writing blog

22 ☆ she/they ☆ lesbian ☆ critiques welcome and encouraged :)

[writeturnsignal]

everyone talks about how enemies to lovers is the best trope, but i raise you childhood friends to enemies to lovers 

[introvert-unicorn-deactivated20]

Words to describe someone’s voice

adenoidal (adj) :  some of the sound seems to come through their nose.

appealing (adj): voice shows that you want help, approval, or agreement.

breathy (adj): with loud breathing noises.

booming (adj): very loud and attention-getting.

brittle (adj): if you speak in a brittle voice, you sound as if you are about to cry.

croaky (adj): they speak in a low, rough voice that sounds as if they have a sore throat.

grating (adj): a grating voice, laugh, or sound is unpleasant and annoying.

gravelly (adj): a gravelly voice sounds low and rough.

high-pitched (adj): true to its name, a high-pitched voice or sound is very high.

honeyed (adj): honeyed words or a honeyed voice sound very nice, but you cannot trust the person who is speaking.

matter-of-fact (adj): usually used if the person speaking knows what they are talking about (or absolutely think they know what they are talking about).

penetrating (adj): a penetrating voice is so high or loud that it makes you slightly uncomfortable.

raucous (adj): a raucous voice or noise is loud and sounds rough.

rough (adj): a rough voice is not soft and is unpleasant to listen to.

shrill (adj): a shrill voice is very loud, high, and unpleasant.

silvery (adj): this voice is clear, light, and pleasant.

stentorian (adj): a stentorian voice sounds very loud and severe.

strangled (adj): a strangled sound is one that someone stops before they finish making it.

strident (adj): this voice is loud and unpleasant.

thick (adj): if your voice is thick with an emotion, it sounds less clear than usual because of the emotion.

tight (adj): shows that you are nervous or annoyed.

toneless (adj): does not express any emotion.

wheezy (adj): a wheezy noise sounds as if it is made by someone who has difficulty breathing.

[did-i-do-this-write]

✨Positive Writer Asks✨

What’s your favorite WIP you’ve ever worked on (finished or not)?

What’s your favorite finished WIP?

Tell us all about the OC you are most proud of creating.

Tell us all about the story arc you are most proud of writing.

Tell us all about your greatest writing achievement (this is your permission to brag without judgement).

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever seen? 

What’s the best writing motivator for you?

What’s the most validating comment you’ve ever received about your writing (in person or online)?

Who’s your biggest cheerleader?

Who do you write for? (like, while you’re writing you think “oh! [person]’s gonna love this!)

Copy and paste a line of prose you are particularly proud of.

Copy and paste a line of dialogue you are particularly proud of.

Copy and paste a metaphor or comparison you are particularly proud of.

Copy and paste a joke/funny moment you are particularly proud of.

Copy and paste a cute/fluffy moment you are particularly proud of.

[littlewhispersofsolitude]

30 Questions For Writers

⚜ What's your favourite type of writing environment?

⚜ What's your favourite point of view to write from?

⚜ What genre do you enjoy writing most?

⚜ What part of writing do you personally find the most challenging?

⚜ Do you prefer writing in silence or with a song/movie/TV show playing in the background?

⚜ Do you prefer to write with a pen and paper or using your electronics? If you prefer electronics, what's your favourite app to use?

⚜ Do you have any plans to make a career out of your writing abilities?

⚜ How old were you roughly when you began to write?

⚜ What sort of writing do you do? Story writing? Poetry? Song lyrics?

⚜ What is it about writing that brings you the most joy?

⚜ Do you prefer structured writing or to write whatever comes to mind at the time?

⚜ How would you describe your writing style in one word?

⚜ If you could tell all aspiring writers one thing and one thing only, what would you say?

⚜ Do you enjoy doing writing exercises? What's your favourite one?

⚜ If you could write your life as a book, what would the title be?

⚜ What strategies do you use to get through writer's block?

⚜ As a writer, what is your biggest pet peeve? (18)

⚜ Who/what inspires you to write?

⚜ Do you have any original story characters? Who, out of them all, are you favourite and why are they so special?

⚜ What's an unpopular opinion that you have that relates to writing?

⚜ Do you have a particular playlist for when you write? What sort of music is on there?

