My writing blog for to write things

A collection of my fan works and original content

[writtenhallows]

Sandstorm

Tiny grains you are

Small and insignificant 

Until I’m worn down

[caffeinewitchcraft]

I have a mute character in the story I’m writing and one of my beta readers suggested I use italics when they sign so that I don’t have to keep peppering “they signed” or “their hands flashed” throughout the piece.

But like…I always read italics in a different tone like they’re thoughts. It seems quieter than using normal quotations which makes what they say look less significant on the page than other character’s dialogue.

I really don’t think my audience needs me to use completely different punctuation around a mute character. There’s no need to act like they’re speaking a different language since their muteness isn’t a focal point in the story.

So really this reader’s comment has done the complete opposite of what they intended. Now I’m actively taking out as many of my “hands flashed” notations as possible and just writing in normal body language because, clearly, the other characters understand them and my audience doesn’t need to be coddled.

[fanarchoslashivist]

As an HOH reader and writer I can affirm that once the signing has been established it can just be treated like “said”.

You can add little things for emphasis though, like how fast or flippant a sign is given, also a lot of our “punctuation” is in facial expressions, so wild looks is kind of normal. Also messing up signs and just.. pushing them aside. Like, you mess up a fingerspell and just take both hands and shove the air in front of you to your side, people who sign eventually end up doing this for other things, like a “forget it” motion. It’s like a “wave it off” gesture.

Body language for someone who signs is a lot more animated than someone who speaks, as we use our upper body a lot in our conversations, so the act of “signing” is more than just hand signals.

[caffeinewitchcraft]

Yes….yes GOOD this is the good stuff right here. I’m going to incorporate some of these ASAP ESPECIALLY the pushing the air but to clear it of your mistakes

[1000storyideas]

10 outline techniques for writers

With this post I listed 10 outline techniques to help writes move their story from a basic idea to a complete set of arcs, plots, sequences and/or scenes. Or to simply expand whatever you have in hands right now.

If you have a vague story idea or a detailed one, this post is for you to both discover and organize. A few technique will work perfectly. A few won’t. Your mission is to find the one that works best for you. That said, I advice you to try out as many techniques as possible.

So, are you ready? Open your notebook, or your digital document, and let’s start.

1. Snowflake method: Start with a one-sentence description of the novel. Then, develop this simple phrase into a paragraph. Your next step is to write a one-page summary based on the paragraph, you can write about characters, motivations, goals, plots, options, whatever you feel like. From this point on, you can either start your book or expand the one-page summary into four pages. And, at last, four pages into a brief description of known sequences of scenes. Your goal is to make the story more and more complex as you add information, much like a forming snowflake.  

2. Chapter by chapter: List ten to twenty chapters, give each chapter a tittle and a brief description of what should happen. Then, break each chapter into three to five basic sequences of scenes. Give each sequence a title, a brief description and a short list of possibilities (possibilities of dialogues, scenarios, outcomes, moods, feelings… just play around with possibilities). From this point on, you can either create the scenes of sequences with a one-sentence description for each or jump straight to writing. Your goal is to shift from the big picture to a detail-oriented point of view.

3. Script: This might sound crazy, but, with this technique, you will write the screenplay of your story as if it’s a movie. No strings attached to creative writing, just plain actions and dialogues with basic information. Writing a script will take time, maybe months, but it will also enlighten your project like no other technique. Your goal is to create a cinematic view of your story. How to write a script here. 

4. Free writing: No rules, no format, no step, just grab a pen or prepare your fingers to write down whatever idea that comes up. Think of possibilities, characters, places, quests, journeys, evolutions, symbolisms, fears, good moments, bad moments, clothing, appearances. Complete five to ten pages. Or even more. The more you write, the more you will unravel. You can even doodle, or paste images. Your mission is to explore freely.

5. Tag: This technique is ideal if you have just a vague idea of the story. Start by listing ten to fifteen tags related to the story. Under each tag, create possible plots. And, under each plot, create possible scenes. Grab a red felt pen and circle plots and scenes that sparkle your interest.

6.  Eight-point arc: With this technique you will divide your story into eight stages. They are Stasis, Trigger, Quest, Surprise, Critical Choice, Climax, Reversal and Resolution. The Stasis is the every-day-life of your main character. Trigger is an event that will change the every-day-life of your character (for better or for worse). Quest is a period of your main characters trying to find a new balance, a new every-day-life (because we all love a good routine). Surprise will take your character away from their new found every-day-life. Critical Choice is a point of no return, a dilemma, your character will have to make the hardest decision out of two outcomes, both equally important. Climax is the critical choice put to practice. Reversal is the consequence of the climax, or how the characters evolved. Resolution is the return to a new (or old) every-day-life, a (maybe everlasting) balance.

7. Reverse: Write down a description of how your story ends, what happens to your characters and to those around them. Make it as detailed as possible. Then, move up to the climax, write a short scenario for the highest point of your story. From there, build all the way back to the beginning. 

8. Zigzag: Draw a zigzag with as many up and downs as you want. Every up represents your main character moving closer to their goal. Every down represents your main character moving further from their goal. Fill in your zigzag with sequences that will take your character closer and farther from the goal.

9. Listing: The focus of this technique is exploring new ideas when your story feels empty, short or stagnated. You’ll, basically make lists. Make a long list of plot ideas. Make another list of places and settings. Make a list of elements. And a list of possible characters. Maybe a list of book titles. Or a list of interesting scenes. A list of bad things that could happen inside this universe. A list of good things. A list of symbolism. A list of visual inspiration. A list of absurd ideas you’ll probably never use. Then, gather all this material and circle the good items. Try to organize them into a timeline.

