Writing Angry Scenes: Tips to Avoid Melodrama and Make It Real
Anger can be one of the most intense, relatable emotions to read—and one of the trickiest to write. When handled well, an angry scene can pull readers deep into the emotional world of a character, building tension and driving the story forward. But when handled poorly, anger can easily slip into melodrama, making the character’s feelings seem overblown, forced, or even cringe-worthy.
So how can you avoid these pitfalls and write anger that feels real and compelling? Here are some tips to make angry scenes powerful without overdoing it.
1. Understand What Fuels Your Character’s Anger
To write anger authentically, you need to understand its roots. People get angry for complex reasons—fear, frustration, betrayal, grief, and even love. Ask yourself what’s truly driving your character’s anger. Are they afraid of losing control? Do they feel abandoned or misunderstood? Are they hurt by someone they trusted? Anger rarely exists in isolation, so dig into the deeper emotions fueling it.
When you understand the core reasons behind a character’s anger, you can weave those nuances into the scene, making the anger more relatable and layered. Readers will feel the depth of the character's rage, not just the surface heat of it.
2. Show, Don’t Tell—But Don’t Overdo It
“Show, don’t tell” is classic writing advice, but it’s especially crucial in angry scenes. Don’t rely on generic phrases like “She was furious” or “He clenched his fists in anger.” Instead, look for unique ways to convey how this specific character experiences anger. Maybe their voice drops to a deadly calm, or their eyes narrow in a way that makes everyone around them uncomfortable.
That said, showing too much can backfire, especially with exaggerated descriptions. Over-the-top body language, excessive shouting, or too many “flaring nostrils” can tip the scene into melodrama. Use body language and physical cues sparingly and mix them with subtler reactions for a more realistic portrayal.
3. Use Dialogue to Reveal Hidden Layers
People rarely say exactly what they feel, especially when they’re angry. Angry dialogue isn’t just about yelling or throwing out insults; it’s an opportunity to show the character’s deeper thoughts and vulnerabilities.
Consider using controlled, icy responses or unexpected silences. Maybe your character says something hurtful in a low voice rather than screaming. They might express sarcasm, avoidance, or even laugh at the wrong moment. Anger often carries hidden layers, and using these nuances can help your character’s dialogue feel genuine, even haunting, without falling into dramatic clichés.
4. Control the Pacing of the Scene
The pacing of an angry scene can be the difference between a powerful moment and a melodramatic one. In real life, anger doesn’t always erupt instantly; it can simmer, spike, or deflate depending on the situation and the character’s personality. Experiment with different pacing techniques to create tension.
You might build the anger slowly, with small signs that something’s brewing. Or maybe the character explodes suddenly, only to calm down just as quickly, leaving a chill in the air. Controlling the pace helps you control the reader’s emotional engagement, drawing them in without overwhelming them.
5. Avoid Clichéd Expressions and Overused Reactions
When writing anger, avoid falling back on clichés like “seeing red,” “boiling with rage,” or “blood boiling.” These phrases have been overused to the point that they lose their impact. Instead, get creative and think about how your character’s anger might feel specifically to them.
Maybe their skin feels prickly, or their jaw aches from clenching it. Think about details that are unique to the character and to the moment. By focusing on small, unique sensory details, you’ll help readers feel the anger rather than just reading about it.
6. Let the Setting Reflect the Emotion
The setting can be an effective tool to amplify a character’s anger without overstating it. Small details in the environment—such as the hum of a refrigerator, the slow ticking of a clock, or the distant sounds of laughter—can create a sense of contrast or isolation that heightens the character’s rage.
For example, imagine a character seething in a peaceful park or a quiet library. The calm of the surroundings can make their anger feel more potent. Or maybe they’re in a crowded, noisy room where they feel unseen and unheard, which fuels their frustration further. This use of setting can add depth to the scene without the need for dramatic gestures.
7. Let Consequences Speak for Themselves
An effective way to avoid melodrama is to let the consequences of the anger show its intensity. Characters don’t always have to yell or physically react; sometimes, a single choice can convey more than any outburst.
Perhaps your character cuts off a close friend or says something they can’t take back. Maybe they throw away a meaningful object or walk out in silence. By focusing on the consequences of their anger, you can reveal the impact without over-explaining it.
8. Let the Emotion Simmer After the Scene Ends
Anger is rarely resolved in a single moment, and its effects often linger. When writing an angry scene, think about how it will affect your character moving forward. Are they holding onto grudges? Do they feel guilty or exhausted afterward? Does their anger transform into something else, like sadness or regret?
Allowing the anger to simmer in your character’s mind even after the scene ends creates a more authentic and layered portrayal. It shows that anger is complex and doesn’t just disappear the moment the scene is over, adding emotional weight to both the character and the story.
I saw a post about disability rep, and I kept thinking about it, and wanted to share my own takes on the topic.
I thought about it for days, trying to figure out how to word it. Then after drafting it, I stuck it in a file for a couple of weeks, trying to decide if I could even post it. This is not a topic that can be boiled down to a simple yes/no kind of answer.
Let’s start with two examples.
1 - I have a short story I started writing (it wants to grow up to be longer, so it’s waiting for time) where my original concept was to write about an older woman who is short and has major chronic pain, and I wanted to dig into fantasy reasons why this pain exists, but at the same time, have her be able to kick ass despite being exhausted and dealing with excruciatingly painful issues.
2 - I once drafted a portal fantasy storyline wherein a young man was transported into a fantasy world, and when he was given a horse to ride, he approached it very warily. He was encouraged to mount, did so, and sat there and exclaimed in shock, “My brain isn’t exploding with snot!” because his allergies hadn’t come with him into the body he had in the fantasy world.
Both stories were designed to be fun, a bit light, maybe even cozy.
So.
In one case, the disabled character remains disabled and kicks ass anyway. And in the other case, the character is magically “healed” and no longer has debilitating allergies that had wrecked his way of life.
This is the difficult part to express: I think both storylines are valid.
Bear with me while I dig into this.
First and foremost: I completely agree that we need more representation in all forms of fiction, especially when it comes to disabled people being able to live their lives. Characters with missing limbs, or non-neurotypical brains, or anxiety & depression, or hearing issues, or sight problems, or chronic pain, or… or… you get the idea. We need all of it, and we need it to not need to be magically healed in order for a story to be considered happy and cozy. Disabled people can be happy, too.
I’m all in for this, and I wouldn’t write the stories I do if I weren’t.
