RanDom

Nada , 21 , cancer/anime /ainana/yoi /diahell /memes/Coldplay/MM/black butler/my english sucks:')/2 lazy 4 life /I also make amv's ... well ... they kinda suck /lololol

[drawingden]

How to Paint Light by jonhuangart

[writingquestionsanswered]

Any tips for writing dialogue that feels real? A lot of the stuff I’ve been trying to write feels clunky and forced.

Why Your Dialogue Feels Inauthentic and Clunky

1 - You Haven't Developed Your Character Voices

Character voice is the way your character's personality comes out in the things they think and say. It's how little or often they speak, whether they're concise or wordy, it's the slang and types of words they use, it's speech quirks like saying "um" or "uh" a lot, it's bad habits like interrupting people, the facial expressions and hand gestures/body language they use when they speak, how things like attitude/knowledge/beliefs affect what they say, and even things like tone of voice and accent. Having a good handle on who your characters are and how that affects what they say when they talk is the first crucial step in writing smooth, authentic dialogue.

2 - You've Got Too Much Dialogue or Not Enough

Good stories are a balance between exposition (explaining), action (things happening), and dialogue (conversation.) That doesn't mean it has to be an even three-way split, but you generally wouldn't want to have a 50/30/20 split, for example. When your dialogue gets lost in the exposition and action, it stands out like a sore thumb when it does occur, and all that attention and pressure on these occasional conversation can make them feel naturally awkward. And when your dialogue overwhelms the exposition and action, there's just so much of it, the awkwardness comes from the sense that these characters never shut-up. So, try to have a reasonable balance of dialogue to action and exposition in every scene, chapter, and the overall story to whatever degree is possible. Again, that doesn't mean you can't have an occasional scene or chapter that's light or heavy on dialogue--as long as it's reasonably balanced overall, it's fine.

3 - Your Characters Are Too Long-Winded

Good dialogue is direct... every line plays a role in furthering the purpose of the conversation, promoting character development, or adding to the reader's understanding of the situation or setting. There are no throwaway lines and no unnecessary soliloquies. Everything is communicated in the fewest words possible--within reason. Your characters don't need to sound like they're speaking in code. They just don't need to spend two paragraphs to communicate that it's snowing.

4 - You're Trying Too Hard to Be "Realistic"

When writing dialogue, it can be tempting to render it out the way we hear it and speak it in real life. So we're tempted to add a lot of pauses, trailing off moments, interruptions, interjections (things like um/ah/hmm/huh/gah/what?!/OMG!) And, perhaps worst of all, over using strange spellings and dropped letters to render accents and speech disability (see: Writing Character Slang and Accents.) While you can do these things sparingly/thoughtfully, you have to be careful about overdoing it in the name of realism, because too much of this stuff actually does the opposite and makes your dialogue feel unauthentic.

5 - You've Got a Couple of "Talking Heads"

When dialogue is just a back and forth of lines, it comes across like a couple of floating heads having a conversation in an empty room. It doesn't feel realistic because in real life, we move our faces and bodies, interact with the environment and people around us, and we're aware of the sensory details of our surroundings. So, make sure to include all of that in your dialogue scenes, too.

AND THE #1 REASON - You're Repeating Dialogue Tags

One of the biggest reasons dialogue ends up sounding clunky and inauthentic is it's over-tagged...

"What time is it?" Jeff asked. "It's eleven," Sarah said.

Pam frowned. "Already?"

"Yep, we're super late," Sarah replied. "We should go."

Jeff laughed and said, "Yeah, we probably should"

It's clunky, it's awkward, it doesn't feel real... See my post Avoiding Repetition with Dialogue Tags for help in cutting back.

