers, would not travel out of their village FOR THEIR ENTIRE LIFE.

The plague spread throughout England, killing indiscriminately. Many believed it was the END OF DAYS.

You can now, hopefully, see the difference. One is a sprawling empire with political intrigue and deception hiding under its facade. The other is a small kingdom where every day is a battle for survival, corrupt lords rule over poor peasants, and superstition rules supreme.

If you have two nations, and the Players travel from one to the other, this kind of difference must be clear to them. Some ways you can make it clear are:

Describe architectural differences. Mention that this is different than what they saw in the past.

People will react to random Murder Hobos in different ways. Peasants of England will treat them automatically as heroes, because they brave the wild and fight beast and demon. While the sophist of Rome will question them and debate them for the fun of it, to see how smart they are, only being impressed by their wit, not their skill.

Jobs the PCs get will be different. English peasants ask for their farm to be protected. Roman sophists ask for their political rivals to be assassinated.

Describe what role race plays in the nation. Rome was very diverse, so many races existed within a massive empire. England was in the corner of the world and 99% of people were Anglo-Saxons. So when your PC comes to England and isn’t an Anglo-Saxon human, what happens? Peasants would be curious, acting as if this creature is some alien. Others will be fearful. Nobles, being more educated, might not care for it.

Describe what role GENDER plays in the nation. In England women and men had distinct roles. Men go out to work, women tend to the house. In Rome the roles were different. Men and women study, grow, then marry different families to form strong intelligent communities.

I leave the rest up to you now. Brainstorm, figure out how you can make your nations seem unique, diverse, creative. Go wild with it. I hope this post is helpful to you. Best of luck in your future games.

The Unfair DM

[naity-sama]

Some words to use when writing things:

winking

clenching

pulsing

fluttering

contracting

twitching

sucking

quivering

pulsating

throbbing

beating

thumping

thudding

pounding

humming

palpitate

vibrate

grinding

crushing

hammering

lashing

knocking

driving

thrusting

pushing

force

injecting

filling

dilate

stretching

lingering

expanding

bouncing

reaming

elongate

enlarge

unfolding

yielding

sternly

firmly

tightly 

harshly

thoroughly

consistently

precision

accuracy

carefully

demanding

strictly

restriction

meticulously

scrupulously

rigorously

rim

edge

lip

circle

band

encircling

enclosing

surrounding

piercing

curl

lock

twist

coil

spiral

whorl

dip

wet

soak

madly

wildly

noisily

rowdily

rambunctiously

decadent

degenerate

immoral

indulgent

accept

take

invite

nook

indentation

niche

depression

indent

depress

delay

tossing

writhing

flailing

squirming

rolling

wriggling

wiggling

thrashing

struggling

grappling

striving

straining

[littlestsecret]

Appetite -  craving, demand, gluttony, greed, hunger, inclination, insatiable, longing, lust, passion, ravenousness, relish, taste, thirst, urge, voracity, weakness, willingness, yearning, ardor, dedication, desire, devotion, enthusiasm, excitement, fervor, horny, intensity, keenness, wholeheartedness, zeal

Arouse -  agitate, awaken, electrify, enliven, excite, entice, foment, goad, incite, inflame, instigate, kindle, provoke, rally, rouse, spark, stimulate, stir, thrill, waken, warm, whet, attract, charm, coax, fire up, fuel, heat up, lure, produce, stir up, tantalize, tease, tempt, thrum, torment, wind up, work up

