Naq Writes

I write stuff. Sideblog. Follows from granddjinni.

[naqwrites]

Moved from here to @naquadahwrite

[naqwrites]

Reblogs this for everyone to see.

[naqwrites]

Moved from here to @naquadahwrite

[naqwrites]

Had a bit of a break on this blog, but since I am in a huge creative mood these days, I'll try and post more!

The thing is I don't write as much in english as I probably should since it is not my first language and I feel I suck at writing stories in english. I'll give it another go tho!

[deakyswhitequeen]

Find your match: tag game

Hi lovesies, I kinda had an idea, after taking this test I found on @matstegen blog, about Creative Types.

So, I found out that, out of the eight possible creative personalities, I’m a thinker (the description totally suits me, btw lol). And I thought “How cool would it be if among my lovely mutuals I could find the other seven personalities that match and complete mine?”

So here I am, starting this ‘tag game’…

Rules:

Take the test

Reblog this post with what type you got

Tag 7 mutuals to do the same!

Let’s find our matches people!

I’m tagging: @sweetgcreature @its-a-metephor-brian @bohemiandelilah @gottabecool-relax @instantezra @radio-ha-ha @littledarlingwellaway cause they are my squad, but if you want to try and do this, you’re more than welcome!

Xx 💖

PS: my matches would be Adventurer and Visionary

[chill-out-imnotobsessed]

I’m a Dreamer.

My match is Innovator.

Tagging: @sanders-trash-4ever @s-s-georgie-redballoons @bonniebird @colsonbaeker @rogahhhhtaylah @starkravingparker @calumsendgame

[the-v-gees]

I’m a dreamer too!

@stormcrawler75 @seas-space-and-stardust @you-can-call-me-monte

[stormcrawler75]

I’m a Dreamer as well! My Match is an innovator!

@punsterterry @radioactivehelena @iris-sanders-athena @bleepblopbloop56 @lilcutekittykat

[punsterterry]

I’m a Thinker and my Match is Adventurer

@ravens-rambling @dr-gloom @stella-scriptor @callboxkat @sevenatee @freedominwriting @journalanxiety

[stella-scriptor]

I got Dreamer with an Innovator match!! Anyone who wants to do this can :)

[kemecchi]

Dreamer with an Innovator match! @feed-me-to-mothman-daddy @mendaxiety @sleepy-buggy y’all are basically my only mutuals oops

[voidchangeling]

Dreamer with innovator match! (Also it really fits because my imagination is always going hecking crazy!)

Uhhhh @the-no-name-system @sher-soc-the-famder @redisawerewolf @milomeepit @wisepuma23 @princeanxious @lacrimosathedark

[princeanxious]

Dreamer with innovator match. I think im seeing a pattern here! xD

Im on my phone and my memory is terrible so I cant tag that many people aaaaa

@today-only-happens-once @randomslasher

[magicallygrimmwiccan]

Thinker with Adventurer match! 

@supergayandaesthetic @residentanchor @teacupfulofstarshine @theincediblesulk @theabookdragon @romanthestarstruckqueer @dailypattondoodle

[theincediblesulk]

I got Dreamer with an Innovator match

@jynxlovesluck @bleepblopbloop56 @notalwaysthevillian @weirdsthenewnormal @romansleftshoulderpad @hanramz-the-fander @softestvirgil

[romansleftshoulderpad]

I got dreamer but I didn’t see anything that about a match?

@katatles-the-fish @accidentally-logince @well-love-has-failed-me @my-analogical-romance @max-is-tired @creativity-killed-thekitten @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2

[max-is-tired]

Surprise surprise, I’m a Dreamer with Innovator as a match!!

@creativity-killed-thekitten @franninart @demurphart @really-sleep-deprived-nerd @1-800-im-not-ok @heck-im-lost @gayfandomsaremything

[foolblue]

The Dreamer!!

@dodos-in-damnation @sortablue @repetitive-tautology

[eveningcolor]

yet another dreamer over here.

@enofbloogle @shinigami-risky @ishely @shadingnightmares-personal @crayolacolor 

[crayolacolor]

Apparently I’m a visionary, and my match is a thinker. Some of the questions I wasn’t sure how to answer though, so I don’t know if it’s entirely accurate, Lol. @dappersdespair, @highlightersan, @dracoxsyi, @chippani, @cxsaltwater I don’t have a ton of people to tag but I’ll tag you five and see what y’all end up with, Lol.

[chippani]

Thinker, apparently. Didn’t totally understand some of the questions but it seems about right. When Chi’s not spaced out.

@blacklynx14 @ravings1 @lisselvolker @maya-tl @aleiasanova @meepmeepers @amber-wolf-girl-21

[lisselvolker]

I’m a dreamer. @blacklynx14 @skafarorya-weiss-crest @aleiasanova @maya-tl don’t know who else to tag. but if you want to take the test, go for it.

[maya-tl]

Also a Dreamer! My match is the Innovator.

