Thank you, terror.

Character building blog for Koizumisdespair.Drabbles,quotes, and speculative headcanons will be posted here. Nothing here is canon info. My Mahiru is one variation of many. The usual triggers will be tagged, but following is not recommended.

[in-vitrorose-blog]

❥ K Drabbles || Shawty Got Ko

#Komazumi

Setting: Partially sunny Autumn evening outside of Hope Peak's Academy, with sherbert colors of pink and purple meshed together in the sky. The school day has long passed over, and students that were once occupied with club activities are finally heading out. Pre-despair. Please don't reblog, thanks <3

Stretching her arms up towards the sky with a satisfied, sleepy smile stitched on, Mahiru had to admit that it felt good to wrap things up after a long day. Home's unpleasant, sour taste was far from her mind as she stood outside of the gates of Hope Peak's Academy, where the school gates towered over her, making the school nearly identical to the shape of a prison. Certainly it was large enough to be one, but when you looked outside, the landscaping resembled that of a family-oriented park. Students could sit under the trees if they wanted to,  some of the sports clubs enjoyed staying after to practice outside, and there was enough lively chatter between humans and animals that gave the school a relatively safe atmosphere. 

It certainly was a large campus, and she was lucky to be here. Everyday, she found herself thankful for the chance to even be in a school like this. It certainly had its pressures, and she did have her moments where she felt out of place, but surely it was worth it. As she walked down each marble step leading her out of the academy, the sun fell heavy against her form, prickling arms and nose until she reached the safety of the shade. 'I can't believe it's still this hot out. I really should've packed sunscreen.' She frowned, knowing full well how prone she was to sunburn compared to the rest of her classmates.

At least the sidewalk offered some shade thanks to the golden-orange trees that arched over the pavement, making her feel like a child as she the sound of crunchy leaves accompanied her along the way. Without knowing it, a grin had spread across her face as her bag jovially rocked back and forth, and perhaps that's what made her seem so approachable in that moment. "Well, aren't you in a good mood. It's rare to see you smile like that in class." A hushed but thoughtful voice veered in from the side, startling the photographer as she put on the brakes. Glancing around, she couldn't even see who called out to her. "Down here, Koizumi." The person laughed, amused as her arms huddled against one another as she timidly looked around. It took her a second, but she found Komaeda lying against the side of a tree, seemingly enjoying the deluxe shade and view.

"Hmpth. It's not right to scare girls like that, you know. Hiding behind trees as if you're some kind of predator..." She tsked, shaking her head as if he intended to give her a heart attack. Mahiru didn't take it too hard though, and instead decided to sit right next to him. It was a nice view after all, and she was willing to prolong seeing her father for as long as possible. Any excuse would work, even with a guy like Komaeda. "Ah...do I truly come off that way? Maybe it's the jacket..." He tugged at his sleeves as if the answer would spill right out, but Mahiru was quick to shake her head.

"It could stand to be washed, though it is a little weird to wear in this heat. I'm surprised you haven't passed out." She only knew so much about him, but she did have the sense that he was a bit more frail compared to the rest of their classmates. "And how would you react if I did pass out?" Komaeda flashed her one of his traditional, 'maybe I know something, maybe I don't' smiles, and he could only snort as confusion passed over her face. Awfully easy girl to read, wasn't she?

"Komaeda, are you suggesting that you passed out? Or are you just having fun asking worrisome questions?" She didn't like either option anyways, if the suspicion in her tone hadn't made that clear enough. Feeling mocked as he gave a lazy shrug, she swatted at his arm, clearly meaning business if his well-being was at risk. "Hah, well if you must know, I'm ok. It's just that...I seem to get dizzy each time I stand up. It's nothing that won't go away if I rest here for a bit." 

"I knew it. You aren't taking care of yourself. You shouldn't be wearing that jacket anyways--that's gotta be part of the problem." Honestly, what was he thinking? He probably went and got himself dehydrated without realizing it, and of course the nearest water fountain was back in the academy. "Hang on, I might have something..." Plopping her schoolbag on her lap, she fiddled through the mass of books and papers until she found her water bottle, which was recently refilled right before she left. 

It was a bit embarrassing to share a bottle like this, she had to admit. Glancing towards the side as she wiped the cap with the edge of her shirt, she made damn sure that bottle was as clean as she could make it before she turned back to him. "You should drink something, so here. T-Try not to put your mouth on it if you can help it. I won't want it back if you do." This was one of those moments where she could clearly hear the chiding voices of her friends creating a ruckus in her head. 'Oh, an indirect kiss? Mahiru-chan is so sly.' 'Ew, why would you share anything with that decaying crotch rot? He better know how lucky he is, big sis.' And the voices kept coming and coming, which only reaffirmed the idea that this had to be kept a secret.

