a place to keep words

main blog is toogaytolift

[lets-get-fictional]

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question. I'm struggling with tenses and making sure I'm writing in the correct tense. But, in reading about tenses, I've found out they breed quicker than rabbits. Any chance you could explain all the tenses like talking to a 5-year-old (my real mental age) Thank you kindly <3

Hiya! Thanks for your question! Sticking with one tense is something that a lot of writers struggle with.

Depending on how you define a “tense” (there’s actually a bit of a debate about this in the English grammar community), there are anywhere from 2 to 18 tenses in the English language. For the sake of this question, I will define the main 12 used in narration.

The Different Tenses of Narration

Past

The most commonly used tense when writing. Past tense is used to describe events that happened in the past. There are four different types of past tense: simple past, and past progressive, past perfect simple, past perfect progressive. In general, when writing a story in the past tense, stick to simple past as much as possible. The other tenses are formed by using modal or helping verbs, which can weaken your prose.

Simple Past:

The standard past tense. This is used to describe a regular completed action that occurred in the past.

Formation: past form of verb

Example: He went to the store yesterday.

Past Progressive:

Similar to simple past, but the past progressive is used to describe a continuous action in the past. If you study foreign languages, this is usually referred to as the “imperfect” tense.  

Formation: past “to be” (was/were) + present participle of the verb

Example: They were watching the news all morning.

Past Perfect Simple:

Used to describe an action that occurred before another action in the past.

Formation: had + past participle of the verb

Example: I had already read the book before going home.

Past Perfect Progressive:

Used to describe a continuous action in the past that is completed.

Formation: had been + present participle of the verb

Example: She had been sleeping for ten years before waking up.

Present

The other tense used in writing, though not as commonly as the past tense. The present is used to describe what is currently happening. There are 4 types of present tense: simple present, present progressive, present perfect simple, and present perfect progressive. Like with past tense, stick to simple present as much as possible.

Simple Present:

The standard present tense. This is used to describe usual, regular actions in the present.

Formation: present tense verb

Example: We jump in the lake.

Present Progressive:

Used to describe an immediately occurring action in the present.

Formation: present “to be” (am/is/are) + present participle

Example: You are running.

Present Perfect Simple:

Used to describe actions that have happened in the past, but are still relevant to the present and for actions that were done many times in the past, but just now stopped.

Formation: present “to have” (have/has) + past participle

Example: I have made several cupcakes until now.

Present Perfect Progressive:

Used to describe actions or events that are habitual or actions that started in the past, but are still occurring in the present.

Formation: present “to have” (have/has) + been + present participle

Example: She has been playing soccer since noon.

Future

Personally, I don’t know any books that are written in the future tense, but I’m sure it’s been done. For the sake of this post, I will go ahead and define the different future tenses. Future is used to describe an action that will occur at some point, but has not happened or started yet. There are 4 types of future tenses: simple future, future progressive, future perfect simple, and future perfect progressive.

Simple Future:

Used to describe a regular action that will occur in the future.

Formation: will + present form of the verb

Example: My brother will clean his room tomorrow.

Future Progressive:

Used to describe a continuous action in the future.

Formation: will be + present participle

Example: Your friends will be dancing at prom.

Future Perfect Simple:

Used to describe an action that will be completed in the future.

Formation: will have + past participle

Example: By this time tomorrow, I will have written my essay.

Future Perfect Progressive:

Used to describe a continuous action that will be completed in the future.

Formation: will have been + present participle

Example: The author will have been touring for three months tomorrow.

There are 2 other categories of tenses, imperative and conditional, but they are not commonly used in narration. The imperative is only used in dialogue when giving a command. The conditional can be used in narration (rarely) or dialogue and is used in “if” phrases.

Every author struggles with staying in the same tense. Always go back and reread your work and edit it to make sure you stick to one tense.

There is no “right” tense when it comes to writing. Use whichever tense fits your writing style or story tone best.

Thanks again for your question! If you need help with anything else writing-related, feel free to send in another ask. Happy writing!

- Mod Kellie

If you need advice on general writing or fanfiction, you should maybe ask us!