Assault -  attack, advancing, aggressive, assailing, charging, incursion, inundated, invasion, offensive, onset, onslaught, overwhelmed, ruinous, tempestuous, strike, violation, ambush, assail, barrage, bombard, bombardment, crackdown, wound Beautiful -  admirable, alluring, angelic, appealing, bewitching, charming, dazzling, delicate, delightful, divine, elegant, enticing, exquisite, fascinating, gorgeous, graceful, grand, magnificent, marvelous, pleasing, radiant, ravishing, resplendent, splendid, stunning, sublime, attractive, beguiling, captivating, enchanting, engaging, enthralling, eye-catching, fetching, fine, fine-looking, good-looking, handsome, inviting, lovely, mesmeric, mesmerizing, pretty, rakish, refined, striking, tantalizing, tempting Brutal -  atrocious, barbarous, bloodthirsty, callous, cruel, feral, ferocious, hard, harsh, heartless, inhuman, merciless, murderous, pitiless, remorseless, rough, rude, ruthless, savage, severe, terrible, unmerciful, vicious, bestial, brute, brutish, cold-blooded, fierce, gory, nasty, rancorous, sadistic, uncompromising, unfeeling, unforgiving, unpitying, violent, wild Burly – able-bodied, athletic, beefy, big, brawny, broad-shouldered, bulky, dense, enormous, great, hard, hardy, hearty, heavily built, heavy, hefty, huge, husky, immense, large, massive, muscular, mighty, outsized, oversized, powerful, powerfully built, prodigious, robust, solid, stalwart, stocky, stout, strapping, strong, strongly built, sturdy, thick, thickset, tough, well-built, well-developed Carnal -  animalistic, bodily, impure, lascivious, lecherous, lewd, libidinous, licentious, lustful, physical, prurient, salacious, sensuous, voluptuous, vulgar, wanton, , coarse, crude, dirty, raunchy, rough, unclean Dangerous -  alarming, critical, fatal, formidable, impending, malignant, menacing, mortal, nasty, perilous, precarious, pressing, serious, terrible, threatening, treacherous, urgent, vulnerable, wicked, acute, damaging, deadly, death-defying, deathly, destructive, detrimental, explosive, grave, harmful, hazardous, injurious, lethal, life-threatening, noxious, poisonous, risky, severe, terrifying, toxic, unsafe, unstable, venomous Dark -  atrocious, corrupt, forbidding, foul, infernal, midnight, morbid, ominous, sinful, sinister, somber, threatening, twilight, vile, wicked, abject, alarming, appalling, baleful, bizarre, bleak, bloodcurdling, boding evil, chilling, cold, condemned, creepy, damned, daunting, demented, desolate, dire, dismal, disturbing, doomed, dour, dread, dreary, dusk, eerie, fear, fearsome, frightening, ghastly, ghostly, ghoulish, gloom, gloomy, grave, grim, grisly, gruesome, hair-raising, haunted, hideous, hopeless, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrific, horrifying, horror, ill-fated, ill-omened, ill-starred, inauspicious, inhospitable, looming, lost, macabre, malice, malignant, menacing, murky, mysterious, night, panic, pessimistic, petrifying, scary, shadows, shadowy, shade, shady, shocking, soul-destroying, sour, spine-chilling, spine-tingling, strange, terrifying, uncanny, unearthly, unlucky, unnatural, unnerving, weird, wretched Delicious - enticing, exquisite, luscious, lush, rich, savory, sweet, tasty, tempting, appetizing, delectable, flavorsome, full of flavor, juicy, lip-smacking, mouth-watering, piquant, relish, ripe, salty, spicy, scrummy, scrumptious, succulent, tangy, tart, tasty, yummy, zesty Ecstasy -  delectation, delirium, elation, euphoria, fervor, frenzy, joy, rapture, transport, bliss, excitement, happiness, heaven, high, paradise, rhapsody, thrill, blissful, delighted, elated, extremely happy, in raptures (of delight), in seventh heaven, jubilant, on cloud nine, overexcited, overjoyed, rapturous, thrilled Ecstatic -  delirious, enraptured, euphoric, fervent, frenzied, joyous, transported, wild Erotic -  amatory, amorous, aphrodisiac, carnal, earthy, erogenous, fervid, filthy, hot, impassioned, lascivious, lecherous, lewd, raw, romantic, rousing, salacious, seductive, sensual, sexual, spicy, steamy, stimulating, suggestive, titillating, voluptuous, tantalizing Gasp -  catch of breath, choke, gulp, heave, inhale, pant, puff, snort, wheeze, huff, rasp, sharp intake of air, short of breath, struggle for breath, swallow, winded  Heated - ardent, avid, excited, fervent, fervid, fierce, fiery, frenzied, furious, impassioned, intense, passionate, raging, scalding, scorched, stormy, tempestuous, vehement, violent, ablaze, aflame, all-consuming, blazing, blistering, burning, crazed, explosive, febrile, feverish, fired up, flaming, flushed, frantic, hot, hot-blooded, impatient, incensed, maddening, obsessed, possessed, randy, searing, sizzling, smoldering, sweltering, torrid, turbulent, volatile, worked up, zealous Hunger -  appetite, ache, craving, gluttony, greed, longing, lust, mania, mouth-watering, ravenous, voracious, want, yearning, thirst Hungry -  avid, carnivorous, covetous, craving, eager, greedy, hungered, rapacious, ravenous, starved, unsatisfied, voracious, avaricious, desirous, famished, grasping, insatiable, keen, longing, predatory, ravening, starving, thirsty, wanting Intense -  forceful, severe, passionate, acute, agonizing, ardent, anxious, biting, bitter, burning, close, consuming, cutting, deep, eager, earnest, excessive, exquisite, extreme, fervent, fervid, fierce, forcible, great, harsh, impassioned, keen, marked, piercing, powerful, profound, severe, sharp, strong, vehement, violent, vivid, vigorous Liquid -  damp, cream, creamy, dripping, ichorous, juicy, moist, luscious, melted, moist, pulpy, sappy, soaking, solvent, sopping, succulent, viscous, wet / aqueous, broth, elixir, extract, flux, juice, liquor, nectar, sap, sauce, secretion, solution, vitae, awash, moisture, boggy, dewy, drenched, drip, drop, droplet, drowning, flood, flooded, flowing, fountain, jewel, leaky, milky, overflowing, saturated, slick, slippery, soaked, sodden, soggy, stream, swamp, tear, teardrop, torrent, waterlogged, watery, weeping Lithe - agile, lean, pliant, slight, spare, sinewy, slender, supple, deft, fit, flexible, lanky, leggy, limber, lissom, lissome, nimble, sinuous, skinny, sleek, slender, slim, svelte, trim, thin, willowy, wiry Moan - beef, cry, gripe, grouse, grumble, lament, lamentation, plaint, sob, wail, whine, bemoan, bewail, carp, deplore, grieve, gripe, grouse, grumble, keen, lament, sigh, sob, wail, whine, mewl Moving -  (exciting,) affecting, effective  arousing, awakening, breathless, dynamic, eloquent, emotional, emotive, expressive, fecund, far-out, felt in gut, grabbed by, gripping, heartbreaking, heartrending, impelling, impressive, inspirational, meaningful, mind-bending, mind-blowing, motivating, persuasive, poignant, propelling, provoking, quickening, rallying, rousing, significant, stimulating, simulative, stirring, stunning, touching, awe-inspiring, energizing, exhilarating, fascinating, heart