I hope that helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I've been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I've learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

Learn more about WQA

Visit my Master List of Top Posts

Go to ko-fi.com/wqa to buy me coffee or see my commissions

[thewriterswitch]

Quick Tips for Writing Interesting Villains

Give them relationships with other characters. Being a villain doesn’t mean they’re isolated

Give them their own set of morals

Give them something to care about

Consider the reasons why they want to hurt the protagonist

Remember that they are human

Don’t make them evil for the sake of being evil

Keep in mind that a villain doesn’t have to do every horrible thing imaginable

Not every villain was abused. Someone who was spoiled is just as, if not more, likely to lack empathy than someone who was abused

Consider how they rationalize their behavior (blame their victims, make excuses, believe that what they’re doing is right) if you need a reference for this kind of behavior, look at how Trump defends the horrible things he does

Give them a life outside of being a villain. Maybe your protagonist is going shopping and they run into their villain and the villain isn’t interested or up for a fight that day. This really depends on the story, though

Give them a past, present, or future relationship with the protagonist. Again, this depends on the story

Consider making your villain likable

Give the reader a reason to sympathize with them

[as-warm-as-choco]

A master post of Thomas Romain’s art tutorials.

There’s not enough space to post all of them, SO here’s links to everything he has posted (on twitter) so far : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. 

Now that new semesters have started, I thought people might need these. Enjoy your lessons!

[tinywitchdraws]

Anti-Aliasing in Clip Studio Paint

Okay, so today I want to talk about anti-aliasing in CSP because it’s kind of a lifesaver? 

But also I have a super hard time remembering how to do it or that it exists so here we go. 

Basically, anti-aliasing helps you color line art without going outside the lines. Here’s a gif of me coloring with my mouse so you can kind of get an idea of what it is we’re talkin’ about here: 

So how do we do that?

 First, select your line-art or sketch layer in the layer panel of CSP. Click on the little lighthouse icon at the top of the panel. When you click off there should be a little lighthouse on the side of your line-art layer! This icon means that is now a reference layer!

Step2:

Go into your brush settings and click Anti-overflow! Click “Do not exceed reference layer” to make it work, tweak the other settings till you’re happy. These are the settings I used in the example below to get a cleaner coloring style

Step 3: 

Add another normal layer below you line art! Make sure it’s selected and color away! Here’s what it looks like with the settings above:

[tinywitchdraws]

RIP me 

It should be anti-overflow in this tutorial, anti-aliasing is a totally different thing

>.<’’ sorry!!

[art-res]

Thanks for sharing!!!

[ildsjels]

not sure what should happen next in your story?

Embarrass your protagonist. Make them seem weak and vulnerable in some way.

Shoot someone. That always takes the reader by surprise. 

In relation, kidnap someone. Or, rather, make it seem to your protagonist like someone has been kidnapped. 

Have one of your side characters disappear or become unavailable for some reason. This will frustrate your protagonist.

Have someone kiss the wrong girl, boy, or person, especially if you’ve been setting up a romance angle. It’s annoying.

If this story involves parents, have them argue. Push the threat of divorce, even if you know it won’t ever happen. It’ll make your readers nervous.

Have someone frame your protagonist for a crime they didn’t commit. This could range from a dispute to a minor crime to a full-blown felony.

If this is a fantasy story involving magic or witchcraft, create a terrible accident that’s a direct result of their spell-casting. 

Injure your protagonist in some way, or push them into a treacherous scenario where they might not make it out alive. 

Have two side characters who are both close to the protagonist get into a literal fist-fight. This creates tension for the reader, especially if these characters are well-developed, because they won’t know who to root for.

Make your protagonist get lost somewhere (at night in the middle of town, in the woods, in someone else’s house, etc.) 

Involve a murder. It can be as in-depth and as important as you want it to be. 

Introduce a new character that seems to prey on your protagonist’s flaws and bring them out to light.

If it’s in-character, have one of your characters get drunk or take drugs. Show the fallout of that decision through your protagonist. 

Spread a rumor about your protagonist. 

If your protagonist is in high-school, create drama in the school atmosphere. A death of a student, even if your protagonist didn’t know them personally, changes the vibe. 

If your story involves children, have one of them do something dangerous (touch a hot stove, run out into the road, etc.) and show how the protagonist responds to this, even if the child isn’t related to them. 

In a fantasy story, toss out the idea of a rebellion or war between clans or villages (or whatever units you are working with). 

