Romance Writeblr

[l0stvegas]

[theotherhappyplace]

i love this artist's work so much

[running-with-thewolves]

Fuck off im so in love with this fictional man it’s embarrassing

[wordsnstuff]

Story Planning Template | WORDSNSTUFF

HOW TO USE THIS TEMPLATE COPY TO GOOGLE SLIDES (DIGITAL PLANNING) DOWNLOAD TO COMPUTER (PDF/WORD DOCUMENT FILE → DOWNLOAD → MICROSOFT POWERP

Linked to this post is a free google slides document I’ve designed for the purposes of character and plot development. You can use this in several ways, including:

Making a copy to your google drive and editing it digitally

Downloading as a Microsoft powerpoint document

Editing in google slides and then downloading as a printable PDF

This document includes technical instructions and guides to the planning models I integrated. The included pages are:

Character/arc design sheet

Secondary characters sheet

Three-act flow chart

Plot story map

[watermark is only present in these screenshots]

[hokkyokuro]

Character mannerisms to consider!

Mannerisms, in this case, are the little details that are unique to each character of your story! These are perfect ways help the reader know more about your character’s personality without needing to read through multiple sentences of description or dialogue. Mannerisms also become incredibly useful when you need to convey things like social status, upbringing, mental health status and how they interact with the world/people around them.

There are hundreds of unique ways to use mannerisms, for example linking one character to another despite their lack of interaction in the story. The dialogue and description might point to Character A having never met Character B, but they might share the same mannerisms, which would hint to some kind of past link between the pair.

How much space do they take up? Do they spread out when they sit or stay curled-up? Do they flail their arms to gesture? Do they speak loudly or quietly? Who listens when they speak up? Do they make a sound when they move?

How does your character sleep? What position? Do they sleep restlessly or soundly? Do they prefer covers, or do they sleep without?

How does your character greet people? Are they welcoming or reserved? How genuine are they being?

How much do they mirror others? Do they mirror everyone? (Mirroring is a subconscious behaviour where two+ people in a conversation will copy one another’s body language. This usually means there is a connection of some kind being made. Lack of / exaggerated mirroring might indicate towards a mental disorder or other (ex: personality disorder, neurodiversity, anxiety etc)

Which part of their body is the most expressive? Does your character use their hands a lot or do they tuck them away? Do they need movement to ground themselves (swaying, rocking, fidgetting…)?

Who would your character turn to in a group of people for comfort? Would they acknowledge that person more? Would they engage in a conversation with only them or would they just glance their way?

Do they have a re-occuring habit to indicate a mood? Do they crack their knuckles when excited? Do they bite their lip ring when angry? Do they look at their hands when sad?

How do they gesture? Do they speak with their hands? Do they point, nod or use their eyes to show something? Which movements are conscious, and which aren't?

Do they have a comfort item or person? Is there something they always think of? Is there something they hold with care? How much do they value that thing more than others?

How would they react to another person’s misfortune? Would their eyes light up? Would their heart hurt? How genuine would they feel? How genuine would they act?

Is there anything that makes them OOC (out of character)? (This is a good thing! One tiny OOC aspect can make a huge impact on that character) Perhaps they’re cruel but love cats? Perhaps they’re known for being the kindest but smile when they think of something tragic? How often do they act strangely? Do they do it in front of anyone? Do their actions indicate this or solely their thoughts?

I hope this helps you develop your characters! If you have anything to add, feel free to do so!

[photografya-deactivated20230917]

[andshecanproveitwasolidrighthook]

alright im done put me in the heart locket

[wordsnstuff]

Character Development : A Collection of Resources

Patreon || Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress

–

Resources

Resources For Creating Characters

Resources For Describing Characters

Resources For Writing The Mafia

Resources For Writing Royalty

Commentary on Social Issues In Writing

General Tips

Guide to Character Development

How To Fit Character Development Into Your Story

Tips on Character Consistency

Designing A Character From Scratch

Making characters for your world

Characters First, Story Second Method

Understanding Your Character

Tips on Character Motivations

31 Days of Character Development : May 2018 Writing Challenge

How To Analyze A Character

Alternative Method of Character Creation

Connecting To Your Own Characters

Interview As Your Characters

Flipping Character Traits On Their Head 

Character Driven vs. Plot Driven Stories

Traits

Tips On Writing About Mental Illness

Giving Your Protagonists Negative Traits

Giving Characters Distinct Voices in Dialogue

Giving Characters Flaws

Making Characters More Unique

Keeping Characters Realistic

Archetypes

Writing Good Villains

Creating Villains

Guide to Writing The Hero

Positive Character Development Without Romanticizing Toxic Behavior

Tips on Writing Cold & Distant Characters

Balancing Multiple Main Characters

Creating Diverse Otherworld Characters

Foreshadowing The Villain

–

Masterlist | WIP Blog

If you enjoy my blog and wish for it to continue being updated frequently and for me to continue putting my energy toward answering your questions, please consider Buying Me A Coffee, or pledging your support on Patreon, where I offer early access and exclusive benefits for only $5/month.

