Writing

Here is a sanctuary for your madness.

[mileyassists]

If you’re looking to create a new character but find yourself stuck with no refreshing ideas, look no further. I’ve compiled a long list of random choice generators that will not only create new and exciting characters for you but they will also provide assistance in making your role-play and/or plots much more exciting. The first half will aid you in character building, whereas the second half is entirely miscellaneous and meant to add a spice to your RP.

.001 —

YA Personality Generator.

Manual Personality Generator.

Seven Sanctum Personality Generator.

Random Name Generator.

Another Random Name Generator.

XTRA Rant Name Generator.

Random Choice Generator.

Behind The Name: Random Name Generator.

Fake Name Generator.

Character Personality Generator.

Personality Generator.

Quickie Character Backstory Generator.

The Big Skill Generator.

The Character Background Generator.

Basic Character Family Relationship Generator.

Character Flaws and Weaknesses Generator.

Character Interests Generator.

Character Motivation Generator.

Character Personality Generator.

Character Superpower Generator.

Character Secret Generator.

Random Teen Generator.

.002 —

Terrain Features Random Generator.

Random Business Generator.

Random Geographic Coordinates.

First Name Generator.

Surname Generator.

The Name Smasher Generator.

Cause of Death Generator.

New Holiday Generator.

Random Month/Day Date Generator.

Sport-o-Matic Random Sport Generator.

Random Plot Generator.

Plot Plunter Generator.

Romance Plot Plunter.

Random Town Generator.

Sci-Fi Malfunction Generator.

Lost Civilization Generator.

Random Park Generator.

[thepalaceofawesomestories]

7 editing questions to make work sparkle

Writers rarely like to revise, but revision is a reality of the writing process—and more important than the initial draft. Without revision, you can’t realize the true potential of the story you envisioned, and it will likely never be published. Here are seven self-editing questions to ask as you begin revising your short story or novel:  1. Where does the story really begin? Reread the first two to three pages of your story carefully. Where does the action start? A major fault with many first drafts (mine included!) is too much background material at the beginning, before the conflict is introduced and the characters finally take over the story.  In my case, I can almost bet that my story doesn’t really begin until about halfway down page 3, so out go the first two pages. If the material I have cut is essential for the reader to know, I find ways, through dialogue or my characters’ thoughts, to get the information to the reader later. The late additions are never as long as the original two and a half pages, and the story gains needed speed. 2. Is this adverb necessary? Chances are, if you are using a lot of adverbs, you are telling and not showing. Think about the character that has just won the lottery. Rather than have her yell “joyfully,” why not have her jump up and down screaming so loudly that her cat runs under the bed in terror, and it takes her 20 minutes to get it out? Maybe she runs to her closet and throws all of her old clothes in the garbage while blasting “If I Had a Million Dollars” on her CD player. Both of those pictures show how the character reacts instead of telling, and they are certainly livelier than the word “joyfully.”  3. Is this adjective doing its job? Look for empty adjectives and replace them. Instead of relying on “amazing,” “interesting,” “exciting,” “awful,” “ugly,” “beautiful,” “nice,” “scary” and other similar adjectives, use sensory details that bring to life what you are describing. Find places to get the readers’ senses working; it means you are making the story real for them.  4. Whose problem is it? Your main character has the primary problem at the center of your story, and your main character needs to solve it. Make sure that your protagonist remains the chief actor in the story and doesn’t become solely the reactor to another character’s influence. Sometimes, in longer pieces, characters other than your lead can nab your attention and your imagination; this can be especially true of villains and comic sidekicks. Be careful that these characters don’t become so charming that they threaten to steal the book from your hero or heroine.  5. Are the grammar and spelling perfect? Yes, I mean perfect. Your story will compete with a host of other stories, so don’t blow your chance with poor spelling and grammar. Of course, publishers have editors who will help polish your copy, but you need to show your best work up front. 6. Have I read my story aloud? One of your best proofreading tools is the sound of your own voice. Reading your story aloud is a great way to find awkward or incomplete sentences, clumsy phrasing, and inconsistencies in verb tenses and pronoun agreement. If you hesitate when you are reading, or if you have to reread a sentence or phrase, then you may need to rewrite that part of your story.  7. Have I applied the Stephen King rule? In Stephen King’s On Writing, he shows a before-and-after example of how editing can improve a story. His revision rule is:  2nd Draft = 1st Draft - 10% We have a tendency, as writers, to believe that every word we write is precious, and we are reluctant to cut our material—after all, we remember how hard it was to get it down on paper. However, editing is about making our prose lean and exciting, and compelling the reader to turn the page. See what you can do with 10 percent fewer words. Finally, consider revision a reward. Remember that if you are revising, you have finished a project—how neat is that? Try these seven questions to kick-start your editing and begin your pursuit of a great final product.