pounding, heart stopping, inspiring, riveting, thrilling Need -  compulsion, demand, desperate, devoir, extremity, impatient longing, must, urge, urgency / desire, appetite, avid, burn, craving, eagerness, fascination, greed, hunger, insatiable, longing, lust, taste, thirst, voracious, want, yearning, ache, addiction, aspiration, desire, fever, fixation, hankering, hope, impulse, inclination, infatuation, itch, obsession, passion, pining, wish, yen Pain -  ache, afflict, affliction, agony, agonize, anguish, bite, burn, chafe, distress, fever, grief, hurt, inflame, laceration, misery, pang, punish, sting, suffering, tenderness, throb, throe, torment, torture, smart Painful -  aching, agonizing, arduous, awful, biting, burning, caustic, dire, distressing, dreadful, excruciating, extreme, grievous, inflamed, piercing, raw, sensitive, severe, sharp, tender, terrible, throbbing, tormenting, angry, bleeding, bloody, bruised, cutting, hurting, injured, irritated, prickly, skinned, smarting, sore, stinging, unbearable, uncomfortable, upsetting, wounded Perverted -  aberrant, abnormal, corrupt, debased, debauched, defiling, depraved, deviant, monstrous, tainted, twisted, vicious, warped, wicked, abhorrent, base, decadent, degenerate, degrading, dirty, disgusting, dissipated, dissolute, distasteful, hedonistic, immodest, immoral, indecent, indulgent, licentious, nasty, profligate, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, shameful, shameless, sickening, sinful, smutty, sordid, unscrupulous, vile  Pleasurable -  charming, gratifying, luscious, satisfying, savory, agreeable, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, nice, pleasant, pleasing, soothing, succulent Pleasure -  bliss, delight, gluttony, gratification, relish, satisfaction, thrill, adventure, amusement, buzz, contentment, delight, desire, ecstasy, enjoyment, excitement, fun, happiness, harmony, heaven, joy, kick, liking, paradise, seventh heaven  Rapacious-  avaricious, ferocious, furious, greedy, predatory, ravening, ravenous, savage, voracious, aggressive, gluttonous, grasping, insatiable, marauding, plundering Rapture -  bliss, ecstasy, elation, exaltation, glory, gratification, passion, pleasure, floating, unbridled joy Rigid -  adamant, austere, definite, determined, exact, firm, hard, rigorous, solid, stern, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, concrete, fixed, harsh, immovable, inflexible, obstinate, resolute, resolved, severe, steadfast, steady, stiff, strong, strict, stubborn, taut, tense, tight, tough, unbending, unchangeable, unwavering Sudden -  abrupt, accelerated, acute, fast, flashing, fleeting, hasty, headlong, hurried, immediate, impetuous, impulsive, quick, quickening, rapid, rash, rushing, swift, brash, brisk, brusque, instant, instantaneous, out of the blue, reckless, rushed, sharp, spontaneous, urgent, without warning Thrust -  (forward) advance, drive, forge, impetus, impulsion, lunge, momentum, onslaught, poke, pressure, prod, propulsion, punch, push, shove, power, proceed, progress, propel (push hard) assail, assault, attack, bear down, buck, drive, force, heave, impale, impel, jab, lunge, plunge, press, pound, prod, ram, shove, stab, transfix, urge, bang, burrow, cram, gouge, jam, pierce, punch, slam, spear, spike, stick Thunder-struck - amazed, astonished, aghast, astounded, awestruck, confounded, dazed, dazed, dismayed, overwhelmed, shocked, staggered, startled, stunned, gob-smacked, bewildered, dumbfounded, flabbergasted, horrified, incredulous, surprised, taken aback  Torment - agony, anguish, hurt, misery, pain, punishment, suffering, afflict, angst, conflict, distress, grief, heartache, misfortune, nightmare, persecute, plague, sorrow, strife, tease, test, trial, tribulation, torture, turmoil, vex, woe Touch -  (physical) - blow, brush, caress, collide, come together, contact, converge, crash, cuddle, embrace, feel, feel up, finger, fondle, frisk, glance, glide, graze, grope, handle, hit, hug, impact, join, junction, kiss, lick, line, manipulate, march, massage, meet, nudge, palm, partake, pat, paw, peck, pet, pinch, probe, push, reach, rub, scratch, skim, slide, smooth, strike, stroke, suck, sweep, tag, tap, taste, thumb, tickle, tip, touching, toy, bite, bump, burrow, buss, bury, circle, claw, clean, clutch, cover, creep, crush, cup, curl, delve, dig, drag, draw, ease, edge, fiddle with, flick, flit, fumble, grind, grip, grub, hold, huddle, knead, lap, lave, lay a hand on, maneuver, manhandle, mash, mold, muzzle, neck, nestle, nibble, nip, nuzzle, outline, play, polish, press, pull, rasp, ravish, ream, rim, run, scoop, scrabble, scrape, scrub, shave, shift, shunt, skate, slip, slither, smack, snake, snuggle, soothe, spank, splay, spread, squeeze, stretch, swipe, tangle, tease, thump, tongue, trace, trail, tunnel twiddle, twirl, twist, tug, work, wrap  (mental) - communicate, examine, inspect, perception, scrutinize Wet - bathe, bleed, burst, cascade, course, cover, cream, damp, dampen, deluge, dip, douse, drench, dribble, drip, drizzle, drool, drop, drown, dunk, erupt, flood, flow, gush, immerse, issue, jet, leach, leak, moisten, ooze, overflow, permeate, plunge, pour, rain, rinse, run, salivate, saturate, secrete, seep, shower, shoot, slaver, slobber, slop, slosh, sluice, spill, soak, souse, spew, spit, splash, splatter, spout, spray, sprinkle, spurt, squirt, steep, stream, submerge, surge, swab, swamp, swill, swim, trickle, wash, water Wicked -  abominable, amoral, atrocious, awful, base, barbarous, dangerous, debased, depraved, distressing, dreadful, evil, fearful, fiendish, fierce, foul, heartless, hazardous, heinous, immoral, indecent, intense, mean, nasty, naughty, nefarious, offensive, profane, scandalous, severe, shameful, shameless, sinful, terrible, unholy, vicious, vile, villainous, wayward, bad, criminal, cruel, deplorable, despicable, devious, ill-intentioned, impious, impish, iniquitous, irreverent, loathsome, Machiavellian, mad, malevolent, malicious, merciless, mischievous, monstrous, perverse, ruthless, spiteful, uncaring, unkind, unscrupulous, vindictive, virulent, wretched Writhe -  agonize, bend, jerk, recoil, lurch, plunge, slither, squirm, struggle, suffer, thrash, thresh, twist, wiggle, wriggle, angle, arc, bow, buck, coil, contort, convulse, curl, curve, fidget, fight, flex, go into spasm, grind, heave, jiggle, jolt, kick, rear, reel, ripple, resist, roll, lash, lash out, screw up, shake, shift, slide, spasm, stir, strain, stretch, surge, swell, swivel, thrust, turn violently, tussle, twitch, undulate, warp, worm, wrench, wrestle, yank 

