The Writer's Halfway House

Tips and Inspiration posts for writers

[ghostzzy]

reminder to myself about the process of drafting & revising:

first drafts are for making it exist

second drafts are for making it functional

third drafts are for making it effective

[pippastrelle]

This is the most important thing I’ve learnt in writing my novel. Have fun the first time but know your first pass isn’t going to be perfect

[1st-1]

According to the laws of physics, a planet in the shape of a doughnut (toroid) could exist Physicists say that such a planet would have very short nights and days, and arid outer equator, twilight polar regions, moons in strange orbits and regions with different gravity and seasons.

[mx-fairywings]

Actually, I’m reblogging this again. Because I just wanted to say this is a brilliant thing to potentially add to a story at some point and I want to tag this so I can find it later.

[krixwell]

Just so you know in case you decide to go for it: There exist analyses on the internet of how life on such a planet would be, with respect to gravity, daylight, climate, etc. In other words, a quick Google search or two should get you plenty of resources to make your donut world believable and interesting. :)

(Here’s a good one that examines two different toroid-shaped worlds.)

[catsdelightful-deactivated20240]

Hey artists, C. Spike Trotman, founder of Iron Circus Comics, just posted an invaluable thread on depicting different types of black hair. I’d do the thing where you screencap the whole thread and post it but it’s just too long (which is great because it’s a whole lot of useful information!) Give her a follow while you’re there.

Anyway, go check it out. I just wanted to save it and share it because I didn’t know how much I didn’t know!

[aesterea-archived]

more on writing muslim characters from a hijabi muslim girl

- hijabis get really excited over pretty scarves - they also like to collect pins and brooches - we get asked a lot of questions and it can be annoying or it can be amusing, just depends on our mood and personality and how the question is phrased - common questions include: - “not even water?” (referring to fasting) - hijabis hear a lot of “do you sleep in that?” (we don’t) and “where is your hair?” (in a bun or a braid, usually) - “is it mooze-slim or mozzlem?” (the answer is neither, it’s muslim, with a soft s and accent on the first syllable) - “ee-slam or iz-lamb?” (it’s iss-laam, accent on the first syllable) - “hee-job?” (heh-jahb, accent on the second syllable)

- “kor-an?” (no. quran. say it like koor-annn, accent on the second syllable) - people tend to mess up our names really badly and you just get a sigh and a resigned nod or an awkward smile, maybe a nickname instead - long hair is easy to hide, short hair is harder to wrap up - hijab isn’t just covering hair, it’s also showing as little skin as possible with the exception of face, hands, and feet, and not wearing tight/sheer clothing - that applies to men too, people just don’t like to mention it ( i wonder why) - henna/mehendi isn’t just for special occasions, you’ll see people wearing it for fun - henna/mehendi isn’t just for muslims, either, it’s not a religious thing - henna/mehendi is not just for women, men also wear it, especially on their weddings - there are big mehendi parties in the couple of nights before eid where people (usually just women and kids) gather and do each other’s mehendi, usually just hands and feet - five daily prayers - most muslim kids can stutter through a couple verses of quran in the original arabic text by the age of seven or eight, it does not matter where they live or where they’re from or what language they speak natively - muslim families tend to have multiple copies of the quran - there are no “versions” of the quran, there has only ever been one. all muslims follow the exact same book - muslims have no concept of taking God’s name in vain, we call on God at every little inconvenience - don’t use islamic phrases if you don’t know what they mean or how to use them. we use them often, inside and outside of religious settings. in islam, it is encouraged to mention God often and we say these things very casually, but we take them very seriously - Allahu Akbar means “God is Greatest” (often said when something shocks or surprises us, or if we’re scared or daunted, or when something amazing happens, whether it be good or bad; it’s like saying “oh my god”) - Subhan Allah means “Glory be to God” (i say subhan Allah at the sky, at babies, at trees, whatever strikes me as pleasant, especially if it’s in nature) - Bismillah means “in the name of God” and it’s just something you say before you start something like eating or doing your homework - In Shaa Allah means “if God wills” (example: you’ll be famous, in shaa Allah) (it’s a reminder that the future is in God’s hands, so be humble and be hopeful)

- Astaghfirullah means “i seek forgiveness from Allah” and it’s like “god forgive me” - Alhamdulillah means “all thanks and praise belong to God” and it’s just a little bit more serious than saying “thank god” (example: i passed my exams, alhamdulillah; i made it home okay, alhamdulillah) - when i say we use them casually, i really mean it - teacher forgot to assign homework? Alhamdulillah - our version of “amen” is “ameen” - muslims greet each other with “assalamu alaikum” which just means “peace be on you” and it’s like saying hi - the proper response is “walaikum assalam” which means “and on you be peace” and it’s like saying “you too”

[missandaei]

As a Muslim this post is so very important and it makes me so happy that it gives the small facts and details that one might be unaware of or confused about.

[leaping-hare-witchery-deactivat]

I’ve reblogged it before but honestly this fucking post touches me so much. To see how intrinsic Allah is to followers of Islam and how ingrained He is in their daily lives is so beautiful.

Also, can we just talk about the fact that there aren’t like 100 different versions of the Quran? Because I didn’t know that and that legit AMAZES me.

[fredrickthepig]

LEARNING

[savefrog]

Ok so imagine your fantasy setting with your typical giant spiders.

Ok, now imagine that these spiders have largely been domesticated for their incredibly valuable silk. They help make clothes, rope, textiles, even ARMOR. They’re almost treated like carnivorous cows in the regions that can support them. They might even name these girls the classic names like “Bessie”. They’re great mothers and produce many young; useful for trade and… even food if you like The Crunch.

