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dirt enthusiast
JVL
taylor price
#extradirty
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DEAR READER
art blog(derogatory)
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
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Discoholic 🪩
wallacepolsom
if i look back, i am lost
Show & Tell
pixel skylines
d e v o n
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Stranger Things
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@spacenoddity
some fucking resources for all ur writing fuckin needs
* body language masterlist
* a translator that doesn’t eat ass like google translate does
* a reverse dictionary for when ur brain freezes
* 550 words to say instead of fuckin said
* 638 character traits for when ur brain freezes again
* some more body language help
(hope this helps some ppl)
I fucking love you
HECC YEA
Writing great descriptions
Some constant feedback I’ve been getting on my work is that I’m really good at writing descriptions of places and characters. So, I thought I’d share how I describe things in my writing:
1. Use the 5 senses
This may seem pretty obvious. It’s advice that you’ll probably hear a lot.
However, very few writers actually implement it.
Yes, sight is very important in fiction, because it helps your reader visualize the setting and characters. But your descriptions will feel bland if that is all you use.
But I also wouldn’t recommend using all 5 senses in one description.
Pick those that would stand out. Unless your character can’t see, sight will most likely be one of the senses you choose. Then, think about whether there would be a specific sound that the character would pick up on. Maybe there’s a particular smell. Then focus on those.
Maybe your character is seeing the gold of silk bedsheets whilst feeling its smoothness and smelling cologne.
Maybe they’re tasting chemicals in the air and smelling smoke etc.
Choose 2/3 senses and hone in on those.
2. Live through your character
This step goes for any form of narration that is close to your character - First person, third person deep, third person subjective, stream of consciousness etc.
Where a description is written through the character’s eyes, you need to convey the place/character in the way they would.
Is your character very attracted to eyes? Then they’d spend more time describing another character’s eyes. Has your character never smelled cow dung? Then that may be something they notice aptly about their setting. Is your character vain? Do they have any interests that might inform their view of the world?
An artist will notice different things than a builder. A writer might imagine the event/character as a scene - noticing the poetic aspects of something. A professional athlete might notice someone’s physical aptness for a particular sport. A chef will describe a taste experience differently than a hungry sailor etc.
Make sure to use your character’s senses.
3. Bring in emotion/association
Often, places/people are poignantly described through linking them to another experience/thing or by focusing on the emotion they evoke.
Does the setting evoke wonder, disgust or fear? Does it look like a haunted house or a fairytale castle?
Does a character radiate kindness or intimidation. Do they make your POV character think of lazy days or a roller-coaster?
How can you describe the place/person on a deeper level than with the 5 senses?
Even better if you can incorporate tip 2 and make the emotion/association specific to the POV character’s perspective.
4. Use the right words
This tip has a few aspects to it.
Firstly, it’s important to orientate your reader through description. Otherwise, you might end up with talking/floating head syndrome. BUT, it’s crucial not to overdo the descriptions in your work. Long, purply descriptions lose readers’ attention. So, you need to convey what is necessary to immerse they reader in as few words as possible.
This requires using precise adjectives and adverbs. Don’t string together long sentences of descriptors if two better words could convey the same thing. As long as you don’t end up sounding like a dictionary, a thesaurus is your friend. Look for the word that is specific to your intention and use only that.
Secondly, it’s important to consider the connotations of a word/the mood a word created. If you’re describing a fairytale castle, the word “gross” is probably less appropriate than “grand” even though they can literally be used for the same thing.
Think of the mood you want to convey. How do you want the reader to experience this place/character. And use words that will reinforce that mood.
“Magic” and “sorcery” have different connotations. As do “secret” and “clandestine”.
Good descriptions use the right words.
This is also something you can improve on/fix during editing. So, you don’t necessarily have to get caught up on finding the perfect word whilst drafting.
5. Only describe what is necessary
Some things are universal. People have eyebrows. Toiletpapier looks like toiletpapier. A door is a door.
So, unless there’s something note-worthy about an everyday object, it really isn’t necessary to describe it.
You can just say: she opened the window. You don’t have to describe the pane, the reflection of sunlight on the glass etc. Unless it’s stained glass or a three-story Victorian bay window or something like that.
Sometimes, it’s fitting to describe something others would have experienced, but that is in limited circumstances. If you’re writing a love scene, maybe it’s worth it to describe the feeling of bedsheets against the character’s bare back etc.
A good rule is not to describe anything your character isn’t experiencing or wouldn’t notice. Don’t go into detail explaining the way a wind-chime sounds if there isn’t even a breeze. Don’t describe a kitchen floor if it isn’t something the character wouldn’t have commented on.
Unless you have a very good reason.
So, those are my tips on writing great descriptions. I hope that this can be useful. If you would like me to post some examples from my latest novel, please let me know.
Reblog if you found these tips useful. Follow me for similar content.
WRITING TIP NO ONE ASKED FOR BUT I’M GIVING IT ANYWAY
Make sure that every action your character takes and every choice they make has a motivation behind it.
Examples of what not to do:
• He was a rebel, so he skipped math class.
• She helped her brother with his homework because she’s a good person.
• They studied for their chemistry exam because it was time to study.
• He was a bad guy, so he killed the hero’s best friend.
• She was attractive, so she flirted with everyone.
• They bought a dog because they like dogs.
These give little to no insight into the characters feelings or how they think about the world. It makes them boring and hard to relate to. Real people have motivations for their actions.
The above examples again, but better:
• He skipped math class because he was already failing and saw no point in continuing to sit through a class he couldn’t understand in the first place. He decided to use his time more productively and retake the class later.
• She helped her brother with his homework because she remembered how hard it was learning multiplication for the first time. Since she was good at math, she decided to offer some tips to her brother, who was struggling.
• They studied for their chemistry exam because they needed to pass. Failing this test would mean they needed to retake the course the following year, and they didn’t have time in their schedule to do that.
• He killed the hero’s best friend out of spite, because he was jealous of the fact that the hero had people in their life who cared for them.