[writingwithcolor]

Hi, I was wondering if you could talk about online roleplay (in the sense of forum RP or tumblr RP) and white people playing characters of color. Would you consider it comparable to writing a character of color in a novel, or more like making a "brown paper doll" as the video game community has coined? Is there a difference between an novel and a RP because you are "playing" a character, not just "writing" one, in the latter? Interested in hearing your thoughts.

Roleplay of a Person of Color

I personally would treat it as nearly a novel’s level of research, because RPs are incredibly good practice for writing novels. While it might not be as intensive as a novel’s worth of research, you should still be generally aware of how characters will behave, how they’ll be seen, and what their background is— which includes all the cultural trappings.

By putting in the research, you can narrow the scope down to only what you need to fill out the character profile/interact with others. That cuts down on how overwhelming researching everything all at once is, which can help you practice taking on research in manageable chunks.

Writing a “brown paper doll” falls under many pitfalls, including Why Do You Not Want to Represent Us? It’s, at its core, lazy and disrespectful to have a person’s skin without their culture. I know if I read a character or interacted with a character who was a Character of Colour, I’d expect them to, y'know, be recognizably part of a culture. 

Even if it’s just fun fluff, writing well informed fun fluff builds your skills for writing characters of colour, and those skills will transfer to future narratives.

~ Mod Lesya

[kaseylynnwriting]

[wordsnstuff]

Resources For Writing Sketchy Topics

Medicine

A Study In Physical Injury

Comas

Medical Facts And Tips For Your Writing Needs

Broken Bones

Burns

Unconsciousness & Head Trauma

Blood Loss

Stab Wounds

Pain & Shock

All About Mechanical Injuries (Injuries Caused By Violence)

Writing Specific Characters

Portraying a kleptomaniac.

Playing a character with cancer.

How to portray a power driven character.

Playing the manipulative character.

Portraying a character with borderline personality disorder.

Playing a character with Orthorexia Nervosa.

Writing a character who lost someone important.

Playing the bullies.

Portraying the drug dealer.

Playing a rebellious character.

How to portray a sociopath.

How to write characters with PTSD.

Playing characters with memory loss.

Playing a pyromaniac.

How to write a mute character.

How to write a character with an OCD.

How to play a stoner.

Playing a character with an eating disorder.

Portraying a character who is anti-social.

Portraying a character who is depressed.

How to portray someone with dyslexia.

How to portray a character with bipolar disorder.

Portraying a character with severe depression.

How to play a serial killer.

Writing insane characters.

Playing a character under the influence of marijuana.

Tips on writing a drug addict.

How to write a character with HPD.

Writing a character with Nymphomania.

Writing a character with schizophrenia.

Writing a character with Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Writing a character with depression.

Writing a character who suffers from night terrors.

Writing a character with paranoid personality disorder.

How to play a victim of rape.

How to play a mentally ill/insane character.

Writing a character who self-harms.

Writing a character who is high on amphetamines.

How to play the stalker.

How to portray a character high on cocaine.

Playing a character with ADHD.

How to play a sexual assault victim.

Writing a compulsive gambler.

Playing a character who is faking a disorder.

Playing a prisoner.

Portraying an emotionally detached character.

How to play a character with social anxiety.

Portraying a character who is high.

Portraying characters who have secrets.

Portraying a recovering alcoholic.

Portraying a sex addict.

How to play someone creepy.

Portraying sexually/emotionally abused characters.

Playing a character under the influence of drugs.

Playing a character who struggles with Bulimia.