Add a scenario where your protagonist has to make a choice. We all have watched movies where we have screamed don’t go in there! at the top of our lungs at the main character. Make them go in there. 

Have your protagonist find something, even if they don’t understand the importance of it yet. A key, a document, an old stuffed animal, etc. 

Foreshadow later events in some way. (Need help? Ask me!)

Have your protagonist get involved in some sort of verbal altercation with someone else, even if they weren’t the one who started it. 

Let your protagonist get sick. No, but really, this happens in real life all the time and it’s rarely ever talked about in literature, unless it’s at its extremes. It could range from a common cold to pneumonia. Maybe they end up in the hospital because of it. Maybe they are unable to do that one thing (whatever that may be) because of it.

Have someone unexpected knock on your protagonist’s door. 

Introduce a character that takes immediate interest in your protagonist’s past, which might trigger a flashback.

Have your protagonist try to hide something from someone else and fail.

Formulate some sort of argument or dispute between your protagonist and their love interest to push them apart. 

Have your protagonist lose something of great value in their house and show their struggle to find it. This will frustrate the reader just as much as the protagonist.

Create a situation where your protagonist needs to sneak out in the middle of the night for some reason.

Prevent your character from getting home or to an important destination in some way (a car accident, a bad storm, flat tire, running out of gas, etc.)

[minervabellona69]

imma need this for when I’m stuck when I start Camp Nano

[ms-demeanor]

Hey before I forget again it’s going to be November soon, which means that computer manufacturers are going to start having their Black Friday sales soon.

If you’re a student or if you’re broke or if you’re just generally looking for the best time to get a computer it’s coming up quick.

Lenovo, Dell, and HP have pretty dang decent discounts available directly through their sites for much of November.

IN GENERAL if you’re looking for a computer and you’re trying to find a good price check out NewEgg’s open-box options and B&H Photo.

But now would be a really good time to start squirreling away cash if you’re going to look for computer sales next month.

[ms-demeanor]

FURTHER INFORMATION

So I work at a small MSP/computer reseller so here are some things you might not know about computer shopping

We expect laptops to have a lifespan of 3 years. Based on wear and tear and getting bashed around and opened and closed three years is a good baseline estimate of how long you can realistically expect a laptop to function really well. That doesn’t mean it’s going to fail in exactly three years (I’ve got functional laptops from 2005, 2012, and my current main laptop was purchased in 2015) but the likelihood of failure increases a lot after three years.

(this is part of the reason that I’m exceptionally leery of spending $2000 on a macbook air or whatever; there’s a reasonable possibility that in 3 years that laptop is going to break, so why not get a $600 laptop that will have the same functionality and expected lifespan?)

Things that fail on laptops after three years and how to fix them:

Hard drives - at around 3 years you’ll probably want to install a new hard drive because the wear and tear of constantly spinning is eventually just gonna kill it; an SSD will probably last longer but if an SSD fails there’s absolutely no chance of recovering data from it. Basically replace your hard drive at three years and and keep backups regardless of how old your drive is.

USB ports/power jacks - these fail because people plug things into them and pull things out of them and the actual component gets loosened from the perpetual use and isn’t making good contact with the motherboard. The solution to this is to be very gentle with your power jack (don’t yank the cable out, try to use it sparingly) and if you use a lot of USB devices to get a USB hub. (if you leave the hub plugged in while the device is stationary and only plug peripherals into the hub this will extend the life of the port) Never transport your laptop with the power cable plugged in or the USB ports full. Reparing a broken power jack or USB port involves removing the motherboard and resoldering the jack; it is MUCH more expensive than you think it will be.

Bezels/hinges - Plastic breaks. The only thing you can do to make these things last longer is to be gentle with your computer and avoid twisting the hinges or putting extra pressure on them. This is, again, something that will be more expensive for a shop to repair than you think it will because it’s going to involve totally disassembling the computer.

Keyboards - you may start losing keys at around 3 years. There’s no way to replace a single key, you have to replace the whole keyboard which involves, again, disassembling the whole computer. If you lose a key and can’t afford to replace a keyboard use an external keyboard; you can also use a USB external keyboard BEFORE you lose keys to minimize wear on your device.

