Description: Kissing And Smiling

Words to replace said, except this actually helps

I got pretty fed up with looking for words to replace said because they weren’t sorted in a way I could easily use/find them for the right time. So I did some myself.

IN RESPONSE TO Acknowledged Answered Protested

INPUT/JOIN CONVERSATION/ASK Added Implored Inquired Insisted Proposed Queried Questioned Recommended Testified

GUILTY/RELUCTANCE/SORRY Admitted Apologized Conceded Confessed Professed

FOR SOMEONE ELSE Advised Criticized Suggested

JUST CHECKING Affirmed Agreed Alleged Confirmed

LOUD Announced Chanted Crowed

LEWD/CUTE/SECRET SPY FEEL Appealed Disclosed Moaned

ANGRY FUCK OFF MATE WANNA FIGHT Argued Barked Challenged Cursed Fumed Growled Hissed Roared Swore

SMARTASS Articulated Asserted Assured Avowed Claimed Commanded Cross-examined Demanded Digressed Directed Foretold Instructed Interrupted Predicted Proclaimed Quoted Theorized

ASSHOLE Bellowed Boasted Bragged

NERVOUS TRAINWRECK Babbled Bawled Mumbled Sputtered Stammered Stuttered

SUAVE MOTHERFUCKER Bargained Divulged Disclosed Exhorted

FIRST OFF Began

LASTLY Concluded Concurred

WEAK PUSY Begged Blurted Complained Cried Faltered Fretted

HAPPY/LOL Cajoled Exclaimed Gushed Jested Joked Laughed

WEIRDLY HAPPY/EXCITED Extolled Jabbered Raved

BRUH, CHILL Cautioned Warned

ACTUALLY, YOU’RE WRONG Chided Contended Corrected Countered Debated Elaborated Objected Ranted Retorted

CHILL SAVAGE Commented Continued Observed Surmised

LISTEN BUDDY Enunciated Explained Elaborated Hinted Implied Lectured Reiterated Recited Reminded Stressed

BRUH I NEED U AND U NEED ME Confided Offered Urged

FINE Consented Decided

TOO EMO FULL OF EMOTIONS Croaked Lamented Pledged Sobbed Sympathized Wailed Whimpered

JUST SAYING Declared Decreed Mentioned Noted Pointed out Postulated Speculated Stated Told Vouched

WASN’T ME Denied Lied

EVIL SMARTASS Dictated Equivocated Ordered Reprimanded Threatened

BORED Droned Sighed

SHHHH IT’S QUIET TIME Echoed Mumbled Murmured Muttered Uttered Whispered

DRAMA QUEEN Exaggerated Panted Pleaded Prayed Preached

OH SHIT Gasped Marveled Screamed Screeched Shouted Shrieked Yelped Yelled

ANNOYED Grumbled Grunted Jeered Quipped Scolded Snapped Snarled Sneered

ANNOYING Nagged

I DON’T REALLY CARE BUT WHATEVER Guessed Ventured

I’M DRUNK OR JUST BEING WEIRDLY EXPRESSIVE FOR A POINT/SARCASM Hooted Howled Yowled

I WONDER Pondered Voiced Wondered

OH, YEAH, WHOOPS Recalled Recited Remembered

SURPRISE BITCH Revealed

IT SEEMS FAKE BUT OKAY/HA ACTUALLY FUNNY BUT I DON’T WANT TO LAUGH OUT LOUD Scoffed Snickered Snorted

BITCHY Tattled Taunted Teased

What you can say instead of the word beautiful:

lovely, 

charming, 

delightful, 

appealing, 

engaging, 

winsome

ravishing, 

gorgeous, 

heavenly, 

stunning, 

arresting, 

glamorous,

 irresistible, 

bewitching, 

beguiling

graceful, 

elegant,

 exquisite, 

aesthetic, 

artistic, 

decorative, 

magnificent

Dear writers

You’re not a bad person for:

Saying no to requests that make you uncomfortable/you get no inspiration for

Taking a small break every now and then

Changing up your writing style to better suit you

Not posting as often or posting more than other writers

I can’t be the only one that needs a reminder of these things sometimes.

Hi! I am stuck in my writing, in the romance scenes..if i could ask for your help, could you give me some examples for showing, not telling love in an already existing relationship?

