Athena Bowman

Writing is a magical thing, and also incredibly difficult. I’m here to help you fight writer’s block, give some advice and ideas, and share my own stories. Enjoy!

[that-author-called-athena]

A Random Guide Because Some People Struggle With This Stuff

There: Placement. “She’s over there.”

Their: Possessive. “That’s their stuff.”

They’re: They are. “They’re getting food.”

Your: Possesive. “Is that your phone?”

You’re: You are. “You’re funny.”

Its: Possessive. “The bird built its nest.”

It’s: It is. “It’s getting late.”

Were: Past tense. “They were leaving.”

We’re: We are. “We’re having fun.”

Less: Single or group nouns. “I had less fun.”

Fewer: Plural nouns. “There are fewer boxes.”

Accept: To agree. “Please accept this apology.”

Except: Excluding. “Everyone except Carl.”

Affect: Verb. “It will affect the environment.”

Effect: Noun. “It had a negative effect.”

Lemme know if there are any others!

[that-author-called-athena]

Two: Number. “Two burgers, please.”

To: Direction. “She went to the mall.”

Too: Addition, inclusion. “Let me come too!”

[that-author-called-athena]

A Random Guide Because Some People Struggle With This Stuff

There: Placement. “She’s over there.”

Their: Possessive. “That’s their stuff.”

They’re: They are. “They’re getting food.”

Your: Possesive. “Is that your phone?”

You’re: You are. “You’re funny.”

Its: Possessive. “The bird built its nest.”

It’s: It is. “It’s getting late.”

Were: Past tense. “They were leaving.”

We’re: We are. “We’re having fun.”

Less: Single or group nouns. “I had less fun.”

Fewer: Plural nouns. “There are fewer boxes.”

Accept: To agree. “Please accept this apology.”

Except: Excluding. “Everyone except Carl.”

Affect: Verb. “It will affect the environment.”

Effect: Noun. “It had a negative effect.”

Lemme know if there are any others!

[that-author-called-athena]

Heyo. I know I have like two followers but IM BACK WOOO

[that-author-called-athena]

So people actually seem to like my posts (this is literally the most likes I’ve gotten on any platform ever) so I’m going to do my best to post daily. No promises though.

[that-author-called-athena]

Race Names

So you’ve created a new race for your fantasy story but have no clue what to name it, right? I’ve been there. It sucks. But I can help you out.

So I’ve got a race (more about them later) that I couldn’t figure out a name for, so for a while I used “cree” as a placeholder name until I came up with something. About two months went by and nothing was sticking, so my solution? Two words:

Google. Translate.

Now this race lives near a volcano and pyromancers are kind of their thing. So I went on Good Translate and started translating fire-related things into multiple languages until I came across:

Looking at “Kapnos” I’m like “hey, that’s kinda sexy.” So What I did was started brainstorming different ways to twist the name:

Kapno?

Kapnus?

Kapne? Hey, that sounds kinda of nice.

Kapro? Oh wait that’s already kind of a thing

Capnus? Eh

So after a bit, I decided I liked the sound of “Kapne” and “Kapnus” the best. The plural of “Kapne” would stay that, while “Kapnus” would probably be “Kapni.”

While this is mostly written for advice, I’d also like some opinions. I know I have like two followers so barely anyone will see this anyway, but hey, if you want, let me know which you like better? Or any other suggestions?

Anyway, hope this helps on all your race-naming endeavors :)

[that-author-called-athena]

*shameless self rebloggingn to spread awareness of this issue*

[writing-in-the-grave]

Hey y'all why are writers always cold?

[run-remi-run]

...why?

[writing-in-the-grave]

They're always surrounded by drafts!

How many mystery writers does it take to change a lightbulb?

[run-remi-run]

Oh god.

How many?

[writing-in-the-grave]

Two! One to change the bulb, and the other to give it an unexpected twist at the end!

What do writers have for breakfast?

[run-remi-run]

Coffee?

[writing-in-the-grave]

Synonym buns!

Where do all the struggling writers live?

[run-remi-run]

How are you coming up with all these?

Where?

[writing-in-the-grave]

Writer's Block!

What do writers suffer from each spring?

(I've heard a lot of them over the years.)

[run-remi-run]

Allergies. Next question.

[writing-in-the-grave]

you were close; A case of allegories

Why are writers always in great shape?

[run-remi-run]

Circular prose

[writing-in-the-grave]

Nope! It's because we're always running out of ideas!

Did you hear about the famous writer who turned out to be a fraud?

[run-remi-run]

I did not

[writing-in-the-grave]

His life had it's prose and cons...

Why is editing a better job than writing?

[run-remi-run]

It's more rewording?

[writing-in-the-grave]

Correct! I am out of jokes. :(

[highasfantasy]

I hate that I laughed at some of these 😂

[that-author-called-athena]

Race Names

So you’ve created a new race for your fantasy story but have no clue what to name it, right? I’ve been there. It sucks. But I can help you out.

So I’ve got a race (more about them later) that I couldn’t figure out a name for, so for a while I used “cree” as a placeholder name until I came up with something. About two months went by and nothing was sticking, so my solution? Two words:

Google. Translate.

Now this race lives near a volcano and pyromancers are kind of their thing. So I went on Good Translate and started translating fire-related things into multiple languages until I came across:

Looking at “Kapnos” I’m like “hey, that’s kinda sexy.” So What I did was started brainstorming different ways to twist the name:

Kapno?

