Cordelia.

ᵎ hello, i'm cordelia or delia. i'm a writer and i write both fanfictions and novel writing.

[moon-delia]

★ ៸៸៸ WELCOME ╱ post ❜ ✸ ៸ !?!

I'm your brilliant procrastinator, Cordelia, and welcome to my account! This post will be pinned for newcomers or any curious wanderers.

★ ! THE RULES ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

# ៸ no negative and bullying comments. constructive criticism, giving other related advices or tips, and correcting my errors is allowed ― as long as it's not hurting someone's or my feelings.

# ៸ be kind. we're all friends so let's not make enemies, yeah?

# ៸ askbox is always open. my askbox will always be open for any requests, questions or just chats. don't be afraid to press send, i'll answer as soon as possible.

★ ! MY SOCIALS ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

# ៸ nepttunw_ . this is my instagram writing account and i post writing on there. once in a blue moon, i will post about my own writing.

# ៸ cdxlia. this is my twitter account, but i've never used it. maybe i'll use it once i've got a decent amount of followers there.

# ៸ cdxliaa. this is my tiktok account, and i've also never used it before. maybe i'll post something soon, not sure.

# ៸ neptune.pdf . my unused youtube account. idk what to do with it.

★ ! EXTRA INFO ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

# ៸ feel free to message me. i'm usually free, unless school or life so happens to make my schedule packed, and i'll gladly talk to anyone.

# ៸ i post whenever. but i will try to post every monday (gmt +8), i can't guarantee that it'll always be consistent tho.

# ៸ breaks. my breaks usually last a week or a day or two, but i also don't take break that often. whenever, i take breaks from social media, i normally announce it on my insta story and will specify how long it will probably be, but sometimes it's wrongly predicted.

★ ! MY POSTS ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

# ៸ character quirks one // here

# ៸ character quirks two // here

# ៸ jealousy // here

# ៸ friendships one // here

# ៸ friendships two // here

# ៸ dialogue // here

# ៸ writing a novel // here

# ៸ writer's block // here

[moon-delia]

★ ៸៸៸ PINTEREST TAG GAME ╱ post ❜ ✸ ៸ !?!

— thanks for the tag bae @ir4pookie ! <3

how it works : Let Pinterest describe you to its best abilities and share how accurate you believe it is. Use the first pictures that pop up - search "aesthetic", "character" and then "me" !

— I think Pinterest did a pretty good job <3 (no tags from me)

[strawbkawa]

Pinterest Tag Game !!!

Thank you for the tag @kingstarkingslay!

How it works : Let Pinterest describe you to its best abilities and share how accurate you believe it is. Use the first pictures that pop up - search “ aesthetic ”, “ character ” and finally “ me ”

third is just me guys trust

tags !! @not-rab @hrtregulus @moon-delia

@maniac-door @rikisses

[dear-ao3]

[moon-delia]

Hiii you have Wattpad? <3

I do actually!! I haven't used it in a while tho, but I've had it since 2018?? or smth?? I unpublished all of my old books that seemed cringe so uhm, yes 💀

Wattpad user : @ neptunewritess

[moon-delia]

★ ៸៸៸ WRITER'S BLOCK ╱ post ❜ ✸ ៸ !?!

Writer’s block is a common phenomenon that writers experience when they feel stuck in the writing process; it can come as an overwhelming feeling that impedes them from moving forward and writing anything new. Writer’s block can come from an overarching problem — like struggling with plot or character — or something smaller, like failing to find the right words to describe a scene.

While many different causes of writer’s block exist and overcoming this roadblock requires different solutions depending on the individual, many writers have recommendations and strategies to help you get over writer’s block and get back to work. Webster’s dictionary defines writer’s block as “a psychological inhibition preventing a writer from proceeding with a piece.”

The way it manifests itself is different from writer to writer. A Psychology Today article from 2012 talks about the struggle of starting a new project and sticking with it, even when it gets hard. They call the process of “getting into the chair and staying there.”

The reason why it’s so hard to get started and find continuous inspiration varies greatly from person to person.

★ ! COMMON REASONS ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

# ៸ fear. Most struggle with fear. Fear of putting themselves and their ideas out there, fear of other judging them or criticizing their work, fear of being rejected by publishers or their readers. Although fear is a normalized thing, it becomes a problem once it prevents you from creating anything new. Fear is possibly the biggest reason that some writers don't make it.

# ៸ perfectionism. It's normal to want to do our very best, to get everything just right before we even start our first sentence. Most use perfectionism as a protection mechanism, to protect themselves from harsh critique or failure. Unfortunately, trying to write the perfect sentence, paragraph or story will lead most writers to never write a single word (like me, who hasn't written since months now).

