Ray Von Sol

Sometimes, when the moon is blue on a Tuesday in a month with five Sundays, I write stuff. Call me Raymond.

[ronerayette]

And for the first time I'm actually attempting something longer than a short story and dying. I hate skipping sections because I will never:

Come back to them and 

forget exactly what I wanted to do there.

[realrandomsam]

Some new Happy Writer Bun for the writing lovelies out there. Keep writing! You can do it!

More Happy Writer Bun

Ask Sam Writing Questions

[a-disgruntled-jedi-deactivated2]

[lunar-bunnie]

Mine is mostly cognitive.

[ariofthesea]

Cognitive.

[ronerayette]

Ready

The floral coloured walls were dinged and chipping around the top, peeling in some parts and missing in others. In the holes nested chewed up wires that moved as rats and other pests made their way about the building. Launa, her stringy hair falling around her deep brown eyes and nicotine stained teeth, was leaning against the far right corner with something resting in the crook her arm. It was a cloth bundle of blue and greens but you could hardly tell the shade past the dirt and grime. Launa exhaled. In long, spindle like fingers she held a cigarette, half burnt out with the ash precariously dangling on the end and without even taking a drag she ashed.  She pulled the blanket cocoon closer to her chest, struggling to get to her feet. Her cigarette smashed against the wall, missing the exposed palm as she shimmied up the wall, taking bits of the dirt with her. Across the room, in the dark purple reddish arm chair-threadbare and not nearly as comfy as it ought to be- slouched a body. Gender: undetermined. Launa skittered past, without taking note of the lack of chest movement. The bundle in her arms didn't move either. It lay as a weighted reminded of why she was there and why, on atrophied legs, she found herself at the window. The dark brown frame moved as the wind forced itself through the cracks, creaking in the quiet of the room and silence of the suburban Sunday morning. It was her chance. Here, she had one more chance to die with what little dignity she had left. She leaned forward, left arm still clinging to the bundle, right fingers grabbing at the aged wooden frame, splinters fighting against the forced movement as she hooked a few millimetres of nails under the wood and yanked. She lost a nail. She kept pulling up, head swimming in the cocktail of carbon dioxide and adrenaline. With the dingy window open sun poured into the  apartment, lighting up the moss and fungus that had made their home close to the window and highlighting the blackened nails of Launa's toes. Her skin had gotten much paler since she last paid attention. Launa cried out. If Arin were still around she would have congratulated her on her strength maybe even patted her on the back. The old Arin anyway. Always ready for an adventure, smile just waiting for a chance to show up with trouble. Once Launa's eyes had ceased their jumping, she stood. It had been awhile since the sun saw her skin and right now she was grateful to be able to feel it again. Even the itch had having it’s rays on her were more than welcoming. One knee knocked against the window sill, the other bent on top. Without the strength to stand up she slouched on the frame for support. Each breath stealing more strength than it gave. The wood sagged under her 100 pounds but stayed solid.  The bundle stayed safe in her arm as she eased her head out. Looking down she realised that they were on the 4th floor, not high enough to her. Still, while she was lucid she wanted to do this. Her arm was getting tired under the stress of her weight, the bundle and effort it took just to breath but she wasn't about to let go quite yet. Just a few more minutes with the sunshine and a few more minutes with Arin and Arin's smile and Arin's laugh. Back when they could do anything. No rules could hold them, no danger scare them. All they really needed was each other. "I'm sorry." Launa murmured, letting go of the frame and falling into the darkness.

[ronerayette]

Statute

The flowers had grown past their boarders again. Each leave, each petal, had found itself lying across the walk way in a contrast of colour and grey. Many of them browned at the edges by the feet of passers-by, too busy to notice the park they trekked through. But Argon noticed. Argon noticed a lot of things.

  He couldn't remember never noticing things. Since he became aware of not being able to move from the center of the park he took peace in the one past time afforded him; people watching, and as a result took people who carelessly strode through life to be completely useless. A man sat beneath him, a burger from MacDonalds in one hand while his mouth worked the fries into mush. Crumbs littered his lapel. It was a vibrant forest green and paired off well with a duller purple blazer. His slacks were black and he had a zany pair of socks on in his loafers.