Illegal Activity

Examining Mob Mentality

How Street Gangs Work

Domestic Abuse

Torture

Assault

Murder

Terrorism

Internet Fraud

Cyberwarfare

Computer Viruses

Corporate Crime

Political Corruption

Drug Trafficking

Human Trafficking

Sex Trafficking

Illegal Immigration

Contemporary Slavery 

Black Market Prices & Profits

AK-47 prices on the black market

Bribes

Computer Hackers and Online Fraud

Contract Killing

Exotic Animals

Fake Diplomas

Fake ID Cards, Passports and Other Identity Documents

Human Smuggling Fees

Human Traffickers Prices

Kidney and Organ Trafficking Prices

Prostitution Prices

Cocaine Prices

Ecstasy Pills Prices

Heroin Prices

Marijuana Prices

Meth Prices

Earnings From Illegal Jobs

Countries In Order Of Largest To Smallest Risk

Forensics

arson

Asphyxia

Blood Analysis

Book Review

Cause & Manner of Death

Chemistry/Physics

Computers/Cell Phones/Electronics

Cool & Odd-Mostly Odd

Corpse Identification

Corpse Location

Crime and Science Radio

crime lab

Crime Scene

Cults and Religions

DNA

Document Examination

Fingerprints/Patterned Evidence

Firearms Analysis

Forensic Anthropology

Forensic Art

Forensic Dentistry

Forensic History

Forensic Psychiatry

General Forensics

Guest Blogger

High Tech Forensics

Interesting Cases

Interesting Places

Interviews

Medical History

Medical Issues

Misc

Multiple Murderers

On This Day

Poisons & Drugs

Police Procedure

Q&A

serial killers

Space Program

Stupid Criminals

Theft

Time of Death

Toxicology

Trauma

[attractthecrows]

You know what I want?

Space mythology.

Saints of the starship and angels that take their true form as nebulae, great and fiery amorphous beings that speak the will of the Universe

Nymphs of asteroid fields and planetary rings, sylphs that fly in the tails of comets and solar wind, the gods of the galactic core

Demons that dwell in black holes and eat the hearts of dying stars, spirits of galactic battles that cause engines and shields to fail when you get too close to their graves

Ghost ships, long MIA, drifting in dark space, an inaccessible monument to those lost

Demigods, Herculean beings forged in solar fire surviving alone and unshielded in the vacuum, on an icy rock so far from a star as to never see its light

Heroes and saints ascending to their gods by dissolving into starlight and void

Just…Space mythology.

[perhapsrampancy-deactivated2023]

YES YES YES

[unwontedfemme]

@filkyeahfilk there’s people out there haven’t heard Dawson’s Christian or The Phoenix or [many many more song titles go here] and I’m on mobile and can’t fuss with embed code, help?

[mizuaoi]

@bernerstahp

[immortallionheart-a-deactivated]

Improving your writing

How to Improve your writing

So all of us roleplay here, but how many of you wish to truly improve your skills, gain a better style, learn and drive yourself to be better? I know that’s something I’ve always wanted to do no matter how well I write, I always strive to be better.

One thing to understand is that in roleplaying, there is no end. Even if you meet the end of a thread, it doesn’t end there. There is so much to realize. So in a sense, there is no goal in roleplaying, you are simply here to write and develop. Just like you develop as a person, you are developing your writing AND your character.

Another is to understand that you ARE your character. Let go of yourself, let go of everything you are and dive into your character. Become one with that person, see from there eyes. Don’t take the 3rd person point of view, standing above like god watching his children, join the heart and soul of your character .

How to Write

First and foremost, remember that role playing takes effort, time, and dedication. This shouldn’t, however, make writing any less fun!! But as writers, one thing we are all striving to do is improve, develop, and define our own writing style.

Let’s start with the basics. These are questions and comments you should think about when writing a post.

- The time frame. You need to know the date, it will determine what exactly happens to your character and what has happened before.

- The Season. This will determine what your character is wearing, what is going on around you, the environment and more.

- The Situation. What is going on that day? Is it changing your characters emotions? Could there be conflicts?

- The overall attitude. Your characters personality is going to shape how they look. If they are angry, it’s obvious they should appear that way. If they are happy, why are they happy? Write all this in.

- The appearance. People can’t read your mind, so state in some way what your character is wearing. How is their hair? Do they have anything odd about them that day?

- The Area. Again, people aren’t mind-readers. Describe the area you are in. Is it night or day? Is it wet? is it hot? this goes hand in hand with your season as well. 

Please, do not be afraid to get descriptive, get in there, place yourself there and let people see what you have. If you barely give the minimum what you see in your mind the other play can see completely differently.