10. Character-driven: Create a character. Don’t worry about anything else. Just think of a character, their appearance and style. Give them a name. Give them a basic personality. Give them a backstory. Develop their personality based on the backstory. Now, give this character a story that mirrors their backstory (maybe a way to overcome the past, or to grow, or to revenge, or to restore). Based on your character’s personality, come up with a few scenes to drive their story from beginning to end. Now, do the same thing for the antagonist and secondary characters.

So, when is it time to stop outlining and start writing?

This is your call. Some writers need as many details as they can get, some need just an basic plot to use as a North. Just remember, an outline is not a strict format, you can and you will improvise along the way. The most important is being comfortable with your story, exploring new ideas, expanding old concepts and, maybe, changing your mind many times. There’s no right or wrong, just follow your intuition.  

[sycretsside]

So I just started my short story writing class! These are dialogue tips

[lady-feral]

reference later

[revenblue]

“unless you have a good reason to do otherwise” (that specific phrase) is possibly the most useful tip here imo.

And I say that as someone who encourages #6 (action beats) wherever possible to dodge dialogue tags so #5 (using “said”) doesn’t get too grating, someone whose biggest writing regret is phonetic spelling (the reason for #9), and someone who loves unreliable narrators and thus wholeheartedly supports #4.

These tips are good, they’ll make a good solid foundation for writing and that’s always a good thing, but there’s no reason to stick to any of it if the story would be better served otherwise. You can do anything if you have a good enough excuse. (Although as with anything moderation is key. Less is more, etc.)

Also: for the purposes of paragraphing, action beats (such as sighs, shrugs, etc) count as pseudo-dialogue. They’re communication, like dialogue is communication, and if you keep all a character’s communication to the one paragraph things tend to be much clearer.

[plasticdynasty]

Character Questionnaire

Here is a detailed character meme to fill in! (If you’re stuck on some of the questions, check the prompts here.)

Full name

[name here]

Preferred name/nickname

[name here]

Generally referred to as

[name here]

Appearance.

FACECLAIM: [Do you have a faceclaim for your character?] SEX: [Is their anatomy male, female, or other? Was this always the case?] HEIGHT: [how tall/short are they?] WEIGHT: [how heavy/light are they?] BUILD: [Thin? Fat? Bulky? Muscular? Toned? etc] HAIR: [describe their hair, is it long or short? Soft or course? Do they style it a certain way? Do they dye it?] SKIN: [What colour is their skin? Is it rough or smooth? Is it soft or hard? Note: feel free to change this to fur/scales etc if that’s more appropriate for your character!] EYES: [What colour are their eyes? Do they have a distinctive sparkle or do they look kind of dull and tired? Long or short eyelashes? Eye bags? Wrinkles? Hooded lids?] MOUTH: [Big mouth or small? Plump lips or thin lips? Perfect white teeth or crooked, gappy ones?] NOSE: [Big or little? Pointy or bulbousy? Huge, cavernous nostrils or teeny little ones?] HANDS: [Big or small? Manicured fingernails? Claws? Wrinkles? Visible veins? Bony knuckles? Or smooth skin and soft features?] FEET: [Big or small? Bony or plump? Trimmed toenails? Claws?] SCARS: [Any visible scars?] CLOTHES: [What is their clothing style?] OTHER FEATURES: [Optional for non-human characters, or human characters with uncommon features] OTHER NOTEABLE FEATURES: [Optional - anything you need to mention that isn’t covered by the above.]

Speech.

VOICECLAIM: [For those without faceclaims - do you have a voiceclaim for your character?] ACCENT: [Do they have an accent?] VERBAL TICKS: [Any verbal ticks? Such as a tendency to stutter, repeat themselves, stumble over their words, etc.] LANGUAGE: [What language(s) do they speak? If more than one, are they fluent in all these languages?] ARTICULATION: [Do they tend to be good at explaining things, or can they be clumsy with words when trying to explain something?] EDUCATION: [Do they tend to use a lot of long words? Do they ever show off about how many big words they use? Or do they prefer to use short, simple language?] LAUGHTER: [What is their laugh like? Do they laugh a lot, or not very often?] GRUMP: [Do they ever grumble, sneer, or grunt about things?] BREATHING: [Do they tend to gasp, sigh, humph or sniff at things?]

Mannerisms.

FACE: [Do they have an expressive face? Do they show their emotions in their face? Or do they tend to have a poker face most of the time?] HANDS: [Do they make a lot of hand gestures? What kind of gestures do they use?] LEGS/FEET: [Do they tap their feet or jiggle their leg?] EMOTIONAL OUTBURSTS: [Are they prone to these? Do they tend to cry or yell when they’re upset, or laugh and jump about when they’re happy?] HABITS: [Do they have any habits, like humming or singing or fidgeting or fiddling?] POSTURE: [Do they usually stand straight and to attention, or do they tend to slump? Does their posture change with their mood? How does it change?] WALKING POSTURE: [How do they walk? Do they skip gleefully along, do they march like a soldier, do they slump their shoulders and stomp around?] SITTING POSTURE: [How do they like to sit? Cross legged? Slouched? Feet apart or together?] PERSONAL SPACE: [Do they like to maintain a personal bubble, or does it bother them when people get in their personal space? Do they tend to be respecful of others’ personal space?] SPACIAL AWARENESS: [Are they good at noticing what’s around their physical space? Or do they tend to be clumsy and bump into things?] OTHER: [Optional - anything not covered by the above.]

Health:

DIET: [What do they like to eat? Do they have a healthy, well-balanced diet? Do they eat a lot of junk food? Or do they sometimes forget to eat?] SLEEP: [Do they sleep a lot? Or not a lot? Do they go to bed late, or do they sleep early and get up early? Are they prone to nightmares or strange dreams?] EXERCISE: [Do they work out a lot? Too much, not enough, or just right?] ACTIVITY: [Do they tend to work hard and exhaust themselves? Or are they pretty lazy? Or somewhere in between?] CLEANLINESS: [Do they bathe regularly? Are they meticulous about washing?] ODOUR: [Do they have any particular body odour (good or bad)?] MEDICINAL DRUGS: [Any medicinal drugs taken?] NARCOTICS: [Any recreational drugs taken?] ADDICTIONS: [Any physical addictions?] ILLNESS: [Any physical ailments?] INJURIES: [Any injuries that never completely healed, and still cause trouble?] PARASITES: [Do they have fleas or any other parasites?] OTHER: [Optional - anything not covered by the above.]

