*always Adding More

*always adding more

General Writing Tips, Guides and Advice

How to be Confident in Your Writing

Start Your Novel Already!

Why First Chapters Matter

How to Outline a Novel

Incorporating Flashbacks

Word Building 101

Common Mistakes in Writing

Tips on Getting Started

What Not to Do

7 Tips to Become a Better Writer from Stephen King

How to Use Reading to Become a Better Writer

Why Writers Must Read

How to Finish What You Start: A Five-Step Plan for Writers

31 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your Writing

10 Tips to Write Fanfiction

Writing a Blurb

10 Writing Tips

Perfecting Description

Point of View

Speed Up Your Writing

Recieving Bad News

Useful Writing Apps

Avoiding Clichés

Writing Lessons

Finding Inspiration

Plot and Conflict

What is Conflict?

Where’s Your Conflict?

Adding Conflict to Your Scenes

Guides for Using Inner Conflict That Makes Sense

Plotting Your Novel

Internal and External Conflict

The Top Ten Plotting Problems

The Elements of Plot Development

Plot Help

Writing a Plot Your Own Way

Plot Development

Develop a Plot

Tension and Conflict

Your Plot, Step by Step

Plot vs. Exposition

Plot and Conflict

Character Development

How to Describe the Body Shape of Female Characters

Character Apperance Help

Words to Describe Voice

Body Language Cheat Sheet

Character Development Exercises

101 Character Development Questions

Art of Character Development

Introducing Characters

Characters You Need to Reinvent

Making Characters Likeable

Heros and Villains

Describing Clothing

Understanding Body Language

100 Positive Traits

Mental Illness in Writing

Conflicts and Characters

Indifferent, Distant Characters

Bitchy Characters

Describing Voice

Being a Bitch

Heartless Bitch

Writing Nice Characters

Character Questionnaire

Mental Disorders

Writing Characters with Mental Illness

Writing Male Characters

Playing Male Characters

Breaking Sterotypes

Characters with Glasses

Rebellious Characters

Writing Female Characters

Writing Intriuging Male and Female Characters

Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar

Placement of Speech Tags

Grammar and Spelling

Grammar Slammer!

American vs. British Grammar

HyperGrammar

Grammar Girl

Punctuating Dialogue

How to Use the Semicolon

Introduction to the Basic Rules of Punctuation

Comma 101

All About Dialouge

11 Grammar Tips

Comma Usage

Correct Use of Apostrophe

Proofreading

Transition Words

40+ Tips to Improve your Grammar and Punctuation

Better Writing: Grammar & Spelling

Semicolons and Colons

Underlining and Italicizing

Dashes and Parentheses

Hyphens

Apostrophes

The Ellipsis

List of 1000+ Adjectives

All About Names

List of Names

100 Most Popular Names

Sci-Fi Names 

Sci-Fi Names Part 2

Name Berry

Behind the Name

Fantasy Name Generator

20,000+ Names From Around the World

Victorian Era Names

How to Choose a Name

Naming Your Characters

Give Your Character the Perfect Name

Name that Character!

10 Tips to Name Your Character

Genre Based

20 Tips to Writing Love Scenes

On Love And Sex

All That Sex!

Writing “Real” Men in Romance Fiction

Kissing

How to Write a Kissing Scene: Valentine Edition

How to Write a Kiss? And Should You Write Sex?

The Keys to Conflict

Writing Gender-Specific Dialouge

Things Smut Writers Should Know

How to Write a Sex Scene

3 Secrets to Writing Sex

Writing Love Scenes

Why You Should Write Love Stories

How to Write Horror

Horror Sub-Genres

Horror Plot Cliches

25 Things You Should Know About Writing Horror

Plot and Character in Horror Fiction

7 Laws of Comedy

5 Secrets for Improving Comedy Writing

How to Break into Comedy

How to Be Funny

Mystery Writing Lessons

10 Rules for Mystery

Mystery Writing

Other

Word Count

Story Starters & idea Generators

Fifty Quick Writing Prompts

Write or Die

Writing Prompt Generator

Dictionary.com

Thesaurus.com

Oxford Dictionary

Spanish Dictionary

Medical Dictionary

Your Dictionary

A Bunch of Character Questionnaires

Describing Fictional Accents

rjgames asked:

Hello, I see you already have a post on writing accents, my question though: Is there any other way to write accents without saying from where it comes from (i.e. french)? My story takes place in a fictional setting where Earth does not exist and I’m having a difficult time with this. Also, I would not like to rely on misspelling a lot, or is that the only way? Thank you!