However, there are also moments where I am so exhausted by my body and by everything I deal with inside of it where I do wish for that magical ability to forget that my pain exists. Or for the ability to actually process information in a straight line, or make decisions without writing a hundred lists and accomplishing nothing from them. Or to be able to lie down in a field of grass without regretting it for days while I drip snot and fight sinus-pain-induced migraines.
Sometimes I want to imagine that my life is different.
And that is one of the joys of writing. I can choose to write a story where people like me or the people I know are the heroes/heroines exactly as they are, different abilities and all. Or I can choose to write a story where the problems magically resolve.
Both can be cozy, sweet, and adorable. I can give the character with chronic pain the ability to kick ass, take names, and have a sweet reunion with her ex-girlfriend. I can show all the ways that my disabilities may define how I handle my life differently than someone else, but do not define what I can and cannot do.
But I can also daydream about a life where it’s different, the same way I can daydream about having wings, or being able to teleport. For me, imagining a day with no pain is the same as a day where I can walk through walls. It is absolutely a fantasy, and about as likely to happen.
Here’s the thing: It’s okay to be angry to see what looks like disability being erased. It’s okay to wonder why the author did that, why they magically healed someone instead of letting them be who they were. But at the same time, maybe ask why, and what point of view it’s coming from. Or look a little deeper into the story and how the resolution occurs, and the effect it does have on the character (I suspect that were I to suddenly have a day of no pain, I’d be intensely reckless, given what an idiot I am while IN pain, y’know? And WOW would I regret that later…).
And for authors, think about what you’re writing. WHY is this particular event (keeping disability, erasing it, whichever or both) happening, because the reader will take note of it. They may see things that weren’t intended, but are there as unintentional biases.
Make conscious decisions for why things happen.
Someday I want to get back to both of those examples from the start of this post; I still like both concepts. But I’ll be writing them for very different reasons, and both will be healing my soul in different ways. Different kinds of daydreams. And again, I think that’s valid, too.
If I may add onto this (excellent post OP) I’m not disabled. I’m neurodivergent and I have a few inconvenient medical things but nothing that needs a prescription (except glasses) or a mobility aid. So when I write characters with disabilities, it’s from personal experience, empathy, and close family experience. My biggest thing is just, being short, in a world meant for tall people in everything from grocery shopping to which kind of car I can drive and see over the steering wheel (SUVs only).
I also write a lot of fantasy with the room there to wave away someone’s impairment or heal them for pretty cheap, if I so desired.
I could go on and on about a bunch of different disabilities and how you can rep them but I’ll keep this narrowed to physical injuries.
For me, my one rule in deciding whether or not to “cure” a character—I will give a character a mobility aid, but if they had this disability before the plot, they will have it their entire time in the story in some form. If they got it during the plot, they may get it healed.
Examples:
I have a character who’s a double amputee, war wound in his past in WIP 1. He has prosthetics so he can still walk, but heavy (nonromanticized) burn scarring all over his body. In that very same universe exists medicinal magic that can regrow entire limbs. This character will never get the chance to have his legs gifted back or his skin healed, as I think it would be disrespectful to real veterans to do so.
Also in WIP 1, I have another character who, at one point, was in the same combat situation as the above character, different unit, different role, who constantly got their body healed and thrown back out into war, and they happened to make it home in one piece (with some massive survivor guilt). Any damage that this character sustains is healed, but the memory and trauma remains.
In Eternal Night, I have a cast of vampires who regularly get shot, stabbed, and suffer broken bones, broken necks, etc. They, of course, heal perfectly. I also have some mortals who aren’t so lucky, even with a minor assistance from vampire healing powers. Thing is, though, that my vampires are frozen in the state the die, with very visible and distinct scars for how they died, forever on their bodies. If you die from an arrow through the eye, and you have vamp blood in your body when it happens, you’ll forever be missing that eye, for example. Turning only heals what kills you, it gives nothing back that you already lost. So I have a character who loses a couple fingers to frostbite and takes an arrow to the kidney. They manage to have the arrow wound healed, but those fingers are gone and lost forever.
I have yet to write a character born with a physical disability, but I do have plenty with neurodivergence and/or mental health.
—
For me, at least, I think there’s something to keep in mind when writing and magically removing disabilities (specifically for this post, physical impairments):
Loss of a part of yourself can be devastating, not just internally but in a society that isn’t built for people who aren’t able-bodied and that discriminates every chance it gets, even in unintentional or ignorant ways.
So if you’re going to “heal” somebody, they will still have the memory of that loss, and will probably have some difficultly adjusting to this new normal (perhaps even a little guilt that they got healed and someone else did not). I’m not against giving limbs back, but to erase the memory, too, kind of begs the question of “why did you make them disabled if it suddenly doesn’t matter at all to their character?”
For me, personally, I just don’t think I have the right to tell a story like that, as someone without that lived experience. I don’t think you should profit off of suffering you did not endure, if that suffering is the entire point of a character’s existence (which many stories unfortunately boil disabilities down to).
Wish fulfillment stories absolutely have their place! Writing an escapist fantasy is valid! More power to anyone who does, ‘cause I want to read it.
Friendly reminder about introductory character descriptions, especially those at the beginning of the book: To avoid it sounding entirely like an exposition dump, give a reason to why the narrator is noticing what either they or another character is wearing.
For example, worked on this first draft last night:
Iris hauls up her pack and smooths her clammy hands down her skirt. At the time, the pleated corduroy seemed both durable and multipurpose. Her boots, too, knee-high but thick-soled, and her leggings—warm, flexible, already scraped up at the knees.
Clothes she could have hanging in her closet without her mother getting suspicious of why they were so different from the rest of her wardrobe. Clothes that are not sprinting-through-the-Sakartan-wilderness attire.
First draft, so, you know. But! Character isn’t just describing what she’s wearing, she’s describing it in relation to how impractical it now is for her environment. It’s motivated exposition.
Shortly thereafter, Iris meets a new person, and describes them as follows:
Did she stumble into an unassuming temple, whole house left in sacrifice and worship of some celestial she can’t begin to name? They don’t look Sakartan, not just in coloring, but in stature, too. Lithe, frightfully thin with gaunt cheeks, a discoloring across their nose like tiny yellow lesions, and Iris has never known a Sakartan with curls.
They’re not even dressed like one, wearing something that kind of looks like a high-collared robe, except it’s split up both sides to a wide belt. Leggings, like hers, adorned with leafy lace, and more of it on the edges of the belled sleeves. The black and gold fabric only serve to make them look even more ethereal.