[mrevaunit42]

@axis2500 @hains-mae @artgirllullaby @golfalphamike @kieranwespell @fereality-indy

[axis3100]

I will be using this

[wordsnstuff]

20 Mistakes To Avoid In Fantasy Stories

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– This is the second installment of an ongoing “20 Mistakes to Avoid in…(insert genre here)” series, which started with 20 Mistakes To Avoid in YA Romance. I’ve decided to continue this series, but written in a more concise fashion so that it’s a lighter read for you guys with all of the same main ideas and key points. I hope you enjoy this as much as the first, and if you have any requests for more articles in this series, leave them in the comments below!

Being Impatient

Develop your story at a steady pace that makes sense for your plot and your characters. Don’t base the pacing of your story on other fantasy novels. This happens a lot in Fantasy, typically with political turmoil and development of relationships, with political systems being explained very slowly to a point where you forget important details, and romance being forced to develop too quickly, which makes it feel unrealistic and disingenuous.

Not Thinking Outside The Box

Your story doesn’t have to mirror the typical characteristics of fantasy. Explore ways to diversify your cast that aren’t just mimicking whatever series you just read. Create unique political systems that your characters struggle with. Make your characters’ traits contradictory, rather than assigning them an archetype.

Having Loose Rules For Your Magic System

Magic systems need hard lines and declared limitations. Magic systems without those things are boring to write and lazy-looking to critical readers. Magic shouldn’t be your characters’ all-powerful saving grace whenever you don’t feel like coming up with an actual method of clever escape from danger.

Unoriginally Using Common Creatures

Having dragons and fairies is completely okay in fantasy, but it will be hard to get away with including those things when you have put no unique spin on them that leaves a specific version of that character in your reader’s mind when they think of your story. 

Unoriginal “Chosen One” Plots

“Chosen One” plots are interesting and they’re inescapable, but like the use of universally popular fairytale creatures, you need to put a unique and stylistic twist on the original idea to make your story stand out in the reader’s memory.

Boring, Overused Settings

Forests are cool. Have a scene in a forest. But make it a forest that is unique to the world in your book, with characteristics specific to your story setting, and with purposeful details that add to the progression of the plot.

Self-Insert Main Characters

Don’t base characters on yourself. Add your quirks and behaviours to characters sparingly and with intention. If you have a quirk that happens to seem like something a character would do, sure, have them adopt it, but otherwise, separate your own image from the story. You’ll be too easy on your characters if you base them on yourself.

Slow Beginnings

Don’t start your story with an embarrassingly slow exposition. In fantasy, it’s valuable to take the advice of “starting in the middle of the action”. This doesn’t mean start in the middle of the plot, but don’t start weeks and weeks ahead of it either. Find a happy medium.

Too Many Characters

It’s great to juggle a bunch of characters in one story, but be realistic. Your reader needs to be able to keep up. The main thing you must do is recognize the difference between a main character, a secondary character, and a supporting character, and then develop them appropriately.

Info Dumping

Reveal information to your readers gradually and at appropriate points in your story, not in several huge paragraphs scattered throughout the story whenever you realize, “oh no, they need to know this, here’s the complete rundown in a massive paragraph, including lore”.

Boring, Underdeveloped Cast

On the other side of the point of too many characters, make sure that your main cast has the majority of your attention. Have a few fully developed characters, then several characters that are somewhat developed, but basically only explained to the point where they need be.

Lacking Plot Full Of Repetitive Action

Don’t include an action scene if it serves no purpose or is a complete retelling of an action scene that has already occurred. Develop your plot rather than include action because you think a fantasy novel needs 12 6-page action scenes that all read the exact same way with the exact same outcome.

Skimping On The Female Characters

Female characters should be developed as people, not “strong female relatable characters”. Don’t make a female character completely indifferent to men simply because you want the reader to know she doesn’t need one. Blandly put, a female character can have a happy relationship, a gentle demeanor, and not know how to hold a gun, and still demonstrate strength, resilience, and badassery. Strength comes in different forms. That’s all.

Not Diversifying The Cast

Make casts diverse. Don’t try to make up excuses for not having people of color or people of different sexualities in fantasy. If your book doesn’t include humans, fine, but otherwise, please do yourself a favor and be inclusive.

Unnecessarily Confusing The Reader

Try to state the details of your story in a way your readers can understand and carry into their reading experience. If you make up a language for your story, explain it simply. If the political system is completely unlike any your reader has seen, explain it. Of course, you should leave some room to connect the dots, but not all readers learn that stuff the same, or understand it fully from small traces of information.

Stupid Antagonists

Make smart, cunning, ambitious, and interesting antagonists with complicated emotions, realistic trauma, understandable points of view, and qualities the reader can empathize with.

Making Fantasy Worlds Paradise

Not every part of any world would be believably fantastical and perfect. Lack of roughness and hardship in your world will disconnect your reader, because nobody has experienced a utopia and they cannot empathize with it.

Not Making Magic Cost Anything

The best magical systems are the ones where magic comes with a price. That creates stakes, stakes create tension, and tension builds suspension and makes your story addictive to your reader. If magic doesn’t cost anything, your characters will use it all the time for everything for no reason and your story will probably be uninteresting.

Overdoing It

Fantasy worlds should be interesting and unique, but understandable to the reader. Don’t make your world or your plot so complex and out of the framework of fantasy or your reader will be confused the entire time. 

Ignoring Implications of World Elements

Everything that occurs will have consequences. Show those consequences. If a castle is blown to bits, the people in and around it will be affected. If one uses magic to kill someone, that someone’s family will be in mourning, people will find out, there will be investigation, etc. Consider the implications of the events in your story, as well as how world-building details will affect your characters’ conflict-resolution.

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[the-moon-dust-writings]

Writing Prompts

“Oh sure, blame the murderer! Y’all suck!”

“Take it from someone who just blew their rent money on shoes, live your life.”

“Maybe this wasn’t a good idea, but hey, we now have a dog!”

“I’m not crying, it’s the onions I swear!”