@nickivi @phaunicier @electricdaisy @glowingmooncreations @just-a-spoonful-of-creativity @altruistic-skittles @apex-knight

[sweetest-honeybee]

Holy shit a lot of you are dreamers! I’m a thinker and my match is the adventurer! (Lol just like @magicallygrimmwiccan :3)

Open for anyone to try :)

[yourelost-itsokay]

Nobody tagged me, thought it would be fun :P I’m a Dreamer like almost everyone else ig, and my match is innovator

anybody can do this I guess, it’s a really cool quiz!

[egotistical-boi-deactivated2019]

Literally the same as above XD  Nobody tagged me, but I wanted to. I got Dreamer and my match is innovator. Or whatever @croutonwhore gets. Either way (That means I’m tagging you, take ze quiz)

[thoughtparadocs-blog]

i got visionary with the match of a thinker xD

[extremeloser]

Another dreamer ( why are there so many of us?) With a innovator match @im-definitely-hermione-granger @official-lucifers-child @blueblocksandblueberries @pan-n-proud @offical-potato @delightfullyshamelessdinosar @krystalprism and anyone who wants to join

[tech--romancer]

Visionary and i would match with a thinker

@fluffibon @lawfullyindigo @freakofandoms @irish1idiot @pansexual-pirate-seeks-all-booty @that-one-dude-from-that-thing @cause-a-gay-has-got-to-slay

[ringwaldhaze]

I got Artist with the match of a Producer :)

@vanilladadmare @strawberrydadmare @the-one-and-only-grapemare @kateroo2001 @colt-senpai @kindamaybe-sortof @jaimebeazley @punny-and-possibly-pan

[jaimebeazley-blog]

i got the dreamer and my match is the innovator! i liked this a lot! 

tagging anyone and everyone

[topazastral]

I got Artist with Producer match!

@flyingfalconflower12 @adequateazalea @redretro @aspiring-fangirls-world @midnight-wonder @slytherinintj13 @handageddon

[toomanystoryideas]

i’m a Dreamer and my match is an Innovator :)

tagging @platypus4life @myreidola @belles-library @unmellowyellowfellow @tricksexual @lantern-hill-studies @jaywrites101

[suninks-moved]

@flyingfalconflower12 i’m a dreamer too! 

tagging: @coffehousecreations @cals-desk @luciandra-writing @realworldficton @itsurmumus @captain-el-writes 

[itsmolnerdbean]

I love how we are all dreamers!(this is coffee btw. I reposted on the wrong blog)

I’m tagging @beeloved1 @caitwritesstuff @writing-whos-she @writing-with-melon @fernyquotes and anyone else who wants to

[writing-with-melon]

lol, I got dreamer too!!! Where are the innovators to match us? Also, that test was beautifully made, just sayin’ A+ 

I’m tagging @bysombreseas @ohhlookitsthepizza @jaydewritesfiction @wordlegacy @adayforducks @dahladahlabills @onemoredayofwriting

[onemoredayofwriting]

I’m a thinker, and my ideal match is an Adventurer. I’d say the description suits me relatively well XD

I’ll tag: @cookiecuttercritter @ghostpicnic-writes @maidollyganger @esoteric-eclectic-eccentric @crazycoffeemermaid @theswordofpens

[cass-writings]

I’m a dreamer too and my match is an innovator! It suits me more than I expected!

Tagging @winterwindsheir @words-power @simonvsawkwardsituations @thetempleofthemasaigoddess @jess—writes @heavenlybursts @theswordofpens

[martastories]

I’m a dreamer too! My match is innovator.

This tag game is amazing!

@fantasy-shadows @honiewrites @nemowritesstuff @naqwrites @nemesis-rising @missguided-ink @stephrawlingwrites

[naqwrites]

I am the Dreamer, which I think suits me well. I dont have as much as 7 followers, but I'll tag a few that I've got!

@anthusa @theswordofpens

[naqwrites]

I wrote 4000 words today. I am pleased.

[kaypier-deactivated20200518]

More often than not I’ll crack into a sprawling fantasy series and, while I appreciate the luscious descriptions of furniture, landscapes, and clothing, all I’m focused on is that I don’t actually know how this world works. I only know what it looks like.  

Including some functionality to your universe can add to immersion and give your reader a strong foundation on which to build their mental model of your universe. 

You certainly don’t need to use all of these questions! In fact, I recommend against that, as all of these certainly won’t make it into your final draft. I personally find that starting my worldbuilding off with 5 to 10 functional questions helps pave the way for glittery and elaborate aesthetic development later on.

How is the healthcare funded in your world?

How does healthcare functionally differ between the wealthy and the poor? (i.e. can only the wealthy go to hospitals? do poor families often have to rely on back-alley procedures?)

Where are health centers (i.e. hospitals, small clinics, etc.) organized in your cities?

Does it differ in smaller towns?

How does this affect people’s ability to get healthcare?

Is healthcare magical, and if it is, how does that affect the healthcare system? 

If healing is instantaneous, how does that affect people’s views on injury, illness, and chronic ailments?

If you have both magical and physical healthcare, which one is deemed superior and how does that affect society? 

What illnesses are common in your world? 

How does this affect daily life? 

What do the people in your world think illnesses are? 

Is it a miasma theory? 

