Shadz Blogs

Where Shadz blogs about her life

[spacetravels]

So you want to make an OC?: A Masterpost of Ways to Create, Develop, and Make Good OCs!

i made this masterpost in hopes that it helps you in making your own OCs ah;; it can also apply to developing RP characters i suppose! if you’d like to add more resources then go for it sugar pea (´ヮ`)!

EDIT (10/16/18): edited my disclaimer (below) before diving into the huge chunk of information here! also included new resources and links to writing disabled and nonbinary characters. happy researching! <3

1. i made this post when i was like 14? 15? so as such: the information researched here is very, very old. a lot of it, imo, is no longer relevant! especially with language use (ESPECIALLY if you’re reblogging the old version of the post that had links to an article about gender/sexuality. i’ve removed that. i’ve removed also the mary sue/gary stue chunk because my values have changed since) the point is, the resources here will not always fit in with what we need as time goes on.

2. these resources are not law!! i made this post because i was and still am very passionate about ocs. this resource was intended to be a sounding board for when u have ideas you want to further delve into and you’re not entirely sure where to begin. it’s not the only resource out there, and sometimes, the best sounding board will be you!!! follow ur heart. ocs are fun. this post was never, ever meant to tell you how to write your own characters but help broaden ur knowledge if u found urself limited in an area (this was first made with a white, abled, cishet audience in mind!)

3. i’ve gotten some great notes and commentary on this post and things i want to explore more since making this post roughly 5 years ago. things are very, very different. i have better resources for a LOT of these, and have more i want to tack on! but i simply can’t find the time for it, so until I do: i’ve removed a lot of links here that i found harmful and irrelevant to today, but i haven’t combed through all of them and can’t lead you to what i think is best. research yourselves! you’ll learn lots.

4. and in closing, thanks for reading! this a/n got off on a tangent so that’s that, LMAO. go forth and develop your ocs!!! and tell me about them!!! or tell me if you have fresh sources or a better perspective or just wanna call me out. this post is 100% open to criticism because it’s imperative to keep growing and learn as much as possible and be as whole and mindful as possible. this world is full of diverse, incredible creators who have contributed so much to telling their stories. let their knowledge guide you, not a silly post made 5-6 years ago. <3

How to Write Better OCs:

basic tips on how to make your oc even better

tragic backstory? learn how to write one/make yours great

writing specific characters

a wordier, great guide on how to develop your character

kick out those vague descriptions and make them AWESOME

Character Development:

how to actually make an OC

Q&A (to develop characters)

more Q&As

giving your character a backstory

how to write an attractive character

Diversity

adding more racial diversity

masterpost on writing more diversity into your story

cultures of the worldguides to drawing different ethnicities (not just a great art reference, but also really helpful in appearance descriptions!)

disability resources: fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment: writing disabled characters, disability-writing-advice, actuallyblind, cripplecharacters

nonbinarycharacter blog! (huge thanks to @writersshock for this and the following resources to writing nb characters!)

6 tips for writing genderqueer & nb characters

writing nonbinary characters: a primer

Villains

villain generator

need an evil sounding name for your evil character? bam

villain archetypes

what’s your villain’s motive for being a villain?

Relationships

character perceptions (What your character thinks of themselves and what others think of them)

how to write strong relationships between two characters

8 ways to write better characters and develop their relationships with others

OCxLove Interest Handbook 

develop your couple with good ol’ Q&A!

how to write realistic relationships

how to write relatives for your characters (this is more OC related to a canon character, but will help in writing family members in general)

ARCHETYPES

12 common archetypes

8 archetypes for male/female characters

female archetypes (goes pretty indepth from two main categories)

a list of archetypes

NAMES

how to name your character

random name generator

most common surnames

surnames by ethnicity

APPEARANCE

tips for better design

basic appearance generator

pinterest board for character design (includes NSFW and images of skeletons/exposed muscle (?) so tread carefully!)

clothing ref masterpost

DETAILS

give your character better powers

a list of professions

proactive vs reactive characters

positive and negative traits

interest generator

skills generator

motivation generator

123 ideas for character flaws

list of phobias

again, this is to help inspire you or help establish your OCs! i hope you get a lot of info and help from this ahh ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

[shadzblogs-blog]

I used to make OCs when I was in my teens, but then late 10s, early 20s happen when I discovered fanfics. Sigh. I should try writing OCs in my stories again.

[authorkimberlygrey]

I still think I’m funny

[shadzblogs-blog]

I think I have more WIPs than finished works. hahahaha. *scurries*

[aww-so-pretty]

The most beautiful kitty that you’ll see today

[shadzblogs-blog]

I had a cat like this. I miss that boy.