  ‘Disgusting.’ Argon thought. The man wiped his mouth and swallowed some of his drink, a hearty smack to the chest prevented him from choking on his meal.  It was times like this Argon wished his frozen bother would move.

  "Ah that is perfect. I hadn’t eaten all day. Isn't fun? The day I mean?" The man leaned back on the bench and popped his burger carton. It was huge and over laden with pickles. "It’s so nice to enjoy the day like this."

  ‘Go away.’ Argon thought. If only his arms could move he'd smack the man.

  The man continued eating. Unaware of Argon and his ill intent, but that was fine. There wasn’t much argon could do to a man who could actually move. He eventually left, tossing his container to the closest bin and missed.  He said, "Ah well."

  ‘DON'T JUST LEAVE IT THERE!’ Argon wanted to protest this but it was no use. He was only a silent observer of the world. Bound forever to only notice the things around him.

  The day moved on. No one else sat at argon's bench too long. Though some came to take pictures with him. They were all smiling and happy faced but ultimately that too was an illusion.

[ronerayette]

Colonize

The room was getting colder and without a host the small anxiety parasite had no way of keeping itself alive.

  It floated through the wall of people rushing up and down the hospital hall way and through a perfectly timed open door. With its senses it could feel the unmarked minds in the room. It floated over to the nearest, settling deep and tight in the back of its head. The Warmth of being alive slowly fills it as it sent out tendrils through the little wrinkles. Each one connected to a sense. Disinfectant, bright lights, loud noises came to the parasite in slow creeping waves.

  No wonder its host was crying, it was just a child, barely able to form a sense of self and already it was putting up with so much. The parasite snuggled deeper still. Its host was uncomfortable and a little afraid. A good food source so far but nothing to really keep it fed.

  It tuned in on its new sense of hearing. The room they currently inhabited had a few roommates, many of them screaming at the top of their lungs. Maybe it could survive a trip to the next host if it could. It ate some of the fear and discomfort before making the leap.

  It was blind once again and suddenly had to rely on its tendrils. The newest host close by was a lot better than the first. When it slipped its tendrils into that one it found a buffet of fear and stress and worry staining the inside of the baby’s head. The child itself was not crying or even uncomfortable but it was afraid. The parasite didn’t know why though.

  It snuggled in again and settled, this would a perfect host. Excess fear made an excellent meal.

[thewritershelpers]

I’m writing a story where a character is cursed and is immortal, and they were born in the victorian era and now it’s modern times. Anyway, do you have any tips on old fashioned language? -Anonymous

Well, that depends on your character’s background. For example, if they were born into the British upper classes, they’ll speak differently to if they were in the lower classes in America. See where I’m coming from?

Generally, for upper classes, go for long words and long sentences. Semi-colons are your friend. And for the lower classes, slang slang slang.

This is a gross generalisation, but hopefully it gives you the basic idea.

Also don’t forget that if the character’s immortal, they’re probably likely to have assimilated somewhat, so don’t be afraid to mix Victorian and modern language and speech patterns. It could add a whole other layer =]

Here are some awesome resources that explain things way better than I ever could:

Victorian Language, a brief summary

Criminal Slang, doesn’t have everything but does have it in context, which is helpful

Victorian Slang Glossary, more comprehensive than the above

The Etiquette of Conversation, more about how you should say things politely than what you should say, but you might find it useful =]

Victorian Vernacular, a forum thread on Steampunk Empire with some cool links and tips

And here’s a really cool collection of obscure English words

Apart from that, I suggest you just google the type of thing you want and/or read some Victorian books - start with Oliver Twist and go from there =]

I hope this was helpful!

-M

[thewritershelpers]

Magical/Mythical Creatures

You all voted, and you voted for this so there you go. Now I’ve thought about this a lot, and I’m not going to tell you what to do so to speak. But I’m giving my opinion on creating them and thinking about their personality and roots.