Iris flies through her catalog of fashion across the realms, trying to find a home for this displaced god in vain…
I might still trim it down later but it’s 8am on a workday and this is an example post. It’s still a lot of description to throw at the reader, at least in my opinion, but all of it is anchored to the narrator trying to figure out who and what they are and if they’re a threat, not just taking an aside to describe their features unprompted.
—
So whether you’re describing the narrator or someone the narrator is observing, giving the narrator a reason to give this description at this time and some reaction to it pulls double duty: You’re giving exposition, but still telling the story as you tell it. She’s not just describing clothing, she’s describing why it matters right this second and how both serve to hinder the conflicts of the scene.
It's not just clothing, it's impractical clothing, or it's far too bougie for this side of town, or far too fancy for an average school day, or it's all stained and ripped, which reflects the wearer as either destitute or on the run, perhaps. It's motivated.
That’s not to say that you take every single recommendation or piece of feedback that they give you, but rather that you shouldn’t argue with your beta readers. They are always correct, because they will (should) always give you their honest thoughts and interpretations of your work. To call them wrong would be to call them lying… And unless you’ve run into a super evil beta reader who is trying to discourage you through lying about what they think of your work, why would they lie to you?
If one beta reader hates your work but five others love it, that’s not to say that one person is wrong. This is data. No matter what you or others say, that beta reader’s feedback still stands on its own. It says, maybe this book isn’t for everyone—if I was the writer, would I address this? No, because no work is going to please everyone, and 5/6 is pretty good.
If someone thinks your MC is annoying (and they aren’t meant to be)—that’s what they honestly and truly think. It’s your job to decide if that’s an issue you’re going to address or not. If 9/10 people say that, maybe that’s a good hint that you should go back in.
I’ve given feedback that has caused people to explain specific parts of their work to me as if to say, “no—because look at this.” I’ve read the same thing they’re giving me—I still think what I originally thought. I wasn’t lying, and I’m not going to think differently from reading the same thing twice. Does that mean they always have to take my notes? Absolutely not—it’s up to them to decide whether the problem that I see is worth addressing. Just because I might put down a book for some reason, doesn’t mean that everyone would, and doesn’t mean that the book needs to cater to what exactly I like.
I hope this makes sense! What’s the most helpful note a beta reader has ever given you?
Feeling like your creativity has hit a wall? Trust me, it happens to everyone at some point.
A lot of people think creativity is something that just shows up when it feels like it, but actually, there are things we do that can totally block it without realizing. The biggest culprit? Putting way too much pressure on yourself or obsessing over the final product. When you’re more focused on how it’ll turn out than the fun of creating, it’s like telling your brain to freeze up.
So, how do you get unstuck? Sometimes, it’s as simple as switching things up, like moving to a different spot, trying a creative activity just for fun (where the outcome doesn’t even matter), or diving into a random prompt or exercise to get your mind going. It can also help to take a break from whatever you’re working on and do something else, like doodling, jamming to music, or even just taking a walk outside.
Just remember, creativity isn’t always about sudden genius moments. It’s more like a muscle you train over time, sometimes messy, sometimes slow, but always something you can grow. So, give yourself a break and let the process lead the way.
Describing aromas can add a whole new layer to your storytelling, immersing your readers in the atmosphere of your scenes. Here's a categorized list of different words to help you describe scents in your writing.
🌿 Fresh & Clean Scents
Crisp
Clean
Pure
Refreshing
Invigorating
Bright
Zesty
Airy
Dewy
Herbal
Minty
Oceanic
Morning breeze
Green grass
Rain-kissed
🌼 Floral Scents
Fragrant
Sweet
Floral
Delicate
Perfumed
Lush
Blooming
Petaled
Jasmine
Rose-scented
Lavender
Hibiscus
Gardenia
Lilac
Wildflower
🍏 Fruity Scents
Juicy
Tangy
Sweet
Citrusy
Tropical
Ripe
Pungent
Tart
Berry-like
Melon-scented
Apple-blossom
Peachy
Grape-like
Banana-esque
Citrus burst
🍂 Earthy & Woody Scents
Musky
Earthy
Woody
Grounded
Rich
Smoky
Resinous
Pine-scented
Oak-like
Cedarwood
Amber
Mossy
Soil-rich
Sandalwood
Forest floor
☕ Spicy & Warm Scents
Spiced
Warm
Cozy
Inviting
Cinnamon-like
Clove-scented
Nutmeg
Ginger
Cardamom
Coffee-infused
Chocolatey
Vanilla-sweet
Toasted
Roasted
Hearth-like
🏭 Industrial & Chemical Scents
Metallic
Oily
Chemical
Synthetic
Acrid
Pungent
Foul
Musty
Smoky
Rubber-like
Diesel-scented
Gasoline
Paint-thinner
Industrial
Sharp
🍃 Natural & Herbal Scents
Herbal
Aromatic
Earthy
Leafy
Grass-like
Sage-scented
Basil-like
Thyme-infused
Rosemary
Chamomile
Green tea
Wild mint
Eucalyptus
Cinnamon-bark
Clary sage
🎉 Unique & Uncommon Scents
Antique
Nostalgic
Ethereal
Enigmatic
Exotic
Haunted
Mysterious
Eerie
Poignant
Dreamlike
Surreal
Enveloping
Mesmerizing
Captivating
Transcendent
I hope this list can help you with your writing. 🌷✨
Feel free to share your favorite scent descriptions in the replies below! What scents do you love to incorporate into your stories?
For a normal, reasonably healthy adult the following reading are ‘normal’. Some variation is usual and what’s normal for one person may be abnormal for another.
Pulse Rate
Between 60-100 beats per minute
A fitter person will have a rate towards the slower end of the margin and a child or young person will have a naturally high rate.
Any drastic increase or decrease in pulse rate is cause for concern.
Blood Pressure
120-140 over 70-90
Can vary with the time of day, amount of stress and a number of other factors.
High blood pressure is not usually immediately dangerous but can cause long term damage.
Low blood pressure can cause faintness, dizziness and blackouts and is usually a sign that there is an underlying problem to be treated.
Body Temperature
36°C (98.6°F) to 37.5°C (99.5°F)
Relatively minor variations in temperature are cause for concern.
MINOR INJURIES
Bumps, bruises, cuts and grazes
All inconvenient.
But not incapacitating.
A blow to a bony part of a limb or to a joint
Hurts a lot at the time of impact (as anyone who’s banged their shin will agree) and may swell and stiffen.