• She flirted with everyone because she enjoyed making people feel good about themselves. If a conventionally attractive person tells you that you look good, it would probably raise your self confidence. She enjoyed helping people raise their self confidence.
• They bought a dog because they were lonely. They saw this dog at the shelter and decided to give it a loving home, because it looked lonely as well. They hoped they could provide some sort of companionship to each other.
If you find it difficult to think of a motivation first, try working backwards! Think of a scene you want this character to star in. Think of the action you want them to take. Now stop and think about why someone would do that action, and apply that line of thinking to your character.
Example:
Scene - Character A is walking down the street towards the center of town.
Why might someone do this? - They need to get something from the grocery store located in the town.
Motivation - Character A needs food, so they walk to the store.
Got it? Cool! Now your character has a bit more depth, which is good! Hopefully you learn something about your character when doing this exercise, and hopefully it was actually helpful :)
things people do in real world dialogue:
• laugh at their own jokes
• don’t finish/say complete sentences
• interrupt a line of thought with a sudden new one
• say ‘uh’ between words when unsure
• accidentally blend multiple words together, and may start the sentence over again
• repeat filler words such as ‘like’ ‘literally’ ‘really’ ‘anyways’ and ‘i think’
• begin and/or end sentences with phrases such as ‘eh’ and ‘you know’, and may make those phrases into question form to get another’s input
• repeat words/phrases when in an excited state
• words fizzle out upon realizing no one is listening
• repeat themselves when others don’t understand what they’re saying, as well as to get their point across
• reply nonverbally such as hand gestures, facial expressions, random noises, movement, and even silence
Excellent sticky note for dialogue writing in fiction.
All of this. I get a lot of compliments on my dialogue and this list pretty much covers what I do (but some of it, I didn’t even realize I did, lol). I highly recommend reading your dialogue aloud (or imagining it in realtime like a movie scene) to see if it feels natural, which is what I do when editing.
How to Write: Beautiful visual descriptions
(This is an advanced technique, so if you’re new to writing—or if your style isn’t poetic—you don’t have to do this.)
It may sound counter intuitive, but the trick to creating better visuals in your story isn’t better visual descriptions. It’s using emotional keywords to invoke a sense of place.
Try to capture a place’s mood, not just the sensory elements. For example, rather than writing “Sunlight dappled the forest floor” you could describe the forest as a “mosaic quilt of rabbit-eared trees and tumbling grass drizzled in orange slices of Christmas sunlight”.
The first gets the visual across, yes. But we’re looking for more than what the five senses can give us. The key to good description is showing us what your character sees/ hears/ smells/ tastes/ touches … but the magic in capturing a place is the sixth sense: feeling. How your character feels about being in this environment, which influences how readers feel experiencing the passage.
Writing about feelings is tricky. In adult literature being too obvious (“she screamed in frustration”) is frowned on because reading obvious cues feels like we’re watching someone act a part on stage rather than living the book through them. So it is with invoking character feelings through sensory descriptors. The above passage about a forest is meant to invoke a pleasant, pastoral sensibility and maybe capture the excitement that comes from wonderful possibilities opening up. Once you know what feelings you’re trying to invoke you can figure out what words will create (hopefully) that effect.
Quilt, rabbit, and tumbling are words that evoke a homey pastoral scene. Orange slices and drizzled invoke good things to eat. Depending on your upbringing, Christmas sunlight may sound like bright crisp excitement and general goodwill.
So, how can you learn to do this?
1. Characters should describe their world in positive or negative ways that directly mirror how they’re feeling. If Anna’s angry and hurt, she might see a “bitter ocean wrecking itself on frozen rocks”. If Anna is happy, she might instead see an “untamable ocean breaking free in glorious spray”. It’s the same scene, but the emotions are wildly different and thus so are reader’s visual impressions.
2. Use action verbs to describe inanimate objects. Trees thrusting off a cliff sound more precarious than trees leaning over the cliff’s edge. Arrows sprouting from a chest plate sound tragic and ironic, whereas arrows sticking out of a chest plate merely sounds like somebody’s dead. Grumbling ocean, and library books snuggling up to the front door sound more personal that stormy ocean, or library books ready to go back.
3. Free-associate to develop creative metaphors. For example, suppose your character is bathing in a palace. You could describe the “plush, embroidered towels”, and that would certainly give a sense of them. But if you describe “soft buttercream towels” (free-associating what sounds soft, cream-colored, and might work for an expensive towel) instead, your readers will ache to wrap up in one alongside your character. Feelings-based win!
Tip: Take a notebook someplace that inspires you. Spend a few moments just looking around, experiencing your environment. Try to come up with simple phrases that captures what you’re witnessing. I came up with the above forest’s description on a hike, because I thought the patchwork of trees and grass looked like a “mosaic quilt” and the wedges of golden sunlight on the forest floor like “orange slices”.
As with all writing techniques, don’t overdo it. You’ll learn with practice how much poetry to apply and when in order to sell your descriptions.
Bonus Tip: This works really, really well for the exposition in erotic fiction. Before your leading couple get it on try sprinkling sexy verbs into ordinary environments. The effect heightens the reader’s anticipation for the main event!
Saving this fantastic observation for a later editing pass on my current book. I look forward to seeing what kind of descriptions I’ll end up with, given the MC’s undignified narration style! Thank you, OP!
How to Add Descriptions
As authors, we all know descriptions are an integral part of writing. Some of us, though, don’t know when. All of us have, at least
once,
put descriptions where they shouldn’t be or missed them where they should be.
So, here’s a totally not comprehensive guide for
✨How to Add Descriptions✨!
Things to Avoid
Clothes: putting in the full costume could bore the reader. It takes away attention from the story, and whenever the reader wants to imagine scenes, they’ll spend extra time trying to visualize the whole outfit and it takes away from your writing.
Body and face: describing all the little details of the face and body, especially upon meeting a new character, is a common infodump. It’s too much information all at once and readers can have trouble keeping track of it all.