# ៸ self-criticism. As the saying goes, we are our own worst critics. Excessive self-criticism is often what holds writers from actually writing. Most compare their work with that of other, more successful writers or even to their own earlier work. This can spiral until we can no longer see our own work in a realistic light and nothing ever seem to be good enough.

# ៸ external pressure. In different cases, those who are experiencing writer's block doesn't actually want to write, but they are being pressured into writing by others (parents, teachers, friends, followers, etc.).

★ ! SAY GOODBYE ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

# ៸ exercise. Exercising has been proven to reduce stress, focus the mind, increase productivity and enhance the memory. While more studies are needed, research suggests that regular physical exercise can improve creativity and creative problem solving, which are needed for writing.

# ៸ switch tasks. Alternately, you can switch tasks and work on something different for a while if you find yourself dwelling on the same plot twist or trying to find the perfect first sentence. This could be another creative activity (ex. painting, cooking, walking the dog). Switching tasks can be a quick reset if you're feeling stuck.

# ៸ change of scenery. In some cases, all it needs to clear the head and get some new ideas is a change of scenery. Try working from a different environment like a coffee shop or the library the next time you feel stuck and need some inspiration.

# ៸ strive for progress, not perfectionism. Remind yourself that you're merely working on the first draft. Thinking of your work as a first draft of many will take the pressure off to get it just right. It's always easier to rewrite, edit, tweak and improve a piece of imperfect writing than to try to get it right the first time.

In the end, the only thing that will really get you to overcome writer's block is to write. So clear your head, get some rest and refocus. Then, sit down at your desk or somewhere and let the words out.

[moon-delia]

★ ៸៸៸ WRITING A ╱ novel ❜ ✸ ៸ !?!

Writing a short story is fairly easy. An essay, even more so. But sitting down and beginning the first words of a who knows how long novel? Yeah, no.

Most writers spend countless days on worldbuilding only to drop the abandon it completely. Most end up not starting the first line of their book, while others get to a point where they simply feel like the story's not worth it.

★ ! BEFORE STARTING ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

If you've been in the writing community long enough, you might have heard of pantser and plotter before. A plotter plans and structures the story beforehand, while a pantser sits on the other extreme – they sit down and begins writing straight away with only a rough idea.

But writing a book isn't a day's job – it's not a 100 meter run, it's a whole marathon.

# ៸ have an idea in mind. Make sure the idea is something you genuinely find interesting – you'll be working on it for months, years if you're lucky!

# ៸ outline a novel with the plot idea to detail. You don't need to write long descriptions of your idea, but just snippets that'll help you index and arrange the structure.

# ៸ keep your readers in mind. The characters' age, things that interest them, how the character is, and so on – your readers will unconsciously keep these things in mind. Always consider your readers when writing.

dedicated to: @butterflythebiscuit

[moon-delia]

★ ៸៸៸ DIALOGUE ╱ post ❜ ✸ ៸ !?!

Dialogue, as everyone knows, is what the characters in novels, plays, screenplays — basically any kind of creative writing where characters speak — say out loud.

For most writers, dialogue is one of the things we look forward to. It's the opportunity to let the characters' motivations, flaws, knowledge, fears and more come to life! By writing dialogues, you're giving them (the characters) their own voice, fleshing them out from concepts into three-dimensional characters.

Dialogues have multiple purposes — one of them is to characterize your characters. You can learn a lot about somebody's mindset, background, emotional state, and such more from how they speak.

Dialogue makes your writing feel more immersive as well! It breaks up long prose passages and gives your readers something to "hear" other than your narrator's voice. It can communicate subtext, like showing class differences between characters through the vocabulary they use or hinting at a shared history between them. Most times, a narrator's description just can't deliver information the same way that a well-timed quip or a profound observation by a character can.

★ ! MONOLOGUE ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

In contrast with dialogues, monologues are a single, usually lengthy passages spoken by one character. They are often part of plays.

A character may be speaking directly to the reader or viewer, or they could be speaking to one or more other characters. The defining characteristic of a monologue is that it's one character's moment in the spotlight to express their thoughts, ideas, and/or perspective.

Often, a character's private thoughts are delivered via monologue. This is called an internal monologue. An internal monologue is the voice an individual (though not all) "hears" in their head as they talk themselves through their daily activities.

★ ! THE TYPES ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

Inner dialogue is the dialogue a character has inside their head. This can be a monologue. In most cases, inner dialogue is not marked by quotation marks. Some mark them by italicizing it.

Outer dialogue is a dialogue that happens externally, often between two or more characters. This goes inside quotation marks.

