Written Hastily

Aspiring Author No clue what I’m doing just writing the gayest stuff.

[writerswritecompany]

Being a writer by @OfficiallyAlly

[samantha-evergreen]

[missdibley]

[modernsuperhero]

the rubber duck

[arsonistblue]

For anyone curious what they mean by the rubber duck, rubber duck debugging is a tactic used by programmers to figure out bugs in the code. To do it, they explain the code, verbally, line by line, to the rubber duck until they find it. 

It’s also very useful for writers, and I’ve used it multiple times with rubber ducks, stuffed animals, and my friends.

[wheelybard]

When you are writing and you write a part you hadn’t planned.

[sarahtaylorgibson]

Writing a novel when you imagine all you stories in film format is hard because there’s really no written equivalent of “lens flare” or “slow motion montage backed by Gregorian choir”

[audacityinblack]

You can get the same effect of a lens flare with close-detail descriptions, combined with breaks to new paragraphs.

Your slow-motion montage backed by a Gregorian choir can be done with a few technques that all involve repetition.

First is epizeuxis, the repeating of a word for emphasis.

Example:

Falling. Falling. Falling. There was nothing to keep Marie from plunging into the rolling river below. She could only hope for a miracle now, that she would come out alive somehow despite a twenty-foot drop into five-foot-deep water.

Then there’s anaphora, where you write a number of phrases with the same words at the beginning.

There were still mages out there living in terror of shining steel armor emblazoned with the Sword of Mercy.

There were still mages out there being forced by desperation into the clutches of demons.

There were mages out there being threatened with Tranquility as punishment for their disobedience, and the threats were being made good upon.

Mages who had attempted to flee, but knew nothing of the outside world and were forced to return to their prison out of need for sustenance and shelter.

Mages who only desired to find the families they were torn from.

Mages who only wanted to see the sun.

This kind of repetition effectively slows the pace of your writing and puts the focus on that small scene. That’s where you get your slow pan. The same repetition also has a subtle musicality to it depending on the words you use. That’s where you get the same vibe as you might get from a Gregorian choir.

[sarahtaylorgibson]

Damn I made relatable reblog- bait post and writer Tumblr went hard with it. This is legitimately very good advice. 

[ariaste]

For more neat tricks (aka figures of rhetoric) like epizeuxis and anaphora, read THE ELEMENTS OF ELOQUENCE by Mark Forsyth. It’s both educational and delightful, not to mention overflowing with wry wit. Great book. 

[just-a-jumbled-writer]

Holy shit.

[shiraglassman]

These sound like techniques for making prose have more in common with poetry, or even with music. I just put the book on hold at the library!

[writtenhastily]

Put on these glasses— feel more like a writer

[inky-duchess]

[inky-duchess]

A Day in the Life: Royalty

I get asked what a King or Queen went through on a daily basis. The answer is often a hard one as there are many different time periods to consider. I have narrowed down as best I can using the Medieval/Renaissance, the 18th Century and the 19th/20th century.

Kings/Sovereign

The King or Sovereign (its usually the same set up for a Queen Regnant, literally swap pronouns) would have a packed day ahead of them both personally and politically.

●A Mediaeval/Renaissance King would be roused from bed early by his gentleman and dressed for the day ahead. He would do some praying (though Henry VIII spent his praying time doing papers in his private box in the Chapel) and then have breakfast. Then he would either go hunting (a favourite pastime) or he would do some state business, meeting councillors, signing papers and meeting ambassadors and petitioners. Then when that was done, they would go visit their wives or mistresses (depending on the kind of man your King is). In the evenings he would dine and attend the court festivities.

●The 18th century King would be awoken as part of a performance. He would be roused by his courtiers and then dressed by them. When he was dressed and ready to go, the King would have breakfast, pray and then go about his hunting or his ruling (really Kings could be idle things). His day would be strictly regimented. It was said that any courier at Versailles knew exactly where their king was by the time. He would then go to supper, again before a large crowd or courtiers. In the evening he would attend the salons gambling or dancing or he would party with his mistresses in his private chambers.

●A 19th/20th century King would be awoken by a servant and then dressed. He would have breakfast usually with his family. He would then go about his state business  meeting councillors, signing papers and meeting ambassadors and petitioners. He would call into see his wife and kids before persuing his hobbies such as drawing or music. Nicholas II was fond of walking and outdoor pursuits. In the evening, he would attend supper with his family or before the court. If he chose to throw a court gathering, he would attend with his Queen.

