This is the other ghostwriter (there are many) @theotherghostwriter - Tumblr Blog

I understand that you were aiming for a morally grey protagonist, but in practice what you've ended up with is more of a moral beige.

prokopetz

@ancient-tree-with-deathwish replied:

how do you distinguish grey from other colours beyond black and wite?

Distinguishing features of moral beige:

The protagonist is constantly agonising over Hard Choices; however, circumstances always conspire to prevent them from actually having to make those choices, so in practice they're just angsting over stuff they might have done.

The text exhibits a recurring pattern whereby the protagonist seems to to have made a Hard Choice, but new information is reliably revealed shortly thereafter which retroactively establishes that whatever they did was the morally upright course after all.

The protagonist's moral impulses are straightforwardly heroic, except in one specific context which lacks any clear real-world analogue; for example, being prejudiced against telepaths.

The protagonist's actions are consistently reasonable based on the information available to them – they're merely operating on bad information basically all the time due to a bizarre conspiracy and/or a series of increasingly implausible misunderstandings.

The protagonist always ends up doing the right thing (for some fuzzy value of "right"), but, like, they're really grumpy about it.

vale-gaai

not-mozzarella

(Not So Fun) Angst Prompts!! THEME: Kindness/ Goodness <3

'I hope you marry someone kind.'

There were many ways in which Character A was a better person than Character B. Kindness was just one of them.

'You were never good for me.'

'I'm not- I'm not good. I'm not kind. I can't be that person. I'm not you.'

'Don't look at me. At least give me that grace.'

'Don't treat me like that. Don't treat me like I'm worthy of your kindness. Fuck- I never was, and we both know it.'

'Stop pretending like being kind, even for a moment, doesn't utterly terrify you.'

'I don't need your kindness.' 'You've never been a good liar.'

'I can't forget you when everywhere I look, there you are, a bloody walking reminder of the one good thing I had and I lost!'

'You're a good person. Why can't you believe that?' 'Did you know you always touch the base of your neck when you lie?'

'I loved you, I really did. I never thought you'd be so cruel.' 'Then you never knew me well enough to love me right.'

'You did an admirable job, honestly, pretending to be so kind all the time. Did you fall for it too? Or was I the only one fooled enough to- to- fuck! I never meant to be in love with you!'

writersisland

“reports of my death were greatly exaggerated”

“reports of my death were actually quite accurate, with some artistic freedom.”

“reports of my death were greatly underestimating the amount of effort it takes to come back to life.”

“reports of my death never include the fucker who killed me.”

“reports of my death are focusing way too much on the dying part. do you know how exhausting it is to come back to life?”

“there are reports of my death?”

lost-in-eriador

in 2026, remember how GOOD writing feels. remember how satsfying it is to get your characters to the point you have been dying to get to, where they will experience the love, fear, relief or whatever the feeling you want to bring to life may be. let this year be the year of writing, prgress and of satisfactory endings.

roach-works

speculative fiction writers i am going to give you a really urgent piece of advice: don't say numbers. don't give your readers any numbers. how heavy is the sword? lots. how old is that city? plenty. how big is the fort? massive. how fast is the spaceship? not very, it's secondhand.

the minute you say a number your readers can check your math and you cannot do math better than your most autistic critic. i guarantee. don't let your readers do any math. when did something happen? awhile ago. how many bullets can that gun fire? trick question, it shoots lasers, and it shoots em HARD.

you are lying to people for fun. if you let them do math at you the lie collapses and it's no fun anymore.

roach-works

YOU GET IT

starpains

on “the blond,” “the older man,” and other crimes against third-person limited

You know that thing where a story is written in tight third person limited — we’re meant to be inside someone’s head, seeing the world through their thoughts — and then suddenly the narration says “the blond frowned” or “the shorter woman sighed” about a person the POV character knows really well?

That’s called antonomasia — using a descriptive label instead of a name. And it’s fine when we’re talking about strangers: “the cashier handed her the receipt,” “the tall guy blocked the door.” The POV character doesn’t know their names, and we just need a quick way to tell people apart.

