The Writersphere

A place to share prompts, quotes, inspiration, and my work while I practice my craft. ***DISCLAIMER**The blog and its contributors do not claim any rights or interest to the images used on this blog and site, absent any watermarks or signatures that state otherwise. Any author claiming ownership rights should leave a message stating their rights and what they would like done with the content henceforth. Any pieces that resemble real persons are purely coincidental. 

[baelpenrose]

Writing Fight Scenes: The VIOLENT Method

okay, so because people have a hard time writing effective fight scenes, I'm going to walk everyone through the method that I use for everything from massive sci fi battles, to quick three-v-eight sword brawls to bar fights. The VIOLENT Method. (Because fun mnemonics)

Visceral: Make sure your audience feels it by keeping it grounded in injuries and pain. People get fuckin' hurt in fights, and no fight where people do not is going to feel real. Tying into this, people don't fight fair, and people don't fight pretty. Even people who are trained fighters will make mistakes in their technique in a real fight because adrenaline makes you worse, not better, even as it makes you faster/stronger. Also, in real fights people stomp on downed opponents, take shots at turned backs, people bleed, scream, etc., Also, really critically, people are exhausted after fights. Your characters should be wrung by the time it's over, even if it only lasted for a few minutes.

Immediate: Keep sentences short and punchy. No one is analyzing every step of the fight tactically while it's happening. If characters are thinking "Ah yes I will make him overextend and then pull his wrist in and throw him before stomping his head…" I know that the author of the scene has never been in an actual fight. Keep sentences short and punchy. "Draw in, grab, and throw."

Obnoxious: Tying into the above, fights can be disorienting. Don't overdo this, you need your reader to have an idea of what's going on, but don't underdo it either - things should be a bit chaotic. If it feels like the characters know everything that's going on around them, you're doing it wrong. Read what the following sections say about rhythm, but bear this in mind: once you get a rhythm going and keep it flowing for several paragraphs: break it with a short, hard paragraph and shift it in a way deliberately disorienting to the reader on purpose to drive in that things are unpredictable. In a fight, there's a lot of noise, there's a lot of confusion, and that should reflect enough in the narration to bring a sense of it to the reader - but again, don't overdo it to the point where the reader can't tell what's going on.

Liquid: Fights flow. There's a definitive rhythm and momentum to a fight. While the characters won't necessarily have a great idea of everything happening, they WILL have a sense of the momentum around them and the way the fight is making them move. Momentum and movement are going to be the key to writing an impactful fight scene and give the reader a sense of excitement, or, if you want to give a sense of a dragging, exhausting affair of attrition, do the opposite: grind the momentum to almost nil while two massive groups start sniping and grinding at each other with almost no movement.

Environment: Where's the fight happening? How is everyone moving? Describe the surrounding environment. This is the space a fight is happening in, whether a big open field, a forest grove, a small tight room where you can use the walls for leverage, a park where you can use benches for jumping points or to smash people's heads against, etc., matters in a fight, as does how everyone is using it. Heat, cold, visibility, all of these factor into a fight as well.

Narrator: Who is your narrator in the fight? A trained soldier? A trained fighter? Just some untrained schlub who has no idea what they're doing? These people have a different idea of how fighting works, and that matters. What a soldier notices, what a correspondent notices, what a martial artist notices, etc, are all differences. Keep an eye on how you present this.

Tactics: What does everyone want out of the fight? Is one side fighting to kill the other? Just to knock out? To capture? To take a location? Just to drive each other off? What are the rules of engagement? How trained are the combatants? What kind of discipline is everyone under, if any? Weapons? These all matter when you're asking questions, and you should research what effects all of these will have, but short version: fighting to kill is easier than fighting to capture, and its very rare, despite what the movies say, that any force will fight to the last man rather than retreat.

[em-dash-press-deactivated202410]

Game-Changing Sites for Writers

A recent search for a specific type of site to help me build new characters led me down a rabbit hole. Normally, that would make me much less productive, but I have found a treasure trove of websites for writers.

Bring Characters/Places to Life

There are a few different places you can use to create a picture of something entirely new. I love this site for making character pictures as references, instead of stock photos or whatever pops up on Google Images.

thispersondoesnotexist: every time you reload the page, this site generates a headshot of someone who doesn't exist. This is great if you're thinking about a character's personality or age and don't have specifics for their facial features yet.