"You'd share something like this with trash like me? I couldn't impose." Mahiru wasn't sure, but she could've sworn that his voice cracked from thirst just then. "C'mon. Just drink some. Take it. I'll even walk you home if I have to. Unless...unless you're dorming at the academy?" The students had the option to dorm if their busy schedules allowed for it, though from the looks of it, it seemed as if Komaeda went this way with the intention of going somewhere. Presumably that place was home, but she could've been wrong. "It's your fault for making vague hints with your weird hypothetical nonsense. Drink up or prove that you can walk." He lost his smug composure as he leaned further against the tree, rubbing his chin as he simmered over the two options. Walking on his own in the condition he was in would've been more of a bother than borrowing some water, he reasoned. "I'm not leaving you alone, so you better pick an option soon." Seriously, the longer he hesitated, the more her knees chattered against each other.

"Alright, alright." Wiping the sweat off his brow, his legs began to tremble as he started to stand. At least the faint trace of wind felt nice when it conveniently passed by, but as soon as it departed, he found himself longing for it. Even without looking at her, he could feel Mahiru's critical stare watching his every move. "I'm fine, see? There's no reason to be so worried."  As if to make a point, he twirled around, and normally that would've worked out, but it triggered another dizzy spell, forcing him to sit back down. "Oh, yeah. I'm seeing things alright. You're sure good at walking, you walking expert." Mahiru's sense of humor was a lovely as ever, he noted with a bashful chuckle. So he wasn't as well as he thought. Oh well.

Refusing to look him in the eye as a quiet silence was shared between them, she tentatively handed over the water bottle one more time. This guy was surprisingly stubborn, but so was she. "Alright, Koizumi. You win." His fingers unintentionally overlapped hers as he accepted her kindness, and while he didn't mind such a trivial detail, Mahiru was fast to jolt back with a hurried huff.  

All he could do was sit and look confused as she wrapped her arms around her face in embarrassment, hiding a crimson red that filled her head with a dizzy spell of its own. The Autumn afternoon continued to pass on by, and the two sat side by side, content with each other's company.

[retrospacezeta-deactivated20210]

[samwon]

"…unresolved guilt always damages the capacity for love. The reason for this is that the guilty self feels that it deserves punishment. It also feels like a dangerous self. Unconscious guilt makes me feel that I have to withdraw from others lest I damage them by my love. This leads to self-preoccupation, and the result is always a serious impairment of my ability to give or receive love."

David G. Benner (Surrender to Love)

[she-reads-to-belong-deactivated]

I know what it’s like to live with guilt and secrets. They weigh you down until you quit fighting them altogether.

Lisa De Jong, When It Rains (via reading-is--breathing)

[ravenfoot-teomes-deactivated202]

i’m gonna start calling romance “less than friends” and no one can stop me

[pbmo2]

Have you ever noticed the peculiar tendency you have to let praise pass through you, but to feel crushed by criticism? A thousand positive remarks can slip by unnoticed, but one “you suck” can linger in your head for days. One hypothesis as to why this and the backfire effect happen is that you spend much more time considering information you disagree with than you do information you accept. Information that lines up with what you already believe passes through the mind like a vapor, but when you come across something that threatens your beliefs, something that conflicts with your preconceived notions of how the world works, you seize up and take notice. Some psychologists speculate there is an evolutionary explanation. Your ancestors paid more attention and spent more time thinking about negative stimuli than positive because bad things required a response. Those who failed to address negative stimuli failed to keep breathing.

The Backfire Effect: The Psychology of Why We Have a Hard Time Changing Our Minds | Brain Pickings (via pbmo2)

[entremonde2-deactivated20150520]

Now one rather annoying thing about scholars is that they are always using Big Words that some of us can’t understand and one sometimes gets the impression that those intimidating words are there to keep us from understanding. That way, the scholars can appear Superior, and will not likely be suspected of Not Knowing Something. After all, from the scholarly point of view, it’s practically a crime not to know everything.”

Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh (via peterpanandthedisneylesbians)

[crimsoneyedfairy-deactivated201]