Queen

The Queen is the wife of a sovereign (though this can be substituted for a guy) and had a less busy day than the sovereign.

●The Medieval/Renaissance Queen would rise late in the morning after their ladies who would awaken her early. Queens would dress and attend a religious ceremony (if there is one) as it was good to be pious. They would then have breakfast. The Medieval/Renaissance Queen would then visit their children if they live with them. They give charity to the poor and do charity work such as sewing shirts. Queens would likely hold court in their rooms, listening to court problems such as steward's accounts and greeting ambassadors. The would rest in the evenings listening to music, poetry or practise their dancung and go hunting. Queens will most likely change gowns before dinner and then sit at their husband's side. They would attend balls and entertainments. They then go to bed with their ladies to prepare for their next day.

●The 18th Century Queen would be awoken later by her ladies. She would suffer through a public dressing ceremony with her ladies and courtiers in attendance. She would go to religious ceremonies and then have breakfast before the court. She would spend her evenings with her ladies playing cards, gossiping and generally chilling. Most queens got very obese in this period as gowns were incredibly large and it wasn't seemly to exercise. They were couch potatoes for the most part. In the evenings, Queen's would publicly eat supper with their husband and then attend the court's goings on playing cards and dancing.

●The 19th century/20th century Queen would awaken early enough, not so late as their previous counterparts. They would dress and have breakfast, sometimes alone or with ladies or their children (children were raised with their mothers at this period). They would spend their evenings drawing, writing letters, sewing, card games and riding. They would usually spend time with their female relatives in the afternoon, going to visit them if they lived nearby. At the nights, they would attend balls and gatherings or if they wanted a quiet night which was far more frequent they would spend evenings with friends and family enjoying music or playing salon games.

Princess

Princesses live a charmed and privileged life in grand palaces that we can only dream of. However most princesses face a life of a regimental daily routine.

●A mediaeval/renaissance princess would likely rise very early to attend a prayer service. She would have her ladies dress her and she may even take a walk before breakfast. A mediaeval/renaissance princess would have lessons very early in the morning covering a wide range of subjects from religion to dancing.The mediaeval/renaissance princess would spend the afternoon with more enjoyable pursuits. She would do charity works, embroider, read and walk with her ladies. She would spend her evenings attending court festivities such as dancing and feasting. Princesses younger than fourteen would likeky not join in this for they were too young but older Princesses would be encouraged to join in at court gatherings as it was a chance for them to meet suitors and ambassadors.

●An 18th Century Princess would have risen later and had less regimental routine than the Medieval Princess but a more public one. The etiquette of Versailles had this ridiculous routine of the court crowding about the Dauphine (wife of the heir) and watching her ladies prepare her for the day. They would watch her get dressed (only ladies may view this), eat her breakfast and get her makeup and hair done. The 18th Century Princess would spend their afternoons doing something entertaining. They would play cards, gossip, sew, walk in the gardens and visit other female relatives. Their evenings would be filled with much of the same gossiping, dancing and gambling though they would watch the King eat his supper, standing around him as he ate. A princess at Versailles would be subjected to an evening with a public dinner before thousands, games of cards, gossip and dancing that could last well past midnight.

●More modern princesses (19th century) would have woken earlier than the previous century but not as early as the Renaissance princesses. They would bathe, dress and go to prayers before sitting down for a morning of lessons or to have breakfast. The 19th century princess would likely spend the afternoon having tea, playing lawn games, riding, going for carriage rides and other artistic pursuits. Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Louise was an avid sculptor and loved her work even if nobody else approved. Their nights usually were reserved on an every day basis, spent in drawing rooms with family. Older princesses would be allowed to attend court gatherings, entertainments and balls where young princesses, under fourteen or so, would likely be sent to bed early. A quiet night would entail of piano playing and reading. If there was a ball, she would attend and dance with the society.

Prince

We sort of expect Princes to have a more privileged than their sisters but they often had a far more a regimental daily routine.

●A Mediaeval/Renaissance Prince would rise early and be dressed by his servants. He would go pray, eat breakfast and then attend lessons with tutors and masters at arms. In the afternoons he would hunt and hawk, usually spending time outside with his companions. In the evening, he would attend supper with his household or his parents if he was at court. If he is older than twelve, he would stay up to attend the dancing and festivities.