The impact may also have the effect of temporarily disrupting the ‘power supply’ to the limb meaning the person getting hit is likely to lose their grip on anything they’re carrying and be unable to move the joint for a few minutes.
Bruises
Can take anything from a few seconds to over a day to appear and anything from a day to several weeks to fade away again.
Soft fleshy areas bruise much more colourfully.
Sprains and torn muscles/tendons etc.
Will stiffen, swell and become more painful after a few hours.
A bad sprain can be every bit as incapacitating as a broken bone.
HEAD INJURIES
Probably the most common injury in fiction.
From “let’s bash the bad guy over the head to stop him running after us” to those scenes where everyone gets thrown all over the flight deck by the first bit of turbulence and bounce their heads off consoles.
Minor Head injuries
The human skull is pretty robust and designed to take a fair amount of punishment. Consequently the occasional bump won’t do all that much damage.
A minor bump on the head may leave a character feeling dazed and suffering from a headache, blurred vision and ringing ears but will clear within a few minutes.
Facial bruising - quite uncommon, it takes quite a hard blow or a blow that impacts with the soft tissue around the eyes to leave a mark.
Minor cuts and lacerations on the scalp and face will hurt and bleed out of all proportion to their seriousness. [NOTE: A ‘laceration’ does not mean ‘a very bad cut’ – it is a term for a specific type of wound caused by the tearing rather than the slicing of the skin. It’s the sort of cut you get from being hit with a blunt object (or a fist).]
Medium Head Injuries
A more forceful blow (equivalent to a fall of several feet) can lead to complications of the injury.
Concussion (damage to the brain tissue) is quite common after a hard blow to the head and is often accompanied by temporary unconsciousness. (And it should be very temporary if you don’t want your character to be permanently damaged). This can also result in dizziness, nausea and, not surprisingly, a nasty headache.
Medium cuts and lacerations will be painful and messy but not dangerous. There may be scarring.
Severe Head Injuries
A blow to the head resulting in prolonged unconsciousness will almost certainly result in brain damage, possibly a fractured skull and bruising or bleeding within the brain itself. It can be fatal either straight away if the damage is extensive enough or later as the blood from the injury causes pressure to be put on the brain.
Severe cuts - can damage muscle and sinew and do permanent damage. The pain from such injuries would have most characters unable to concentrate on much else.
Concussion Symptoms
Confusion, disorientation, memory loss,
Dizziness, headache (lingering after the first few hours)
Nausea, vomiting,
Pupils uneven in size and/or reaction,
Sluggish reactions, sleepiness.
Any painkillers given to treat the headache must be non-narcotic and relatively mild. Otherwise it is difficult to tell if sleepiness is caused by a worsening of the injury or by the painkillers.
Someone suffering from a suspected head injury should be watched for at least 24 hours, and woken every few hours if they’re asleep, to check for the above symptoms.
BROKEN BONES
In general they hurt. A lot. Any character with a broken bone (with the possible exception of the ribs) is going to know about it and not be very happy. It is possible that if there is no displacement they might not hurt much at all, and it may not be immediately obvious that the bone is actually broken.
The initial shock and pain is often enough to cause unconsciousness. Keeping the limb immobile will minimise the pain but any pressure or movement is going to be extremely unpleasant.
Severe breaks (compound fractures) can cause part of the bone to protrude through the skin, this will also cause blood loss, which can be severe enough to be dangerous. Nerves and blood vessels can also be permanently damaged.
Smaller bones are obviously more likely to break than larger ones but they hurt every bit as much.
Distinguishing between breaks/sprains is not always easy with just 'it hurts to go on but as a guide… Lots of pain but some movement is a relatively good thing -- it indicates 'just' a tear. Less pain but very limited movement is a worry, because it can mean you've snapped something, and the joint becomes useless without surgery.
Broken Ribs
All sorts of nasty complications can arise here. For a start, though a character who has just broken a rib will feel winded and uncomfortable, the initial discomfort will pass quickly and they may feel fine for some hours afterwards. Possibly they may not even realise that they had broken anything.
After a few hours it will start to hurt badly and breathing may be impaired and painful. Problems can occur when the injured person is breathing only shallowly because of the pain and not expanding their lungs fully, lungs can collapse as a result, causing pneumonia. Interesting in a morbid kind of way is that the breathing difficulties of a collapsed lung aren't what gets you - it's the air pressure that builds up in the chest cutting of the blood flow to the heart.
Broken ribs can also puncture a lung or even the heart with fatal results. A punctured lung would result in death within 3-15 minutes if untreated.
DISLOCATED JOINTS
Hurt just as much as broken bones.
Can be forced back into place without medical facilities but it’s not recommended and will hurt a lot, probably enough to cause unconsciousness. On-the-hoof treatment is the same as for broken bones – imobilise and support the limb.
There are a few dislocations which can be life-threatening -- the sterno-clavicular joint (where the collarbone joins the breastbone) is one. It requires a lot of force to pop it (most people's collarbones will break before the joint goes), and the collarbone usually goes outwards, but if it displaces inwards, it can compress the airways. This joint can dislocate if you get slammed very hard into something like a wall and take the impact on the point of the shoulder. I can also say it hurts very badly and for a very long time.
CUTTING & PIERCING
most human beings come equipped with a healthy set of defensive reflexes to avoid it. If at all possible they will try to put something else (like hands) in the way of the blow. Most people injured in a stabbing have injuries on their hands and arms as well from trying to ward off their assailant.
The severity of the injury depends a great deal on its location:
Limbs
The arms and legs are not protected by much flesh so even a shallow cut or piercing injury here may damage bone and muscle and render the limb effectively useless.
Severe blood loss can occur if the major blood vessels in the inside of the upper arm and inner thigh are damaged.
Abdomen
Piercing injuries will bleed a lot and can easily do fatal damage, although unless a main artery is hit then it’s not going to be a quick death. A piercing more than 2 inches deep starts to get dangerous.
If the main descending aorta is hit, the character has seconds to live.
The femoral or renal arteries will lose a fatal amount of blood in 2 – 3 minutes.
Injury to internal organs would cause bleeding, infections and a nasty slow death if left untreated. Bleeding from the spleen or liver would cause death within 20 minutes. Less major damage to internal organs would cause death either from blood loss over several hours or up to several days later from infection and other complications.
Relatively slight cuts to the stomach area would affect breathing and damage muscles, More major cuts to this area can damage nerves and muscles, meaning the injured character would have no control over their legs. Not nice, when you’re trying to get away from the nutter who’s just sliced you up and suddenly your legs don’t work…
Extensive cuts here can also mean the insides are suddenly outside. Not pretty, not comfortable and, untreated, leaves the character with about 15 minutes to live and they’re going to wish it was much less. Quite apart from the pain (which is pretty horrific) the sight of their own insides tends to make most people quite hysterical.
