Written by Caden @writtenbycaden - Tumblr Blog

foulserpent

2018 lets bring back fanfic authors interruptng their own stories to have conversations with the characters

foulserpent

Ronald blushed under his clown makeup.

“Y-You like me?”

—————————————

me: squeeeeeeeee!!! here it comes! x3

ronald mcdonald: sh-shut up! >_<

burger king: o___0

—————————————

“Yes Ronald, it has always been you…” Burger King said.

gayvian

im going to personally kick your ass

patientno7

the suffering never ends

sinksanksockie2

This is the real process

thewritingbeast-blog

Resources for you!

Character Ideas:

Character creation masterpost

Character Alignment Chart

More character alignment descriptions

Muslim Character questions

Characters with magical powers

Building a new character advice

How to create a character for an online or tabletop RPG (also a good guide on creating characters in general)

Royalty/nobility TV Tropes page

Basic character profile

OC masterpost

Random character generators - (1), (2), (3), (4)

D&D Character Building Tool

Character Design Ideas:

How clothing affects a character’s personality

Character Design Inspiration blog

Concept art, fan art, cool art to be inspired by

Character design references and inspiration

Sources for POC character design ideas and models

Create your own character model using HeroForge

For horned characters

Body and hair types guide

Random outfit generator

Naming Help:

Amazing site with an endless amount of naming resources

General advice on avoiding naming appropriation

Hispanic Surnames

Gothic Victorian names

Huge master list for character things in general

Masterlist of names of all types - including but not limited to ancient/old world names, Celtic, African, Northern European, Southern and Central American Native names, Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian, Polynesian, and more

Another name masterlist

How to pick a character name guide

Yet another names masterlist

Creating Background/backstory:

Character Sheet/Development Sheet

Another character development list

In-depth character personality, motivations and traits sheet

320 talents and passions for characters

On writing likes and dislikes that aren’t frivolous

Why you should write non-human characters non-conforming to the gender binary

Stereotypes, tropes, and archetypes

Random backstory generator

Assassin and thief character tropes to avoid

Character Interactions and putting your character into your world/story:

Comparing character height/height references

Characters who are scientists and writing about them doing science

Describing what different voices sound like

Describing skin tones

Writing friendship interactions that are platonic

Why having one character knock their friend unconscious to prevent them from doing something is a bad idea

Advice on shipping OCs with canon characters and what to avoid doing

Sweet Polly Oliver and Sweet on Polly Oliver situations (think of Disney’s Mulan for an example)

How to write multiple viewpoints/juggling a main cast of more than 4 to 6 characters

How to make readers care about your morally gray hero/anti-hero

On platonic OC and canon character relationships

How to avoid Godmodding in RPs

When it’s cheap to kill off a character

Writing dialogue

Things you shouldn’t do to canon characters

Avoiding purple prose in writing and RPs

Slang resources

Dialogue tips

Websites to chart your story/plot/character relationships

Bonus art masterlist!

brucewayneright

BLESS EVERYONE IN THIS POST.

pervyking

I will always reblog this!

unoutan

YESSSSSS. GOOD SHIT. GOOD SHIT FOR CREATIVES <3

the-writers-society-deactivated

5 Moral Dilemmas That Make Characters and Stories Even Better

Readers can’t resist turning pages when characters are facing tough choices. Use these 5 keys to weave moral dilemmas into your stories–and watch your fiction climb to new heights.

#1: Give Your Character Dueling Desires

Before our characters can face difficult moral decisions, we need to give them beliefs that matter: The assassin has his own moral code not to harm women or children, the missionary would rather die than renounce his faith, the father would sacrifice everything to pay the ransom to save his daughter.

A character without an attitude, without a spine, without convictions, is one who will be hard for readers to cheer for and easy for them to forget.

So, to create an intriguing character facing meaningful and difficult choices, give her two equally strong convictions that can be placed in opposition to each other.

For example: A woman wants (1) peace in her home and (2) openness between her and her husband. So, when she begins to suspect that he’s cheating on her, she’ll struggle with trying to decide whether or not to confront him about it. If she only wanted peace she could ignore the problem; if she only wanted openness she would bring it up regardless of the results. But her dueling desires won’t allow her such a simple solution.

That creates tension.

And tension drives a story forward.

So, find two things that your character is dedicated to and then make him choose between them. Look for ways to use his two desires to force him into doing something he doesn’t want to do.

For instance, a Mennonite pastor’s daughter is killed by a drunk driver. When the man is released on a technicality, does the minister forgive him (and what would that even look like?) or does he take justice into his own hands? In this case, his (1) pacifist beliefs are in conflict with his (2) desire for justice. What does he do?

Good question.

Good tension.

Good drama.

Another example: Your protagonist believes (1) that cultures should be allowed to define their own subjective moralities, but also (2) that women should be treated with the same dignity and respect as men. She can’t stand the thought of women being oppressed by the cultures of certain countries, but she also feels it’s wrong to impose her values on someone else. When she is transplanted to one of those countries, then, what does she do?

Construct situations in which your character’s equally strong convictions are in opposition to each other, and you will create occasions for thorny moral choices.