[yeahwrite]

The main point of this is listen to Stephen King. Always.

[wearealsoboats]

Here is what they don’t tell you:

Icarus laughed as he fell. Threw his head back and yelled into the winds, arms spread wide, teeth bared to the world.

(There is a bitter triumph in crashing when you should be soaring.)

The wax scorched his skin, ran blazing trails down his back, his thighs, his ankles, his feet. Feathers floated like prayers past his fingers, close enough to snatch back. Death breathed burning kisses against his shoulders, where the wings joined the harness. The sun painted everything in shades of gold.

(There is a certain beauty in setting the world on fire and watching from the centre of the flames.)

[writerswritecompany]

100 Beautiful and Ugly Words

by Mark Nichol

One of the many fascinating features of our language is how often words with pleasant associations are also quite pleasing on the tongue and even to the eye, and how many words, by contrast, acoustically and visually corroborate their disagreeable nature — look no further than the heading for this post. Enrich the poetry of your prose by applying words that provide precise connotation while also evoking emotional responses

Beautiful Words

Amorphous: indefinite, shapeless

Beguile: deceive

Caprice: impulse

Cascade: steep waterfall

Cashmere: fine, delicate wool

Chrysalis: protective covering

Cinnamon: an aromatic spice; its soft brown color

Coalesce: unite, or fuse

Crepuscular: dim, or twilit

Crystalline: clear, or sparkling

Desultory: half-hearted, meandering

Diaphanous: gauzy

Dulcet: sweet

Ebullient: enthusiastic

Effervescent: bubbly

Elision: omission

Enchanted: charmed

Encompass: surround

Enrapture: delighted

Ephemeral: fleeting

Epiphany: revelation

Epitome: embodiment of the ideal

Ethereal: celestial, unworldly, immaterial

Etiquette: proper conduct

Evanescent: fleeting

Evocative: suggestive

Exuberant: abundant, unrestrained, outsize

Felicity: happiness, pleasantness

Filament: thread, strand

Halcyon: care-free

Idyllic: contentedly pleasing

Incorporeal: without form

Incandescent: glowing, radiant, brilliant, zealous

Ineffable: indescribable, unspeakable

Inexorable: relentless

Insouciance: nonchalance

Iridescent: luster

Languid: slow, listless

Lassitude: fatigue

Lilt: cheerful or buoyant song or movement

Lithe: flexible, graceful

Lullaby: soothing song

Luminescence: dim chemical or organic light

Mellifluous: smooth, sweet

Mist: cloudy moisture, or similar literal or virtual obstacle

Murmur: soothing sound

Myriad: great number

Nebulous: indistinct

Opulent: ostentatious

Penumbra: shade, shroud, fringe

Plethora: abundance

Quiescent: peaceful

Quintessential: most purely representative or typical

Radiant: glowing

Redolent: aromatic, evocative

Resonant: echoing, evocative

Resplendent: shining

Rhapsodic: intensely emotional

Sapphire: rich, deep bluish purple

Scintilla: trace

Serendipitous: chance

Serene: peaceful

Somnolent: drowsy, sleep inducing

Sonorous: loud, impressive, imposing

Spherical: ball-like, globular

Sublime: exalted, transcendent

Succulent: juicy, tasty, rich

Suffuse: flushed, full

Susurration: whispering

Symphony: harmonious assemblage

Talisman: charm, magical device

Tessellated: checkered in pattern

Tranquility: peacefulness

Vestige: trace

Zenith: highest point

Ugly Words

Cacophony: confused noise

Cataclysm: flood, catastrophe, upheaval

Chafe: irritate, abrade

Coarse: common, crude, rough, harsh

Cynical: distrustful, self-interested

Decrepit: worn-out, run-down

Disgust: aversion, distaste

Grimace: expression of disgust or pain

Grotesque: distorted, bizarre

Harangue: rant

Hirsute: hairy

Hoarse: harsh, grating

Leech: parasite,

Maladroit: clumsy

Mediocre: ordinary, of low quality

Obstreperous: noisy, unruly

Rancid: offensive, smelly

Repugnant: distasteful

Repulsive: disgusting

Shriek: sharp, screeching sound

Shrill: high-pitched sound

Shun: avoid, ostracize

Slaughter: butcher, carnage

Unctuous: smug, ingratiating

Visceral: crude, anatomically graphic

Notice how often attractive words present themselves to define other beautiful ones, and note also how many of them are interrelated, and what kind of sensations, impressions, and emotions they have in common. Also, try enunciating beautiful words as if they were ugly, or vice versa. Are their sounds suggestive of their quality, or does their meaning wholly determine their effect on us?

From Writers Write

[yeahwrite]

Learn some words yall.