BLOOD LOSS
Major blood loss will result in a fast weak pulse and accelerated respiratory rate.
For an average healthy person about a litre of blood lost is enough for shock to set in.
Loss of approximately a litre and a half to two litres or more will require transfusion.
Loss of more than 2 and a half litres will probably result in unconsciousness and, if transfusion is not given, death.
Symptoms of Blood Loss
Blood loss in litres < 0.75 || 0.750-1.5 || 1.5-2.0 || > 2.0
Percentage of blood lost < 15% || 15-30% || 30-40% || > 40%
Mental state Alert || Anxious || Confused || Lethargic
State of extremities Normal || Pale || Pale/Cool || Pale/Clammy
Amount of blood loss by injury
Severe blood loss, as a wound larger than a fist or that caused by a compound fracture. All figures are approximate and somewhat variable. They are meant as a rough guide only.
SITE OF INJURY || NORMAL BLOOD LOSS (Litres / %) || SEVERE || MAXIMUM
Aside from the obvious risk of getting smacked upside the head or breaking bones (see above) there are assorted other injuries and complications which can arise.
Due to the elasticity of the ribcage getting smacked in the chest can cause a person to fly backwards some distance. Of course this means they can bounce off of something else and hurt themselves that way. At best they’re going to be winded and have difficulty breathing, which causes a certain amount of panic in most people. And it looks rather alarming.
Heavy blows to the back can damage the spine resulting in possible paralysis and death. Kidney injuries are also common when someone is hit in the small of the back. They can bleed and may shut down altogether. Kidney failure means the body can’t clear certain waste products from its system, if the waste products build up too far then coma and death can result.
Internal organs such as the liver and spleen can also be damaged by blunt trauma and bleed as detailed above. Other organs which may be injured are the pancreas and the intestines.
If the pancreas is damaged it may spill digestive enzymes which start to digest the person’s own insides. Obviously this is rather painful and unpleasant.
Damage to the intestines can result in blockages (causing pain, nausea and vomiting), bleeding, and the release of bacteria into the bloodstream resulting in septic shock (high fever followed by sudden drop in temperature and blood pressure – fatal if not treated) This can take 24 hours or more.
Usual treatment for internal injuries is IV feeding, antibiotics, painkillers and sometimes surgery.
BURNS
Burns are classified into degree by their seriousness.
1st degree burns – Red, sensitive skin, like a sunburn.
2nd degree burns – Blistering on the first layer of skin (the epidermis) only.
3rd degree burns – Damage to both the epidermis and dermis (the first two layers of skin), visible scars.
Burns over more than 70% of the body are life threatening due to dehydration and the risk of shock, kidney failure and infection.
Electrical shock
Physical marks can vary from none at all to severe tissue damage depending on the severity of the shock.
Internal damage can be done by electrical current traveling along the nerves and blood vessels.
Source: Leia Fee (with additions by Susannah Shepherd)
i often see writers sharing a sentiment of struggling with writing kiss scenes which honestly bleeds into other portrayals of physical intimacy. i see it a lot in modernized styles of writing popularized by the recent trend in publishing to encourage short, choppy sentences and few adverbs, even less descriptive language. this makes intimacy come across awkward, like someone writing a script or clumsy recounting of events rather than a beautiful paragraph of human connection.
or just plane horniness. but hey, horny doesn't have to be mutually exclusive with poetic or sensual.
shallow example: they kissed desperately, tongues swirling and she moaned. it made her feel warm inside.
in depth example: she reached for the other woman slowly and with a small measure of uncertainty. the moment her fingers brushed the sharp, soft jaw of her companion, eliza's hesitance slid away. the first kiss was gentle when she finally closed the distance between them. she pressed her lips lightly to gabriella's in silent exploration. a tender question. gabriella answered by meeting her kiss with a firmer one of her own. eliza felt the woman's fingers curling into her umber hair, fingernails scraping along her scalp. everything inside eliza relaxed and the nervousness uncoiled from her gut. a warm buzz of energy sunk through her flesh down to the very core of her soul. this was right. this was always where she needed to be.
the first complaint i see regards discomfort in writing a kiss, feeling like one is intruding on the characters. the only way to get around this is to practice. anything that makes you uncomfortable in writing is something you should explore. writing is at its best when we are pushing the envelope of our own comfort zones. if it feels cringy, if it feels too intimate, too weird, too intrusive, good. do it anyway! try different styles, practice it, think about which parts of it make you balk the most and then explore that, dissect it and dive into getting comfortable with the portrayal of human connection.
of course the biggest part comes to not knowing what to say other than "they kissed" or, of course, the tried and true "their lips crashed and their tongues battled for dominance" 😐. so this is my best advice: think beyond the mouth. okay, we know their mouths are mashing. but what are their hands doing? are they touching one another's hair? are they scratching or gripping desperately at one another? are they gliding their hands along each other's body or are they wrapping their arms tightly to hold each other close? do they sigh? do they groan? do they relax? do they tense? are they comfortable with each other or giddy and uncertain? is it a relief, or is it bringing more questions? is it building tension or finally breaking it?
get descriptive with the emotions. how is it making the main character/pov holder feel? how are they carrying those emotions in their body? how do they feel the desire in their body? desire is not just felt below the belt. it's in the gut, it's in the chest, it's in the flushing of cheeks, the chills beneath the skin, the goosebumps over the surface of the flesh. everyone has different pleasure zones. a kiss might not always lead desire for overtly sexual touches. a kiss might lead to the desire for an embrace. a kiss might lead to the impulse to bite or lick at other areas. a kiss could awaken desire to be caressed or caress the neck, the shoulder, the back, the arms etc. describe that desire, show those impulses of pleasure and affection.
of course there is the tactile. what does the love interest taste like? what do they smell like? how do they kiss? rough and greedy? slow and sensual? explorative and hesitant? expertly or clumsily? how does it feel to be kissed by them? how does it feel to kiss them?
i.e. examine who these individuals are, what their motives and feelings are within that moment, who they are together, what it looks like when these two individuals come together. a kiss is not about the mouth. it's about opening the door to vulnerability and desire in one's entire body and soul.
Place of Birth: Where did your character first see the world? Think about the impact of this place—was it a busy city where they had to fight for attention or a quiet village where everyone knew everyone’s business? This location doesn’t just say where they’re from; it shapes how they see the world.