Writing Advice: by Chuck Palahniuk In six seconds, you’ll hate me. But in six months, you’ll be a better writer. From this point forward—at least for the next half year—you may not use “thought” verbs. These include: Thinks, Knows, Understands, Realizes, Believes, Wants, Remembers, Imagines, Desires, and a hundred others you love to use. The list should also include: Loves and Hates. And it should include: Is and Has, but we’ll get to those later. Until some time around Christmas, you can’t write: Kenny wondered if Monica didn’t like him going out at night…” Instead, you’ll have to Un-pack that to something like: “The mornings after Kenny had stayed out, beyond the last bus, until he’d had to bum a ride or pay for a cab and got home to find Monica faking sleep, faking because she never slept that quiet, those mornings, she’d only put her own cup of coffee in the microwave. Never his.” Instead of characters knowing anything, you must now present the details that allow the reader to know them. Instead of a character wanting something, you must now describe the thing so that the reader wants it. Instead of saying: “Adam knew Gwen liked him.” You’ll have to say: “Between classes, Gwen had always leaned on his locker when he’d go to open it. She’s roll her eyes and shove off with one foot, leaving a black-heel mark on the painted metal, but she also left the smell of her perfume. The combination lock would still be warm from her butt. And the next break, Gwen would be leaned there, again.” In short, no more short-cuts. Only specific sensory detail: action, smell, taste, sound, and feeling. Typically, writers use these “thought” verbs at the beginning of a paragraph (In this form, you can call them “Thesis Statements” and I’ll rail against those, later). In a way, they state the intention of the paragraph. And what follows, illustrates them. For example: “Brenda knew she’d never make the deadline. was backed up from the bridge, past the first eight or nine exits. Her cell phone battery was dead. At home, the dogs would need to go out, or there would be a mess to clean up. Plus, she’d promised to water the plants for her neighbor…” Do you see how the opening “thesis statement” steals the thunder of what follows? Don’t do it. If nothing else, cut the opening sentence and place it after all the others. Better yet, transplant it and change it to: Brenda would never make the deadline. Thinking is abstract. Knowing and believing are intangible. Your story will always be stronger if you just show the physical actions and details of your characters and allow your reader to do the thinking and knowing. And loving and hating. Don’t tell your reader: “Lisa hated Tom.” Instead, make your case like a lawyer in court, detail by detail. Present each piece of evidence. For example: “During roll call, in the breath after the teacher said Tom’s name, in that moment before he could answer, right then, Lisa would whisper-shout ‘Butt Wipe,’ just as Tom was saying, ‘Here’.” One of the most-common mistakes that beginning writers make is leaving their characters alone. Writing, you may be alone. Reading, your audience may be alone. But your character should spend very, very little time alone. Because a solitary character starts thinking or worrying or wondering. For example: Waiting for the bus, Mark started to worry about how long the trip would take…” A better break-down might be: “The schedule said the bus would come by at noon, but Mark’s watch said it was already 11:57. You could see all the way down the road, as far as the Mall, and not see a bus. No doubt, the driver was parked at the turn-around, the far end of the line, taking a nap. The driver was kicked back, asleep, and Mark was going to be late. Or worse, the driver was drinking, and he’d pull up drunk and charge Mark seventy-five cents for death in a fiery traffic accident…” A character alone must lapse into fantasy or memory, but even then you can’t use “thought” verbs or any of their abstract relatives. Oh, and you can just forget about using the verbs forget and remember. No more transitions such as: “Wanda remembered how Nelson used to brush her hair.” Instead: “Back in their sophomore year, Nelson used to brush her hair with smooth, long strokes of his hand.” Again, Un-pack. Don’t take short-cuts. Better yet, get your character with another character, fast. Get them together and get the action started. Let their actions and words show their thoughts. You—stay out of their heads. And while you’re avoiding “thought” verbs, be very wary about using the bland verbs “is” and “have.” For example: “Ann’s eyes are blue.” “Ann has blue eyes.” Versus: “Ann coughed and waved one hand past her face, clearing the cigarette smoke from her eyes, blue eyes, before she smiled…” Instead of bland “is” and “has” statements, try burying your details of what a character has or is, in actions or gestures. At its most basic, this is showing your story instead of telling it. And forever after, once you’ve learned to Un-pack your characters, you’ll hate the lazy writer who settles for: “Jim sat beside the telephone, wondering why Amanda didn’t call.” Please. For now, hate me all you want, but don’t use thought verbs. After Christmas, go crazy, but I’d bet money you won’t. (…) For this month’s homework, pick through your writing and circle every “thought” verb. Then, find some way to eliminate it. Kill it by Un-packing it. Then, pick through some published fiction and do the same thing. Be ruthless. “Marty imagined fish, jumping in the moonlight…” “Nancy recalled the way the wine tasted…” “Larry knew he was a dead man…” Find them. After that, find a way to re-write them. Make them stronger.

(via fictionwritingtips)

[clevergirlhelps]

Heroic Traits and Their Faults

Accepting – too accepting; willing to excuse extreme behavior

Adaptable – used to traveling from situation to situation; may not be able to fully adapt/live in a permanent situation

Affable – accidentally befriends the wrong sort of people; pushes to befriend everyone

Affectionate –inappropriate affection

Alert – constantly on edge; paranoid

Altruistic – self-destructive behavior for the sake of their Cause

Apologetic – apologizes too much; is a doormat; guilt-ridden

Aspiring – becomes very ambitious; ruthless in their attempts to reach goals

Assertive – misunderstood as aggressive; actually aggressive; others react negatively when they take command all the time

Athletic – joints weakened from exercise; performance-enhancing drug abuse; competitive

Read More

[aneira-hailey-blog]

