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[writingquestionsanswered]

Paragraphs and When to Break Them

anonymous  asked:

I always have problems with paragraph breaks. Is there such thing as too many paragraph breaks? Also, I have a feeling only fanfictions or internet fics have paragraphs when a new character speaks. Do printed books also do that? Because I didn’t see that I think.

While there is some degree of personal style to paragraph construction, there are still very specific rules about when you should start a new paragraph.

You should start a new paragraph when…

1. A different person is speaking

So, what you’re seeing in fan-fiction is actually correct. Every time a different character speaks, it should begin a new paragraph. Even if they only say a single word or a few words, it will appear on the line alone. Here’s an example from The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater:

The conversation is between Maura and “the man,” with Persephone chiming in at the end. 

Paragraph 1 (Maura) “It’s when…” Paragraph 2 (the man) “Is it more…” Paragraph 3 (Maura) “Not if you…” Paragraph 4 (the man) “Fine…” Paragraph 5 (Maura) gestured for… (and later) “Persephone, would you…” Paragraph 6 (Persephone) “Oh dear…”

2. Someone else does something

You should also start a new paragraph when someone else starts to do something. Look at this example from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:

Paragraph 1 - Gale tosses a berry toward Katniss. Paragraph 2 - Katniss catches the berry in her mouth and eats it. Paragraph 3 - Gale pulls out his knife as Katniss watches.

3. When a character first appears in a scene

When a character first appears in a scene, whether they arrive during the scene or were already there but haven’t been pointed out yet, you should start a new paragraph. Take a look at this scene from Twilight by Stephenie Meyer:

Paragraph 1 - Bella describes the inside of Edward’s house upon arrival. Paragraph 2 - Bella first notices Edward’s parents waiting to greet her.

4. The scene shifts when something new happens

Sometimes something occurs in a scene that changes the mood or the trajectory of a scene. It could be your character starting to feel sick at a party because they’re coming down with the flu. It could be flashing lights because the police just arrived to break up the party. Or maybe the music suddenly stops because the party host’s parents are standing in the front doorway looking aghast. Here’s an example from The Beholder by Anna Bright:

When the music quiets and the doors swing open, a new paragraph begins. Now, in this case a character also speaks. Personally, I might have started another new paragraph for that, but that’s a style choice, like I mentioned earlier.

5. When the “camera” moves

If you imagine everything happening in the novel as being “on screen,” any time something happens that would require “the camera” to pan over to something else or be moved to a new position, that’s a good time to start a new paragraph. 

6. The time or place changes

Any time you skip ahead in time (for example, “Later that day…” or “The following week…”) or the setting changes (such as, “Meanwhile, two doors down, Angie was being grounded…” or “When we got to gym class…”

7. The subject changes or a new idea is introduced

If your protagonist narrator is expounding upon the layout of their village, and then they begin to talk about their dystopian government, that should happen in a new paragraph. That way, you don’t get something like, “My friend Peeta waved as I passed the bakery and made my way toward the market. The Capitol had been ruling Panem for centuries, and it was not a forgiving government.” See how that’s confusing? She’s talking about bakeries and markets, then makes this non sequitur about the government.

If you need help remembering, go to Google Image Search and type in “paragraph rules.” You’ll typically find lots of colorful graphics that lay out these rules, so you can pick one you like, print it out, and keep it handy when you’re writing. :)

[body5000-deactivated20180929]

[starlanellwrites]

[text: Rule Eight: Don’t try to create and analyze at the same time. They’re different processes.]

[writingwithcolor]

WWC Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions

[writingwithcolor]

writingwithcolor‌:

Hi everyone,

We’ve updated our FAQ and Guidelines which, just from the volume of questions that we receive that fall under these categories below, isn’t read quite as often as I’d like so we wished to make it easier to access.

Please check out these FAQ and guidelines, also found here.

The navigation is found here or at writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/navigation.

For your inquiries on tropes and stereotypes see the Stereotypes and Tropes Navigation here.

Thank ya!

-WWC

Writing with Color: Ask Guidelines

Ever since this blog opened for business, we’ve been inundated with Asks pertaining to writing PoC, and some of them are quite difficult to answer thoroughly. We check the answers with the other mods to make sure we’re giving you the best advice we can. Please be patient. On the other hand, here are Asks that we won’t answer: 

general writing questions.

questions that are very broad or vague.

questions that have nothing to do with PoC or only deal tangentially with them.

questions that ask for facts you can easily Google.

questions that ask “how do I write a ___________ character?” See FAQ.

questions that have nothing to do with writing (we will either direct you to blogs that can answer them or answer them at our own leisure).

questions that are basically ‘Why haven’t you answered my question yet? Why are you so slow?’