But the moment it’s used for someone the POV character already knows, it breaks immersion. Because that’s not how our minds work. We don’t think “the older man smiled at me.” We think “Mark smiled.” Or maybe “my boss” if that relationship matters in the moment.

Third person limited means the narration sits inside someone’s perception. Their inner monologue is the story’s voice. So when you switch from “Mark smiled” to “the blond smiled,” you’ve pulled the camera away from their mind and turned it into an outside shot.

If you want to create distance or irritation, you can do it on purpose —

“The idiot from accounting emailed again.”

That’s character voice. That’s judgment. That works.

But otherwise?

As soon as your POV character knows someone’s name, use it. While we do tend to worry about repetitions, names rarely register as such to the readers.

If you need variety for rhythm, use relational or emotional identifiers that make sense in their head: her friend, his partner, their teacher, the person they loved.

Because inside someone’s thoughts, there are no “blonds” or “brunettes.”

There are only people they know.

wisteria-lodge

Really good explanation of the fundamental problem with this type of writing.

(and why it's one of my huge pet peeves)

snowstories

My biggest tip for fanfic writers is this: if you get a character's mannerisms and speech pattern down, you can make them do pretty much whatever you want and it'll feel in character.

Logic: Characters, just like real people, are mallable. There is typically very little that's so truly, heinously out of character that you absolutely cannot make it work under any circumstance. In addition, most fans are also willing to accept characterization stretches if it makes the fic work. Yeah, we all know the villain and the hero wouldn't cuddle for warmth in canon. But if they did do that, how would they do it?

What counts is often not so much 'would the character do this?' and more 'if the character did do this, how would they do it?' If you get 'how' part right, your readers will probably be willing to buy the rest, because it will still feel like their favourite character. But if it doesn't feel like the character anymore, why are they even reading the fic?

Worry less about whether a character would do something, and more about how they'd sound while doing it.

mossbear-minese

I don't remember where I saw this piece of advice so I can't credit it, unfortunately

But it was along the lines of "instead of asking whether something is out of character, ask 'what would it take for this character to do this'"

Which I think fits really nicely with this advice of making the actual action itself also feel in character

Edit: Here's the post I'm referencing!

Thank you to @amindamazed for the correction!

Expanding a thought from a conversation this morning: In general, I think "Is X out-of-character?" is not a terribly useful question for a

promptsforthestrugglingauthor

Writing Prompt #3983

They were dead. They were all dead.

But he wasn't.

He didn't understand why. Every attempt to recall what had happened was hazy, as if someone had woken him up from a dream, leaving him with only lingering feelings of fear and confusion.

pheita

Memo to everybody :

Never be afraid to recycle an idea you had for a WIP you abandoned. Sometimes the idea needs a different set of characters or a different setting.

indecisive-behaviors

An addition:

Never be afraid to recycle an idea you had for a project you already completed. Sometimes ideas really are just that good and deserve to be used more than once.

creativepromptsforwriting

How to show emotions

Part IX

How to show being delighted

bright, sparkling eyes

smiling or grinning broadly

light, bouncy steps or movements

clapping hands or small, excited gestures

warm blush or flushed cheeks

soft, happy sighs or laughter

jumping up or small hops

eyes crinkling at the corners

open mouth, slightly parted in surprise or joy

leaning forward eagerly

staring at whatever delights them

spinning in a circle

How to show dread

rapid, shallow breathing or sudden gasps

sweaty palms or clammy skin

trembling hands or body

tightened jaw or grinding teeth

furrowed brows, tense forehead

wide, darting eyes or a fixed, unblinking stare

clenched fists or nails digging into skin

stiff, frozen posture or tense muscles ready to react

dry mouth or difficulty swallowing

sudden chills or shivers

heart pounding visibly or audibly (e.g., pounding in ears)