Setting and Weather: where the characters are shouldn’t be infodumped; it should be treated as just another bit of description. Something like the rain formed puddles on the ground, from the cloudy-gray sky above me. There was no sun to be seen, and the black seemed to trump all else, making for a sombre setting. The rain itself looked colourless, lifeless; it fell sharply to the ground like bullets from the sky is something you’d want more in a prose-central piece rather than an action/adventure, for example. I know it’s easy (and fun) to get carried away with descriptions, but there’s a right place and time for everything.
What to Do
Clothes: best to explain minimally, just enough that we have a general idea of the character. She was wearing a hoodie and jeans.
If the clothes say something about the character, you might want to get more into it. For example, maybe she’s wearing a hoodie he had on the other day. Or, they always wear gloves: why?
Faces: the best choice is to keep it to the bare minimums, like she had short blonde hair and a smile. Notice smile: it tells us something about her personality up front as well! Additionally, you can add little things like he laughed, hazel eyes catching the sun and making them a golden colour later on in the story: having an emotion to link with a description, than just a plain idea of it, is something of value.
Bodies: a little bit at a time goes a long way. A smart move is to describe things that tell us something about the character. Do they have painted fingernails? Or are they cut short? Maybe she fidgets a lot. Why is that? What does it tell us about them?
Setting and Weather: keeping it to a minimum and adding only the important details lets the reader have fun creating their own scene. Try something more like it was a dreary, rainy day. When writing poetry, of course, you can change this up, but since we’ve all seen rain before, you don’t have to explain it thoroughly.
I will point out: there’s a quote that says something to the effect of “if there’s a gun on the wall in act 1, it should be fired in act 2”. This is to say make sure all your setting description is important: adding unnecessary details only clogs up writing.
Please note that these rules absolutely don’t apply to every circumstance, so if you feel it fits the scene, don’t stop yourself from writing it that way. Art is subjective, lads.
~Nyx
the suffering never ends
This is the real process
Resources for you!
Character Ideas:
Character creation masterpost
Character Alignment Chart
More character alignment descriptions
Muslim Character questions
Characters with magical powers
Building a new character advice
How to create a character for an online or tabletop RPG (also a good guide on creating characters in general)
Royalty/nobility TV Tropes page
Basic character profile
OC masterpost
Random character generators - (1), (2), (3), (4)
D&D Character Building Tool
Character Design Ideas:
How clothing affects a character’s personality
Character Design Inspiration blog
Concept art, fan art, cool art to be inspired by
Character design references and inspiration
Sources for POC character design ideas and models
Create your own character model using HeroForge
For horned characters
Body and hair types guide
Random outfit generator
Naming Help:
Amazing site with an endless amount of naming resources
General advice on avoiding naming appropriation
Hispanic Surnames
Gothic Victorian names
Huge master list for character things in general
Masterlist of names of all types - including but not limited to ancient/old world names, Celtic, African, Northern European, Southern and Central American Native names, Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian, Polynesian, and more
Another name masterlist
How to pick a character name guide
Yet another names masterlist
Creating Background/backstory:
Character Sheet/Development Sheet
Another character development list
In-depth character personality, motivations and traits sheet
320 talents and passions for characters
On writing likes and dislikes that aren’t frivolous
Why you should write non-human characters non-conforming to the gender binary
Stereotypes, tropes, and archetypes
Random backstory generator
Assassin and thief character tropes to avoid
Character Interactions and putting your character into your world/story:
Comparing character height/height references
Characters who are scientists and writing about them doing science
Describing what different voices sound like
Describing skin tones
Writing friendship interactions that are platonic
Why having one character knock their friend unconscious to prevent them from doing something is a bad idea
Advice on shipping OCs with canon characters and what to avoid doing
Sweet Polly Oliver and Sweet on Polly Oliver situations (think of Disney’s Mulan for an example)
How to write multiple viewpoints/juggling a main cast of more than 4 to 6 characters
How to make readers care about your morally gray hero/anti-hero
On platonic OC and canon character relationships
How to avoid Godmodding in RPs
When it’s cheap to kill off a character
Writing dialogue
Things you shouldn’t do to canon characters
Avoiding purple prose in writing and RPs
Slang resources
Dialogue tips
Websites to chart your story/plot/character relationships
Bonus art masterlist!
BLESS EVERYONE IN THIS POST.
Resources For Writing Period Pieces: 1970-1999
Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress || Request
Major Events
Below are links to extensive lists of events, categorized by individual years within the indicated decade. There you will find summaries, information, and timelines that will help you with further research.
1970s
1980s
1990s
Popular Culture & Society
Music
1970s
1980s
1990s
Film
1970s
1980s
1990s
Literature & Art
1970s
1980s
1990s
World Leaders
1970s
1980s
1990s
Technology
1970s
1980s
1990s
Politics
1970s
1980s
1990s
Notable Eras/Movements of The Time Period
Information Age
The Social Age
Bosnian War
Vietnam War
Postmodern age
Marcos era Martial Law
People power EDSA revolution
Post Martial Law
Cold War
Post-Cold War / Postmodernity
Heisei period
Third-Wave Feminism
1970s Social Movements
Popular Names
1970s Top Male and Female Names
1980s Top Male and Female Names
1990s Top Male and Female Names
Clothing
1970s Fashion & Popular Clothing Items
1980s Fashion & Popular Clothing Items
1990s Fashion & Popular Clothing Items
By Country
1970s By Country
1980s By Country
1990s By Country
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MY CURRENT WORK IN PROGRESS (Check it out, it’s pretty cool. At least I think it is.)