Those that are similar to questions we’ve already answered (please check the navigation). We will not always redirect to the answer.

Finally, we urge you not to send in questions with racial slurs that aren’t blocked out or denoted as “n word” “g word” etc.

We may choose to delete uncensored slurs (and any other blatantly offensive Q’s) as to avoid triggering ourselves and/or others.

Please use submit for questions longer than two parts. Do not send questions through fanmail please.

Frequently Asked Questions

“What are some appropriate ways to describe my character’s skin tone?”

Please see the Words for Skin Tone Guide.

“How do I introduce the race of my characters?”

Please see the description tag, or one or more of these posts:

Ways to indicate Race

Defying White as Default

Indicating Race Explicitly

Identifying Race Inoffensively

Describing POC and Avoiding Caricatures

Introducing Race and Skin Color Naturally

“How do I denote the race of my characters in a fantasy setting?”

Indicating POC in Fantasy Settings

Describing POC without stating Race

Describing PoC and Avoiding Caricatures

“How do I describe my Asian character’s eyes respectfully?”

Please see the Describing Asian Eyes Guide.

“I’m afraid my character has harmful stereotypical traits. How do I avoid making them a caricature?”

Trace your logic in this character’s creation. What traits have you given them and why did it turn out this way? Does it just “make sense” for your Black female character to be the motherly figure of the group? Why?

Is your character comprised of several stereotypical traits, or are they allowed to act and think in ways that are not confined to stereotypes? If your character is three-dimensional and allowed to be more than the stereotypical trait(s) they may possess, you should be fine. It also helps to have another character of their same race + gender etc. whom you can say are distinctive from each other. Please also see the Tropes and Stereotypes navigation for more information on particular tropes and stereotypes and how to handle them.

“How do I write a ____________ character?”

1. First off, check the tag pertaining to the character you’re looking to write. For example, if you’re writing an Indian character, search terms such as “Indian” and “South Asian” might be a good start.

2. A general rule when writing any Character of Color is to be mindful that while they might not be like you in terms of some cultural and certain daily experiences, they are like you in that they’re human. Humans with thoughts and dreams and feelings just like you. Capable of joy, snark, and laughter. So remember: human. Not aliens.

3. Don’t focus so much of whether you’re writing a proper ______ character.

You risk homogenizing your Characters of Color when you do this. Not all Black girls think the same. Not all Japanese men act the same. There may be some common experiences and feelings within a group, but everyone has their own perspective, experiences and thoughts despite their race; no hiveminds here. Also, as with any character, background is a huge factor of a person and where they live and family life has an influence on a person’s making. For example, a Black boy who grew up in a mansion in California will have a different outlook than a Black boy who grew up on a Wisconsin bee farm swapped in cornfields. Same for their accents, style, and overall experience with life.

“I’m uncomfortable with all the pressure to include People of Color in my writing. Wouldn’t it just make it forced, anyway?”

Distance yourself from this pressure and ask yourself why you feel it. I’ve yet to encounter anyone who’s barging on doors demanding people be inclusive, but rather trying to illustrate its importance and encourage it, so where do you think the pressure to be inclusive is really coming from?

Campaigning for diversity should not feel like an attack, so do not perceive it as one.

This comes easier when you step outside yourself for a moment, and stand into the shoes of those who call for diverse books, who need diverse books. These are people whose voices and faces have and are shunned from the multitude of literature, enjoy an adventure as much as anyone, and have learned to “become” characters who look more like you…yet when it comes to those of color being the hero, being included beyond the small and often troped role, they have their presence immediately questioned, discredited, fought against, because folks just cannot “relate.”

This resistance reflects a larger one.

And that is uncharacteristically high levels of empathy towards White people and a lack of empathy for People of Color, especially Black people.

Reading fiction improves empathy.

Those who read about aliens learn to emphasize with aliens. Those who read about wizards empathize with wizards.

And if we’re only (or mainly) reading about White people, no wonder they’re so easy to relate to. But not so much those PoC I guess, whose pain folks literally cannot relate to.

And we’re just brushing the surface of the adverse effects with lack of diversity, such as lower self-worth in the underrepresented. Because really; it causes pain on high and low levels. Never the beautiful princess in the tower, never the badass kicking butt and flying dragons. Then when we do show up God forbid it’s a two-second role or in the form of a stereotype, not as a real, complex human being.

Long story short: People of Color are people and want to be seen and treated as such. Not as a burden to devote your time to, but people who have a place in the world, fictional or no.