100 Words for Facial Expressions

1. Absent: preoccupied 2. Agonized: as if in pain or tormented 3. Alluring: attractive, in the sense of arousing desire 4. Appealing: attractive, in the sense of encouraging goodwill and/or interest 5. Beatific: see blissful 6. Bilious: ill-natured 7. Black: angry or sad, or see hostile 8. Bleak: see grim and hopeless 9. Blinking: surprise, or lack of concern 10. Blissful: showing a state of happiness or divine contentment 11. Blithe: carefree, lighthearted, or heedlessly indifferent 12. Brooding: see anxious and gloomy 13. Bug eyed: frightened or surprised 14. Chagrined: humiliated or disappointed 15. Cheeky: cocky, insolent 16. Cheerless: sad 17. Choleric: hot-tempered, irate 18. Coy: flirtily playful, or evasive 19. Crestfallen: see despondent 20. Darkly: with depressed or malevolent feelings 21. Deadpan: expressionless, to conceal emotion or heighten humor 22. Dejected: see despondent 23. Derisive: see sardonic 24. Despondent: depressed or discouraged 25. Doleful: sad or afflicted 26. Dour: stern or obstinate; see also despondent 27. Downcast: see despondent 28. Dreamy: distracted by daydreaming or fantasizing 29. Ecstatic: delighted or entranced 30. Etched: see fixed 31. Faint: cowardly, weak, or barely perceptible 32. Fixed: concentrated or immobile 33. Furtive: stealthy 34. Gazing: staring intently 35. Glancing: staring briefly as if curious but evasive 36. Glaring: see hostile 37. Glazed: expressionless due to fatigue or confusion 38. Gloomy: see despondent and sullen 39. Glowering: annoyed or angry 40. Glowing: see radiant 41. Grim: see despondent; also, fatalistic or pessimistic 42. Grave: serious, expressing emotion due to loss or sadness 43. Haunted: frightened, worried, or guilty 44. Hopeless: depressed by a lack of encouragement or optimism 45. Hostile: aggressively angry, intimidating, or resistant 46. Hunted: tense as if worried about pursuit 47. Impassive: see deadpan 48. Inscrutable: mysterious, unreadable 49. Jeering: insulting or mocking 50. Languid: lazy or weak 51. Leering: see meaningful; also, sexually suggestive 52. Meaningful: to convey an implicit connotation or shared secret 53. Mild: easygoing 54. Mischievous: annoyingly or maliciously playful 55. Moody: see sullen 56. Pained: affected with discomfort or pain 57. Pallid: see wan 58. Peering: with curiosity or suspicion 59. Peeved: annoyed 60. Petulant: see cheeky and peeved 61. Pitying: sympathetic 62. Pleading: seeking apology or assistance 63. Pouting: see sullen 64. Quizzical: questioning or confused 65. Radiant: bright, happy 66. Roguish: see mischievous 67. Sanguine: bloodthirsty, confident 68. Sardonic: mocking 69. Scornful: contemptuous or mocking 70. Scowling: displeased or threatening 71. Searching: curious or suspicious 72. Set: see fixed 73. Shamefaced: ashamed or bashful 74. Slack-jawed: dumbfounded or surprised 75. Sly: cunning; see also furtive and mischievous 76. Snarling: surly 77. Sneering: see scornful 78. Somber: see grave 79. Sour: unpleasant 80. Stolid: inexpressive 81. Straight-faced: see deadpan 82. Sulky: see sullen 83. Sullen: resentful 84. Taunting: see jeering 85. Taut: high-strung 86. Tense: see taut 87. Tight: see pained and taut 88. Unblinking: see fixed 89. Vacant: blank or stupid looking 90. Veiled: see inscrutable 91. Wan: pale, sickly; see also faint 92. Wary: cautious or cunning 93. Wide eyed: frightened or surprised 94. Wild eyed: excited, frightened, or stressful 95. Wistful: yearning or sadly thoughtful 96. Withering: devastating; see also wrathful 97. Woeful: full of grief or lamentation 98. Wolfish: see leering and mischievous 99. Wrathful: indignant or vengeful 100. Wry: twisted or crooked to express cleverness or a dark or ironic feeling

[writing-questions-answered]

Resources: Describing Hair

Anonymous asked: hi! im writing a fantasy/steampunk story and i am having trouble describing the hair, any advice?