Do not get this confused with having to write a lot. Word Count is not important. Your beginning post can be pretty lengthy  but do not let this intimidate you. If you give a good basis then the roleplay will become more enticing, allows a story to unfold and you will find yourself addicted to the scene.

Roleplaying Fluidity

So you have reach a point and you don’t know what to do, do you? How do you keep a thread liquidity moving so that you don’t feel stagnant and bored?

Don’t linger in the same spot. This means that you want to reply to what a person has given you but also add a little more to the end. Always go with the Who, What, Where, When, and How. Maybe someone interrupts you? Maybe you move to a new spot and it makes your character think of something? Maybe you find the time is short and suddenly you are late. Always keep a thread moving in some way. This will help you move a thread on for many posts.

Be Flexible. Allow for change, get into things you don’t expect. Don’t be firm on what you think will happen, roleplay is a fluid movement and if you don’t allow yourself to bend then you won’t get anywhere and the post can easily be killed.

Don’t be a dictator. You are not going to control the other person’s character or decisions nor will they to you. Play your character how you see fit for the coming post. So maybe things will end there, or maybe something crazy will happen!

Don’t focus on size. Word counts, the number of paragraphs, this doesn’t mean anything. What is most important is the fact that you give what you receive. If you give very little, do not expect much in return. This is where the effort comes into play. You want to give people something to work with. The more you give the more you receive! 

Take a step in their shoes. Become your character. I can’t say this enough, get in their shoes, their body, their mind. Think of all those questions!!! There is so much that can happen within in a five minute period and you should touch base on it all.

I need the FEELS!

You see so many people writing these feelys threads and you want to do one too but you don’t know how?

Feels engulf everything. Happiness, passion, sadness, pain, hurt. These are just a few of those words that can touch on the feelings of people. So how do people cause others to feel such emotions. Like I’ve stated, you must BECOME your character.

Think about these questions. What is their heart saying? What is their mind saying? How do the feel? Are they scared? How are they showing they are scared? Why are they scared? What caused such fear?

These and more will help you develop the emotion and drive of a certain feeling. Dive into the questions, don’t be afraid to think of them and to really feel them.

Connect with your other readers/players. Let them KNOW how you feel. Metaphors and similes make for great ways to connect. Bring to view history that has caused these emotions. Don’t be afraid to get into the meat of the emotions. Just what is drawing out these feelings that could cause such a deep rooted emotion.

But how do I describe?

Description is a major part of the thread, and as I’ve stated above you need it. But just HOW do you describe? The best way to describe anything is to think of the five senses. Many would think this is obvious by thought, but in truth you have to active think on it, not just realize it.

Sight: What are you seeing? What colors, people, trouble,s dangers. This makes up most of what is going on in the roleplay. If you don’t know the set up how can you reply? Set it up.

Hearing: This is probably the second easiest way and usually always in the thread. What do you hear? Any conversations? Fighting? Crying? Is there a crash somewhere. What sounds are around so that someone else can react.

Smell: This is one sense I rarely seen used unless it’s obvious. Think about what is around. The scent of the forest, the smells of the sea, is there food cooking or do you smell something rotten? This will help you better know the role play and what to expect.

Touch: Touch is one that is obvious yet so unused. Just think about everything you touch, from what someone wears to the things around them such as grass and trees. Clothing, armor, there is so much to go about. Uses this sense will make you ‘feel’ it and become more connected to it.

Taste: Taste is probably the hardest sense to try, but if you think about it, you do taste the world around you. It’s not just when eating, but you can also taste things like the dirt in the air, the taste of smog and the stenches. Smell and taste can go hand in hand as your nose is connected to your throat. Expect the detail of the taste.

Be sure to be descriptive, but not OVERLY descriptive. Don’t talk about a flip of your hair for three paragraphs, that’s outrageous. This is known as ‘floof’.

Describe the meat, but don’t overcoat it with gravy.

Words, So many words! 

Sometimes words and word count can be intimidating. But the beautiful think about this site is there is no demands on how much or how little you can write. This is known as relative word count. You write what you want, but I think it would be respectful to also, like relative word count, to give what you received. This doesn’t mean match word for word, or match count for count. 