fidgeting or restless movements, pacing

nausea or tightness in the stomach

avoiding eye contact or looking away anxiously

voice trembling or catching in throat if speaking

How to show serenity

slow, deep breathing

soft, gentle smile or neutral, peaceful facial expression

softly gazing

smooth, unhurried movements

hands resting calmly, loosely folded or open palms

even heartbeat/pulse

slight tilt of the head, indicating calm attentiveness

relaxed jaw, no clenching or grinding

steady, balanced posture with relaxed shoulders

soft sigh or contented breath out

minimal fidgeting or twitching

How to show being alarmed

widened eyes

raised eyebrows

dilated pupils

quickened or shallow breathing

heart pounding or racing

trembling or shaking hands

stiffened posture or frozen still

sweating or cold sweat

sudden intake of breath or gasping

paleness or flushed face

lips pressed tightly or quivering

clenched jaw or fists

neck hairs standing on end

fidgeting or restless movements, pacing

mouth slightly open or dry mouth

rapid head movements, scanning surroundings

jumping or flinching suddenly

tightened throat or throat clearing

More: How to write emotions Masterpost

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sappharic

my autistic ass thought this was a guide for showing emotions irl lmao, reblogging for my writer friends!

creativepromptsforwriting

Touches Ask Game

Prompts for writing human connection, intimacy, belonging.

Hand-holding

The purest form of human connection.

tiny hands in big hands

calloused hands in soft hands

cold hands in warm hands

hands with the perfect ratio to each other for hand-holding

platonic hand-holding

running their thumb over the other’s hand

dancing with their hands holding onto each other

squeezing hand for comfort and encouragement

holding hands across the table

happily doing everything with just one hand, if it means they don’t have to let go

not wanting to lose each other in a big crowd

possessive hand-holding

linking hands together during sex

grabbing hand to show them something

loosely holding onto each other’s hands, laying in one’s lap

only linking the pinkies together, not ready to let go completely

holding hands while skating

excitedly grabbing each other’s hands during a concert, jumping up and down together

playing with each other’s fingers

pressing the other’s hand against their cheek

holding hands while one is balancing on a small wall

grabbing the other’s hand to pull them back from something

holding hands under the table

only realizing it when they have to let go

standing in front of each other, holding both their hands

holding their hands above their head, fingers linked together

passionate hand-holding

grabbing the other’s hand so they don’t fall

holding hands while running through the rain

brushing against each other, linking fingers together for a second

grabbing their hand to grab their attention

not really paying attention, both doing something else, but still holding hands

bandaging the other’s hand and not quite letting go

holding hands while driving

grabbing the other’s hand to pull them back to them

unconsciously searching out each other’s hand while sleeping

not realizing they’re holding hands till someone points it out

swinging hands back and forth, skipping like children

holding hands in a museum to pull them to the next exhibition

letting go when there is an obstacle in their way and immediately grabbing each other’s hand again when they pass it

loosely holding onto each other’s hand

dragging the other with them, holding their hand

raising the other’s hand to their lips to kiss it softly

holding hands while jumping down from somewhere together

comparing hand sizes, then linking fingers together

secretly holding hands under the table

holding onto the other’s hand so they can’t run away

making a heart with their hands and then linking them together

taking the other’s hand to look for injuries

holding hands to calm each other down

Hugs

A warm embrace.

friendly hugs

hug around the waist

hugging while twirling around

comforting hugs

side hugs

hugging and gently holding the other’s head

pulling someone into a hug

hugging while walking

eye-to-eye hugs

hiding their face in the other’s neck

clinging to each other

hugging while lying down together

group hugs

hugging with head on shoulder

tender embrace

‘not wanting to let go’ hugs

hugging from behind

bear hugs

hugging with hands in each other’s pockets

cuddling

hugs and kisses

hugging and jumping up and down together

familiar hugs

hugging with height-difference

gentle hugs

hugging with patting on back

piggy back hugs

quick hugs

hugging while slow dancing

one-sided hugs

hugging while straddling the partner

long-lasting hugs

‘picking them up’ hugs

hugging while grabbing butt

cuddle pile

Kisses

Showing affections.