When you can’t say where an accent comes from, your best bet is to give the reader a basic idea of how it sounds. Obviously, there is no way to write a description that everyone will interpret the same way, and that’s true even if you’re describing the sound of a real world accent. A really great formula for describing fictional accents is this: sound or flow descriptor + dialect descriptor + origin location + regional reference + pronunciation description Example: He spoke with the lyrical brogue of the Tonterosi highlands–trilled Rs, clipped consonants, and a lilt at the end of every sentence. - He spoke with the lyrical (sound or flow descriptor) brogue (dialect descriptor) of the Tonerosi (origin location) highlands (regional reference)–trilled Rs, clipped consonants, and a lilt at the end of every sentence (pronunciation description.) You don’t have to do it in that order, and you can do a little mixing and matching. Whatever sounds best. And, even though no two readers will interpret that the same way, you’re still giving them something to imagine when they imagine this character’s accent. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if they imagine your character with an accent that sounds English, or French, or Spanish, or none of the above. What matters is that they imagine an accent. Here are some words you can use in your descriptions: Sound Descriptors

Soulful Dulcet Golden Sweet Honeyed Flowery Silvery Syrupy Mellow Broad Flat Deep Sharp Thick Heavy Crisp Round Hard Jagged Throaty Nasal Guttural Husky Breathy Smoky Raspy Chirpy Rich Discordant Sonorous Flow Descriptors

Lyrical Melodic Songlike Musical Mellifluous Rhythmic Staccato Rolling Flowing Rhythmic Dialect Descriptors Burr Lilt Drawl Brogue Slur Twang Lisp Regional References Highlands Midlands Lowlands Country High Country Low Country Back Country North Country South Country East Country West Country Backwoods Coastal Northern Southern Eastern Western Midwestern Badlands Riverlands Grasslands Hinterlands Marshlands Wetlands Boglands Woodlands Moorlands Bushlands Shrublands Mountains Jungle Desert Plains Valley Basin Swamp Prairie Foothills Forest Savanna Tundra Plateau Steppe Inland Pronunciation Description

Clipped Stilted Cut Hissed Trilled Tapped Shortened Drawn out Drawled Elongated Dropped Tense Lax Rounded Raised Shifted Glottal stop Loose Tight

Other Sound Words

Cadence Rhythm Tempo Lilt Timbre Harmony Meter Beat Intonation Inflection ——————————————————————— Have a writing question? I’d love to hear from you! Please be sure to read my ask rules and master list first or your question may go unanswered. :)  

Slang Resources

Since I had an earlier ask about slang, I thought I’d pull together a few resources:

Historical Dictionary of American Slang - allows you to search by year

Slang Terms for Sex (And Related F*ckery) - Bow chicka wah wah

Medieval Slang Terms and Terminology - PDF File (Use these sparingly)

Shakespearean Slang and Sexual Language

Elizabethan Slang and Terminology

Victorian Slang Terms - Again, use sparingly

1700s UK Slang Terminology

Military Slang (Revolutionary War Era)

Slang From Colonial America

Civil War Era Slang

1920s Slang

Great Depression Era Slang

1940s Slang

1950s Slang

1960s Slang

1970s Slang

1980s Slang

1990s Slang

the Bechdel test, the Ellen Willis test, ALL THE TESTS: or, a handy guide to feminist critiques of narrative

(reference for when i am trying to explain these to people and they are looking at me like “huh”):

the Bechdel test: does the story have a) more than one women, b) who talk to each other, c) about something other than a man.

the Ellen Willis test: if you flip the genders, does the story still make sense?

the Sexy Lamp test (courtesy of Kelly Sue DeConnick): can you replace your female character with a sexy lamp and still have the story work? if yes, YOU ARE A HACK.

the Mako Mori test: there is a) at least one female character, b) who gets her own narrative arc, c) that is not about supporting a man’s story.

the Tauriel test (which i made up in response to The Hobbit 2 [which passes] and Skyfall [which fails]): a) there is a woman, b) WHO IS GOOD AT HER JOB.

and in justification of my recent TV obsessions, i would like to note that Scandal, The Vampire Diaries, Buffy, and Nikita (ALL HAIL MAGGIE Q) pass all of these tests with flying colors.

UPDATE: i just discovered the Finkbeiner test and it is FANTASTIC.

FURTHER UPDATE: these were noted by oranges8hands and are EXCELLENT and add some much-needed intersectionality:

The Deggans Rule: a) At least two POC characters in the main cast, b) in a show that’s not about race.

The Racial Bechdel Test (I first saw it laid out by Alaya Dawn Johnson): a) it has two POC in it, b) who talk to each other, c) about something other than a white person

and then I offered an amendment to the Bechdel test: d) both women have to be alive at the end

FURTHER FURTHER update, from coelasquid (via oranges8hands)

“Women in tupperware” It’s like Women in refrigerators except instead of killing the lady and stuffing her in a fridge they incapacitate her during high stakes plot point and seal her away to preserve her freshness.