Batteries - at around 3-5 years most laptop batteries will stop holding a charge and will need to be replaced. So I want you to make a pact with me, because I’m tired of tech companies fucking us over. REFUSE TO BUY LAPTOPS WITH BATTERIES THAT AREN’T USER-REPLACEABLE. It should take thirty seconds to replace a battery: flip the computer over, unlock the old battery, pop in the new one. If you have to disassemble your laptop to replace your battery you are getting screwed.

RAM - Your computer might start to seem a bit slow at about 3 years because it probably had a reasonable amount of RAM when you bought it but now programs use more resources so you’ll have to add more RAM to keep up. When you’re shopping for a laptop it’s great if there are two slots for RAM on the motherboard so you can easily add more later, but the MOST IMPORTANT THING about adding RAM is that you can’t do it if it’s soldered to the motherboard. RAM soldered to the motherboard is the same as batteries buried in the case. It’s not actually that helpful and it makes it much more difficult to repair your computer down the line.

Pretty much all of that is true of desktops as well, we just expect them to last about 5-7 years because they’re not getting knocked around as much. Fans fail more on desktops, in my experience, but that may be because heat stress problem on laptops isn’t from fan failure but from people blocking the vents (don’t use your laptop on a soft surface like a blanket or a pillow, it blocks the vents)

Also, when you’re buying a laptop look at the cost of extending the warranty to 3 years and adding drop protection - the drop protection is a REALLY good investment if you’re rough on hardware or have kids or pets that spend a lot of time around your computer.

[ferrousferrule]

I recently learned a lot of computers (PC not Mac) are now “safe start” meaning you can only download stuff from the Microsoft store. Not a big deal for a home computer, but for professional or student work, it may be a problem. Unfortunately, as far as we were told, the ones without safe start started at $5-600.

If I’m wrong I’m happy to hear it but I was literally just looking so I’m sharing what I learned.

[ms-demeanor]

OKAY so there are two possible reasons this could be happening; one is that sometimes the default on Windows 10 is to only allow you to download from the Windows store.

You fix it by going into your settings and into “apps and features” and changing it to the “download from anywhere” option. That looks like this:

The other possible reason is that you may have gotten a computer with Windows 10S installed instead of Windows 10 Pro or Home - 10S is supposed to be faster and smoother but basically it’s the “give this to grandma so she doesn’t install viruses” or “give this to your employees so they don’t download games” version of the OS.

Here’s Microsoft’s instructions on how to upgrade S to Pro or Home: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4456067/windows-10-switch-out-of-s-mode

[ms-demeanor]

ALSO:

For pretty much any kind of computer, printer, home appliance, car transmission, or cellphone there’s probably at least ONE video online about how to fix part of it.

If  you DO need to replace your battery or add RAM or swap in an SSD you should search for your model of computer and type of repair on youtube - something like “replace hard drive on Lenovo ThinkPad T450″ or “change battery in 2017 macbook” should get you to something helpful.

[ms-demeanor]

Reminder - it’s cheap computer season.

[jenroses]

On the 3 year thing… 

At the 3 year mark almost exactly, my laptop started randomly dying.

I started researching, and discovered that I could do the following:

1. Replace old hard drive with cloned SSD: absolutely seamless process that I followed a youtube video for and boom, perfect. 2. Maxed out the RAM from 12-16 gig. 3. VACUUMED anything that could possibly be vacuumed. NOT a blower, but a sucker. Dust accumulates in laptops and interferes with airflow and you get heat-related shutdowns from it. And it takes about 3 years to get intolerable. I did this with the laptop taken apart on a clean surface, with a hand-held vacuum wand.  I keep my 3 year old laptop mostly on a laptop stand, continually plugged in, good airflow, and when I game with it I put a USB desktop fan underneath to increase the air cooling.  All that together cost me about $200. Because the initial laptop outlay was for a good computer with a separate video card? It is likely to give me another 2-3 years of use, minimum, and the stats are are still pretty dang good. (i7 processor, 16g ram, 4 gig video card, 1 tb ssd hard drive) The speed boost from the SSD alone was astronomical, one of the biggest efficiency boosts I’ve seen from any new computer purchase, let alone upgrade.   I don’t often replace things in the USB ports–I have separate USB mouse and keyboard and don’t touch the keyboard often. I turned off the touch screen because it was doing bad things, and I don’t use the touch pad ever. So at this point the laptop has very few repetitive stress injury possibilities. I unplug it once a week to move it to the dining room table for a video call, and twice a year I take it to a convention. I’m not lugging it around daily.  Anyway. It is possible to breathe life into these things. @wheeloffortune-design    For writing in cafes and such? Skip the laptop.

