【 interactions will come from main blog: @flyovertheandesman 】
「 I do not claim to be an expert on anything I post here 」
「 please correct me or add information if you can ; I will really appreciate it ! 」
「 posts will be edited as I learn more on a topic ; addendum links will be here if the added information is abundant 」
「 requests are open, but please be patient <3 」
「 alpha / beta reading is closed for now 」
『 ☒ indicates trigger warnings apply 』
Did I daydream this, or was there a website for writers with like. A ridiculous quantity of descriptive aid. Like I remember clicking on " inside a cinema " or something like that. Then, BAM. Here's a list of smell and sounds. I can't remember it for the life of me, but if someone else can, help a bitch out <3
This is going to save me so much trouble in the future.
✧
➸ “This is a sentence.”
➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.
➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”
➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”
➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”
➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”
➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.
“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.
“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”
➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”
➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”
However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can also be “outside”!
➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.
If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)
➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations dashes typically express—“
“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.
➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.
➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”
➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.
“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”
➸ “If it’s the same speaker but different paragraph, keep the closing quotation off.
“This shows it’s the same character continuing to speak.”
Thank you so much for this translation!
✷
↠ bang
↠ bark
↠ beep
↠ bellow
↠ blare
↠ blast
↠ bong
↠ boom
↠ buzz
A list of blogs that I've seen here on Tumblr that are out there creating prompts, helping out with advice and overall encouraging and inspiring everyone who wants to write. If you'd like to be added or to be taken off, please send me a message!
Writing Prompts
Writing Advice and Resources
Writing Encouragement
OC Prompts
Give all of these blogs your love and get inspired!
this is an amazing resource! thank you for including me💗
Hey! The name's Audrey, and I just wanted to thank you SO SO much for all the prompts + writing help!! I've got lots of hc/fanfic motivation, thanks to you! So really, thank you for the account! :DDD
I’m so glad I could help! Thank you for sending this in. It absolutely made my day💗💗💗
Hello I love you’re writing tips!
I have a question.
I would like to ask what’s a good way to start my book? I’ve been making my story board but I just can’t think of any ways to get started on my book and plan out the entire plot. That’s what I’ve been having trouble with.
Thankies~
Hi there! Thanks for dropping an ask. I’m so glad you enjoy the writing tips!
My first recommendation is going to be very simple, probably more simple than you’d like — just write. Don’t worry about the perfect way to open your story because, truthfully, you’ll probably change it by the time you’re done editing anyway. You can start writing in the middle of the plot or just start writing random scenes. The more you write, the more details will come to you, and the more you’ll figure out what you want your layout to be.
Of course, I’ll give you some more ideas than that because that’s not very helpful to your direct question. But it’s something to consider. You don’t have to write your story in order. Your writing process is your own. Nonetheless, here are some ways to start your story!
✧
➸ danger: drop the readers right into action with something dangerous; don’t worry if they don’t understand what’s happening yet because the whole point is to get them hooked
➸ dialogue: drop your readers right into an important conversation
➸ flashback: give the readers a glimpse into the character’s past, especially if it’s something that will heavily affect the character development; it’ll build the readers intrigue
➸ foreshadowing: let the readers in on what’s about to happen; something as simple as “if only he knew…” will add suspense and intrigue
➸ historical context: tell a story of the culture or some historical turning point to jump into world building
➸ mystery: have your character do something unexplained; it’ll make the readers want backstory
➸ normal day: start with a normal day… until it’s not; write your characters daily commitments (something to show who they are) and then have it all suddenly change; this can be a good way to express the main character’s lifestyle, introduce side characters early on, and world build — but be careful because it can also be rather boring
➸ onomatopoeia: start with a sound that moves into an action for a quick way to hook the reader (boom! crack! crash!)