I just saw a writing advice post abt the “show don’t tell” thing and it was good at first but then it deadass turned “the sun rose over the city” into “Yellow light spilled over the streets, soaking the grit from the rainbow puddles into the air.” but even longer and I’m just gonna say it right off the bat, sometimes you don’t need more words. Sometimes you can just say “[x] felt [y]” straight up and spare your reader from having to skip over your sudden need to jack off to your own vocabulary
show don’t tell is bullshit because it neglects the notion of familiarity and therefore relevance.
when you’re writing description, everything about that world is assumed until you, the writer, say otherwise. are the characters in a studio apartment? the reader will conjure their idea of an apartment, along with all of the social context that comes along with it: city living, temporality, potentially poverty or at least financial struggles. in other words, the reader will always assume the familiar.
so it’s your job to only point out the unfamiliar details.
is there something special or interesting about this studio apartment or the reason they’re living there? does it face east? and if it faces east, what’s the consequence of that? does the sun wake your character up every morning? are they annoyed by that? can they afford curtains?
if a character is in the bathroom, you don’t need to describe the toilet unless there’s something meaningful about that toilet. we might need to know it’s filthy before a character falls to their knees and pukes into it. we might need to know there’s hair clogging the drain if they’re trying to wash their hands. we might need to know the shower is immaculate, or that there’s expensive shampoo in the caddy or even a fucking pumice stone because all of those things provide context to a character’s plight.
the point here is, we don’t need a description of the sun rising unless there’s something special and relevant (see: unfamiliar) about that sunrise. is it fucking green today?? are there two suns? is the character watching it rise, and if so, why are they awake that early, and is that outside of their norm?
every detail, and i mean every detail you write becomes indicative of your narrator. no one cares about yellow light spilling out over the streets unless there’s something about that observation that affects how your character sees or thinks or feels.
everything else? cut.
This is good advice, but remember that the “unfamiliar” should be to your narrator, not to you. If you’re writing a fantasy story where everyone wears leather boots, describing a pair of leather boots in detail is awkward if it’s something your narrator should find commonplace.
Every reader comes from different assumptions. A studio apartment might sound like poverty to some people, but to others, it may sound wealthy because the only studio apartments near them are in the heart of downtown. Don’t just *assume* that something will be strange or commonplace to all your readers because it won’t.
Describe what your *narrator* would take note of, and then get some readers to tell you if they feel you left out too much.
It also depends on what’s happening in the story. If a character is out for a morning stroll at sunrise, describing the way the light shines off things is perfectly reasonable because they’re out there to enjoy the sunrise. If they’re being chased by bad guys trying to shoot them, the only thing they’re going to care about is if they can position themselves between the bad guys and the rising sun so that the glare stops them being able to aim so well.
And it depends on whether you’re writing a short story or a novel. In a short story, you have much less room for superfluous words. You need to make every word matter for the story, so the first thing to go is waffling description when you need to tighten things up. In a novel you have a bit more freedom, but you still might want to trim the descriptions unless it helps set a mood/show the world-building/provide insight into the character.
I’ve actually made a video about the “show don’t tell” advice.
Pacing in your Writing
So I realized I might have a semi-unique way of handling pacing in my writing that might help some other people.
Imagine your story as a TV show.
It’s up to you the length, whether it’s a bunch of thirty minute episodes or a mini-series with episodes longer than an hour.
Once you have that, consider the following:
Where do you see the first episode ending? Did you just spend half your novel detailing what would be considered the first episode? You are probably pacing way too slow.
Do you have a bunch of parts that would be considered different “episodes” but they take up only a a tenth of the book? That means it’s time for adding more into the story.
What about the characters? How are they being introduced throughout your “TV series”? Are too many being introduced in one episode? Are there new characters even in the final episode.
Is each episode interesting? It doesn’t always have to be a high stakes plot episode (you can have your “beach episode” for instance), but will it keep someone entertained?
So how do you do this though?
Outline your story based on major points. This could be three episodes, five episodes, whatever you see fits your story and its overall pacing. The TV show in your head might vary as well compared to others. A thirty-minute episode series will be much faster paced than an hour-long episode series, for instance.
It’s an overall very subjective process, but it helps to put your story’s focus into perspective. Every episode counts, every part of the plot counts.
So don’t spend too long on the first episode because the rest of the TV series awaits.
One thing I’ve learned about writing is ”give everything a face”. It’s no good to write passively that the nobility fled the city or that the toxic marshes were poisoning the animals beyond any ability to function. Make a protagonist see how a desperate woman in torn silks climbs onto a carriage and speeds off, or a two-headed deer wanders right into the camp and into the fire. Don’t just have an ambiguous flock of all-controlling oligarchy, name one or two representatives of it, and illustrate just how vile and greedy they are as people.
it’s bad to have characters who serve no purpose in the story, but giving something a face is a perfectly valid purpose.
This is the real heart of “show don’t tell”
WriterofthePrompts Ultimate Ask Masterlist 2 (Updated 05/20)
Wow, first of all I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the support on the First Ask Masterlist! Obviously I had to make a second one with all the asks I’ve answered since then so here you go. You can also check out my list of Random Writing Tips. As last time, some of these posts have notes from lovely people who have added onto my answers with their advice and you can also help out fellow writers by adding your tips or ideas to the posts in the replies or by reblogging. Hope you enjoy! 😊
Writing Tips
Can’t think of what to write for a scene? Cut it.
The “organized chaos” form of outlining
Resources for writing a story synopsis
Can a comedy also have a good message?
Writing a fantasy fit for most ages (also under Fantasy)
When you’ve got an idea but don’t know how to expand it
Building on your story yourself
Will posting writing online hurt publishing chances?
Using a prompt for a series
Ways to give information to a character
How to give the same information to multiple characters at different times
Dialogue tips
Coming up with a title (expanded)
Making the real villain a plot twist
GRAMMAR CHEAT SHEET
Some resources for creating a language
How to decide if you want a good or sad ending (Also, how not to screw up an ending) (Also, why the GoT ending makes me sad)
How to skip over the passage fo time in writing (Part 1)
How to use scene breaks for the passage of time, change in location etc. (Part 2)
Story Structure Tips
Travelling scenes: when to skip and how to make them impactful
Writing a sloooow carriage ride without being boring
Moving back and forth in time in the story
difference between inciting incident and plot point 1
Blending backstory with present to further the plot
Writing scenes with a lot of characters
Writing a story as a journal or video log style
Third or first person?
