Do You Have Any Writing Exercises For Describing Locations? :)

do you have any writing exercises for describing locations? :)

Use all the senses. What does the place look, sound, smell, and feel like? What kind of props, furniture, color, scheme, or plant life is there? How does it make you or your character feel/react? After you’ve done this, trim the details that only clutter your story.

Describe a place you’ve been that you remember well. For me it’s a section of country road I found breathtaking as a kid and have never stopped loving.

Look around you and find something, or several things, to focus on. Describe them down to their finest detail; the water stains on a steel drinking fountain, the uneven grain of a faux wood door, the alien-looking stereo system, or the dust bunny hanging from a wall vent.

In any location, ask yourself “If was kidnapped and held captive here but found a phone, how would I describe where I was to the police?” Look for exits, objects you could use to break windows or pick locks, survival supplies, and information that would tell you where you are.

In any location, ask yourself “If I was on the run from the police or Big Brother, what in this area would get me caught?” Look for cameras, spies, sensors, and anything on you personally that could be tracking you (same rules apply if you’re planning to hypothetically commit a crime).

In any location, imagine you’re answering questions for a space alien, time traveler, or foreign immigrant about your surroundings.

In your home/bedroom, imagine you’re an investigator or that you have amnesia and must learn about yourself from your personnal belongings. Describe what you see and what it might say about you to someone who doesn’t have you there to explain it.

These are all the exercises I’ve practiced personally that I can remember. Hope you find them useful!

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The 5 "Bones" of Characterization

So in my English class we’ve been talking about the different elements of different parts of a story. My professor referred to the elements of characterization as bones. I don’t know why, but that’s just what he did. 

He’s talked about these 5 “bones” a few times already and actually uses them to talk about characters in readings we’re doing along with our usual workshops.  He says if you can get these bones out of a character then it’s a well built character. So don’t take these lightly as figuring these 5 bones out for your character will make writing your story much easier.

Desire: There are two types: Long and short. Essentially it’s what do they want in 5 years and what do they want tomorrow? Think of desire as their goals, both long term and short term.

Strength: This is their ability. How do they handle stress and other emotions? What makes them strong? 

Weakness: What makes them hide in fear? What will they run away from?

Deals: Also referred to as “Alway’s and Never’s”. What will they always do? What will they never do? (I’m sure there is more to this, but my notes are hard to follow.XD)

Action: What are they doing? This is also relevant to your plot.

The last thing in my notes that I have written is this: Characters come to us already formed.

Now that’s a weird thought because there’s tons of character development stuff out there as we always see making a new character as a hard task that takes forever. Except that isn’t how it works and having the above said to me actually made everything easier.

Your characters are already full fledged people. Do you ever have that time where you’re writing and you say “My characters just kinda took over and this happened”. Well your characters are already completely formed and know how they’ll react to certain situations. You’re the one who doesn’t know that. So take some time to get to know your character. Stop working on your book and write other random stories. Find a prompt and just write. Or do as my professor says and “sit on the couch with them for a couple hours”. Think of them as another friend that you’re trying to get to know. Don’t force out their secrets.

How to write a kiss

Rebloggable version, as requested by davrosbro. :)

Oooh!  Yes!  I love kisses.  Kisses are where it all starts ;).

Okay, first, remember that a kiss is much, much more than just lips.  It is lips, but also tongues, teeth, eyes, faces, hands, noses, bodies, heartbeats,  breath, voice- and most importantly, a kiss is emotions.  A kiss without emotion is just wet mushy lips stuck together.  Ew.  Gross.  The most important part of a kiss isn’t the how, but the who- because of the emotions between the two people.

Okay so:

lips- Lips can slide, glide over each other smoothly, or they can be chapped and rough and dry and get stuck on each other.  They can match, top-to-top and bottom-to-bottom, or they can overlap, with one person’s top or bottom lip captured between the other person’s lips (yummy).  If there is lipstick or chapstick there is lipstick or chapstick flavor, otherwise, lips don’t have a taste (can you taste yours?).  Lips also can smack- the sound of two of them coming together or pulling apart, because they’re wet and warm and soft.