Make sure your phone or tablet has google docs on it, and bluetooth.

Then get this: https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/multi-device-keyboard-k480

I got mine for $25 at Best Buy a month ago (quick google says $19.99 today). I can use it on up to 3 different devices with a little dial. I turn on bluetooth on my phone, set the dial to the appropriate number, and turn the keyboard on, and boom, typing in google docs on my phone. The keyboard doesn’t fold or have any ports. It has three little movable parts of which only really the on off button ever gets used for me. And it works. I wrote a good 30k of my last 50k on it. 

And for a cafe? It has just enough weight and a nice rubbery groove that you can prop your phone in it securely (like, I could type as a passenger on a bus secure.) 

And it’s $20. Google docs is cloud based so you can (and I do) easily switch back to a computer at home, If it gets broken or something? IT IS $20 and not your main device. It weighs less than my large laptop. It could EASILY hold up a kindle or tab.  Yes, I can touch type on it. 

Moreover, in typing mode, it takes a conscious act of will to change out of Google Docs mode, so fewer distractions. 

If I was willing to install Facebook messenger on my phone, I would probably never unmount the laptop from the stand again, but not even love of child will make me go back to messenger, I’ll take the wear and tear on the laptop. (if anyone is curious, my “resting spoonie computer station” is an adjustable bed ($300-ish) with a thick memory foam mattress ($350-ish) with my laptop mounted on a laptop wall-mount articulating arm so that I can keep my neck in a neutral position at eye level with the screen. I type on a K360 Logitech keyboard  which rests on my stomach or a pillow with my wrists in a super neutral position and my arms supported by pillows. One pillow has a dark green cover because that’s the color that the mouse seems to see best, and I’m using an upright “shark fin” type mouse by Jellycube to avoid wrist strain. When I headphone, I use skullcandy earbuds. So basically when I’m on the laptop, I’m lying on my back in a “zero G” position with a fancy travel pillow behind my neck and pillows surrounding me, so as to put minimal stress on joints and allow maximum blood flow to my legs and ease for my heart. This is a far better option than the reclining lift chair plus standing computer platform I used to use, comfort-wise. It’s usually great. I’ve dropped my computer on my face twice now.)

[feministism]

[drankinwatahmelin]

4. If the car pulls up to you run in the opposite direction.

5. Walk with your keys in your hands and keep a key between each finger

6. If they put you in the trunk kick out the headlights

7. If you get lost find a woman with a child. Never ask a man for help (this one was drilled)

[bando--grand-scamyon]

That scream fire piece of advice is literally life saving

[ghostspaceships-deactivated2019]

8. Watch your shadows and reflections, especially if someone is walking behind you. A split second notice is better than none and will help you.

[gaylittlepieceofsh1t]

Yes this last one really saves lives y'all I do it all the time

[uncleromeo]

girls have to learn to view the world like international intelligence agents just to be safe walking down the street. smh.

[heywriters]

9. if someone grabs you, especially if you’re on a bike, hit the ground, go limp, and/or hold onto the bike for dear life, anything to make yourself heavier and harder to carry

10. check under your car and in the backseat before getting close to your car to unlock it, especially at night

^ things I was taught as a child. Now for a tip I learned from two different kidnapping cases.

[11. Bite! One teen boy bit his kidnapper hard enough to injure him; he died but it helped them catch the guy. A little girl was locked in the backseat of her kidnapper’s vehicle, so she chewed and bit the plastic upholstery; she lived. Their dental impressions did the trick both times.]