See: Every pivotal scene in Tom Cruise’s Oblivion movie.

new addition from boob-tube-reviews:

Russo test for LGBTQ+ characters:

The film contains a character that is identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender.

That character must not be solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity. (i.e. they are made up of the same sort of unique character traits commonly used to differentiate straight characters from one another.)

The LGBTQ+ character must be tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect. Meaning they are not there to simply provide colorful commentary, paint urban authenticity, or (perhaps most commonly) set up a punchline. The character should matter.

You’ve finished your manuscript! Now what?

Whether you’ve finally finished that book you’ve been agonizing over for the past few months, years, or only weeks, whether Nano or not, here are some tips to help you with your next steps:

Stick your manuscript on the shelf now. Right now.

No, don’t glance back at it. Don’t flip through it. Don’t go and read those favorite scenes that you’re particularly proud of, or those scenes that have been bothering you since you wrote them. Close all your documents, shut your notebooks, and hide everything from sight. The waters in your brain are still all churned up, and you need to let all that sediment settle so you can see clearly again. This will help you be more objective.

“How long should I wait?”

I’ve waited anywhere between two weeks to nine months. I’d recommend at least four weeks before you touch a page or run your cursor lovingly over that “Chapter 1” document icon.

The reason why I waited nine months was because, when I typed the last word on the last page, I didn’t feel good about this particular manuscript. I didn’t feel it was my best. I knew I could do better. So I allowed it to sink into the furthest corner of my brain and I moved on to other projects.

If you’re itchy and antsy and having trouble holding back from stealing peeks, then give yourself a new project to distract you. A short story, or a whole new novel. Make a deal with yourself that, when you finish your new project(s), you can go back, but not until then.

The sediment has finally settled. Time for revision.

You’ve sat on your hands or busied yourself for 4+ weeks, so now you’re ready to begin revising. Make sure you’re ready. Clear your plate. Be objective, be harsh, and be prepared to make massive renovations if you find an issue.

In other words, be prepared to write your whole manuscript over again.

Your own revising process should be difficult, but this will help put you in the right mind for the next step. It’s exhausting and it may dampen your spirit—or, you might be the type of writer who loves revising more than writing. Either way, it’s important to toughen that hide and get ready.

A couple ways of revising that work for me go like this:

Read through the whole thing and revise as you go. If major changes need to be made, make them and revise them after you finish your first read-through. Repeat read-throughs until satisfied. (I might make two read-throughs or more, depending on how many changes I’ve made.)

With the case of my nine-monther (what is this, a pregnancy?), sometimes a lot more needs to be changed. In this case, a blank word document or a notebook is good for listing changes that need to be made as you read through. You might have to jot down issues and work them out in your brain before you truly begin revising. (In some cases, and in the case of my pregnancynine-monther, I had a specific word document like this open while I was writing so that I could jot down problems that needed to be fixed later.)

In the case of one of my friends, she would finish her manuscript and then write up a synopsis of all the scenes and plot points, then dissect it and add changes, like creating a floor plan. Then she would begin revising accordingly.

Whichever way you prefer, it’ll take you a long time before you’re finished. Be prepared for the investment.

Revision done. Time for more revision.

Or, in other words, time for critique partners/beta readers. First of all, if you have no plans to get published (or you’re only writing for yourself), you don’t have to go any further than the last step. But, if you intend to be published in any shape or form, this is a crucial step. Don’t move onward without having fresh pairs of unbiased eyes read over your stuff.

Your critique partners shouldn’t be a close family member or a friend—unless the aforementioned are either good writers or avid readers. Some people might tell you that your critique partners shouldn’t ever be anyone close to you because disagreements will spark animosity, or your close somebodies will be less inclined to be honest with you, therefore providing you less effective and biased feedback. This is true, unless you have personal somebodies you can trust to be really, truly honest with you to provide helpful feedback. In equal exchange, you have to understand that critique isn’t supposed to be a comment on your writing ability, so you can’t allow yourself to see it that way. If you want your story to be the best it can be, then you have to be open to change. Critique only hurts if you let it.

Find three or more people to be your critique partners. I generally have three, occasionally a fourth, but never fewer than two. Here’s why:

The first critique partner gives me a general overhaul of things that are both wrong and right (and a good critique partner knows how to supplement explaining issues with the manuscript along with positive feedback).

The second critique partner provides the same, and then considers the feedback that the first critique partner offered, whether they agree or disagree. Putting minds together helps (and, oftentimes, when I’m critiquing and I have a problem that I can’t quite put my finger on, someone else might find the root cause of it so I can have a random and slightly inappropriate outburst of “OH YES.”)

