Writing Tip - Tumblr Posts
How to write about someone’s appearance? Their physique, styles, face , clothes,?
How to Describe a Character's Appearance
-> dabblewriter.com
-> link to Character Description Prompts
Avoid Over-Describing
Overloading readers with too much information can be overwhelming and make your characters feel flat and one-dimensional. Focus on the details that are the most important to the story and the characters themselves.
If the character's appearance is not central to the story, then you may only need to give a basic description. If it plays a significant role, you may want to go into more detail. Always keep the purpose of your physical descriptions in mind.
Show Don't Tell
Don't blatantly state every little thing about your character's appearance, but rather show it through their actions and behaviors.
example: If they are tall, show that through their actions. They have to duck to get under a doorway, they help someone reach the top shelf, etc.
Include Personality Traits
A character's personality is what makes them memorable. Consider their motivations, values, beliefs, and quirks and give them a well-defined personality.
Avoid Stereotypes
Create characters that are more than just their cultural, racial, ethnic, or gender identity. Give them unique interests, hobbies, and personalities. Allow them to have flaws, contradictions, and diverse perspectives.
External Features
External features include a character's height, weight, body type, and general appearance. You can describe their skin color, hair color, eye color, and any distinctive features like freckles or scars. This type of description gives the reader a basic understanding of what the character looks like, which is helpful in creating a mental image.
Clothing
Describing the type of clothing they wear, including the colors, patterns, and how they fit, can reveal a lot about a character’s personality and social status.
For example, a character who wears tailored suits and expensive shoes might be a little snobby and concerned with their image, while a character who wears ripped jeans and t-shirts might be casual and relaxed.
Facial Features
Facial features can be used to give the reader a more in-depth understanding of a character's personality and emotions. You can describe their smile, the way they frown, their cheekbones, and their jawline. You can also describe their eyebrows, the shape of their nose, and the size and shape of their eyes, which can give the reader insight into their emotions.
Body Language
Body language can be used to give the reader an understanding of a character's emotions and personality without the need for dialogue. Describing the way a character stands, walks, or gestures can reveal a lot about their confidence level, mood, and attitude.
For example, a character who slouches and avoids eye contact is likely to be shy, while a character who stands up straight and makes direct eye contact is likely to be confident.
Words to Describe Various Features
Head and face
Oval: rounded, elongated, balanced, symmetrical
Round: full, plump, chubby, cherubic
Square: angular, defined, strong, masculine
Heart: pointy, triangular, wider at the temples, narrow at the chin
Diamond: angular, pointed, narrow at the forehead and jaw, wide at the cheekbones
Long: elongated, narrow, oval, rectangular
Triangular: angular, wide at the jaw, narrow at the forehead, inverted heart-shape
Oblong: elongated, rectangular, similar to oval but longer
Pear-shaped: narrow at the forehead, wide at the jaw and cheekbones, downward-pointing triangle
Rectangular: angular, defined, similar to oblong but more squared
Facial features
Cheeks: rosy, plump, gaunt, sunken, dimpled, flushed, pale, chubby, hollow
Chin: pointed, cleft, rounded, prominent, dimpled, double, weak, strong, square
Ear: large, small, delicate, flapped, pointed, rounded, lobeless, pierced
Eyes: deep-set, angled, bright, piercing, hooded, wide-set, close-set, beady, slanted, round, droopy, sleepy, sparkling
Forehead: high, broad, wrinkled, smooth, furrowed, low, narrow, receding
Jaw: strong, square, defined, angular, jutting, soft, weak, chiseled
Lips: full, thin, chapped, cracked, puckered, pursed, smiling, quivering, pouty
Mouth: wide, small, downturned, upturned, smiling, frowning, pouting, grimacing