Humor theory? 

Demons? 

Do they know about biological viruses and bacteria? 

How does this affect healthcare?

How do people get water? 

Is the water sanitary and if not, how do they sanitize it?

How does agriculture work? 

Is it large corporations or individual farms?

What sort of agricultural technology exists in your world and how does it affect food production?

Are farmers wealthy or poor?

What sort of natural resources does your world/country(ies) have and how are they obtained?

How does this affect the average wealth of the country?

How does this wealth affect the culture? 

What livestock or beasts of burden are most valued? Least valued? Why?

What is considered a luxury good vs. a regular good?

What forms of transportation does your world have?

What classes use what forms of transportation?

How far has the average citizen traveled, given your transportation limitations?

Which cities are the most accessible and which are the least? Why?

How do popular transportation methods change how cities/towns are laid out?

Does your world have public transportation? What is it?

Is there a coming-of-age aspect to travel?

Describe your world’s postal system or whatever equivalent there is. 

Who pays for it? 

How reliable is it? 

Are there emergency methods for transporting information?

How does your world keep time (i.e. watches, sundials, water clock, etc.)?

Does your world have a currency system, barter system, or something else? 

If you have multiple countries, do different currencies have different values across said countries?

How does this affect travel?

Do you have banks in your world and if so, how are they run?

Who owns the banks? Government? Wealthy? How does this affect the economy and/or class system?

How does credit operate in your universe?

Does your world operate more on big corporations or small business? Something in between?

How are workers/labourers treated in your world? 

Are there workers unions and if so, what are common views on unions? 

Describe your tax system. If you don’t have a tax system, explain why and how your world is affected by that. 

Can certain social classes not own property, certain livestock, certain businesses, etc.? Why?

How are business records kept? Are business records kept?

If your world has technology, does your world prioritize developing entertainment tech, communications tech, transportation tech or something else entirely?

What does this say about your world?

How does this affect your economy?

To the closest approximation, what type of government does your world have? 

How are rulers/presidents/nobles put in place? 

How much power does an individual ruler have? 

Is there a veto process? 

If you have multiple countries, do they have different types of rulers?

Describe any large-scale alliances (i.e. countries, factions, etc.) that are present in your world. 

How did they come about and how are they maintained? 

Are they strained or peaceful? 

How does it affect the greater politics of your world?

Describe how wars are fought both internationally and nationally. 

Do methods of war differ between countries/races? 

What about philosophies about war?

If there is a military, what is its hierarchy structure?

How does the military recruit?

Is the military looked upon favourably in your society?

What weapons are used by each country/type of people during warfare, and how does that affect war strategies?

Describe the sentencing system of your world. 

Is your accused innocent until proven guilty, or guilty until proven innocent?

How are lawbreakers punished? 

If you have prisons, describe how they are organized and run, and who owns them. 

Does differing ownership change how the prisons operate?

What are the major ways in which laws between countries vary? 

Do laws between cities vary? If so, how and why?

How does citizenship work in your world? What rights and privileges do citizens have that others do not? 

Can certain classes or races not become citizens?

Are there certain taboo subjects or opinions that artist/authors/musicians are not allowed to depict (i.e. portraying the official religion in a negative light, explicit sexual material, etc.)? What does this say about your society?

How do people get around these censorship laws?

What is the official hierarchy of duty in your world? (i.e. is family the most important, or patriotism? What about clan?)

How many languages are there in your world, and how many languages share a common origin? 

How many people are multilingual? 

Which language is the most common?

How is multilingualism viewed?

How are different languages viewed? (i.e. is one language ugly/barbaric while another is romantic and sensual?)

Feel free to add your own questions in reblogs or in comments!

[roguemetalmaster13]

attention writeblrs:

I am looking to connect with some writeblrs, so if you are a writing blog, book blog, study blog, or a blog with resources for writers, please reblog so I can follow you. If you want to follow my writerblr, the url is: @badass-rebel-babe

[thewritinghole]

Writing: Creating Your Main Character

Ah, the main character. If your story were a ship, they’d be the pilot. It’s their job to incite, propel, and solve the plot, all while making the readers laugh and smile and cry and get frustrated, and oftentimes they carry with them the moral lesson. This is a pretty tall order for one character, and deciding what kind of main character you’re going to have can be very stressful. Hopefully this list will help you with this process.

The main character can determine the audience.

This isn’t always true, but usually the age, gender, moral compass, and sometimes even physical appearance of the main character decides what kind of people are going to read the book. A book about a 14-year-old female fashionista usually attracts different readers than a 50-year-old FBI director. Don’t let this scare you, because there are outliers depending on how the character is written, but bear in mind that people of like-minded interests usually read books with main characters that share some of those traits, so plan accordingly.

The main character’s personality traits should coincide with the plot and theme of the novel.

High-fantasy and adventure novels are usually headed by strong-willed, talented, reckless characters. (Think Luke Skywalker or the Winchesters from Supernatural.) Realistic fiction, however, are usually home to goofier, more human characters (such as Greg and Earl in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl). While your main character doesn’t have to be the cookie-cutter model of the “normal” protagonist for genre and theme, they should exhibit at least some of the traits. Give some of the entertaining, off-color traits to supporting characters if you can’t live without them.

