39 posts
1. Read widely: Read books, articles, and poetry across different genres and styles. This exposure to diverse writing will expand your vocabulary, inspire new ideas, and help you develop your own unique voice.
2. Write regularly: Establish a writing routine and stick to it. Set aside dedicated time each day or week to write, even if it's just for a short period. Regular practice is key to honing your skills and maintaining creative momentum.
3. Embrace creativity exercises: Engage in writing exercises or prompts to stimulate your imagination. Explore free writing, brainstorming, or visual prompts to spark new ideas and challenge your creative boundaries.
4. Edit and revise: Don't be afraid to revise your work. Editing is a crucial part of the writing process, allowing you to refine your ideas, improve clarity, and enhance the overall quality of your writing. Embrace feedback and be open to making changes.
5. Develop unique characters: Create well-rounded and believable characters by giving them depth, flaws, and distinctive voices. Explore their motivations, desires, and conflicts to make them relatable and engaging for readers.
6. Show, don't tell: Instead of telling readers what is happening or how characters feel, strive to show it through vivid descriptions, sensory details, and compelling dialogue. Engage the readers' senses and immerse them in your storytelling.
7. Pay attention to pacing: Balance the pace of your writing to maintain reader engagement. Mix moments of tension and action with quieter, reflective scenes. Vary sentence length and structure to create rhythm and keep the narrative flowing.
8. Create compelling dialogue: Craft dialogue that is realistic, purposeful, and reveals character traits. Use dialogue to advance the plot, reveal conflicts, and deepen relationships between characters.
9. Embrace constructive feedback: Seek feedback from trusted peers, writing groups, or mentors. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots, refine your writing, and grow as a writer.
10. Stay inspired and curious: Maintain a sense of curiosity about the world around you. Seek inspiration from art, music, nature, and everyday experiences. Keep a journal to capture ideas, observations, and inspiration that may fuel your writing.
Happy writing!
Lil’ Tip
I see two common formulas when a character is severely hurt
injured >> panic >> faint
or
injured >> hide it >> faint
While these two formulas are great, I am here to propose other things people do when they are in severe physical pain. pain to this degree throws a persons entire body out of wack, show it!
here are some other less commonly found things people do when they’re in severe pain:
firstly, repeat it after me, kids! not everyone faints when they’re in a ton of pain! some people wish they could faint
but they do tremble, convulse, or thrash uncontrollably (keep in mind, trembling and convulsing are something the body does of it’s own accord, thrashing is an action taken by the person)
hyper/hypoventilate
become nauseous
vomit (in severe cases)
hallucinate
lose sight (temporarily)
lose hearing (temporarily)
run a low-grade fever
run a high-grade fever (in severe cases)
become unaware of surroundings
develop a nosebleed
develop a migraine
sweat absolute bullets
feel free to add more in comments/reblogs!
So my problem with most ‘get to know your character’ questioneers is that they’re full of questions that just aren’t that important (what color eyes do they have) too hard to answer right away (what is their greatest fear) or are just impossible to answer (what is their favorite movie.) Like no one has one single favorite movie. And even if they do the answer changes.
If I’m doing this exercise, I want 7-10 questions to get the character feeling real in my head. So I thought I’d share the ones that get me (and my students) good results:
What is the character’s go-to drink order? (this one gets into how do they like to be publicly perceived, because there is always some level of theatricality to ordering drinks at a bar/resturant)
What is their grooming routine? (how do they treat themselves in private)
What was their most expensive purchase/where does their disposable income go? (Gets you thinking about socio-economic class, values, and how they spend their leisure time)
Do they have any scars or tattoos? (good way to get into literal backstory)
What was the last time they cried, and under what circumstances? (Good way to get some *emotional* backstory in.)
Are they an oldest, middle, youngest or only child? (This one might be a me thing, because I LOVE writing/reading about family dynamics, but knowing what kinds of things were ‘normal’ for them growing up is important.)
Describe the shoes they’re wearing. (This is a big catch all, gets into money, taste, practicality, level of wear, level of repair, literally what kind of shoes they require to live their life.)
Describe the place where they sleep. (ie what does their safe space look like. How much (or how little) care / decoration / personal touch goes into it.)
What is their favorite holiday? (How do they relate to their culture/outside world. Also fun is least favorite holiday.)
What objects do they always carry around with them? (What do they need for their normal, day-to-day routine? What does ‘normal’ even look like for them.)
hello! can you make some marriage of convenience prompts?
One of my favorite tropes :) hope you enjoy!
By @me-writes-prompts
"This is only, and only for the business deal. No more, no less."
"You know I'll never love you, right? I'm doing this just so my parents don't disown me."
Person A and Person B have always been enemies, so what's with their parents being friends and forcing them to get married?
Getting married to settle political matters.