Limited third person vs first person
Writing a long series
Connecting your ideas
When to introduce major and minor conflicts
How to develop your own style of writing
When to describe a character
Motivation and Positivity
Worrying about “originality” with your writing
Staying focused on writing
Sticking to one idea before moving on to the next?
Turning off the editor voice
starting to write and keeping motivation
quick tip on writing down inspiration in the moment
How do you know you are cut out to be a writer?
When you feel your plot isn’t exciting enough
When you think your idea is stupid (it’s not)
On covid-19 and whether I think it’s “bad” to take inspiration from it
When you think you’re writing has lost feeling
Character Development
Writing unnecessary scenes with your characters just for fun
Tips for writing a fully-fledged peppy girl
Teen raised by twenty-year-old family member
Mentor/Mentee relationship
Describing nature the way a nature-lover would
Showing a dead family member’s impact on the MC
Writing about a character losing loved one
Ways to show a character’s disgust
Why a “good” character would switch to the bad side
Why the “White Saviour” thing is a cliche and sucks
Villains who do things like “killing the dog”
Good and bad reasons to kill off a character
Character exercise when you lose their voice
Resources for learning more for a Jewish character (in the notes)
A reason a character might feel cliche
Representations of Gluttony and Laziness as humans
More on twins and siblings
How a tough character might react to something shocking/upsetting
Writing Types of Characters
Writing a good guy MC who turns out to be the villain
Bad guy turning good and making them sympathetic
Dr. Doof: how to write a great villain
Coming up with villains
Coming up with villains 2
Writing a scheming character
A character raised by a computer
Bilingual character tip
Interracial couples
Some negative traits for someone in a zombie apocalypse
Flaws for a Gary Stu type
a character trying to learn the language on a new world (also under World Building)
Good guy vs bad guy stories aren’t a cliche
Writing a CIA/FBI/Military character (also under Thriller)
writing a drunk character with some heartfelt moments and humour
Why NOT having diversity in your story cast is odd
A character with diabetes
Fictional races where one is “superior” to the other
Writing a serial killer as your main character (also under Thriller/Crime)
Writing a good Strong Female Character™️
Writing about a mob character (also under Thriller)
Writing a female astronomer in ancient Greece (Also under Historical)
Shy characters don’t have to be passive
Shyness and confidence aren’t mutually exclusive
World Building
Creating a creation myth
The creation of gods based on people’s beliefs
History research post (also under Historical)
Making an acronym from an organization
Naming world building aspects
strange weather ideas
ideas for ridiculous rules to join an excuse club
Why someone would put on a massive tournament
a character trying to learn the language on a new world (also under Types of Characters)
Making a magical setting exciting (also under fantasy/paranormal)
When you have too much information for an expansive world
Weaving a complex magic system into your story (also under fantasy/paranormal)
Using words referring to our world in a fictional world
Fantasy/Paranormal
Why gods would abandon their world
Aphrodite, Hephaestus and Ares: the original love triangle
basing gods on multiple gods
Why someone would control dreams
Dark fantasy with a dream shop
Conflicts for someone with the power to share dreams with others *
Ways to break a curse
Reasons why someone would need to break their curse now
Coming up with a good curse for your character
Ways to break the curse to get the Prince out of the tower
When the princess rescues the prince
Prince/ss of one kingdom raised by another king
why a princess would run away
Prompts for a King or Queen getting assassinated *
Why a villain would overthrow a royal family *
Reasons two Kings would marry each other *
which fairytales deserve retellings
Fairy tale prompts
Using fairytale characters in retellings
Stories written from the POV of fairytale villains
Writing a fantasy fit for most ages (also under Writing Tips)
Friendship between a dragon and a human
Vampire and human couple meeting
Angel and ex-demon hanging out together
demons that feed on love and joy?
mythical kids meeting humans
Sword fight resources (also under Historical)
Using an axe as a weapon
Haunted house story from ghost’s perspective
A family moves in to a house that is alive
Does the afterlife have to include religious aspects?
Writing the grief of a girl finding her friend as a ghost
Witch sisters with unequal powers
Reasons a village would be afraid of a kind wizard
How a wizard’s guardian might tell them they are a wizard
Making a magical setting exciting (also under world building)
Weaving a complex magic system into your story (also under world building)
Things a magic council would use money for
Ideas for magical powers
Ideas for ancient magical powers
Prompts about cities that are always in night
Prompts about a changeling
Reasons a magical world would need a saviour
mirroring strengths and weaknesses for magic manipulation
How an immortal could die under mysterious circumstances
How to get regular folk involved in a magical world
“Underused" fantasy settings
Funny dialogue making fun of fantasy cliches
Prompts about a hidden/occult society
Autumn prompts about fae
Manatees being confused for mermaids
Fantasy modes of communication
Sci Fi
Futuristic space pirates
How to tell who is the clone and who is the original
Artifacts curious aliens would steal from Earth
Weird things that would wipe out a part of the population
How a person could go back in time
Question prompts for a virtual afterlife
How a half-human character might realize their alien half
“Non cliche” ideas for an apocalypse story
Time travel prompts for the current era
Historical
Writing about the Tudor court
History research post (also under World Building)
Sword fight resources
Using an axe as a weapon
Quick reasons why genocide doesn’t just happen overnight
Writing a female astronomer in ancient Greece (also under Types of Characters)
Dragons in Ancient Egypt?
Writing about WOC in the 1950’s
Aftermaths of a civil war
Thriller/Crime (aka I-swear-I’m-not-a-criminal-just-a-writer asks):
writing assassins
Sassy Assassins 3!