You should give the quality that you received.

First off, read the post. Don’t think about writing, just read it. Afterward, go back to the top and read the first paragraph and respond to that. Sometimes you can’t respond to the paragraph, and that’s okay. Sometimes when you respond to that paragraph you write two paragraphs. All that matters is that if you can respond, do it.

Ignore how long the post is. Like I said, count isn’t important, its the quality.

When writing, try not to reuse words over and over. Try to expand on them. The thesaurus is a wonderful tool for this. Connect with your audience as well as bring in things they may know. 

However, be aware of the word, use the dictionary as well. There is nothing wrong with the word said! or fingers, or anything like that. The theasaurus is a great way to find a variety in a word but you also need to be aware of what that word means. Just because two words are synonoms doesn’t mean they will mean the same thing in your sentence. Don’t be afraid to research up words and expand your plane of knowledge. This is what makes you go from good to excellent.

 This is where metaphors and similes are so useful. This allows you to write something that may not actually be in the time period but not expressly state in character. 

Being Pro-active, not Re-active.

I GOT A POST!

Awesome! But remember, when you a replying to a thread, you don’t want to just reactive. This style is bad form, being just a reactionary type person. This will definitely kill your thread, causing people to just stare and go 'nope’ cause they have no real reason to reaction.

So what I mean by proactive. You need to actively engage the thread. React to what happens, but push it forward as well. Like I’ve stated above, there are things you should do and reply to, but always give a little nudge at the end of the post.

Now, as it is, I do not mean 'shove’ the thread. This can always kill a thread, sending something so off the wall people are just going to go 'WTF?’.

Don’t be afraid to close the thread if you think its done. You can always start a new thread, a new plotline and more. Some threads can last for only five post, others for twenty, and even more. The joy of roleplaying is you never know what will happen! You don’t have to involve everything in the one thread, so simple react how you need to and move on.

[baking-accident]

imagine being a vain fantasy kingdom elf and realizing all your dwarf and hobbit friends are constantly looking at you from the “accidentally opened your phone camera” angle

[caitlingermain]

When you come back to your novel after a long break

[harmonyinkpress]

every time! -E

[theticklishpear]

(A table of contents will be available at the end of the series. In the meantime, you can find previous installments in the space building tag and other original posts in the posts by pear tag.)

Part of Fifteen: Further Research and Resources

AKA What Pear Read To Write This Series

I read a lot of stuff in preparation for writing this series of posts. Researching and writing each post usually took about 3-5 hours. Here's most of what I read and watched, though admittedly not all of it, and yes, I did go out and read some very basic, elementary-school-level things sometimes to make sure I wasn’t misremembering things or misrepresenting them.

My biggest suggestion is: When in doubt, go to Youtuber Artifexian. He goes through all the math and how it’s related to what, and even has conlang and calendar creation videos. You’ll see him pop up a lot on these lists.

For hard sci-fi writers looking for all the math equations, go through the video descriptions for the Artifexian videos linked below. He explains what each equation means and why you should bother with it.

Solar Systems:

Formation of the Solar System from Artifexian

Solar System Tutorial

Creating a realistic world(s) map - planetary systems

Other Planetary Systems from Artifexian

How to Create a Classical Planetary System from Artifexian

Stars:

Stars from Nasa’s StarChild

The Sun and Other Stars from BBC

Star Types from Enchanted Learning

How to Build a Star from Artifexian

Multi-Star Systems:

Can there be more than one star in a solar system, and if so how would it work?