As for the issue of diversity being “forced”…nah, what’s forced is the all-white fantasy some authors conceive for their stories. Whether you consciously or unconsciously make all your characters White, this is a choice. One that does not reflect the magnitude of the real world, which actually has more People of Color than White people. And yet you wouldn’t be able to tell from reading a book…

Becoming comfortable with diversity requires unlearning White as the default and PoC as the Other. It takes setting aside feelings of pressure to emphasize, open your heart and listen.

More reading:

“Diversity has gone too far!”

Diversity is for everyone.

Children and the Myth of Colorblind Youth

“It wouldn’t be historically accurate for my story to include PoC.”

Lately in topics such as the movie Frozen the argument of “historical accuracy” has been flung around most vigorously by fans of the Disney movie. The story was set in a fictional country bases off of Norway and according to many (white) fans the county has little to no POC. Especially in the time period it takes place. Adding POC to the casting would make the movie historically inaccurate.

And that is nonsense. First of all, there are indigenous people in Norway – the Sami – (and many surrounding countries) and they were a part of the original story and concept art. Now only a token amount of their culture, bastardized as it is, has been permitted into the movie.

 But enough of the movie and more in the topic. Historical accuracy can never be used as an excuse (a credible one that is) for media to be exclusively white in its casting. No matter which time period, there are POC everywhere around the world. There might be some places which are predominantly white, but there will always be travelers, merchants, sailors, artists, etc. from surrounding countries.

 This argument has been a very popular one for stories set in Europe. Europe is known by many for people the home continent for white people. What they do not know, is that is also a home continent to POC. This fact has been written out of history by historians in the past centuries because of racism. White supremacy which has spread its dreadful influence across the entire globe has done so since before colonialism. And of course when you want people to think that they are superior and grand, they whitewash not only their religious figures (Jesus), but also the complete history of the world and its people.

 Europe has seen two main influxes of people from the time when people traveled outside of Africa. The first were black people through Spain. The second were groups of people with albinism from east-central Asia (which also originated from Africa). It is believed that these people are the forefathers of white people (through mixing with other people they attained a certain amount of melanin). The Germanic people were known for their red hair, blue eyes and pale skin. The presence of all the POC in Europe throughout time can be found in many art pieces, such as paintings and sculptures. There have been black people (royalty as well) in Britain. The moors had a great influence and control stretching throughout south Europe from Spain. There have been black Vikings. Sailors, merchants, artists and more from different parts of Asia and Africa.

 More reading:

Medieval POC

“What is Cultural Appropriation?”

Cultural appropriation involves a culture and/or sacred aspects of it being worn or used by people outside of the culture with little to no understanding for the significance of the usage at hand. Cultural appropriation is void of any “cultural sharing” aspect, since this would imply someone of the culture inviting them to engage in certain aspects of their culture (aka you can’t put on a headdress and say you’re appreciating Native culture…because who invited you?)

When applied to writing, cultural appropriation/misappropriation is what happens when you write about a culture that is not yours and either perpetuate racist stereotypes about it or egregiously misrepresent it. It’s taking a culture for your story because you think it’s cool or interesting, but when you don’t bother to look into the aspects of how that culture works. Why is this harmful? Because writing about these marginalized cultures in such a way leads readers to believe that your work is presenting the truth about them, even when that’s not the case. Members of these cultures already have a difficult time finding proper representation—that is, seeing themselves as they really are—and it’s incredibly important that outsiders wanting to write them do so with care.

 How can you do this? Do your research. Read books by people from that culture. Talk to people from that culture. If you’re writing a story, get someone from that culture and have them read it and point out the inaccuracies. The key is that you’re depicting these cultures with care and respect.

 If you’re writing sci-fi and/or fantasy, that doesn’t let you off the hook (one of the most tired excuses people have for cultural appropriation is that because it’s SFF, we all should get over it). You might be writing an imaginary world or a story far in the future, but your work is going to be read by people who live in the here and now, and they’re going to know if you were lazy and didn’t do your homework, and they’re not going to be happy about it.

“What is tokenism and why is it harmful?”

Tokenism in writing is the practice of doing something (such as writing about a person who belongs to a minority group) only to prevent criticism and give the appearance that representation is included. Tokenism is writing about a minority character to give the illusion that the author is being diverse and inclusive while relying on stereotypes as an attempt to make the characters seem “authentic.” while giving majority of characterization to the main (often White) character.  