Night Cafe: this is an AI art generator that takes your text prompt and generates an image for it. I tried it for various scenery, like "forest" or "cottage." It takes a minute for your requested photo to load, but no more than maybe five for the program to finish the picture.

Art Breeder: this website has endless images of people, places, and general things. Users can blend photos to create something new and curious visitors can browse/download those images without creating an account. (But if you do want to make an account to create your own, it's free!)

Find Random Places on Earth

You might prefer to set a story in a real-life environment so you can reference that place's weather, seasons, small-town vibe, or whatever you like. If that's the case, try:

MapCrunch: the homepage generates a new location each day and gives the location/GPS info in the top left of the screen. To see more images from previous days, hit "Gallery" in the top left.

Atlas Obscura: hover over or tap the "Places" tab, then hit "Random Place." A new page will load with a randomly generated location on the planet, provide a Google Maps link, and tell you a little bit about the place.

Random World Cities: this site makes randomly selected lists of global cities. Six appear for each search, although you'll have to look them up to find more information about each place. You can also use the site to have it select countries, US cities or US states too.

Vary Your Wording

Thesauruses are great, but these websites have some pretty cool perspectives on finding just the right words for stories.

Describing Words: tell this website which word you want to stop repeating and it will give you tons of alternative words that mean the same thing. It typically has way more options than other sites I use.

Reverse Dictionary: type what you need a word for in Reverse Dictionary's search box and it will give you tons of words that closely match what you want. It also lists the words in order of relevancy, starting with a word that most accurately describes what you typed. (There's also an option to get definitions for search results!)

Tip of My Tongue: this website is phenomenal. It lets you search for that word you can't quite place by a letter in it, the definition, what it sounds like, or even its scrambled letters. A long list of potential options will appear on the right side of the screen for every search.

---

Hope this helps when you need a hand during next writing session 💛

[introvert-unicorn-deactivated20]

Words to describe facial expressions

Absent: preoccupied 

Agonized: as if in pain or tormented

Alluring: attractive, in the sense of arousing desire

Appealing: attractive, in the sense of encouraging goodwill and/or interest

Beatific: blissful

Black: angry or sad, or hostile

Bleak: hopeless

Blinking: surprise, or lack of concern

Blithe: carefree, lighthearted, or heedlessly indifferent

Brooding: anxious and gloomy

Bug eyed: frightened or surprised

Chagrined: humiliated or disappointed

Cheeky: cocky, insolent

Cheerless: sad

Choleric: hot-tempered, irate

Darkly: with depressed or malevolent feelings

Deadpan: expressionless, to conceal emotion or heighten humor

Despondent: depressed or discouraged

Doleful: sad or afflicted

Dour: stern or obstinate

Dreamy: distracted by daydreaming or fantasizing

Ecstatic: delighted or entranced

Faint: cowardly, weak, or barely perceptible

Fixed: concentrated or immobile

Gazing: staring intently

Glancing: staring briefly as if curious but evasive

Glazed: expressionless due to fatigue or confusion

Grim: fatalistic or pessimistic

Grave: serious, expressing emotion due to loss or sadness

Haunted: frightened, worried, or guilty

Hopeless: depressed by a lack of encouragement or optimism

Hostile: aggressively angry, intimidating, or resistant

Hunted: tense as if worried about pursuit

Jeering: insulting or mocking

Languid: lazy or weak

Leering: sexually suggestive

Mild: easygoing

Mischievous: annoyingly or maliciously playful

Pained: affected with discomfort or pain

Peering: with curiosity or suspicion

Peeved: annoyed

Pleading: seeking apology or assistance

Quizzical: questioning or confused

Radiant: bright, happy

Sanguine: bloodthirsty, confident

Sardonic: mocking

Sour: unpleasant

Sullen: resentful

Vacant: blank or stupid looking

Wan: pale, sickly

Wary: cautious or cunning

Wide eyed: frightened or surprised

Withering: devastating

Wrathful: indignant or vengeful

Wry: twisted or crooked to express cleverness or a dark or ironic feeling

[avelera]

Probably the single hardest lesson for me to internalize in writing was that you don’t design a character you design a character arc.