●An 18th century Prince would get out of bed and be dressed before a selection of courtiers. He would be given breakfast and then attend lessons. The afternoon allowed him to go riding or hunting or if he wished it, he could chill indoors with the court or his companions. He would attend supper with his parents if he lives at court or with his household and siblings if not. He would then play cards, drink, dally with the court ladies and dance.

●The 19th/20th century Prince would be awoken and then given breakfast. He would attend his lessons and then when that was finished the afternoon was his to do with. He would dine with his parents and attend family gatherings. If court gatherings and balls occurred, he would be there.

[sandydragon1]

Tips for Writing Healthy Romantic Relationships

Don’t base them exclusively on physical and/or sexual attraction. While these kinds of attraction can certainly strengthen relationships, they can’t create anything but a weak foundation for a relationship on their own.

Know how your characters like to show and be shown affection. Not everyone shows their interest in others the same way. Some people like to give gifts. Others like to cuddle. Still others like giving compliments. Different people like to receive different kinds of affection as well. 

Remember that love at first sight is a myth. You can have lust at first sight and romantic interest at first sight, but true love takes time to develop.

Show the characters interacting and getting to know each other. This should be obvious, but it is all to common for a character to be given a love interest at the last minute or to be paired off with someone the reader hasn’t seen them interact with much. Remember, the reader doesn’t have to see every little thing they do together, but the relationship will feel forced to the reader if they don’t see the characters interacting and establishing that they genuinely care about each other in a significant way. If the reader views your character’s significant other as little more than a stranger, then you’re doing something wrong.

Have both characters do things for each other and contribute to the relationship in meaningful ways. Relationships are two way streets. While you don’t need to keep score of exactly who does what for who (Relationships are not a competitive sport!), the relationship should seem fairly balanced or, if it’s not, then the characters should be working to change that.

Don’t give your characters completely incompatible traits. While it’s healthy for people to differ from each other, there are some differences that even people that are otherwise perfect for each other probably can’t overcome. For example, a environmental activist would have a hard time having a healthy relationship with someone who wants to chop dow a forest. Basically, know your characters’ deal breakers so that you won’t try to match up characters who are simply incompatible with each other.

Have them share interests. This is a great way to add substance to relationships outside of physical attraction and compatible personalities. Maybe they both like fishing. Maybe they share a passion for baking. Whatever you decide to have them like, don’t be afraid to use your characters’ shared interests as opportunities for them to bond. Also, if your characters don’t share a lot of interests/hobbies, consider having one character introduce the other to their hobby or have one character take initiative to try something the other likes. This is a great way to show how much your characters care about each other because it demonstrates your characters’ genuine interest in what makes their partner happy. 

Let the relationship experience at least a few bumps in the road. No relationships are perfect. Let your characters disagree, argue, and maybe even have a full on fight. Relationships that withstand obstacles seem stronger to readers, especially if the characters grow as people because of these hardships. 

[inky-duchess]

[er-cryptid]

Limits of the Human Body

Body Heat = 107.6 F

Cold Water = 40 F

Hot Air = 300 F

High Altitude = 15,000 ft

Starvation = 45 days

Diving Depth = 282 ft

Lack of Oxygen = 11 minutes

Blood Loss = 40%

Dehydration = 7 days

[meanpear-deactivated20241004]

Writers finding this post:

[a-casual-egg]

Thank you

[hessys-corner]

Europeans about half of this post:

[nanaccused]

Body Heat = 42 C

Cold Water = 4 C

Hot Air = 148 C

High Altitude = 4572m

Starvation = 45 days

Diving Depth = 390m

Lack Of Oxygen = 11 minutes

Blood Loss = 40%

Dehydration = 7 days

[edwin-payne-enthusiast]

Europeans seeing this version of this post:

[isabellestone]

Me: Wow, my novel is going so well!

Writing tip: Your writing will be more engaging if you do this!

Me: Damn, that’s really helpful. I can make that change.

Writing tip: Every book needs a ___!

Me, sweating: I guess I could add that too.

Writing tip: Do you do ___ in your novel? Don’t!

Me, yelling: Yeah, sure, why don’t I just start from scratch cos my draft is TRASH.