#2: Put Your Character’s Convictions to the Test

We don’t usually think of it this way, but in a very real sense, to bribe someone is to pay him to go against his beliefs; to extort someone is to threaten him unless he goes against them.

For example:

How much would you have to pay the vegan animal rights activist to eat a steak (bribery)? Or, how would you need to threaten her in order to coerce her into doing it (extortion)?

What would it cost to get the loving, dedicated couple to agree never to see each other again (bribery)? Or, how would you need to threaten them to get them to do so (extortion)?

What would you need to pay the pregnant teenage Catholic girl to convince her to have an abortion (bribery)? What threat could you use to get her to do it (extortion)?

Look for ways to bribe and extort your characters. Don’t be easy on them. As writers we sometimes care about our characters so much that we don’t want them to suffer. As a result we might shy away from putting them into difficult situations.

Guess what?

That’s the exact opposite of what needs to happen in order for our fiction to be compelling.

What’s the worst thing you can think of happening to your character, contextually, within this story? Now, challenge yourself—try to think of something else just as bad, and force your character to decide between the two.

Plumb the depths of your character’s convictions by asking, “How far will s/he go to … ?” and “What would it take for … ?”

(1) How far will Frank go to protect the one he loves?

(2) What would it take for him to stand by and watch the one he loves die when he has the power to save her?

(1) How far will Angie go to find freedom?

(2) What would it take for her to choose to be buried alive?

(1) How far will Detective Rodriguez go to pursue justice?

(2) What would it take for him to commit perjury and send an innocent person to death row?

Ask yourself: What does my character believe in? What priorities does she have? What prejudices does she need to overcome? Then, put her convictions to the ultimate test to make her truest desires and priorities come to the surface.

#3: Force Your Character into a Corner

Don’t give him an easy out. Don’t give him any wiggle room. Force him to make a choice, to act. He cannot abstain. Take him through the process of dilemma, choice, action and consequence:

(1) Something that matters must be at stake.

(2) There’s no easy solution, no easy way out.

(3) Your character must make a choice. He must act.

(4) That choice deepens the tension and propels the story forward.

(5) The character must live with the consequences of his decisions and actions.

If there’s an easy solution there’s no true moral dilemma. Don’t make one of the choices “the lesser of two evils”; after all, if one is lesser, it makes the decision easier.

For example, say you’ve taken the suggestion in the first key above and forced your character to choose between honoring equal obligations. He could be caught between loyalty to two parties, or perhaps be torn between his family obligations and his job responsibilities. Now, raise the stakes—his marriage is at risk and so is his job, but he can’t save them both. What does he do?

The more imminent you make the choice and the higher the stakes that decision carries, the sharper the dramatic tension and the greater your readers’ emotional engagement. To achieve this, ask “What if?” and the questions that naturally follow:

What if she knows that being with the man she loves will cause him to lose his career? How much of her lover’s happiness would she be willing to sacrifice to be with him?

What if an attorney finds herself defending someone she knows is guilty? What does she do? What if that person is her best friend?

What if your character has to choose between killing himself or being forced to watch a friend die?

Again, make your character reevaluate his beliefs, question his assumptions and justify his choices. Ask yourself: How is he going to get out of this? What will he have to give up (something precious) or take upon himself (something painful) in the process?

Explore those slippery slopes. Delve into those gray areas. Avoid questions that elicit a yes or no answer, such as: “Is killing the innocent ever justified?” Instead, frame the question in a way that forces you to take things deeper: “When is killing the innocent justified?” Rather than, “Does the end justify the means?” ask, “When does the end justify the means?”

#4: Let the Dilemmas Grow From the Genre

Examine your genre and allow it to influence the choices your character must face. For instance, crime stories naturally lend themselves to exploring issues of justice and injustice: At what point do revenge and justice converge? What does that require of this character? When is preemptive justice really injustice?

Love, romance and relationship stories often deal with themes of faithfulness and betrayal: When is it better to hide the truth than to share it? How far can you shade the truth before it becomes a lie? When do you tell someone a secret that would hurt him? For example, your protagonist, a young bride-to-be, has a one-night stand. She feels terrible because she loves her fiancé, but should she tell him what happened and shatter him—and perhaps lose him—or keep the truth hidden?

Fantasy, myth and science fiction are good venues for exploring issues of consciousness, humanity and morality: How self-aware does something need to be (an animal, a computer, an unborn baby) before it should be afforded the same rights as fully developed humans? At what point does destroying an AI computer become murder? Do we really have free will or are our choices determined by our genetic makeup and environmental cues?

#5: Look the Third Way

You want your readers to be thinking, I have no idea how this is going to play out. And then, when they see where things go, you want them to be satisfied.

There’s a story in the Bible about a time religious leaders caught a woman committing adultery and brought her to Jesus. In those days, in that culture, adultery was an offense that was punishable by death. The men asked Jesus what they should do with this woman. Now, if Jesus had told them to simply let her go free he would have been contravening the law; if, however, he told them to put her to death, he would have undermined his message of “forgiveness and mercy.”