One reason you as a writer might end up stuck with a flat or boring character, or one that just isn’t doing the things you need to create a vibrant plot, despite working out all the details of their life for hours, is because you’ve made the mistake I always do. You’ve made a character who is a blend of all the characteristics you envision for them, rather than saving some characteristics for the end of their journey. 

What do I mean by this? Maybe you envision a character who is a handsome prince, honest, brave, and true. In your plot, though, he’s going to be an antagonist for a bit but you don’t really want him to be seen as a bad guy, necessarily. But when you drop him into your story, he’s just… there. Being honest, brave, and true. 

That’s because the prince has no character arc. He is a static figure, a cardboard cutout. 

Let’s go a little deeper with a great example of one of the best character arcs in YA animation: Prince Zuko. He is, objectively, honest, brave, and true (to his cause of finding the Avatar) from the outset. But he’s also a dick. He’s a privileged, imperialist brat, who is rude to his uncle and vicious to our protagonists. 

By the end of the series, though, Prince Zuko is still honest, brave, and true, but he’s also a good person who has learned many lessons over the course of his trials and obstacles. He has failed over and over again at his initial goal of capturing the Avatar. He has failed at winning his father’s regard. He has failed at numerous smaller goals of day to day adventures. He has learned from all of these. We have seen his journey. But, if you started your vision of how to write Zuko from who he ends up being, he’s got nowhere to go as a character. 

It’s not just about what flaws he has corrected though. It’s about what lessons about life he has internalized. What flawed views of the world he has corrected and how. 

Rather than saying, “The character starts out a dick and learns to be nice,” be more specific. “This character starts out believing the empire he is loyal to is morally in the right for its conquests, but over the course of working for that empire’s ruler and seeing his cruelty first hand, not to mention fighting the empire’s enemies and mingling with its civilian victims, he becomes a better person and learns the error of his ways.” 

Already, right there, you have more than a cardboard character. You have a character who has an arc that molds to your plot. 

[smut-101]

240 Words to Describe Someone’s Tone/Voice

Abrasive - showing little concern for the feelings of others; harsh

Absurd - wildly unreasonable, illogical, or inappropriate

Accusatory - suggesting someone has done something wrong, complaining

Acerbic - sharp and forthright

Acidic - harsh or critical

Admiring - approving; think highly of; respectful; praising

Aggressive - hostile; determined; forceful; argumentative

Aggrieved -  angry and sad because you think you have been unfairly treated

Airy -  giving an impression of being unconcerned or not serious

Ambivalent - having mixed feelings; uncertain; in a dilemma; undecided

Amused - pleasantly; entertain or divert in an enjoyable or cheerful manner

Angry - incensed or enraged; threatening or menacing

Animated - full of life or excitement; lively; spirited; impassioned; vibrant

Anxious -  typically with a feeling of unease

Apathetic - showing little interest; lacking concern; indifferent; unemotional

Apologetic - full of regret; repentant; remorseful; acknowledging failure

Appreciative - grateful; thankful; showing pleasure; enthusiastic

Ardent - enthusiastic; passionate

Arrogant - pompous; disdainful; overbearing; condescending; vain; scoffing

Assertive - self-confident; strong-willed; authoritative; insistent

Authoritative - commanding and self-confident

Awestruck - amazed, filled with wonder/awe; reverential

Barbed - deliberately hurtful

Barking - utter a command or question abruptly or aggressively

Belligerent - hostile; aggressive; combatant

Benevolent - sympathetic; tolerant; generous; caring; well meaning

Bitter - angry; acrimonious; antagonistic; spiteful; nasty

Blasé - unimpressed or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before

Bleak - without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary

Bombastic - high-sounding but with little meaning; inflated

Booming - loud, deep, and resonant

Bored - to tire or make weary by being dull, repetitious, or uninteresting

Brash - self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way

Braying - speak or laugh loudly and harshly

Breathy - producing or causing an audible sound of breathing, often related to physical exertion or strong feelings

