Resources For Creating Characters

Resources For Creating Characters

Physical Appearance

Face Shapes

Hair Types

Hair Colors

Hair Styles

Facial Hair

Eyebrows

Eye Shapes

Eye Colors

Lip Shapes

Skin Colors

Skin Types

Height Comparison

Types Of Piercings

Body Types

More Specific Words For Body Types

Nose Shapes

Voices

Speech Patterns

Speech Impediments

Distinguishable Facial Features

Fashion Styles

Personality

Hobbies

Archetypes

Secrets

Quirks

Mannerisms

Bad Habits

Fears

Religions

Mental Disorders

Pet Peeves

Strengths

Weaknesses

Flaws

Talents & Skills

Character Motivations

Miscellaneous

Character Building Chart

Character Name Generator

Basic Character Appearance Generator

Character Detail Generators

Backstory & Origin Generators

Outfit, Costume, Clothing, & Wardrobe Generators

Basic Character Premise Generator

Character Cast Generator

Alternative Character Cast Generator

Zombie Generator

Vampire Generator

Teen Generator

Pirate Generator

Music Band Generator

Murder Mystery Victim Generator

Merperson Generator

Fairy Generator

Fantasy & Sci-Fi Race Generator

Elemental Person Generator

Deity Generator

Villain Generator

Other Resources From Wordsnstuff

Resources For Describing Physical Things

Resources For Describing Characters

Resources For Describing Emotions

Resources For Writing Sketchy Topics

Useful Writing Resources

Useful Writing Resources II

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Some idioms for fantasy races and classes shared by u/nagonjin on reddit. Follow her on instagram (@lyresforhire) for more D&D idioms.

My favorite one is the bard one “When I am song”

Writing advice you're not going to like.

People sometimes send me Asks wanting writing advice.  I suck at it.  I don’t really know how I do the writing, or how one should do the writing, or what one should do to get better at the writing.  All I can ever think to say is “write a lot of stuff and you will get better at the writing.”  Which is true, but hardly a bolt from the sky.

Well, as it turns out, I do have one piece of Legit Writing Advice, and I am going to share it with you, right now.  If you were in any of my writing workshop groups at a con, you’ve heard this advice already.

Warning: you’re going to fucking hate it.  But if you do it, you will thank me.

If you have a piece of fiction you’re serious about, something you might want to actually shop around, or just something you really are into and want to make it as good as you can…do NOT edit it.

Repeat.  DO NOT EDIT.

REWRITE.

As in, print out the whole fucking thing and re-enter it, every word (or use two screens).  Retype the whole thing.  Recreate it from the ground up using your first draft as a template.  Start with a blank page and re-enter every. single. word.

I hear you screaming.  OH MY GOD THAT’S INSANE.

Yes.  Yes, it is.

It is also the most powerful thing you will ever do for a piece of fiction that you are serious about.

Now, let’s get real.  I don’t do this for most things.  I don’t do it for my fanfiction.  But if it’s something original, something I might like to get to a professional level - I do it.  You absolutely COULD do it for fanfiction.  It’s just up to you and how much time you want to sink into a piece.

You can edit, sure.  But you WILL NOT get down to the level of change that needs to happen in a second draft.  You will let things slide.  Your eyes will miss things.  You will say “eh, good enough.”

The first time I did this, on someone else’s advice, I was dubious.  Within two pages, I was saying WHY HAVE I NOT BEEN DOING THIS ALL THE TIME.  I was amazed at how much change was happening.  By the time I got to the end, I had an entirely different novel than the one I’d started with.  When you’re already re-entering every single word, it’s easy to make deep changes.  You’ll reformat sentences, you’ll switch phrases around, you’ll massage your word choice.  You’ll discover whole paragraphs that don’t need to be there at all because they became redundant.  You’ll find dialogue exchanges that need reimagining.  Whole plot points will suddenly be different, whole story arcs will reveal their flaws and get re-drawn.