Kapnus?

Kapne? Hey, that sounds kinda of nice.

Kapro? Oh wait that’s already kind of a thing

Capnus? Eh

So after a bit, I decided I liked the sound of “Kapne” and “Kapnus” the best. The plural of “Kapne” would stay that, while “Kapnus” would probably be “Kapni.”

While this is mostly written for advice, I’d also like some opinions. I know I have like two followers so barely anyone will see this anyway, but hey, if you want, let me know which you like better? Or any other suggestions?

Anyway, hope this helps on all your race-naming endeavors :)

[that-author-called-athena]

*shameless self rebloggingn to spread awareness of this issue*

[that-author-called-athena]

Race Names

So you’ve created a new race for your fantasy story but have no clue what to name it, right? I’ve been there. It sucks. But I can help you out.

So I’ve got a race (more about them later) that I couldn’t figure out a name for, so for a while I used “cree” as a placeholder name until I came up with something. About two months went by and nothing was sticking, so my solution? Two words:

Google. Translate.

Now this race lives near a volcano and pyromancers are kind of their thing. So I went on Good Translate and started translating fire-related things into multiple languages until I came across:

Looking at “Kapnos” I’m like “hey, that’s kinda sexy.” So What I did was started brainstorming different ways to twist the name:

Kapno?

Kapnus?

Kapne? Hey, that sounds kinda of nice.

Kapro? Oh wait that’s already kind of a thing

Capnus? Eh

So after a bit, I decided I liked the sound of “Kapne” and “Kapnus” the best. The plural of “Kapne” would stay that, while “Kapnus” would probably be “Kapni.”

While this is mostly written for advice, I’d also like some opinions. I know I have like two followers so barely anyone will see this anyway, but hey, if you want, let me know which you like better? Or any other suggestions?

Anyway, hope this helps on all your race-naming endeavors :)

[that-author-called-athena]

A fun part of being an author is putting your characters in terrible situations, giving them tragic backstories, killing all their loved ones, and then just sitting there like “why am I doing this.”

[that-author-called-athena]

Character Questions

Do you ever put your character in a situation that you don’t know how they should respond? You don’t know your character well enough.

I know, I know—“But I’m the one who made the character!” But like how a mother doesn’t always fully understand her daughter, your “children” can sometimes stray from the personality you have set for them. To help with this, try answering the following questions to better understand your character.

1. What would make your character smile if they’re having a bad day?

2. What are some irrational fears your character has?

3. What would absolutely break your character?

4. Is there another character that this character would give up anything and everything for? Who is it?

5. What would utterly piss off your character? How would they react to rage?

6. How does this character react to betrayal or or heartbreak?

7. Is there another character that your character is in love with, has a crush on, or just finds aesthetically pleasing? Who is it?

8. What motivates your character to keep pushing on when the going gets rough?

9. What would be a common reason for this character to pull an all-nighter?

10. What’s something your character dislikes about themselves? Are they working the improve it?

Hope these are helpful! Have fun!

[that-author-called-athena]

Character Questions

Do you ever put your character in a situation that you don’t know how they should respond? You don’t know your character well enough.

I know, I know—“But I’m the one who made the character!” But like how a mother doesn’t always fully understand her daughter, your “children” can sometimes stray from the personality you have set for them. To help with this, try answering the following questions to better understand your character.

1. What would make your character smile if they’re having a bad day?

2. What are some irrational fears your character has?

3. What would absolutely break your character?

4. Is there another character that this character would give up anything and everything for? Who is it?

5. What would utterly piss off your character? How would they react to rage?

6. How does this character react to betrayal or or heartbreak?

7. Is there another character that your character is in love with, has a crush on, or just finds aesthetically pleasing? Who is it?

8. What motivates your character to keep pushing on when the going gets rough?

9. What would be a common reason for this character to pull an all-nighter?

10. What’s something your character dislikes about themselves? Are they working the improve it?

Hope these are helpful! Have fun!

[that-author-called-athena]

Some Writer’s Block Stuff

Let’s face it, writer’s block sucks. No one likes it. But you want to know a good way to fight it?

Just...write.

Yeah, yeah, I know, that’s exactly what you CAN’T do. But you don’t need to write anything related to your story. Just start writing. Write about your day. Your girlfriend. Your annoying little brother. Your guinea pig. Rainbows. Cookies. A horribly bloody death scene. Unicorns. A book you like. Moths. Pillows. Just write, it doesn’t matter what. If you just sit down and put that pencil to paper (or fingers to keyboard, whichever), you’ll feel better. I promise. Actually, don’t hold me to that. But try it anyway.

[that-author-called-athena]

Some Writer’s Block Stuff

Let’s face it, writer’s block sucks. No one likes it. But you want to know a good way to fight it?

Just...write.

Yeah, yeah, I know, that’s exactly what you CAN’T do. But you don’t need to write anything related to your story. Just start writing. Write about your day. Your girlfriend. Your annoying little brother. Your guinea pig. Rainbows. Cookies. A horribly bloody death scene. Unicorns. A book you like. Moths. Pillows. Just write, it doesn’t matter what. If you just sit down and put that pencil to paper (or fingers to keyboard, whichever), you’ll feel better. I promise. Actually, don’t hold me to that. But try it anyway.