Hi :)

Love Language - Showing, not telling love

smiling at each other without reason

listening to each other rant

caring about each other’s health

lots of innocent and not so innocent touches

writing each other notes

giving small gifts without special occasion

making sure to spend quality time together

showing interest in each other’s interests

supporting each other

caring about each others’ lives outside of the relationship

doing something nice for each other

trying to get to know each other's friends and families

taking their load off of them

remembering things they told them

holding hands in public

telling their friends about them

Have fun!

- Jana

You probably heard this a lot but your writing is so amazing it's literally god tier omg 💖 If you don't mind answering, do you have any writing tips? I really wanna improve my writing and try to be as good as you. (keyword: try)

oh god uh

so here’s a little list of stuff I PERSONALLY do, but please remember everybody writes differently and that’s a GOOD THING so this might not work for everybody

1. Skip around

Sometimes you just get a SCENE, like one specific scene in your head that you want to write. Write it out, and if it doesn’t end up working in the fic, copy and paste it into a different document and keep it, because it’s very possible (and LIKELY) that you’ll use it later in the story. It’s a way of pre-planning if you’re not one of those authors that likes to plan a strict outline at the very beginning, at least you’ll have a general roadmap based off scenes you’re imagining and have already partially written. I have a close friend who works for a publishing company and she always told me to start as close to the end as possible when you’re writing. It’ll not only encourage you to have a fluid, overarching plot line already thought out, but if you put all your effort and energy into writing an impeccable beginning, your story will gradually lose that spark as you go on.

2. Take a solid break between writing and editing

If you can swing it, try not to look at your story for a few days after you’ve finished writing the first draft. If you wait, the words will hit differently and it’ll allow you to edit as if you have a fresh set of eyes. Sometimes that isn’t possible, especially if you’re like me and procrastinate hardcore, but that also leads into my next tip

3. Write when you’re tired, edit when you’re awake

You’d be surprised at how fluidly the words will come when you’re not awake enough to focus on them. Seriously. Writer’s block can hit, and that SUCKS, but I’ve noticed a lot of that can just be due to you being overcritical of your work WHILE you’re writing it. You can totally be a writer AND an editor, but you can’t do both at the same time. It’ll hinder your creativity and stunt your progress, and it’s a hard mindset to escape. That’s why I usually write really late at night, sleep, and then edit the next day.

4. Actually write

This is an important one, kinda self-explanatory. It’s also usually the one people struggle with the most. Writing is hard. It’s HARD. It takes brainpower and determination to do, it doesn’t just come naturally. STORYTELLING is a natural human instinct, coming up with ideas and sharing them with friends, but actually taking the time to write it DOWN and make it COHERENT and COMPLETE is something altogether different. It’s exhausting and sometimes you just don’t want to do it. Do it anyways. Think about the end goal, not the effort it’ll take to get there. Keep writing, keep adding a sentence or paragraph or page every single day, and the more progress you make, the easier it’ll become. Lastly,

5. Set deadlines

This one is a little bit of a catch 22 and I don’t recommend it for everyone. This is only if you struggle with perfectionism and feel like you’ve spent literal MONTHS to YEARS on a single piece of work because it’s just not there yet. If you’ve had a document that you’ve been working on for a long ass time and you haven’t published it, set a deadline for posting. ANNOUNCE the deadline, even if you don’t have many followers who are paying attention. It might be a little anxiety inducing to set a date for yourself without having it finished, but it will force you to drop that perfectionist streak that’s stunting your work and buckle down instead. Again, THIS IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. I just personally was one of those fanfic authors that had 22 unfinished google docs and zero of them published after years of writing. I started setting deadlines for myself, and now I actually get to share my stuff with yall instead of hiding it away and being too critical about it. Deadlines. Deadlines suck, but they encourage productivity in some individuals, and I happen to be one of them.

Try some of these things out, see if they help any!! 🧡🧡

Hello :) Just to say that I am loving your writers page, it's helping me out so much with my character profiling! I wondered; do you have any posts on how to describe someone's gait / walk ?

Here is a list of some that I found in a quick search. If anyone would like to add on, please send in a message or reply to this post!