 The problem with tokenism is that characters placed into this position are suddenly put into the position of being the single representation of their particular group. Everyone has seen the sassy Black friend, the flamboyant Gay friend, the smart Asian friend, etc…  Stereotypes are damaging because they state to readers that if you are in a minority group, you can’t be anything other than what the Eurocentric media portrays you as. It’s hard to rise above these stereotypes. This is even more damaging as this spills over into the real world. (i.e. “You aren’t like other Blacks/Gays/Asians,etc…”)

 Tokenism is harmful in media because it reduces a character to his/her most harmful stereotypes. Invoking tokenism does not force creators to be creative and gives viewers a false sense of diversity. Jokes are taken at the expense of tokenized characters regarding their race, ethnicity, accent, etc….. Token characters are only created to be the proverbial Black friend who makes it okay for White characters to make jokes at the character’s expense, inviting the consumers (in this case readers) to make jokes as well. (i.e. Many of us have heard someone being openly racist and excusing it by saying they have a Black friend, so it’s okay)  Being an “equal opportunity” racist won’t get you points either. This would be including as much diversity as you can only to take cheap shots at your characters cultures, languages, and/or ethnicities. That is not meaningful diversity and can be just as harmful as tokenism.  

 How do you avoid tokenism? It’s not entirely “wrong” to have a character of color be the only character of color in your story. There have been plenty of times when I’ve been the only person of color in the room. The problem comes when you place that person in the position of speaking for the entire race and saddle them down with stereotypes that they can’t get away from. It is okay to add a character of color to be a main character’s best friend, but don’t reduce this character to a cliche or a trope. Write the character from a place of empathy, make them three dimensional, do your research on the culture, and avoid stereotypes.

 More Reading:

Why We Need more Directors of Color

For any questions that aren’t answered here or addressed in the tags, feel free to ask away!

We’ve updated our FAQs and Guidelines (again) !

[theliteraryarchitect]

Quick Editing Tip: Down & Up

The words “down” and “up” are often unnecessary and can be edited out of your writing. More often than not, their meaning is implied in the words they’re attached to.

Before:

I sat down on the couch.

After:

I sat on the couch.

Down is implied in the verb “sit,” so it’s unneeded. Same thing goes for “up” in many cases:

Before:

I stood up.

After:

I stood.

Unless you’re a soldier, you probably aren’t going to “stand down,” so you can safely omit the “up.”

Of course, there are times when the words “down” or “up” are necessary. A quick test to see if they’re needed is just to delete them. If the sentence still makes sense without them, you’re good to go. If not, put them back in.

Hope this helps!

//////////////

The Literary Architect is a writing advice blog run by me, Bucket Siler. For more writing help, check out my Free Resource Library, peruse my Tumblr Post Guide, or get The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. xoxo

[heywriters]

Expanding the reach of “does this still make sense” to the entire paragraph or scene is sometimes crucial. Delete the word, check to see if the sentence still works, then perhaps check the rest of the passage. Based on experience.

[justawritingaid]

Ways to Develop Plot Ideas

Play the “what if?” game. Think of cause-and-effect situations branching out of any point in the story and keep them in-line with what you already have, as needed. “What if?” when a story is still in concept form has more freedom than “what if?” when it’s half-written, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying at all points. Take them to the extreme if you have to– it’s all just speculation right now.

Come up with a cool title. A title isn’t a story but it sure can inspire something. Use an interesting one that can have double meaning, ambiguity, odd wording, etc. to springboard your imagination. 

Work with passion. What are you passionate about? Chances are you know quite a bit about it, so find a problem or conflict within that passion to derive a story from. It can be a clear issue with clear conflict, like social injustice or a zombie apocalypse, or work with subject of passion into the story, even if it’s not the front-and-center of the plot. (Note: Passion can sometimes be dangerous when writing entertainment fiction. Be careful to avoid ‘sermon stories’ that preach about an issue instead of having a good plot that explores the reality of it.)

Make a list of specific things that interest you and see if there’s a potential story in the details. Plots come from conflict, so your thinking should be centered around the subject and what problems could happen.

See it— watch some movies or TV to get ideas. Just be careful about making exact translations from screen to print because it doesn’t always work. Different medias types have different strengths and weakness when it comes to storytelling.

Hear it— listen to music and see what it brings to mind. Just be careful about what the mind produces because it can have the same problem as movies or TV. The key is to take inspiration rather than imagining a perfect scene that can’t properly translate to text.

Read it— you know for sure it works in novel form if it’s been done before. Reading is not only a great way to get more ideas, but it can help further skills by teaching through example and variation over all the ways things can be done.

Who is your protagonist? The plot revolves around them and they should be making choices that affect it, so do some character diving. Don’t be afraid to mess around and change part of who they are for a test.