★ ! AVOID THESE ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

# ៸ using a tag for every piece of dialogue. Dialogue tags are words like said and asked. Once you've established that two characters are having a conversation, you don't need to tag every piece of dialogue Doing so can be redundant and breaks the reader's flow. Once the readers know each character's voice, many lines can stand alone.

# ៸ not using enough tags. On another hand, some writers use too few dialogue tags, which can confuse readers. The readers should always know who's speaking. When a character's mannerisms and knowledge don't make that obvious, tag the dialogue and use their names.

# ៸ dense, unrealistic speech. Dialogues don't need to be grammatically correct. When it's too grammatically correct, it can make characters seem stiff and unrealistic.

# ៸ anachronisms. A pirate in 1700s Barbados wouldn't greet his captain with "what's up?" Depending on how dedicated you (and your readers) are to historical accuracy, this doesn't need to be perfect. But it should be believable.

[moon-delia]

★ ៸៸៸ FRIENDSHIP 2 ╱ post ❜ ✸ ៸ !?!

# ៸ give them a history that shines through.

By no means do you want them to seem like they just met each other yesterday, if your two friends have known each other for a while now. What you need to do is throw out hints that these friends have known each other for a while ― you need to make the readers curious about these two friends and their history with each other.

And even if your characters meet within the timeline of the story, sneaking in hints that these characters are learning more about each other is a great way to develop your friendship.

Here are a few ways to show that:

# ៸ give them an inside joke.

# ៸ give them a silly, on-going argument.

Friends aren’t always going to agree on everything and their points of conflict don’t always have to be some dramatic issue ― they can be arguing over which one is better: Star Trek or Star Wars, they can argue over whether pineapple belong on pizza or not or maybe they argue over who is the taller one.

Giving them a silly, ongoing argument will make the characters feel real and simultaneously reveal different shades of their personality. Not only that, but it also offers a window into how they handle arguments between themselves. Who is the one that gets really worked up? Who is the one who makes all the great points?

# ៸ utilize nonverbal communication.

When you can start communicating with someone without words, that's when you really know someone. For example:

★ let your characters be comfortable sitting in silence with each other

★ use gestures and facial expressions to convey meaning to each other

★ give them an unspoken rule

★ one friend asks a question, the other answers with silence

★ they can predict what each other are going to do

# ៸ create a glue.

What is keeping your friends from parting ways? Without something to keep them together, your characters might grow apart. What is the glue that keeps this friendship intact? This can be a character, a goal, or the two of them are just thrown into a situation where they can't get away from each other.

★ one friend is the gardener of the other

★ the two of them must deliver a secret message to a Jedi

★ they both go the same extracurricular club 

★ they are toys who both have been captured by an evil kid who likes to torture toys

★ one friend can't  achieve his story goal without helping the other friend win a cart race

# ៸ create meaningful scenes.

Now that you have all the key components to an amazing friendship, it’s time to develop it through your story. Insert a few key friendship moments in your novel and show your reader the power of this relationship. 

Here are some ideas:

★ one friend gives the other a gift

★ they play a game together

★ they share a jacket 

★ they eat food together

★ they teach each other something

★ one friend gives the other a foot massage

# ៸ don't make the relationship perfect.

People aren’t perfect, and your friends can’t get along together all the time. But that doesn't mean you should stuff in a bunch of contrived conflict between your friendships. Instead, set up situations that will naturally occur because of who these characters are, and what they believe.

Maybe their differences get the better of them, maybe they react differently to a pivotal event in your novel, maybe one of the friend's internal demons gets the better of them, and the other friend has to call them out on it. This only results in more tension between them. This is an especially brilliant method to enhance a character arc.

Or simply make their friendship a more complex. Perhaps your two characters look out for one another, but they are always being compared to one another, and they need to overcome their deep feelings of jealousy for each other or they work well together, but one friend is keeping a lot of secrets from the other.

These complications and character differences not only add to your story, but watching these characters overcome these obstacles and still come out as friends makes your friendship feel more real, deep, and deserved.

[moon-delia]

★ ៸៸៸ FRIENDSHIP 1 ╱ post ❜ ✸ ៸ !?!

Good friendships can turn a decent story into a memorable one as, it not only does it make the reader care more about the story, it adds emotional weight to the story.

But there's one problem. Good relationships are difficult to write. You thought writing romance was difficult? Well, writing friendships is a whole new level of difficulty.

Romances normally rely on professions of love and staring into one's eyes for lengthy periods of time. But, how do you develop friendships?

# ៸ make each character their own person.

If a character's only purpose in the story is to act as "the friend", then it's guaranteed that they will be a flat and uninteresting character. This will lead to a friendship that no reader will be invested in.