·         amble: to walk leisurely

·         careen: pitching dangerously to one side

·         falter: move hesitatingly, as if about to give way

·         flounder: walk with great difficulty

·         footing (n): a firm position for your feet on a surface, especially one that is difficult to stand on or walk across

·         in/into step: if people walk in step, each person moves their feet at exactly the same time as the others

·         limp (n): a way of walking that is affected by an injured leg or foot

·         lumbering (adj): walking slowly because of being large and heavy (or sometimes even just drunk); moving heavily or clumsily

·         lurch: walk as if unable to control one’s movements

·         meander: to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course

·         on foot: walking

·         out of step: if people walk out of step, they do not keep their feet moving at the same time as the rest of a group

·         pace (n): a step that you take when you walk or run (fast-paced or slow-paced can be used with this term)

·         parade: march in a procession; to walk around with an air of over-confidence

·         prowl: move about in or as if in a predatory manner

·         ramble: move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment

·         rolling (adj): someone who has a rolling walk moves their body from side to side as they walk

·         saunter: walk leisurely and with no apparent aim

·         shuffle (n): a slow, noisy way of walking

·         skulk: move stealthily

·         somnambulate: walk in one’s sleep

·         springy (adj): if you walk with a springy step, you walk quickly and with a lot of energy

·         stagger (n): a way of walking in which you stagger

·         stalk: walk stiffly

·         stride (n): a long, confident step

·         stroll: walk with no apparent aim; walk calm and relaxed

·         strut (n): a proud and confident way of walking

·         stumble (n): often when someone trips over something, including their own feet; can occur when nervous

·         sure-footed (adj): good at walking or climbing and unlikely to fall

·         totter: move without being stable, as if threatening to fall

·         trudge: walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud

·         waddle: walk unsteadily

·         wade: walk through relatively shallow water

Because We're More than Eyes and Hair!

I think 90% of writers will agree that in their first drafts of their first pieces, they’d describe a character like “she had blonde hair and green eyes” and leave it at that. I’m guilty of it, I’ll admit. But why not have some great, specific descriptions that flesh out your characters and how others perceive them?!

A quick note about eyes: In all honesty, eye color isn’t always apparent. Eyes may look dark from a distance, and you only realize they’re a deep blue when you get closer. Don’t feel like you have to mention eye color right away. It can be something mentioned later, when your characters have a soulful heart to heart.

Btw, I threw this list together in about 10 minutes so I’m sure there are other things that could be added. Feel free to comment or message me, and I’ll add them to the master list.

Hair

Long

Short

Wavy

Curly

Frizzy

Straight

Choppy

Thick

Thin

Braided

Tied up

Loose

Wild

Face

Long

Narrow

Wide

Round

Oval

Eyes

Round

Narrow

Squinty

Deep-set

Small

Beady

Oval

Nose

Narrow

Pinched               

Wide

Flat

Crooked

Hooked

Pointed

Large

Dainty

Cheeks

Rosy

Ashen

Ruddy

Freckled

Round

Gaunt

Pronounced (cheekbones)

Bronzed

Tanned

Dimpled

full

Chin

Sharp

Round

Cleft

Pointed

Jaw

Square

Round

Straight

Strong

Lips

Full

Plump

Thin

Pinched 

Body (build, frame)

Slight

Willowy

Scrawny

Tall

Bulky

Average

Large

Stout

Curvy

Shapely

Straight

Bony

I also claimed stuff like this will help with characterization. I’ll give an example. For a body frame, “scrawny” and “willowy” mean kinda the same thing—someone with a thin, slight built. If your character is describing the girl they’ve had a crush on forever, they’d probably use a word like “slender” or “willowy,” because they’re fond of her. A longtime rival or enemy might stick to words with a negative connotation, like “scrawny” or “bony.” For someone they’ve just met, the terms will probably be more neutral. Consider how your narrator thinks of the person they’re describing, and how that’ll affect the words they use!

I’ll include some examples…?

Ignoring his warning, I stepped back towards Liam and the barely-contained Suni. She was pretty, now that I got a good look at her standing up. She was half a foot shorter than my own 5’6”, with shapely curves hinted at even with her loose clothing. Maybe a bit chubby by today’s toothpick thin standards, but more with muscle than fat. Strong cheekbones and full lips accented her long mahogany face, but it was her eyes that dominated her features. Sharp aqua eyes that were fixed on Kent. If looks could kill.