tongue- Tongues are always wet, and always warm.  They’re very versatile.  They can trace over lips, teeth, or another tongue.  They can be smooth and graceful or teasing and flicking.  When tongues are involved, there is drool.  It’s only sexy when you like the person you’re kissing, or else it’s kinda gross. :P

teeth- teeth can clack together awkwardly, or teeth can bite down sensually.  A person biting their own lip is cute, a person biting another’s lips is sexy.  A person biting gently is sensual, a person biting roughly is sexual.

eyes- Eyes can be wide open with surprise, half-lidded with desire, fully closed with pleasure.  Eyes can gaze lovingly, lustfully, wistfully, hungrily, seductively- it all depends upon the emotions of your characters.  Have them do whatever you like, but don’t leave them out- give them at least a mention!

faces- Faces are what the lips are attached to.  Noses bump, cheeks flush, ears turn red, foreheads either wrinkle or relax.  Kisses can leave lips, quite easily, and become kisses on chins, cheeks, noses, foreheads, ears, necks, throats.  Kisses on noses or foreheads are cute and adorable, kisses on cheeks are sweet, kisses on chins, ears, and throats are very sexual.  And a kiss on the lips can be all of those! <3

hands- Hands are super-important.  In order to describe a kiss, usually you want to also describe the hands.  Where are they?  Does one character have their hand behind the other’s head or back, holding them close?  Are they on someone’s shoulders pulling them near, or pushing them away?  Fingers brushing someone’s cheek or palms grabbing someone’s ass convey two very different kinds of situations, even if the kiss itself is exactly the same.

noses- Noses are annoying.  They easily get in the way, especially for first kisses!  People have to tilt their head to one side or the other, and if they don’t, noses bump.  I’d only mention noses if a kiss is supposed to be awkward or uncertain or nervous.

bodies- bodies are either close together, or far away.  Someone can be surrounded comfortingly by someone’s arms, or terrifyingly trapped by them.  Bodies are warm or hot, they are calm or nervous, relaxed or tense.  Body language says a lot.  Is your character pulling away, or moving closer?

heartbeat- Hearts can beat fast or slow, and that’s about all they can do- but there are lots of reasons why they do!  A heart can beat fast with fear or excitement or nervousness; a heart can pound with lust or race with terror or sing with joy.  Hearts can glow, cower, or shatter.  When you really want to drive the emotions of a character home, mention the heart.

breath- To me, the most consuming part of a kiss is the breath.  The air that someone else has just breathed going deep into your lungs is very intimate.  Lips and tongues don’t have a taste, but breath does.  Each person’s breath tastes different, smells different, and surrounds a person differently than anyone else’s breath.  Breath can be warm and sweet, breath can be hot and sexy, breath can be hot and frightening.  It is something that is very present and should not be left out.  A lot of writers leave breath out.  And it’s so important; it’s the most intimate part of a kiss.  Someone else is breathing into your lungs, and it’s either heaven or it’s hell.

voice- Voice conveys much, even without words.  A voice can groan, whimper, gasp, moan, catch, whine, scream, sigh.  Voice can convey emotion powerfully, and while some kisses are silent, usually they’re not.

emotion-  Emotion is the most important- and the thing you try not to say.  You want to describe it, through all of the things above, so that it’s perfectly clear what your characters are feeling, without you ever using the “feelings words”.  If they’re in love, their bodies will lean close, their eyes will smile, their voices will giggle softly.  If they’re nervous, their palms will sweat, their noses will bump, their voices will shudder.  If they’re afraid, their muscles will be tense, their faces will grimace, their lips will not open.  Emotion is the color that you keep inside your mind as you write; it’s the base line that drives the description behind everything else you say.

Wow, that was a lot!  Gosh I hope it wasn’t too much!  Keep in mind not every kiss has all these things- this is just a list of things to consider when writing a kiss, and based on how long of a kiss you want to make.  Keep in mind that typing “they kissed for a long time”…that’s six words, it takes half a second to read, so that’s a short kiss!  If you want a long kiss, you need long sentences that make the reader linger.

So maybe to start off, pick three things on the list to describe in your first kiss.  Don’t try to do it all- that would be too much for even the most epic kiss.  Just pick what’s most important to this particular scene, to these particular characters, and describe those parts along with the lips, and you’ve got yourself an awesome, emotional kiss. <3

Grammar Tip #8: Frequently Confused Words

Homophones are the most common spelling errors. Three mistakes I see constantly are who’s/whose, it’s/its, and let’s/lets, so here are some explanations.

Who’s is a contraction of who is/has/was, hence the apostrophe.