They're both celebrities and people want to see them as a couple off-screen too. There is money involved with popularity, so why not? Until it becomes not about the money but the damn feelings. (Ok, this is very specific, but go with it)
"I never even dreamed that I'd marry you, of all people." "Me neither, but here we are."
Holding hands and kissing in front of their friends and family, but slowly, it's becoming more genuine and there are feelings being poured into it.
Getting protective over the other without meaning to.
Starting to feel *butterflies* when they get too close to each other.
"Omg, they thought we were a couple." "Because we are, we're literally married." "We are not a couple." "Yet." (Ikykwk;)
George R R Martin is an American novelist and short story writer, screenwriter, and television producer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire, which was adapted into the Emmy Award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones (2011–2019).
01 - The human heart in conflict with itself is the only thing worth writing about. You need characters to question who, and what, they are and how they fit within the world around them. This is key for character development.
02 - Write for yourself. Following trends, or pleasing your audience in spite of your own plans, harms good storytelling. Listening to critique is good, but inevitably you must be entertained and feel your way through the writing process.
03 - Anyone can die, and death is a key part of any story with conflict. Don't give your characters any special treatment, have them play by the same rules you set upon your world. Not only does it add constant tension, but it also creates a realistic atmosphere.
04 - Sometimes an idea can just come to you. If so, do not disregard it, instead follow the idea as a writer and write it! It could either lead into an interesting project or serve as useful practice.
05 - Show don’t tell. Immersion is essential to any story. Only through visuals and vivid descriptions of your world, can your audience even start to imagine themselves in your world.
06 - Allow yourself to discover in the process of writing. While you need to know the major outcomes of the story, and character arcs, allow yourself to enjoy and be aware of your sixth sense on your way through the story.
07 - When writing a script, dialogue should never be too long. Other than a few monologues, or moments, keep it short and sweet. Also, read the dialogue aloud by yourself or with the cast, this is a simple effective way to see if it works.
08 - When adapting a novel, you’ll always lose some content. However, a good adaptation rides the fine line between cutting side content and keeping smaller meaningful moments that enrich the story.
09 - Being a writer is not a career for those who wish to be stable. It is a massive risk in every way. A true writer, even during the lows of their career, will never stop storytelling. It is essential to whom they are. So, from a beginner to a bestseller, never stop writing.
10 - The ending to an act is fundamental to keeping the audience engaged with your story. Leaving it on a cliff-hanger, or teasing the audience with a different outcome can be the best way to break up converging storylines and finished acts.
1. Smiling: The character's lips curl upwards at the corners, indicating happiness, friendliness, or amusement.
2. Frowning: The character's lips turn downwards, indicating sadness, displeasure, or concern.
3. Pouting: The character pushes their lower lip forward, often conveying disappointment, sulking, or a desire for attention.
4. Biting lip: The character lightly bites or presses their lips together, suggesting nervousness, anticipation, or hesitation.
5. Licking lips: The character's tongue briefly touches or moves across their lips, indicating desire, anticipation, or hunger.
6. Pressing lips together: The character's lips are firmly pressed together, indicating determination, frustration, or holding back emotions.
7. Parting lips: The character's lips slightly separate, often indicating surprise, shock, or readiness to speak.
8. Trembling lips: The character's lips quiver or shake, suggesting fear, anxiety, or suppressed emotions.
9. Whispering: The character's lips move closer together, and their voice becomes softer, indicating secrecy, confidentiality, or intimacy.
10. Mouthing words: The character moves their lips without making any sound, often used to convey silent communication or frustration.
Different Ways to Describe Brown Eyes
-> feel free to edit and adjust pronouns as you see fit.
Her eyes were the color of honey, irises swirling like the sweet nectar.
His eyes—the color of an intoxicating champagne—beckoned her over with nothing more than a wink and a smile.
They had eyes like mud, perfectly matched with the frown that permanently stained their face.
Her eyes were as bright as the raging sun and the color of dancing flames.
They wore blue eyeshadow to contrast their dark brown eyes.
Her eyes were as beautiful as the leaves of trees in autumn.
His eyes were nearly black, like a void that held a lifetime of secrets.
Dirt. She had eyes like dirt. They were almost as dirty as her personality.
Their eyes reminded her of old brick libraries and vintage books.
She had the kind of eyes that made thieves wonder why they bothered to steal pieces of art.
His eyes made her think of the sandcastles she used to build as a kid.
Their eyes were the same color as the old oak tree their great-great-grandfather planted in the backyard.
His eyes were the same color as the bottle of liquor in his hand.
They had a smile like spring, but their eyes were autumn with a hint of passing summer.
Her dark eyes were flaked with gold.
His brown eyes had tragedy weaved behind his irises.
Brown, copper eyes that paired with the dry blood stuck to their face watched him as he stalked across the tiled floor.
everybody give it up for weird pussy