Modelling a multi-star system with numerous planets and moons

Introduction to Multiple-Star Systems from Artifexian

What Are Multiple Star Systems from Universe Today

How Do Multiple-Star Systems Form? from Phys.org

Alien Planets With Extra Suns Can Have Strange Orbits from Space.com

Planet ‘Reared’ by Four Parent Stars from Nasa

Planets:

Discovering Planets Beyond: How Do Planets Form? from Hubblesite

What Kinds of Planets Are Out There? from Nasa

List of Planet Types

Dwarf Planets: Science Targets from Nasa

Building Dwarf Planets from Artifexian

Building Gas Giants from Artifexian

Gas Giant Myths from Artifexian

Extrasolar Gas Giants from Artifexian

Building Terrestrial Planets from Artifexian

The Trouble with Terrestrials from Artifexian

The Habitable Zone:

The Habitable Zone from PennState’s ASTRO 801 course

Planetary Habitability

Orbits:

What is an Orbit? from Artifexian

Building Gas Giant Orbits from Artifexian

Building Hot Jupiter Orbits from Artifexian

Building Terrestrial Planet Orbits from Artifexian

Building Gas Giant Moons from Artifexian

Building Terrestrial Planet Moons from Artifexian

Asteroids:

What is the difference between a meteor, a meteoroid, a meteorite, an asteroid, and a comet? from Hubblesite

Asteroids: Fun Facts and Information About Asteroids from Space.com

The Kuiper Belt from Nasa’s New Horizons

Planetary Considerations:

Seasons:

Interplanetary Seasons from Nasa

Weather, Weather, Everywhere? from Nasa (yes, the images are broken, but the information is still there)

Tidal Locking

Axial Tilt from Artifexian

Day/Night Cycles:

What Causes Day and Night? from Universe Today

How the Earth Works: Night and Day from howstuffworks

Rotation of Planets Influences Habitability from Astrobiology Magazine

Solar/Sidereal Days from Celestial North

Surface Features:

Terrestrial Planet Geology from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Labratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

How Do Planets Evolve? from Earthbound

Skies:

Why is the sky blue? from Nasa’s Space Place

Why do the planets have different colors? from Cool Cosmos

Could the sky on a planet theoretically be any color?

Why does the sky change color?

Why is the sky never green?

Life in Space:

Living in Space from NASA

Life in Space from Space Station Kids

What’s It Like to Live in Space? from LiveScience

What it’s REALLY like to be a NASA astronaut living in space for a year from BusinessInsider

Astronauts Answer Student Questions from NASA’s FAQ series

How Do Astronauts Go To the Bathroom in Space? from LiveScience

Astronaut Tips: How to Wash Your Hair in Space from the VideoFromSpace Youtube channel

Health in Space:

The Human Body in Space from NASA

What Happens to the Human Body in Space? from Smithsonian Magazine

The Health Risks of Space Travel from Healthline

Working in Space:

Repair in Space from iFixit.org

7 Things You Always Wanted to Know About Spacewalks from National Geographic

Progressing Toward Interstellar Travel:

The 12 Greatest Challenges For Space Exploration from Wired

10 Technology Innovations Needed For Deep Space Exploration from Science Channel

How Humans Could Go Interstellar, Without Warp Drive from Discover

Artificial Gravity’s Attraction from Aerospace America

Generators:

Planet Generator

Donjon Fractal World Generator

Space Engine Universe Simulator software

Additional Resources:

Fantasy World Building: Star Systems and Other External Influences

Worldbuilding Links and Software (an extensive list of calculators and generators and extra reading for hard sci-fi)

Worldbuilding (more links to various research including physics, cosmology, geography, natives, flora, fauna, and culture)

World Generation: Generic System & Planet Building Resources (a literal book)

Further discussions on planet-building

Literal Books From My Childhood: (Yes, I understood they were outdated in some areas.)

National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Night Sky

The Universe from Life Nature Library

Planets from Life Science Library

If there’s a topic I didn’t cover or that you’d like to see more on, feel free to drop in a request for it and I’ll work on adding it. These series are always open to additions, and those topics can come from you!

[ambientwriting]

What sort of questions should I be asking my beta readers?

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR BETA READERS:

When I send out my chapter to be read over by my beta readers, I always include a set of questions typed out at the bottom, grouped into different categories such as: plot, pacing, character, setting, etc. 

You might want to tailor the questions depending on the genre or which chapter it is. For example, if it’s the first chapter you’ll want to ask them about how well your story managed to hook them, or if they managed to easily get an idea of the world you’ve introduced them to. If it’s the climax you might want to ask if the action scenes are fluid, and if the plot twist/s were predictable or surprising. 