Make them human.

Real people are complicated. Their emotions and actions are driven by complex, sometimes misguided desires. Real people make mistakes for much the same reason. Real people doubt themselves, and they have low and high points. Real people change over time based on the people and circumstances they surround themselves with. Real people sometimes lie to others and themselves about their true motivations. Real people need help and support from others to reach their goals. Sometimes, real people never reach their goals at all. Characters should reflect all of this in their stories, especially main characters, with whom your readers should identify with and root for the most.

Make them likable.

This doesn’t mean they have to be perfect by any means, nor do they have to be friendly and sweet 100% of the time. Your main character can actually be a total asshole but still have readers like them or be entertained by them. The main thing is that you have to make sure that the reader roots for them, because if the reader is hoping the main character will fail or loses interest in them completely, you haven’t done your job as a writer. Beta readers can help you by telling you whether or not they like the main character and agree with their actions.

Make them fit their story.

Characters are TOOLS, just like every other story element. They are there to ad to the reader’s experience, and whatever triumph or turmoil they go through is so that the reader can be entertained and enlightened by their story. That’s why it’s important for them to be treated as such, and NOT like friends or ways for the author to live vicariously through their own story. We have fanfiction for that. When you’re writing, if it seems like your story is revolving around amking your main character happy, or that they’re becoming just too perfect to be entertaining, you may need to step back and re-evaluate their score on the Mary Sue litmus test and see if you’re writing a character or a mannequin doll.

Some helpful links I found.

Fuck Yeah Character Development’s masterpost of character creation and development templates and websites.

My personal favorite character template sheet, written by Dehydromon on Deviantart. It’s the first link on FYCD’s post and has 370+ questions to answer about your character. (For a shorter version, go here.)

Writerswrite’s how-to-create-a-character guide. (It’s basically another template, but I thought I’d include it in case someone didn’t like the others I provided, and also because it comes from a more professional source than Deviantart and Tumblr.)

Wikihow’s tips on creating a fictional character from scratch. Their tips are very broad, but they leave a lot of room for interpretation as well, if you prefer that.

Thecreativepenn’s 5 tips for creating interesting characters. This article seems to be geared towards screenwriters, but the tips apply to all forms of creative writing.

[naqwrites]

I've been a little bit dead on this blog, mainly because I apparently am invisible in the writeblr community and that puts me off quite a lot. It's rather demotivating seeing every other new writeblr getting a warm welcome, while no one bothers with me.

I've always been invisible wherever I've been, whatever I've done I've been the person everybody doesn't care about, so to be invisible here as well awoke a sadness within me.

Nonetheless, I am currently working on a new project. Will probably post something regarding that soon. If I don't delete this sideblog completely, that is.

[naqwrites]

Calling all Writeblrs!

Hello ~ You can call me Naq.

I’ve been on tumblr for a while, mostly through rp blogs, and have never really discovered writeblr until now. Sadness. So I’m very new to this and basically does not know how it works. Any help or advice would be highly appreciated.

I am queer, who doesn’t really use any particular pronouns. I mostly go by she/her. I work as a cosplayer and author, having published one small novel so far. English isn’t my mother tongue, so I might have a few errors here and there in my writings. I mostly write fantasy novels or longer stories, although I did write a lot of poems when I was younger. I have two cats, Alotta and Bartimaeus. I’m looking to gain new friends with similar interests, learn new things and ways of writing, and probably a lot more that I can’t think of right now! :D I’ve always been writing for as long as I can remember, and I really enjoy it because it is a perfect way for me to get away from my miserable life. By writing I can focus on something else, making up characters, plots, places and stories, and I think writing, in many ways, has saved me.

I will be publishing snippets from my own works and WIPs (the ones I write in english), maybe prompts and stuff like that, character sheets/ideas, some of my old poems, and probably a lot more stuff that I’ll figure out of along the way.

So! If you are a fellow writer, please reblog this and I’ll follow you! I want to get to know everyone! :D

This is a sideblog, so I will be following from my rp blog, badassbartimaeus!

[naqwrites]

Reblogs this for more people too see. I need to find more beautiful people to follow!

[martastories]

New writblr!

Hi I am very new to writblr and I wanna follow other writblrs on here to get myself inspired and motivated to write so like/reblog so that i can follow you!

some things about me and this blog:

-I’m Marta and I’m 20

-I’m italian so a lot of post or snippets will be in italian

-I write YA fantasy and I am currently writing the first book of a duology called “ocigam”

-I really enjoy making aesthetic and moodboards and I will post imagines and quotes to inspire me

If you wanna be friends then like &/or reblog so that i can find you & follow!

[adenhamcreations]

Welcome to the writeblr community!! I’m so excited to see a fellow YA writer. I hope you find lots of friends here, everyone is so kind and supportive. Can’t wait to see what you post! 