Unfortunately, a lot of stories are like this ― you have your main character, and then their 1-dimensional friend who might crack a joke every once in a while. 

We have some good examples from movies like Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings. He isn't just "Frodo's friend" who tags along. He's a gardener and a cook. He has a fascination with elves, a crush on Rosie, and a bad habit of eavesdropping. He is loyal, brave, and can persevere even when there is seemingly no hope.

You see this is in Toy Story as well. Even though Woody and Buzz both have the same goal ― to escape Sid's house ― they both have different journeys. The story means different things to each of them. Woody learns to not be as selfish and Buzz struggles with accepting that he is just a toy.

# ៸ give them something in common.

Once you have fleshed out your characters, you need a reason for them to be friends. What brought them together? What gives them the reason to hang out? You need to give them similarities.

This can be a number of different things, like:

★ Status

★ Hobbies

★ Struggles

★ History

★ Background

★ Interests

★ Enemy

★ Goals

★ Dreams

# ៸ give them meaningful differences.

Once you've established their similarities, it's time to dig deeper and create their meaningful differences. Don't just make your characters different. Give them meaningful differences that can build off of each other.

With those differences, your characters can help support their strengths and build them up during their times of weakness. This can lead to a strong friendship.

Here are some great ways to give them differences:

# ៸ skills.

★ One of the friend can be smart in terms of intelligence while the other is good at using her hands and inventing stuff.

★ One might be good at coming up with plans, while the other might be good at improvising when the plan goes awry.

# ៸ conflict resolution.

★ If there is a bully bothering them, one might want to go and blow up at the bully, while the other chooses to ignore it.

★ If they are having an argument, one friend would want to talk it out maturely, while the other just likes to play devil's advocate and throw more heat into the argument.

# ៸ personality.

★ One is confident and sly while the other is shy and awkward.

★ A is cold and determined while B is relaxed and compassionate.

★ B is an easy-going pleasure seeker, and B is a serious planner.

# ៸ method of action.

★ Both friends are trying to break into a house. One will look up videos on YouTube about how to pick a lock. The other friend will just break the window with a rock.

★ The two friends are trying to persuade someone to do something. One friend uses bribing techniques, and the other friend uses a more passive-aggressive approach.

# ៸ reaction.

★ One friend with freak out and the other friend will stay calm.

★ A will get discouraged and want to give up, and B will encourage them to keep going.

★ One person is terrified out of their mind, while the other tries to stay positive.

[moon-delia]

★ ៸៸៸ JEALOUSY ╱ post ❜ ✸ ៸ !?!

Along with many other emotions, jealousy is very complex emotion and requires you to break it down into tiny pieces in order for you to identify and write them.

It is very effective in writing as it helps a character realize what they really want and how badly they want it. It doesn't have to be central to the plot; it can be understated and supported by anger or fear.

It comes across in simple examples like a villain who is jealous of the hero, when two characters want one thing / have the same goal or when one character is more successful than the other.

★ ! THE TYPES ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

# ៸ sexual jealousy ― when a character's spouse or significant other displays or expresses sexual interest in someone else.

# ៸ romantic jealousy ― when your character fears the loss of a romantic partner or fears rejection from a potential or current romantic partner.

# ៸ possessive jealousy ― when he/she feels threatened by someone who could interrupt a friendship or relationship that they value.

# ៸ separation jealousy ― when your character has fear of separation or loss of a lover, partner, friend or parent due to their relationship with another person.

# ៸ work jealousy ― when your character feels cheated out of a promotion at work, or feels jealousy towards a specific person at work.

# ៸ friend / sibling jealousy ― When he/she feels inadequate when comparing themselves to their friends/family/siblings (they always try to one-up their friend/sibling).

# ៸ abnormal jealousy ― extreme psychological jealousy that results in or a combination of morbid, psychotic, psychological, delusional, anxious, controlling, immature and insecure behavior.

★ ! WHAT FUELS IT ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

There are many reason for someone to be jealous of another person. It could be rejection, confusion, frustration, powerlessness, insecurity, suspicion, loneliness or distrust. Choose the reason that fits the type of jealousy.

★ ! HOW IT EFFECTS ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

Do they have an increased heart rate or body temperature? Do they become angry and clench their fist, have verbal outbursts, stare downs and tensed muscles? Do they become quiet and have a dry mouth?

★ ! THEIR REACTION ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

★ make up stories/gossip about that person so that others will have negative feelings towards the same person.

★ feel overwhelmed and underachieve in every sphere of their life.

★ avoid the person all together.

★ take up a bad habit or addiction in an attempt to deal with their feelings.