[wordsnstuff]

I struggle with... Sitting down and staying focused. Some days I write for hours, but most days, I write 3 lines and can't seem to get more in for no reason apparent

This one is a tricky issue to solve, because in all honesty, no matter how many articles you read or motivational quotes you scroll through, you will never actually be productive unless you make yourself, and that’s the sad truth of writing. I do have some resources that may help you with this, though. 

I’m not sure where your sporadic writer’s block is coming from, but if you’re having a case of falling out of love with writing temporarily, here are some things for you:

Tips and Advice For Aspiring Writers, Authors, and Poets

How To Fall In Love With Writing

Why “Burnout” Is Okay - The Creativity Cycle

If you simply need some tips on staying motivated consistently, or at least staying productive and holding yourself accountable, here are some things that will help:

Beginning A Story And Sticking With It

How To Motivate Yourself To Write

Writing Through Mental Health Struggles

How To Actually Get Writing Done

Writing On A Schedule

Healthy Forms Of Motivation

How To Have A Productive Mindset

If you need some warm up inspiration, I usually find following a prompt when I’m stuck very helpful. Writing a hundred words on some prompt usually gets me into the zone with low pressure compared to actually getting my writing done.

Here are all of my one-off, daily prompts

~ Daily Writing Prompts

Here is my masterpost of prompt lists that may suit your fancy or help you get into the writing mood you need for a scene.

~ Prompt Lists Masterlist

Some playlists based on scene types for every scene mood:

Things To Listen To When You’re Working 

Writing Playlist // Spotify

Wordsnstuff’s Writing Playlist

Romantic Scenes

Resolution Scenes

Calm Scenes

Climax Scenes

Fun Montage Scenes

Angst Scenes

Fight Scenes

Epic Scenes

Chase Scenes

Sad Scenes

Here are some asks I’ve previously answered that are similar to yours:

Apps That Help You Focus

Falling Out Of Love With A Story You Want To Finish

How I Recommend Building Your Own Writing Playlists

Hope this helps. Happy writing!

If you enjoy my blog and wish for it to continue being updated frequently and for me to continue putting my energy toward answering your questions, please consider Buying Me A Coffee or supporting me on Patreon.

I’d also really appreciate it if you would check out my separate blog dedicated to my current work in progress, as well as my studyblr, which helps keep me motivated as a full time student.

[kaylewiswrites]

Can you hear your characters?

I have a whole lot of trouble making my dialogue sound natural if I don’t know what my characters sound like. Having a strong sense of their voice can help distinguish your characters from each other, show their personalities, and make them more engaging to readers. 

Here’s some details to think over if you’re trying to nail down a character’s voice:

Speed

Pitch

Volume

Accent

Vocabulary

Amount spoken

Willingness to speak

Stutters

Hesitations

Repetitions

Quirks 

Common phrases 

Other questions to ask:

Do their voices or the way they talk change depending on who they’re talking to or the situation they’re in? 

How can their personality come through their voice? Their sarcasm, empathy, awkwardness, etc. 

What in their backstory contributes to the way they talk? 

When they make a statement, how often does it come off as unsure or questioning, versus confident and factual? 

How does their voice relate or coexist with their body language? 

[iiwordsmithapprenticeii]

TEN possible REASONS why your SCENE feels FLAT

Excessive focus on one character

Lacking in descriptions or pointers about setting and time

Too much dialogue

Too much exposition

Bad word choice (this one never really ends, does it?)

Lacking atmosphere

Lacking motivation/goals

Lacking tension

An abnormally slow pacing

One active character and the rest being passive

[writingquestionsanswered]

MC is a spiteful person who holds people on a lot of double standards, based on whether she personally likes or dislikes someone. She is very partial in her pov. Can I trust my readers to understand that my morality didn't have a stroke and the character is just like that, or do I need to somehow clarify it in the story? I mean, from an external eye it is fairly obvious, but I know that some readers can get tricked by a close pov.