[shadzblogs-blog]

Editor’s Woe

Question: how do you walk a fine line between improving someone’s writing and the way I should edit the “flow” of that writer’s work?

 As a beta reader for fanfictions, I encounter many different writers. I understand most just write for fun, and the writing styles are all over the place. I sometimes do that myself, just freely type as fast as I can before the ideas leave me. editing is far from my mind.

 However, once it’s time for editing a piece-especially if required by fic exchanges-I get some works that gives me headache… to put it mildly. The use of proper English flew out whatever window the writer had used. Haha.

 In this fandom where I concentrate the most, there are many writers who has English as their second (or third, fourth, etc.) language, so it’s my job to iron out the wrinkles.

 My dilemma, however is: where does my writing style and the writer’s writing style lie? I mean, I would encounter a paragraph, and although I understand what the writer tries to say, do I rewrite the paragraph to make it fluid and correct, or keep as much of the writer’s words in there? I’m afraid that if I end up rewriting the paragraph, it might offend the writer because it might be way off than what she had meant.

[shadzblogs-blog]

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for this year?

For me, I’m so happy that my eye surgery during summer went well, and not I can actually see better and clearly for this school year. Last year, it was tough teaching since my cataracts were making me so blind.

But God is good.

[wordsnstuff]

[shadzblogs-blog]

10 posts! Woo-hoo!

[shadzblogs-blog]

Get on a R.A.F.T.

Feel like drowning when students don’t seem to like writing? Get on a R.A.F.T.

I have been teaching for a while, but each year, I try to do something different depending on the general vibe I get with my students. I feel blessed that my 5th-7th grade students like English/Language Arts enough that they’re willing to actually write stories, paragraphs, etc.

I did some research, and one of the books my principal got from her brother is about writing and there I found this thing called R.A.F.T.

R.A.F.T. or R.A.F.T.S stand for Role, Audience, Form(at), Topic, and Strong verb. It is a way for the students to write in different voices (role)—depending on the audience—in different formats.

I’ve noticed that my students don’t have their writing voice developed yet, so I introduced this method with them. Well, they had so much fun writing that one of them kept asking if we can do R.A.F.T.S. again. It wasn’t perfect the first time, though, as some still not getting that to write to an audience of kids doesn’t mean your writing and thoughts are all over the place.

My latest “official” writing assignment with them is due today. I’ve only read their paragraph writing at a glance while they did the peer reviews the other day. I have yet to see if they finally understand to get the “writer voice” but I’m not holding my breath. =)

 Photo by Dane Deaner on Unsplash

[shadzblogs-blog]

15 Story Ideas to Get You Going

How do I get my ideas? As an ELA teacher, I wanted my 5th-7th graders to write a lot in any forms. However, they always ask me for ideas on what to write about. Sometimes, it stumps me a bit, and I thought, I should have some sort of clue where to get ideas just for their sake.

 So, here is my random list of ideas to use for yourself (for personal writing warmups) and your students (or a child you mentor)

 +Pick a song, and write a story based on that song.

+Pick a song title and use that as your title for your story, and write that story.

+Pick an old movie from long ago, and rewrite what you remembered, fill in the gaps from your imagination. DON’T REWATCH THE MOVIE!

+Pick two movies and mash them up to make one story.

+Pick a childhood game, and make up a story that goes with it (hide-and-seek seems like a perfect horror story)

+Ask your grandmother or great aunt about their childhood, and write a story based on their experience.

+Recall a good memory- then write what would happen if it had gone wrong.

+Recall a bad memory-then write what would happen if it had gone right.

+Think back on your earliest memory. Write a story based on that vague detail.

+Recall the scariest experience, and write about it.

+Recall the funniest experience, and write about it.

+Recall the happiest experience, and write about it.

+Write about a day in a life of a pet while you’re gone.

+Write about any event from the perspective of your pet.

+Pick a time period in history, and write about that time as if you were alive then.

  Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

[esbarrison-author]

Never abandon your craft.

I’m going to tell you a little story.

At the age of 14, I finished my first novel length piece. For the standards of a 14 year old, I was told it was good.

So I edited.

And edited.

And wrote 5 full books in the series.

I got to college where people were older, wiser…more skilled.

And I got so used of being told that my idea was good, that it came as a shock when some people told me it was childish and poorly written…like a 14 year old wrote it.

I abandoned it for almost all of college. Got a degree in finance. Went to work as an analyst…which is still my job now, 3 years later.

I picked up the story again towards the end of college. And I decided - no, I won’t abandon it. I love these characters.

I just need to change them. And revamp this.

Use what I learned.

So I did.

I rewrote.

And here I am now. Close to being ready for betas. Hoping that my idea is at least somewhat appealing.

And since truly picking it up again this past year…I think, I’ve been more inspired, more in love…and maybe a bit happier?