“Listen to me very closely! You. Are. An. Idiot.”

“So what you’re saying is murder is definitely not up for discussion.”

“Well, think of it like this, even though you majorly screwed up everything, your dog still loves you.”

“Hey! Give me back my breadstick you heathen!”

“You left me alone with your cat and needless to say, they strike fear to my very core.”

“Talking? To people? Don’t be ridiculous!”

“That crocodile has some serious moves dude, look at him go.”

“‘Don’t poison the mayor, stop stealing from flower shops, don’t rob banks’, you’re no fun to be around.”

“I can sense I already don’t like you.”

“No dabbing at the wedding ceremony.”

“So I brought the snacks, who we murdering tonight?”

[the-moon-dust-writings]

Writing Prompts

1. “This isn’t the living room! This is the wrestling room! AHHHHHHHH!”

2. “Honey! Why can our dog talk?”

3. “You haven’t heard of me? How could you not? Have you been living under a rock? How come they don’t know who I am?”

4. “Could I be doing something productive? Yes. Am I learning magic spells instead? You bet I am.”

5. “Is writing with blood on the walls really necessary? We have papers and pens all over this house!”

6. “Why can’t I get turnt at the meeting?”

7. “Have I made a grave mistake? Yes? Am I going to ignore it? Also, yes.”

8. “Why are you recreating the lion king with my cat?”

9. “You accidentally became mayor? How did that happen?”

10. “Awww look, they love each other.”

11. “Alas my mateys, the treasure awaits over yonder!”

12. “I just wanted ice cream and now we are summoning demons. Why do I hangout with you people?”

13. “You think I’m the idiot? Who almost got us killed?”

14. “I’m so cute, I would buy me some flowers.”

15. “It’s not every day you run into a wizard.”

[scribbledwriting]

My brain everyday

[justawritingaid]

External vs. Internal Character, Part 1: The Three Faces

There’s a Japanese saying that has a good bit of advice for writing fiction.

The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to close friends and your family. The third face, you never show anyone.

People have different sides to them, shaped not just by personality and background but by situation and surroundings– and strong character writing emulates that by showing the difference between how people act around different company, (and then takes it a step further by showing that they don’t always act how they think, but that’s for Part 2). This doesn’t mean that your characters are two-faced or terrible people; it’s just a reality of life that can help make the person in a story more believable and more human. 

The first face, you show the world.

While some characters may be more comfortable being their “true selves” in public or around strangers, they should still have some degree of a “public personality”. For example, someone who appreciates physical contact may commonly touch their friends, but they wouldn’t behave the exact same way toward a stranger. They may still retain the ‘touchy’ part of them, but it’s much more likely to come out with brief and less intimate touches, like a tap on the shoulder as opposed to a hug.

This “first face” can occasionally be heard as referring to a purposefully crafted personality that the character shows to the public, like a teen actor who has to maintain a squeaky-clean image to continue getting roles, but situations like that are more like special cases. That’s more of a character “mask” than just a general personality guard. A true first face is still an accurate and genuine part of the character, just adjusted for strangers.

The second face, you show to close friends and your family.

This is typically what’s thought of as basic character personality. A shy character would likely open up when surrounded by those they know and trust, showing their “true” silly side or any other trait that’s inhibited by their “first face”. It’s important to remember that the traits from the first face don’t go away because the first face isn’t a lie or mask, but traits can get more or less intense as you move between faces.

Once again, there can be special cases where a certain “close” person, usually family, doesn’t get to see the true second face because the character doesn’t allow it. Those situations are usually when the character is trying to hide something or protect themselves, but don’t count as a second face in accordance with the saying. A true second face is accurate to who the character is in their comfort zone.

The third face, you never show anyone.

Deeper than basic character personality is uninhibited personality. The third face doesn’t have to reveal anything horrifying– it can often be as simple as a character who’s naturally on the rude side choosing not to make a snappy remark. The natural rudeness is the third face: the raw character and traits that are liberated from direct outside influence. Because outside influence is everywhere, even around friends, the only person who sees a true third face is the character themselves. 

In the case of secrets that will eventually be revealed, they can be kind of be considered part of the third face. However, they’re very much separate from it because they can move into a more public domain unlike the “uninhibited personality”, and are better considered as part of an overall ‘internal self’ that affects the three faces. Good secret revealing in stories has build-up and reasoning for the reveal (link embedded) and one way to show that build-up is similar to a ‘hole’ in the third face. The character may not want to show something, but it slowly leaks through anyway. 

That “leak” can take a number of forms that depend heavily on character personality and context of the story:

A character with a normally cheerful second face may be slowly eaten alive by a secret that makes them more prone to frowning. 

A character with good self-control might find themselves being overly self-controlling with first and second faces to avoid letting the secret slip. 

A character who experienced physical contact they didn’t like may become shyer for a first face but their second face may not be affected. 

While secrets aren’t fully considered as a “face”, they are related to them in that only certain people can “see” them. Sometimes it’s friends/family, sometimes it shows up more in the public persona– the way a secret leaks into a character’s life should be customized to who they are and the context of the story. 

Overall, a character’s company affects how they act, so a realistic (and often stronger) story emulates that. Pulling this off is not just about dividing a character’s personality into layers, but identifying what the causes of those layers are and how they could affect the story as a whole. A character is not just three faces stuck together, but a dynamic individual that responds to external pressures on behavior.

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.

[thewordriven]

11 Plot Pitfalls – And How to Rescue Your Story From Them

Source: [X] By: Laura Whitcomb

We’ve all been there: basking in the glow of a finished manuscript, only to read it over and realize something is wrong with the plot. Finding ourselves unable to identify the problem only makes matters worse. But take heart! Here are some common plot gaffes and sensible ways to revise without starting over.

1. THE PLOT ISN’T ORIGINAL ENOUGH. Go through your pages and highlight anything that you’ve read in another book or seen in a movie. In the margin, write where you’ve seen it. Then list these sections and make a note for each one about how it could differ from its lookalike. A mental patient escapes by throwing something heavy through a window. Too much like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest? Instead, the patient walks out with a visiting grandma after convincing her he’s an old friend. Quick notes like these can help you detach from unintentional imitation.