The man who’s (who is) singing has a good voice.

Whose is either an adjective or a pronoun.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

It’s is a contraction of it is/was.

“It’s (it is) lovely to see you again.”

Its is the possessive form.

The dog wagged its tail.

Let’s is a contraction of let us.

“Let’s (let us) go for a walk.”

Lets is either a verb or a noun, though the latter is rare and a nonissue here.

He lets go of the dog’s leash.

In all these cases, try inserting the expanded contraction form into the sentence. If it clearly doesn’t work (Who Is Line Is It Anyway is nonsense), the form without the apostrophe is always the one you want to use.

dreamwidth update: The Dreaded Homonymn List

Homonyms are words that sound the same but mean different things (and are usually spelled differently).  They are the bane of writers, ESPECIALLY in the modern era, because spellcheck often doesn’t catch them.  So if you aren’t sure which one is which, or just make a mistake … your first line of defense isn’t going to help.  (Also, ironically, I misspelled “homonym” and had to go back and fix it.) Anyway!  Here is a list of common homonym fails.  If you aren’t sure of something, you can check it here. Accept / except.  To accept something is to receive it, and often to receive it with approval.  You accept someone’s apology, for example.  To except something is to exclude it.  “I like all chocolate except for ones with citrus flavor like those chocolate oranges.“  Remembering that “ex” means not or out may help you remember which is which. Allude / elude.  Allude means to suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at.  “He alluded to her past indiscretions.“  Elude means to evade or escape from, or to fail to grasp something.  "The thief could not escape the great Sherlock Holmes for long."  This one you can actually remember phonetically; allude is pronounced "uh-lood” (short “a” sound) and elude is pronounced “ee-lood” or “eh-lood” (long or short “e” sound).  See also “elusive” vs. “illusive” below. Altar / alter.  An altar is a religious table or pedestal around which worship is centered.  In most Christian churches, the altar is the big piece of furniture at the front of the sanctuary.  When a wedding happens in a church, it happens in front of the altar, so sometimes “going to the altar” with someone is slang for marrying them.  If you have a fantasy setting and someone or something is getting sacrificed, they are being sacrificed on an altar.  To alter something is to change it or make a difference.  You alter garments to fit better, or alter a ship’s course.  Superman is Clark Kent’s alter ego, his different self. Bare / bear.  Bare means uncovered or unclothed or empty.  Naked people bare their bodies; stores with nothing in stock have bare shelves.  Bear has many meanings.  A bear is an animal.  To bear can also mean to carry something, as in “the right to bear arms” which doesn’t mean Americans have the right to sleeveless shirts, but rather the right to carry weapons.  To bear something can also mean to endure it, as in “he could hardly bear to think about ____” or “how are you bearing up under the stress?"  Basically, English has a lot of different meanings for "bear,” but only one meaning for “bare."  So if you don’t mean "uncovered or empty,” you mean bear. Bated / baited.  Bated means in great suspense; very anxiously or excitedly.  Baited is to deliberately annoy or taunt someone, or prepare a trap.  If you are talking about a military ambush, or putting a worm on a hook while fishing, you mean baited.  If you’re describing someone who can barely sit still because of anticipation, you mean bated.  Especially if you’re using the phrase “bated breath.” Bath / bathe.  Bath is a noun, bathe is a verb.  A bath is what you bathe in.  A bath is the tub filled with water.  “Bath” rhymes with “path” and “math."  "Bathe” is pronounced like “baythe,” it has the same vowel as “mail.” Bread / bred.  Bread is the thing you make sandwiches with.  Bred is the past tense of breed.  Border collies have been bred to herd animals,  they haven’t been bread anything. Breath / breathe.  Breath is a noun, breathe is a verb.  A breath is the air in your lungs, or the air you have just expelled from your lungs.  The vowel sound in “breath” is the same sound in “bread."  "Breathe,” on the other hand, rhymes with “teethe” and has the same vowel as “me."  Breathe becomes breathing.  If you are breathing, you are taking air in and out.  Breathing is the act of doing it; a breath is the stuff that you are doing it with. Cloth / clothe.  Cloth is a noun, clothe is a verb.  Cloth is another word for fabric (and where the word "clothing” comes from, as clothing is made from cloth).  To clothe someone means to put clothing on them.  I am clothed in a dress made out of cotton cloth.  “Cloth” rhymes with “Hoth” and “clothe” rhymes with “loathe”. Compliment / complement.  