I guess what I’m saying is…don’t abandon your stories. Accept they need change. And prove that you can change them.

Grow.

Write.

Accept.

Be phenomenal.

[paladin-andric]

[authorkimberlygrey]

Someday I will actually contribute helpful writing advice to the community.

Today is not that day, have a meme instead.

[kainablue]

And what a meme it is. Bless your funny heart.

[jovanafung-deactivated20200811]

You will love parts of your writing that other people overlook, or actively dislike. At the same time, others will find themselves in your work in ways you don’t expect. 

People’s favourite parts might be those you struggled with most. Ones you considered deleting. 

[shadzblogs-blog]

So true.

[sentence-prompts]

How To Write A Villain

-Give them a backstory. No character should begin at the first chapter, villain included. They should have had a life that is for the most part untold.

-The villain’s main antagonist is almost always the hero, but adding in more problems for them both slows them down for your hero to finish their tasks. The more unplanned your villain was, the more obstacles they’d be unprepared for. The more they’ve accomplished, the less difficult the problems.

-Give your villain a personality. Most of the time a villain is greedy, arrogant, angry. Traits humans can identify. If you really want to shake your reader, try to give them a trait the reader would find in themselves. Traits that people don’t think of as bad. Confidence, happiness, love. (Just remember, people loved Bonnie and Clyde right up until Bonnie shot a man on Christmas day.)

—

Ask yourself the following; 

-What does your villain want?

-Do they see themselves as evil, or do they think they’re doing the right thing?

-Are they obviously the villain, or are they hiding it? The more clever ones often hide it, the more angry ones tend to show it outright.

-Is your villain willing to kill to get what they want? Are they happy to kill to get what they want?

-Were they just born evil, or did they become it? Are they even really evil at all, or is there some other reason for them to be doing what they’re doing?

-Does your villain plan on getting away without repercussions? If so, they’d behave differently than someone who doesn’t care about the aftermath. They’d do more to hide their tracks.

[shadzblogs-blog]

I love writing villains. More fun than the hero. haha.

[dynamicsymmetry]

Good stuff.

[eerian-sadow]

This. This is good fiction writing advice. I really appreciate how it was formatted as “this is a common problem, here is a solution to try in your own work” and not “oh god, don’t do that!” without any extra help. And I extra appreciated the “don’t rely on adverbs” bit, because they do have their place but they aren’t the only way actions can be emphasized.

[shadzblogs-blog]

Good things to keep in mind when it’s time to edit my own work.

[shadzblogs-blog]

5 posts!

What an accomplishment for me, really. Working on more new posts about planners/planner decorating and school-related things.

[characterpromptgenerator]

An arrogant prince and hard-headed princess who despise each other are forced into an arranged marriage - only to fall helplessly in love in spite of their best efforts not to.

[shadzblogs-blog]

Saving this to use later.

[shadzblogs-blog]

Top 3 Ways to Find Color Scheme Inspiration

My Top 3 Ways to Find Color Scheme Inspiration

 Finding the right color combination seems to be second nature for others. For the rest of us, the struggle is real. I will not bore you about the science of color combination. Google will do that for you. Besides, I’m not that great at explaining color combos, anyway.

 What this post is about is how to find color schemes that will spark what color palette you want to work with for your planner layout. Finding color schemes is easier than you think.

 Here are my top 3 ways to get me color inspired for my planner.

 Pinterest

 This is where I get my ideas the most. I have a board dedicated to just color palettes called Color Me Bad. Yes, I named that board after the UK boyband in the 90s. I pinned color palettes with colors that stood out for me, something I can work with, or just pretty to look at. I may or may not use all of the palette colors, but they’re all there just in case I’ll need it later.

 Favorite Photo

 Do you have a favorite photo you want to insert into your weekly layout, or just your bookmark? Pick two or three colors from that picture you want to work with and go from there. For example, I have a quote sticker I printed out that I wanted to use. The sticker has peach, pink, and black hues. I work with what I have, so I try to match it as best as I can with the supplies on hand. It may not match exactly, but you can still see the overall color scheme.

 Black, White, and Your Favorite Color

 If all else fail, using black and white combination is the way to go. To add a color, use your favorite color. Luckily for me, I already love red and black, so I can always use that combo in case I didn’t feel like using a lot of color for that weekly layout. I’ve noticed a trend of black and white stripes in the planner world, so it shouldn’t be too hard finding decorative elements to you in your layouts.

 Those are my top 3 of color scheme inspiration. I do have a fourth one in my arsenal, but this one requires a bit of explanation. It has to do with a Japanese boyband called Arashi…. but that’s another topic entirely.

 What ways do you find color scheme for your planner layout?