Making Sure Readers Don’t Confuse MC’s Morality with Yours

There are two things you should do to make sure readers don’t confuse your MC’s morality with your (the writer’s) morality...

1) Illustrate the Negative Consequences of Your MC’s Beliefs/Behavior.

If your MC is racist, for example, show the ways that racism harms people and the negative impact it has on society as a whole. By illustrating the things that are wrong about your character’s beliefs and behaviors, and by showing the sad reality of how those beliefs and behaviors harm people, you’re showing the reader that you don’t hold those beliefs or engage in those behaviors yourself--because if you were yourself racist, you wouldn’t care about the ways racism negatively impacts people, so you wouldn’t bother to include it in your story.

2) Have other characters hold the opposing belief/behave in a better way.

If your character has horrible attitudes toward the homeless, for example, make sure other characters in the story express sympathy and charity for the homeless. You may even wish to have other characters call your character out on their poor attitude/behavior and let them know what’s wrong with it. Once again, by doing this you illustrate that the problem is with the character, not with you as the writer.

I hope that helps!

————————————————————————————————- Have a question? My inbox is always open, but make sure to check through my FAQ and post master lists first to see if I’ve already answered a similar question. :)

[cubisticking]

I am sorry for the delay! I hope this will be helpful!

[autasticanna]

Facts that adults don’t tell you about bullying

- Communication doesn’t work on bullies. Telling a bully they’re making you feel bad is the wrong way to go. They want to make you feel bad. That’s the point.

- being kind to a bully doesn’t always mean they’ll stop. Sometimes it means they’ll just use your kindness to manipulate you while still continuing to bully you.

- not every bully has a sympathetically tragic home life. Sometimes people are just mean. Sometimes people just get off on hurting others.

- on that note, a tough home life is a reason, not an excuse. You don’t have to put up with bullying because somebody’s life sucks, just like you don’t have to let someone mug you because they’re broke.

- in order to forgive someone, they have to apologize first. If your bully has not apologized to you, you do not owe them anything.

- getting bullied as a kid can still mess you up in adult life. Maybe kids grow out of being bullies, but the marks they left often don’t go away.

- there are ways to get people to stop bullying you, but they almost all involve being mean back.

- as long as parents keep raising shitty bullying kids, there will be bullies. No amount of assemblies and hand-drawn posters will fix the problem. It’s the parents’ fault.

[thecaffeinebookwarrior-deactiva]

How to Get to Know Your Characters

@lourek asked:

Okay so it’s me again. I have a problem, cuz I really don’t know my characters?? And I’d like to get to know them. I know this might sound stupid, but do you have a masterpost about best ways to get to know your own characters or would you be willing to make one? I’ve noticed that all those “answer these questions” things are pretty useful. Thank you, I still worship you, good bye

Not a stupid question at all!  This is one of the most challenging and important parts of becoming a writer.  Getting to know someone takes time and effort, and characters are no exception. 

So without further ado, here are my go-to techniques for getting to know a character:

1.  Ask yourself these basic questions:

How old are they mentally/spiritually?  Do they have an old soul, or are they a perpetual kid at heart?  Does their personality not coincide with their physical age? 

What do they care about most in the world?  What would they die for?

What are their interests?  What books, movies, and shows do they read/watch religiously?  What do they geek out over?

What’s the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to them?  Have they told anyone?  If so, who?

On that note, what is one secret they’ve never told anyone?

What was their childhood like?  Was it happy?  Tragic?  Why or why not?

How many relationships do they have?  How have they affected them?

What is their greatest fear?  

What was the best thing that ever happened to them?

What was the worst thing that ever happened to them?

If you had to describe the character in one word, what is the first that comes to mind?

2.  Once that’s done, get nosy.

Empty their pockets, backpack, or purse.  Make a list of everything inside.  What do they always take with them?  Why?

Describe their bedroom.  Is it neat, or messy?  Is it minimalist?  Cluttered?  Are they neat, or messy by nature?  Is there any artwork on the wall, any posters?  Are there lots of books?  A TV?  Stuffed animals?  Be as detailed as you want to be, and think about why your character has these things and what they say about them.  