Nose: hooked, straight, aquiline, button, long, short, broad, narrow, upturned, downturned, hooked, snub
Eyebrows: arched, bushy, thin, unkempt, groomed, straight, curved, knitted, furrowed, raised
Hair
Texture: curly, straight, wavy, frizzy, lank, greasy, voluminous, luxurious, tangled, silky, coarse, kinky
Length: long, short, shoulder-length, waist-length, neck-length, chin-length, buzzed, shaven
Style: styled, unkempt, messy, wild, sleek, smoothed, braided, ponytail, bun, dreadlocks
Color: blonde, brunette, red, black, gray, silver, salt-and-pepper, auburn, chestnut, golden, caramel
Volume: thick, thin, fine, full, limp, voluminous, sparse
Parting: center-parted, side-parted, combed, brushed, gelled, slicked back
Bangs: fringed, side-swept, blunt, wispy, thick, thin
Accessories: headband, scarf, barrettes, clips, pins, extensions, braids, ribbons, beads, feathers
Body
Build: slender, skinny, lean, athletic, toned, muscular, burly, stocky, rotund, plump, hefty, portly
Height: tall, short, petite, lanky, willowy, stocky, rotund
Posture: slouching, upright, hunched, stiff, relaxed, confident, nervous, slumped
Shape: hourglass, pear-shaped, apple-shaped, athletic, bulky, willowy, curvy
Muscles: defined, toned, prominent, ripped, flabby, soft
Fat distribution: chubby, plump, rounded, jiggly, wobbly, flabby, bloated, bloated
Body hair: hairy, smooth, shaven, beard, goatee, mustache, stubble
Weight: light, heavy, average, underweight, overweight, obese, lean, skinny
Body language: confident, nervous, aggressive, submissive, arrogant, timid, confident, relaxed
Body movements: graceful, clunky, fluid, awkward, jerky, smooth, agile, rigid
Build
Muscular: ripped, toned, defined, well-built, buff, brawny, burly, strapping
Athletic: fit, toned, agile, flexible, energetic, muscular, athletic, sporty
Thin: skinny, slender, slim, lanky, bony, gaunt, angular, wiry
Stocky: sturdy, broad-shouldered, compact, muscular, solid, robust, heavy-set
Overweight: plump, chubby, rotund, heavy, portly, corpulent, stout, fleshy
Fat: overweight, overweight, rotund, heavy, bloated, tubby, round, fat
Lean: lanky, slender, skinny, thin, wiry, willowy, spare, underweight
Larger: large, heavy, hefty, substantial, solid, overweight, portly, rotund
Skin
Texture: smooth, soft, silky, rough, bumpy, flaky, scaly, rough
Tone: fair, light, pale, dark, tan, olive, bronze, ruddy, rosy
Complexion: clear, radiant, glowing, dull, blotchy, sallow, ruddy, weathered
Wrinkles: deep, fine, lines, crow's feet, wrinkles, age spots
Marks: freckles, age spots, birthmarks, moles, scars, blemishes, discoloration
Tone: even, uneven, patchy, discolored, mottled, sunburned, windburned
Glow: luminous, radiant, healthy, dull, tired, lifeless
Tautness: taut, firm, loose, saggy, wrinkles, age spots, slack
Condition: healthy, glowing, radiant, dry, oily, acne-prone, sunburned, windburned
Style
Clothing: trendy, stylish, fashionable, outdated, classic, eclectic, casual, formal, conservative, bold, vibrant, plain, ornate
Fabric: silk, cotton, wool, leather, denim, lace, satin, velvet, suede, corduroy
Colors: bright, bold, pastel, neutral, vibrant, muted, monochrome
Accessories: jewelry, hats, glasses, belts, scarves, gloves, watches, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings
Shoes: sneakers, boots, sandals, heels, loafers, flats, pumps, oxfords, slippers
Grooming: well-groomed, unkempt, messy, clean-cut, scruffy, neat
Hair: styled, messy, curly, straight, braided, dreadlocks, afro, updo, ponytail
Makeup: natural, bold, minimal, heavy, smokey, colorful, neutral
Personal grooming: clean, fragrant, unkempt, well-groomed, grooming habits
Overall appearance: put-together, disheveled, polished, rough, messy, tidy
If you like what I do and want to support me, please consider buying me a coffee! I also offer editing services and other writing advice on my Ko-fi! Become a member to receive exclusive content, early access, and prioritized writing prompt requests.
Writing Tip
because I see this everywhere and most people don’t know about it. The hyphen(-), the en-dash(–) and the em-dash(—) are three completely different things with completely different uses. If you write fanfiction, it’s likely that your readers won’t care, but if you want to submit a manuscript for publishing, you need to know the difference.