A compliment means to politely praise someone.  Something that goes perfectly with something else complements it.  “You look wonderful!” is a compliment.  “That hat matches your shoes perfectly!” describes how two accessories complement one another and is ALSO a compliment. Conscience / conscious. Your conscience (kon-shehns) is your sense of right and wrong, your internal measuring stick which you use to judge your actions.  If you are conscious (kon-shuhs), you are awake or alert or aware of something.  If you know what your ethical code would think of your actions, you are conscious of your conscience. Cue / Queue.  A cue is a hint, or stage directions in a play, or something that helps you figure out timing.  It’s also the name of the stick used to play pool or billiards or shuffleboard.  A queue is a line you wait in, or when you have your hair in a low ponytail or single braid down your back. Defiantly / definitely.  Defiantly is doing something with open resistance or bold disobedience.  Definitely means without doubt or clearly. Dibs / dips.  Dibs are a claim or right.  A dip is a sauce to dip things into.  You dip something by letting it drop briefly downward (possibly into something). Discreet / discrete.  Discreet is a form of discretion, it describes someone who is careful and inconspicuous.  Discrete describes things that are individually separated. Disillusion / Dissolution.  Disillusion is to take away an illusion.  Dissolution comes from the same root as dissolve, and means dissolving a whole into its component parts.  If you’re talking about the legal ending of a marriage, you mean dissolution (although the spouses might have become disillusioned about one another). Elusive / illusive / allusive.  Elusive refers to something that is hard to pin down, that keeps getting away or evading or hiding.  Illusive refers to something that is an illusion, and it’s a very rare word.  Allusive means working by suggestion rather than explicit mention, and again is very rare (the cognate ‘allusion’ is much more common).  Elusive is the one you probably meant, unless you’re talking about art (in which case you might mean illusive) or having a literary discussion (in which you probably mean allusive). Hoard / horde.  A hoard is a carefully-guarded collection of things, like a dragon’s hoard, or the action of building such a collection.  A horde is a large crowd, often unorganized, often moving or in action.  The word originated as a description of Eurasian nomadic bands, such as the Mongols but can now refer to anything from tourists to reporters to, well, any large group of people. Gauge / gouge.  When used as a noun, gauge is the thickness, size, or capacity of something, or a device used for measuring.  When used as a verb, it means estimating the amount or volume of something.  It’s pronounced “gayj."  Gouge, on the other hand, means to make a hole  or groove, often with a sharp object.  In slang use, it means to swindle or overcharge someone.  Gouge is pronounced "gowje.” Lose / loose.  You probably mean lose.  “I lost her in the crowd."  "I’m losing my mind."  "You can win the battle but still lose the war."  Loose, on the other hand, means untied/unbound/unfastened.  A screw that is almost coming out is loose.  When you rescue someone and you undo their manacles, you are loosing them. Manner / manor.  Your manner is the way you act.  It can also mean the characteristic or customary way of doing, making, or saying things in a region or era.  A manor is the house or hall of an estate. Marshal / marital / martial.  A marshal is a person in charge in certain specific contexts.  The fire marshal is in charge of the fire department, a field marshal is an officer of high military rank.  To marshal something is to place it in proper order, or to bring it together in an effective way.  Martial is an adjective used to describe military or war things: a court-martial, for instance, is a military court.  It comes from the same root, but the difference is that a marshal is a person’s rank or title (a noun!) and martial is a description (an adjective!).  To confuse things, a person can be described as "martial” (meaning they are very much a warrior or soldier).  A marshal can be martial! Marital, on the other hand, is COMPLETELY different.  It’s an adjective, too, but it relates to marriage: the marital bed, for instance, is a married couples’ bed.  The wedding vows are marital vows.  You can remember the difference by looking for the “i."  In "marriage” the i comes right after the r, just like it does in “marital.” Palette / pallet / palate.  A palette is a range of colors or the board an artist uses to hold paints on.  A pallet is either a crude bed, like a straw-filled mattress on bare ground, or a platform for moving things (a pallet of supplies).  A palate is the roof of your mouth, or the taste of something. Peers / pears / pairs.  A pear is a fruit; something can go “pear-shaped” if it is all going wrong.  