Predict a trend. Perhaps more useful for sci-fi or stories making social commentary, but there are a lot of trends in the world and they have the potential for great story concepts. They can even play a small part in a story if they aren’t right for an entire plot.

Twist part of a genre. Find some cliches or things that you’re personally tired of reading about and change them. What happens to the story now? 

Read online articles or newspapers for stories. You may be surprised how much good story material there is in the real world. The key here is to take inspiration rather than just copying the idea, unless you find an extra juicy story.

Research. There are an endless number of things to learn about; use that vast knowledge to find something worth writing about. It’s not always about learning brand new things to, it helps to supplement what you already know with more info.

Talk it out. Verbal communication is always helpful when it comes to brainstorming ideas, often better than text since it lets things flow better. The person you’re conversing with can also help with the idea process.

————————

Thinking of asking a question? Please read the Rules and Considerations to make sure I’m the right resource, and check the Tag List to see if your question has already been asked. If you can give back, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or via Venmo Username: JustAWritingAid

[angelxthings]

❥ CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS

What they value most in other people (e.g. compassion, a sense of humour, intelligence, creativity, etc.)

Things they like most about themselves

Things they like least about themselves

What’s your character’s greatest fear?

What bad habits do they have?

How do they want to be seen by others?

How competitive are they?

How do they react to praise?

How do they react to criticism?

What will they stand up for?

What sense do they most rely on?

How do they treat people better than them?

What quality do they most value in a friend?

Who are their natural allies?

Who are their surprising allies?

Did they grow up nurtured or neglected?

What is their greatest achievement?

What is the most offensive thing they ever said?

Has anyone ever saved their life?

How do they behave in a relationship?

Have they ever had their heart broken?

How do they respond to a threat?

What are their hobbies?

What is their favorite book?

Which movies they absolutely hate?

What are your spending habits?

What words or phrases do they overuse?

What is on their bedside table?

What is in their purse or wallet?

What is their most treasured possession?

[weltenwellen]

Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet

[sixba-archive]

constantquibbling-deactivated20 :

a psa about memes:

if we’ve never interacted, send the meme.

if we interact all the time, send the meme.

if you’re not sure if I ship it, send the meme.

if you’re not sure if it fits, send the meme.

if you’ve sent me a meme before, send another.

if you’ve sent me a thousand memes, send another.

if in doubt, send the meme.

I love memes. all the memes. forever.

[dame-de-pique]

Federico Manucci - Photographies de nuages, Roma 1890

[dame-de-pique]

Photographies de nuages par Federico Manucci, Paris 1891

[dame-de-pique]

Photographies de nuages par Federico Manucci Roma 1890

[ecntrc-aaaaa]

I feel like the common misconception of multimuses is that it’s somehow “unbelievable” that one person can be true to every muse they have because it’s all in “one place” which, quite frankly, is bull crap. Someone who writes a novel doesn’t make individual mini novels to convey the characters in their story. They’re able to embody and write every character perfectly fine within the same book, it’s the same deal. Multimuses are just for people who don’t want to keep multiple blogs up or don’t want to navigate through sideblogs and such. Yes, even those multimuses with 20+ characters are, surprise surprise, able to hold up just fine.

It’s also another misconception that multimuses blogs expect you to roleplay with EVERY character, and I’m here to say, we do not! If you want to that’s great, but we don’t want forced interactions for the sake of it. If there is only one muse of mine you give a rats ass about, then great! Do everything with that one muse, I don’t care! If you want to branch out some day? That’s totally great too! But never force yourself! You don’t pick up everything at the buffet, you know?

[blackcreatiives]

Your Muse’s Backstory

1. Where were they born? What is the story behind their birth, if any?

2. Has their living situation changed from when they were born?

3. What occupations did their parents have when they were born? Did this job influence your muse in any form?

4. Did they have any childhood enemies? Any friends? Enemies that became friends?

5. What sort of religion was practiced in their home? Did religion play a role in their upbringing?

6. How many siblings did they have? What was their relationship like? Were they an only child who wished for siblings?

7. What is their fondest memory? Their worst?

8. If they could name the worst moment of their life, what would it be? Did this change them as a person or change how they perceived the world, themselves, and others?

9. If they were to make a timeline with their life events, which ones would they list? Which would they leave out? 10. What was the hardest lesson they had to learn as they got older?

11. What occupation did your character want to have growing up? Is this the same as what they wish to be, or are in, now?

12. Did they face any kind of bullying or abuse growing up?

13. Are there any moments of their past they keep secret?

14. Did they live near extended family in the past? How did this shape their environment? Are any of their relatives near their age? What are their feelings towards extended family in general?