Breezy - appearing relaxed, informal, and cheerily brisk

Brittle - lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion; aloof

Bubbly - full of cheerful high spirits

Burbling - speak in an unintelligible or silly way, typically at unnecessary length

Callous - cruel disregard; unfeeling; uncaring; indifferent; ruthless

Candid - truthful, straightforward; honest; unreserved

Caustic - making biting, corrosive comments; critical

Cautionary - gives warning; raises awareness; reminding

Celebratory - praising; pay tribute to; glorify; honour

Chatty - informal; lively; conversational; familiar

Cheery - happy and optimistic

Childish - silly and immature

Chirping - say something in a lively and cheerful way

Clipped - speech that is fast, that uses short sounds and few words, and that is often unfriendly or rude

Cloying - disgust or sicken (someone) with an excess of sweetness, richness, or sentiment

Coarse - rude, crude, or vulgar

Colloquial - familiar; everyday language; informal; colloquial; casual

Comic - humorous; witty; entertaining; diverting

Compassionate - sympathetic; empathetic; warm-hearted; tolerant; kind

Complex - having many varying characteristics; complicated

Compliant - agree or obey rules; acquiescent; flexible; submissive

Concerned - worried; anxious; apprehensive

Conciliatory - intended to placate or pacify; appeasing

Condescending - stooping to the level of one’s inferiors; patronising

Confused - unable to think clearly; bewildered; vague

Contemptuous - showing contempt; scornful; insolent; mocking

Crisp - briskly decisive and matter-of-fact, without hesitation or unnecessary detail

Critical - finding fault; disapproving; scathing; criticizing

Croaking - a characteristic deep hoarse sound

Cruel - causing pain and suffering; unkind; spiteful; severe

Curious - wanting to find out more; inquisitive; questioning

Curt - rudely brief

Cynical - scornful of motives/virtues of others; mocking; sneering

Defensive - defending a position; shielding; guarding; watchful

Defiant - obstinate; argumentative; defiant; contentious

Demeaning - disrespectful; undignified

Depressing - sad, melancholic; discouraging; pessimistic

Derisive - snide; sarcastic; mocking; dismissive; scornful

Detached - aloof; objective; unfeeling; distant

Dignified - serious; respectful; formal; proper

Diplomatic - tactful; subtle; sensitive; thoughtful

Disapproving - displeased; critical; condemnatory

Disheartening - discouraging; demoralising; undermining; depressing

Disparaging - dismissive; critical; scornful

Direct - straightforward; honest

Disappointed - discouraged; unhappy because something has gone wrong

Discordant - harsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony

Dispassionate - impartial; indifferent; unsentimental; cold; unsympathetic

Dispirited - having lost enthusiasm and hope; disheartened

Distressing - heart-breaking; sad; troubling

Docile - compliant; submissive; deferential; accommodating

Drawling - speak in a slow, lazy way with prolonged vowel sounds

Dulcet - sweet and soothing

Dull - lacking interest or excitement

Earnest - showing deep sincerity or feeling; serious

Egotistical - self-absorbed; selfish; conceited; boastful

Empathetic - understanding; kind; sensitive

Encouraging - optimistic; supportive

Enthusiastic - excited; energetic

Evasive - ambiguous; cryptic; unclear

Excited - emotionally aroused; stirred

Facetious - inappropriate; flippant

Farcical - ludicrous; absurd; mocking; humorous and highly improbable

Feathery - extremely light and soft or delicate

Flippant - superficial; glib; shallow; thoughtless; frivolous

Forceful - powerful; energetic; confident; assertive

Formal - respectful; stilted; factual; following accepted styles/rules

Frank - honest; direct; plain; matter-of-fact

Fretful - expressing distress or irritation

Frustrated - annoyed; discouraged

Gentle - kind; considerate; mild; soft

Ghoulish - delighting in the revolting or the loathsome

Glum - dejected; morose

Goofy - foolish; harmlessly eccentric

Grating - harsh and unpleasant

Gravelly - deep and rough-sounding

Grim - serious; gloomy; depressing; lacking humour;macabre

Growling - low grating voice, typically in a threatening manner

Gruff - rough and low in pitch

Gullible - naive; innocent; ignorant

Guttural - produced in the throat; harsh-sounding

Hard - unfeeling; hard-hearted; unyielding

Harsh - cruel or severe

Hearty - loudly vigorous and cheerful

Hoarse - sounding rough and harsh, typically as the result of a sore throat or of shouting