Shoutout to my $15+ patron, Douglas S.!

[jedhaboy]

Writer’s Resource - Wound Care

It’s probably one of the most common scenarios in a novel, comic, roleplay, script, or otherwise.  Character B gets injured, and Character A knows wound care and takes care of it for them.  But the old fashioned style of thinking runs rampant, especially with ‘classic wound treatment’ being educated generations down, leaving plenty of people unaware of more realistic and recent modern advances in traditional first aid.  

Things To Remember:

Wash your hands.

It’s all too common for this step to be missed in writing.  When wound care comes up, remember that the purpose of it is, underlying everything emotional, to get the wound clean.  Hands not very recently disinfected and sterilized are more likely to cause infection, undermining everything else that Character A hopes to do.  Even if it’s just a sentence or a footnote, remember to add in washing hands – with soap!

Clear the wound.

There are multiple options here, but they all come back to the same thing.  Character A should always clean out the wound with hydrotherapy, which is fancy speak for running water for a very long time.  Flushing a wound can be done with a non iodized salt solution, a dilution of very mild soap, or even plain but it must always come back to WATER.  Run the wound under water for a few minutes to clean out dirt, bacteria, and loosen any debris stuck inside.  Character A can and should use clean, sterile tweezers to remove this debris if the water is unable, then pat the wound dry with gauze.  

Keep the wound clean.

Antibiotics are a necessity with any and all wound care.  From petroleum jelly, a store bought antibiotic like neosporin or polysporin, or any other ointment.  However for a lesser known and just as realistic option, remember you can also use ( with or alone ) sugar.  On burns, deep gashes, cuts, or just about anything, packing the wound with sugar would let Character B’s body begin to heal without fear of bacteria, because the highly concentrated medium of sugar will not allow bacteria to survive.

If stitches are necessary.

Is the wound is deep enough to go to fat, muscle, bone, or other structures?  Does it go right over a joint?  Is it on the hands, fingers, or around the mouth or eyes?  Have minutes passed without the bleeding slowing?  These are prime locations that will medically require stitches – be it to assist the wound in closing, or stop natural motions from ripping left alone gouges wider.  Stitches, or sutures, traditionally use thread made of silk or nylon and a curved needle with suture scissors to assist in the special kind of stitch that specially holds wounds together.  

If Character A needs to stitch a wound together, their knowledge may vary, and they may not have the correct tools.  But here are some things you can make sure they know.  Make a knot on each stitch, to better hold it in place.  Hold the skin together while stitching, don’t trust the thread to pull both sides in by itself.  If the flesh is ragged on each side, they may need to cut clean edges, mostly to insure that the stitches don’t tear out and the wound is even.  Removal comes days later, with cutting each stitch besides the knot and pulling it out – it should tug, but be painless.

Wrap the wound.

That old belief that a wound should see fresh air is an absolute lie, as proven by many doctors over the years.  Wounds should be kept constantly covered, and damp.  Studies show that a covered, damp wound healed in 12-15 days while an air exposed, dry wound healed in over thirty.  Not only this, but covering and dampening the wound brings less chance of scarring.  Use wound dressings like wet to dry gauze ( which is just as common as traditional ), then wrap in a bandage, even two if necessary.  

For long term wound treatment.

Whether Character A keeps a constant eye on B, or if Character B is on their own, they should both keep up wound treatment for realism.  Each day change the bandage and gauze, or more, if found to be constantly wet.  Use daily hydrotherapy to clean out dead cells and drainage from the wound.  Pack with more sugar or antibiotic ointment.  Lack of doing this would cause Character B an infected wound, likely turning to an abscess, and undo all the previous work.

Things to Avoid:

Put the alcohol down.

Since we’re not in the wild west and Hollywood is a liar, NEVER use strong antiseptics, vinegars, or alcohol to clean a wound.  All things such as white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, vodka, rubbing alcohol or iodine can burn and cause irreparable damage to the skin and flesh, increasing the healing time substantially.  

Never applying pressure.

Between each stage of wound treatment, Character B should be applying pressure with a sterilized hand and clean towel or gauze to the wound, preferably with it above their head.  This lessens the chance of bleeding out and allows the blood to slow, but not halt.  

Don’t be afraid of pink.

A wound a doctor would be satisfied with seeing is the kind that scares most people: pink, red, and just on the right side of bloody.  Any other colors, too little, or too much blood are all red flags for wound treatment.