The third critique partner sees the near-finished product after I’ve applied the first two (or three) critique revisions.

There are other ways to go about this, of course. You might have your partners read separately and then send you their notes. You might have them read and then get together and discuss what they thought as you listen.

Remember one thing, however: your reader is never wrong.

If you find yourself having to explain something, then you need to go back and find what your reader missed and fix it. Never tell your reader they were wrong and never defend your writing. If anything, ask your other partners what they think of what was said, listen to what they have to say, and then consider your options. If one reader had a problem, you can’t go into the homes of other readers who may have the same problem and explain yourself.

The critique process can also be repeated. I’ve made major revisions before and then allowed one of my first partners, or a completely new partner, reread and add additional feedback. Keep repeating this process until you’re satisfied and your butt is the sorest it’s ever been (that means it’s been kicked enough, and now your butt should be tough enough to handle the next steps).

In complete contrast, whereas I prefer to allow sediment to settle in step one, I prefer to edit while everything is still fresh. At this point, I know the book inside-out and my critique advice hasn’t seeped from my memory. I can fix a problem at one point in the story, and then realize the ripples will hit other points, which I can jump to right away.

When you’ve finally finished this process (which may, in fact, take just as long as it did to write the whole dang manuscript in the first place), then it’s time to move onto my favorite step.

Line editing.

And here you thought you were done revising.

BWAHAHA. Nope.

Now it’s time to correct all your grammar, punctuation, and minor issues. Polish until the sparkle makes you writhe and you hiss and return to the darkness of your cave.

Queries and synopses are terrible, terrible things.

Some people are exceptional at summing their story up in no more than 300 words and making it enticing. The rest of us are only human. It’s a form of art, and like any art, you can only attain perfection by practicing and practicing and practicing. Typically, I’ll begin writing the query when I begin writing the manuscript, and I can tell you that the query I begin with is nothing like the query I end up.

When I began the querying process seven years ago, it was about 98% snail mail, and the only requirement in regards to length was no more than one page. Nowadays, the querying process is about 98% email, and the writer shouldn’t exceed 300 words. That’s enough to get out your title and the main character’s name. The Agent Query page on queries is your best starting point as to what a query should contain.

After you’ve gotten a perfect query, you need to take it to critique partners just like before. On top of that, I’d recommend taking it to a writing forum such as Absolute Write to get more eyes to judge it. But remember that you have to volunteer your time to critique other queries first (and absolutely make sure you read the rules). You’ll also find links there on how to write your synopsis, which is like a shortened retelling of your story—not quite a summary. Don’t write your synopsis like a summary. As I’ve heard before, write your synopsis like you’ve just seen an awesome movie and you’re trying to explain it to your friend to get them to go see it.

Except, speak more eloquently than you would your friend. Your synopsis should read like your story does, in the same voice and utilizing the same tones.

Also be sure to check out Query Shark and read the whole damn thing. (Or at least make sure you read plenty of queries that didn’t work, and plenty of queries that did.) Slushpile Hell is also a good place to learn what not to say.

Queries and synopses for us regular humans suck. But, this is the most direct way to reach an agent, and you might find that, by the end, writing a query has changed the way you write in general. It’s certainly taught me the power of brevity.

Agents, as far as I can take you.

This is where you give up the wheel to whoever your god may be. Research your agents, and I mean research. If you’re in school, great, think of it as a final project for class that you absolutely must get an A in order to pass. If you’re not in school or haven’t been in school for a while, think of it as a final project for a class that you absolutely must get an A in order to pass.

At the end of your query, if possible, you should feature a little snippet that says why you picked this particular agent—personalization is important. You don’t like getting spam in the mail, right? Sure, it’s got your name on it, but it’s clearly auto-delivered to you regardless of who you are. A query without personalization is like that.

Good places to begin researching agents:

Agent Query

Query Tracker

Absolute Write

Literary Rambles

This is where you can begin researching. Look up agent websites, blogs, and twitters. Make sure to google their names. Do everything you can to be sure that this is the person you want to have a business relationship with. You may also discover through their blogs events that agents may be attending, or contests to get you noticed.

The rejection process is natural. Some writers get rejected a few times, and some (er-hem) get rejected hundreds of times over a period of several books. If you’ve written a good book, then querying is like buying lottery tickets. You’ve got to have good luck and a good book. The market of the publishing industry is often dictated by what’s “at the right time”, also known as marketing trends. Good manuscripts will be turned down because a literary agent might not be sure he or she could sell them.

Non-traditional paths.