The hyphen (-) is the basic symbol you find on your keyboard, and it’s meant to only be used for hyphenated words (well-being, two-thirds).
The en-dash (–) is a slightly longer dash. It’s usually the width of an uppercase N, hence the name. You can find it by looking through the ‘insert symbol’ option in MS word or many word processors, and it is meant to be used to show a particular distance, or for intervals (May–August, 1900–1916, pages 12–22)
The em-dash (—) is what people most commonly use, but they refer to it as a hyphen. It’s the longest dash, about the size of an uppercase letter M, and you can either find it through the list of symbols in your word processor, or some word processors actually automatically transform two hyphens (–) into an em-dash (—). It is meant to be used as a break in the sentence, in a place where a comma, semicolon or colon would normally be used or as a break in dialogue. (Her niece—the daughter of her oldest sister—is the one over there.)
*All three types of dashes are normally meant to be used without any spaces on either side of the dash.
Writing fight scenes
masterlist. main navigation.
@bluebxlle_writer on Instagram
1. Pacing
A fight scene should be fast-paced and intense. Unless it's a final battle with numerous parties, a fight scene that's too long tends to take away suspense. To speed up your pacing, use active voice to describe movement and don't overdescribe your characters' thoughts. Excessive inner monologue will be unrealistic, as people usually have no room to think during intense combats.
2. Character mannerisms
Here's a point that people often overlook, but is actually super important. Through fight scenes, you should be able to reveal your characters' contrasting mannerisms and personality. A cunning character would play dirty - fighting less and making use of their opponent's weakness more. A violent character would aim to kill. A softer one would only target to disarm their enemies, using weakened attacks. A short-minded character would only rely on force and attack without thinking. This will help readers understand your characters more and decide who to root for.
3. Making use of surroundings
Not only the characters, you also need to consider the setting of your fight scene and use it to your advantage. Is it suitable for fighting, or are there dangerous slopes that make it risky? Are there scattered items that can help your characters fight (e.g. nails, shards of glass, ropes, wooden boards, or cutlery)? Is it a public place where people can easily spot the fight and call the authorities, or is it a private spot where they can fight to the death?
4. Description
The main things that you need to describe in a fight scene are :
• Characters involved in the fight
• How they initiate and dodge attacks
• Fighting styles and any weapons used
• The injuries caused
Be careful to not drag out the description for too long, because it slows down the pace.
5. Raise the stakes
By raising the stakes of the fight, your readers will be more invested in it. Just when they think it's over, introduce another worse conflict that will keep the scene going. Think of your characters' goals and motivations as well. Maybe if the MC didn't win, the world would end! Or maybe, one person in the fight is going all-out, while the other is going easy because they used to be close :"D
6. Injuries
Fights are bound to be dirty and resulting in injuries, so don't let your character walk away unscathed - show the effect of their injuries. For example, someone who had been punched in the jaw has a good chance of passing out, and someone who had been stabbed won't just remove the knife and walk away without any problem. To portray realistic injuries, research well. I have two posts about writing realistic pain and injuries back in my pink theme, check them out if you need any reference!
7. Drive the plot forward
You don't write fight scenes only to make your characters look cool - every fight needs to have a purpose and drive the plot forward. Maybe they have to fight to improve their fighting skills or escape from somewhere alive. Maybe they need to defeat the enemy in order to obtain an object or retrieve someone who had been kidnapped. The point is, every single fight scene should bring the characters one step closer (or further :D) to the climax.
8. Words to use
• Hand to hand combat :
Crush, smash, lunge, beat, punch, leap, slap, scratch, batter, pummel, whack, slam, dodge, clobber, box, shove, bruise, knock, flick, push, choke, charge, impact
• With weapon :
Swing, slice, brandish, stab, shoot, whip, parry, cut, bump, poke, drive, shock, strap, pelt, plunge, impale, lash, bleed, sting, penetrate
Heyo! I love the tips of writing! It's so helpful😍 and so good! Do you have or know any tips for writing a prologue? Thank you very much!🥰
Heyo! So happy they help you out and I hope I can help you out even more :)
How to write a prologue
First advice: not every work of fiction has a prologue, so if you include one make sure it's memorable and enhances your story
Purpose of a prologue
to give background information the reader needs before starting the story
to explain the conflict the story starts with
to set the tone of your story
to introduce some of the characters
to foreshadow
Different kinds of prologue
Full-on action - especially if your story starts slow, you will still want to keep the reader's interest, so if you have a prologue that is full of action and drama, but then doesn't tell the reader how this scenario came to be and what happens next, then they will want to read the story to find out what's going on
The introduction - this kind of prologue establishes the point of view of the story and even introduces some of the characters and their backgrounds. This helps the reader be more connected to the characters when the story begins. But be careful not to give away too much!