Don’t be afraid of the doctor.

Unless Character A is a doctor, there may come a time where they have to admit their skills aren’t enough.  If you can see bone, then the wound may need muscle stitches as well as skin.  If it’s extremely swollen, the inflammation has gone from healthy to concerning.  If it’s hot or has a stench, there’s a serious infection.  Draw the line at a smart place, and let a doctor take over.  Even in the fictional world.  

[the960writers]

How I publish

Well, after all this talk about publishing, traditional or indie and agent or not (and how dare me suggesting that you shouldn’t hand your livelihood over to an agent), I thought I should write down how I published and intend to publish in the future. 

A few things first:

This is not a get rich scheme. Yes, people have been making thousands of dollars with hastily written erotica that hurts to read and I’m as baffled as you are why they’re making so much money. I made about 83 cents with my novella so far. So this is not about making loads of money. It can happen but if that’s your goal, you have to nail down on the marketing like your life depends on it.

I think self publishing is the best thing ever and as shady as Amazon as a company is, I’m forever grateful that they’ve made this possible. 

My process is not your process. My process will change as the circumstances change.

Here’s the short version of how I self published:

Wrote a thing

Edited the thing, let other people edit the thing, edited it again 

Revised and proofread the thing

Imported it into LibreOffice

Used a template for formatting

Made a cover

Exported cover image as 1600x2400 jpg

Exported the thing as docx

Uploaded it all to draft2digital 

Filled out all the information, agonized for days over penname

Let draft2digital convert it all to epub

Saved it as draft and tested the ebub file.

Uploaded the docx and cover to kdp.amazon.com

Filled out all the information, agonized again over penname

Agonized over pricing

Agonized over KDP Select or not

Published on amazon

Published on everything else through draft2digital

Postponed publishing on Smashwords

Took a deep breath

Registered a wordpress site for penname

Made promo images with 3D-Book images

Agonized over promo posts on tumblr and Twitter

Decided to stop worrying and write new books

So that’s the basics.

Here’s a few details: 

I don’t know why publishing standard is docx and it annoys me to no end because I hate Microsoft Word with a passion but it is what it is. Everything works just as well with LibreOffice and the export is perfect.

If you have artistic talent, make you own cover. You can always change it later. If you don’t want to, you can buy premade covers for about $60. Or you can use canva to make something that is aesthetically pleasing. Less is more (and yes, I’m aware that I’m the last person who gets to say this as I made the most overloaded cover ever… fine, I’m changing it).

When you set your book prize on Amazon between $ 0.99 and $ 2.98, you’ll receive 35% from each sale,  if you set it to or above $2.99 you’ll receive 70% per sale. Other stores have other margins.

The big one: Going Amazon exclusive or going wide: What’s the big deal about that?

Going wide means that you put your book up for sale on Amazon because it’s only sensible but also put it up on other platforms like ibooks, Kobo, Smashwords, Google Books and so on. 

A fact of indie publishing is that most of your revenue will come from Amazon sales. 

Now Amazon also offers the option to have your book in KDP Select. That means you can’t publish it anywhere else but it will be enrolled in Kindle Unlimited and you’ll get paid by page view from those reads. The rate of how much you get per page is variable. 

Some authors make a lot of money in KDP Select, especially with novella length stories. If you go Amazon exclusive, you’ll get into KDP Unlimited and if you go wide, you can not enter KDP Select. 

What is better? That’s a personal choice. In my personal opinion it’s a bad idea to further a monopoly like Amazon has by making content exclusive to them and I don’t want Amazon and their sales ranks and also-boughts to dictate my life. But that’s just me. You can always try it out for three months and then go wide after that time.

Final words by me:

Your first book will not make you rich. It won’t be an instant bestseller. Neither will the second and the third book. You’re not here for insta-success, you’re building up a backlist of books. Keep going, keep writing, improve your process. Give yourself ten books to see how this works out for you.

[angelacolsin]

As a self published author working on her 9th manuscript, I can verify this is all true lol

[heartseeker]

[kentaro0308]

“I’m Fuckin Great” 2019

Edition 120, Published by Can Can Press

You can get at #LAABF #LAABF2019

[joannanewsomtruisms]

AT NIGHT I WALK IN THE PARK WITH A WHIP BETWEEN THE LINES OF THE WHISPERING JESUITS WHO ARE POISONING YOU AGAINST ME

[delhux]

If you dont care about me please dont ever pretend you do

[nonbinarythorin]

[adampvrrish]

literally everything always feels like a performance to me. i’ll be uncontrollably sobbing and will suddenly be like wow i would’ve won an oscar for this

[wordsnstuff]