Before you consider non-traditional paths, ask yourself why you’re considering them. If you’re considering them because you’ve gotten a couple rejections, and those rejections sting, don’t come here yet. Stick it out. Maybe this manuscript doesn’t work, but the next one might. Each manuscript you write will be better than the last as long as you remain active and write and read more than you write.

If you’ve had several unsuccessful tries and agents have given you lots of positive feedback, but have rejected you for other various reasons, then you might be ready to come here.

Self-pub

The publishing industry is evolving at the speed of light. What’s called “vanity” publishing was frowned upon just five years ago, but authors like Colleen Houck and Amanda Hocking (who also went through the querying process several times to no avail) decided to go the route of self-pub. They achieved such popularity that they required an agent later on.

If you decide to go down this path, however, I’d advise you go to Amanda Hocking’s blog and read about how she got to where she is today. Self-pub is far, far from an easy alternative—in fact, it’s much more work than the traditional process, as you’re in charge of your own publicity (which includes being accessible via internet, creating an evocative cover, formatting your book, and so forth). You must also search for indie reviewers, manage your own copyright, etc. There’s a lot to do.

Some vanity publishers:

Wattpad

Lulu

Blurb

But be careful. Self-pub sites usually make their money by trying to sell you services (such as cover-creation, formatting e-books, or promotions). There are plenty of predators out there who will do the same. If you’re not so apt with Photoshop, sites like Deviant Art have plenty of artists you can commission to do commercial work (be aware that you could pay several hundred dollars for this). If you’re not so apt with formatting either, look for people who offer services at more competitive rates. Instead of dishing out a few hundred dollars to have Lulu convert your manuscript into .epub format, you might find someone who charges by the hour instead.

Don’t sell yourself short with the formatting, either. It’s key. If the e-book doesn’t translate well to your readers’ e-readers, then your readers won’t read it. Similarly, in order to sell in Barnes and Noble and Amazon online stores, you have to have proper formatting. This is likely where you’ll generate the most of your business.

Non self-pub

Self-pub is intimidating, and it doesn’t have to be the next step after. You can reach other readers through such sites as Absolute Write, FictionPress, and Figment. The key is to be active in whichever writing community you decide to participate, which means reading work similar to yours or within the same genre.

Build your platform.

In the beginning, it doesn’t matter if you generate revenue. What’s most important is getting your work in readers’ hands. As my professor says, it’s crucial to start selling your book even before it’s written. Nowadays, writing a book is only a small part of the work that an author has to do. Here are some ways you can build your name:

Create a personal author website.

Create a blog. Blogger and Livejournal are good places to begin.

A twitter and/or tumblr are also excellent (if I do say so myself).

Be easily accessible. Make your web layouts appealing and easy to navigate.

Join writing communities. Connect with other writers.

If you have a creative hand, create your characters or your world through art, fashion, photography, or whatever your knack might be.

If you’ve got the equipment, record yourself reading scenes of your manuscript.

If you write fanfiction, post your fanfiction. (This is how E. L. James created her readership.)

If you draw fanart, post your fanart. (This is how many online comic artists got started.)

The important thing is to get yourself out there through the various modes that are applicable to you. If you’re fairly shy, but awesome at drawing, there’s your niche. If you suck at art but have a great speaking voice, post snippets of you reading your stuff. Writing is one of your talents, now you’ve got to use your others.

It’s important to create a brand for yourself and be memorable, but in the end, no matter what, the most important deciding factor in whether or not you succeed is if you don’t give up. No one fails until they’ve given up.

Good luck!

Character Development: Speech

Finding your character’s voice is one of the most important things you can do to make your character more fully developed. It can often be the thing that sets your character apart and makes the reader easily able to identify them. Creating your character’s voice breathes life into them.

What to think about:

Formal or informal

Can be shown with:

sentence structure/complexity (shorter vs. longer sentences, number of clauses, etc.) 

contractions (e.g. y’all versus you guys, I am vs. I’m)

word choice (simple or advanced; more poetic vs. more practical, blunt vs. subtle)

word order/syntax (can indicate dialect and/or formality)

Things to ask yourself:

- If my character speaks formally/informally, is there a reason?

- Does it indicate their status?

- Or is it a rejection of their status? (e.g. does your highborn character prefer to speak informally because they hate their position in life, or does your lower class character speak more formally to make themselves appear higher class?)

- Is the way they speak normal for their society? In other words, if your character is, say, an alien from a highly formal culture, they won’t think of themselves as speaking abnormally. But if they visit another, less cultured planet, they’ll stick out like a sore thumb.

Catchphrases

When done well, this can be amazing. When done awfully, it makes the reader sigh and roll their eyes in exasperation. So, be careful not to overdo it!