Personal.

INTROVERT/EXTROVERT?: [Is your character one of these? How does that manifest in their life?] OPTIMIST/PESSIMIST: [Which of these are they? Or are they in between?] GENDER: [What is the character’s gender, if any? Do they feel that their gender matches their anatomy?] SEXUALITY: [What type of person do they feel sexual attraction for, if any? Do they have a preference for one sex/gender in particular? Do they prefer their own race/species, or another? Is their any type of person they absolutely would NOT want to get into bed with? Or do they have no preference?] ROMANTIC: [Are they inclined towards romance? Do they enjoy lots of romance, a little, or do they prefer no romance at all? Do they see themselves married with kids one day, or would they prefer to be alone?] MEMORY: [Do they have a good memory? Or are they forgetful? Are they good at remembering certain things and not others?] PLANNING: [Are they good at planning? Do they spend a lot of time planning or do they tend to leap right into things?] PENSIVE: [Do they spend a lot of time thinking over their actions, their life, their problems, etc?] INTUITION: [Are they good at making the right decisions, or at figuring things out from minimal clues?] PROBLEM SOLVING: [Are they good at dealing with puzzles and problems?] GOALS: [What is their main goal in life? Do they have any short-term goals?] INSECURITIES: [Is there anything they are insecure about? Do they hide their insecurities well? Do they affect the way they live their life?] ACHIEVEMENTS: [Anything they’re especially proud of?] ANXIETY: [What, if anything, causes the character to feel anxiety?] OVERWHELMED: [Do they ever feel like things are just too much?] SELF-HELP: [How do they deal with their life problems?] COMFORTS: [What helps the character to feel comfortable and happy?] BAD HABITS: [Do they have any bad habits?] PHILOSOPHY: [Do they have any religious or philosophical beliefs? What are they?] TRIGGERS: [Do they have any triggers?]

The Past.

PARENTS/GUARDIANS: [Did they have a good relationship with their parents while they were growing up?] SCHOOL: [Did they do well at school, or did they struggle?] ADOLESCENCE: [How did puberty go? Was it a hard change? What was particularly hard (or easy) about it?] LEAVING HOME: [What was it like for them leaving home for the first time? What prompted them to move out of the home they grew up in?] FURTHER EDUCATION: [Did they go to college? University? What did they study, and how well did they do?] FIRST JOB: [What was their first job? Did they enjoy it?] LIFE EVENTS: [Did they have any important life events that affected the route their life took? This could be something traumatic or it could be something pleasant like graduating with good grades.] WORST DAY OF THEIR LIFE: [What happened?] BEST DAY OF THEIR LIFE: [What happened?] LESSONS: [What are the most important things they have learned through experience?] LOOKING BACK: [If they could re-play their life and do something differently, what would they do?]

Relationships.

FAMILY: [Who, if anyone, does the character consider their family? Are these blood relatives? And do they have a good relationship with their family?] FRIENDSHIPS: [Do they have lots of friends, or just one or two close friends? What do they look for in a friend?] FRIENDS IN NEED: [How do they help a friend who is going through hard times? Do they offer advice and support, or do they feel uncomfortable, not knowing what to say?] NEEDING A FRIEND: [Do they tend to go to friends when they need help and support? Or do they deal with their problems on their own? Do their friends ever worry about them?] ANNOYANCES: [How do they deal with arguments and disagreements with friends or partner?] ROMANCE: [If applicable: how do they woo a potential partner? What do they look for in a potential partner?] MARITAL PROBLEMS: [How do they deal with problems in their love life? Do they talk it through with their partner? Or do they bury their head in the sand?] ADVERSARIES: [What would turn them off a friendship or romance?] ENEMIES: [What would make them hate someone enough to call them an enemy?] STRANGERS: [Do they tend to be respectful to strangers, or are they careless towards anyone who they don’t consider a friend?] FUN STUFF: [What kind of things do they like doing with a friend?] DATING: [What kind of things to they like doing with a romantic partner?] BEST FRIEND: [If applicable - who do they consider their best friend?] LOVE: [If applicable - who do they consider to be the love of their life?] WORST ENEMY: [If applicable - who do they consider to be their worst enemy?] RESPECT: [Do they respect their enemies, even if they don’t like them? Is there anyone they disrespect? Why?]

Interactions.