How an assassin with special abilities would discover these abilities
Clues that would make a character suspect another for murder
Writing a CIA/FBI/Military character (also under Types of Characters)
Serial/mass murder…causes?
tests to get into secret organization
Writing a serial killer as your main character (also under Writing Types of Characters)
Tips for writing a consistent murder mystery
Murder mystery party prompts (humorous)
How to come up with subplots for a mystery
Writing about a mob character (also under Writing Types of Character)
Why a step father might be a suspect in a teen’s disappearance
Prompts of killer kids terrorizing their babysitter
Prompts about a college kid being stalked on campus
The Masked Sinner prompts
Prompts about a crime scheme in 1950’s
Superheroes and Super Villains
Sidekick wanting to be a superhero
Super villain cause ideas
Sidekick and villain falling in love (also under Romance)
Superhero story originality
How a super villain can get notoriety
Woman unknowingly falls in love a super villain
World building ideas for superhero stories
Effects of the power of intangibility
Alter ego prompts
Romance
How a princess and a pirate fall in love
two exes who end up working together
How two random kids could meet at school
Sidekick and villain falling in love (also under Superheroes)
Cliches in romance scene?
Original ways that a couple could break up
How to introduce a living girl and ghost love interests
Conflicts in relationship between chef and their pupil
Miscellaneous
Prompts about being abandoned
Character who has never danced in pressured into it
The best ask ever
MC and sister get kicked out of clan. What next?
Reasons characters would hate another (a concubine)
A disturbing cultish 1950’s-esque town
Some links to help find Beta readers
Why a principal would hate a student
Why a character would forgive their ex
Prompts about anomalies
Reasons a parent would be controlling
Resources For Writing Royalty
Patreon || Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress
It’s shorter than the usual resource master post, but I found some great resources and I think this is a good jumping-off point for those who are including a royal court in the world building of their story.
–
Fantasy Guide to Writing A Royal Family
How to Write A Fictional Royal Court
Writing Royalty and Nobility - Common Mistakes
Creating a Fictional Monarchy
Questions to Ask When Creating a Fictional Monarchy
Writing Royal Characters
Ethics in World Building : Monarchy
Royal Titles Around The World
Regions’ Royal History Broken Down
Early Overall History
East Asia
Medieval and modern Europe
Africa
Positions in A Royal Court
Almoner
Butler
Chamberlain
Chancellor
Chapelmaster
Chaplain
Cofferer
Confessor
Constable
Cup-bearer
Dapifer
Doorward
Eunuch
Falconer
Gentleman of the Bedchamber
Gentleman Usher
Grandmaster
Great officers
Groom of the Stool
Herald
Intendant
The Royal Fool
Keeper of the seal
King of arms
Knight/Earl Marshal
Lady-in-waiting
Maid of Honour
Majordomo
Master of Ceremonies
Master of the Horse
Master of the Hunt
Page
Panter or Grand Panetier
Secretary
Pursuivant
Seneschal
Stolnik
Standard bearer
Steward
–
Masterlist | WIP Blog
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Writing Tip June 4th
A list of body language phrases.
I’ve included a very comprehensive list, organized by the type of body movement, hand and arm movements, facial expressions etc. In some cases, a phrase fits more than one heading, so it may appear twice. Possible emotions are given after each BL phrase unless the emotion is indicated within the phrase. (They are underlined for emphasis, not due to a hyperlink.)
Note: I’ve included a few body postures and body conditions as they are non-verbal testimony to the character’s physical condition.
Have fun and generate your own ideas.:-)
Eyes, Brows and Forehead
arched a sly brow: sly, haughty
blinked owlishly: just waking, focusing, needs glasses
brows bumped together in a scowl: worried, disapproving, irritated
brows knitted in a frown: worried, disapproval, thoughtful
bug-eyed: surprised, fear, horror
cocky wink and confident smile: over confidence, arrogant, good humor, sexy humor
eyes burned with hatred: besides hatred this might suggest maniacal feelings
eyes flashed: fury, defiance, lust, promise, seduction
eyes rolled skyward: disbelief, distrust, humor
forehead puckered: thoughtful, worried, irritation
frustration crinkled her eyes
gaze dipped to her décolletage: sexual interest, attraction, lust
gimlet-eyed/narrowed eyes: irritation, thoughtful, mean, angry
gleam of deviltry: humor, conniving, cunning
kept eye contact but her gaze became glazed: pretending interest where there is none/bordom
narrowed to crinkled slits: angry, distrust
nystagmic eyes missed nothing (constantly shifting eyes): Shifty
pupils dilated: interested, attraction to opposite sex, fear
raked her with freezing contempt
slammed his eyes shut: stunned, furious, pain
squinted in a furtive manner: fearful, sneaky
stared with cow eyes: surprised, disbelief, hopeful, lovestruck
subtle wink: sexy, humor/sharing a joke, sarcasm
unrelenting stare: distrust, demanding, high interest, unyielding
Place To Place, Stationary Or Posture
ambled away: relaxed, lazy
barged ahead: rude, hurried
battled his way through the melee: desperate, anger, alarm
cruised into the diner: easy-going, feeling dapper, confident
dawdled alongside the road: lazy, deliberate delay for motives, unhurried, relaxed
dragged his blanket in the dirt: sadness/depressed, weary
edged closer to him: sneaky, seeking comfort, seeking protection, seeking an audience
he stood straighter and straightened his tie: sudden interest, sexual attraction
held his crotch and danced a frantic jig: demonstrates physical condition – he has to pee
hips rolled and undulated: sexy walk, exaggerating for sex appeal
hovered over them with malice/like a threatening storm: here it’s malice, but one may hover for many reasons.