Catchphrases can include:

slang (e.g. wicked, if your character is from Boston, like Faith Lehane from Buffy: the Vampire Slayer)

exclamations/swears (”Hell’s bells!” - Harry Dresden, “Zoinks!” - Shaggy, “Holy ___, Batman!” - Robin at various times)

automatic responses (such as in response to how they are, e.g. “Five by five.” - Faith Lehane, or in response to a question they don’t want to answer, e.g. “Spoilers!” - River Song)

greetings/goodbyes (”Hello, sweetie.” - River Song, “What’s up, Doc?” - Bugs Bunny)

introducing themselves ( “The name’s Bond. James Bond.” - James Bond, “Trust me. I’m the Doctor.” - the Doctor, “Denny Crane,” said repeatedly by Denny Crane)

an explanation/repeat phrase of some other classification (”Dammit, Jim, I’m a doctor, not a ________.” - Bones, “Your mission, should you choose to accept it…” - Mission Impossible, “Live long and prosper.” - Spock, “Same thing we do every night, Pinky! Try to take over the world!” - the Brain)

A lot of times, these catchphrases can become inside jokes, and merely referencing them is enough (think: “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!” or “Holy _______, Batman!”).

But sometimes, it can feel a little forced (like Miss Martian’s constant use of “Hello, Megan!” all the time in Young Justice). You want to use these catchphrases sparingly, and when they make sense. While you and I might say “fudge” or another such exclamation any time we trip, the reader does not want to read that twenty times in the same chapter because your character is a klutz. This is the art of writing, not the hyperrealism of writing. You want it to mean something, so use it only when needed.

Things to ask yourself:

- Does this character really need a catchphrase? How will this help establish character?

- Does the catchphrase come from the type of place they live or things they do? For instance, Harry Dresden is a wizard, so when he swears he says, “Hell’s bells,” which reminds us of his job and difference from those around him. This wouldn’t be the same if he simply said, “Dang it,” any time he swore.

- Is there a reason they have a catchphrase? Is it deliberate or unconscious on their part?

- Is there a way you can flip the catchphrase and use it to signal a shift in the story or an unexpected twist (e.g. signifying that somehow your character as switched bodies with another person, like Faith from Buffy: the Vampire Slayer; alternatively, that something isn’t right with the character, because of certain events, and they’re not saying their usual catchphrase)?

Verbal Tics*

Verbal tics are sounds that are not really words, more like filler, that get used almost unconsciously in everyday speech. Words like “ehm,” “uh,” and so on are all verbal tics. (Various internet sites assure me that throat clearing and sniffing can also be included here, but I leave that up to you.) For this section, however, I am also including words, but only those words that are filler. I am also including alterations to the text that represent how someone is speaking.

Now, I know that in any writing guide you read, they want you to NOT, NOT, NOT use regular tics like these in dialogue. It’s annoying, repetitive, annoying, serves no purpose, annoying, and so on. In a sense, they are very much right. Don’t use verbal tics for every character! But using them to distinguish one character (or a couple, in different ways) can work very well if done right.

Verbal tics can be:

words (examples: “You don’t wanna mess with us, see, ‘cause we’re dangerous, see,” or “So, I went to the mall yesterday, and there was this dress, so I bought it, so…” or even “Like, I’m not even sure what Vanessa was, like, wearing at that party last night?”)

filler sounds (e.g. “eh,” “um,” “uh,” “er,” “hrrgh,” “urk,” and so on)

messing with the letters and format of the sentence (e.g. dragging out the letter, making every word separated for a slow speaker, running words together to indicate speed, etc.)

Examples of verbal tics (this is a section in which examples are very helpful, so here you go):

Damian Wayne, the current Robin at DC Comics: uses the distinctive sound “tt” in his appearances to express his emotions, even - tt - other comic series that he guest-stars in

Asmodeus from the Redwall series: drawsss out the letter ssss becaussse he isss a ssssnake

The Flash, at various points in DC Comics: speakswithallthewordstogetherbecausehe’stalkingsofast!!!

Canada, from the Hetalia anime: ending every sentence like a true Canadian, eh?

Things to ask yourself:

- What purpose would a verbal tic have for my character? Do they really need one?

- Is the verbal tic connected to an emotion, or is it involuntary? (Generally, in real life, it is involuntary, but once again, this is art, and so it can have meaning, if you so choose!) What emotion might it be connected to?

- Are they aware of it? Are they embarrassed by it? Do people make fun of them for it?

- Is it part of their dialect/culture?

- Is it a recent thing or have they always done it?

- Where is the balance between making it seem like a realistic tic and annoying my reader with the repetitiveness?

*I am not referring to any medical diagnoses here, although if you want to go right ahead and use medically diagnosed tics for a character, please feel free to! However, this section does not deal with those, as I am not an expert, although I understand there might be some confusion due to the terminology I have used. Please let me know if there is a different term I should be using instead, as I couldn’t find one anywhere. Thanks!