⚜ What is the biggest distraction you face when you try to write?

⚜ What's your favourite thing to write about?

⚜ How many hours on average would you say you write a week?

⚜ How many unfinished works do you currently have?

⚜ Do your friends and family know you write? How do they feel about it?

⚜ Is writing something you can see yourself doing in ten year's time?

⚜ What is the most common mistake you make when you write?

⚜ Do you have any words that you use in stories way too often?

⚜ What is something you refuse to put in your stories and why?

[writeturnsignal]

Ls in the chat, folks 

[writeturnsignal]

the distant dread of knowing that once i finish the rough draft of this wip i’ll have to rewrite massive swathes of it 

[funnytwittertweets]

[flovprompts]

garden prompts

aesthetics:

beautiful fountains—drinking from it; splashing the cool water on your face

garden sculpture/statuaries

carpets of moss

soft petals and blooming buds

birds chirping, squirrels scampering

dancing daisies and swaying grass

fallen flowers

petrichor; the earthly smell after it rains

picking fruits in a basket:

sucking sweet berries

biting into a crisp apple

the velvet skin of a peach

sticky mango juice dripping over your hands as you eat the sweet fruit

peeling an orange

the sweet/sour juice of an orange bursting in your mouth as you bite

crunched leaves of autumn

romance:

sitting with lover on a tree branch

walking with a lover in the garden while it drizzles

a character holding an umbrella for their lover

the garden is built as a maze and lovers are strolling through

weaving a flower crown as a present

pressing a flower into a book

choosing the brightest, most beautiful flower to gift your lover

bonus: you can't decide so on a whim you pick all and make a bouquet (your lover is delighted)

tucking a flower behind your lover's ear

braiding flowers into your lover's hair

lying together with lover on a field of flowers, their fragrance greatly soothing

kissing your lover under a tree

climbing a tree with your lover

tackling your lover onto the grass

your lover has their head in your lap as you read a book, stroking their hair

having a picnic in the garden

gardening with your lover; picking the fruits and vegetables you've lovingly grown

watering the plants together and you turn the hose on your lover, spraying them with water -> starting a water-fight

dancing in a garden, twirling with your lover

showing your lover all the plants and flowers you've grown in your garden

[writing-and-nutmeg]

Some writers: *actually know what they’re doing*

Me:

[writeturnsignal]

36 WIP questions

stole this from @gibberishdayapproaches ​

 if you pay close enough attention i think you can probably put the context clues together to work out the whole plot from this, oops lmao 

1. What is the title of your WIP? Pelican Point, it’s a working title and the name of the fictional town where our story takes place 

2. What is your WIP about? a moody lesbian love triangle in a small town/ a look at how love can show it’s face in so many different ways 

3. What Genre is your WIP? romance, drama, and a slight paranormal element 

4. What is the target audience for your WIP? adult women and queer people (really not a story i’d recommend to anyone under 18)

5. How long have you been working on your WIP? just started actually, but i’m pretty stoked on it

6. What draft are you on? rough, but i do a little editing as i go so it could be rougher

7. Did you plot your WIP before you started writing, or are you pantsing it? plotting while i’m writing, it takes place over around a year and i’m plotting out what happens month by month so i can keep better track of it and make sure nothing’s happening too fast or too slow cause sometimes i have trouble with pacing 

8. What program do you write your WIP in? i don’t post or read there anymore, but i actually like wattpad’s writing interface for rough drafts because of the folder system and how i can drag parts around (i have a chromebook so i can’t download any fancy writing software and i’m not gonna spend money on something), although i do have to do a LOT of reformatting when i want to preview it in google docs 

9. What inspired your WIP/how did you think of it? it just sort of occurred to me 

10. Share a song that makes you think of your WIP. it doesn't fit it, but i’ve listened to crooked teeth by death cab for cutie a lot while writing it so that one 

11. What is your WIP’s aesthetic? gloomy, ocean, fall, a bit of a dark academia thing going on, fog, dead leaves, rain, half-empty coffee cups, cigarette butts, and the general overwhelming question of ‘was it worth it?’