[theswordofpens]

Welcome to the writeblr community, friend! We’re so happy, honoured, and blessed to have you! Please feel free to tag me into any posts you’d like, and if you have any questions or anything else, please let me know! ^_^

[naqwrites]

Welcome to the community, dear! I'm a new writeblr myself and I'm absolutely thrilled to see what you'll post!

[thatwritergirlsblog]

Writing awesome antagonists

You guys asked for it. So, here ya go:

1. An antagonist isn’t necessarily a villain

When I hear the word ‘villain’, I think of someone with sinister/evil intentions. Someone who wants to rule the world or ruins nature by using dark magic or kicks puppies. These characters can be great in stories, but they’re not the only option for conflict.

An antagonist can be your protagonist’s competitor, an overprotective loved one, someone with a different view, or even a different side of the protagonist themself (think Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde).

If your aim is to write an antagonist (who may or may not be a villain),then this post is for you!

2. Motivation is the holy grail

Do not make your antagonist evil for the sake of being evil. The most famous example of this is Iago in the Shakespeare play Othello (yes, Shakespeare made mistakes. Deal with it.)

In children’s stories or melodramatic stage plays, it’s fine if your villain simply exists because there has to be someone evil to oppose the MC’s good. But if you’re writing anything MG or higher, this isn’t gonna cut it anymore. 

People are complicated. They have different morals, beliefs and alliances. But most people believe that they are good, that they are justified in the way they act and treat others. So, even though a great amount of people are dicks, they don’t think they are.

This should translate to your antagonist. They need to have a reason for opposing the protagonist. The first thing you should determine for each character in your book, is their fundamental motivation. What is it that they want/are striving for? Is your antagonist ambitious above all else and they are determined to become King? Is she trying to kill your MC because their blood is the only cure to some alien disease. Are they scared of the unknown and detest the protag because of their ancestry? Whatever the case is, it needs to be a real, identifiable and strong motive.

If you want to go into a more evil direction and use an inherently flawed/dangerous motivation, I would suggest linking it to solid reasons. e.g. If you’re writing something like the evil queen in Snow White, you need to link her psychopathic vanity to the flaws of the society she grew up in or the way she was treated as a child etc. Maybe the character has antisocial personality disorder (psychopathy) or was raised to squash all competition etc.

Motivation is even more important if you intend to write some scenes from the perspective of the antagonist

3. Near invincibility

You can have more than one antagonist in your story, but the big baddie should be REALLY big.

The main antagonist needs to be the biggest thing your protagonist has ever had to face. And they need to be a more-than-worthy opponent.

This ups the tension in your novel, since the reader will be anticipating the final showdown and truly wondering whether the MC will be able to come out on top.

The way to do this is to litter small conflicts between the two characters throughout the story. You protagonist should have altercations with the antagonist/their army/their minions before the big conflict at the end. Each of these smaller show-downs should end in the protagonist losing/having to retreat/surrendering/getting severely injured and discouraged. 

You can show the protagonist beating other opponents, but they shouldn’t get the upper hand over the main antagonist until the final conflict. This shows the reader than the MC will really have to dig deep in order to overcome the big conflict.

NB: The antagonist needs to start out waaayyy stronger than the protagonist.

4. Antagonist plot twists

Antagonists/villains can be great tools for shocking plot twists.

This mostly has to do with playing with expectations of who the villain will be.

So, maybe the person your characters thought was the antagonist has been under the evil influence of an even bigger baddie the whole time.

Maybe the antagonist turns out to be the one with the better philosophy/plan.

Maybe one of the “good” characters turns out to be the actual villain.

Maybe the antagonist is only a figment of the protagonist’s imagination (think Black Swan).

Maybe the system is the real bad guy and your antagonist is just another victim.

Whatever floats your boat. Just know that you can do wonderful, twisty things with the antagonist. Use that to your advantage.

5. Redemption, anyone?

This is a highly contested topic, but I believe that antagonists can and should sometimes be redeemed. 

How this happens depends on your specific story and the character. Obviously, if the antagonist committed genocide and poisoned kittens, they got some splainin to do. In these cases, the change in mind of the character has to be warranted. Something HUGE needs to happen to them that changes the way they think and behave. And they better be fucking sorry and willing to do whatever it takes to make things right.

If your antagonist isn’t the personification of evil, this will be a bit easier. Since they probably opposed the protagonist due to societal ideologies or fraudulent beliefs, it only requires the truth to be revealed for them to shift their alliance. They should still say sorry, though. It’s only polite.

My advice with redemption arcs is that the antagonist has to suffer before they can truly be redeemed. They have to face some consequences for the time they spent on the wrong side of the fight. And they shouldn’t be trusted/accepted by the protagonist immediately.

If you want to learn how to do a redemption arc right, look at Zuko’s story in Avatar: The Last Airbender. He has the best redemption arc in fictional history.

Alright, that’s all I have for now. I hope that you guys found this useful. If you want me to do a post about creating an antagonistic character that hooks the reader, be sure to leave a comment.

Reblog if you found this useful. Comment with your own tips. Follow me for similar content.

[bleedforyourtypewriter]

Ok here is a compilation of all the software and useful tools I’ve come across whilst writing. Some of them I’ve reviewed on here already, more coming soon. 