Me: *Dramatically throws manuscript in the bin*

Me: *Fishes it out and lies on the floor hugging it as I cry*

Me, whispering: I’m so sorry. I love you really. 

[aron-has-ocs]

Writing tip: If you’re having fun with your story then you don’t have to change it for every little tip given to you.

Do: appreciate all those great tips out there to help you write well

Don’t: try to incorporate every one into your story because you feel you need to

[isabellestone]

This was a reminder I dearly needed 💛

[bostoneris]

This depends STATE BY STATE (or town by town), so check out your own state's rules. As for everywhere, only poll workers are banned from this, and people holding up signs for candidates have to be a certain distance from the building.

[ace-aro-queerplatonic-positivity]

[Image Description:

A Screenshot of a public Facebook-Textpost by “Sandy and Richard Riccardi”.

This word of caution is from someone who has worked the polls a lot in the past: More and more I’m seeing women announcing they will be voting with shirts, buttons, masks or hats that say “Ruth Send Me”, or something similar. [Transcriptor Annotation: the late Supremecourt Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. /End of Annotation.] Remember: political messages aren’t allowed in the polling place (that could include [Black Lives Matter] shirts, unfortunately.) Also unfortunately, messages can be interpreted by whoever is in charge. It could mean, in some cases, that a voter wearing a shirt they believe is political can be denied the right to vote after waiting in line for hours. Approach this election strategically and vote smarter and cleaner than ever have before. Understand that the other side will do what it takes to advance their agenda. We need to vote in record numbers. But we need to vote smart. We can wear that wonderful “Ruth send me” shirt or mask when we get home, and raise a glass in her memory. Please copy, or paraphrase, and share with the groups you are members of, as appropriate. Help spread the word so that every vote counts! We all know what’s at stake. Do not throw away your shot. [Transcriptor Annotation: four emojis follow the text, the Peace-Symbol, a red heart, a rooster, paw prints. /End Annotation. /End of Image Transcription.]

[al-the-grammar-geek]

Thank you for the image description!

[knottahooker]

I remember a story of someone having trouble at the polls because they were wearing a Stark/Rogers (as in Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, the very fictional people) so BE CAREFUL. 

[kodigriffinofficial20]

Very good advice for both the writer and the critiquer.

[archived-aquiniawrites-deactiva]

Thought it might be useful: a list of some novels with an average number of chapters & word count per chapter. source

[heywriters]

I always think of Holes when I consider chapter thing. At least one if not more chapters were just one sentence, and at ten I thought that was the coolest thing.

[writingadvice1]

60 Awesome Search Engines for Serious Writers

[referenceforwriters]

Finding the information you need as a writer shouldn’t be a chore. Luckily, there are plenty of search engines out there that are designed to help you at any stage of the process, from coming up with great ideas to finding a publisher to get your work into print. Both writers still in college and those on their way to professional success will appreciate this list of useful search applications that are great from making writing a little easier and more efficient.

Professional

Find other writers, publishers and ways to market your work through these searchable databases and search engines.

Litscene: Use this search engine to search through thousands of writers and literary projects, and add your own as well.

Thinkers.net: Get a boost in your creativity with some assistance from this site.

PoeWar: Whether you need help with your career or your writing, this site is full of great searchable articles.

Publisher’s Catalogues: Try out this site to search through the catalogs and names of thousands of publishers.

Edit Red: Through this site you can showcase your own work and search through work by others, as well as find helpful FAQ’s on writing.

Writersdock: Search through this site for help with your writing, find jobs and join other writers in discussions.

PoetrySoup: If you want to find some inspirational poetry, this site is a great resource.

Booksie.com: Here, you can search through a wide range of self-published books.

One Stop Write Shop: Use this tool to search through the writings of hundreds of other amateur writers.

Writer’s Cafe: Check out this online writer’s forum to find and share creative works.

Literary Marketplace: Need to know something about the publishing industry? Use this search tool to find the information you need now.

Writing

These helpful tools will help you along in the writing process.

WriteSearch: This search engine focuses exclusively on sites devoted to reading and writing to deliver its results.

The Burry Man Writers Center: Find a wealth of writing resources on this searchable site.

Writing.com: This fully-featured site makes it possible to find information both fun and serious about the craft of writing.