It seemed like a pretty good trap, until he said, “Whoever is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.”

Nicely done.

I call this finding the Third Way. It’s a solution that’s consistent with the character’s attitude, beliefs and priorities, while also being logical and surprising.

We want the solutions that our heroes come up with to be unexpected and inevitable.

Present yours with a seemingly impossible conundrum.

And then help him find the Third Way out.

I hope this helped! I’ve been really busy today, seeing how my mom had surgery and I’ve been trying to continue writing my novel today as well. I thought I’d squeeze in some more stuff for you guys!

If you have any questions or just want to talk, feel free to visit my ask box!

writtenbycaden

GIVEAWAY

Okay guys, so in an effort to promote my Patreon page and my story “The Letters” I am doing a free giveaway.

The prize: One $10 Amazon Gift card

How to Win:

Step 1. Read “Letter 1″ attached to this post.

Step 2. PM me with the correct answer to the following question: “Where did the narrator meet the person he is writing this letter to?” The answer is in the Letter.

Step 3. REBLOG THIS POST!

If all three steps are completed by the deadline consider yourself entered in the giveaway. Only ONE winner will be selected; odds of winning vary based off number of entries; no purchase necessary.

Rules: One entry is allowed per person (multiple reblog will NOT help); must be 18 years old or older to enter; must live in the United States of America. The winner will be picked at random and must respond within 48 hours after winning notification. Please note that this giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Tumblr.

Deadline: May 15, 2017. Winner will be announced and contacted on May 16, 2017.

Notes: I am a new writer and I am trying to make my dream come true. By entering this giveaway and spreading word about my writing you are helping make that dream come true. So, thanks.

~~~

Letter 1

You are so beautiful. You know that, right? You are so very beautiful. And even if you looked different, you’d still be beautiful. There is something about your smile, your laugh, your presence. You always had this way of making me feel like I was somewhere safe, like I was home. Even if you didn’t look like you, you’d still be you. I think Juliet said something like that about Romeo. “A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.” Something cheesy like that. But even if you didn’t look like you, you’d still be beautiful. I don’t think it’s possible for you to not be beautiful. But I’m sorry. You don’t need to be reading this letter that says nothing but how beautiful you are. How repetitive, right? Let me change the subject.

Today I went shopping. I found some new shoes. I think you’d like them…. Who am I kidding? Haha. Sorry. You wouldn’t give a fuck about how my goddamn shoes look. And I love that about you. I could wear the nicest suit in the world and you’d probably just nod at me. You never cared what I wore…. I really did like that about you. I still do.

I miss you.

I promise I won’t make the letter like this; this rambling nothing of a letter that sounds like I’m whining. The whole letter won’t be like this. I just need to get it off my chest, you know? I just need to get it out, that I miss you and that you’re so damn beautiful it still amazes me everyday. And that I love you. I still love you, so very much.

Let’s see. What else can I say? You’re still reading, right? You better still be reading this. I took the time to write it after all. Not that that’s any excuse. It was my decision to write you, it’s not your responsibility to read it. You’d probably say something like that, right? Yeah, you would. Don’t deny it. Haha.

I like this, this writing letters idea. It feels like I’m talking to you, almost. At the very least it feels like I’m texting you or something. The typing is nice. It feels like I might hear from you any second.

I wonder if you’re sleeping right now. It’s about that time of night. You probably are. I wish I was there.

What else did I do today… I looked up some new places. Nothing in person, mind you, but a few things over the Internet from here and there. I think you’d hate the country. Haha. The houses are beautiful there though. It seems peaceful. Isolated.

You love the cities though. I know, I know. You love the hustle and bustle of people, despite being quite anti-social mind you. Did you ever wonder that about yourself? It’s funny, how you hate socializing and yet you love being surrounded by people…

Ah. But then you also like the conveniences. I know. I think I know quite a lot of things about you. Or I like to think I do. But then you do these things that surprise me. It’s nice actually, not knowing what you’re always going to do. It’s refreshing. You’re always keeping me surprised. You make me so happy.

Sorry, sorry. I’m doing it again. I keep bringing this conversation up that’s about you. You hate that. I should talk about me instead, right? Or current events. Or some fun facts you haven’t heard yet. Something other than you.

But it’s so hard for me, you understand. I like talking about you. I think about you, so often. You could say I’m always thinking about you. So it’s hard for me to think and talk about things that matter so little. You mean everything to me.

You know the first time we met, that night in the club, I knew. I mean I didn’t know know, but I knew. There was something different about you. It was kind of like there was a crackle of something on your skin, or in the air, and I knew it was like you were this whole other world that I had never even heard of before.

But you’ve heard all about this. I just… You make me really happy. I just want you to know that, above everything else.

You’re special.

Anyway… I think this letter has gone on long enough. I’ll try to have more things to talk about in the next one. Honestly. I’ll even try finding some weird joke or fun fact for next time, just to keep you mildly interested.

Next time sweetie.

Night.

To read more please visit:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/masterpost-8543795

writtenbycaden

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT: Congratulations to @happymintrocks

undercover-witch

Cute buttons for your sewing needs ❤

Discount: spring15off