If you are creating something based on myth, research that fucker - Did I need to swear there? Probably not. But research should be the first thing you do, for anything. You need to know the basics of the different myths/legend this type of creature is usually involved in. Then start to take it apart, which bits do you like? Which bits don’t you like? Create the lore for your creature. You’ll need to make sure there are no holes in it. Make sure the way of killing it is clear (if you need to kill it) or the history of this creature is understood by you, else your reader has no chance.

List of mythical creatures

Little known mythical creatures

Mythical creatures: what they do and how to kill them

Adapting myth and legend for fiction

Think about the area you are setting this- Different places have different folklore and magical creatures, use this to your advantage. If your story is set in Australia then why not look at some the Aborigines’ myths and legends- why not use them? Think, be creative and use your imagination to twist these things.

English Folklore (you may recognise some from Harry Potter).

European Folklore

European mythical creatures

Legendary creatures from the indigenous North Americans

Asian Legendary creatures

African mythical creatures

Australian mythical creature

The importance of folklore

South American mythical creatures

If you are creating your own, be detailed- creating your own magical creature from the top of your head? GREAT! J.K Rowling did this and it worked for her. I would first of all get an idea of what these characters look like, draw them- be creative. Then think about what their culture is like? Are these ‘evil’ creatures/people? Would they attack humans? Think about the history of this creature and perhaps how accepted it is by humans. Are they like Goblins? Accepted into the magical world but excluded? Or house elves at humans servitude? (Obviously a Harry Potter reference).

Have elements of ‘humans’ in them - But why S? I’m making a magical creature, they don’t need to be human! No, they can be little bat things with scales, it doesn’t matter. A good magcal/mythical creature will be relatable. Okay, here is an example. House elves? They are magical creatures and don’t act like ‘humans’ would, yet their loyalty and the fact they are repressed is something we both understand and sympathise with. Here is another example, Castiel is an angel, he’s fucking powerful and doesn’t act like a typical ‘human’ would by reacting to emotions. But he does have emotions, he does act on them and he is in fact relatable. 

Know what this character/creature’s powers are and then stick to it. It’s fine to create magical characters that are powerful, but this power should have a limit. You should know what this character can and can’t do. I’m not saying this to be a downer but because it’s not as interesting to read about a character that can’t lose, it is to be frank- boring. It is far more interesting to read something and not know who is going to win. By doing this you prevent it from becoming a Mary-sue/Gary-stu. It makes this a real creature/character that is fallible.

Fantastic beasts and mythical creatures

Kick the fantasy cliche

How to describe a fantasy creature

How much can you change fantasy-creatures and get away with it (forum)

So I hope this has helped and I’m sorry if it wasn’t quite what you were expecting. If you have anything to add please feel free to send us a message, I tried to include mythical creatures from around the world but I don’t doubt that I’ve missed places- sorry.

-S

[fictionwritingtips]

Strategies to Reach Your Word Count

One of the hardest parts of finishing a novel is staying on track, especially during NaNoWriMo. If you’re having trouble reaching your daily word count, try implementing these strategies:

Don’t Stop Writing When You’re Stuck

If you can’t get past a certain scene, this is the time when you need to push yourself to keep going. Figure it out or move past it for the time being. Try to end the day in the middle of something you’re excited about so you’ll want to jump back in the next day. If you stop when you’re stuck, you run the risk of staying stuck.

Start a New Document Every Day

If you want to stop yourself from editing and focus solely on word count, try starting a new document each day and simply adding the new parts of your story to the main document at the end of the day. This will help you from getting distracted and you’ll be able to clearly see what you wrote each day.

Write in 15 Minute Intervals

If you don’t have time during the day to take an hour break, try writing in 15-20 minute intervals. Those writing breaks really add up and they will significantly add to your daily word count. Writing for 15 minutes is much easier to fit in during the day than an hour or so.

Keep a Calendar

A great way to keep you motivated about your word count is to keep a calendar you can see everyday. Either write in your word count everyday or X off the days where you achieved your goals. This will help you keep your writing streak going.

Leave Time to Plan

It’s very hard to reach your word count when you don’t know what to do next. Reaching your word count also includes leaving time to plan the next step you’re taking concerning your story. Getting excited about your story is important. 

-Kris Noel

[ronerayette]

I find that giving myself a minimum requirement per scene works best for me. 