12. Do you want to publish your WIP traditionally, self publish, post it online, or keep it for yourself? i definitely want to be published and this one feels like it’s got some potential to it 

13. A little bit about your protagonist? Lucy Aldrige: a young music teacher who was offered a job in a small seaside village that she accepts because it’s really the only place willing to hire her right out of college. she’s nice, but non-confrontational to a fault and often finds herself swept away in other people’s lives 

14. A little bit about your supporting cast? our two love interests (Charlie: a well-known and troubled, but eccentric poet who ran away from her life in New York City and Annette: the blunt, bad-tempered owner of the local bookstore) and the other residents of the village who vary widely in character 

15. A little bit about your antagonist? there isn’t one 

16. What is the setting of your WIP like? a small, dreary town on the coast of Maine miles away from anywhere that’s anywhere

17. One fun fact about the world of your WIP? it’s just America circa 1970, but ghosts may or may not exist 

18. Do you have any faceclaims/picrews for your characters? i’ll throw a few together real quick. yes i have the link to this picrew and no i will not be sharing it because y’all don’t know how to act (Lucy, Annette, Charlie)

19. Share a song that makes you think of your protagonist. love we are we love by the sea the sea for no real specific reason

20. Share a song that makes you think of your antagonist. again, there is no antagonist 

21. Does your WIP have romance? If so, what is your favorite couple? yes, the plot largely focuses on the love triangle (stay with me please i promise it’s not as bad as it sounds) and both couples are good in their different ways, but at the end of the day sometimes you have to make a hard choice that might even feel like the wrong one, but it’s yours. that’s my long way of saying that i like them both equally 

22. Favorite friendship in your WIP? Lucy and Mrs. Moore (the somewhat crazy old lady whose cottage/ possible former tool shed she lives in)

23. Characters with the best dynamic? now i feel like if i answer this it’ll spoil the plot 

24. Share a song that makes you think of your favorite character dynamic. man, idk, waltz #2 (xo) by elliott smith maybe?

25. Easiest character to write? Lucy

26. Hardest character to write? Annette probably, mostly because she’s very harsh and to-the-point, but also has to be likable 

27. Which character is the most like you? probably Lucy since i’ll admit there’s a little ‘truth in television’ so to speak in this one 

28. What is the strangest thing you’ve had to research for your WIP? ‘slang for c*caine 1970s’ best i could find was that people still called it blow and ‘do they have pelicans in Maine’ they do

29. What is the latest you’ve stayed up/earliest you’ve gotten up to write? i routinely stay up until 5 or 6 am, it’s literally 4:30 now and i have work at 11 so rip me. i tried and sleep is not my friend tonight 

30. Do any of the names in your WIP have significance? nope, although one character’s name is accidentally a shout out to the secret history and i plan on changing it, but i haven’t found anything good yet 

31. Favorite line from your WIP? maybe: Charlie laughed and her laugh reminded me that she was wild, that taming her would be a fool’s errand; that perhaps I was a fool. 

32. Is your WIP action heavy, or more relaxed? relaxed, but there’s drama

33. What are your favorite tropes you use in your WIP? love triangle, enemies to lovers, manic pixie dream girl (deconstructed)

34. Sum up your WIP using only emojis. 🚬🎻📔🌬️🥃🍂☕🪟🖋️🎨

35. What are some of the themes of your WIP? love, living life for yourself, self worth, substance abuse/ the pain of seeing someone you love falling further and further 

36. What is the message you want readers to take away from your WIP? god i hope you don’t relate to this 

[badwriterpositivity]

50 Questions to ask about your romance

Why do they care about each other?

Why should your reader care about them?

How do their friends feel about their relationship?

How do their families feel?

What do they dislike about each other?

What do they argue about?

What do they do together?

How often do they have sex?

What is their sexual dynamic?

Who initiates sex most often?

How physically affectionate are they?

How do they act in public Vs in private?

What is their favourite kind of kiss?

Who gets their way most often?

Where was their first date?

How often do they go on dates?

Do they live together?

How long was their flirting phase?

How do they sleep when they're together?

Who is the most clingy?

Do they steal each others clothes?

What petty opinions do they not agree on?

Why did they choose each other?

What is their biggest problem?

How do their jobs/education affect their relationship?

Do they share the same music taste?

Why did they meet?

If they aren't together yet, why not?

What if the biggest challenge they have to overcome?