hunched over to look shorter: appear inconspicuous, ashamed of actions, ashamed of height
leaped into action feet hammering the marbled floor: eager, fear, joyous
long-legged strides: hurried, impatient
lumbered across: heavy steps of a big man in a hurry
minced her way up to him: timid, sneaky, insecure, dainty or pretense at dainty
paced/prowled the halls: worried, worried impatience, impatient, diligently seeking pivoted on his heel and took off: mistaken and changes direction, following orders, hurried, abrupt change of mind, angry retreat
plodded down the road: unhurried, burdened, reluctant
practiced sensual stroll: sexy, showing off
rammed her bare foot into her jeans: angry, rushed
rocked back and forth on his heels: thoughtful, impatiently waiting
sagged against the wall: exhausted, disappointment
sallied forth: confident, determined
sashayed her cute little fanny: confident, determined, angered and determined
shrank into the angry crowd: fear, insecure, seeking to elude
sketched a brief bow and assumed a regal pose: confident, mocking, snooty, arrogant skidded to an abrupt halt: change of heart, fear, surprise, shock
skulked on the edges of the crowd: sneaky, ashamed, timid
slithered through the door: sneaky, evil, bad intentions
stormed toward her, pulling up short when: anger with a sudden surprise
swaggered into the class room: over confident, proud, arrogant, conceited
tall erect posture: confidence, military bearing
toe tapped a staccato rhythm: impatience, irritation
tottered/staggered unsteadily then keeled over: drunk, drugged, aged, ill
waltzed across the floor: happy, blissful, exuberant, conceited, arrogant
Head Movement
cocked his head: curiosity, smart-alecky, wondering, thoughtful
cocked his head left and rolled his eyes to right corner of the ceiling: introspection
droop of his head: depressed, downcast, hiding true feelings
nodded vigorously: eager
tilted her head to one side while listening: extreme interest, possibly sexual interest
Mouth And Jaw
a lackluster smile: feigning cheerfulness
cigarette hung immobile in mouth: shock, lazy, uncaring, relaxed casualness
clinched his jaw at the sight: angered, worried, surprised
curled her lips with icy contempt
expelled her breath in a whose: relief, disappointment
gagged at the smell: disgust, distaste
gapped mouth stare: surprised, shock, disbelief
gritted his teeth: anger, irritation, holding back opinion
inhaled a sharp breath: surprise, shock, fear, horror
licked her lips: nervous, sexual attraction
lips primed: affronted, upset, insulted
lips pursed for a juicy kiss
lips pursed like she’d been chewing a lemon rind: dislike, angry, irritated, sarcasm
lips screwed into: irritation, anger, grimace, scorn
lips set in a grim line: sorrow, worried, fear of the worst
pursed her lips: perturbed, waiting for a kiss
scarfed down the last biscuit: physical hunger, greed
slack-mouthed: total shock, disbelief
slow and sexy smile: attraction, seductive, coy
smacked his lips: anticipation
smile congealed then melted into horror
smile dangled on the corner of his lips: cocky, sexy
smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulder: conceit, sarcasm, over confident
sneered and flicked lint off his suit: sarcasm, conceit
spewed water and spit: shock
stuck out her tongue: humor, sarcasm, teasing, childish
toothy smile: eagerness, hopeful
wary smile surfaced on her lips
Nose
nose wrinkled in distaste/at the aroma
nostrils flared: anger, sexual attraction
nose in the air: snooty, haughty
Face in General
crimson with fury
handed it over shame-faced
jutted his chin: confident, anger, forceful
managed a deadpan expression: expressionless
muscles in her face tightened: unsmiling, concealing emotions, anger, worried
rested his chin in his palm and looked thoughtful
rubbed a hand over his dark stubble: thoughtful, ashamed of his appearance
screwed up her face: anger, smiling, ready to cry, could almost be any emotion
sneered and flicked lint off his suit: conceit, derision, scorn
Arm and Hand
a vicious yank
arm curled around her waist, tugging her next to him: possessive, pride, protective
bit her lip and glanced away: shy, ashamed, insecure
brandished his fist: anger, threatening, ready to fight, confident, show of pride
clamped his fingers into tender flesh: anger, protective, wants to inflict pain
clenched his dirty little fists: stubborn, angry
clapped her hands on her hips, arms crooked like sugar bowel handles: anger, demanding, disbelief
constantly twirled her hair and tucked it behind her ear: attracted to the opposite sex, shy crossed his arms over his chest: waiting, impatient, putting a barrier
crushed the paper in his fist: anger, surrender, discard
dived into the food: hunger, eager, greedy
doffed his hat: polite gesture, mocking, teasing
doodled on the phone pad and tapped the air with her foot: bored, inattention, introspection
drummed her fingers on the desk: impatient, frustrated, bored
fanned her heated face with her hands: physically hot, embarrassed, indicating attraction
fiddled with his keys: nervous, bored
firm, palm to palm hand shake: confident, honest
flipped him the bird: sarcastic discard
forked his fingers through his hair for the third time: disquiet/consternation, worry, thoughtful
handed it over shame-faced: guilt, shame
held his crotch and danced a frantic jig: physical need to relieve himself
limp hand shake: lack of confidence, lack of enthusiasm
propped his elbow on his knee: relaxed, thoughtful
punched her pillow: restless, can’t sleep, angry
rested his chin in his palm: thoughful, worried
scratched his hairy belly and yawned: indolent, bored, lazy, relaxed, just waking
shoulders lifted in a shrug: doubtful, careless discard
slapped his face in front of God and country: enraged, affronted/insulted
snapped a sharp salute: respect, sarcastic gesture meaning the opposite of respect
snapped his fingers, expecting service: arrogant, lack of respect, self-centered
sneered and flicked lint off his suit
spread her arms wide: welcoming, joy, love
stabbed at the food: anger, hunger, determined
stood straighter and smoothed his tie: sudden interest, possible sexual interest
stuffed his hands in his pockets: self-conscious, throwing up a barrier
sweaty handshake: nervous, fearful
touched his arm several times while explaining: sign of attraction, flattery, possessive
wide sweep of his arms: welcoming, all inclusive gesture, horror
Sitting or Rising
collapsed in a stupor: exhausted, drunk, drugged, disbelief
enthroned himself at the desk: conceit, pronouncing or taking ownership
exploded out of the chair: shock, eager, anger, supreme joy
roosted on the porch rail like a cock on a hen house roof: claiming ownership, conceit, content
sat, squaring an ankle over one knee: relaxed and open
slouched/wilted in a chair and paid languid attention to: drowsy, lazy, depressed, disinterest, sad, totally relaxed, disrespectful
squirmed in his chair: ill at ease, nervous, needs the bathroom
Recline
flung himself into the bed: sad, depressed, exhausted, happy
prostrated himself: surrender, desperate, miserable, powerless, obsequious, fawning, flattering
punched her pillow: can’t sleep, anger, frustrated
threw himself on the floor kicking and screaming: tantrum
Entire body and General
body stiffened at the remark: offended, anger, alerted
body swayed to music: dreamy, fond memories, enjoys the music
bounced in the car seat, pointing: excitement, fear, eager
cowered behind his brother: fear, shyness, coward, desperate
curled into a ball: sorrow, fear, sleepy, defensive
heart galloping: anxiety, joy, eager
held his crotch and danced a frantic jig
humped over his cane, each step shaking and careful: pain, aged
inhaled a deep breath and blew out slowly: buying time to find words/thoughtful, reconciled
quick and jerky like rusty cogs on a wheel: unsure of actions, self-conscious, tense, edgy
rocked back and forth on his heels: impatient, cocky, gleeful
manhandled the woman into a corner: bully, anger
slumped shoulders: defeat, depressed, sad, surrender
stiff-backed: priggish, haughty, affronted
stood straighter and straightened his tie: sexual interest, wants to make an impression
stooped and bent: aged, arthritic, in pain
stretched extravagantly and yawned: tired, bored, unconcerned
sweating uncontrollably: nervous, fear, guilt
tall erect posture: confidence, military bearing
was panting now at: afraid, exhausted, out of breath, sexual excitement
-Sharla Rae
Resources For Writing Science Fiction
Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress || Request
Space
Space Engine
Artificial gravity calculator
Natural gravity calculator
EarthSky
WhyFiles
9 misconceptions about space travel
Space flight in science fiction
The weapons of Star Wars
Fiction writing versus physical laws
Cryopreservation in science fiction
Realistic astronomy in science fiction
Faster-than-light travel in sci-fi
Imaging over long distances
Relativity: Did Einstein kill steampunk?