MINGLING: [Do they get along well with others, in general? Or are they bad at making new friends?] COMFORT LEVELS: [Do they feel comfortable talking to people? What might others do that could make them uncomfortable?] PHYSICAL: [Do they tend to be touchy-feely? Do they hug people or pat them on the back> Or do they prefer not to touch anyone?] GROUPS: [Are the comfortable in a big group? Or do they prefer to spend time with just one or two people?] OPENNESS: [Do they tend to open up easily? Or does it take them a while to open up to someone?] GENEROSITY: [Do they like to buy gifts and treats for others? Would they be willing to lend money to a friend? How do they feel about people buying gifts for them?] JEALOUSY: [What might make them feel jealous towards somebody else? Is there anyone they are jealous of, or have been jealous of in the past? How do they deal with jealousy?] TEMPER: [Are they easily worked up or do they have a lot of patience?] EMPATHY: [Are they able to empathise with another person’s feelings? Or do they tend to be clumsy and put their foot in it? Or do they just not care who they hurt?] AFFECTION: [How do they show affection for others?] DISTASTE: [How do they show that they dislike someone?] ETIQUETTE: [Do they tend to stick to the polite norms of social situations, or can they sometimes be rude or inappropriate?] RESPONSIBILITY: [Do they admit when they’re wrong? If they make a mistake, do they try to correct it?] SELF ESTEEM: [Do they tend to stick up for themselves or do they let others push them around? Why?] CONFIDENCE: [Do they care what others think of them?] HONESTY: [Do they always speak their thoughts honestly? Or will they keep things private if they feel that it might upset someone?] LEADER OR FOLLOWER: [Which one are they? Or are they neither?] PARTY TRICKS: [Do they have any special skills or talents that impress other people and gain them praise?] PRAISE: [Are they comfortable accepting compliments?] FAILURES: [Is there anything they do that makes people annoyed or irritated?] CRITICISM: [How do they take criticism?] INSULTS: [How do they take insults?] EMBARRASSMENT: [Are they easily embarrassed? How do they handle embarrassment?] FLIRTING: [Are they flirtatious? Why?] ATTENTION SPAN: [Are they able to concentrate on lots of things? Can they hold their concentration well? Or are they easily distracted?] SITUATIONS: [Are they good at dealing with difficult social situations? Such as an argument or someone getting upset?]

Life.

CAREER: [Do they have a career? Are they good at it and do they like it?] PROMOTION: [Are they hoping to advance their career?] BOSS: [Do they have a good relationship with their boss?] DUTY: [What kind of responsibilities do they have?] TECH: [Are they good with modern technology or do they prefer not to tough a computer?] POLITICS: [Do they have strong political opinions? How to they show their support/opposition for their leaders? Do they vote?] COMBAT SKILLS: [Can they fight and defend themselves?] HOME: [How do they like to keep their home and their personal space? Are they messy or organized?] DAILY LIFE: [Do they cope well with day-to-day or do they tend to feel out of their depth?] INDEPENDENCE: [Can they get on well by themselves? Or do they sometimes need help dealing with things like bills and bank accounts?] COOKING: [Can they cook?] BUILDING: [Can they put together an item of furniture or do basic DIY?] CLEANING: [Do they keep their home clean and tidy? Do they always do their chores?] SHOPPING: [Do they like to shop? Or do they prefer to only go to the store when absolutely necessary? Are they prone to impulsive buying or do they shop sensibly?] DRIVING: [Can they drive, or operate any vehicle?] FINANCES: [Are they in a good position financially? Are they good at taking care of their bank account? Do they usually pay their bills on time?] MARRIAGE: [Are they married? Do they plan on getting married? If so, how do they plan on spending their life with their partner?] KIDS: [Do they have or want kids?] PETS: [Do they have or want pets?] DEPENDANTS: [Do they have anyone to look after, such as an elderly relative or a sick friend?] LAW: [Have they ever done anything illegal? What was it?] COURT: [Have they ever been in court? Why? And what was the verdict?] PRISON: [Have they ever been in prison?] TRAVELLING: [Have they ever been on holiday, or would they like to?] MEDICAL: [Do they go to the doctor/dentist when they need to? Or are they afraid of going to see the doctor?] ILLNESS: [Do they have any mental illnesses that affect the way they live their life?] WORRIES: [Is there anything that keeps them awake at night?] PEACE: [Do they like peace and quiet? Or do they prefer always to listen to the radio or playing their favourite songs?] PARTYING: [Do they go out partying a lot? Or do they prefer to stay in?] HOBBIES: [Anything they enjoy doing in their spare time?]

[anomalously-written]

Let's Talk About: Minor Character Development

“Creating one interesting character is hard enough — but when it comes to writing a whole novel or series of books, you have to create dozens of them. How can you keep your supporting cast from seeming like cookie-cutter people? There’s no easy answer, but a few tricks might help you create minor characters who don’t feel too minor.” [x]

10 Secrets to Creating Unforgettable Supporting Characters

Give them at lease one defining characteristic. “…lots of people have one or two habits that you notice the first time you meet them, that stand out in your mind even after you learn more about them.”

Give them an origin story. “…Your main character doesn’t necessarily need an origin story, because you’ve got the whole book to explain who he/she is and what he/she is about. But a supporting character? You get a paragraph or five, to explain the formative experience that made her become the person she is, and possibly how she got whatever skills or powers she possesses.”

Make sure they talk in a distinctive fashion. “…you still have to make sure your characters don’t all talk the same. Some of them talk in nothing but short sentences, others in nothing but long, rolling statements full of subordinate clauses and random digressions. Or you might have a character who always follows one long sentence with three short ones.“ ”…One dirty shortcut is to hear the voice of a particular actor or famous person in your head, as one character talks.“

Avoid making them paragons of virtue, or authorial stand-ins. ”…People who have no flaws are automatically boring, and thus forgettable.“ ”…Any character who has foibles, or bad habits, or destructive urges, will always stand out more than one who is pure and wonderful in all ways. And nobody will believe that you’ve chosen to identify yourself, as the author, with someone who’s so messed up. (Because of course, you are a perfect human being, with no flaws of your own.)“

Anchor them to a particular place. ”…A huge part of making a supporting character “pop” is placing her somewhere. Give her a haunt — some place she hangs out a lot. A tavern, a bar, an engine room, a barracks, a dog track, wherever. It works both ways — by anchoring a character in a particular location, you make both the character and the location feel more real.“

Introduce them twice — the first time in the background, the second in the foreground. ”…You mention a character in passing: “And Crazy Harriet was there too, chewing on her catweed like always.” And you say more about them. And then later, the next time we see that character, you give more information or detail, like where she scores her catweed from. The reader will barely remember that you mentioned the character the first time — but it’s in the back of the reader’s mind, and there’s a little “ping” of identification.“

Focus on what they mean to your protagonists ”…What does this minor character mean to your hero? What role does he fulfill? What does your hero want or need from Randolph the Grifter? If you know what your hero finds memorable about Randolph, then you’re a long ways towards finding what your readers will remember, too.“