Ways of addressing others

The way that your character addresses other characters says a lot about how they view and respect those around them, in addition to their personality. In addition, if you establish a character addresses others in a certain way (say, by last name only), then when they break this pattern, the reader knows it is important.

Different ways of addressing others:

nicknames (either a shortening of someone’s name, even if it’s not usually shortened, or a name reflecting some characteristic of theirs - e.g. “Jane” to “Janie,” or “Shorty,” or Tony Stark’s brand of nicknames, like “Capsicle” or “Rock of Ages”)

titles (similar to nicknames, but more formal - e.g. a character referring to people by their rank, job, familial relations, etc.)

last name only 

full name only (never shortened, includes first, last, and middle names)

no nicknames (never refers to a character by anything other than what’s printed on their birth certificate, can be combined with others on these lists, especially the previous two)

familial referencing (e.g. Aragorn, son of Arathorn)

insults (ranging from harmless to aggressive, can be combined with the first one on this list, not always swears)

by physical/personal characteristics [epithets]** (e.g. by gender, hair color, eye color, traits - for instance, “boy,” “you, redhead!” or “the only one of you with any spine”)

** This one tends to work best in stories set in older times or in sci-fi/fantasy. Epithets can be insults, but the epithets I am thinking of are more Homeric in nature.

Things to ask yourself:

- Is there a reason behind my character’s decision to address people in this way? Does it indicate a lack of trust? A need to crack jokes?

- What does this say about my character’s background? Is this the normal way to address people where they come from? Is it abnormal to do so in the place they are now?

- Does my character evolve from speaking this way? Do they start speaking in a different way, either deliberately or unconsciously? Why?

Accents

Accents are tricky. There are several different ways to write accents (I’m currently working on a post that explains them further), but basically no matter how you write an accent, there are a few things you can do to portray the accent.

slang (e.g. barbie = barbecue in Australian slang)

word order/syntax (e.g. “I’m after going to Mary’s” = “I just went down to Mary’s” in Hiberno-English)

contractions (I’ve versus I have, or y’all versus ye vs youse vs you and so on)

idioms (words or phrases that do not have equivalents in other dialects/languages/places)

diction (words meaning different things, like “chips” in American English and in British English)

verbs (e.g. “ain’t,” “be,” “runnin,” or mixing up tenses)

Keep in mind:

- be RESPECTFUL of whatever accent you’re trying to portray, especially if it’s not your accent

- don’t overdo the accent because it might end up sounding stereotypical (and that is not respectful - see above)

- you should get a feel for the accent you’re trying to write. Listen to the music, read something in that accent, watch/listen people talk in the accent until you hear the rhythm and way people with that accent talk. 

Things to ask yourself:

- Is the way I am portraying this accent as accurate as it is within my power to make it? (In other words, have I done my research?)

- How does my character feel about their accent? Are they in a place where their accent is normal? Are they in a place where they stand out because of their accent?

- Continuing on that thought, how noticeable is their accent? Is it the equivalent of someone from, say, Boston going somewhere else in Massachusetts, or the equivalent of that person from Boston going to California, or the equivalent of that same person going to London? Each one becomes more and more noticeable the farther the person goes from their home.

- Has my character made an attempt to hide their accent? Deliberately intensify it? Or do they just not care?

- Does it get stronger or weaker based on their emotional state?

Emotion

The emotions your character normally expresses when they’re speaking say a lot about their general emotional state. In addition, if there is a change in their emotional state, readers will be able to know that just from the way they talk (though context and body language are always useful!)

You can show emotion in speech through:

speed (if they’re easily excited, they might talk fast! and with a lot of exclamation points! But if they’re sad a lot…well, they might talk a bit more slowly and take their time…kind of like Eeyore.)

word choice (is it generally positive? negative? Or somewhere in between?)

reactions to other characters’ dialogue (are they generally patient and wait for the other person to finish? Or do they jump in because they’re so excited about something the other person has said?)

volume (are they loud? Quiet? Are they normally quiet but get loud when they’re angry? Or vice versa?)

understandability (not necessarily stuttering or stumbling over words, but can be; are their procession of thoughts/logic easy to understand? Is their conclusion sensible? Are they understanding others easily or do they need clarification? For instance, if your character is easily excited, maybe their dialogue comes in a jumble of words that is hard to understand. Maybe they’re so angry they’re not listening to anything the other person is saying, and their dialogue reflects that.)