Family and Upbringing: What was their family like? Were their parents loving or distant? Maybe they were raised by someone other than their parents—a mentor, an older sibling, or even alone. Family (or the lack of it) is usually one of the most significant factors in shaping who someone becomes.
Society’s Expectations: What was expected of them when they were young? Possibly, they were born into wealth, with all the pressure to continue the family legacy, or maybe they were raised to be invisible in a world where survival mattered. How does this influence who they are now? Do they accept or reject those expectations?
2. Childhood Events That Left a Mark
First Taste of Conflict: Think about the first time the character realized the world wasn’t a perfect place. Maybe they witnessed violence or faced betrayal. What was that moment, and how did it stick with them? This moment usually lays the foundation for the character’s emotional landscape—fear, hope, ambition, or distrust all come from these early life lessons.
Childhood Dreams: When they were young, what did they want to be? Every child has dreams—did they want to be a knight, a scholar, or even just someone who could travel the world? Did they have to give up these dreams? How does that lost dream shape them now?
Formative Relationships: Who was their first best friend, mentor, or enemy? Childhood friendships and relationships often create deep bonds or wounds that last into adulthood. Did they have a mentor who taught them everything, only to betray them? Did they lose a childhood friend that still haunts them?
3. The Teen Years: Where They Start to Become Who They Are
Trials and Tribulations: What’s the biggest challenge they faced as they grew up? Was it losing a loved one, failing at something important, or maybe being forced into a role they didn’t want? These teenage years are where the emotional armor starts forming—how did the difficulties they faced shape them into the person they are now?
Education or Training: How did they learn what they know? Were they formally trained by an institution, learning everything by the book, or did they learn through experience, like a street-smart survivalist? What impact does their education or lack of it have on how they interact with others?
Teenage Bonds: Did they have a first love or a first major falling out with someone close to them? These experiences often create emotional scars or connections that they carry with them into adulthood. How does that past friendship or romance influence their behavior now?
4. Key Life Events: The Big Moments That Define Them
Trauma or Loss: Was there a moment that changed everything? Think about a significant loss—maybe a loved one, their home, or a sense of identity. How does this event affect their worldview? Do they build walls around themselves or dive into relationships with reckless abandon because they fear losing more?
Victory or Failure: Did they experience a moment of triumph or devastating defeat? Success and failure leave their marks. Were they celebrated as a hero once, leading them to overconfidence, or did they fail when everyone was counting on them, leading to crippling self-doubt?
Betrayal: Was there a betrayal that shaped their adult relationships? Whether it is a friend, family member, or lover, betrayal often changes how we trust others. Do they close themselves off, constantly expecting betrayal, or try to rebuild trust, afraid of being left alone again.
5. Where They Stand Now: The Present Moment
What Drives Them Today: What’s the one thing pushing them forward now? Is it revenge, the need to restore their family’s honor, or maybe even just survival? Whatever it is, this motivation should tie directly back to their experiences.
Emotional Baggage: What unresolved emotional wounds are they carrying? Everyone has scars from their past—some are visible, others not so much. How do these emotional wounds affect how they treat others, how they react to conflict, and how they move through the world.
Current Relationships: Who’s still in their life from their past, and how do they feel about it? Did they reconnect with someone they thought they’d lost, or are they haunted by unresolved issues with people from their past? Do they have any ongoing tensions or regrets tied to these people?
6. Tying Themes to Their Backstory
Cultural or Mythological Influence: How does their personal story tie into the larger world’s mythology or culture? Do they carry a family legacy, a curse, or a prophecy that hangs over them? How does this influence their interactions with others and their perception of themselves?
Recurring Symbols: Are there objects, dreams, or people that keep showing up in their life, symbolizing their journey? Perhaps a recurring nightmare haunts them, or they carry an object from their past that’s both a source of comfort and pain
7. Character Arc: The Journey from Past to Present
How Does Their Past Shape Their Growth?: Every character has emotional baggage that needs resolving. How does their backstory drive their arc? Do they need to forgive themselves, let go of the past, or accept who they’ve become to move forward?
Unanswered Questions from the Past: Are there any mysteries in their backstory they need to solve? Maybe they’re unaware of their true parentage, or maybe there’s a forgotten event from their childhood that will resurface and change everything.
Perfectionism - What can be so wrong about being perfect? While perfectionism can drive a person to execute their tasks with care, it can also drive them to being unsatisfied with everything they do or it can even hinder them to start doing something out of crippling fear that whatever they do will not be perfect.
Honesty - You would think that honesty is always appreciated - but if the honesty is being perceived as being rude and insensitive, other people might turn away from a brutally honest person. Therefore, brutal honesty can lose someone opportunities or connections.
Devotion - Being devoted to something or someone can seem like an admirable character trait. But if taken to the extreme it can also turn into a dangerous obsession.
Aeriophylon - a bird seldom seen because it flies above the clouds; if it is captured while still young, it can be trained as a hunter, and will stay with the person who raised it without being confined
Barnacle goose - grow from trees; the young birds hang from their beaks from the trees; when the birds are mature enough, they fall from the trees; any that fall into the water float and are safe, but those that fall on land die
Caladrius - an all-white bird that lives in the king's house; if it looks into the face of a sick man, it means that he will live, but if it looks away, the sick man will die of his illness; to cure the sick man, it looks at him, and drawing the sickness into itself, flies up toward the sun, where the disease is burned up and destroyed
Dipsa - a serpent so small it is not seen before it is stepped on, and so poisonous, anyone it bites dies before he feels the bite
Echeneis - a fish, half a foot in length, that clings to ships and delays their passage; when this fish attaches to a ship, even in the high winds of a storm the ship will not move, but seems to be rooted in the sea; found in the Indian Sea
Goldfinch - a bird that eats thorns and thistles
Hercinia - a bird that serves as a beacon for travelers because its feathers glow so brightly in the dark that they light up the path
Isida - a small bird with beautiful green, blue, sapphire and red feathers; it is said that if you remove the bird's skin with the feathers still attached and stick it to a wall, the feathers will continue to change as though the skin was still alive
Jaculus - a serpent that can fly; hides in a tree until an animal passes underneath, and then it throws itself down on the animal and kills it
Kingfisher - a bird that calms sea storms; at mid-winter, when the sea storms are strongest, the kingfisher lays its eggs in the sand on the shore. For 7 days it hatches the eggs, and for an additional 7 days it nourishes them. During those 14 days the sea remains calm, unnaturally for the season. Sailors know that during this time they will not be threatened by storms, and call this the "halcyon days" after the Latin name of the kingfisher, "halcyon".
Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References
More: Medieval Period
So you want to turn your one-off book into a series…
As a writer who decided only after publishing book 1 of a trilogy, to then make it a 4 book saga, here are my thoughts on series planning, or at least the insomnia-driven process I went through to reach this decision:
Firstly—I prefer to write multi-book stories with the structure like Lord of the Rings over something like Harry Potter. As in, it’s one long story with various hurdles to overcome split into multiple books, instead of each book being much more self-contained, with a reliable time skip, like years of schooling.
With that in mind, the very first thought I have is this: What are the new threats going to be? I don’t think about my heroes or any subplots or new characters. Priority one is my antagonistic forces: Do I have enough to each carry their own book?
A hero is only as compelling as their conflict, after all.
In my sci-fi WIP, I had 6 main characters and five books planned, and I based it off the structure of the OG Teen Titans cartoon—Everybody gets their own season and while not every episode is about them, the main threat is theirs first, with the rest of the team backing them up. The threat was always a twofer, both an external threat and an internal conflict that they had to overcome in their book. For example I had a character who “lead” book 2, and the external threat was Bad Guys from a different team member’s war, dragging her home into it. The internal threat was her “suffer in silence” tendency and extreme self-reliance, which becomes too much for her to handle when her powerhouse teammate is out of commission physically and unable to help her emotionally.
ENNS doesn’t have an ensemble cast and was not meant to. In this style, if it’s one long story, I’d need three major incidents in books 1-3 that all led up to a final conflict in book 4, all building off each other. I needed essentially two whole “Helms Deeps” for books 2 and 3. Not just in terms of story but literal conflict, as I write high fantasy and not having a big climactic battle for a whole book would flop. But now I need two of them, and I struggle with action scenes.
And without spoiling myself, I have them vaguely defined. For me, at least, so long as I have my little compass pointing toward my “North” of “this is the thing that every major scene should be dealing with in some capacity” it doesn’t matter what path I take to get there, I’ll figure it out. Heavily outlining only ever leaves me with plenty of outline but no book.
For me, once I have my main threat, I then have my main theme. Example for ENNS being that book 1’s main theme/question was “What makes a monster?”
Have yet to narrow it down and split the original 3 themes now into 4, but one I intend on exploring is “Can vampires change?”
Doing this, having your big picture at least in a foggy idea, helps with cohesion across multiple books, and within the same story. If you keep your theme in the back of your mind and relate as many character arcs and mini conflicts back to it as possible, it’ll really start to look like you know what you’re doing.
Otherwise you end up with a bunch of loose ends and dangling plot threads that get abandoned, or characters that feel out of place as their arc has nothing to do with the rest of the story, it’s just here because they had to do something to participate.
So if you want to see now book 1 of 4, check out Eternal Night of the Northern Sky on Amazon.
Before anyone takes off running, the reader needs to know why this matters. The chase can’t just be about two people running, it’s gotta have a reason. Is your hero sprinting for their life because the villain has a knife? Or maybe they’re chasing someone who just stole something valuable, and if they don’t catch them, it’s game over for everyone. Whatever the reason, make it clear early on. The higher the stakes, the more the reader will care about how this chase plays out. They’ll feel that surge of panic, knowing what’s on the line.
Sure, a chase scene is fast, people are running, dodging, maybe even falling. But not every second needs to be at full speed. If it’s too frantic from start to finish, the reader might get numb to the action. Instead, throw in some rhythm. Use quick, sharp sentences when things get intense, like someone stumbling or almost getting caught. But then slow it down for a second. Maybe they hit a dead end or pause to look around. Those brief moments of slow-down add suspense because they feel like the calm before the storm kicks up again.
Don’t let the setting just be a backdrop. The world around them should become a part of the chase. Maybe they’re tearing through a marketplace, dodging carts and knocking over tables, or sprinting down alleyways with trash cans crashing behind them. If they’re running through the woods, you’ve got low-hanging branches, roots, slippery mud, and the constant threat of tripping. Describing the environment makes the scene more vivid, but it also adds layers of tension. It’s not just two people running in a straight line, it’s two people trying to navigate through chaos.
Running isn’t easy, especially when you’re running for your life. This isn’t some smooth, graceful sprint where they look cool the whole time. Your character’s lungs should be burning, their legs aching, maybe their side starts to cramp. They’re gasping for air, barely holding it together. These details will remind the reader that this chase is taking a real toll. And the harder it gets for your character to keep going, the more the tension ramps up because the reader will wonder if they’ll actually make it.
Don’t make it too easy. The villain should almost catch your hero or the hero should almost grab the villain. But something happens last second to change the outcome. Maybe the villain’s fingers brush the hero’s coat as they sprint around a corner, but they manage to slip out of reach just in time. Or maybe your hero almost gets close enough to tackle the villain, but slips on some gravel, losing precious seconds.
And Don’t let the chase end in a way that feels too predictable. Whether your character gets away or is caught, it should be because of something clever. Maybe they spot a hiding place that’s almost impossible to notice, or they use their surroundings to mislead their pursuer. Or, the person chasing them pulls a fast one, Laying a trap, cutting off their escape route, or sending the hero down the wrong path. You want the end to feel earned, like it took quick thinking and ingenuity, not just dumb luck or fate.
Hello hello! I recently uploaded a post about writing the "Black Cat" trope and as promised, here's my advice on the opposite archetype: Golden retrievers!
OVERVIEW
In general, the GR is more open and extroverted. They can talk and often aren't shy about it! They seem more comfortable in their own skins and tend to get along with people better.
DIALOGUE
For dialogue, subtext also matters here, but it's not as needed as for the "Black Cat." Why? Because for the BC, they're words don't always line up with their intentions, but for the GR, they may have more animated ways of talking that include extravagant gestures and expressive features!
And because they enjoy talking, it's not uncommon for them to get ahead of themselves; thus, they may use filler words (uh, uhm, etc.) more than their counterpart.
As for dialogue tags, words such as beamed, cheered, exclaimed, etc. should be used to depict their excitable and happy nature. Of course, they won't be sunshine and rainbows all the time, but it's still good to keep an eye on the tags you're using!
But as a whole, there aren't many limitations as to what you can and cannot do when it comes to how this archetype speaks. As long as they aren't stoic 24/7, then you're free to play around!
CHARACTERISTICS
Again, let's talk about some flaws and virtues of this character! As always, you don't need all of these traits to form a successful and well-written character (and obviously, you can add more); these ideas won't apply to everyone!