Give them an arc — or the illusion of one. ”… You can create the appearance of an arc by establishing that a character feels a particular way — and then, a couple hundred pages later, you mention that now the character feels a different way.“ ”…A minor character who changes in some way is automatically more interesting than one who remains constant…“

The more minor the character, the more caricature-like they may have to be. ”…This one is debatable — you may be a deft enough author that you can create a hundred characters, all of whom are fully fleshed out, well-rounded human beings with full inner lives.“ ”…some writing styles simply can’t support or abide cartoony minor characters. But for your third ensign, who appears for a grand total of two pages, on page 147 and page 398, you may have to go for cartoony if you want him to live in the reader’s mind as anything other than a piece of scenery.“

Decide which supporting characters you’ll allow to be forgettable after all. ”…And this is probably inevitable. You only have so much energy, and your readers only have so much mental space. Plus, if 100 supporting characters are all vivid and colorful and people your readers want to go bowling with, then your story runs the risk of seeming overwritten and garish.Sometimes you need to resign yourself to the notion that some characters are going to be extras, or that they’re literally going to fulfill a plot function without having any personality to speak of. It’s a major sacrifice they’re making, subsuming their personality for the sake of the major players’ glory.“

Keep reading

[scriptmedic]

Writing Tips: 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Injuring Your Characters

Writing Tips: 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Injuring Your Characters

I Wrote a Thing! 

This post is hosted on the website of the absolutely lovely Joanna Penn. If you don’t know her work, she’s an absolute genius in the self-publishing realm and one of my personal heroes. Her blog and podcast are both immeasurably helpful in turning from a writer into an author, and I owe much of the success of ScriptMedic to her wisdom. 

This is personally something I had doubted I could achieve, and I’m extremely proud and happy to see my work on her blog! Give it a click! 

xoxo, Aunt Scripty

[oliviapaigewrites-deactivated20]

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ONE! Don’t ignore this in your writing!

[sheikofthesheikah]

Injury angst for writing dummies.

Hospitals and injury are always such a staple of angst fics, but 9 times out of 10 the author has clearly never been in an emergency situation and the scenes always come off as over-dramatized and completely unbelievable. So here’s a crash course on hospital life and emergencies for people who want authenticity. By someone who spends 85% of her time in a hospital. 

Emergency Departments/Ambulances.

Lights and sirens are usually reserved for the actively dying. Unless the person is receiving CPR, having a prolonged seizure or has an obstructed airway, the ambulance is not going to have lights and sirens blaring. I have, however, seen an ambulance throw their lights on just so they can get back to the station faster once. Fuckers made me late for work.

Defibrillators don’t do that. You know, that. People don’t go flying off the bed when they get shocked. But we do scream “CLEAR!!” before we shock the patient. Makes it fun.

A broken limb, surprisingly, is not a high priority for emergency personnel. Not unless said break is open and displaced enough that blood isn’t reaching a limb. And usually when it’s that bad, the person will have other injuries to go with it.

Visitors are not generally allowed to visit a patient who is unstable. Not even family. It’s far more likely that the family will be stuck outside settling in for a good long wait until they get the bad news or the marginally better news. Unless it’s a child. But if you’re writing dying children in your fics for the angst factor, I question you sir. 

Unstable means ‘not quite actively dying, but getting there’. A broken limb, again, is not unstable. Someone who came off their motorbike at 40mph and threw themselves across the bitumen is. 

CPR is rarely successful if someone needs it outside of hospital. And it is hard fucking work. Unless someone nearby is certified in advanced life support, someone who needs CPR is probably halfway down the golden tunnel moving towards the light. 

Emergency personnel ask questions. A lot of questions. So many fucking questions. They don’t just take their next victim and rush off behind the big white doors into the unknown with just a vague ‘WHAT HAPPENED? SHE HIT HER HEAD?? DON’T WORRY SIR!!!’ They’re going to get the sir and ask him so many questions about what happened that he’s going to go cross eyed. And then he’s going to have to repeat it to the doctor. And then the ICU consultant. And the police probably. 

In a trauma situation (aka multiple injuries (aka car accident, motorbike accident, falling off a cliff, falling off a horse, having a piano land on their head idfk you get the idea)) there are a lot of people involved. A lot. I can’t be fucked to go through them all, but there’s at least four doctors, the paramedics, five or six nurses, radiographers, surgeons, ICU consultants, students, and any other specialities that might be needed (midwives, neonatal transport, critical retrieval teams etc etc etc). There ain’t gonna be room to breathe almost when it comes to keeping someone alive.

Emergency departments are a life of their own so you should probably do a bit of research into what might happen to your character if they present there with some kind of illness or injury before you go ahead and scribble it down.

Wards

Nurses run them. No seriously. The patient will see the doctor for five minutes in their day. The nurse will do the rest. Unless the patient codes.

There is never a defibrillator just sitting nearby if a patient codes. 

And we don’t defibrillate every single code. 

If the code does need a defibrillator, they need CPR.

And ICU. 

They shouldn’t be on a ward. 

There are other people who work there too. Physiotherapists will always see patients who need rehab after breaking a limb. Usually legs, because they need to be shown how to use crutches properly.

Wards are separated depending on what the patient’s needs are. Hospitals aren’t separated into ICU, ER and Ward. It’s usually orthopaedic, cardiac, neuro, paediatric, maternity, neonatal ICU, gen surg, short stay surg, geriatric, palliative…figure out where your patient is gonna be. The care they get is different depending on where they are.

ICU.

A patient is only in ICU if they’re at risk of active dying. I swear to god if I see one more broken limb going into ICU in a fic to rank up the angst factor I’m gonna shit. It doesn’t happen. Stop being lazy. 