Spoiler Alert - same like the first one, you want your reader to be hooked and be excited about your story, and to achieve that you can give them something that the main character doesn't even know yet or something that will be a very important fact in the future
This is just a short overview, but I hope it helps you with your writing!
- Jana
Writing tip no. 8
Learn as much as you can about everything. Having a catalogue of knowledge in the back of your mind is incredibly helpful for writing.
Writing tip no. 9
You can make your world in your story as unrealistic and ridiculous as possible, as long as you clearly convey the logic of your world, and make the logic internally consistent.
Writing tip no. 17
After finishing a draft always have a fresh pair of eyes to look over your work, whether they be your own or someone else's
Expanding a thought from a conversation this morning:
In general, I think "Is X out-of-character?" is not a terribly useful question for a writer. It shuts down possibility, and interesting directions you could take a character.
A better question, I believe, is "What would it take for Character to do X?" What extremity would she find herself in, where X starts to look like a good idea? What loyalties or fears leave him with X as his only option? THAT'S where a potentially interesting story lies.
In practice, I find that you can often justify much more from a character than you initially dreamed you could: some of my best stories come from "What might drive Character to do [thing he would never do]?" As long as you make it clear to the reader what the hell pushed your character to this point, you've got the seed of a compelling story on your hands.
Helpful writing tip for fic writers (and non fic writers): if you have “three a.m. in the morning” somewhere in your story, consider changing it to “three a.m.” or “three in the morning” because a.m. means (something in Latin that means) morning. Get rid of the redundancy and save your word count for more important things!
Random Worldbuilding Questions
Are there any foods with symbolic meanings that are eaten on special occasions (e.g. katsudon for victory, or new years oranges for luck)? How did the tradition get started?
We all know about weddings and marriage, but are there any ceremonies that symbolically / legally / magically officialize a different type of relationship in your world’s culture? (Adoption, apprenticeship, friendship, etc.)
What’s a rule or social norm that is widely followed in theory, but in practice everyone knows it’s not a big deal and breaks it all the time?
Are there any trades or hobbies whose practitioners are stereotyped as weird or extraordinary? (E.g. the “mad hatter” trope.) Why? How true is this perception?
What are some cliches, tropes, and/or plots that commonly appear in stories written by your world’s inhabitants? What were they inspired by? Why are they popular?
What is a common way to subtly insult someone in your world, without crossing into overt rudeness? Gifting an item with negative connotations? Addressing them more familiarly or formally than normal? Backhanded compliments?
If you pulled a random average Joe off the streets of your world and asked them to draw a house, what would they draw? (Shape, roof style, position and number of windows, etc.)
Is there a place in your world that nobody has ever been to - the bottom of a cave, the moon, another dimension, etc.? How do people know it exists? Why haven’t they gone there? What do they believe it’s like, and how right/wrong are they?
What aesthetics are considered “advanced” or “futuristic” in your world - canvas wings, shiny chrome, smooth plastic? How has this changed over time?
What’s a fun fact about your world that you as the worldbuilder are dying to share, but nobody ever thinks to ask?
I don't know how to consisely describe my ideas on this so this turned into something too long. Ranchers are both loud and excitable and bark a lot when playing around. When it's just the two of them, though, Jimmy's voice drops its volume and he becomes a lot more gentle and forgiving of Tango and all around soft, while Tango still keeps that same aggressive energy he just becomes more of a yesman than a snarker. And always wanted to apply that to the headcanon that they're very physical for a fic. I can imagine the misunderstandings that come from someone who Is Just Like That all the time vs someone whose behaviour drastically changes between people.
