Describing clothes can actually matter when clothes reveal strategy. Is the character dressing to disappear? to intimidate? to look richer than they are? to seem effortless after forty minutes of effort? A jacket can be armor. Lipstick can be a warning. Ugly shoes can be financial realism.
name:
meaning of name:
nicknames/titles:
age:
gender:
location:
birthday:
strengths + example where it's shown:
weaknesses + example where it's shown:
how it affects others:
emotional depth
attachment style + how it manifests in the story:
physical fear:
emotional/abstract fear:
happy memory:
sad memory:
object of significance:
philosophical outlook/belief:
what characters are ignorant about themselves:
how confident are they:
goal:
long-term dreams:
what they're embarrassed/ashamed to tell others about:
regrets:
source of pride:
source of misery:
what they admire above all else:
do they believe in fate:
personality
mbti:
enneagram:
big five:
character archetype:
star sign:
who they pretend to be on the outside:
who they actually are/how they feel towards the mask:
mental health conditions:
how it manifests for them:
iq:
eq:
humour:
reputation:
habits
bad habits:
mannerisms when stressed:
mannerisms when content:
mannerisms when scared:
mannerisms normally:
verbal mannerisms/distinctive speaking style:
how do they move across a room:
what do they say and what remains unsaid:
how they express love:
hobbies:
appearance
defining features:
eye shape + colour:
hair texture + colour:
skin texture + tone:
vibe:
height:
build:
clothing:
any bodily disfigurement (scars, etc.):
overall attractiveness:
their opinion on their appearance:
appeals to:
relationships
who they trust most:
what they wish they could do for them:
what's holding them back:
who they hate most:
what they wish they could do to them:
what's holding them back:
relationship with the protagonist:
relationship with the antagonist:
siblings:
relationship with them:
parents/step-parents:
relationship with them:
previous broken relationships:
why did it break:
what others expect of them:
who believes in them:
their mentor character/who they look up to:
political/religious/other affiliations:
what makes them different from every other character:
non-human relationships + why:
romantic "type" + why:
relationship dynamics:
backstory/background
primary emotion towards their past:
primary feelings while in their past:
where did they grow up:
defining incidents:
earliest childhood memory:
saddest memory:
happiest memory:
major accomplishments:
their opinion on it:
notable people in their backstory:
effect on them today:
trauma:
what have they already lost:
financial circumstance:
progression
why are they important (eg. why're they the only one able to do something?):
what do they learn about themselves throughout the story:
what do they learn about the world:
how do they feel towards their newfound knowledge:
character arc (positive, negative, neutral):
how relationships change because of their actions:
what mistakes do they make:
what scene is their character highlighted:
do they get what they want:
why or why not:
what happens to them after the story ends:
For everyone who asks me detailed questions about highly specialised scientific information that will make up approximately (9) words of their WIP â¤ď¸
We here at the Write Type are looking for some moderators for our page, to keep the content fresh! There's no requirements to be a mod, all we ask is for writers who want to help us continue to offer info for the community!
10 Non-Lethal Injuries to Add Pain to Your Writing
New Part: 10 Lethal Injury Ideas
If you need a simple way to make your characters feel pain, here are some ideas:Â
1. Sprained Ankle
A common injury that can severely limit mobility. This is useful because your characters will have to experience a mild struggle and adapt their plans to their new lack of mobiliy. Perfect to add tension to a chase scene.
2. Rib Contusion
A painful bruise on the ribs can make breathing difficult, helping you sneak in those ragged wheezes during a fight scene. Could also be used for something sport-related! It's impactful enough to leave a lingering pain but not enough to hinder their overall movement.
3. Concussions
This common brain injury can lead to confusion, dizziness, and mood swings, affecting a characterâs judgment heavily. It can also cause mild amnesia.
I enjoy using concussions when you need another character to subtly take over the fight/scene, it's an easy way to switch POVs. You could also use it if you need a 'cute' recovery moment with A and B.
4. Fractured Finger
A broken finger can complicate tasks that require fine motor skills. This would be perfect for characters like artists, writers, etc. Or, a fighter who brushes it off as nothing till they try to throw a punch and are hit with pain.
5. Road Rash
Road rash is an abrasion caused by friction. Aka scraping skin. The raw, painful sting resulting from a fall can be a quick but effective way to add pain to your writing. Tip: it's great if you need a mild injury for a child.
6. Shoulder Dislocation
This injury can be excruciating and often leads to an inability to use one arm, forcing characters to confront their limitations while adding urgency to their situation. Good for torture scenes.
7. Deep Laceration
A deep laceration is a cut that requires stitches. As someone who got stitches as a kid, they really aren't that bad! A 2-3 inch wound (in length) provides just enough pain and blood to add that dramatic flair to your writing while not severely deterring your character.
This is also a great wound to look back on since it often scars. Note: the deeper and wider the cut the worse your character's condition. Don't give them a 5 inch deep gash and call that mild.
8. Burns
Whether from fire, chemicals, or hot surfaces, burns can cause intense suffering and lingering trauma. Like the previous injury, the lasting physical and emotional trauma of a burn is a great wound for characters to look back on.
If you want to explore writing burns, read here.
9. Pulled Muscle
This can create ongoing pain and restrict movement, offering a window to force your character to lean on another. Note: I personally use muscle related injuries when I want to focus more on the pain and sprains to focus on a lack of mobility.
10. Tendonitis
Inflammation of a tendon can cause chronic pain and limit a character's ability to perform tasks they usually take for granted. When exploring tendonitis make sure you research well as this can easily turn into a more severe injury.
This is a quick, brief list of ideas to provide writers inspiration. Since it is a shorter blog, I have not covered the injuries in detail. This is inspiration, not a thorough guide. Happy writing! :)
Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks?Â
Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!