Resources For Describing Emotion

Emotions

Without Making Your Character Feel Too Self Aware

Showing Emotion Without Telling About It

Emotions Associated With Body Language

Telling Readers What The Character Doesn’t Want To Show

Hiding Emotions

Expressing Cardinal Emotions: Masculine vs. Feminine

Writing Extreme Emotion Without Melodrama

Specific Emotions

Conveying Shock

Conveying Embarrassment

Conveying Disappointment

Conveying Love/Attraction

Conveying Annoyance

Conveying Relief

Conveying Uncertainty

Conveying Impatience

Conveying Shame

Conveying Resentment

Conveying Panic

Conveying Guilt

Conveying Desperation

Conveying Sarcasm & Verbal Disrespect

Conveying Confusion

Conveying Stubbornness

Conveying Frustration

Conveying Indifference

Conveying Indignation

Conveying Confidence & Pride

Conveying Smugness

Conveying Enthusiasm

Conveying Curiosity

Conveying Hopefulness

Conveying Unease

Conveying Reluctance

Conveying Worry

Conveying Humility & Meekness

Conveying Happiness & Joy

Conveying Amusement

Conveying Disgust

Conveying Resignation

Conveying Jealousy

Conveying Anticipation

Conveying Contentment

Conveying Defeat

Conveying Excitement

Conveying Fear

Conveying Hatred

Conveying Hurt

Conveying Being Overwhelmed

Conveying Sadness & Grief

Conveying Satisfaction

Conveying Somberness

Conveying Sympathy & Empathy

Conveying Wariness

Conveying Defensiveness

Conveying Desire

Conveying Doubt

Conveying Energy

Conveying Exhaustion

Conveying Hunger

Conveying Loneliness

Conveying Physical Pain

Emotional Wounds

A Role Model Who Disappoints

A Sibling’s Betrayal

A Speech Impediment

Becoming a Caregiver at an Early Age

Being Bullied

Being Fired or Laid Off

Being Held Captive

Being Mugged

Being Publicly Humiliated

Being Raised by Neglectful Parents

Being Raised by Overprotective Parents

Being So Beautiful It’s All People See

Being the Victim of a Vicious Rumor

Being Stalked

Being Trapped in a Collapsed Building

Being Unfairly Blamed For The Death of Another

Childhood Sexual Abuse (by a family member or known person)

Discovering One’s Parent is a Monster

Discovering One’s Sibling was Abused

Experiencing a Miscarriage or Stillbirth

Failing At School

Failing To Do The Right Thing

Financial Ruin Due To A Spouse’s Irresponsibility

Finding Out One’s Child Was Abused

Finding Out One Was Adopted

Getting Lost In a Natural Environment

Growing Up In A Cult

Growing Up in a Dangerous Neighborhood

Growing Up In Foster Care

Growing Up In The Public Eye

Growing Up In The Shadow of a Successful Sibling

Growing Up with a Sibling Who Has a Chronic Disability or Illness

Having Parents Who Favored One Child Over Another

Having To Kill Another Person To Survive

Infertility

Infidelity (emotional or physical)

Losing a Limb

Losing a Loved One To A Random Act of Violence

Making a Very Public Mistake

Overly Critical or Strict Parents

Physical Disfigurement

Rejection By One’s Peers

Telling The Truth But Not Being Believed

The Death of a Child On One’s Watch

Victimization via Identity Theft

Watching A Loved One Die

Wrongful Imprisonment

Spending Time In Jail

Suffering From a Learning Disability

Motivation

Achieving Spiritual Enlightenment

Avoiding Certain Death

Avoiding Financial Ruin

Beating a Diagnosis or Condition

Being Acknowledged and Appreciated by Family

Being a Leader of Others

Being the Best At Something

Caring for an Aging Parent

Carrying on a Legacy

Catching The Bad Guy or Girl

Coming To Grips With Mental Illness

Discovering One’s True Self

Escaping a Dangerous Life one Doesn’t Want

Escaping a Killer

Escaping a Widespread Disaster

Escaping Confinement

Escaping Homelessness

Escaping Invaders

Finding Friendship or Companionship

Finding a Lifelong Partner

Having a Child

Helping a Loved One See They Are Hurting Themselves and Others

Obtaining Shelter From The Elements

Overcoming Abuse and Learning To Trust

Overcoming Addiction

Protecting One’s Home or Property

Pursuing Justice For Oneself or Others

Realizing a Dream

Reconciling with an Estranged Family Member

Rescuing a Loved One From a Captor

Restoring A Name or Reputation

Righting a Deep Wrong

Seeking Out One’s Biological Roots

Stopping an Event From Happening

Trying Again When One Has Previously Failed

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[expressions-of-nature]

by Marina Fomina