Got an idea? Well get planning! Here’s some useful outlining, brainstorming and mind- mapping software:

Coggle 

Lucidchart

Mural.ly

Blumind

MindMeister

Mindmaple

Mindomo

NovaMind

Popplet

Scapple

Tree Sheets

Visual Understanding Environment (VUE)

XMind

FreeMind

Oak Outliner

Work Flowy

The Outliner of Giants

Just want to get writing? You want a word processor:

Gedit

Google Docs

Kate

LibreOffice

Microsoft Word

My Writing Spot

NoteTab

Open Office

Quabel

Ted

Vim

yEdit

Making notes? Here you go:

CintaNotes

Evernote

KeepNote

Memonic

MS OneNote

Scribe

SuperNotecard

Tomboy

Timelines giving you a headache? Try these:

Aeon Timeline 

Dipity

Preceden

Tiki-Toki

Timeglider

Timeline

TimelineJS

TimeToast

Now perhaps you want to organise those notes. Got a lot of research? Character sheets? Images? Well here’s some tools to keep all that together:

Liquid Story Binder XE

LitLift

PangurPad

Scriptito

Scrivener

Writer’s Café

Yarny

yWriter

Are you easily distracted? The following tools will keep you on track:

Dark Room 

FocusWriter

JDarkRoom

Momentum Writer

OmmWriter

Q10

Writemonkey

Zen Writer 

Even more productivity tools to help keep you focussed on your task:

Cold Turkey 

FocalFilter

Freedom

InternetOff

Keepmeout

Nanny

Productivity Owl

RescueTime

SelfControl

SelfRestraint

Simple Blocker

StayFocusd

Strict Workflow

Time Doctor

Waste No Time

Website Blocker

So you’ve got something down? Need to edit? 

AutoCrit

EditMinion

Grammarly

LyX

SlickWrite

SmartEdit

After the Deadline

All done? Perhaps you’d like some e-publishing tools:

Acrobat

InDesign

Calibre

CutePDF

Jutoh

Mobipocket Creator

PagePlus

PageStream

PDFCreator

Scribus

Sigil

I’m feeling generous, have some more cool stuff:

750 Words

One Page per Day

Oneword

Penzu

Write or Die

Written Kitten

Focus Booster

Spaaze

AutoREALM (Map building software)

Enjoy! I may update the list as I find more, or I’ll make a second list.

[wwritemywayout-deactivated20191]

Passing this treasure box of resources on! 

[badassunicorn2016]

Writing Tip June 4th

A list of body language phrases.

I’ve included a very comprehensive list, organized by the type of body movement, hand and arm movements, facial expressions etc. In some cases, a phrase fits more than one heading, so it may appear twice. Possible emotions are given after each BL phrase unless the emotion is indicated within the phrase. (They are underlined for emphasis, not due to a hyperlink.)

Note: I’ve included a few body postures and body conditions as they are non-verbal testimony to the character’s physical condition.

Have fun and generate your own ideas.:-)

Eyes, Brows and Forehead

arched a sly brow:  sly, haughty

blinked owlishly:  just waking, focusing, needs glasses

brows bumped together in a scowl:  worried, disapproving, irritated

brows knitted in a frown: worried, disapproval, thoughtful

bug-eyed:  surprised, fear, horror

cocky wink and confident smile:  over confidence, arrogant, good humor, sexy humor

eyes burned with hatred: besides hatred this might suggest maniacal feelings

eyes flashed: fury, defiance, lust, promise, seduction

eyes rolled skyward: disbelief, distrust, humor

forehead puckered:  thoughtful, worried, irritation

frustration crinkled her eyes

gaze dipped to her décolletage: sexual interest, attraction, lust

gimlet-eyed/narrowed eyes: irritation, thoughtful, mean, angry

gleam of deviltry:  humor, conniving, cunning

kept eye contact but her gaze became glazed: pretending interest where there is none/bordom

narrowed to crinkled slits:  angry, distrust

nystagmic eyes missed nothing (constantly shifting eyes):  Shifty

pupils dilated:  interested, attraction to opposite sex, fear

raked her with freezing contempt

slammed his eyes shut:  stunned, furious, pain

squinted in a furtive manner:  fearful, sneaky

stared with cow eyes:  surprised, disbelief, hopeful, lovestruck

subtle wink:  sexy, humor/sharing a joke, sarcasm

unrelenting stare: distrust, demanding, high interest, unyielding

Place To Place, Stationary Or Posture

ambled away:  relaxed, lazy

barged ahead:  rude, hurried

battled his way through the melee:  desperate, anger, alarm

cruised into the diner:  easy-going, feeling dapper, confident

dawdled alongside the road:  lazy, deliberate delay for motives, unhurried, relaxed

dragged his blanket in the dirt:   sadness/depressed, weary

edged closer to him:  sneaky, seeking comfort, seeking protection, seeking an audience

he stood straighter and straightened his tie:  sudden interest, sexual attraction

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig: demonstrates physical condition – he has to pee

hips rolled and undulated:  sexy walk, exaggerating for sex appeal

hovered over them with malice/like a threatening storm: here it’s malice, but one may hover for many reasons.