If you haven’t chosen any hairstyles yet, you can do a search on Steampunk and Victorian hairstyles to get some ideas. As for describing hairstyles once you’ve chosen them, here are some sources: Tips on Describing Hairstyles via thefrenchhelper

Describe Hair via Obsidian Bookshelf

How to Describe Hair

Six Tips on Bringing Characters to Life

[ladyknightrps]

a massively extended version of ruthlesscalculus’ post

General Tips

Joss Whedon’s Top 10 Writing Tips

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

34 Writing Tips that will make you a Better Writer

50 Free resources that will improve your writing skills

5 ways to get out of the comfort zone and become a stronger writer

10 ways to avoid Writing Insecurity

The Writer’s Guide to Overcoming Insecurity

The Difference Between Good Writers and Bad Writers

You’re Not Hemingway - Developing Your Own Style

7 Ways to use Brain Science to Hook Readers and Reel them In

8 Short Story Tips from Kurt Vonnegut

How to Show, Not Tell

5 Essential Story Ingredients

How to Write Fiction that grabs your readers from page one

Why research is important in writing

Make Your Reader Root for Your Main Character

Writing Ergonomics (Staying Comfortable Whilst Writing)

The Importance of Body Language

Character Development

10 days of Character Building

Name Generators

Name Playground

Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test

Seven Common Character Types

Handling a Cast of Thousands Part 1 - Getting To Know Your Characters

Web Resources for Developing Characters

Building Fictional Characters

Fiction Writer’s Character Chart

Character Building Workshop

Tips for Characterization

Character Chart for Fiction Writers

Villains are people too but…

How to Write a Character Bible

Character Development Exercises

All Your Characters Talk the Same - And They’re Not A Hivemind!

Medieval Names Archive

Sympathy Without Saintliness

Family Echo (Family Tree Maker)

Behind The Name

100 Character Development Questions for Writers

Aether’s Character Development Worksheet

The 12 Common Archetypes

Six Types of Courageous Characters

Kazza’s List of Character Secrets - Part 1, Part 2

Creating Believable Characters With Personality

Body Language Cheat Sheet

Creating Fictional Characters Series

Three Ways to Avoid Lazy Character Description

7 Rules for Picking Names for Fictional Characters

Character Development Questionnaire

How to Create Fictional Characters

Character Name Resources

Character Development Template

Character Development Through Hobbies

Character Flaws List

10 Questions for Creating Believable Characters

Ari’s Archetype Series

How to Craft Compelling Characters

List of 200 Character Traits

Writing Characters of the Opposite Sex

Making Your Characters Likable

Do you really know your characters?

Character Development: Virtues

Character Development: Vices

Character Morality Alignment

List of Negative Personality Traits

List of Positive Personality Traits

List of Emotions - Positive

List of Emotions - Negative

Loon’s Character Development Series - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Phobia List A-L (Part 1), M-Z (Part 2)

30 Day In Depth Character Development Meme

Words for Emotions based on Severity

Eight Bad Characters

High Level Description of the Sixteen Personality Types

Female Characters

How Not to Write Female Characters

Writing Female Characters

How to write empowering female characters

Why I write strong female characters

Red Flags for Female Characters Written by Men

Writing strong female characters

The Female Character Flowchart

Eight Heroine Archetypes

Male Characters

Eight Hero Archetypes

Tips for Specific Characters

Writing A Vampire

Writing Pansexual Characters

Writing Characters on the Police Force

Writing Drunk Characters

Writing A Manipulative Character

Writing A Friends With Benefits Relationship

Writing A Natural Born Leader

Writing A Flirtatious Character

Writing A Nice Character

Fiction Writing Exercises for Creating Villains

Five Traits to Contribute to an Epic Villain

Writing Villains that Rock

Writing British Characters

How To Write A Character With A Baby

On Assassin Characters

Dialogue

It’s Not What They Say…

Top 8 Tips for Writing Dialogue

Speaking of Dialogue

The Great Said Debate

He Said, She Said, Who Said What?

How to Write Dialogue Unique to Your Characters

Writing Dialogue: Go for Realistic, Not Real-Life

Point of View

Establishing The Right Point of View

How to Start Writing in the Third Person

The I Problem

Plot, Conflict, Structure and Outline

Writing A Novel Using the Snowflake Method

Effectively Outlining Your Novel

Conflict and Character Within Story Structure

Outlining Your Plot

Ideas, Plots and Using the Premise Sheets

How To Write A Novel

Creating Conflict and Sustaining Suspense

Plunge Right In…Into Your Story, That Is

Tips for Creating a Compelling Plot

36 (plus one) Dramatic Situations

The Evil Overlord Devises A Plot: Excerpt from Stupid Plot Tricks

Conflict Test

What is Conflict?

Monomyth

The Hero’s Journey: Summary of Steps

Outline Your Novel in Thirty Minutes

Plotting Without Fears

Novel Outlining 101

Writing The Perfect Scene

One-Page Plotting

The Great Swampy Middle

How Can You Know What Belongs In Your Book?