Honeyed - soothing, soft, and intended to please or flatter

Humble - deferential; modest

Humorous - amusing; entertaining; playful

Husky - sounding low-pitched and slightly hoarse

Hypercritical - unreasonably critical; hair splitting; nitpicking

Impartial - unbiased; neutral; objective

Impassioned - filled with emotion; ardent

Imploring - pleading; begging

Impressionable - trusting; child-like

Inane - silly; foolish; stupid; nonsensical

Incensed - enraged

Incredulous - disbelieving; unconvinced; questioning; suspicious

Indifferent - having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned

Indignant - annoyed; angry; dissatisfied

Informative - instructive; factual; educational

Insinuating - suggest or hint in an indirect and unpleasant way

Inspirational - encouraging; reassuring

Intense - earnest; passionate; concentrated; deeply felt

Intimate - familiar; informal; confidential; confessional

Ironic - the opposite of what is meant

Irreverent - lacking respect for things that are generally taken seriously

Jaded - bored; having had too much of the same thing; lack enthusiasm

Joyful - positive; optimistic; cheerful; elated

Jubilant - expressing great happiness and triumph

Judgmental - critical; finding fault; disparaging

Laudatory - praising; recommending

Lifeless - lacking vigor, vitality, or excitement

Light-Hearted - carefree; relaxed; chatty; humorous

Lively - full of life and energy; active and outgoing

Loving - affectionate; showing intense, deep concern

Macabre - gruesome; horrifying; frightening

Malicious - desiring to harm others or to see others suffer; ill-willed; spiteful

Matter-of-fact - unemotional and practical

Mean-Spirited - inconsiderate; unsympathetic

Mellifluous - sweet or musical; pleasant to hear

Melodious - pleasant-sounding

Mocking - scornful; ridiculing; making fun of someone

Monotonous - lacking in variation in tone or pitch

Mourning - grieving; lamenting; woeful

Muffled - not loud because of being obstructed in some way; muted

Naive - innocent; unsophisticated; immature

Narcissistic - self-admiring; selfish; boastful; self-pitying

Nasty - unpleasant; unkind; disagreeable; abusive

Negative - unhappy, pessimistic

Nonchalant - casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm

Nostalgic - thinking about the past; wishing for something from the past

Objective - without prejudice; without discrimination; fair; based on fact

Obsequious - overly obedient and/or submissive; fawning; grovelling

Oily - unpleasantly smooth and ingratiating

Optimistic - hopeful; cheerful

Outraged - angered and resentful; furious; extremely angered

Outspoken - frank; candid; spoken without reserv

Pathetic - expressing pity, sympathy, tenderness

Patronizing - condescending; scornful; pompous

Pensive - reflective; introspective; philosophical; contemplative

Persuasive - convincing; eloquent; influential; plausible

Pessimistic - seeing the negative side of things

Philosophical - theoretical; analytical; rational; logical

Piping - high-pitched.

Playful - full of fun and good spirits; humorous; jesting

Pragmatic - realistic; sensible

Pretentious - affected; artificial; grandiose; rhetorical; flashy

Quavering - shake or tremble in speaking, typically through nervousness or emotion