Tubed patients can be awake. True story. They can communicate too. Usually by writing, since having a dirty great tube down the windpipe tends to impede ones ability to talk. 

The nursing care is 1:1 on an intubated patient. Awake or not, the nurse is not gonna leave that room. No, not even to give your stricken lover a chance to say goodbye in private. There is no privacy. Honestly, that nurse has probably seen it all before anyway. 

ICU isn’t just reserved for intubated patients either. Major surgeries sometimes go here post-op to get intensive care before they’re stepped down. And by major I mean like, grandpa joe is getting his bladder removed because it’s full of cancer. 

Palliative patients and patients who are terminal will not go to ICU. Not unless they became terminally ill after hitting ICU. Usually those ones are unexpected deaths. Someone suffering from a long, slow, gradually life draining illness will probably go to a general ward for end of life care. They don’t need the kind of intensive care an ICU provides because…well..they’re not going to get it??

Operations.

No one gets rushed to theatre for a broken limb. Please stop. They can wait for several days before they get surgery on it. 

Honestly? No one gets ‘rushed’ to theatre at all. Not unless they are, again, actively dying, and surgery is needed to stop them from actively dying. 

Except emergency caesarians. Them babies will always get priority over old mate with the broken hip. A kid stuck in a birth canal and at risk of death by pelvis is a tad more urgent than a gall stone. And the midwives will run. I’ve never seen anyone run as fast as a midwife with a labouring woman on the bed heading to theatres for an emergency caesar.

Surgery doesn’t take as long as you think it does. Repairing a broken limb? Two hours, maybe three tops. Including time spent in recovery. Burst appendix? Half an hour on the table max, maybe an hour in recovery. Caesarian? Forty minutes or so. Major surgeries (organs like kidneys, liver and heart transplants, and major bowel surgeries) take longer. 

You’re never going to see the theatre nurses. Ever. They’re like their own little community of fabled myth who get to come to work in their sweatpants and only deal with unconscious people. It’s the ward nurse who does the pick up and drop offs. 

Anyway there’s probably way, way more that I’m forgetting to add but this is getting too long to keep writing shit. The moral of the story is do some research so you don’t look like an idiot when you’re writing your characters getting injured or having to be in hospital. It’s not Greys Anatomy in the real world and the angst isn’t going to be any more intense just because you’re writing shit like it is. 

Peace up.

[shittor]

Ya hear that, Buckley? Loss.jpeg ain’t realistic.

[sheikofthesheikah]

of all the additions and replies on this post so far this is by far my fave.

[bold-sartorial-statement]

Thumbs up for this from your friendly neighbourhood physician. (Also, I did mostly emergency care for a few years before switching to radiology. I got the adrenaline junking out of my body before settling down.)

[clucku]

One correction from someone who spent almost a decade working in an ambulance across two states: it is required by law to have your lights on if there is a patient in your rig. Now, this might be a state-by-state law IDK, but in both states I worked in, it was the case. You reserve sirens for Serious Shit because, guess what, they stress out the patient, so unless your patient is crashing in the back of your rig, you don’t run a continuous siren. You are, however, once again required by law to turn on the siren briefly while approaching and driving through stop signs or red lights. (You will also use your siren briefly to get idiots in front of you to move over when you’re stuck in traffic and have a patient whose condition can escalate.)

Also, unrelated to the lights and sirens issue, lemme add a detail about us asking a lot of questions. If you want verisimilitude in your story, remember SAMPLE:

Signs and symptoms

Allergies

Medications

Past illness/injury/disease

Last food, drink, and medication taken

Events leading up to the injury or illness

These are the questions EMTs are trained to ask every patient, though they rarely end up coming out in that order. Also, you can totally add a W to that, which is inevitably “Why did you wait so long to call us?” *sighs forever*

And for some more basic on-scene emergency care, remember CABC: C-spine, Airway, Breathing, Circulation. This time, actually in that order (except for cardiac arrest, in which case remember CAB: Compressions, Airway, Breathing). 

The long and short of CABC is: if the patient fell or was in a car accident or had any other potentially traumatic injury, start with stabilizing the C-spine (typically via cervical collar and head blocks and backboard), because if there is a fracture in the neck and you don’t manage it and end up severing the spinal cord that high up, your patient’s probably going to die, and if not, will probably be paralyzed from the neck down. 

Once C-spine is stable, make sure the patient’s airway is clear (this includes both foreign obstruction and the patient’s own tongue). Yes sometimes this actually involves sticking your finger in their throat to clear shit out, and yes it’s gross. It also means positioning an unconscious patient’s head in a certain way (assuming there is no chance of C-spine damage) to keep the airway open. EMTs also carry little plastic hook things called oropharyngeal airways in a bunch of sizes that keep the patient’s tongue from blocking their airway. And of course if needs be you can intubate, although this is not a skill EMTs have (paramedics do, though, and in some states there’s a certification called EMT-I [the I for intermediate] that also teaches that skill). If someone’s just come across an unconscious person and doesn’t have an airway to use, and you’re sure their C-spine is fine, you can roll them onto their left side and gently curl them; that’ll help keep the airway clear and also helps the heart pump blood a little more efficiently than if you’d rolled them onto their right side. 

Anyway, once the airway’s secure, you move on to making sure the patient is actually breathing. If they’re not, you do it for them with an ambu bag. If they are but are struggling, or aren’t struggling but may for any reason potentially go into shock or have compromised circulation (broken leg, high fever, etc.), you give them supplemental oxygen, typically through a nonrebreather mask, though the flow rate depends on their symptoms. 

Okay so once we’ve secured the patient’s C-spine, airway, and breathing, only then do we worry about circulation (unless the patient’s in cardiac arrest, remember, in which case we secure circulation first). Which in the case of trauma is generally first aid for serious open wounds and preventing or treating shock, and in the case of medical issues may be getting an ECG reading or administering medication or, if the patient does go into cardiac arrest, chest compressions and defibrillation.