Create A Plot Outline in 8 Easy Steps

How to Organize and Develop Ideas for Your Novel

Create Structure in your novel using index cards

Choosing the best outline method for you

Hatch’s Plot Bank

Setting & Worldbuilding

Magical Word Builder’s Guide

I Love The End Of The World

World Building 101

The Art of Description: Eight Tips to Help Bring Your Settings to Life

Creating the Perfect Setting - Part 1

Creating a Believable World

Setting

Character and Setting Interactions

Maps Workshop - Developing the Fictional World Through Mapping

World Builders Project

How To Create Fantasy Worlds

Creating Fantasy and Science Fiction Worlds

Creativity Boosters* denotes prompts

*Creative Writing Prompts

*Ink Provoking

*Story Starter

*Story Spinner

*Story Kitchen

*Language is a Virus

*The Dabbling Mum

Quick Story Idea Generator

Solve Your Problems By Simply Saying Them Out Loud

Busting Your Writing Rut

Creative Acceleration: 11 Tips To Engineer A Productive Flow

Writing Inspiration, Or Sex on a Bicycle

The Seven Major Beginner Mistakes

Complete Your First Book with these 9 Simple Writing Habits

Free Association, Active Imagination, Twilight Imaging

Random Book Title Generator

Finishing Your Novel

Story Starters & Idea Generators

Words to Use More Often

Revision & Grammar

How To Rewrite

Editing Recipe

Cliche Finder

Revising Your Novel: Read What You’ve Written

Writing 101: Revising A Novel

20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes

Synonyms for the Most Commonly Used Words of the English Language

Grammar Urban Legends

Tools & Software

Tip Of My Tongue - Find the word you’re looking for

Write or Die - Stay motivated

Stay Focused - Tool for Chrome, lock yourself out of distracting websites

My Writing Nook - Online Text Editor, Free

Bubbl.us - Online Mind Map Application, Free

Family Echo - Online Family Tree Maker, Free

Freemind - Mind Map Application; Free; Windows, Mac, Linux, Portable

Xmind - Mind Map Application; Free; Windows, Mac, Linux, Portable

Liquid Story Binder - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $45.95; Windows, Portable

Scrivener - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $39.95; Mac

SuperNotecard - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $29; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable

yWriter - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free; Windows, Linux, portable

JDarkRoom - Minimalist Text Editing Application; free; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable

AutoRealm - Map Creation Application; free; Windows, Linux with Wine

Specific Help

Fashion Terminology

All About Kissing

Genre Help: Romance

187 Mental Illnesses

Types of Mental Illness

Eye Color List

Spectral Groupings

[writing-questions-answered]

Plot: Brainstorming for Ideas

Anonymous asked: Any advice on how to brainstorm for plots?

[writing-questions-answered]

TONS! I’ll list some of my favorites, but first, the preparation!  Brainstorming - The Preparation

1) Start with a long walk, a run, or some other kind of exercise if you can. Many writers feel exercise makes them more creative, and there’s science to back up the reason why that’s so. 2) Before you sit down to brainstorm, pick a distraction-free time and place, if you can. Mood lighting, a scented candle, a table fountain—these are all great things to help you feel relaxed and inspired.  3) If you can, pick a pretty notebook and some colored pens, or use a zenware writing program like, Ommwriter or ZenWriter, which can further minimize distraction and get your creative juices flowing. If you prefer using a word document, try choosing a pretty font and text color. 4) Make sure you’ve eaten so you won’t be tempted to get up or snack in the middle of your brainstorming session. It’s ok if you want to have a drink, though. A nice hot cup of coffee is a writer favorite.  Ok, onto the actual brainstorming! Brainstorming - The Process 1) If you’re starting from scratch, you might first try choosing a genre that interests you, then make a list of all the things about that genre that interest you. Another option would be to write down your ten favorite novels, then make a list of the prominent details of each novel, to see what story details tend to excite you most. Look at keywords on your list to see if you get the starting point of a plot. 2) Try doing some writing prompts to see if a plot develops. You can find prompt sites all over tumblr. Here are some of my favorites: Writing Prompts, Writing Prompts That Don’t Suck, Prompts & Pointers, Photo Prompts, Daily Writing Prompts, and Write World. 

3) Pictures are a fantastic idea generator. Try going to your browser’s image search function and type a word that interests you to see what comes up. Fair warning, though, image searches can sometimes present you with things you don’t want to see. You may want to get into the settings and toggle the filters to limit the chances of that happening. You can also search tumblr for pictures that inspire you. 4) Music is a fantastic way to get inspired. Put your MP3 player on random or go to a site like Pandora, and really listen to the lyrics. Imagine the people who are experiencing the things happening in the songs, and try imagining the stories the songs tell into settings and scenarios that interest you.