What is their most noticeable physical difference?

What are their opinions on marriage?

What are their opinions on children?

Is their relationship healthy? Why/why not?

How do their past relationships affect them?

Do they love each other, or are they in love?

Why should your readers root for them?

Do they both put an equal amount of effort into the relationship?

Who do they turn to when their relationship has problems?

Who does the most mundane household tasks?

What do they do when the other is mad?

How do their flaws clash?

Why do you enjoy writing them?

What small quirks do they like about each other?

What would a stranger think if they saw them out together?

How do they show the other that they love them?

What made them fall in love?

Have they ever took a break?

What was their biggest fight about?

What do they give as gifts?

Any random question you want!

Feel free to use as an ask meme!

Enjoy! Some are integral to writing, some are just good to enhance their dynamic :)

[strawberry-nell]

36 WIP questions

1. What is the title of your WIP?

2. What is your WIP about?

3. What Genre is your WIP?

4. What is the target audience for your WIP?

5. How long have you been working on your WIP?

6. What draft are you on?

7. Did you plot your WIP before you started writing, or are you pantsing it?

8. What program do you write your WIP in?

9. What inspired your WIP/how did you think of it?

10. Share a song that makes you think of your WIP.

11. What is your WIP’s aesthetic?

12. Do you want to publish your WIP traditionally, self publish, post it online, or keep it for yourself?

13. A little bit about your protagonist?

14. A little bit about your supporting cast?

15. A little bit about your antagonist?

16. What is the setting of your WIP like?

17. One fun fact about the world of your WIP?

18. Do you have any faceclaims/picrews for your characters?

19. Share a song that makes you think of your protagonist.

20. Share a song that makes you think of your antagonist.

21. Does your WIP have romance? If so, what is your favorite couple?

22. Favorite friendship in your WIP?

23. Characters with the best dynamic?

24. Share a song that makes you think of your favorite character dynamic.

25. Easiest character to write?

26. Hardest character to write?

27. Which character is the most like you?

28. What is the strangest thing you’ve had to research for your WIP?

29. What is the latest you’ve stayed up/earliest you’ve gotten up to write?

30. Do any of the names in your WIP have significance?

31. Favorite line from your WIP?

32. Is your WIP action heavy, or more relaxed?

33. What are your favorite tropes you use in your WIP?

34. Sum up your WIP using only emojis.

35. What are some of the themes of your WIP?

36. What is the message you want readers to take away from your WIP?

[writeturnsignal]

do you ever have a vague picture of what a character looks like in your head and then stumble upon a specific picture of a celebrity that looks exactly the way you didn’t even know they looked and now you can’t stop thinking about said celebrity when you write them and it keeps fucking you up? yeah me either 

[writeturnsignal]

i’m finally watching deadwood and all i want is to be able to write dialog like this! it’s so flowery and nearly incomprehensible at times, i’m obsessed 

[bottomoftheriverbed]

I think the world needs more non-binary characters whose assigned gender at birth is never revealed

[writeturnsignal]

a collection of photo prompts

because i don’t like most of the ones i see 

[hunnybadgerv]

Character Outline Questions

Found this online here. I really liked several of the questions in this list. Thought I'd share with anyone else that might be working on character building or just wanted to throw some questions at their characters, too.

Character Outline Questions

Basic Character Questions

First name?

Surname?

Middle names?

Nicknames?

Date of birth?

Age?

Physical / Appearance

Height?

Weight?

Build?

Hair colour?

Hair style?

Eye colour?

Eye Shape?

Glasses or contact lenses?

Distinguishing facial features?

Which facial feature is most prominent?

Which bodily feature is most prominent?

Other distinguishing features?

Skin?

Hands?

Make up?

Scars?

Birthmarks?

Tattoos?

Physical handicaps?

Type of clothes?

How do they wear their clothes?

What are their feet like? (type of shoes, state of shoes, socks, feet, pristine, dirty, worn, etc)

Race / Ethnicity?

Mannerisms?

Are they in good health?

Do they have any disabilities?

Personality

What words or phrases do they overuse?

Do they have a catchphrase?

Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?

Are they introverted or extroverted?

Do they ever put on airs?

What bad habits do they have?

What makes them laugh out loud?