2. READERS ALWAYS KNOW EXACTLY WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN. This may be because you’ve chosen a plot point that’s overused, or because you keep giving away the answer in advance. Readers know the villain is going to whip out a picture of the hero’s son and blackmail her by pretending to have kidnapped the little boy because you showed the villain taking pictures of the child and driving away from the schoolyard. You could be less obvious by only showing the antagonist sitting in the car watching the boy on the playground, and no more. 3. THE PLOT IS BORING. Take each page and imagine what different writers might do with the same plot. Choose extreme examples. Would a comedy writer have the cab driver and the villain coincidentally be childhood friends with unfinished business? Would the mystery writer have the taxi pass a clue on a street corner that makes a new connection for the hero? Would the horror writer have the cab driver channel a ghost? Or, imagine the most surprising thing that could happen in a given scene. It doesn’t matter if these ideas don’t fit your story. You’re not going to use them. But often, after thinking of wild ideas to make the story more interesting, you begin to come up with workable ones that are just as stimulating, but better suited to your book. 4. THE PLOT IS ALL ACTION AND THE FRENZIED PACE NUMBS READERS. Let them breathe. Give the readers a little downtime now and then in your action story. Look back at your favorite action novels. Notice the conversations, summarized passages, meals, introspection and releases of emotions that are set in between the car chases, shootouts and confrontations. List them. Then give the readers a chance to breathe in your own manuscript. Find the dramatic respites that come from your characters’ needs, flaws and strengths.

5. THE PLOT IS TOO COMPLEX. Often, a complex plot can be trimmed into a sleek one by cutting out some steps. Does your protagonist have to visit her father in the hospital twice—once to bring him flowers and talk about Mom, and then again to find he has taken a turn for the worse? Couldn’t he take a turn for the worse while she’s still there the first time? Does your villain need to have three motives for revenge? Would one or two be interesting enough? To find the messiness in your overly complex story, summarize it out loud to yourself. When a section takes too long to explain, make a note. When you find yourself saying, “Oh, wait, I forgot to mention that …” you’re probably in need of a plot trim. When deciding whether or not to simplify the plot, ask yourself over and over again,

“Why does she do that? Why didn’t she just do this?” Making a plot less complicated doesn’t have to make it less clever. 6. THE PLOT IS TOO SHALLOW. Sometimes as writers we get caught up in the action. The symbolism. The metaphors. The witty dialogue. The great character names. The slick descriptions. Sometimes we ride these skills over the surface of the story and forget what’s really important. If you or your first readers (friends, family, agent) complain that the novel feels insubstantial, step back and ask yourself these questions: Why am I bothering to write this story? Why does the outcome matter to the characters? How do the characters change? How did my favorite book affect me the first time I read it?

7. SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF IS DESTROYED. Readers need to buy into the reality put forward by what they’re reading. You may go too far with a plot point or not far enough with preparing your audience for that plot point. If something that sounded right when you outlined it is coming off as farfetched even to you, look back at the stepping-stones that led to the event. If your murderer turns over a new leaf at the end of act two, make sure you’ve given her reason to.

8. TOO MANY SUBPLOTS MAKE THE PLOT OVERLY COMPLEX. If you start to feel weighed down by your numerous storylines, start cutting them. List the subplots (shopkeeper with a crush, neighbor’s dog that tears up the garden, accountant who threatens to quit every day), and then list under each title all the ways it’s necessary.

Only subplots that are so vital that you could not remove them without destroying your novel get to stick around. Be bold. 9. THE SEQUENCE IS ILLOGICAL. Sometimes the sequence set down in an outline starts to show its true colors when you’re writing the chapters. If you feel the order of scenes or events in your story is off, list each scene on a separate index card and, in red ink, write a question mark on every card that doesn’t feel right where it is in the story. Shuffle the cards. I’m not kidding. Mix them up completely. Lay them out again in the order you think they might work best, giving special attention to those with red question marks.

Something about these scenes tricked you the first time. This time, really look closely at the proper place for those tricky bits.

10. THE PREMISE ISN’T COMPELLING. If you fear that a mediocre premise is your holdup, take out a sheet of paper. Make a list on the left-hand side of everything that’s dodgy in your present premise. Then write a list down the right-hand side about all the things that work great in the premise of a similar favorite book, play or movie.

See where you might make the stakes higher, the characters more emotional, the setting more a part of the overall plot. Remember: The premise should make your readers curious.

11. THE CONCLUSION IS UNSATISFYING. Once again, write a list of what bothers you about your conclusion, and next to it, a list of what worked great about the end of your favorite novel. Do you have to create more suspense before you give the readers what they’ve been craving? Do you need to make the answer to the mystery clearer? Does the villain need to be angrier, or perhaps show remorse? Unsatisfying conclusions are usually lacking something. Whatever that is, make your story’s ending have more of it.

[bookishdiplodocus]

How I never have to face an empty page when I write

First, I write down very roughly what needs to happen in this scene.

For example, take an early scene from my wip. The main character’s mentor has just died in the previous scene. And what’s worse, he’s killed by the magical Library she loves so much. What needs to happen in this next scene?

She brings the terrible news of the mentor’s death and the Library’s betrayal to the mentor’s widow (who gives her a key to the Library, minor detail).

She brings the news to the major, who is responsible of anything concerning the Library and who is indirectly the reason the mentor went into the Library in the first place.

At the end of this scene, the second main character is briefly introduced.

Then I start asking myself as many questions as I can.

What does the Main Girl Character (MGC) feel after her mentor’s death?

What does the MGC do with the key she gets from the widow?

How and when does the widow give her the key?

What is the first thing the MGC does when the mentor dies?

What does the widow do when she sees the MGC and the mentor?

How does the widow react? What does she feel? Did she expect it to happen someday? Does she stay icy calm or does she scream? (pieta)

What does the widow look like?