punctuation/capitalization (are they unsure of themselves and what they’re saying a lot, so they use a lot of question marks like this? Are they aggressive in their emotions and so THEY SHOUT LIKE THIS!!! Are they…kind of thoughtful and take the time to…express themselves correctly…or are they - well - I mean are they - like - the kind of people who - you know, backtrack and correct themselves a lot?)***

***Again, you want to be careful not to overdo this, as it can get annoying AND lose the effect it has on the reader. If one of your characters SHOUTS. EVERYTHING. THEY. SAY. THEN WHEN SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT HAPPENS TO THE CHARACTER AND THEY GET VERY EMOTIONAL AND SHOUT, IT’S LOST A TON OF EMOTIONAL IMPACT ON THE READER. Like the end of that sentence. Did it make a big impact on you? It should - it was the entire point of the sentence. But it was lost amidst all of the other capitalized words. The same thing goes for any type of repeated punctuation/capitalization for a character - you want to make sure it counts.

Things to ask yourself:

- Why does my character express this emotion generally? 

- What does it say about their outlook on life?

- What does that say about how they view other people?

- Does their dialogue rely on these techniques too much when trying to show their emotions? How can I combine these with their body language?

Focus/Fixations

This is a pretty simple one. Focus can be organization of thoughts - basically, what idea(s) can they or want to focus on. A character that is very focused might be a practical person who is focused on the here and now, and their plans for whatever situation they’re in. A character that is less focused might be someone who thinks of several things at once, which reflects in their dialogue. 

Fixations are the things that their minds keep coming back to. So for example, if a character is worried about how they did on a test, throughout the story their dialogue might keep returning to that subject or referencing it. For instance: “Hey, when do you think we’re getting that test back?” or “Wow, this is pretty hard. Almost as hard as that test we took.” You want to make it less obvious than this, of course! (A good example is Anya from Buffy: the Vampire Slayer and her obsession with making money.)

Ways to show focus/fixation:

number of ideas/topics in their dialogue at a time

relevance of topics to the present

relevance of topics to the past/future

how they react to people who do not share their focus/fixation (e.g. a focused person finds it annoying when a person who is not focused keeps interrupting them, or a person who is less focused finds it annoying that a person who is focused is paying too much attention to one thing) 

Things to ask yourself:

- How focused are they when talking?

- Do they think of a million things at once, or just one at a time? 

- What are some short-term fixations they might have? Some long-term?

- Why might they be focused/not focused? Why might they have these fixations? What do these fixations say about their character?

- Do the focus/fixations change over time? How? Why? Does it reflect a change in their character?

- Am I making my character too focused/fixated on something? Is it detracting from or adding to the story or the character arc?

How others see them vs. how they see themselves

This one is probably the broadest one on the list. There aren’t specific things you can do to get this across (it’s more of a general thing), but it’s a cycle that you should keep in mind.

Your character sees themselves in a certain way. For instance, they might think of themselves as helpful, or kind. 

The way that they see themselves can influence why they do things (e.g. if they see themselves as a person who doesn’t go on adventures, like Bilbo Baggins, they will refuse to go on an adventure.)

The actions that they take influences how other characters see them, but the other characters do not necessarily see your character’s perception of themselves (e.g. in the Hobbit, Bilbo sees himself as helpful and averting war by giving the Arkenstone to the Elves. He thinks he is being a good friend. However, Thorin sees it as a betrayal and thinks Bilbo is disloyal and not a good friend. Both of them at the time of their actions think they are right.)

How other characters see your character influences how they treat your character (e.g. Because Thorin thinks Bilbo has betrayed him, he threatens Bilbo and rejects him as a friend. Bilbo escapes with his life, but only through the help of the other dwarves. Again, to each character, their own actions are justified and so their dialogue reflects their belief that they are right. So, when they talk to each other, both of them think that they are right and the other is wrong, and you can see this in their dialogue.)

How they treat your character influences how your character sees and reacts to these people, and can influence your character’s perception of themselves (e.g. Because Thorin rejected Bilbo and called him a traitor, Bilbo is bewildered and believes for a time that Thorin cannot be saved, and he feels like he failed).

The cycle continues.

All of this is reflected in their dialogue to each other.

Knowing how each of your characters see each other and themselves will influence their dialogue and reactions to each other. Characters can misunderstand each other, underestimate someone, or help someone feel better about themselves, just to name a few things. 

Things to ask yourself:

- How does my character see themselves? Why? Are they one hundred percent correct?

- How do other characters see my character? Why? Are they one hundred percent correct?

- Does my character have any idea of other people’s perceptions of them? If so, do they care? Is my character correct about what they think other people think about them?

- Will my character’s perspective of themselves/other people change? Why and how? Will other characters’ perspectives of my characters change? Why and how?

- How do all these reactions to each other influence the story?

Hope this helped! Let me know if there are any questions.

- Riona