➸ perspective: give a point of view from a side character (this can be especially intriguing if your main character is an unreliable narrator)
➸ prophecy: start with a compelling prophecy to keep the readers wondering how it will connect later on
➸ question: start with an important question and let the rest of the scene answer it
➸ secret: give your readers something only they know or something only one character knows; it’ll initiate suspense
✧
➸ avoid info-dumping: you spent all this time building this world and you want your readers to know it… I get it… but they’ll figure it out as the story goes; don’t throw a bunch of information at them right away or they won’t retain it and they’ll get bored
➸ don’t overdo descriptions: readers have an amazing ability to fill in gaps; they don’t need to know every detail of your setting or character appearance; give a prominent detail or two and let them fill in the rest
➸ don’t tell everything at once: your readers need to wonder what will happen or they won’t want to read more
➸ establish the character’s voice: your readers should have a decent idea of who the main character is by the end of the first chapter
➸ keep it moving: the plot should always move forward, even in the start; even though this is an ‘introduction’ chapter, it should flow into the second chapter with ease
➸ know what you want your readers to know: list the details you want established from the very beginning and brainstorm the best way to describe a majority of these while still moving the plot forward
I really enjoy your tips and advice! I’m very busy and just found this page but I’m excited to see more!
thank you sm for sending this in!! I’m so glad I can help! 💓💓
Years after the disappearance and assumed death of their young daughter, a married couple is tight on money and trying to move on, so they decide to rent out her old room to a college student in town for the summer. However, as time passes, they grow more and more suspicious of their guest, who is eerily similar to the daughter they lost and cryptic about her past.
Potential big reveals:
1. The guest is actually the daughter, who didn’t die but suffered amnesia after the accident and somehow became separated from her parents.
2. The guest is the ghost of the daughter.
3. The guest is a figment of the couple’s imagination, spawned out of grief.
4. The guest is the daughter’s killer, who was obsessed with her life and sought to replace her.
Or, some combination?
- Lynn
✧
➸ “This is a sentence.”
➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.
➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”
➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”
➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”
➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”
➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.
“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.
“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”
➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”
➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”
However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can ask be “outside”!
➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.
If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)
➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations, dashes typically express—“
“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.
➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.
➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”
➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.
“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”
This is propaganda to make me use commas
Yes, it is 😈
✧
➸ “This is a sentence.”
➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.
➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”
➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”
➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”
➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”
➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.
“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.
“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”
➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”
➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”
However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can also be “outside”!
➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.
If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)
➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations dashes typically express—“
“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.
➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.
➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”
➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.
“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”
➸ “If it’s the same speaker but different paragraph, keep the closing quotation off.
“This shows it’s the same character continuing to speak.”
I knew about half of this when I started writing. It’s amazing the stuff they don’t teach you in school that you have to work out on your own. And look, all beautifully laid out for you.
And don’t forget 2 spaces after a period!
Hi there! Some publishers may require two spaces after a period, but it is very uncommon now. Almost all publication guides have shifted to one space.
Two spaces are used with typewriters to make sentences more distinguishable and readable, but software (Word, Google Docs, etc.) have proportional fonts that take into account the space that should be after a punctuation mark so only one is needed.
Of course, do whatever you want as it’s your writing, but I wanted to reblog this for people to be able to do their own research on it. Thanks for bringing this up!
Do you have/can you make promp for friends who have feelings for each establishing a relationship. Sort of like for those "what are we?" moments.
absolutely! I love this idea! <3
❦
➵ that awkward confession one person finally gets the courage to admit and is pleasantly surprised when the feelings are returned
➵ going on a first non-platonic date
➵ being nervous but not understanding why because they’ve been comfortable with each other for so long
➵ mutual friends being really happy they’re finally sealing the deal because they’ve been encouraging it for so long
➵ saying ‘I love you’ but feeling the shift in meaning
➵ that first kiss that makes them realize it has always been them
➵ hugging each other a little longer than usual
➵ describing their ideal partner & realizing it’s perfectly describing the friend
➵ neither of them dating anyone else & always using the excuse they just haven’t found the right person (but they both know the right person is in front of them)
➵ neither of them feeling the need to date anyone else because they’re getting everything they want from their friend
➵ not liking any of the other’s previous partners and finally admitting the reason is because they were jealous or being accused of being jealous
➵ dreaming about the friend in a romantic way
➵ asking hypothetical questions that aren’t actually hypothetical
➵ having a feeling their friend is holding back something but not knowing what it is
➵ confronting friend about pulling away from them, and the friend admits it’s because they’ve developed romantic feelings
➵ not wanting to risk the friendship but wanting to be together anyway
➵ making a deal to marry each other in ten years if neither of them find anyone else and secretly hoping it happens
➵ knowing they would be happy together
❦
➵ “What are we doing?”