Querulous - complaining in a petulant or whining manner

Rasping - harsh-sounding and unpleasant; grating

Reedy - high and thin in tone

Refined -  elegant; cultured

Regretful - apologetic; remorseful

Resentful - aggrieved; offended; displeased; bitter

Resigned - accepting; unhappy

Restrained - controlled; quiet; unemotional

Reverent - showing deep respect and esteem

Righteous - morally right and just; guiltless; pious; god-fearing

Robust - strong and healthy; vigorous

Saccharine - excessively sweet or sentimental

Satirical - making fun to show a weakness; ridiculing; derisive

Sarcastic - scornful; mocking; ridiculing

Scathing - critical; stinging; unsparing; harsh

Scornful - expressing contempt or derision; scathing; dismissive

Scratchy - rough; grating

Sensationalist - provocative; inaccurate; distasteful

Sentimental - thinking about feelings, especially when remembering the past

Shrill - high-pitched and piercing

Silvery - gentle, clear, and melodious

Sincere - honest; truthful; earnest

Skeptical - disbelieving; unconvinced; doubting

Smarmy -  excessively or unctuously flattering; ingratiating; servile

Smoky - a raspy, coarse and tone of quality that is deeper than usual

Snide - derogatory or mocking in an indirect way

Solemn - not funny; in earnest; serious

Somber - oppressively solemn or sober in mood; grave

Sonorous - imposingly deep and full

Sour - resentment, disappointment, or anger

Steely - coldly determined; hard

Strident - loud and harsh; grating

Stony - not having or showing feeling or sympathy

Suave - charming, confident, and elegant

Subjective - prejudiced; biased

Submissive - compliant; passive; accommodating; obedient

Sulking - bad-tempered; grumpy; resentful; sullen

Surly - bad-tempered and unfriendly

Sympathetic - compassionate; understanding of how someone feels

Thoughtful - reflective; serious; absorbed

Throaty - deep and rasping

Tolerant - open-minded; charitable; patient; sympathetic; lenient

Tragic - disastrous; calamitous

Tremulous - shaking or quivering slightly

Unassuming - modest; self-effacing; restrained

Unctuous - excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, especially in an affected manner; excessively smooth, suave, or smug

Uneasy - worried; uncomfortable; edgy; nervous

Urgent - insistent; saying something must be done soon

Velvety - soft; smooth

Vindictive - vengeful; spiteful; bitter; unforgiving

Virtuous - lawful; righteous; moral; upstanding

Whimsical - quaint; playful; mischievous; offbeat

Witty - clever; quick-witted; entertaining

Wonder - awe-struck; admiring; fascinating

World-Weary - bored; cynical; tired

Worried - anxious; stressed; fearful

Wretched - miserable; despairing; sorrowful; distressed

[dearwriters]

The Minimalist Character Sheet

So I am not the biggest fan of those ten page character sheets that include 100 questions like “What’s their favourite ice cream?”. Don’t get me wrong: If those help you with your writing, more power to you! Do what works for you. But I tend to discover all the little details of a character while writing. I only need the fundamental things. Maybe this works for you too!

The Basics

Name: including all nicknames, titles, etc.

Gender

Age

Role in the Narrative

Physical Description: focus on defining features

GMC (If you want to learn more about the concept, check out this post.)

Internal Goal

Internal Motivation

Internal Conflict

External Goal

External Motivation

External Conflict

Personality

Short characterization: internal personality and external behavior

Their biggest failure/issue/flaw: and how it impacts their life/personality/behavior

Backstory: and its consequences, such as triggers

Speech pattern: at least three speech marks that emphasize their personality (if you want to learn more about speech patterns, check out this post)

Behaviour pattern: at least three habits that emphasize their personality

Character Arc: where do they start, how do they change, where do they end?

That’s it! Hope this gave you some pointers on how to start out with character creation.

Have fun writing!

[thewritersphere]

PHOTO PROMPT TIME!

Write the first thing that comes to mind and go with it. Tag TheWriterSphere so we can see what you came up with.

[nimblesnotebook-blog]

Academic Writing Resources

General:

The Five-Paragraph Essay

Using Punctuation Marks

Deadly Sins Checklist

Formatting Your Paper

Writing About Literature

Basic Essay

Revision Checklist

Planning and Organization

Editing and Proofreading

Latin Terms

Essay Structure

Tips on Introducing Quotes

Academic Writing Tips

Introductions:

Introductory Paragraphs

Introductions

Writing an Introduction

Preparing to Write an Introduction

Introduction Strategies

The Introductory Paragraph

Writing Effective Introductions

In The Beginning

Introductions and Conclusions

The Introductory Paragraph

Writing Introductory Paragraphs

How to Write an Intro

Body Paragraphs:

Paragraph Development and Topic Sentences

Transitions

Transitions

Transitions

Four Components of an Effective Body Paragraph

Writing Paragraphs

Paragraph Development

Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraphs

Strong Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraphs

Writing Body Paragraphs

How to Write Body Paragraphs

Writing the Body

Writing Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraphs that Defend a Thesis