What is the widow like, as a person?

How does the MGC know she has to go to the major? Is there some kind of police, or is he the mentor’s boss or something?

Does the MGC trust the major?

Can she trust the major?

What is the major like, as a person? Nice? Belittling?

What does the MGC tell the major? What does he want to know?

What kind of new information does the MGC get out of this conversation?

What does the office of the major look like? Where is it?

What kind of a person is the Main Boy Character (MBC)?

What is the MBC wearing?

What does the MBC say to the MGC?

What was his reaction when he heard the news? How did he feel?

How does the major react? How does he feel?

How far is it from the major to the MGC’s home? How much time does the MGC have to inform the MBC and how much time does the MBC have to react and to comfort the MGC? I just realise the MBC already knows (probably from her parents?) because otherwise he wouldn’t be waiting for her at the major’s office.

How did the MGC’s parents tell the MBC? Why would they tell him? Maybe he called her house or he came by because he knew she went to see the Library but he doesn’t know yet that it killed the mentor?

See, I’m already filling my page so that it doesn’t look that intimidatingly empty.

Next, it’s answers time. I go through all the questions and make up a satisfying answer. Sometimes I get it right straight away, sometimes I have to brainstorm for four pages before hitting the suitable solution. 

Since this is still preparation, I don’t have to worry about the quality of my writing style - I’m just thinking on paper. Often, this paradoxally means I write relaxed and I end up using whole bits of my preparation in my first draft.

After I have answered all the questions I want (often some become obsolete by answering other questions), I write out the scene again, in bullets or telegraph style, but with the detail and richness I have found in my answers. That usually takes me one page.

And only THEN I start writing my first draft. I see everything perfectly clear in my head and I even have bits of text I can use from my prep, so writing the first draft is way more chill than just writing it cold.

I do this before every scene, but you can also use this technique only when you get stuck or when you have to write a scene you’re dreading. You would think it’s inefficient and it takes too much time, but this technique keeps my thoughts focussed on my story (I’m a daydreamer) and it keeps the imposter syndrome at bay.

On average, my prep is 1,5 times the length of my written scene, but this process makes my writing so much richer. Not everything I make up in the Q&A phase ends up in my scene, especially questions like “what does the place look like”, “what is the character wearing” or “how long does it take them to walk from A to B”, but I find I can write the scene better if I know the answer, even if the reader doesn’t need to know.

Anyway, this is how I do it. Thanks for listening to my TED talk!

I’m gonna tag a few people who I admire, who I hope are interested. Feel free to ignore me if you aren’t.

@writingquestionsanswered @brynwrites @cogwrites @tlbodine @neil-gaiman @sapphicauthor @thatsmybluefondue @mareebrittenford @maggie-stiefvater @abbywritesstuff @bronwyn-writes @sunblushedgoblin @forlornraven @elliewritesstories @spaceshipkat @tiorickriordan @heywriters @authors-haven @helpfulwritingstuff @wordsnstuff @writingtipsandtricks @clevergirlhelps @itstartswithablankpage @thebibliosphere @compassrosewriting @fixyourwritinghabits @thewritershandbook @goddessofnothingatall @therska @stephrawlingwrites

[georgiacwritblr-deactivated2020]

okay but like, this is genius ????????!!

[the-moon-dust-writings]

Writing Prompts

1. “Mother Nature hooked us all up with potatoes, I love that girl, I hope she has a good day.”

2. “You have awoken me from my slumber for this?!”

3. “How did my life spiral into this you may ask? I met a talking cat.”

4. “Where is your dog finding bones the size of tree trunks? Aren’t you curious?”

5. “Ever just want to take your skeleton out and dust it off?”

6. “This watermelon has changed my life for the better.”

7. “I stole a gold brick so I can use it as my signature weapon.”

8. “You’re being such an ass right now that if you got papercuts on your eyes, I wouldn’t even flinch.”

9. “I come home to you getting turnt to Wii music in the kitchen.”

10. “This is so wildly outrageous I can’t even think.”

11. “Instead of doing what I am suppose do, I’m sitting on the floor eating pudding cups.”

12. “I made you a flower crown made out of dead flowers because you like dead things.”

13. “You heathen! Stop rearranging my glow in the dark stars to say different things!”

14. “Why am I the leader? Just last night I screamed into a pot before I started cooking because I couldn’t find the baking soda.”

15. “I’ll sneeze on you, go away.”

[superllama42]

Bad art advice: “Stop drawing anime.”

Good art advice: “Learn the basic fundamentals of realistic human anatomy so that you can use that knowledge to draw BETTER anime.”

[thoughtsimthinkin]

Special Abilities one can exhibit

These are obviously not EVERY gift someone can posess, however these are examples of commonly identified abilities. Feel free to let me know if you know of any I should include in the list.

Apportation: The ability to make an object move from one area to another without physical contact.

Astral Projection: The ability to leave one’s body and travel to other locations while in a semi-conscious state. Aura Reading: The ability to see auras or physical energy color from living organisms. Automatic Writing: The ability to channel spirits and messages through writing without conscious thought or awareness. Can also be used to create runes. Beacon: The ability to attract spirits due to high levels of internal energy emanation.

Bilocation/Multilocation: The ability to be consciously aware of two or more locations at once while staying in one location.

Channeling: The ability to open oneself up to energy as a vessel.

Death Warning: The ability to receive visions or contact from individuals prior to their passing in death or prior to their potential death experience. Divination: The ability to experience something about future events through palm reading, tarot etc. Dowsing: The ability to use rods or a pendulum to locate the presence of water or lost objects. Psychometry: The ability to reveal information about a person through items they either owned or came in contact with in some way. 

Empathy: The ability to sense the emotions of others either as a form of Clairsentience or in feeling those emotions as your own. Energy Medicine: The ability to channel energy in such a way to heal or progress the healing of illness in an individual.

