stranded on writing island

i post prompts and advice for writing for everything worldbuilding, follow writerscourt requests closed

[writersisland]

I’m Whisp (she/they)! I’m a 22 year old amateur writer from Germany, and have been writing for about 8 years now (mostly fanfics and now working on a couple original WIPs).

On this blog I post writing prompts and the occasional other writing themed stuff I pick up on. I’m into pretty much any genre, though most of my stuff will be romance / interpersonal relationship focused.

If you want to add onto my prompts, write something with it, or anything like it, please do! I would love to be tagged, but if you just link the prompt for credit, that’s fine too :)

If you are interested in worldbuilding stuff, consider following my worldbuilding and character creation account @writerscourt I also have a second prompt account, @promptcalender, where I post daily prompts based on (inter)national awareness days (most of it is domestic fluff or angst).

Additionally about me:

I tend to have the occasional typo or misspelling in my prompts, which I apologize for

I’m in college, doing a double major in English Studies and Cultural Studies, so if you have any questions of worldbuilding about culture specifically feel free to send me an ask on it on my worldbuilding blog (again, @writerscourt )

Despite getting a degree in English Studies, you couldn‘t pay me to care about where to put commas in the english language

I think that‘s all for now, so… Happy Writing!

[writerscourt]

[writersisland]

A smile brightened your face and for a moment, I would have done anything for you.

[writersisland]

dialogue prompts for a cult leader and his goddess / god?

Spiritual Leader x Their Deity

“You have quite a lot of smugness about being the one to speak to me.”      “How can I not? They all beg on their knees for a glimpse. I get whole conversations.”      “Conversations held on your knees, regardless.”

“Are you still there?”      “Always.”

“Without me, they would not know to worship you!”      “Without me, you would be nothing.”

“They are not ready to hear your voice.”      “Or perhaps you are not ready to share.”

*with blood stained hands* “Take this suffering as proof of my devotion.”      “I never asked you to spill blood for me.” “And yet you only reply to me when I do.”

“I have given all I possibly could.”      “I suppose it is adequate for a mortal.”

“I expected more from my favorite.” “I-I'm sorry.”      “You should be.”

“Why me?”      “Why do you think?”

[writersisland]

“Why won't you look at me?”

“Because whenever I do, you look at me like… that.”

“Like what?”

“That's the thing... I have no idea what that look means.”

“Want me to show you?”

[writersisland]

Types of Speech Presentation

Direct Speech (DS): He said, "Like it here in London!"

Indirect Speech (IS): He said that he liked it there in London!

Free Direct Speech (FDS): I like it here in London!

Free Indirect Speech (FIS): He liked it there in London!

Narrative Report of a Speech Act (NRSA): He expressed his pleasure at being in London.

Narrative Report of an Act (NRA): He liked London.

What to do with that information:

Practice using all of the above in your writing and consider how you can use the different types for achieve different effects.

Switch up your style of dialogue every once in a while to avoid repetition and tighten the writing by skipping unnecessary dialogue. For example, rather than writing out an irritating but not plot relevant conversation, you can simply give context for the characters bad mood with, "After surviving one of the most frustrating conversations I'd had all year, I could finally..."

Depending on which one of these styles you choose, the narrator or the character gets more control over the narrative; DS is much harder to twist than NRA ➛ For unreliable narrators, NRSA and NRA are perfect ways to mask when a conversation is not being relayed accurately.

[writersisland]

“Oh, so now you care?”

“I've always cared!”

“Well, you got a real funny way of showing it.”

“Oh, get off my ass. I'm doing my best, you act like you're easy to get along with!”

[writersisland]

"Which one should I wear?"

"Whichever one you're least attached to. I don't see myself having the patience to take it off slow later."

[writerscourt]

[writersisland]

Possessive Dialogue

❥ “Too bad. You're stuck with me now.”

❥ “I'm not the jealous type, but what's mine is mine.”

❥ “I can keep you safe. They all fear me.”

❥ “This isn't love, it‘s obsession.” “I don‘t see the difference.”

❥ “You don‘t have to look at anyone else like that. I‘m right here.”

❥ “Stay. You‘re not leaving until I know you‘re okay. Argue later.”

❥ “I don‘t like sharing you with the world, but I‘ll wait my turn when I have to.”

❥ “Where are you going? I told you, if you need something you tell me.”

❥ “What‘d he say to you? Do I need to teach him a lesson?”

[writersisland]

“You’re such a know-it-all.”

“Not my fault you’re a know-only-some-of-it.”

“That was terrible.”

“Well, you hurt my feelings and I had to improvise.”

[writerscourt]

[writersisland]

“Oh, wait, this is not... Sorry for barging in, I thought this was a different room. I truly have a terrible sense of direction.”

“Well, it can’t be that bad if it lead you to me.”

[writersisland]

any ideas for a royal/political arranged marriage, but (against all expectations) both are into it?

Leading up to the ceremony ‣ knowing they would not be thrilled, the couple is not informed of the arrangement until it is set in stone and only few weeks away ‣ A had to be locked up and guarded in the days leading up to the wedding to make sure they don‘t run away ‣ B had to physically be dragged to A‘s kingdom

Right before the ceremony ‣ A threatens to stab their promised spouse upon meeting them at the altar ‣ B is threatened by their parents about making a scene during the wedding ‣ both expect the other to be much older than themself, arrogant, or otherwise undesireable ‣ “Is that a knife in your sleeve? Give me that, you are not killing your spouse before the vows are even read!”

During the ceremony ‣ the promised couple meets at the altar… and both wonder why their parents failed to mention that their promised spouse is H O T ‣ both relaxing as they make little comments during the ceremony, matching each other's freaks ‣ both only having prepared passive aggressively insulting vows and either reading them with matching smirks or improvising new ones

During the reception ‣ the newly weds ignore almost everyone else because conversation is so good between them ‣ intense chemistry, to a point that the new in-laws fear the couple will sneak into the bushes together ‣ “You're not gonna like this, but up until an hour ago I was sure I was gonna have to kill you to be able to escape.”     “Oh no, me too. But then I saw you, and… Well, I reconsidered.”      “Likewise.” ‣ bonding over their mutual distaste for their parents' overreach ‣ “Most dissappointing that my parents will get to gloat about finding me a good match.”      “I understand. We can always make them regret it by being horrible together.”      “Perfect.”

[writersisland]

“Sorry, do I know you?”

“… We hooked up, like… last week.”

“Oh, yeah! You stole my shirt.”

[writersisland]

moment of connection with a rival

they have been competing for so long that it had become the natural state of things: the other is the rival, not a fellow student. that is, until something happens to humanize them in some way

finding them crying behind the building

realizing they took up smoking again

they suddenly stopped showing up for class out of nowhere and no one knows anything

sickly appearance and voice lacking the energy and strength it used to have

defending them when a member of the faculty is being condescending / otherwise discriminates against them

finding them fishing food out of the trash or working a shitty night job to stay afloat

seeing them get ready to sleep in their car after losing their home

hidden injuries (classic)

flinching away when they take steps towards them during an argument

[writersisland]

Human Quirks for Non-Humans to discover

the chain reaction a single yawn can cause

the sense to recognize something that looks human but is not quite human (uncanny valley)

getting songs stuck in their heads

the urge to sneeze but being unable to do so

not being able to breathe from laughter sometimes

the reactions caused by tickles

acting fairly casual about pain in their most vital body parts (head)

neurodivergent symptoms as a whole