Purdue OWL: Need a little instruction on your writing? This tool from Purdue University can help.

Writing Forums: Search through these writing forums to find answers to your writing issues.

Research

Try out these tools to get your writing research done in a snap.

Google Scholar: With this specialized search engine from Google, you’ll only get reliable, academic results for your searches.

WorldCat: If you need a book from the library, try out this tool. It’ll search and find the closest location.

Scirus: Find great scientific articles and publications through this search engine.

OpenLibrary: If you don’t have time to run to a brick-and-mortar library, this online tool can still help you find books you can use.

Online Journals Search Engine: Try out this search engine to find free online journal articles.

All Academic: This search engine focuses on returning highly academic, reliable resources.

LOC Ask a Librarian: Search through the questions on this site to find helpful answers about the holdings at the Library of Congress.

Encylcopedia.com: This search engine can help you find basic encyclopedia articles.

Clusty: If you’re searching for a topic to write on, this search engine with clustered results can help get your creative juices flowing.

Intute: Here you’ll find a British search engine that delivers carefully chosen results from academia.

AllExperts: Have a question? Ask the experts on this site or search through the existing answers.

Reference

Need to look up a quote or a fact? These search tools make it simple.

Writer’s Web Search Engine: This search engine is a great place to find reference information on how to write well.

Bloomsbury Magazine Research Centre: You’ll find numerous resources on publications, authors and more through this search engine.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus: Make sure you’re using words correctly and can come up with alternatives with the help of this tool.

References.net: Find all the reference material you could ever need through this search engine.

Quotes.net: If you need a quote, try searching for one by topic or by author on this site.

Literary Encyclopedia: Look up any famous book or author in this search tool.

Acronym Finder: Not sure what a particular acronym means? Look it up here.

Bartleby: Through Bartleby, you can find a wide range of quotes from famous thinkers, writers and celebrities.

Wikipedia.com: Just about anything and everything you could want to look up is found on this site.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Find all the great philosophers you could want to reference in this online tool.

Niche Writers

If you’re focusing on writing in a particular niche, these tools can be a big help.

PubGene: Those working in sci-fi or medical writing will appreciate this database of genes, biological terms and organisms.

GoPubMd: You’ll find all kinds of science and medical search results here.

Jayde: Looking for a business? Try out this search tool.

Zibb: No matter what kind of business you need to find out more about, this tool will find the information.

TechWeb: Do a little tech research using this news site and search engine.

Google Trends: Try out this tool to find out what people are talking about.

Godchecker: Doing a little work on ancient gods and goddesses? This tool can help you make sure you have your information straight.

Healia: Find a wide range of health topics and information by using this site.

Sci-Fi Search: Those working on sci-fi can search through relevant sites to make sure their ideas are original.

Books

Find your own work and inspirational tomes from others by using these search engines.

Literature Classics: This search tool makes it easy to find the free and famous books you want to look through.

InLibris: This search engine provides one of the largest directories of literary resources on the web.

SHARP Web: Using this tool, you can search through the information on the history of reading and publishing.

AllReaders: See what kind of reviews books you admire got with this search engine.

BookFinder: No matter what book you’re looking for you’re bound to find it here.

ReadPrint: Search through this site for access to thousands of free books.

Google Book Search: Search through the content of thousands upon thousands of books here, some of which is free to use.

Indie Store Finder: If you want to support the little guy, this tool makes it simple to find an independent bookseller in your neck of the woods.

Blogging

For web writing, these tools can be a big help.

Technorati: This site makes it possible to search through millions of blogs for both larger topics and individual posts.

Google Blog Search: Using this specialized Google search engine, you can search through the content of blogs all over the web.

Domain Search: Looking for a place to start your own blog? This search tool will let you know what’s out there.

OpinMind: Try out this blog search tool to find opinion focused blogs.

IceRocket: Here you’ll find a real-time blog search engine so you’ll get the latest news and posts out there.

PubSub: This search tool scours sites like Twitter and Friendfeed to find the topics people are talking about most every day.

[writerswritecompany]

Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language

We are always told to use body language in our writing. Sometimes, it’s easier said than written. I decided to create these cheat sheets to help you show a character’s state of mind. Obviously, a character may exhibit a number of these behaviours. For example, he may be shocked and angry, or shocked and happy. Use these combinations as needed.

by Amanda Patterson