[thewritershelpers]

What In the Name of Merlin Is Magic, Anyway?

In this installment of the TWH Fighting Series, we’re going to explore magic in some of its possible forms, ways to cast and use magic, and most importantly, balancing out magic vs. other means of fighting in a scene.

Read More

[hookgone]

From personal experience, I know it can be hard coming up with archetypes and things and I came across some generators that (honestly) have been super helpful when i’m stuck in a rut with what I want to write.

here’s a archetype generator and here’s a personality generator

this one generates different motives and it’s honestly really cool

here’s a family tree generator like how many siblings they may have and if their parents and grandparents are in good health.

this ones an appearance generator and it’s honestly a+++

okay okay this one is one that just throws things together to make maybe a background character and it includes things like their religion and their job

[ronerayette]

vincycherry

[ronerayette]

I am honestly past upset that I can't do NanoWrimo this year. I'm so swamped (for the first time) With work and other obligations that Nano has to take a back seat to this. I'm trying to do sprints before work as well but that is not even coming close to what Nano needs to be able to win by month's end. How many of you are doing Nano this year? What's your word limit?

[the-right-writing]

Writer Beware makes posts on which publishing houses to avoid at all costs, which words to look for and which words to watch out for in contracts, and several other things that will keep you in control and knowledgeable about the publishing process.  I’d suggest reading through the website if you want to avoid getting ripped off, cheated, or scammed.

[the-right-writing]

I’m just going to reblog this every so often because it’s a site that every writer needs to see.

[annikasettergren-archive]

talk street magic to me

drawing power from the metro lines

illusionists busking illegally, shimmering lights disintegrating as they run

plant mages tending tiny rooftop and windowbox gardens

elementary school kids learning basic sigils on the playground

wixen taking a while to key into the magic in new cities when they move

alchemists dealing on the side to support their experiments

middle schoolers making friendship talismans and amulets for everyone

numerologists who’ll do your math homework for $5 or divine your fortune for $10

kids mass-texting luck and speed spells when their parties get broken up by the cops

[deskgirl]

Hell yeah, let’s talk about magic.

Like elementary kids learning silly (or inappropriate) charms from each other on the bus, the same way we learned our first swear words. Clapping games across the bus aisle, but with spells instead of rhymes.

Worrying that your friend is getting into dark magic, but not knowing how to talk to them about it. Intervention programs for kids abusing hexes and runes, because magic has given them control over something for once in their life, and they’re starting to make some dangerous choices.

Psychic teachers knowing when you’re cheating. Knowing when you’re having trouble with homework. Or at home. Knowing when you need tutoring or an AP course because you’re just not being challenged or a different teaching method because you can’t process what you’re learning in class no matter how hard you try, and the teacher tells you it’s okay, they know. They know.

Magic graffiti. Graffiti in wild places, and graffiti that vanishes when certain people roll by like the police. Or graffiti that only appears when the police walk by to insult them. Murals. Swirling, living murals on the sides of buildings. Murals that—if you listen closely—can be heard, not just seen.

In the evenings, kids hiding out in someone’s backyard or an alley passing around a joint and casting minor illusions to watch while high.

Chalk artists making works that are so realistic, they come to life off of the sidewalk.

One man bands in the park, with instruments floating around playing themselves.

Punk concerts in empty lots with amped out music and lights, but noise-cancelling spells and illusion hide them in plain sight from anyone outside of the lot.

Mediums predicting people in need, and making sure to be there at just the right moment to lend them a helping hand. “You seem upset, do you need to talk?” “Oh, you’re a dollar short? No, don’t put the milk back; I’ll cover you.” “You really ought to try taking your resume to this store. Trust me.”

Necromancers in forensics speaking with the dead to solve homicides and cold cases. Living lie detectors as beat cops and detectives and DEA agents.

Strangely cheap five star food diners that bake actual love into their apple pie, and they always know your dietary restrictions without being told.

Service golems in various sizes and shapes, making sure their magic users aren’t crowded, get medical attention, go where they need to, etc. They don’t get distracted, they can be hollow to hold things like medications, and in rare instances, they seem to develop loving attachment to their users despite not being alive.