How to Write Body Paragraphs

The Perfect Paragraph

Topic Sentences:

Topic Sentences

Writing Topic Sentences

Topic Sentences

Topic Sentences

The Topic Sentence

Paragraphs and Topic Sentences

The Topic Sentence

Topics, Main Ideas, and Topic Sentences

Writing a Good Topic Sentence

Good Topic Sentences

Conclusions:

Writing Effective Conclusions

Introductions and Conclusions

Conclusion Paragraphs

Conclusion Strategies

Conclusions

Tips for a Strong Conclusion

The Concluding Paragraph

Ending the Essay

Types of Conclusions

Writing a Strong Conclusion

How to Write a Conclusion

Writing Conclusions

Guide to Conclusions

Thesis Statements:

The Thesis Statement

Thesis Statements

Writing a Thesis Statement

Thesis Statement

Tips and Examples

Writing a Thesis

Writing the Thesis

How to Write Your Thesis

The Thesis

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Thesis Statements

Thesis

Thesis Statements

The Thesis

Create a Strong Thesis

How to Write a Thesis

Developing a Thesis

Guide to Writing Thesis Statements

Thesis Statements

Citing:

When to Cite

APA Documentation

MLA Documentation

Suggestions for Citing Sources

Research and Citation Resources

Citation Information

MLA Guidelines for Citing Poetry

MLA Style for Poetry

How to Format Your Paper

Argumentative Essays:

Argumentative Essays

Argument

Argumentative Essays

Persuasive or Argumentative Essays

Argumentative Essay

Argument/Argumentative

Argumentative Essays

How to Write a Good Argument

How to Write an Argumentative Essay

Writing Conclusions to Argumentative Essays

Argumentative Essay

Persuasive Essay Writing

Writing Concluding Paragraphs

Constructing the Argumentative Essay

Writing About Poetry:

Writing About Poetry

Writing About Poetry

Writing About Poetry Q & A

Poetry Explications

Writing About Poetry

Writing About Poems

Explicating a Poem

Writing About Poetry

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How to Start a Poetry Introduction

Poetry Essay Structure

Poetry Explication

Expository Essays:

Structure of a General Expository Essay

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Sample Expository Essay

Expository Writing

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Expository Essays

Writing Expository Essays

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Expository Essays

Essay Map

Writing Expository Essays

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Expository Essay Writing

The Expository Essay

Research Papers:

How to Write a Research Paper in Literature

Writing a Research Paper

The Research Paper

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Five Paragraph Research Paper

Sample Research Paper

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Writing a Scientific Research Paper

Writing Research Papers

Research and Writing

Research Papers that Rock

How to Write an Effective Research Paper

College Application Essays:

Application Essay Tips

Application Essays

Tips

10 Tips

Application Essays

How to Write a College Application Essay

Tips for an Effective Essay

Do’s and Don’t’s

College Application Essay

How to Write a College Application Essay

Narrative Essays:

Narrative and Descriptive

Narrative Essay Writing

The Personal Essay

Narrative Essays

Narrative Essays

Writing Narrative Essays

Narrative/Descriptive

Narrative Essay

Writing a Narrative Essay

Tips on Writing a Narrative Essay

[nimblesnotebook-blog]

I thought I’d reblog this since the school year is starting for many of you.

[thewritersphere]

A useful nugget indeed

[thewritersphere]

Touch of Green

 Little strips of tissue floated down to the floor in a mess that Josie knew her mother would have a fit over if she saw. Her fingers worked endlessly at the tissue, rolling and tearing bits off of it in an anxious gesture that she had never quite gotten under control. It was unladylike if her parents were to be believed, and gave too much away. But the box of tissues was right there and she was…

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83. Blood & Oath

83. Blood & Oath

“I finally have an idea that just might work.” Anders looked out over what land he could see as he spoke. “The Empress doesn’t believe we’re capable of controlling our people or our Mother, who we can’t keep locked in a tower forever by the way.”

“She will remain where she is for as long as she’s a threat.”