If they have one, describe their car.  What kind of car do they drive?  How does it correlate with their personality, their career?  Do they keep any photos of loved ones?  Are there lots of fast food containers?

We’ve already touched on this briefly, but think about their books.  Write down at least ten titles on their shelf.  Think about what genres they like, what authors, and why they might enjoy them. 

What kind of movie genres do they like?  What kind of TV shows?  Why do they enjoy them?  Do they have any guilty pleasures that they’d rather anyone not know about?  

Take a look inside their closet.  What kind of clothes do they wear?  What’s their style?  Can they afford the clothes they’d actually like to wear?  Are they preppy?  Is their closet organized, or is it a hot mess?

3.  Get to know the family.

What are their parents like?  Do they have a good relationship?  Are they friends?  Do they just plain suck?  If so, why?

If they don’t have a good relationship with their parents, are there any parental figures that their close with?  What are they like?  

Do they have any siblings?  Are they close?  Are they protective of them, or vice versa?

What is their nationality?  Do they have strong ties to their heritage, or could they care less?

What about their extended family?  Do they have any weird relatives?  (In my opinion, every character should have at least one weird relative.  They are a lot of fun to write.)  

4.   Fill in the details.

Brainstorm random questions about your characters, their likes, dislikes, et cetera.  Here are examples:

What is their favorite food?  

Their favorite beverage?  

Their favorite movie?  

Their favorite book?

Their favorite TV show?

What is their dream job?

Do they keep a journal?

Do they have good handwriting, or is it illegible from excessive note-taking?  

What’s their favorite color?  

What’’s their favorite kind of weather?  Do they like sunny days, or rainy ones?

Can they draw?  Are they artistic in general?

What kind of romantic/sexual partner do they like (if they’re interested in that sort of thing at all)?  Do they have a ‘type?’    

What would their ideal date be (even just with friends)?  Do they like generic dinner and movie-type stuff, or do they favor museums and plays? 

What would their ideal afternoon look like?

Do they prefer TV or books?

Are they introverted or extroverted?  Do they hate social gatherings, or thrive on them?  Do they relish in alone time?

Coffee or tea?

Cats or dogs? 

Do they eat breakfast?  If so, what?

What’s their opinion on pineapple pizza? 

5.  Fill out some character sheets.

Simple character sheets are a great way to fill in the gaps and get to know your character.  Though there are quite a few floating around on my favorite blogs, but here are a few examples:

There’s a “lazy person’s” character sheet here.

There’s a “how to create a memorable character” sheet here.

And there’s a “no effort” character sheet here.

Of course, the only way to truly get to know your character is to write about them.  You never know how they’ll develop until you get going, and once you do, they’ll never cease to surprise you.  Characters truly do gain lives of their own, so don’t give up and keep writing. 

And in the meantime, I hope this helps!  <3

[writingquestionsanswered]

Master List: Motivation

Overcoming Embarrassment Over Own Writing Losing Interest in Writing Feeling Unmotivated with WIP Getting Your Writing Magic Back After a Break Building Confidence in Your Writing Even When You Suck Writer’s Block Have Plot, Can’t Write Getting Over Fear of Comparison Writing and Depression

[writingquestionsanswered]

Master List: Plot & Story Structure

Guide: How to Turn Ideas into a Story Guide: Filling in the Story Between Known Events Guide: How to Outline a Plot The Main Timeline, Back Story, and the Prologue Subplot Shouldn’t Come Before Main Plot (and Why Structure Matters) Plot Before Subplot Fleshing Out Plot Ideas What is a Story Outline and Why Do I Need One? Creating a Detailed Story Outline Turning a Barrage of Ideas into a Plot How to Turn Ideas into a Story How to Move a Story Forward Finding a Story in Characters and Setting Finding a Plot to Go with Characters/Setting Where to Find Story Ideas Coming Up with Ideas and Plot Coming Up with Plot Twists How to Refocus a Plot Can Come Up with a Back Story but No Plot Avoid Revealing Back Story Too Soon