Like Tango's response to someone messing up is to agree and brush it off, like he fully admits Jimmy is at fault for the loss of their second and third life he's never tried to deny it or comfort Jimmy that it's fine beyond being like "now we're even" on the second one. (There's actually a moment in an old among us stream where he is paired with Joel in like their second or third game together and Joel got outed quickly and at the end yoy can hear Joel going "I'm sorry Tango I messed up" and Tango very dismissively says "yeah I noticed that, but anyways-")
Meanwhile when Tango puts himself down Jimmy is quick to deny it and despitw being able to get angry and call people who annoy him out for the tiniest thing, he can't actually be mean to Tango even for the purpose of reverse psychology. He can be loud and teasing to Tango when prompted to in a group but to Tango's face Tango is firmly catagorized as "person to be nice to" (such as letting the hat thing slide in the crossover while shouting at everyone)
Already ripe for miscommunications, to Jimmy denial is an act of affection whereas for Tango it's forgiveness and empathy, so you can imagine might cause some friction at first if Jimmy is putting himself down for a mistake expecting denial and comfort and Tango's response is to agree and mourn with him, I can imagine Jimmy assuming Tango has a bit of a low opinion of him. And in the reverse scenario I can imagine Tango assuming Jimmy is lying and disingenuine.
When Tango is expressing affection he does it loudly and with great excitement and celebration. It's aggressive and in your face. He bring the same energy he always does. When he's flustered he gets jumpy and makes noises. Meanwhile Jimmy tends to become gentle when affectionate with Tango, he quiets down a lot. When he gets flustered he sorta shuts down unless he gets overwhelmed and then he starts saying "stop it".
Translated to physical affection, I imagine Tango showing it by doing things a bit aggressive like lifting and twirling Jimmy, big hugs, pinching cheeks, bounding around a lot, dragging him places, talking non-stop about things, getting real up in Jimmy's space and clinging to him when they cuddle. Things he would do with his friends normally but is just much more forward and aggressive about with Jimmy. Meanwhile Jimmy is physically aggresisve only with people that annoys him or the lads, its accompanied by snark and snappy remarks, aggression is for outdoors and playing around and being mean even if jokingly. When it comes to Tango and in private though it's about being gentle, so his physical affection totally shifts to soft touches and fluffing up his feathers into a puffball, quieting down and being comforting. Casual and gentle physical contact like sitting next to each other or leaning on one another.
I can imagine these two ways of showing affection run up against each other. Jimmy being very overwhelmed/overstimulated by Tango being so aggressive (maybe even assuming Tango doesn't feel the same way because he's getting treated like another one of the lads) and Tango getting very confused why Jimmy totally changes mannerisms when it's just them (maybe he imagines something is wrong or that he scares Jimmy or that Jimmy doesn't like much affection)
Getting to know each other involves Tango learning to tone things down and have those gentle moments while Jimmy gets more comfortable being teasing and excited.
Interesting, I’m glad someone wrote this.
Writing Tip
because I see this everywhere and most people don’t know about it. The hyphen(-), the en-dash(–) and the em-dash(—) are three completely different things with completely different uses. If you write fanfiction, it’s likely that your readers won’t care, but if you want to submit a manuscript for publishing, you need to know the difference.
The hyphen (-) is the basic symbol you find on your keyboard, and it’s meant to only be used for hyphenated words (well-being, two-thirds).
The en-dash (–) is a slightly longer dash. It’s usually the width of an uppercase N, hence the name. You can find it by looking through the ‘insert symbol’ option in MS word or many word processors, and it is meant to be used to show a particular distance, or for intervals (May–August, 1900–1916, pages 12–22)
The em-dash (—) is what people most commonly use, but they refer to it as a hyphen. It’s the longest dash, about the size of an uppercase letter M, and you can either find it through the list of symbols in your word processor, or some word processors actually automatically transform two hyphens (–) into an em-dash (—). It is meant to be used as a break in the sentence, in a place where a comma, semicolon or colon would normally be used or as a break in dialogue. (Her niece—the daughter of her oldest sister—is the one over there.)
*All three types of dashes are normally meant to be used without any spaces on either side of the dash.