Your peer is your equal, someone from your own social rank; a peer of the realm is a nobleman.  Pair means two. Per say / per se.  Per se means in itself, or intrinsically.  For example: “This candidate is not a pacifist per se, but he is in favor of peaceful solutions when practicable."  It comes from Latin.  "Per say” is simply wrong, used when you’ve heard it said but never seen it written. Poring / pouring.  Poring is “be absorbed in the reading or study of."  Pouring is (especially of a liquid) to flow rapidly in a steady stream.  You pore over a text, you don’t pour over it (unless you are dribbling a liquid on the book for a magic ritual or something like that). Property / propriety.  Property is something you own.  Propriety means how proper you are.  Like, picture a Victorian lady who’s fulfilling all the social rules, she is acting with propriety. Rogue / rouge.  Rogue means scoundrel, villain, defiantly independent (think "Rogue Squadron”).  Rouge is another word for makeup blush, it’s pronounced “roozh” because it comes from the French word for red (think “Moulin Rouge”). Recon / reckon.  Recon is short for reconnaisence, the scouting run before an attack.  To reckon is to calculate or estimate, or to have an opinion. Sew / sow.  To sew is to use needle and thread to attach two pieces of cloth together.  To sow is to plant.  You do not “sew [chaos/destruction/suspicion/etc.],” you “sow [chaos/destruction/suspicion/etc.]” because it’s a contraction of a longer metaphor: “sow the seeds of [chaos/destruction/suspicion/etc.]."  Alternately, a sow is a mother pig.  Confusingly, unless you are talking about pigs, sew and sow are both pronounced the same (and both pronounced like the conjunction "so”).  When you are talking about a mother pig, “sow” is pronounced like it looks, so that it rhymes with “ow” and “how.” Stake / steak.  A stake can be a pointed piece of wood or other material driven or to be driven into the ground as a marker or support or method of execution (being “burned at the stake”).  Or a stake can be something you are gambling about or with.  A high stakes poker game is one where people are betting a lot of money.  A steak is a cut of meat. Straight / strait.  Straight is the one you probably want.  It means direct, a line that does not bend, heterosexual, a continuous sequence of five cards in a poker hand, and many other things–it has a lot of meanings both literal and colloquial.  Strait has two possible meanings: a narrow passage of water connecting two seas or two large areas of water, or something that is narrow, cramped, difficult.  The only metaphorical use is “dire straits."  If you do not mean a geographical feature, or are not talking about a dire situation, you mean straight. Undo / undue.  Undo means to open or loose by releasing a fastening, or to reverse or disturb something.  Undo is the present tense, undone is the past tense.  Undue means something is excessive.  Undue violence is more violence than necessary.  If there is an act of undue violence, a sci-fi character might travel back in time to undo the wrong. Viral / virile.  Viral means it has to do with viruses, or spreading rapidly and organically.  Things on the internet that spread rapidly go viral.  Virile means having strength, energy, and a strong sex drive (used almost exclusively to describe men). Viscous / vicious.  Viscous is a description of stuff that is stiff but flows, like syrup or lava.  ("VIS-kas”)  Vicious means cruel or violent in an immoral way.  (“VISH-as”) Volition / violation.  This one is a bad one to get mixed up.  Volition is your will, and more specifically your exercise of that will.  Volition is the ability to choose and make it stick.  If you do something of your own volition, you are not being coerced in any way.  Violation is the opposite.  Violation is breaking the rules, violation is a deliberate harming of another.  It’s a common euphemism for rape.  If you have been violated, it was against your volition.  So please, please do not get these two words mixed up. Wanton / wonton.  Wanton means being sexy, without restraint, seductive, obsessed with sex.  A wonton is a Chinese dumpling. Wretched / retched.  Wretched describes something that is poor quality or uniformly bad.  Retched is the past tense form of the verb to retch, which means to vomit. Along a similar vein, here are some phrases that commonly get misspelled because a word or two gets misheard: It’s not “could of” it’s “Could have” (also “should have” and “would have”)  Can be abbreviated “Could’ve” It’s not “all intensive purposes” it’s “all intents and purposes” It’s not “anti-room” it’s “anteroom” (meaning, an outer room that opens into another, often used as a waiting room–literally, it means the “before-room”). It’s not “make due” it’s “make do”, because you are “making [something] do [well enough to serve your purpose]” comments Comment? https://ift.tt/3g9argT