ESP: Typically linked with actions involving foresight and gut feelings not influenced by any physical cues. Clairaudience: The ability to hear what is otherwise inaudible in the immediate area. Clairsentience: The ability to feel what is otherwise unknown in the immediate area. Clairvoyance: The ability to envision what is otherwise unknown in the immediate area. Intuition: The ability to internally sense something vague and otherwise not obvious. “That Gut Feeling”. Premonition. Precognition: The ability to know the occurrence of something before it happens, often in dreams. Similar to premonition or intuition Retrocognition: The ability to know the occurrence of something that has happened in the past.

Hypnosis: The ability to cause someone to enter a dreamlike consciousness for a period of time. Can be used to discover gifts, spirit guides, fight addictions, overcome fear/anxiety/self image problems, etc.

Kinesis: The manipulation or generation of something Aerokinesis: The ability to influence the flow and presence of wind and receiving energy from it. Arbokinesis: The ability to influence the health and growth of plants, as well as receiving cyclical energy transfer with them. Hydrokinesis: The ability to influence the flow or presence of water and receiving energy from it. Pyrokinesis: The ability to influence the flow or presence of fire and receiving energy from it.  Telekinesis: The ability to influence physical objects with the mind.

Levitation: The ability to raise an object, person, or oneself into the air without physical contact or assistance. Muse: The ability to influence the emotions, ideas, actions, trust, and thoughts of an individual by association.

Shield: The ability to cast a barrier of energy around oneself or another being/object.

Telepathy: The ability to communicate using the mind rather than spoken word.

[the-moon-dust-writings]

Writing Prompts

“I’d prefer if you called me ‘the overlord of all things dark and cupcakes’ but sure, I guess my real name is good too.”

“How did you come prepared for this exact thing to happen?”

“What does that even mean?”

“Halloween in July? Honestly, MOOD.”

“How did we not think of this before? This is brilliant!”

“Negotiation is usually used by using your words, not by pressing your knife to their throat.”

“This looks like a good tavern to start a riot in.”

“You want me to take you to our leader? I don’t think you want to meet them, their an ass.”

“We exceeded expectations in the last bake sale, but this one, we have to blow them out of the water!”

“Did you just throw corn at me?”

“Hey look at this! It’s glowing!”

“You come across as, um, a little intimidating.”

“Can I hide behind you? Thanks.”

“Looking back on it, it was a kinda dumb idea. Would I do it all over again? You get your left knee cap I would.”

“Don’t go all turkey sandwich on me now!”

[nikaalexandra]

the worst thing about writing is that you aren’t just a writer. you have to be a thousand things. a poet, a flirt, a weapons expert, a bleeding heart, a scholar, a legendary cook, a theorist, an engineer, a reckless teenage girl, a dying god. you have to be able to write monologues and speeches and heartfelt confessions, and you have to make them believable. writing is putting yourself into someone else’s shoes.

writing is really hard (◕︿◕✿)

[myrddinderwydd]

Writing is putting yourself in everyone else’s shoes.

[davidfarland]

Your First 5 Pages

When you send a novel to an agent or publisher, they normally ask for the first five or ten pages, just so that they can gauge your writing skill. If those pages don’t grab the reader, it won’t sell.

As an editor, I read thousands of stories a year, and it would be difficult to tell you all of the ways that you can go wrong, or all of the things that you can do right. But let’s hit some main points:

1)    From the very first sentence, I want to see that you’re not just a competent writer, but a skillful one. I want to see that you have a way with words, so that I feel as if I’m in the hands of a professional storyteller. That means that I won’t feel confused, and I won’t get tripped up by typos or beginner’s mistakes. Indeed, I want to see that you’re talented right from the first sentence. Half of the editors and agents say that they look for a great voice right out the gate, whether it be the voice of the narrating character or of the author.

2)    I want to know (or at least have some great hints) where and when the story is taking place. It helps if the setting is intriguing and beautifully drawn. Of course, when you bring that setting to life, you should appeal to most of the senses quickly—sight, sound, smell, touch, taste.

3)    I want to know who the protagonist is and I want to see you handling the viewpoint properly. This means that the protagonist moves, has an emotional state, and thinks, so that we aren’t seeing the tale from a camera’s point of view, but from a real person’s. More than that, it is often helpful if the character is likeable or interesting or even both.

4)    In the opening five pages, I must see a hint of an intriguing conflict, one that is already building toward a climax. To get that in quickly, this means that you almost need to start the story in media res.

5)    In my business as a science fiction and fantasy editor, I want to see some novelty—something that tells me that your work is original, that you’re capable of coming up with something new.

Now, that’s my short list. I could go on and suggest that I want to see that you know how to construct a scene, that you can dazzle the reader in subtle ways that most pros know, that you know how to construct a plot, that you tastefully insert the emotional draws your audience is hoping for, that you are a pro at constructing believable dialog—and a dozen other little things.

But as you can see, for the first five pages, I can only hope for so much. All that I really want is to be convinced that you’re one of the greatest discoveries that I’ve ever made. If you think that an agent or editor wants anything less, you’re mistaken. The truth is that every editor and every agent who reads your manuscript is hoping that your tale demands to be published

[jxsminewrites]

reasons to not quit writing:

your writing is a skill, not an inborn talent (unless, yeah, maybe it is). not everyone can do what you do and love

everyone says they want to write a book. everyone has what it takes to write a book. not everyone does it anyway. you be the small percentage of success you read about

your writing will always seem brickshit horrible because you wrote and read it a million times

you love this writing thingy. quitting it will be like cutting off your fingers one by one.

someone out there will want to read what you wrote.

someone out there wants to know what is on your mind. 

someone out there appreciates your art. they will share it with their friends. they will share it with their loved ones. they will share it with their future self because maybe what you wrote saved them.

if you give up now, you know you will just come back to it again, whether it’s years from now, months, or next week. you love writing, that’s why you planted the seed of thought that you are going to write this book, and whether you come back to it or not, your unwritten stories will come back to you.

[angrygothaesthetic]

I need beta readers! Its not finished but I’ve hit writers block and need some creative feed back. PM m and I’ll send you my story 😊😊😊