➵ “What are we, really? Just friends or something more?”
➵ “What is this?”
➵ “Not everything needs a label. We’re just… us.”
➵ “Are you mine?”
➵ “I want to be able to call you mine.”
➵ “I like this — whatever this is.”
➵ “How about a date? A real one.”
➵ “We’re friends, just friends… right?”
➵ “Do you want to be… more?”
➵ “You can’t deny that things have been different. We have been different, but… I like different.”
➵ “I love you. You’re my friend.” / “Just your friend?”
➵ “People think we’re in a relationship, you know.”
➵ “I like you, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
➵ “I had a dream about kissing someone, and now I’m confused about how I feel about them. I don’t know what to do about it.” / “Just kiss them. Maybe that’ll clear things up.” (This happened with me & my partner so I had to include it🥰)
➵ “It’s always been you.”
➵ “I was blind. My person has been standing right in front of me the entire time.”
➵ “I want you. I’ve wanted you for a long time.”
➵ “I don’t know how to tell you this.”
➵ “I’m scared to tell you. I don’t want it to ruin our friendship.”
➵ “I can’t lose you, but I can’t ignore the way I feel either.”
➵ “Let’s take the risk.”
➵ “We deserve to be happy. We deserve to be happy together.”
➵ “Promise we’ll always be friends even if it doesn’t work out?”
➵ “You want to know why I’m not dating? Because there’s only one person I want, and I’m not sure if that person feels the same way.”
To anyone I’ve been messaging or who would like to message me —
My Tumblr seems to have a bug at the moment. I cannot access any messages. I have put in a support request, but I don’t know how long it will take to be fixed.
If you want to get ahold of me for alpha/beta reading or anything else — send me an email at [email protected]!
Sorry for the inconvenience. I appreciate you all💛
﹝ warning: mentions of violence ﹞
A majority of readers I talk to all say one thing… they skim or skip battle scenes. Mostly because they’re boring! A battle is supposed to be a climactic, thrilling moment yet it is often over-described and repetitive. Strike, strike, block, dodge, clang, clash, kill, blood, guts… we know. Here are some tips to keep it interesting!
✹
➳ short sentences
↠ using short sentences creates a fast pace, and battles are filled with quick movements and instinctive life-or-death decisions
↠ readers are less likely to skim over shorter sentences & more likely to be kept immersed
➳ keep it concise
↠ action scenes are not the time to describe the weapons and armor in full detail; keep the action flowing; if it doesn’t move the story forward, don’t add it
➳ dialogue
↠ show some exchanges between characters; add some snarky remarks or expressions of anger; it’ll break up the descriptions and engage the reader’s attention
➳ inner dialogue
↠ show how your character is feeling; we know they’re fighting, but how do they feel about it? wrathful? conflicted? remorseful? scared? nervous?
↠ but remember, no one is going to focus on emotions too much (if at all) when they’re in the heat of the moment; they’ll focus on survival; so try to show emotion through physical action or description
➳ show the motivation for the fight
↠ people fight differently based on their reasoning (aggressor vs defender); during actions scenes readers are generally more interested in the why than the how; we’ve all read enough battle scenes to get the idea of what happens, but what makes this scene special?
➳ the five senses
↠ a great way to be descriptive but not over-descriptive is to write a short sentence for each sense; it’ll paint the picture thoroughly but not bore the reader
➳ strong verbs
↠ avoid adverbs at all costs; it’s the perfect opportunity to use strong verbs
⇨ check out my posts on terms for sword fighting and hand-to-hand combat ⇦
✭
⤠ elements to keep in mind
↠ age, background, birthplace, culture, education, social class
⤠ attitude / traits
↠ how does their attitude affect their voice? sarcastic? sincere? suspicious? confident? ambitious? impatient? silly? determined? kind? honest?
⤠ author voice vs character voice
↠ your descriptive writing shouldn’t sound like your character’s dialogue; you are your own person as the author and your character is their own person — you would speak differently (an exception is if you’re writing in first person and it’s your primary character speaking)
⤠ bad habits
↠ interrupting? finishing other people’s sentences? improper grammar?