[writerswritecompany]

Redundant Words from Grammar.net

[thewritershelpers]

Writing Superheroes and Villains

I wanted to ask about writing superheroes, how do you first go about balancing their powers out and finding equal villains for them to go against? -cluewhite

[thewritershelpers]

What a wonderful question! I’m really going to enjoy answering this one and hopefully our followers might be able to share their own opinions (hint hint). 

When creating a superhero there are a few things to consider:

What gives them their superpower (special spider, iron suit, the fact they are a god).

What their superpower is and its limitations. (All superheroes have limitations- think of Batman!).

What is their weakness. (Small knifes? Hahaha I made a funny.)

Who knows their weakness?

How does their personality contribute to their superhero status? Do they deserve to be a superhero?

Best question: Are they a superhero by choice?

These are just some questions I would consider to start developing this character. Superheroes are normal characters, they deserve the same amount of character development and they need to be rounded characters. You also need to really consider their motives. Are they driven by revenge? Or simply because they want to make a difference?

So your superhero can have any power they want, but it needs to have a limitation. If this character is unbeatable then there is no point in your story. Also, your reader will struggle to empathise with your character if they aren’t challenged and if there isn’t a struggle to succeed. 

So lets talk about villains! Now, what you need to think about to start with is why are they enemies? Is it because your superhero knows this character and wants to stop them? Is it because your superhero has suffered at this villains hands? Or does the superhero want to act for the good of the people? 

I’m going to mention some villains here so you can catch my drift a bit more.

Obediah Stane (Ironman) - knew Tony and was motivated by greed. Tony fought him because he felt like it was his fault, he had created this ‘monster’.

Lizard (The Amazing Spiderman)- Peter felt responsible for the Lizard thing as he had given him the formula. 

The Joker- (Batman) had no real motive, he just liked chaos. Batman fought him because it was the right thing to do, to save Gotham.

Loki (Thor and Avengers)- Loki was motivated for revenge. Thor fights him because he is his brother and he feels responsible for him.

You can see a trend here with comic book superheroes. The superhero is normally motivated to fight the villain because he knows him, feels partly responsible or less common he just wants to fight them. 

Of course this means nothing, you can do whatever you want with your superhero. But it is interesting to consider the relationship between these two central characters and how well they know the other. 

So, making them equal.

You don’t have to make them equal, not at all. A common trend seems to be that one party is the brawn and the other the brain. What I think is more interesting though is when both characters are equally brilliant. It then is more a battle of tactics to win.

To make an equal villain develop them like you did your superhero. Consider what makes them powerful, what gives them the power. Their own weaknesses and strengths. 

Give them both strengths and weaknesses and they should start to balance themselves out. Or they could just be equally as powerful and it is their personality that determines who wins. 

Writing about superheroes

How to write a great villain

How to make a scary villain 

I hope this has helped you! If not, hit us up again. (We don’t bite- much). Followers, as always feel free to chip in.

-S

[quotesbrain]

[ryface-deactivated]

DEAR WRITERS:

IT’S OKAY TO USE “SAID” A WHOLE DAMN BUNCH.

IT’S OKAY TO USE PRONOUNS REPEATEDLY SO LONG AS YOU STRUCTURE YOUR SENTENCES SO AS TO KEEP IT FROM BEING CONFUSING

FUCK, IT’S EVEN OKAY TO USE COMMON SAYINGS AND CLICHES SPARINGLY.

DON’T PURPLE UP YOU PROSE JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK IT’S NOT OKAY TO DO THESE THINGS BECAUSE IT IS

DON’T TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR PLOT TO MAKE ULTIMATELY UNIMPORTANT DETAILS OF YOUR NARRATION LOOK FLASHIER.  

[imustgointhefogisrising]

I ultimately agree with your sentiment, but DOING those things (or at least not using cliches, because i pretty much am 100% with using pronouns so long as it's clear and using said/says for always) is not necessarily bad. It's a bit of a style choice but I personally try to never use cliches.

Not at the expense of clarity (though if your own metaphor is unclear you really need to rethink it). I think that's a bit stylistic.

I really added nothing to this post...

[imustgointhefogisrising]

Hey, just working on a tagging system right now, so that the posts will actually be easier to find when you want them.

Let me know if you want anything in particular, otherwise I'm just going to do references and then inspiration.

(I also tag all of the authors by name if I've posted any of them. I could make a page of them if anyone wants that?)

[referenceforwriters]

Developing your Characters and Making Them Interesting

Recently I got a message about a person struggling on how to develop their characters, as they normally wrote about already created characters—also about how to make them interesting and make the people reading your story actually want to continue reading it.

I’d say this is one of the main differences between fanfiction and original work. Writing fanfiction you already rely on the fact people know the characters—how they look (or are supposed to look), personalities, and backgrounds… unless you’re writing an AU.  There’s people that already like the characters and would (probably) be willing to read your story. Now, you focus on a good plot to interest them.