5) Make a random list! Really—set a timer for 30 seconds and write down as many random words as you can think of, then go back through and see if there are any interesting keywords or patterns that inspire you. 6) I know it sounds crazy, but try a plot generator! Usually they come up with implausible or silly results, but sometimes even the silliest suggestions can spark better ideas. Here are some to try: Plot Scenario Generator, Plot Generator, Seventh Sanctum Story Generator, Plot-o-tron, TV Tropes Story (Idea) Generator, Hatch’s Plot Bank 7) Read through the 36 dramatic situations and see if anything jumps out at you. This link even picks one for you. 8) Start with your protagonist. If you don’t have one yet, think one up. What kind of person has a story you’d like to tell? When you have someone in mind, sit down and just start writing about a normal day for them. Imagine that you are a camera crew following them from the moment they wake up until the moment they go to sleep. Write down everything the “camera” sees. What do they do? Who do they talk to? Where do they go? You can even do little interviews to ask them how they feel about certain things. Very often, other important characters and story elements will start to reveal themselves, which can help you figure out a plot. 9) Go to Amazon.com or Goodreads and pull up a list of books in the genre you’re interested in, Pick a random title and write it down, then write what you think the story is about based on the title. No peeking at the real summary! Do this several times, and if a story idea doesn’t come to you, you might at least have some interesting nuggets that you can combine into a story idea. 10) If all else fails, try stepping outside of your writing zone to look for ideas. Go do some people watching and see if anyone interesting catches your eye. Try listening to conversations as people pass by and see if anything inspires you. Take a little day trip someplace interesting if you can—especially if you can find someplace that might cater to the genre you want to write in, like a historic site, a science museum, or a quaint little town. You can also see if there’s anything interesting in your family history that might give you some ideas. Flip through old family albums or memento boxes for inspiration. You can also try looking around an antique store to see if anything inspires you. And last but not least, if nothing else works, just sit someplace quiet and relaxing and let your mind wander. Imagine adventures you’d like to have, or imagine the story you’d most love to read right now. Who knows? That might give you just the idea you were looking for!

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This is a small list of website links to look at when writer a story or even a starter for roleplaying. Want to know how to describe something or someone? Check out this list. 

Words to describe behavior 

Words to describe someone’s voice

Words to describe Someone’s voice #2

Words to describe physical features of a person

Words to describe behavior #2

Words to describe someone’s voice #3

Words to describe a character’s mood

Words to describe someone’s facial expressions  

Words to describe someone’s face 100 words

Words to describe hair

Words to describe Texture

Words to describe emotions

Words to describe female clothing

Action Verb word list

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What is Gaslighting

Gaslighting is a form of emotional abuse where the abuser manipulates situations repeatedly to trick the victim into distrusting his or her own memory and perceptions. Gaslighting is an insidious form of abuse. It makes victims question the very instincts that they have counted on their whole lives, making them unsure of anything. Gaslighting makes it very likely that victims will believe whatever their abusers tell them regardless as to their own experience of the situation. Gaslighting often precedes other types of emotional and physical abuse because the victim of gaslighting is more likely to remain in other abusive situations as well.

The term “gaslighting” comes from the 1938 British play “Gas Light” wherein a husband attempts to drive his wife crazy using a variety of tricks causing her to question her own perceptions and sanity. Gas Light was made into a movie both in 1940 and 1944.

Gaslighting Techniques and Examples

There are numerous gaslighting techniques which can make gaslighting more difficult to identify. Gaslighting techniques are used to hide truths that the abuser doesn’t want the victim to realize. Gaslighting abuse can be perpetrated by either women or men.

"Withholding" is one gaslighting technique where the abuser feigns a lack of understanding, refuses to listen and declines sharing his emotions. Gaslighting examples of this would be:1

"I’m not listening to that crap again tonight."

"You’re just trying to confuse me."

Another gaslighting technique is "countering," where an abuser will vehemently call into question a victim’s memory in spite of the victim having remembered things correctly.

"Think about when you didn’t remember things correctly last time."

"You thought that last time and you were wrong."

These techniques throw the victim off the intended subject matter and make them question their own motivations and perceptions rather than the issue at hand.

It is then that the abuser will start to question the experiences, thoughts and opinions more globally through statements said in anger like:

"You see everything in the most negative way."

“Well you obviously never believed in me then.”

"You have an overactive imagination."

"Blocking" and "diverting" are gaslighting techniques whereby the abuser again changes the conversation from the subject matter to questioning the victim’s thoughts and controlling the conversation. Gaslighting examples of this include:

"I’m not going through that again."

"Where did you get a crazy idea like that?"

"Quit bitching."

"You’re hurting me on purpose."

"Trivializing" is another way of gaslighting. It involves making the victim believe his or her thoughts or needs aren’t important, such as:

"You’re going to let something like that come between us?”

Abusive "forgetting" and "denial" can also be forms of gaslighting. In this technique, the abuser pretends to forget things that have really occurred; the abuser may also deny things like promises that have been made that are important to the victim. An abuser might say,

"What are you talking about?"

"I don’t have to take this."

"You’re making that up."

Some gaslighters will then mock the victim for their “wrongdoings” and “misperceptions.”

Gaslighting Psychology

The gaslighting techniques are used in conjunction to try to make the victim doubt their own thoughts, memories and actions. Soon the victim is scared to bring up any topic at all for fear they are “wrong” about it or don’t remember the situation correctly.

The worst gaslighters will even create situations that allow for the usage of gaslighting techniques. An example of this is taking the victim’s keys from the place where they are always left, making the victim think she has misplaced them. Then “helping” the victim with her “bad memory” find the keys.