15. Would they rather go back and relive their childhood? Why or why not?

[kaylewiswrites]

Change The Scene

Getting tired of writing? Words not coming out? Everything feeling flat? Breaks not working?

Maybe it’s time to change the scene.

Not, like, the actual scene. But change up something in your scene.

Been writing on a laptop? Try a notebook, or if you’re incredibly lucky, a typewriter. 

Have you been working in your bedroom? Try a different room, or a cafe, or a park bench.

Try writing a scene in first person if you’re used to third, and visa versa. 

Change the kind of pen you use, or the font, or the type of tea you drink while you write. Hell, if you’re really feeling stuck, change the story your writing! Work on something else for a few days! 

When things are feeling dry and rote, the solution isn’t always to grit your teeth and double down. Sometimes you have to introduce something fresh to your routine to give new life to you writing. 

[badassunicorn2016]

Writing Tip June 4th

A list of body language phrases.

I’ve included a very comprehensive list, organized by the type of body movement, hand and arm movements, facial expressions etc. In some cases, a phrase fits more than one heading, so it may appear twice. Possible emotions are given after each BL phrase unless the emotion is indicated within the phrase. (They are underlined for emphasis, not due to a hyperlink.)

Note: I’ve included a few body postures and body conditions as they are non-verbal testimony to the character’s physical condition.

Have fun and generate your own ideas.:-)

Eyes, Brows and Forehead

arched a sly brow:  sly, haughty

blinked owlishly:  just waking, focusing, needs glasses

brows bumped together in a scowl:  worried, disapproving, irritated

brows knitted in a frown: worried, disapproval, thoughtful

bug-eyed:  surprised, fear, horror

cocky wink and confident smile:  over confidence, arrogant, good humor, sexy humor

eyes burned with hatred: besides hatred this might suggest maniacal feelings

eyes flashed: fury, defiance, lust, promise, seduction

eyes rolled skyward: disbelief, distrust, humor

forehead puckered:  thoughtful, worried, irritation

frustration crinkled her eyes

gaze dipped to her décolletage: sexual interest, attraction, lust

gimlet-eyed/narrowed eyes: irritation, thoughtful, mean, angry

gleam of deviltry:  humor, conniving, cunning

kept eye contact but her gaze became glazed: pretending interest where there is none/bordom

narrowed to crinkled slits:  angry, distrust

nystagmic eyes missed nothing (constantly shifting eyes):  Shifty

pupils dilated:  interested, attraction to opposite sex, fear

raked her with freezing contempt

slammed his eyes shut:  stunned, furious, pain

squinted in a furtive manner:  fearful, sneaky

stared with cow eyes:  surprised, disbelief, hopeful, lovestruck

subtle wink:  sexy, humor/sharing a joke, sarcasm

unrelenting stare: distrust, demanding, high interest, unyielding

Place To Place, Stationary Or Posture

ambled away:  relaxed, lazy

barged ahead:  rude, hurried

battled his way through the melee:  desperate, anger, alarm

cruised into the diner:  easy-going, feeling dapper, confident

dawdled alongside the road:  lazy, deliberate delay for motives, unhurried, relaxed

dragged his blanket in the dirt:   sadness/depressed, weary

edged closer to him:  sneaky, seeking comfort, seeking protection, seeking an audience

he stood straighter and straightened his tie:  sudden interest, sexual attraction

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig: demonstrates physical condition – he has to pee

hips rolled and undulated:  sexy walk, exaggerating for sex appeal

hovered over them with malice/like a threatening storm: here it’s malice, but one may hover for many reasons.

hunched over to look shorter:  appear inconspicuous, ashamed of actions, ashamed of height

leaped into action feet hammering the marbled floor:  eager, fear, joyous

long-legged strides:  hurried, impatient

lumbered across:  heavy steps of a big man in a hurry

minced her way up to him: timid, sneaky, insecure, dainty or pretense at dainty

paced/prowled the halls:  worried, worried impatience, impatient, diligently seeking pivoted on his heel and took off:  mistaken and changes direction, following orders, hurried, abrupt change of mind, angry retreat

plodded down the road:  unhurried, burdened, reluctant

practiced sensual stroll:  sexy, showing off

rammed her bare foot into her jeans: angry, rushed

rocked back and forth on his heels: thoughtful, impatiently waiting

sagged against the wall:  exhausted, disappointment

sallied forth:  confident, determined

sashayed her cute little fanny:  confident, determined, angered and determined

shrank into the angry crowd:  fear, insecure, seeking to elude

sketched a brief bow and assumed a regal pose: confident, mocking, snooty, arrogant skidded to an abrupt halt: change of heart, fear, surprise, shock