Okay, that’s the end of the CABCs, but you’ll note that in the last para I said treating serious open wounds. Because a minor open wound is going to wait until after the next step after the CABCs, which is a full-body assessment wherein we meticulously assess a trauma patient using palpation from, basically, head to toe, looking for broken bones, soft tissue damage, internal bleeding, etc. Some of those things can be pretty serious, so before we treat a shallow cut, we check for, like, broken ribs that might puncture a lung.

So obviously not all of these things happen all the time. A patient presenting with an asthma attack needs neither a full-body assessment nor C-spine and circulation management. So we just jump straight to airway and breathing and forego the rest. (And then ask anyone with them our SAMPLE questions if the patient is too distressed to speak, because we still need those answers, but also if the patient is too distressed to speak you can bet we’re asking their companion in the back of a moving ambulance.)

Sometimes you spend a Long Fucking Time at a scene, either because the patient is resisting transport (this happens a lot, especially with the uninsured; we stick around and do everything we can to help them while simultaneously trying to encourage them to go to the ER anyway), or because the patient’s trapped in a smashed car and we’ve got to cut the door off and peel the roof back and get a cervical collar and a backboard on the patient while they’re still in the damn driver’s seat and lemme tell you that is a goddamn game of Jenga and can take half an hour, or because the patient isn’t critical but you want to minimize discomfort and damage so you take the time to meticulously package them while also getting all your questions answered on scene to make sure you haven’t missed anything, or because … well, you get the point. Sometimes shit just takes forever.

Other times, we do what’s called a scoop-and-go, typically with patients in critical conditions that can’t really be managed without surgery or medications we don’t carry. Like, patient bleeding out while giving birth? Not a whole lot we can do about that, so we get them in the rig as fast as fucking possible and race to the hospital while trying to get the most critical questions answered. These kinds of situations are very rare, though; it’s much more common to be on scene for 15 or 30 minutes than 5 minutes. 

OH AND, another thing. Listen. EMTs do not approach a scene that is not secured. If there’s an active shooter, or a hostage situation, or a raging fire, or a potential for something to explode (or for something that’s already exploded to collapse), or a flash flood, or a hazardous materials spill, or whatever else, we do not go in until the unstable situation has been resolved. It sucks waiting 100 yards away while a critical patient is maybe dying and you can’t get to them yet, but listen, the first thing they teach you is don’t make new patients. IOW, don’t become a victim yourself; you can’t help anyone if you get wounded in the crisis too, and in fact then you’ve just become an additional burden on the personnel remaining.

Okay, so, any questions?

[scriptmedic]

ALL OF THIS. With one exception to what @rachelhaimowitz added, which is: 

I’ve never heard of the lights-must-be-on rule. It’s gotta be one or a few specific states. Generally speaking, lights and sirens increase accident rates, and most states are actively trying to REDUCE their use, not increase them, but I don’t know where she lives, so that’s accurate in her part of the country (I’m assuming the US). But it’s inaccurate in most of the country. 

xoxo, Aunt Scripty

[caffeinewitchcraft]

So I love everything about this post and had to throw in my two cents!

So I work in a real crowded city and, luckily, I don’t need to go lights and sirens since I’m primarily non-emergency. But in the few times I’ve had to make that decision, I tend towards not using lights/sirens or at least not sirens.

Because once you turn those suckers on, drivers become unpredictable as fuck. They freeze, they slow, they swerve, at least one car is guaranteed to move to the left instead of the right.

I drive safer and get to a hospital faster when I go with the flow as much as possible and am able to predict what the cars around me will do.

Secondly, i used a scale called OPQRST which I use to quantify pain.

Onset (were you hit? Why pain?) Provocation (does it fade? Heighten?) Quality (dull or sharp?) Radiation (Where?Does it move?) Severity (pain scale) Time (how long has it been going on?)

If you ever want to heighten the drama and imply something is seriously wrong in your fic, try something like this:

EMT: so what happened? Where does it hurt? Bystander: X and X happened and got hit in the stomach really hard! Patient: ow! My right shoulder hurts! EMT: Fuck.

Referred pain is usually a sign of internal damage to an organ. In this case I’d be thinking there’s something bad with the liver, but I don’t really go further than the “fuck” before loading up and heading out.

[1000storyideas]

Ambient sounds for writers

Find the right place to write your novel… 

Nature

Arctic ocean

Blizzard in village

Blizzard in pine forest

Blizzard from cave

Blizzard in road

Beach

Cave

Ocean storm

Ocean rocks with rain

River campfire

Forest in the morning

Forest at night

Forest creek

Rainforest creek

Rain on roof window

Rain on tarp tent

Rain on metal roof

Rain on window

Rain on pool

Rain on car at night

Seaside storm

Swamp at night

Sandstorm

Thunderstorm

Underwater

Wasteland

Winter creek

Winter wind

Winter wind in forest

Howling wind

Places

Barn with rain

Coffee shop

Restaurant with costumers

Restaurant with few costumers

Factory

Highway

Garden

Garden with pond and waterfall

Fireplace in log living room

Office 

Call center

Street market

Study room from victorian house with rain

Trailer with rain

Tent with rain

Jacuzzi with rain

Temple

Temple in afternoon

Server room

Fishing dock

Windmill

War

Fictional places

Chloe’s room (Life is Strange)

Blackwell dorm (Life is Strange)

Two Whales Diner (Life is Strange)

Star Wars apartment (Star Wars)

Star Wars penthouse (Star Wars)

Tatooine (Star Wars)

Coruscant with rain (Star Wars)

Yoda’s hut with rain ( Star Wars)

Luke’s home (Star Wars)

Death Star hangar (Star wars)

Blade Runner city (Blade Runner)

Askaban prison (Harry Potter)

Hogwarts library with rain (Harry Potter)