hunched over to look shorter:  appear inconspicuous, ashamed of actions, ashamed of height

leaped into action feet hammering the marbled floor:  eager, fear, joyous

long-legged strides:  hurried, impatient

lumbered across:  heavy steps of a big man in a hurry

minced her way up to him: timid, sneaky, insecure, dainty or pretense at dainty

paced/prowled the halls:  worried, worried impatience, impatient, diligently seeking pivoted on his heel and took off:  mistaken and changes direction, following orders, hurried, abrupt change of mind, angry retreat

plodded down the road:  unhurried, burdened, reluctant

practiced sensual stroll:  sexy, showing off

rammed her bare foot into her jeans: angry, rushed

rocked back and forth on his heels: thoughtful, impatiently waiting

sagged against the wall:  exhausted, disappointment

sallied forth:  confident, determined

sashayed her cute little fanny:  confident, determined, angered and determined

shrank into the angry crowd:  fear, insecure, seeking to elude

sketched a brief bow and assumed a regal pose: confident, mocking, snooty, arrogant skidded to an abrupt halt: change of heart, fear, surprise, shock

skulked on the edges of the crowd: sneaky, ashamed, timid

slithered through the door:  sneaky, evil, bad intentions

stormed toward her, pulling up short when: anger with a sudden surprise

swaggered into the class room:  over confident, proud, arrogant, conceited

tall erect posture:  confidence, military bearing

toe tapped a staccato rhythm:  impatience, irritation

tottered/staggered unsteadily then keeled over:  drunk, drugged, aged, ill

waltzed across the floor:  happy, blissful, exuberant, conceited, arrogant

Head Movement

cocked his head:  curiosity, smart-alecky, wondering, thoughtful

cocked his head left and rolled his eyes to right corner of the ceiling:  introspection

droop of his head: depressed, downcast, hiding true feelings

nodded vigorously: eager

tilted her head to one side while listening:  extreme interest, possibly sexual interest

Mouth And Jaw

a lackluster smile:  feigning cheerfulness

cigarette hung immobile in mouth: shock, lazy, uncaring, relaxed casualness

clinched his jaw at the sight:  angered, worried, surprised

curled her lips with icy contempt

expelled her breath in a whose:  relief, disappointment

gagged at the smell: disgust, distaste

gapped mouth stare:  surprised, shock, disbelief

gritted his teeth:  anger, irritation, holding back opinion

inhaled a sharp breath:  surprise, shock, fear, horror

licked her lips:  nervous, sexual attraction

lips primed: affronted, upset, insulted

lips pursed for a juicy kiss

lips pursed like she’d been chewing a lemon rind: dislike, angry, irritated, sarcasm

lips screwed into: irritation, anger, grimace, scorn

lips set in a grim line: sorrow, worried, fear of the worst

pursed her lips:  perturbed, waiting for a kiss

scarfed down the last biscuit:  physical hunger, greed

slack-mouthed:  total shock, disbelief

slow and sexy smile:  attraction, seductive, coy

smacked his lips: anticipation

smile congealed then melted into horror

smile dangled on the corner of his lips: cocky, sexy

smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulder:  conceit, sarcasm, over confident

sneered and flicked lint off his suit: sarcasm, conceit

spewed water and spit: shock

stuck out her tongue: humor, sarcasm, teasing, childish

toothy smile:  eagerness, hopeful

wary smile surfaced on her lips

Nose

nose wrinkled in distaste/at the aroma

nostrils flared:  anger, sexual attraction

nose in the air:  snooty, haughty

Face in General

crimson with fury

handed it over shame-faced

jutted his chin: confident, anger, forceful

managed a deadpan expression:  expressionless

muscles in her face tightened:  unsmiling, concealing emotions, anger, worried

rested his chin in his palm and looked thoughtful

rubbed a hand over his dark stubble:  thoughtful, ashamed of his appearance

screwed up her face:  anger, smiling, ready to cry, could almost be any emotion

sneered and flicked lint off his suit: conceit, derision, scorn

Arm and Hand

a vicious yank

arm curled around her waist, tugging her next to him:  possessive, pride, protective

bit her lip and glanced away:  shy, ashamed, insecure

brandished his fist:  anger, threatening, ready to fight, confident, show of pride

clamped his fingers into tender flesh:  anger, protective, wants to inflict pain

clenched his dirty little fists: stubborn, angry

clapped her hands on her hips, arms crooked like sugar bowel handles:  anger, demanding, disbelief

constantly twirled her hair and tucked it behind her ear:  attracted to the opposite sex, shy crossed his arms over his chest: waiting, impatient, putting a barrier

crushed the paper in his fist:  anger, surrender, discard

dived into the food: hunger, eager, greedy

doffed his hat:  polite gesture, mocking, teasing

doodled on the phone pad and tapped the air with her foot:  bored, inattention, introspection

drummed her fingers on the desk:  impatient, frustrated, bored

fanned her heated face with her hands: physically hot, embarrassed, indicating attraction