How do they display affection?

Mental handicaps?

How do they want to be seen by others?

How do they see themselves?

How are they seen by others?

Strongest character trait?

Weakest character trait?

How competitive are they?

Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider?

How do they react to praise?

How do they react to criticism?

What is their greatest fear?

What are their biggest secrets?

What is their philosophy of life?

When was the last time they cried?

What haunts them?

What are their political views?

What will they stand up for?

Who do they quote?

Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy?

What is their sinful little habit?

What sense do they most rely on?

How do they treat people better than them?

How do they treat people worse than them?

What quality do they most value in a friend?

What do they consider an overrated virtue?

If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?

What is their obsession?

What are their pet peeves?

What are their idiosyncrasies?

Friends and Family

Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of?

What is their perception of family?

Do they have siblings? Older or younger?

Describe their best friend.

Ideal best friend?

Describe their other friends.

Describe their acquaintances.

Do they have any pets?

Who are their natural allies?

Who are their surprising allies?

Past and Future

What was your character like as a baby? As a child?

Did they grow up rich or poor?

Did they grow up nurtured or neglected?

What is the most offensive thing they ever said?

What is their greatest achievement?

What was their first kiss like?

What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved?

What are their ambitions?

What advice would they give their younger self?

What smells remind them of their childhood?

What was their childhood ambition?

What is their best childhood memory?

What is their worst childhood memory?

Did they have an imaginary childhood friend?

When was the last time they were crushed with disappointment?

What past act are they most ashamed of?

What past act are they most proud of?

Has anyone ever saved their life?

Strongest childhood memory?

Love

Do they believe in love at first sight?

Are they in a relationship?

How do they behave in a relationship?

When did you character last have sex?

What sort of sex do they have?

Has your character ever been in love?

Have they ever had their heart broken?

Conflict

How do they respond to a threat?

Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue?

What is your character’s kryptonite?

If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be?

How do they perceive strangers?

What do they love to hate?

What are their phobias?

What is their choice of weapon?

What living person do they most despise?

Have they ever been bullied or teased?

Where do they go when they’re angry?

Who are their enemies and why?

Work, Education and Hobbies

What is their current job?

What do they think about their current job?

What are some of their past jobs?

What are their hobbies?

Educational background?

Intelligence level?

Do they have any specialist training?

Do they have a natural talent for something?

Do they play a sport? Are they any good?

What is their socioeconomic status?

Favourites

What is their favourite animal?

Which animal to they dislike the most?

What place would they most like to visit?

What is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen?

What is their favourite song?

Music, art, reading preferred?

What is their favourite colour?

What is their password?

Favourite food:

What is their favourite work of art?

Who is their favourite artist?

What is their favourite day of the week?

Possessions

What is in their fridge:

What is on their bedside table?

What is in their car?

What is in their bin?

What is in their purse or wallet?

What is in their pockets?

What is their most treasured possession?

Spirituality

Who or what is your character’s guardian angel?

Do they believe in the afterlife?

What are their religious views?

What do they think heaven is?

What do they think hell is?

Are they superstitious?

What would they like to be reincarnated as?

How would they like to die?

What is your character’s spirit animal?

What is their zodiac sign?

Values

What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person?

What is their view of ‘freedom’?

When did they last lie?

What’s their view of lying?

When did they last make a promise?

Did they keep or break their last promise?

Daily life

What are their eating habits?

Do they have any allergies?

Describe their home.

Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder?

What do they do first thing on a weekday morning?

What do they do on a Sunday afternoon?

What do they do on a Friday night?

What is the soft drink of choice?

What is their alcoholic drink of choice?

Miscellaneous

What is their character archetype?

Who is their hero?

What or who would your character dress up as for Halloween?

Are they comfortable with technology?

If they could save one person, who would it be?

If they could call one person for help, who would it be?

What is their favourite proverb?

What is their greatest extravagance?

What is their greatest regret?

What is their perception of redemption?

What would they do if they won the lottery?

What is their favourite fairytale?

What fairytale do they hate?

Do they believe in happy endings?

What is their idea of perfect happiness?

What would they ask a fortune teller?

If your character could travel through time, where would they go?

What sport do they excel at?

What sport do they suck at?

If they could have a superpower, what would they choose?