Ravenclaw tower (Harry Potter)

Hufflepuff common room (Harry Potter)

Slytherin common room (Harry Potter)

Gryffindor common room (Harry Potter)

Hagrid’s hut (Harry Potter)

Hobbit-hole house (The Hobbit)

Diamond City (Fallout 4)

Cloud City beach (Bioshock)

Founding Fathers Garden (Bioshock)

Things

Dishwasher

Washing machine

Fireplace

Transportation

Boat engine room

Cruising boat

Train ride

Train ride in the rain

Train station

Plane trip

Private jet cabin

Airplane cabin

Airport lobby

First class jet

Sailboat

Submarine

Historical

Fireplace in medieval tavern

Medieval town

Medieval docks

Medieval city

Pirate ship in tropical port

Ship on rough sea

Ship cabin

Ship sleeping quarter

Titanic first class dining room

Old west saloon

Sci-fi

Spaceship bedroom

Space station

Cyberpunk tearoom

Cyberpunk street with rain

Futuristic server room

Futuristic apartment with typing

Futuristic rooftop garden 

Steampunk balcony rain

Post-apocalyptic

Harbor with rain

City with rain

City ruins turned swamp

Rusty sewers

Train station

Lighthouse

Horror

Haunted mansion

Haunted road to tavern

Halloween

Stormy night

Asylum

Creepy forest

Cornfield

World

New York

Paris

Paris bistro

Tokyo street

Chinese hotel lobby

Asian street at nightfall

Asian night market

Cantonese restaurant

Coffee shop in Japan

Coffee shop in Paris

Coffee shop in Korea

British library

Trips, rides and walkings

Trondheim - Bodø

Amsterdam - Brussels

Glasgow - Edinburgh

Oxford - Marylebone

Seoul - Busan

Gangneung - Yeongju

Hiroshima

Tokyo metro

Osaka - Kyoto

Osaka - Kobe

London

São Paulo

Seoul

Tokyo

Bangkok

Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)

Alps

New York

Hong Kong

Taipei

[guysimbeingfollowed]

Beautiful

[queerenbian-deactivated20190515]

@icanneverbesatisfied @maybe-mikala I HAVE FOUND THE ULTIMATE RESOURCE

[icanneverbesatisfied]

I LOVE YOU FOR THIS

[queerenbian-deactivated20190515]

HONESTLY I CAN DIE HAPPY NOW

[writtenhallows]

Echoed In The Eyes

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6409114/chapters/14672104

Fandom: BBC Sherlock

Chapter: 1/?

Rating: Teen & Up

Category: Sherlock/John

Additional Tags: Vampire AU, Vampire!Sherlock, Human!John, Genderbend, Fem!Sherlock, Fem!John

Summary: Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson work on a rather peculiar case. Vampires, all from different backgrounds, suddenly go rogue and kill as many humans as they can before they too drop dead. As the case grows more complex, so does the relationship between these two women. The question is, will the case find resolve before they do, or will it consume them?

[writtenhallows]

Makin’ My Way Down- Holy Shit Is That A Knife? by Long_Time_QT

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Word Count: 1519

Rating: Gen

Category: Stiles Stilinski/ Derek Hale (preslash)

Summary: Stiles' jeep breaks down late at night and Stiles thinks it can't get any worse until he feels a knife pressing against his throat. Cue Derek to the rescue!

[writtenhallows]

Weigh You Down by Long_Time_QT

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Word Count: 1550

Rating: Gen

Category: Stiles Stilinski/ Derek Hale

Summary: "This had gone on for far too long. Derek tried kicking, tried moving his arms. His movements were pathetic, sluggish, and utterly weak. He’d never be able to keep himself above water alone, but at this rate they’d both drown anyway." Or what would have happened if Scott was a little late to the swim meet.

[writtenhallows]

The Norwood Bewilderment by Long_Time_QT

Fandom: BBC Sherlock

Word Count: 4128

Rating: Gen

Category: Sherlock Holmes/ John Watson

Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, DI Lestrade, Sally Donovan

Summary: Sherlock was strangely quiet for the cab ride home, and John wasn’t about to break the oppressive silence before they reached the privacy of their own flat. Instead, he went over the moment in his head, playing it on repeat. There was no mistaking it. They had definitely and irrefutably kissed. Or rather, Sherlock had kissed John. But it was a kiss nonetheless. A sudden, passionate, heat-of-the-moment kiss. And he’d liked it.

Additional Tags: Asexual John Watson, Norwood Builder Inspired, Love Confessions, Asexuality

[writtenhallows]

Unexpected by Long_Time_QT

Fandom: BBC Sherlock

Word Count: 571

Rating: Gen

Category: Gen

Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson

Summary: Sherlock Holmes was a highly unusual man in many ways. Growing up, he never quite “fit in” with his schoolmates. Whether it was annoying them with his general abrasiveness or telling them things about themselves they didn’t want to hear, something deterred his peers from associating with him. And when strange things happened around him, well. While magic had its convenience, Sherlock inevitably found himself drawn back to the muggle world. He embraced the solitude imposed upon him and took solace in it behind his icy exterior. He was alone, but not lonely. And it worked for him. Then something changed. Something he never expected to happen, without warning, did.

[writtenhallows]

First Meeting by Long_Time_QT

Fandom: BBC Sherlock

Word Count: 907

Rating: Gen

Summary: Anderson wants to work with Sherlock, but things don't go according to plan. Or, how I imagine Sherlock and Anderson would have met for the first time since watching the promo for series three

Setting: Pre Season/Series 1, New Scotland Yard

[writtenhallows]

 “Stay Away From Sherlock Holmes” by Long_Time_QT

Fandom: BBC Sherlock

Word Count: 531

Rating: Gen

Published: 2013-11-06

Summary: Sally isn’t a bad person, she just worries.

Setting: Study in Pink, First Meeting