goodnight kisses

hand kisses

smiling while kissing

lips barely touching

morning kisses

slow kisses

passionate kisses

kisses on the cheek

first kisses

goodbye kisses

welcome home kisses

kisses on the corner of their mouth

frustrated kisses

kissing each other breathless

soothing kisses

nose kisses

kisses as a promise

short pecks

forehead kisses

French kisses

tearful kisses

kisses on head

calming kisses

“we’ll face this together” kisses

kisses in the rain

life-or-death kisses

kisses for a cover

hard kisses

giggling while kissing

desperate kisses

neck kisses

“stay strong” kisses

hushed conversation in-between kisses

eyelid kisses

gentle stroking of cheeks while kissing

small kisses

kissing it better

fake kisses

jaw kisses

wake-up kisses

thigh kisses

kissing away tears

“we’ll get through this” kisses

public kisses

relieved kisses

kisses for comfort

tummy kisses

kisses to shut them up

slowly kissing down the body

“we’ll see each other again” kisses

kissing each finger

quick kisses

reassuring kisses

sleepy kisses

feather-light kisses

angry kisses

kisses with trembling lips

“forever mine” kisses

secret kisses

kisses with their last dying breath

Touching

Feeling another human’s touch.

touching foreheads

running fingers through hair

hiding face in neck

caressing the other’s hand

feeling their pulse

patting the other’s head

holding hands

shielding the other one with their body

listening to the other’s heartbeat

spooning at night

laying their hand on the other’s neck

pushing a strand of hair behind their ear

nudging the other one

putting an arm around the other’s waist

hugging each other

massaging them

holding the other’s chin up

squishing the other’s cheek

high fiving

bandaging/stitching up an injury

kissing the other’s brow

falling asleep on the other’s shoulder

carrying the other one in their arms

whispering in their ear, lips touching the skin

stroking the other’s arm soothingly

kissing the top of their head

pulling the other one towards them

feeling for each other in the dark

tickling the other one

grabbing onto their arm

doing a pinky swear

caressing the other’s back

tasting their smile

washing the other’s body

kissing their bruises and scars

lifting the other one up

putting their head on the other’s chest

stroking their leg

leaning into the other’s side

patting them on the back

sitting close and knees touching

braiding the other’s hair

giving them a piggy-back ride

sitting on the other’s lap

feeling their temperature

linking arms with each other

touching their elbow to get their attention

dancing with each other

holding onto the other’s shoulders for support

putting a hand over the other’s mouth to shut them up

caressing the other’s cheek

gripping thigh

holding the other’s jaw

touching cheek to cheek

tracing the lines on the other’s hand

Hand-holding|Hugs|Kisses|Touching

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ominous-signs

Decided to go ahead with this idea and make one!

I’ll take ominously created (drawn or edited) signs under #ominous signtober art

I’ll take any ominous signs you find (in person or online) under #ominous signtober find

Please specify which when sharing so I can tag accordingly! I’ll focus each day to that specific prompt.

General tags for this event are #ominous signtober and #ominous signtober 2025

Either created or found, it’s just a chance to share signs all around! You can tag me, or share as a submission or ask.

Full list written undercut as well

luna-azzurra

Ways to Show a Character is Angry but Trying Not to Show It

✮ ⋆ ˚｡ Their jaw flexes while their smile stays plastered on.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡ Responses get shorter, clipped: "Fine." "Sure." "Whatever."

✮ ⋆ ˚｡ They stop blinking as often, eyes fixed a little too long.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡ Their body gets still, unnaturally still, like every muscle is on lock.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡ They press their tongue to their teeth before answering.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡ They set things down a little too hard, the glass, the pen, the keys. Not enough to break, just enough to say something.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡ They keep asking, "Why would you say that?" but never raise their voice.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡ Their politeness sharpens into something cutting, brittle.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡ They laugh, but it's one note too sharp, too short.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡ The moment they're alone, they let out a breath like they've been holding back an explosion.