Kent was back at my side as the knight-armored man turned to face us. Although still young, he had to be at least ten years older than me, with a broad face and warm green topaz eyes staring down a surprisingly dainty nose. Deep, carrot-red hair framed his face. When he smiled, it was kind and genuine, and it dimpled his sun-kissed cheeks.

“Hey, girl,” she said, grinning in a way that showed she was trying to be in with the teen slang. She was blonde like my dad, but shorter and with a little more weight around her neck and cheeks, since she didn’t have to appear on national television all the time. There was also a sparkle to her eyes and an air of carelessness in her frazzled, tied back hair and the dimpled smile of her cheeks—features I’d never see from Dad (frazzled and smiling, I mean), who was always the perfect News Anchor Ethan Cresswell.

a massively extended version of ruthlesscalculus’ post

General Tips

Joss Whedon’s Top 10 Writing Tips

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

34 Writing Tips that will make you a Better Writer

50 Free resources that will improve your writing skills

5 ways to get out of the comfort zone and become a stronger writer

10 ways to avoid Writing Insecurity

The Writer’s Guide to Overcoming Insecurity

The Difference Between Good Writers and Bad Writers

You’re Not Hemingway - Developing Your Own Style

7 Ways to use Brain Science to Hook Readers and Reel them In

8 Short Story Tips from Kurt Vonnegut

How to Show, Not Tell

5 Essential Story Ingredients

How to Write Fiction that grabs your readers from page one

Why research is important in writing

Make Your Reader Root for Your Main Character

Writing Ergonomics (Staying Comfortable Whilst Writing)

The Importance of Body Language

Character Development

10 days of Character Building

Name Generators

Name Playground

Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test

Seven Common Character Types

Handling a Cast of Thousands Part 1 - Getting To Know Your Characters

Web Resources for Developing Characters

Building Fictional Characters

Fiction Writer’s Character Chart

Character Building Workshop

Tips for Characterization

Character Chart for Fiction Writers

Villains are people too but…

How to Write a Character Bible

Character Development Exercises

All Your Characters Talk the Same - And They’re Not A Hivemind!

Medieval Names Archive

Sympathy Without Saintliness

Family Echo (Family Tree Maker)

Behind The Name

100 Character Development Questions for Writers

Aether’s Character Development Worksheet

The 12 Common Archetypes

Six Types of Courageous Characters

Kazza’s List of Character Secrets - Part 1, Part 2

Creating Believable Characters With Personality

Body Language Cheat Sheet

Creating Fictional Characters Series

Three Ways to Avoid Lazy Character Description

7 Rules for Picking Names for Fictional Characters

Character Development Questionnaire

How to Create Fictional Characters

Character Name Resources

Character Development Template

Character Development Through Hobbies

Character Flaws List

10 Questions for Creating Believable Characters

Ari’s Archetype Series

How to Craft Compelling Characters

List of 200 Character Traits

Writing Characters of the Opposite Sex

Making Your Characters Likable

Do you really know your characters?

Character Development: Virtues

Character Development: Vices

Character Morality Alignment

List of Negative Personality Traits

List of Positive Personality Traits

List of Emotions - Positive

List of Emotions - Negative

Loon’s Character Development Series - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Phobia List A-L (Part 1), M-Z (Part 2)

30 Day In Depth Character Development Meme

Words for Emotions based on Severity

Eight Bad Characters

High Level Description of the Sixteen Personality Types

Female Characters

How Not to Write Female Characters

Writing Female Characters

How to write empowering female characters

Why I write strong female characters

Red Flags for Female Characters Written by Men

Writing strong female characters

The Female Character Flowchart

Eight Heroine Archetypes

Male Characters

Eight Hero Archetypes

Tips for Specific Characters

Writing A Vampire

Writing Pansexual Characters

Writing Characters on the Police Force

Writing Drunk Characters

Writing A Manipulative Character

Writing A Friends With Benefits Relationship

Writing A Natural Born Leader

Writing A Flirtatious Character

Writing A Nice Character

Fiction Writing Exercises for Creating Villains

Five Traits to Contribute to an Epic Villain

Writing Villains that Rock

Writing British Characters

How To Write A Character With A Baby

On Assassin Characters

Dialogue

It’s Not What They Say…

Top 8 Tips for Writing Dialogue

Speaking of Dialogue

The Great Said Debate

He Said, She Said, Who Said What?