skulked on the edges of the crowd: sneaky, ashamed, timid

slithered through the door:  sneaky, evil, bad intentions

stormed toward her, pulling up short when: anger with a sudden surprise

swaggered into the class room:  over confident, proud, arrogant, conceited

tall erect posture:  confidence, military bearing

toe tapped a staccato rhythm:  impatience, irritation

tottered/staggered unsteadily then keeled over:  drunk, drugged, aged, ill

waltzed across the floor:  happy, blissful, exuberant, conceited, arrogant

Head Movement

cocked his head:  curiosity, smart-alecky, wondering, thoughtful

cocked his head left and rolled his eyes to right corner of the ceiling:  introspection

droop of his head: depressed, downcast, hiding true feelings

nodded vigorously: eager

tilted her head to one side while listening:  extreme interest, possibly sexual interest

Mouth And Jaw

a lackluster smile:  feigning cheerfulness

cigarette hung immobile in mouth: shock, lazy, uncaring, relaxed casualness

clinched his jaw at the sight:  angered, worried, surprised

curled her lips with icy contempt

expelled her breath in a whose:  relief, disappointment

gagged at the smell: disgust, distaste

gapped mouth stare:  surprised, shock, disbelief

gritted his teeth:  anger, irritation, holding back opinion

inhaled a sharp breath:  surprise, shock, fear, horror

licked her lips:  nervous, sexual attraction

lips primed: affronted, upset, insulted

lips pursed for a juicy kiss

lips pursed like she’d been chewing a lemon rind: dislike, angry, irritated, sarcasm

lips screwed into: irritation, anger, grimace, scorn

lips set in a grim line: sorrow, worried, fear of the worst

pursed her lips:  perturbed, waiting for a kiss

scarfed down the last biscuit:  physical hunger, greed

slack-mouthed:  total shock, disbelief

slow and sexy smile:  attraction, seductive, coy

smacked his lips: anticipation

smile congealed then melted into horror

smile dangled on the corner of his lips: cocky, sexy

smirked and tossed her hair over her shoulder:  conceit, sarcasm, over confident

sneered and flicked lint off his suit: sarcasm, conceit

spewed water and spit: shock

stuck out her tongue: humor, sarcasm, teasing, childish

toothy smile:  eagerness, hopeful

wary smile surfaced on her lips

Nose

nose wrinkled in distaste/at the aroma

nostrils flared:  anger, sexual attraction

nose in the air:  snooty, haughty

Face in General

crimson with fury

handed it over shame-faced

jutted his chin: confident, anger, forceful

managed a deadpan expression:  expressionless

muscles in her face tightened:  unsmiling, concealing emotions, anger, worried

rested his chin in his palm and looked thoughtful

rubbed a hand over his dark stubble:  thoughtful, ashamed of his appearance

screwed up her face:  anger, smiling, ready to cry, could almost be any emotion

sneered and flicked lint off his suit: conceit, derision, scorn

Arm and Hand

a vicious yank

arm curled around her waist, tugging her next to him:  possessive, pride, protective

bit her lip and glanced away:  shy, ashamed, insecure

brandished his fist:  anger, threatening, ready to fight, confident, show of pride

clamped his fingers into tender flesh:  anger, protective, wants to inflict pain

clenched his dirty little fists: stubborn, angry

clapped her hands on her hips, arms crooked like sugar bowel handles:  anger, demanding, disbelief

constantly twirled her hair and tucked it behind her ear:  attracted to the opposite sex, shy crossed his arms over his chest: waiting, impatient, putting a barrier

crushed the paper in his fist:  anger, surrender, discard

dived into the food: hunger, eager, greedy

doffed his hat:  polite gesture, mocking, teasing

doodled on the phone pad and tapped the air with her foot:  bored, inattention, introspection

drummed her fingers on the desk:  impatient, frustrated, bored

fanned her heated face with her hands: physically hot, embarrassed, indicating attraction

fiddled with his keys: nervous, bored

firm, palm to palm hand shake:  confident, honest

flipped him the bird: sarcastic discard

forked his fingers through his hair for the third time:  disquiet/consternation, worry, thoughtful

handed it over shame-faced:  guilt, shame

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig:  physical need to relieve himself

limp hand shake:  lack of confidence, lack of enthusiasm

propped his elbow on his knee: relaxed, thoughtful

punched her pillow:  restless, can’t sleep, angry

rested his chin in his palm:  thoughful, worried

scratched his hairy belly and yawned:  indolent, bored, lazy, relaxed, just waking