My writing advice for new writers
masterlist. main navigation.
@bluebxlle_writer on Instagram
1. Write for yourself
This is the #1 tip I will always give to writers, so you've probably heard me say this a few times. Don't write for others, but write for yourself.
People have different tastes. There will always be some who dislike your book, and some who consider it their favorite. Lots of people hate famous books like Percy Jackson or Six Of Crows, and I'm sure you've disliked a popular book before. So instead of writing a book that others would read, start writing a book that you would read. If you end up liking your book, I can assure you that many others will too.
2. Flesh out characters
When you're excited to write a new WIP, you might delay your character building process and decide to start writing while trying to figure out the characterization on the way. I've done this a couple of times, thinking that it would speed up my writing process, but trust me, it did not. It actually slowed down my writing instead.
If you start writing your wip without at least finishing 80% of your character building process, you'll find yourself getting stuck in scenes, not knowing what your character would say or do, which is very inconvenient.
If you ever get bored of character building and really want to start writing instead, I suggest writing one-shots unrelated to your WIP. By doing this, you don't have to worry about writing your characters out of character, and its actually useful to their characterization process.
3. Experiment!
If you feel like there's something off with your writing, or you're beginning to feel that writing is a chore for you, experiment with different writing techniques. Switch up your genre, time period, plotting method, etc.
For reference, I used to be a pantser who writes plot-driven mystery stories. But now, I'm more comfortable with being a plantser who writes character-driven low fantasy stories! Basically, don't be afraid of change, because it might help you later.
4. Know your ending
In my opinion, the most important thing to consider while writing a story is your ending - not your beginning or middle. You can rewrite your beginning chapters anytime, and you can always figure out your middle chapters later, noone knows how to write the middle of a story anyway.
But if you don't know the ending of your story, you're screwed, buddy. Without knowing how your story ends, you can't write the events that build up to that ending.
You're unsure about your novel's ending at first and decided to throw in a last minute plot twist? That means you've been foreshadowing the wrong ending the whole book, and you gotta rewrite. You don't know how your characters will develop throughout the book? You won't be able to write the journey of their arc throughout the story. Hassling, right? That's why, try not to start writing your WIP without having a possible ending in mind.
5. If you write, you're valid.
Nowadays, the standards of being a writer is that you have to write a full-length novel and be traditionally published. This isn't true, not even the slightest.
You write poetry? You're a writer and valid. You're a screenwriter? Bro, look at the word. ScreenWRITER. valid. You write fanfictions? Valid, and you're not cringey. You have NO idea how much I worship fanfiction writers for writing what canon won't give us. You're writing but don't want to be published? You're still valid. As long as you write, you're valid, because that's the whole point of being a writer.
6. Don't follow every single tip
There's a reason why they're called writing tips, not rules. You're not meant to follow every single one of them, they're only meant to guide you on the way. Some will be useful, some won't, depending on yourself. So please, don't be pressured to follow every writing tip you see.
Your comments on AO3 are more powerful than you know.
A comment on a fic more than once gave me the idea or inspiration I needed to add another part to that fic. It helped me to produce even more of the content that the reader who left it enjoyed so much.
A comment on an older fic reminded me that my fics don’t get lost 24 or 48 hours after posting. True, that’s when most fics get the majority of their hits, kudos and comments, so a writer sometimes feels like if a fic hasn’t done well in that time frame, it’s as good as gone. But some people discover and love such fics later on and that’s incredible.
A comment once stopped me from deleting my AO3 account. For reasons, I was feeling really low, like I had no talent and nothing to offer. Like everything I was posting was banal and worthless. And as my finger was hovering over the ‘delete account’ button, a mail notification let me know that someone left a comment on one of my fics. I went to read it and it was absolutely lovely. And it complimented not just that fic, but my writing overall. It helped me get through a rough moment.
Your comments can mean so much more than you know. You have more capacity to do good and help content creation in the fandom, that you and others enjoy, than you realize.