fiddled with his keys: nervous, bored

firm, palm to palm hand shake:  confident, honest

flipped him the bird: sarcastic discard

forked his fingers through his hair for the third time:  disquiet/consternation, worry, thoughtful

handed it over shame-faced:  guilt, shame

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig:  physical need to relieve himself

limp hand shake:  lack of confidence, lack of enthusiasm

propped his elbow on his knee: relaxed, thoughtful

punched her pillow:  restless, can’t sleep, angry

rested his chin in his palm:  thoughful, worried

scratched his hairy belly and yawned:  indolent, bored, lazy, relaxed, just waking

shoulders lifted in a shrug:  doubtful, careless discard

slapped his face in front of God and country:  enraged, affronted/insulted

snapped a sharp salute:  respect, sarcastic gesture meaning the opposite of respect

snapped his fingers, expecting service:  arrogant, lack of respect, self-centered

sneered and flicked lint off his suit

spread her arms wide: welcoming,  joy, love

stabbed at the food: anger, hunger, determined

stood straighter and smoothed his tie:  sudden interest, possible sexual interest

stuffed his hands in his pockets: self-conscious, throwing up a barrier

sweaty handshake:  nervous, fearful

touched his arm several times while explaining:  sign of attraction, flattery, possessive

wide sweep of his arms:  welcoming, all inclusive gesture, horror

Sitting or Rising

collapsed in a stupor:  exhausted, drunk, drugged, disbelief

enthroned himself at the desk:  conceit, pronouncing or taking ownership

exploded out of the chair:  shock, eager, anger, supreme joy

roosted on the porch rail like a cock on a hen house roof:  claiming ownership, conceit, content

sat, squaring an ankle over one knee:  relaxed and open

slouched/wilted in a chair and paid languid attention to:  drowsy, lazy, depressed, disinterest, sad, totally relaxed, disrespectful

squirmed in his chair: ill at ease, nervous, needs the bathroom

Recline

flung himself into the bed: sad, depressed, exhausted, happy

prostrated himself: surrender, desperate, miserable, powerless, obsequious, fawning, flattering

punched her pillow:  can’t sleep, anger, frustrated

threw himself on the floor kicking and screaming: tantrum

Entire body and General

body stiffened at the remark:  offended, anger, alerted

body swayed to music:  dreamy, fond memories, enjoys the music

bounced in the car seat, pointing:  excitement, fear, eager

cowered behind his brother:  fear, shyness, coward, desperate

curled into a ball:  sorrow, fear, sleepy, defensive

heart galloping:  anxiety, joy, eager

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig

humped over his cane, each step shaking and careful: pain, aged

inhaled a deep breath and blew out slowly: buying time to find words/thoughtful, reconciled

quick and jerky like rusty cogs on a wheel:  unsure of actions, self-conscious, tense, edgy

rocked back and forth on his heels:  impatient, cocky, gleeful

manhandled the woman into a corner:  bully, anger

slumped shoulders: defeat, depressed, sad, surrender

stiff-backed:  priggish, haughty, affronted

stood straighter and straightened his tie:  sexual interest, wants to make an impression

stooped and bent: aged, arthritic, in pain

stretched extravagantly and yawned:  tired, bored, unconcerned

sweating uncontrollably: nervous, fear, guilt

tall erect posture:  confidence, military bearing

was panting now at:  afraid, exhausted, out of breath, sexual excitement

-Sharla Rae

[candy-m-s-deactivated20180720]

Reblogging for future everyday use

[avtorsola]

Reblogging so I don’t have to keep using “eyes” or descriptive similes

[adamantseal]

my silence is a shield

not a weapon

[heywriters]

How can you write a fight scene without actually showing the fight?

Show vs tell. 

Tell us the fight happened e.g. “There was a brief tussle of which Ricky was the winner” or “Jim threw the first punch and regretted it for the next three minutes as Ricky proceeded to wipe the floor with him. It was…sad, to watch.”

Another way is to show the build-up and the ending to the fight while skipping over the  middle completely. Here’s a scene from Regenerate where I did this:

The short one forcefully throws the basketballin my direction.

I catch it. Don’tget angry. I roll it back.

He throws the ball at meagain. “Hey, Crazy Girl I’m talking—”

I hit it back right in his stomach. He groansand bends over, and there’s a collective sucking in of breath.

It’sno time at all before I’m forcibly removed from my seat on the kid’s chest, ahorde of ogle-eyed youth watching and pointing the entire time.

You can also embrace the problem the last asker had and make the scene mostly dialogue, though I would argue that unlike what we see on film not that much dialogue goes on during a physical altercation, at least not between the aggressors. In which case, you can write the fight as being observed by two bystander characters i.e. commentary.

When a conflict reaches “That’s it I’m punching/killing you” stage, there’s less motivation for verbal communication unless one of them is trying to talk sense into the other. If there is, it’s usually incoherent shouting and goading. This is also because the energy and breath needed to speak is being put into the fight, the same way dancing and singing simultaneously can be challenging.

Hope something here helps.

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[dear-wren]

Hey guys I’m looking for new people to follow so please reblog if you’re a writeblr or booklr :)