Practical spaceship design
Exoplanets and habitability
Radio waves for sci-fi authors
Distance and legal systems in sci-fi
Near-future scenarios for us & our planet
Habitable atmospheres for authors
Gravity basics for SFF authors
The future of energy
Waste management in SF
Enclosed ecosystems and life support
Futuristic Technology & Medicine
Dimensions
8 things authors should know about viruses
Plagues in science fiction and fantasy
Rogue viruses in science fiction
Genetics myths in fiction writing
Mutation myths in fiction
Dispeling archaeology myths
Editing life in science fiction
A whirwind tour of the human genome
Chemical fallacies in fiction
Explosions in science fiction
Nuclear radiation for writers
Climate change and cli-fi
Holograms in sci-fi
Writing believable nanotechnology
7 things to know about cybernetics
Computer and internet myths
Medical misconceptions in fiction
How to write about biomedical researchers
Writing realistic research labs
The science of poisons
Proper lab technique for SFF writers
The 4 Do’s and Don'ts of Time Travel
The Science in Your Science Fiction: Time Travel
An Idiot’s Guide to Teleportation
How To Explain Superpowers
List of Supernatural Powers and Abilities
Terraforming and Genetic Manipulation Both
Terraforming planets
Guide To Terraforming
Aliens, Creatures, and Robots
What Will Real Aliens Look Like?
Wildlife Biology In Fiction
Writing Outside The Human Box
Insects in fiction: what bugs me
Space bugs: microbes in outer space
The science of animal communication
Writing realistic spiders
A writer’s guide to cyborgs
Creating Aliens In 3 Stages
Believable Aliens
Guide To Creating Aliens
Aliens: Relatives of Ours?
Everything You Need To Know About Writing Robots and AI
Alien Name Generator
Alien Species Generator
Science News
bionet.anounce
sci.chem
sci.math
sci.misc
sci.physics
sci.enviornment
sci.space.news
sci.geo.geology
sci.bio.ecology
Scout Report
Netsurfer Science
Science Daily
EurekAlert
UnSci
Science, Space & Robots
Physics Today
Space News Online
Worldbuilding
SciFi World Generator
Terragen
Planet Designer
Solar Bodies
Climatology
Planetary Geography
Water Geography
Creating Religions & Belief Systems
Tornado Project
Volcano World
ArchNet (Archaeology)
BioMedNet (Biology, Medical
HealthFinder (Medical)
OnHealth (Health)
Phys(Health)
The Weather Channel
Space.com (Space)
Launchspace.com (Space)
Aquatic Network (Oceanography)
The Chemist’s Helper (Chemistery)
Physlink.com(Physics)
Earth Science Virtual Library
Constructed Languages & Miscellaneous
Creating a Language
The Language Construction Kit
The International Phonetic Alphabet – Audio Illustrations
Xenolinguistics
Realistic translation in fiction
The linguistics in Arrival
Science Fiction & Death
Science Fiction Cliches
Gunn Center For The Study of Science Fiction
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
Futuristic Name Generator
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MY CURRENT WORK IN PROGRESS (Check it out, it’s pretty cool. At least I think it is.)
Keep The Words Flowing
After reading and viewing dozens of posts about which words to cut while revising fiction, I am making a master list. This does not mean all of these words will or should be completely eradicated from all fiction. Rather, they should be used sparingly, and when they best work in context. Obviously more vibrant verbiage remains recommended, but sometimes, simple is best.
FILTERING WORDS: Separate reader from the MC’s mind or senses:
saw
looked
heard
felt
touch/ed
knew
think/thought
smelled
tasted
believe
noticed
reminded
watched
decided
wondered
seemed
realized
decide
remembered
hoped/hoping
gave
CONDITIONAL WORDS: Filter POV by adding condition/judgement to it.
only
almost
somehow
something
actually
even
now
could
mostly
had
also
CLOGGING WORDS: Basically aren’t needed. Use in small amounts.
Really
Actually
Just
So
A lot
A bit
Always
Never
Very
That
Then
Got
Often
Like
Literally
Virtually
Completely
Suddenly
Entirely
Back (honestly can’t believe how many times I delete this word)
VAGUE WORDS
There
Stuff
Some
Thing
MISLEADING PHRASES
In order to,
For some reason,
As if
One of