So this is my little note, as an author, to say THANK YOU to all the people who take the time to leave a comment on AO3 or send an ask on Tumblr or write kind words in the tags of a reblog. It all means so very much! <33333
Hey btw, if you're doing worldbuilding on something, and you're scared of writing ~unrealistic~ things into it out of fear that it'll sound lazy and ripped-out-of-your-ass, but you also don't want to do all the back-breaking research on coming up with depressingly boring, but practical and ~realistic~ solutions, have a rule:
Just give the thing two layers of explanation. One to explain the specific problem, and another one explaining the explanation. Have an example:
Plot hole 1: If the vampires can't stand daylight, why couldn't they just move around underground?
Solution 1: They can't go underground, the sewer system of the city is full of giant alligators who would eat them.
Well, that's a very quick and simple explanation, which sure opens up additional questions.
Plot hole 2: How and why the fuck are there alligators in the sewers? How do they survive, what do they eat down there when there's no vampires?
Solution 2: The nuns of the Underground Monastery feed and take care of them as a part of their sacred duties.
It takes exactly two layers to create an illusion that every question has an answer - that it's just turtles all the way down. And if you're lucky, you might even find that the second question's answer loops right back into the first one, filling up the plot hole entirely:
Plot hole 3: Who the fuck are the sewer nuns and what's their point and purpose?
Solution 3: The sewer nuns live underground in order to feed the alligators, in order to make sure that the vampires don't try to move around via the sewer system.
When you're just making things up, you don't need to have an answer for everything - just two layers is enough to create the illusion of infinite depth. Answer the question that looms behind the answer of the first question, and a normal reader won't bother to dig around for a 3rd question.
50 WORDS TO USE INSTEAD OF “SAID”
Do you ever find yourself over-using the word “said” in your writing? Try using these words/phrases instead:
stated
commented
declared
spoke
responded
voiced
noted
uttered
iterated
explained
remarked
acknowledged
mentioned
announced
shouted
expressed
articulated
exclaimed
proclaimed
whispered
babbled
observed
deadpanned
joked
hinted
informed
coaxed
offered
cried
affirmed
vocalized
laughed
ordered
suggested
admitted
verbalized
indicated
confirmed
apologized
muttered
proposed
chatted
lied
rambled
talked
pointed out
blurted out
chimed in
brought up
wondered aloud
(NOTE: Keep in mind that all of these words have slightly different meanings and are associated with different emotions/scenarios.)
50 WORDS TO USE INSTEAD OF “SAID”
Do you ever find yourself over-using the word “said” in your writing? Try using these words/phrases instead:
stated
commented
declared
spoke
responded
voiced
noted
uttered
iterated
explained
remarked
acknowledged
mentioned
announced
shouted
expressed
articulated
exclaimed
proclaimed
whispered
babbled
observed
deadpanned
joked
hinted
informed
coaxed
offered
cried
affirmed
vocalized
laughed
ordered
suggested
admitted
verbalized
indicated
confirmed
apologized
muttered
proposed
chatted
lied
rambled
talked
pointed out
blurted out
chimed in
brought up
wondered aloud
(NOTE: Keep in mind that all of these words have slightly different meanings and are associated with different emotions/scenarios.)
When you lose momentum in your writing:
Aka what you should do if you literally can’t stand your project for another second.
Actually give yourself a break for a couple of days because maybe your brain is burned out and you need it.
Start a new story and come back to the old one in a week or two when you have new ideas.
Skip the part you’re on and write that exciting chapter you can’t wait to get to.
Replot by changing one major detail or event. A “what if” scenario.
Write a backstory or a later chapter in a totally new style (screenplay, first person, poetry, present tense, or look into other authors’ styles and see if any appeal to you.)
Make a bullet list of everything that’s making you stop writing or parts you don’t like about the story so you can fix them later.
Honestly your probably feeling like you hate your story because you’ve spent so much time with it that it feels old and tired. I recommend the first bullet point before doing any of the others.
sorry if this seems like a weird question, but do you have to plan character goals and motivations for characters that are less than five years old?
Their age doesn’t matter, what matters is their role in the story.
Take ice age for example, even the kid has goals and motivations (to find his parents, to eat, to have his nappy changed.)
A child probably won’t have life changing goals like “find them man who murdered my parents” unless they’re a really cool five year old lol
But if the character is important to the story there should be a reason for them to be there.
I hope that makes sense. It’s hard to give advice without knowing the details.
to all my writer friends out there.