Subtle Ways A Smart Character Shows They're Smart

i am increasingly convinced that the wedding industry is having a statistically significant impact on young women leaving the mormon church. has anyone looked into this?

fifty shades of coffee

Writing Resources List

I use my blog to share writing resources that I’ve collected over the years. I’ve recently gotten some new followers, so I thought I would make a list of many of these resources for easy reference.  

(However, this is not a complete list of all the resources I’ve posted. For more writing resources, feel free to check out my blog.)

Encouragement for Writers

Writer’s Block & Procrastination

Writing Your Story’s Plot

How to Write a Scene

Choosing a Setting for Your Story

Character Arc & Character Development

Character Traits

How to Write Heroes & Villains

Elemental Magic & Superpowers

Writing Magic Systems

Fantasy Writing & World-Building

Writing Fight Scenes

Swords and Bows

Writing Mermaids

Writing Relationships & Romance

Romance & Relationship Prompts

+

I’m a writer, poet, and editor. I share writing resources that I’ve collected over the years and found helpful for my own writing. If you like my blog, follow me for more resources! ♡

Unhealed Wounds Your Character Pretends Are Just “Personality Traits”

These are the things your character claims are just “how they are” but really, they’re bleeding all over everyone and calling it a vibe.

╰ They say they're "independent." Translation: They don’t trust anyone to stay. They learned early that needing people = disappointment. So now they call it “being self-sufficient” like it’s some shiny badge of honor. (Mostly to cover up how lonely they are.)

╰ They say they're "laid-back." Translation: They stopped believing their wants mattered. They'll eat anywhere. Do anything. Agree with everyone. Not because they're chill, but because the fight got beaten out of them a long time ago.

╰ They say they're "a perfectionist." Translation: They believe mistakes make them unlovable. Every typo. Every bad hair day. Every misstep feels like proof that they’re worthless. So they polish and polish and polish... until there’s nothing real left.

╰ They say they're "private." Translation: They’re terrified of being judged—or worse, pitied. Walls on walls on walls. They joke about being “mysterious” while desperately hoping no one gets close enough to see the mess behind the curtain.

╰ They say they're "ambitious." Translation: They think achieving enough will finally make the emptiness go away. If they can just get the promotion, the award, the validation—then maybe they’ll finally outrun the feeling that they’re fundamentally broken. (It never works.)

╰ They say they're "good at moving on." Translation: They’re world-class at repression. They’ll cut people out. Bury heartbreak. Pretend it never happened. And then wonder why they wake up at 3 a.m. feeling like they're suffocating.

╰ They say they're "logical." Translation: They’re terrified of their own feelings. Emotions? Messy. Dangerous. Uncontrollable. So they intellectualize everything to avoid feeling anything real. They call it rationality. (It's fear.)

╰ They say they're "loyal to a fault." Translation: They mistake abandonment for loyalty. They stay too long. Forgive too much. Invest in people who treat them like an afterthought, because they think walking away makes them "just as bad."

╰ They say they're "resilient." Translation: They don't know how to ask for help without feeling like a burden. They wear every bruise like a trophy. They survive things they should never have had to survive. And they call it strength. (But really? It's exhaustion wearing a cape.)

i think people (men and men-simps) miss a crucial aspect of women hating men.

the harm it inflicts.

if a woman hates men and is vocal about it, the worst that happens is she alienates the men in her life and hurts some feelings.

but that's the extent of it. our society doesn't discriminate against men. our society doesn't value women's contributions over men's. our society doesn't sexualize men the way it sexualizes women. men aren't generally viewed by society as a commodity or a prize at the end of the battle or a reward for being a decent person. our society doesn't view men as tools for sexual gratification and nothing more. "misandry" is low-stakes.

and it's borne of misogyny. men hate us, men oppress us, men violate us, men have built the world to tear down our self-esteem and minimize our worth, men assault us, men are in charge and then they pay us less and don't promote us, men control our bodies and send us to prison if we don't act as incubators against our will, men view us as free maids and mothers and shoulders to cry on before using our holes for their own enjoyment. we don't know which man will hurt us like this by looking, we act suspicious and they tell us we're paranoid we trust them and get hurt and they tell us we should've known better.

of course we hate men. men oppress us in all facets of society and despite decades of progress we're still suffering under them, and it's getting worse with the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the election of a rapist into our nation's highest office because America hates women more than it hates rapists. it's to be expected that we would hate men.

when we hate men, we hurt feelings. when men hate us, we are murdered and violated and exploited and imprisoned.

and before the terf accusations pile on, i do not count trans women as men. i support anyone joining Team Woman. my goal is to smash the patriarchy, not other women.

yeah, it’s like that atwood quote about how men are afraid that women will laugh at them while women are afraid that men will murder them

Strokes of the brush and pen...