You cannot get down to the fundamental level of change that’s required just by editing an existing document.  You have to rebuild it if you really want your story to evolve.  You will be AMAZED at the difference it will make.

It will take time.  It will seem like a huge, Herculean task.  I’m not saying it’s easy.  It isn’t.  But it is absolutely revolutionary.

Try it.  I promise, you will see what I mean.

*PSA: Tipsy!Lori wrote this post.  In case you couldn’t tell.

“Getting” yourself to write

Yesterday, I was trawling iTunes for a decent podcast about writing. After a while, I gave up, because 90% of them talked incessantly about “self-discipline,” “making writing a habit,” “getting your butt in the chair,” “getting yourself to write.” To me, that’s six flavors of fucked up.

Okay, yes—I see why we might want to “make writing a habit.” If we want to finish anything, we’ll have to write at least semi-regularly. In practical terms, I get it.

But maybe before we force our butts into chairs, we should ask why it’s so hard to “get” ourselves to write. We aren’t deranged; our brains say “I don’t want to do this” for a reason. We should take that reason seriously.

Most of us resist writing because it hurts and it’s hard. Well, you say, writing isn’t supposed to be easy—but there’s hard, and then there’s hard. For many of us, sitting down to write feels like being asked to solve a problem that is both urgent and unsolvable—“I have to, but it’s impossible, but I have to, but it’s impossible.” It feels fucking awful, so naturally we avoid it.

We can’t “make writing a habit,” then, until we make it less painful. Something we don’t just “get” ourselves to do.

The “make writing a habit” people are trying to do that, in their way. If you do something regularly, the theory goes, you stop dreading it with such special intensity because it just becomes a thing you do. But my god, if you’re still in that “dreading it” phase and someone tells you to “make writing a habit,” that sounds horrible.

So many of us already dismiss our own pain constantly. If we turn writing into another occasion for mute suffering, for numb and joyless endurance, we 1) will not write more, and 2) should not write more, because we should not intentionally hurt ourselves.

Seriously. If you want to write more, don’t ask, “how can I make myself write?” Ask, “why is writing so painful for me and how can I ease that pain?” Show some compassion for yourself. Forgive yourself for not being the person you wish you were and treat the person you are with some basic decency. Give yourself a fucking break for avoiding a thing that makes you feel awful.

Daniel José Older, in my favorite article on writing ever, has this to say to the people who admonish writers to write every day:

Here’s what stops more people from writing than anything else: shame. That creeping, nagging sense of ‘should be,’ ‘should have been,’ and ‘if only I had…’ Shame lives in the body, it clenches our muscles when we sit at the keyboard, takes up valuable mental space with useless, repetitive conversations. Shame, and the resulting paralysis, are what happen when the whole world drills into you that you should be writing every day and you’re not.

The antidote, he says, is to treat yourself kindly:

For me, writing always begins with self-forgiveness. I don’t sit down and rush headlong into the blank page. I make coffee. I put on a song I like. I drink the coffee, listen to the song. I don’t write. Beginning with forgiveness revolutionizes the writing process, returns its being to a journey of creativity rather than an exercise in self-flagellation. I forgive myself for not sitting down to write sooner, for taking yesterday off, for living my life. That shame? I release it. My body unclenches; a new lightness takes over once that burden has floated off. There is room, now, for story, idea, life.

Writing has the potential to bring us so much joy. Why else would we want to do it? But first we’ve got to unlearn the pain and dread and anxiety and shame attached to writing—not just so we can write more, but for our own sakes! Forget “making writing a habit”—how about “being less miserable”? That’s a worthy goal too!

Luckily, there are ways to do this. But before I get into them, please absorb this lesson: if you want to write, start by valuing your own well-being. Start by forgiving yourself. And listen to yourself when something hurts.