But then we are back on our original stories, our novels, anything we write. We have to create our characters from scratch—interesting characters that can fit and make our story flow. Because good characters can handle a poor plot, yet a good plot can’t handle poor characters. I guess this is all we do here, right? this is the bane of our existence as writers. 

Truth is, there’s no right way to write a story. And there’s no right way to develop a character! I tested this by asking you guys how you do to create and flesh out your characters. Every response was personal and different.

Sometimes it starts with the spark of an word, an archetype, a color, a trait, a flaw, a song lyric, a painting, someone you know in real life—then you go from there.

Here are some basic steps on developing a character, yet, you can do it as you see fit:

You start with the personality. Once that’s done it’s relatively easier to know how they look like. You sculpt and pick virtues and vices, flaws and qualities—perfect characters are not interesting. When it comes to protagonists and antagonists, they’re neither 100% good nor 100% bad, because there is not fully good or bad people. Get what I’m saying? Round characters are the thing we’re going for. Take details from people in real life, if you want: funny habits, mannerisms, what makes people human. 

Work on the appearance of your character. What’s their body type, their eye color, skin color, hair color, shape of their face/nose, if they have birthmarks or scars somewhere… 

Pick a name as you see fit. This can be the first step depending on how you work. Is there a meaning behind it? does it show somehow their character’s personality? remember sometimes they are relevant to the setting/genre. 

Flesh. ‘Em. Out. Think of hobbies and background. How’s the relationship with their family and friends, how they act around authority, what kinds of clothes they like to wear…

Always remember: character development is an ongoing thing. You never “finish” developing your character, just like we, as people, don’t stay the same. 

That being said, be creative with it! Don’t imitate the way your favorite authors develop their characters- create your own way! your characters are all yours! Make playlists about songs that remind you of your characters, keep a journal for them- sky’s the limit.

Good links for you:

Fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment: a blog just about character development. Seriously, if you are not following this blog, you are in nothing.

Our character descriptions and characters tags, along with body and mind and personality.

Create fictional characters from scratch

13 ways to create compelling characters

Moral Alignments and Jung Personality Theory: both good resources by the same person. They’re a different way to add dimension and understand better your characters. Even if you aren’t using them, they’re still a pretty good read.

Get to know your characters interesting questions require interesting answers.

-Alex

[referenceforwriters]

by Chuck Palahniuk 

8 Words You Should Avoid When Writing

As always, Orwell’s final rule applies: “Break any of these rules before saying anything barbarous.” There are instances where each of these words fills a valuable role. However, especially among inexperienced writers, these words are frequently molested and almost always gum up the works.

1. “Suddenly”

“Sudden” means quickly and without warning, but using the word “suddenly” both slows down the action and warns your reader. Do you know what’s more effective for creating the sense of the sudden? Just saying what happens.

I pay attention to every motion, every movement, my eyes locked on them. Suddenly, The gun goes off.

When using “suddenly,” you communicate through the narrator that the action seemed sudden. By jumping directly into the action, you allow the reader to experience that suddenness first hand. “Suddenly” also suffers from being nondescript, failing to communicate the nature of the action itself; providing no sensory experience or concrete fact to hold on to. Just … suddenly.

Feel free to employ “suddenly” in situations where the suddenness is not apparent in the action itself. For example, in “Suddenly, I don’t hate you anymore,” the “suddenly” substantially changes the way we think about the shift in emotional calibration.

2. “Then”

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[kateoplis]

[imustgointhefogisrising]

kateoplis:

“Maturity is knowing what your limitations are. It’s a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.”

—Kurt Vonnegut

[writerswritecompany]

1) Then versus Than

2) Lay versus Lie

3) Sight versus Site versus Cite

4) Conscience versus Conscious

5) Flaunt vs. Flout

6) Hanged versus Hung

7) Immigrate versus Emigrate

8) Peak versus Peek versus Pique

9) Shall versus Will

10) That versus Which

[manustupration]

Hello, there. Yes, it’s time for me to plug my little project again.

If you’re interested, do click the little tabs on the side, they now have more content!

[manustupration]

Below this cut is a long e-mail I sent to someone else on the subject of the project I discussed a few days ago. Yes, I’m being lazy and copy-pasting it instead of writing it out all over again. Do forgive me, I’ll add a bit more information.

Consider this post informal, I’m merely attempting to see if anyone is interested in seeing it, or helping with the pre-production process. Yes, I hope to get quite into it. And yes, if you’re not from Massachusetts (which you likely aren’t), you’ll only really be able to help with pre-production. If you are from Massachusetts, I’ll kiss your mouth if you get more involved. Or I won’t. Whatever you like, sweetheart.

Read More

[blessedtobebroken-deactivated20]

[writingbox]

[Writers] change their minds about their own worth and talent somewhere between two and seven hundred times a day.

Nick Hornby, NaNoWriMo pep talk (via writingbox)