“When isn’t she a threat?” Anders searched the clouds for the answers he knew…

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83. And So It Begins

83. And So It Begins - "Truce be damned."

They didn’t arrive fast enough. Their failure was evident in the darkened red smears along the wall that led to the aftermath of the slaughter. There was a traitor in the midst, but by the time they received word of the traitor’s plan, it was too late. The traitor had wiped out the coven’s guardians, one by one. Or, from the way the bodies were gathered just at the back of the room, all together…

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WRITER SPOTLIGHT: TODAY’S SUBMISSION

Be sure to read the tale of the Morrigan below. It’s worth it, and a bookmark. 

Untitled

By: tlthompson-types

Shireen crawled through the lifeless forest, wincing at the throb of pain that echoed through her shoulder and the warm drip of blood as it oozed from the scratches, nicks, and cuts on her legs. The battle had torn furrows into the Earth, uprooting the plant life and scorching the skies around the battlefield for miles. The chorus of crows she had summoned circled her, shielding her from further harm.

“What use have I for humanity when all it does is destroy?” Shireen tore at the earth, ripping through the muck and the blood-soaked soil, a shallow pit before her.

“What use have they for their freedom? They claim lives and lands that are not their own and glory in the blight they cast on the world?”

Blood pooled in her palms, a deep red that chased away the chill entering her limbs. Shireen peered into the scarlet liquid, the physical waters of life that flowed through her, and saw naught but the manifestation of the pain and suffering she had experienced this night.

She leaned forward, bowing her head and exhaled over it, breathing her malice into her life blood before allowing it flow into the hole she had dug.

The blood was not absorbed into the earth; it remained there, a tiny reservoir of Shireen’s making. She felt the swell of power in her limbs and the answering echo of the earth and continued forth, pulling the strands of spellwork from half-remembered instruction and instincts.

Reaching back into the pool, she anointed her fingers with her offerings and brought them to her face, tracing ancient runes onto her flesh. The blood runes burned, eating away at her, scoring her skin in a rush of heat. Shireen released her pain into the world, throwing her head back and screaming, offering everything inside of her up to whatever was listening. Fear. Disgust, Pain. Passion. Rage.

Above her the crows continued to circle, whirling in the air until they blotted out the light. So entranced by the gathering of birds, Shireen did not notice as her blood bubbled, hissing and spitting in the cauldron of earth before draining away.

Blinding white light pierced the feathery veil that enveloped Shireen and stabbed at her eyes, causing her to fall forward into the dirt as a means of escape. She felt a…presence about her, looming over her and peering into her. She dared not look.

“Your cry pierced the walls that separate your realm from eternity. Your magic and misery saturate this space, calling energies sacred and sacrilegious to bear.”

A whisper of sensation, a breeze of intent, stroked her hair. The touch stole her breath, icy cold soaking into her mind and flowing down her spine.

“Will you pay the price to protect your homeland, kine?” Its voice boomed, striking at her soul as coal from hot flame. “Will you take up the mantle of war, of death, of destiny? Will you reign over them, with cruel kindness and dark laughter, consigning them to the sword as you see fit?”

Shireen tried to tame her chattering teeth, to respond to the thing above her, but she could not.

“No need for vocal speech,” it crooned, flowing over her as water over a fall. “Your primitive mind can barely fathom my existence; attempting speech might send your mind spiraling through the astral planes.”

Shireen nodded against the dirt, unable to discover a reason to disobey and pondered the strange being’s offer. Power she would have over her land and all its people, power over life and death, but nothing was said about the price. What would it cost her to take up such power?

Did she care, in the depths of her soul, the dark, shadowy places that had grown so large these past moons, what the cost to herself was?

She did not.

“Arise from the mortal muck and take your place amongst us, mortal no longer.” Shireen pressed against the ground and found herself held aloft by the air; it cradled her in its grasp, an intangible throne from which she surveyed all in her sight.

“You are our herald. Maiden of War. Mother of Fate. Matriarch of Death.”

“You are the Morrigan.”

[faerywanderer]

 You promised. 

After everything we went through. 

Everything we put each other through. 

You promised. 

Now you are gone. 

You said you would stay. 

“Only those who cannot hold on leave.” 

That was what you said. 

You promised. 

What do I do now? 

Where do I go from here?

You promised.

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Check out this response by @faerywanderer

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(Pardon the old aesthetic)

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