Next post: freewriting

Ask me a question or send me feedback! Podcast recommendations welcome…

Creating maps for your world

There are so many ways to go about making a map for your story, that I’m almost intimidated to try and make a useful post. I’ve done a few things regarding maps in the past, but this will be a more comprehensive look at the physical act of getting the image of your world down on paper. Or, at least, fanning the spark of your idea and developing it further. 

Method One: Freedraw

This is my preferred method. I sit down with a pencil (or a drawing tablet, more often) and sketch a wiggly line in a nonsensical shape. I usually end up with something like this:

A single country. peninsulas, islands, bays, the works. Inevitably, I see silly faces in my land masses and I always make a point to name them. 

That’s not meant to be advice, just…a me thing. Anyway…

What helps me design islands and–especially–adjacent continents is the theory of continental drift. You’d be amazed at the difference that makes in sketching out landmasses, thinking about them all fitting together in misshapen puzzle pieces. 

Continue sketching, if you need to, and then you have a nice(ish) looking thing.

From there, you can do what suits you. I, personally, start adding land forms and cities somewhat randomly, following patterns that make sense and follow regional climates. 

This method gives you a lot of power and control. You can be as random or as intentional as you want, but this method relies almost entirely on your brain and offers little help if you’re stuck. (It’s always a good place to start, get your creative juices flowing, even if you don’t end up using the maps you create.)

Also - HERE is a link to the Photoshop brush set I created while making these maps. Includes 23 brushes and it’s free to download and use. I hope you can find it useful! I hope to make more such things in the future. If you have feedback, please give it! 

Method Two: Connect the dots

On a blank paper, draw an assortment of random dots. Using more gives you less empty space, using fewer gives you the opportunity to fill in that space however you want. 

Then, connect them! You can be as adherent or liberal as you want. 

Then, repeat the final steps of method one. 

Method Three: Spilling the beans

Step One: Lay out a piece of paper (or a large sheet of paper, or a piece of poster board) on the ground or table.

Step Two: Gather your beans (or rice or dice sets or pasta…or, if you’re me, your toddlers’ sensory bin contents) 

Step Three: Hold a handful of your beans over the paper (not too high, only a few inches or so, depending how large your paper is), and drop them, letting them scatter randomly on the page. 

Step Four: Grab a pencil (or a pen, if you’re brave, or crayon if you’re me and that’s literally the only writing utensil you can find in your entire residence) and start sketching land around the beans. If you’ve added some variety to your beans, then you can let certain beans represent certain things.

Example:

Black beans = forest

pasta = mountains

other pasta = plains

pom poms= towns

Now I can add in rivers and roads and other particulars, but this is a great starting point. 

And, like your writing, you might find that your map requires a few drafts before it’s perfect. That’s fine! You don’t have to produce a perfect map on your first try. Each time you do it, you’ll see things you like and things you want to change. It’s an art in and of itself.

Allow yourself to be imperfect!

Method Four: Map Generator

Sometimes, if you’re struggling to get started, you really just need someone to hand you something concrete. Generators can be great for sparking the imagination. 

THIS is a great generator that provides a lot of thoughts on map creation.

Here is a nice little map generator that gives you a lot of customization options. It doesn’t always work, in my experience, but when it does, it’s nice.

Other thoughts:

The style of your map will tell a lot about your story. Remember, your map will likely be the second thing your readers sees (the first being your cover), and how you choose to design it will give your reader a good indication of the type of book they’re getting into. If you’re writing a sci-fi novel, you probably won’t be using an antique-style map. Something a little more along these lines (the map for my current WIP):

Choose a style for your map that fits your narrative.

Also, have fun!

Happy drawing!

Check out the rest of the Brainstorming Series! Magic Systems, Part One Magic Systems, Part Two New Species New Worlds New Cultures New Civilizations Politics and Government Belief Systems & Religion Guilds, Factions, & Groups War & Conflict Science & Technology Wildlife & Ecosystems History & Lore