*VIRTUES*
Caring
Kind (Sweet, friendly, etc.)
Open-minded
Sociable
Adventurous
Accepting
Positive
*FLAWS*
Dense
Ignores personal space
Impulsive
Overly chatty
Gets ahead of themselves
In general, the GR is an optimistic extrovert who loves approaching people but can be a bit dense about love and personal boundaries--even more than the BC. Still, that's what makes them so loveable! They have an innate curiosity and impulsivity, so they're more open to adventure. On the flip side, this also means that they aren't great at taking care of themselves and can be irresponsible.
**CHARACTER**
Because of the GR's sociability, they can be pretty popular amongst their peers and/or co-workers. Unlike some underhanded methods to gain popularity, the GR gains attention naturally with their endearingly wholesome, energetic, and honest personality. They may also come off as slightly naive and too innocent in some sense, it only adds to their charm.
However, that means that others may attempt to manipulate the GR because of their gullibility.
RELATIONSHIP
In their relationship, the "Black Cat" should balance out the GR and vice versa. In 99% of cases, the GR first approaches the BC upon their first meeting but it's generally the BC who keeps the impulsive GR in line (and alive).
In a social stance, the GR is the extrovert while the BC is the introvert; thus, in any social events, the GR typically does the most talking while the BC hangs in the back.
It will take some difficulty for the both of them to compromise and fully understand each other because of their near opposite traits, and there's normally some struggles regarding communication.
With the BC, the GR also tends to be more open about their honest emotions; they're unafraid to show their tiredness, misery, and even clinginess regardless of how "out-of-character" it may seem. To add on, they can become really serious when it comes to their loved ones.
CONCLUSION
To quickly sum up, the GR is a bubbly, talkative character who sometimes doesn't think their actions through but is loveable all the same! They can be a little clueless at times but are supportive lovers and friends.
100 Vocabulary Words for Gothic Fiction | For Writers
Hello Writers! I've put together a list of 100 words to help you expand your vocabulary for writing gothic fiction in October. I categorized the words for easy reference. I did some research using thesauruses and dictionaries to compile this list for you. I hope you find it helpful! 👻🎃
Atmospheric Words
Tenebrous - dark and gloomy
Oppressive - overwhelming and unpleasantly powerful
Ominous - suggesting evil or harm is imminent
Eerie - strange and frightening
Uncanny - mysterious and unsettling
Nefarious - wicked or criminal
Malevolent - having evil intentions
Sinister - giving the impression of evil
Melancholy - deep sadness
Lugubrious - mournful or dismal
Sombre - dark and gloomy
Dreary - dull and depressing
Desolate - empty and lonely
Bleak - cold and depressing
Dank - unpleasantly damp and cold
Character Descriptions
Pallid - abnormally pale
Gaunt - thin and bony
Haggard - looking exhausted and unwell
Cadaverous - corpse-like
Wan - pale and sickly
Spectral - ghost-like
Enigmatic - mysterious and difficult to understand
Brooding - appearing darkly thoughtful
Tortured - suffering mentally or physically
Macabre - disturbing due to focus on death or injury
Architectural Features
Gothic - relating to medieval style architecture
Dilapidated - in a state of disrepair
Decrepit - worn out or ruined due to age
Crumbling - breaking into small fragments
Decaying - rotting or decomposing
Ramshackle - in a state of severe disrepair
Crypt - underground room or vault
Turret - small tower on a building
Parapet - low protective wall along the edge of a roof
Buttress - structure built against a wall for support
Supernatural Elements
Apparition - ghost or spirit
Phantasm - figment of the imagination
Specter - ghost or phantom
Wraith - ghost or spirit
Revenant - person who returns as a spirit after death
Ethereal - extremely delicate and light
Otherworldly - belonging to an imaginary or spiritual world
Paranormal - beyond normal explanation
Preternatural - beyond what is normal in nature
Occult - supernatural or magical
Emotions and States of Mind
Dread - great fear or apprehension
Foreboding - fearful apprehension
Trepidation - fear or anxiety about something that may happen
Anguish - severe mental or physical pain
Despair - complete loss of hope
Melancholia - deep and long-lasting sadness
Hysteria - exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion
Delirium - state of confusion and hallucination
Madness - state of severe mental illness
Obsession - persistent disturbing preoccupation with an idea or feeling
Gothic Settings
Moor - area of open, uncultivated upland
Wasteland - barren or desolate area
Labyrinth - complex maze-like structure
Catacomb - underground cemetery
Dungeon - dark underground prison
Mausoleum - building housing a tomb or tombs
Sepulcher - small room or monument where a dead person is laid
Necropolis - large cemetery, especially an ancient one
Citadel - fortress that commands a city
Monastery - building occupied by a community of monks
Weather and Natural Phenomena
Tempest - violent windy storm
Miasma - unpleasant or unhealthy smell or vapor
Fog - thick cloud of tiny water droplets
Mist - cloud of tiny water droplets in the air near ground level
Gloom - partial or total darkness
Twilight - soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon
Umbra - the fully shaded inner region of a shadow
Penumbra - the partially shaded outer region of a shadow
Crepuscular - resembling twilight; dim
Tenebrous - dark, shadowy, or obscure
Literary Devices and Narrative Elements
Foreshadowing - warning or indication of a future event
Omen - event regarded as a portent of good or evil
Portent - sign or warning that a momentous or calamitous event is likely to happen
Harbinger - person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another
Presage - sign or warning that something will happen
Doppelganger - look-alike or double of a living person
Grotesque - comically or repulsively ugly or distorted
Gothic double - character representing the duality of human nature
Unreliable narrator - narrator whose credibility is compromised
Frame narrative - story within a story
Liminal Spaces and Concepts
Threshold - strip of wood or stone forming the bottom of a doorway
Liminal - occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold
Betwixt - in between
Interstitial - of, forming, or occupying interstices (small spaces between things)
Twilight zone - undefined or intermediate area between two distinct states
Purgatory - place or state of temporary suffering or expiation
Netherworld - imaginary subterranean world of the dead
Abyss - deep or seemingly bottomless chasm
Void - completely empty space
Chthonic - concerning, belonging to, or inhabiting the underworld
Miscellaneous Gothic Terms
Sublime - of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire awe
Ineffable - too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words
Eldritch - weird and sinister or ghostly
Atavistic - relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral
Numinous - having a strong religious or spiritual quality; indicating the presence of a divinity