shoulders lifted in a shrug:  doubtful, careless discard

slapped his face in front of God and country:  enraged, affronted/insulted

snapped a sharp salute:  respect, sarcastic gesture meaning the opposite of respect

snapped his fingers, expecting service:  arrogant, lack of respect, self-centered

sneered and flicked lint off his suit

spread her arms wide: welcoming,  joy, love

stabbed at the food: anger, hunger, determined

stood straighter and smoothed his tie:  sudden interest, possible sexual interest

stuffed his hands in his pockets: self-conscious, throwing up a barrier

sweaty handshake:  nervous, fearful

touched his arm several times while explaining:  sign of attraction, flattery, possessive

wide sweep of his arms:  welcoming, all inclusive gesture, horror

Sitting or Rising

collapsed in a stupor:  exhausted, drunk, drugged, disbelief

enthroned himself at the desk:  conceit, pronouncing or taking ownership

exploded out of the chair:  shock, eager, anger, supreme joy

roosted on the porch rail like a cock on a hen house roof:  claiming ownership, conceit, content

sat, squaring an ankle over one knee:  relaxed and open

slouched/wilted in a chair and paid languid attention to:  drowsy, lazy, depressed, disinterest, sad, totally relaxed, disrespectful

squirmed in his chair: ill at ease, nervous, needs the bathroom

Recline

flung himself into the bed: sad, depressed, exhausted, happy

prostrated himself: surrender, desperate, miserable, powerless, obsequious, fawning, flattering

punched her pillow:  can’t sleep, anger, frustrated

threw himself on the floor kicking and screaming: tantrum

Entire body and General

body stiffened at the remark:  offended, anger, alerted

body swayed to music:  dreamy, fond memories, enjoys the music

bounced in the car seat, pointing:  excitement, fear, eager

cowered behind his brother:  fear, shyness, coward, desperate

curled into a ball:  sorrow, fear, sleepy, defensive

heart galloping:  anxiety, joy, eager

held his crotch and danced a frantic jig

humped over his cane, each step shaking and careful: pain, aged

inhaled a deep breath and blew out slowly: buying time to find words/thoughtful, reconciled

quick and jerky like rusty cogs on a wheel:  unsure of actions, self-conscious, tense, edgy

rocked back and forth on his heels:  impatient, cocky, gleeful

manhandled the woman into a corner:  bully, anger

slumped shoulders: defeat, depressed, sad, surrender

stiff-backed:  priggish, haughty, affronted

stood straighter and straightened his tie:  sexual interest, wants to make an impression

stooped and bent: aged, arthritic, in pain

stretched extravagantly and yawned:  tired, bored, unconcerned

sweating uncontrollably: nervous, fear, guilt

tall erect posture:  confidence, military bearing

was panting now at:  afraid, exhausted, out of breath, sexual excitement

-Sharla Rae

[candy-m-s-deactivated20180720]

Reblogging for future everyday use

[just-my-thoughts-here117]

Holy blankets, Batman–

[leave-her-a-tome]

(source)

Unsplash -  photography, illustration, and art

Pixabay - same as unsplash

Pexels - stock photos and videos

Stockvault.net - stock photos

Veceezy - vectors and clipart

Getdrawings - simplistic images and drawing tutorials

Gumroad - photoshop brushes (and more)

Canva - needs login but has lots of templates

Library of Congress - historical posters and photos

NASA - you guessed it

Creative Commons - all kinds of stuff, homie

Even Adobe has some free images

There are so many ways to make moodboards, bookcovers, and icons without infringing copyright! As artists, authors, and other creatives, we need to be especially careful not to use someone else’s work and pass it off as our own. 

Please add on if you know any more sites for free images <3

[ahsteria]

tag yourself ; cities

paris - soft smiles, blooming flowers, lots of sunlight, stories swirling in your mind, cursive letters, piercing eyes, whispers filled with secrets

new york - gives zero fucks about others’ opinions, perfect eyebrows, no sleep, a bit sad inside, huge equal rights activist, red lipstick, artsy af, string lights, lots of coffee, high waisted jeans

london - new ideas, old architecture, a soft voice, flickering candles, intelligent eyes, loud laughter, dancing alone in your room, big dreams, hot tea

montréal - comfy socks, french bakeries, lover of books, bold thoughts, wide smiles, kinda broken, cute jackets, warm hot chocolate, cobblestone streets

tokyo - aesthetic af, pen sketches, bright colors, bold fashion, small yet powerful smiles, striving for greatness, cute glasses

rome - loves museums, kind words, tangled earbuds, a bit in love, bright eyes, artsy photos, likes history, open windows, probably sings in the shower