@songs-of-venus

It is incredibly important to train yourself to have your first instinct be to look something up.

Don't know how to do something? Look it up.

See a piece of news mentioned on social media? Look it up.

Not sure if something is making it to the broader public consciousness, either because you don't see it much or you see people saying nobody is talking about it? Look it up.

Don't know what a word means? Look it up.

It will make you a better reader and a better writer, but it will also just make you more equipped to cope with the world.

So often, I see people talking about something as though it is the first time anyone has ever acknowledged it, when I've been reading reports about it on the news for months or years. Or I see someone totally misinterpreting an argument because they clearly don't know what a word means--or, on the other hand, making an argument that doesn't make sense because they aren't using words the right way.

Look things up! Check the news (the real news, not random people on social media)! Do your research! You (and the world) will be better for it.

𝔦𝔱’𝔰 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔦𝔪𝔭𝔬𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔟𝔩𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔰𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔰𝔣𝔦𝔢𝔡

so why should i care if people see my data

so glad you asked 😁 for one, any party holding information about the other shifts the power in their favor (rip rob kling i’m obsessed with him and think his work on the societal implications of technology should be mandatory reading for everyone <3) but most people don’t care about their data being stored because 1) “i’m not doing anything bad/illegal for me to be worried” 2) “idc if they know what i’m buying at target, what’s that going to tell them about me other than i like chocolate?” 3) “so what if they have my personal information? hows that going to impact me other than getting a few targeted ads?”

first off you need to understand that companies don’t just have access to what you do on their specific app. your data can be bought and sold to companies who aggregate all that information and put together a full picture of who you are. they get information about your spending habits, daily schedule, health, fitness, contact information, media preferences, etc etc so on and can sell that neat little package of information to anyone.

and let's not forget there is a historical precedent of certain demographics being targeted and criminalized! just look at the racial origins of loitering laws. who's to stop the government or other organizations from analyzing data and using it to silence and punish certain groups/people?

im too sleep deprived to be comprehensible rn but some articles

How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did Facebook Releases New Research into How People Respond After a Break-Up Why we should collectively worry about Facebook and Google owning our data Facebook Manipulated 689,003 Users' Emotions For Science How Steve Bannon used Cambridge Analytica to further his alt-right vision for America

How to avoid White Room Syndrome

by Writerthreads on Instagram

A common problem writers face is "white room syndrome"—when scenes feel like they’re happening in an empty white room. To avoid this, it's important to describe settings in a way that makes them feel real and alive, without overloading readers with too much detail. Here are a few tips below to help!

Focus on a few key details

You don’t need to describe everything in the scene—just pick a couple of specific, memorable details to bring the setting to life. Maybe it’s the creaky floorboards in an old house, the musty smell of a forgotten attic, or the soft hum of a refrigerator in a small kitchen. These little details help anchor the scene and give readers something to picture, without dragging the action with heaps of descriptions.

Engage the senses

Instead of just focusing on what characters can see, try to incorporate all five senses—what do they hear, smell, feel, or even taste? Describe the smell of fresh bread from a nearby bakery, or the damp chill of a foggy morning. This adds a lot of depth and make the location feel more real and imaginable.

Mix descriptions with actions

Have characters interact with the environment. How do your characters move through the space? Are they brushing their hands over a dusty bookshelf, shuffling through fallen leaves, or squeezing through a crowded subway car? Instead of dumping a paragraph of description, mix it in with the action or dialogue.

Use the setting to reflect a mood or theme

Sometimes, the setting can do more than just provide a backdrop—it can reinforce the mood of a scene or even reflect a theme in the story. A stormy night might enhance tension, while a warm, sunny day might highlight a moment of peace. The environment can add an extra layer to what’s happening symbolically.

Here's an example of writing a description that hopefully feels alive and realistic, without dragging the action:

The bookstore was tucked between two brick buildings, its faded sign creaking with every gust of wind. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of worn paper and dust, mingling with the faint aroma of freshly brewed coffee from a corner café down the street. The wooden floorboards groaned as Ella wandered between the shelves, her fingertips brushing the spines of forgotten novels. Somewhere in the back, the soft sound of jazz crackled from an ancient radio.

Hope these tips help in your writing!