Are You a Victim of Gaslighting Emotional Abuse?

According to author and psychoanalyst Robin Stern, Ph.D., the signs of being a victim of gaslighting emotional abuse include:

You are constantly second-guessing yourself.

You ask yourself, “Am I too sensitive?” a dozen times a day.

You often feel confused and even crazy at work.

You’re always apologizing to your mother, father, boyfriend„ boss.

You can’t understand why, with so many apparently good things in your life, you aren’t happier.

You frequently make excuses for your partner’s behavior to friends and family.

You find yourself withholding information from friends and family so you don’t have to explain or make excuses.

You know something is terribly wrong, but you can never quite express what it is, even to yourself.

You start lying to avoid the put downs and reality twists.

You have trouble making simple decisions.

You have the sense that you used to be a very different person - more confident, more fun-loving, more relaxed.

You feel hopeless and joyless.

You feel as though you can’t do anything right.

You wonder if you are a “good enough” girlfriend/ wife/employee/ friend; daughter.

You find yourself withholding information from friends and family so you don’t have to explain or make excuses.

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Describing Pain

Properly describing pain can be difficult, considering that we tend to forget what various injuries actually feel like after they heal. This is a blessing, as no one really wants to remember the quality and severity of pain as if they’re re-experiencing it. However, it can be useful to know how to describe pain for writing purposes, as writers tend to enjoy mauling their poor characters.

There are various qualities and severities of pain. You can think of them as different flavors and textures of ice cream—ice cream comes in many flavors (chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, etc) and the texture may vary, depending upon the addition of things like nuts and fudge.

Qualities of pain include:

Sharp

Stabbing

Burning

Hot

Throbbing

Tearing—ripping or pulling apart

Searing—brief, intense heat

Crushing—pain feels “heavy”

Localized—the pain occurs in only one part of the body

Radiating—the pain spreads over other parts of the body

Severity of pain can range from mild to moderate to severe, and medical professionals often use a scale of 1-10 for adult patients, with, for example, 1 being a mild headache and 10 being the worst pain the patient has ever felt. Understanding the qualities and severities of pain are useful to diagnosis in the real world, and using them to describe what your characters are feeling adds realism.

Many disorders and injuries have pain that is very specific to them, and it would be wise to research the pain symptomatic of your character’s particular disorder or injury. For example, men having heart attacks commonly experience a crushing chest pain that radiates down the left arm, and appendicitis is often experienced as a sharp, stabbing pain in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen.

Pain is also very relative. Individuals may report different severities of pain for the same types of injuries. I’ve heard some patients after open heart surgery request as much pain medication as we can legally give them, while others only require a Tylenol.

How patients express feeling pain can be helpful for characterization. For example, a strong and stoic character might have a horrific injury, but only show that they are in pain by clenching their fists. On the other hand, a character unused to pain or injury may whine and grimace a lot about a papercut.

Some ways of expressing pain include:

Guarding—shielding the injured/painful area with hands or arms

Shouting or whispering

Clenched fists

Gritted or bared teeth

Light skinned characters may go pale or gray, while dark skinned characters may go gray or their lips may be purplish

Thousand yard stare

Facial grimacing or wincing

Moaning or crying

Limited range of motion

Decrease in appetite

Other things to consider include whether anything improves or worsens the pain (such as holding an injured limb immobile or flexing it, or elevating it), whether the pain is continuous or intermittent (meaning coming in waves or flashes), and symptoms associated with extreme pain, like nausea or vomiting.

I hope this has been helpful, and remember that the most important part of torturing your wretched characters is to have fun!

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Story First, Writing Second

I spent the morning working with a very talented writer. An extremely well-placed agent had recently rejected her manuscript, but told her that he’d be happy to consider a revision, or anything else she submits. This is rare praise.

I wasn’t surprised, either by the praise or the rejection. This writer has a great voice; she’s a wordsmith of the first order. Problem is, she can’t tell a story, so as the agent pointed out, the manuscript was meandering, aimless and didn’t add up to anything. And here’s the thing: the writer knew it. But she couldn’t figure out what she was doing wrong.

Talking to her, I said, “Here’s what most writers do, and why they fail: They come up with an interesting character and an interesting situation, and then they start writing to see where it’ll go. They figure that both the story and the character will come clear to them as they write. What they end up with is a narrative that’s basically just a bunch of things that happen.”

“Yes,” she said, “That’s exactly what I did! And when I went back to rewrite, I didn’t know what to do, or how to make it better.”

In fact, before we spoke, she’d written to tell me she was ready to chalk it up to a good try, and start over with something else. Which was heartbreaking, and happily, turned out to be unnecessary. Instead, she’s now going back to find the heart of the story was aiming for, and only then will she begin writing forward.

“Story first, “writing” second” is a fundamental guiding principle when it comes to writing an effective story. Ignore it at your peril.

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