People in this world are hardly afraid of big spiders the same as we’re hardly afraid of big dogs. Wary of wild ones, but not scream and cry terrified. Smaller spiders…it depends. Would you be scared if you suddenly saw a tiny cow crawling on your wall? The only type of spider people collectively fear are the hunting types: the ones that don’t spin webs, and instead attack their prey with brute force and a much stronger venom.

These large domestic spiders are incredibly lazy. They’ll sit in their webs and wait for their handlers to put their food on the web. Unless you get tangled, they don’t see you as food. This makes them great guards as well. They build traps for you. The venom isn’t deadly to humans…but can still be used as a weapon or in medicine. They’re just so damn useful that millennia ago, people put aside their instinctual fear just to get those sweet benefits.

Thank you for attending my TedTalk.

[verystupidrpgideas]

@worldbuildingrpgideas

[verydaftrpgideas]

@actuallybestrpgideas

[actuallybestrpgideas]

Incredible

[pwbi]

This… completely blows what I have previously done with giant spiders out of the water

Well done, I love this idea. 

[drawingden]

Quick Anatomy Tips by rm_manga

[jemmasimmons]

“If you can’t hold it, you take your ass to the men’s room and cry in private on the toilet. Like a man!“— Emerson, Pushing Daisies

[jemmasimmons]

This is an incredibly important scene because I believe this is the first time an MCU male superhero has cried. And Matt is not crying over the death of a dog, family member, love interest or cherished friend. It’s not an epic moment during battle or when everything he’s been fighting comes to a head. (Common examples of when it is acceptable for men to cry in media - see trope Manly Tears for more.) No, Matt is crying because he’s fighting with his best friend. Foggy, too, is crying because he’s fighting with his best friend. They’re crying because they care so much about each other and they feel so much. And it’s all expressed. Foggy feels deeply betrayed, but beyond that he’s overwhelmed with grief and worry over Matt. Matt finally is facing the fact that he personally hurt someone that he loved with his actions. And THEY ARE CRYING because of it.

I’m stressing this because crying over these “every day” events is not common for men in media. This is particularly important for Matt, who’s portrayed fairly traditionally masculine - physically strong and mentally stoic, reserved in his emotions. But yet, he cries when he’s fighting with his friend. And the narrative validates both his and Foggy’s crying. The scene is full of pathos and their fight is one of the more painful scenes on a fairly gruesome show. They’re expressing their feelings and talking it out and crying, and they’re not weak or any less badass for it. They are simply human for doing so. 

I believe that these types of portrayals are very helpful in breaking down gender stereotypes, which is helpful for everyone. Men suffer from a lack of close and healthy male friendships where they can express themselves and be emotional, which causes not only them problems but society at large. Daredevil got this right and it’s important.

[starshinebeast]

ATTENTION ARTISTS: Need help calculating your commission prices?

A tool that I’ve found is really handy is a called the Cash Clock. It’s a simple program that measures both the time that you’re working on a piece as well as how much money you should be earning. You can adjust the hourly wage to whatever you feel is right. Simply start the clock whenever you begin working on a project right up until you’re finished. It can give you a clear indication of what you should charge for commissions.

No artist should make below minimum wage for their artwork.

The Cash Clock is found as a download here. 

My art tumblr

My deviantart

[tiergan-vashir]

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD USE THIS INSTEAD OF CHARGING PEANUTS FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL ARTWORK. 

Please, please, please at least make sure you’re making minimum wage.

[unu-nunium]

@ask-drunk-chara

[logan-exe]

Woha

[hug-bees]

Had an impromptu chat with @ushi418 about fashion history the other day- thought I’d post it here as a quick ref for people!

[i-am-verybusy]

some writer snob somewhere: Do not start sentences with But or And because doing so is grammatically incorrect.

me, writing my fic: But I don’t care. And you can’t stop me.

[bich-the-moss]

Sometimes…..the flow of your creative prose…..is more important….than grammatical guidelines,,,,,,

[awkwardnurse]

^^^^^

[edensmidian]

[klubbhead]

I hate English

[mornington-the-crescent]

English might seem complicated, but it can be understood through tough thorough thought, though.

[klubbhead]

Fuck you

[m-l-rio]

Another great thread on the realities of publishing from @veschwab

[neatgoodjob]

Based on this tumblr post 

[buspir-deactivated20230127]

the notes are broken 😂

[calvin-reads-problem-sleuth]

Reblogging partly for awesome computer shortcuts, and partly because I wish to once again take part in a Post That Broke The Notes. 

[sallydonovanarchive2017-deactiv]

Cutting Out People and Hair in Photoshop

This is a Photoshop tutorial for cutting people out of a background when they have messy hair, so you can keep all of the stray locks/strands and avoid a blocky, unrealistic look without having to manually trace around them yourself.

This tutorial works for both single- and multi-colored backgrounds.

As always, any comments/criticisms on the tutorial are welcome. And please, if you found this helpful, likes and reblogs are much appreciated!

Keep reading

[avi-why]

every writing tip article and their mother: dont ever use adverbs ever!

me, shoveling more adverbs onto the page because i do what i want: just you fucking try and stop me

[quarter0master]

May I add something, because I will never shut up about this book (Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark):

[jackironsides]

Finally, some good fucking advice

[toastweasel]

[fiction-is-not-reality]

In bigger letters for those in the back:

As a critiquer, your job is not to “make this piece of writing better” but to understand what the writer wants to achieve and help them to achieve it

[notactuallyaduck]

Applies beyond writing as well.

[jordanlhawk-deactivated20260503]

Also applies to editing. I was recently talking to another writer whose editor (at a publisher) almost destroyed her desire to keep writing. Writers, know the signs of a shitty editor versus one who actually wants to help you achieve your vision, and don’t be afraid to ask for a different one. (Or fire a bad one if you’re indy.)