How to Write Dialogue Unique to Your Characters

Writing Dialogue: Go for Realistic, Not Real-Life

Point of View

Establishing The Right Point of View

How to Start Writing in the Third Person

The I Problem

Plot, Conflict, Structure and Outline

Writing A Novel Using the Snowflake Method

Effectively Outlining Your Novel

Conflict and Character Within Story Structure

Outlining Your Plot

Ideas, Plots and Using the Premise Sheets

How To Write A Novel

Creating Conflict and Sustaining Suspense

Plunge Right In…Into Your Story, That Is

Tips for Creating a Compelling Plot

36 (plus one) Dramatic Situations

The Evil Overlord Devises A Plot: Excerpt from Stupid Plot Tricks

Conflict Test

What is Conflict?

Monomyth

The Hero’s Journey: Summary of Steps

Outline Your Novel in Thirty Minutes

Plotting Without Fears

Novel Outlining 101

Writing The Perfect Scene

One-Page Plotting

The Great Swampy Middle

How Can You Know What Belongs In Your Book?

Create A Plot Outline in 8 Easy Steps

How to Organize and Develop Ideas for Your Novel

Create Structure in your novel using index cards

Choosing the best outline method for you

Hatch’s Plot Bank

Setting & Worldbuilding

Magical Word Builder’s Guide

I Love The End Of The World

World Building 101

The Art of Description: Eight Tips to Help Bring Your Settings to Life

Creating the Perfect Setting - Part 1

Creating a Believable World

Setting

Character and Setting Interactions

Maps Workshop - Developing the Fictional World Through Mapping

World Builders Project

How To Create Fantasy Worlds

Creating Fantasy and Science Fiction Worlds

Creativity Boosters* denotes prompts

*Creative Writing Prompts

*Ink Provoking

*Story Starter

*Story Spinner

*Story Kitchen

*Language is a Virus

*The Dabbling Mum

Quick Story Idea Generator

Solve Your Problems By Simply Saying Them Out Loud

Busting Your Writing Rut

Creative Acceleration: 11 Tips To Engineer A Productive Flow

Writing Inspiration, Or Sex on a Bicycle

The Seven Major Beginner Mistakes

Complete Your First Book with these 9 Simple Writing Habits

Free Association, Active Imagination, Twilight Imaging

Random Book Title Generator

Finishing Your Novel

Story Starters & Idea Generators

Words to Use More Often

Revision & Grammar

How To Rewrite

Editing Recipe

Cliche Finder

Revising Your Novel: Read What You’ve Written

Writing 101: Revising A Novel

20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes

Synonyms for the Most Commonly Used Words of the English Language

Grammar Urban Legends

Tools & Software

Tip Of My Tongue - Find the word you’re looking for

Write or Die - Stay motivated

Stay Focused - Tool for Chrome, lock yourself out of distracting websites

My Writing Nook - Online Text Editor, Free

Bubbl.us - Online Mind Map Application, Free

Family Echo - Online Family Tree Maker, Free

Freemind - Mind Map Application; Free; Windows, Mac, Linux, Portable

Xmind - Mind Map Application; Free; Windows, Mac, Linux, Portable

Liquid Story Binder - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $45.95; Windows, Portable

Scrivener - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $39.95; Mac

SuperNotecard - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free trial, $29; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable

yWriter - Novel Organization and Writing Application; free; Windows, Linux, portable

JDarkRoom - Minimalist Text Editing Application; free; Windows, Mac, Linux, portable

AutoRealm - Map Creation Application; free; Windows, Linux with Wine

Specific Help

Fashion Terminology

All About Kissing

Genre Help: Romance

187 Mental Illnesses

Types of Mental Illness

Eye Color List

Spectral Groupings

THERE MUST BE A PARAGRAPH BREAK EVERY TIME A NEW CHARACTER SPEAKS

THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL

NO ONE WANTS TO READ ONE BIG BLOCK OF TEXT JESUS CHRIST

Not all character development is positive. Characters can, and in my opinion, should, develop both negative and positive traits throughout the course of their story. As the story goes, they shouldn’t be perfected, they’re people, not artpieces, and so there shouldn’t be a stage where they’ve improved/changed exclusively for the better, to the point where they have no negative traits at all.