★ become obsessed about something (like over exercising and dieting to beat their rival in a tournament or something more sinister like plotting another character’s demise).

★ manipulate others into feeling sorry for them.

★ over criticize themselves and everything they do.

★ harm themselves, their environment or others.

★ show a blatant disregard for the needs and desires of others to fulfill their own.

★ bully or intimidate the people around them to gain a false sense of power.

★ abuse others physically or psychologically.

★ flaunt their wealth (or fame, intelligence, status, beauty, etc.) to mask their own insecurities.

[moon-delia]

★ ៸៸៸ CH. QUIRKS 2 ╱ post ❜ ✸ ៸ !?!

The problem with character quirks is that if overused, and done badly, what could be a fun and memorable way to distinguish one character from another can quickly become grating for the reader and stop them from wanting to turn the page.

★ ! AVOID THESE ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

# ៸ steer clear of clichés. Some character quirks and certain words have been overdone to the point of being farcical (although, if writing satire or a genre where readers expect certain tropes, go to town with the cheese!).

# ៸ avoid stereotypes. Racist, sexist, ableist, or any other type of stereotypical observations are not quirks. Mental health issues and disabilities are not quirks. Think about why you are giving certain characters a unique trait, how it fits into the plot, and try to be original with it.

# ៸ don't overdo it. If all your characters are ever so quirky it will detract from the story. It's important to create unique characters, yes, but each one doesn't have to be weird and kooky. Sometimes having a fall guy, a straight and serious foil, can enhance the hero's quirkier traits.

★ ! PLAN IT ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

# ៸ think about what you're trying to say. Every character in your story should look and act a certain way for a reason. So imagine your cast, (create a vision board on Pinterest if it helps with physical features), and ask yourself why they look and behave the way they do.

# ៸ make a list of your characters' quirks. Try to be original, amusing, or endearing. Don’t match a quirk with a character for the sake of it, make sure it’s relevant to who they are, what they are trying to achieve, or to the outcome of the story.

# ៸ make your characters rounded. Ensure their name, backstory, and how they interact with the rest of the characters matches their personality and quirks.

# ៸ remember quirks are a reflection of a character's disposition. Think about their mental state, their personality, their backstory, and their constant state of mind.

Here Are Some Ideas For Character Quirks:

# ៸ physical quirks.

★ a birthmark

★ wears braces

★ tall / short

★ tattoos / piercings

★ keeps dying their hair a different color

★ unusual hair color

★ noticeable scar

―

★ walking habits

★ sleeps in a strange position

★ avoids eye contact

★ sits extremely straight

★ laughs behind their mouth

★ claps to accentuate each word

★ moves arms and hands a lot when talking

★ does little dances when happy

―

★ raspy voice

★ talkative

★ sings when speaking

★ they clear their throat before speaking

★ hums all the time

★ says ‘err’ or other fillers a lot

★ loud talker/quiet talker

# ៸ behavioral quirks.

★ obsessive cleaning

★ tying their hair up

★ sleeves always rolled up

★ always chewing their lip

★ cracking knuckles

―

★ extremely loyal

★ people pleaser

★ unnecessarily rude

★ fusses over people

★ makes their friends gifts

―

★ chews their nails

★ twirls their hair

★ uses the same word over and over

★ swears a lot (creative swear words are the most fun)

[moon-delia]

★ ៸៸៸ CH. QUIRKS 1 ╱ post ❜ ✸ ៸ !?!

Quirks are character traits that make your characters memorable, relatable and different to one another.

Quirky characters may have "unusual" physical attributes (different colour eyes), unique personality traits (they do a dancey dance whenever they're happy), or peculiar habits (they pour milk before cereal).

Either way, a quirky character generally looks or behaves in a way that differentiates them from other characters.

So when you're creating memorable characters for your story, it's really important to ensure that they have traits and characteristics that make them memorable. But that doesn't mean every character in your story need to have quirky traits, but — when it comes to character creation — it does give you the opportunity to have a lot of fun!

★ ! A SUCCESS ❪ 🎧 ❫ ៸ !?!

# ៸ be original. Think of new quirks that you've not seen in a story before. You may want to tweak more common traits to your satisfaction or you could try using people in real life as inspiration.

# ៸ make sure the character's quirks are relevant. Don't give a character cute quirks that don't mean anything. The realization of what they both ultimately want to do with their lives is the main theme of the story — and the resolution at the end.

# ៸ use quirks to show a change in character. What do they do under stress? What happens when they bottle up their emotions too long?

# ៸ have fun with foils. If you're going to have two main characters (proganist & love interest, etc.), use character quirks to highlight their differences.