Here’s some example questions that you could use:

Opening Chapter:

What is your first impression of the main character? Do you find them likable? Annoying? Boring?

After reading it for the first time, what is your first impression? Was it cohesive and compelling? Boring and confusing?

Did the first sentence/paragraph/page efficiently grab your attention and hook you in?

If you were to read this chapter in a bookstore/library would you be convinced to buy it? Or would you need to read further before deciding? Why or why not?

Did you get oriented fairly quickly at the beginning as to whose story it is, what’s going on, and where and when it’s taking place? If not, what were you confused about at the beginning?

Does the first chapter establish the main character efficiently? Do they feel believable?

Characters:

Could you clearly imagine what the characters looked like? If not, who?

Who was your favourite character and why? Has your favourite character changed? (if this hasn’t changed feel free to skip this question) 

Are there any characters that you do not like? Why do you not like them? (Boring, annoying, problematic, etc.) 

Was there ever a moment when you found yourself annoyed or frustrated by a character? 

Could you relate to the main character? Did you empathise with their motivation or find yourself indifferent? 

Were the characters goals/motivations clear and understandable? 

Did you get confused about who’s who? Are there too many characters to keep track of? Are any of the names or characters too similar?

Do the characters feel three-dimensional or like cardboard cutouts? 

How familiar have you become with the main characters? Without cheating could you name the four main characters? Can you remember their appearance? Can you remember their goal or motivation? 

Dialogue:

Did the dialogue seem natural to you?

Was there ever a moment where you didn’t know who was talking?

Setting/world-building:

Were you able to visualize where and when the story is taking place?

Is the setting realistic and believable? 

How well do you remember the setting? Without cheating, can you name four important settings?

Genre:

Did anything about the story seem cliche or tired to you? How so? 

Did anything you read (character, setting, etc.) remind you of any others works? (Books, movies, etc.) 

Plot/pacing/scenes:

Do you feel there were any unnecessary scenes/moments that deserved to be deleted or cut back?

Do the scenes flow naturally and comprehensively at an appropriate pace? Did you ever feel like they were jumping around the place? 

Was there ever a moment where you attention started to lag, or the chapter begun to drag? Particular paragraph numbers would be very helpful. 

Did you ever come across a sentence that took you out of the moment, or you had to reread to understand fully? 

Was the writing style fluid and easy to read? Stilted? Purple prose-y? Awkward?

Did you notice any discrepancies or inconsistencies in facts, places, character details, plot, etc.?

Additional questions:

What three things did you like? What three things did you not like? 

Can you try predicting any upcoming plot twists or outcomes? 

Was there ever a moment when your suspension of disbelief was tested? 

Is there anything you’d personally change about the story? 

Was the twist expected or surprising? Do you feel that the foreshadowing was almost nonexistent, or heavy handed? 

Feel free to tailor these to your needs or ignore some of them if you don’t think they’re useful. Basically, your questions are about finding out the information about how others perceive your own writing and how you can improve your story.

-Lana

[maureen2musings]

Shizuoka Japan 

cww44

[creativichee]

Character Mannerisms

Here’s some considerations for the tiny little details that can add a lot to a character. Figuring out these mannerisms can do a lot for conveying character traits through their normal actions rather than just their thoughts, dialogue, etc.

How’s their posture? There are more options than just sitting up straight or slouching a lot. What’s their most comfortable sitting position? Do they have a consistent posture or does it change depending on situation / present company? 

How’s their etiquette? Do they hold the door for people behind them? How do they handle handshakes and other kinds of typical contact? Does their language change or become more formal when speaking to strangers? To their elders? To their superiors? 

In a crowded space, do they get out of people’s way, or do people get out of THEIR way? 

How do they point something out? Pointing their finger? Nodding their head? A flippant wave of the hand?

What are their comfort gestures or self-touch gestures? Common comfort gestures include rubbing the back of the neck or gripping their own arms. Can they suppress these gestures or do they do them often?

Also consider the character’s common reactions to common emotions. Do they whoop when they’re excited? Do they tremble when angry? 