Little old landladies who dabble in witchcraft brewing homeopathic remedies for people in their apartment complex.

Street magic is an amazing concept.

[theinktree]

Heck yes.

Cars with paintjobs covered in sigils, protecting them and others from harm.

Churches that are literal sanctuary, backed up with wards to prevent violence being done within their walls.

Practitioners of Sympathetic Magic using company logos to invoke the associated concepts - a nike tattoo makes you faster, something stamped with “Nokia” is more durable.

The old leylines don’t work, but the highways, train lines, water mains and high-tension cables do the trick.

Magic Conventions.

just. Magic Conventions.

[snailchimera]

All of this please.

[iamladyloin]

Oh man. Cops facing the Rule of Returns Parrot familiars that learn new languages faster them their witches. Grocery stores that alter prices based on what can be afforded. Carnies that are so used to traveling that being on one line makes them itch.

[unwinona]

There is a reason that most fanfiction authors, specifically girls, start with a Mary Sue. It’s because girls are taught that they are never enough. You can’t be too loud, too quiet, too smart, too stupid. You can’t ask too many questions or know too many answers. No one is flocking to you for advice. Then something wonderful happens. The girl who was told she’s stupid finds out that she can be a better wizard than Albus Dumbledore. And that is something very important. Terrible at sports? You’re a warrior who does backflips and Legolas thinks you’re THE BEST. No friends? You get a standing ovation from Han Solo and the entire Rebel Alliance when you crash-land safely on Hoth after blowing up the Super Double Death Star. It’s all about you. Everyone in your favorite universe is TOTALLY ALL ABOUT YOU. I started writing fanfiction the way most girls did, by re-inventing themselves. Mary Sues exist because children who are told they’re nothing want to be everything.

{UnWinona}: The Importance of Mary Sue  (via ultralaser)

[yeahpat-deactivated20190307]

Some good tips about comic lettering from Nate Piekos of Blambot.com

[edhelernil-a-deactivated2018020]

30 Uncommon Character Development Questions

What position does your character sleep in? ( i.e; stomach, side, back, etc. ) Describe why they do this — optional.

Does your character have any noteworthy features? Freckles? Dimples? A scar somewhere unusual? etc.

Does your character have an accent? What does it sound like?

Do they have any verbal tics? Do they have trouble pronouncing certain words or getting their thoughts across clearly?

What are their chief tension areas? 

If you were to pick one song — and only one song — to describe your character, what would it be and why?

How does your character perceive themselves? Positive? Negative? Neutral?

Are they a quick thinker or do they need time to sort through their thoughts?

Does your character dream or are their nights filled with an empty blackness? Describe a dream they’ve had or a night they couldn’t sleep and what they did to preoccupy their time.

If they had a choice, would they prefer a subway or a bus for public transportation?

What do they think of creation? Do they believe in evolution or do they believe in God? What is their religion like?

Describe 5 unusual characteristics your muse has.

Have they ever been so overwhelmed they had to stop and take a break from something? 

Are they a team player or do they prefer to be solo?

Can they multi-task or must they focus on one subject at a time?

What are their best school subjects? What are their worst? List five of each.

Is your character an introvert or an extrovert? How do they handle big crowds of people?

Are they a leader, do they prefer to follow, or would they rather just stay on the sidelines altogether?

If your character was suddenly challenged, would they rather run away or stay and fight?

If your character was allowed to murder one person without any consequences, who would that person be and why?

Your character has been granted 3 wishes; what would they wish for and why?

Does your character trust people right off the bat or does it take them some time to warm up to someone?

Do they prefer romance or affection? What is the quickest way to your character’s heart?

Does your character have any enemies? If so, who and why?

Do they have any weird bedroom habits? Any unusual kinks?

How does your character prepare for bed? Do they sleep at all or can they stay awake for days on end without trouble?

If your character had one thing to say to their parents before they died, what would it be?

Are they afraid of death? Do they have any regrets?

Does your character get restless when things are too quiet or do they favour solitude and silence? Why?

Finally; if your character was forced to eat one thing for the rest of their life, what would they choose and why?