The Writer's Universal Fear: "Does My Book/Story Already Exist?" (And Why You Should Write It Anyway)
Itâs the whisper of doubt that haunts every aspiring writer, the question that can freeze fingers over keyboards and dim the brightest creative spark:Â âDoes my story already exist?â
Youâve got an incredible idea brewing â a star-crossed romance set on a dystopian alien planet, a quirky detective solving mysteries with the help of a talking cat, a coming-of-age tale about a shy artist discovering their voice. Youâre buzzing with energy, the characters are starting to speak to you, the world is taking shape⌠and then it hits you. A sudden, cold wave of panic.
What if someone else has already written this?
What if itâs too similar to that best-seller?
What if thereâs nothing truly original left to say?
If youâve ever felt this, congratulations: youâre a writer. This fear is as universal as writer's block itself. But here's the liberating truth:Â it doesn't matter.
The Myth of Absolute Originality
Let's get one thing straight: truly, 100% new ideas are rarer than hen's teeth. Humanity has been telling stories for millennia. We've explored love, loss, betrayal, heroism, revenge, discovery, and sacrifice in countless forms. There are archetypes, tropes, and narrative structures that resonate deeply with us because they tap into universal human experiences.
Think about it:
The Hero's Journey:Â From Gilgamesh to Luke Skywalker, it's a fundamental pattern.
Star-Crossed Lovers:Â Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, even Twilight â the core struggle is similar.
The Underdog Rises:Â David and Goliath, Rocky, Katniss Everdeen.
The Detective Solves the Case:Â Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Jessica Fletcher.
Does the existence of thousands of "hero's journeys" diminish the impact or enjoyment of each new one? Absolutely not. Instead, it proves that there's an enduring power in these narratives.
Your Unique Fingerprint: Voice, Perspective, and Experience
So, if the core idea isn't always brand new, what makes your story unique? The answer, my friend, is you.
Your Voice:Â No one else thinks, feels, or expresses themselves exactly like you do. Your unique way of phrasing sentences, your specific humor, your emotional depth â thatâs your authorial voice, and itâs entirely your own.
Your Perspective: How do you see the world? What are your personal observations, biases, and beliefs? Even if two writers tackle the same premise, their worldviews will imbue the story with entirely different nuances, themes, and emotional weight.
Your Experiences:Â Every book you've read, every conversation you've had, every heartbreak, every triumph, every place you've visited, every obscure fact you've learned â it all filters through your brain and shapes the tapestry of your story. These myriad details combine in a way that is utterly impossible for anyone else to replicate.
Imagine a million chefs making a chocolate cake. They all use flour, sugar, eggs, and chocolate. But the exact proportions, the specific type of cocoa, the brand of butter, the subtle technique, the unique frosting, the love put into it â each cake will taste different. Some will be forgettably bland, others will be a transcendent experience. Your story is your cake.
The Comfort of the Familiar, The Spark of the New
Readers don't always demand something they've never encountered before. Sometimes, they crave the comfort of a familiar genre or trope, but with a fresh twist. They want to revisit a "type" of story they love, but through a new lens.
Think of it like music. How many love songs are there? Millions. Yet, new ones are written every day, and some become classics, because the specific melody, lyrics, and emotional delivery create a novel and resonant experience.
Your story might share a premise with another, but your characters will have different quirks, your dialogue will sing with a distinct rhythm, your world will feel lived-in in a unique way, and the emotional journey will be intrinsically yours.
What To Do When The Doubt Creeps In:
Acknowledge and Release:Â Itâs okay to have the thought. Feel it, acknowledge it, and then dismiss it. Donât let it take root.
Focus on "How," Not "What":Â Instead of wondering if the "what" (the premise) is original, obsess over the "how" â how will you tell it? How will your characters evolve? How will your descriptions transport the reader?
Read Widely (But Don't Compare Malignantly):Â Read within and outside your genre. See how others have tackled similar themes or tropes. Learn from them, but don't fall into the trap of thinking, "They did it better, so I shouldn't bother."
Embrace Your Unique Voice: Lean into what makes you distinctive. Your quirks, your passions, your strange observations â these are your superpowers.
Just Write It: The only way to know if your story is truly your story, is to write it. The magic happens in the execution, in the words on the page, in the journey you take with your characters.
The world doesn't need one more story. It needs your story. It needs the one only you can tell, shaped by your heart, your mind, and your unique perspective. So stop searching for evidence that it already exists, and start creating the evidence that it will.
If you're writing anything involving cons, scams, heists, or morally questionable characters who are very good at lying, here are some free resources I've been using for research. Saving you the "why is this in my search history" anxiety.
1. The FBI's Famous Cases & Criminals archive (fbi.gov/history/famous-cases) has detailed breakdowns of real fraud cases, Ponzi schemes, and confidence operations. The language they use is clinical and precise, which is perfect for getting the procedural details right.
2. The FTC Consumer Sentinel Network publishes annual reports on the most common fraud tactics in the US. Great for understanding how modern scams actually work and what makes people fall for them.
3. The Smithsonian's American Art Museum has a free digital collection of forgery case studies. If your character forges documents or art, this is gold.
4. Court Listener (courtlistener.com) is a free legal database where you can read actual court transcripts from fraud trials. Want to know how a real con artist talks under oath? This is where you find out.
5. The Internet Archive's collection of old newspaper crime sections. Search for "confidence man" or "swindle" in papers from the 1920s through 1960s and you'll find incredible real stories that would feel too dramatic for fiction.
Bonus: The Psychology of Fraud section on the Association for Psychological Science website has accessible articles about why people trust, how deception works cognitively, and what makes someone a convincing liar. Essential reading if you want your con artist characters to feel psychologically real.
Reblog to save for later. Your WIP will thank you.
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