prompt-heaven

𓍯𓏲 main blog: @thyme-in-a-bubble 𓂃

general

my own prompts

masterlists

useful links

synonyms/other word lists

titles

names

colours

flowers

feelings

body language

said

look

walk

worldbuilding

location

weather

atmosphere

character stuff

physical description

jobs

plot

writing tips, resources, etc

romance

smut

kisses

I love you's

date ideas

ship dynamics

tropes

only one bed

friends to lovers

friends with benefits

roommates to lovers

enemies to lovers

grumpy x sunshine

forbidden romance

secret relationship

forced proximity

fake dating

one night stand

exes to lovers

soulmates

meeting the family

domestic

pregnancy

proposal/wedding

poly

fluff

spring

summer

autumnal

winter

sleepy

party

dancing

birthday

camping

family

dark

angst

hurt/comfort

nightmare

murder mystery

crime

heist

unrequited love

break up

fighting

injury

death

villain

AUs

academic

fantasy

magic

vampire

werewolf

royal

hospital

pirate

workplace

neighbours

western

apocalypse

superhero

bodyguard

roommates

spy

prompt-heaven

smut prompt list no. 3

1) mirror sex

2) sex in front of a big window where anyone could glance up and spot them

3) fully clothed x stark naked

4) slow sex while one or both are injured (bonus points if it’s after a battle or after they’ve patched up each other’s wounds)

5) body worshipping

6) marathon session (they just fucking keep going, babyyyy)

7) finding a somewhat private area at a fancy party to fuck (coat closet, empty office, secluded corner on the big balcony, hedge maze if we wanna get dramatic, etc)

8) oops, we were just hiding in this closet, but then the close proximity get us too turned on not to fuck

9) revenge sex

10) finding their partner’s sex toy/toys and making them play with it in front of them

11) quickie where you don’t take any clothes off, just tug and pull and expose the essentials

12) fucking, but one is still trying to keep all of their attention on the game they are playing

13) getting a little too handsy on the dancefloor

14) library sex for those dark academia vibes

15) jealous sex in the alleyway behind the bar

16) accidental i love you’s during sex

17) seeing the love marks they left on their partner later and getting turned on all over again remember how it got there in the first place

18) a/b/o

19) getting turned on by their partner’s new uniform for work and then roleplaying a bit

20) sleepy domestic sex

luna-azzurra

Emotionally repressed character confessions!!

☽ "i don’t know how to talk about this without making it a joke." ☽ "i’m not used to people… staying." ☽ "can we just pretend i didn’t say that?" ☽ "i thought if i ignored it long enough it would stop hurting." ☽ "sometimes i rehearse being honest in my head and then never do it." ☽ "i literally have no idea how to ask for help without apologizing." ☽ "i didn’t know it was okay to feel like this." ☽ "do you ever get tired of pretending you're okay?" ☽ "what if i'm just too much and not enough at the same time?" ☽ "i only know how to be fine or silent." ☽ "i’ve never told anyone that before. please don’t look at me like that." ☽ "i don’t want to be alone, but being around people feels like too much too." ☽ "i don’t even know what i’m feeling half the time." ☽ "i’m scared if i let it out, i won’t be able to put it back." ☽ "i didn’t mean to make you worry. i just didn’t think it mattered." ☽ "every time i try to be vulnerable, my body screams abort mission."

rk764

I'm stealing these, sorry~

me-writes-prompts

Random + angst prompts:

By @me-writes-prompts

Yearning prompts

“I can’t stop loving you.” Angsty romance prompts

Character A gets hurt/injured ft. Character B’s feral response

Coffee shop love prompts

Situationship prompts

Situationship jealousy prompts

Heartbreaking prompts

Reuniting angst prompt

“What are we?” Prompts

Ghost x vampire prompts

More ghost x vampire prompts

Vampire x werewolf prompts

Close proximity prompts

Crush prompts

Navigating through new relationship prompts

"Please don't leave me" prompts

Lovers in "denial" prompts

Reunited lovers prompts

Grumpy x sunshine prompts

"You're too good for me" prompts

"I think...I'm in love with you" prompts

Fake dating prompts

Betrayal prompts

"What would I do without you" prompts

Roommates to lovers prompts

Ice cream prompts

Underrated trope list

First date prompts

Oblivious x pining prompts

Break up prompts

Marriage of convenience prompts

Jealously prompts

OTP bonding with their children prompts

Denial of feelings prompts

Internalized homophobia prompts

Sunshine vampire x grumpy human prompts

Party game prompts

Family fluff prompts

Hero/warrior prompts

Lovers to friends prompts

Childhood friends prompts

Self-esteem issue prompts for your ocs

Nervous/awkward couple prompts

Forced proximity but one of them is claustrophobic prompts

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This is the other ghostwriter (there are many)