What parts of the body are the most expressive? Do they shuffle and stomp their feet a lot when agitated or excited? Are they a hand talker? Do they have an impressive range of motion with their eyebrows?

How do they sound? Do their car keys jingle as they walk? Do they drag their feet? Do their heels clack resoundingly on hard floors? Do they breathe loudly? Do they fidget in ways that make a lot of noise?

How do they handle eye contact?

Any behaviors they reserve for moments when they’re alone? (Or possibly among family/friends that don’t care?) Do they pick their nose? Do they bite their toenails? Do they sniff their armpits? Or do they not care if people see behavior like this?

Apart from comfort gestures, what else do they do to comfort themselves in trying times? What’s their go-to self care? What’s their comfort food? Where’s their safe space?

What are they doing with themselves as they’re suppressing emotion? Lip biting, fist clenching, and avoiding eye contact are common methods of coping with strong emotions.

[martxoa]

Let Me Talk About Werewolves for a Second

Why is it that every werewolf book is this weird testosterone fueled alpha male/female romance thing? 

Like guys. Werewolves are family groups. They are basically big ol’ dog families. Your werewolf family wouldn’t be made up of alpha males fighting each other for dominance and subjugating females. 

If there was a werewolf in your neighborhood, they’d be that family of 10 kids always roughhousing outside and their house is the one all the neighborhood kids go to hang out at because Mr. Werewolf and Mrs. Werewolf are the Cool Parents that their kids find really embarrassing. 

[avatar-dacia]

“Wait…Emily?  Aren’t she and her whole family…you know?”

“Don’t believe everything you’ve heard; worst thing that’s ever happened over there is the twins teething on visitors’ shoes.”

[prokopetz]

Here’s the thing, though.

While the notion of the “alpha wolf” is indeed misguided, being based on observations of wolves in captivity, the dominance thing does happen. And it’s not just the adult males; adult females do it too - but it’s only a thing when wolves who aren’t related by blood end up sharing a habitat.

So consider: by some happenstance, two unrelated werewolf families end up living across the street from one another. Of course they’re not going to start brawling in the streets - they’re civilised people, after all - but that urge to show the other pack who’s boss comes out in other ways, resulting in the two clans getting, like, weirdly competitive about everything.

Imagine the Hallowe’en displays.

[peppylilspitfuck]

Imagine christmas displays that end up blacking out the neighborhood because both families used so many lights.

[toastyhat-deactivated20180203]

I just discovered foodtimeline.org, which is exactly what it sounds like: centuries worth of information about FOOD.  If you are writing something historical and you want a starting point for figuring out what people should be eating, this might be a good place?

[rainbowbarnacle]

CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY

[badmadwolf]

this is awesome but the original link just turned into a redirect loop for me, here it is again (x)

[friendlyfrankenstein]

OH HELLO

[fixyourwritinghabits]

No more potatoes in medieval novels!

[winepeach]

I literally want to die when i think of pats makeup she changed the game forever

[aestheticalspace]

Iridescent clouds, looking like a rainbow in the clouds.

A diffraction phenomenon caused by small water droplets or small ice crystals individually scattering light. Larger ice crystals do not produce iridescence, but can cause halos, a different phenomenon.

[maxkirin]

So, let me guess– you just started a new book, right? And you’re stumped. You have no idea how much an AK47 goes for nowadays. I get ya, cousin. Tough world we live in. A writer’s gotta know, but them NSA hounds are after ya 24/7. I know, cousin, I know. If there was only a way to find out all of this rather edgy information without getting yourself in trouble…

You’re in luck, cousin. I have just the thing for ya.

It’s called Havocscope. It’s got information and prices for all sorts of edgy information. Ever wondered how much cocaine costs by the gram, or how much a kidney sells for, or (worst of all) how much it costs to hire an assassin?

I got your back, cousin. Just head over to Havocscope.

((PS: In case you’re wondering, Havocscope is a database full of information regarding the criminal underworld. The information you will find there has been taken from newspapers and police reports. It’s perfectly legal, no need to worry about the NSA hounds, cousin ;p))

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