⤠ catchphrases
↠ what do they say often? what’s their usual greeting?
⤠ concise or wordy
↠ do they rant? do they explain in detail? do they just get to the point?
⤠ don’t rely on accents
↠ your character’s voice should be more complex than simply accents or dialect
⤠ how often they talk
↠ do they say everything on their mind? do they keep to themselves? only say important things? does this change depending on who they’re with?
⤠ humor
↠ what does your character find funny? what kind of jokes do they make, if any? how often do they joke? who do they joke with?
⤠ identify personality type
↠ personality affects speech; consider these types: leader (leads conversation), follower (less vocal / agreeable), antagonist (antagonizes/bullies other characters), questioner (disrupts flow of conversation / questions ideas and intentions), peacemaker (agreeable / finds common ground between characters)
⤠ profanity
↠ do they curse? how often? when do they curse? when they’re angry? being sarcastic? scared? nervous? what curse words do they use?
⤠ realism
↠ your character should speak like a real person; don’t worry as much about grammatical matters; for example, real people don’t always speak in full sentences or use ideal words
⤠ slang
↠ what slang do they use? how often? does this change depending on who they’re with?
⤠ speech quirks
↠ do they stutter? do they hesitate? do they talk fast? or slow? (‘um’, ‘uh’, ‘well’, ‘like’, etc.)
⤠ vocabulary range
↠ how extensive is their vocabulary? do they utilize it in conversation? vocabulary should reflect education
⤠ practice responses (how would your characters respond to these?)
↠ “I have a problem.”
↠ “I don’t like you.”
↠ “Do you like them?”
↠ “What did you think of the show last night?”
↠ “Give me your money and no one gets hurt!”
⤠ tips to know if your character’s voice is effectively unique
↠ if you take away all dialogue tags, could you tell which character is speaking?
↠ could your readers tell the character’s body language based solely on speech?
↠ if you say your dialogue aloud, does it sound like a natural, realistic conversation?
I’ve been wanting to improve my writing for so long, and finding your blog has helped me do that. Thank you for all the tips and tricks! I can’t wait to see more!!
I’m so glad I could help! There will definitely be more tips and tricks to come. If you ever have anything specific you want info on, feel free to shoot me an ask to request it. Best wishes for your writing improvement! 💗
↦ aggression
↦ arguing
↦ blaming
↦ brooding
↦ clenching fists
↦ clenching jaw
↦ controlled tone
↦ criticizing
↦ complaining
↦ crossing arms
↦ crying
↦ demanding
↦ face flushing
↦ frowning
↦ grinning
↦ hot flashes
↦ inability to listen / comprehend
↦ inappropriate reactions
↦ insulting
↦ impetuosity
↦ increased pulse
↦ irrationality
↦ irritability
↦ losing control (thoughts and actions)
↦ physical reactions, often violent
↦ pupils dilate
↦ rigid
↦ risk taking
↦ sarcasm
↦ slow, unsteady breaths
↦ speaking unusually slow or fast
↦ staring
↦ stomping
↦ sweating
↦ teeth grinding
↦ tense
↦ threatening (verbally or through gestures)
↦ tight-lipped smile
↦ tight muscles
↦ tunneled vision
↦ twitching
↦ withdrawing
↦ yelling
✺
⇨ Know What Triggers Your Character
⤠ anger is a secondary emotion, meaning it will be caused by a primary emotion (embarrassment, distress, etc.)
⤠ commonly, anger is caused by the underlying fear of being harmed (physically or emotionally)
⤠ think of your character’s fears and triggers
⤠ the reason behind the anger will affect the type of anger and the reaction
✺
⇨ Dry vs Wet
⤠ Dry: sharp, stern, threatening, rage, seeing red, being done & vengeful
⤠ Wet: emotional, crying, trembling, screaming, being hurt & embarrassed for caring so much
⇨ Types Described by Therapists
⤠ Assertive Anger: a constructive form of anger in which someone expresses their emotion in a healthy, safe way
⤠ Behavioral Anger: impulsive physical reaction often expressed through violence
⤠ Chronic Anger: continuous, low-level feeling of anger/resentment/frustration often impacting health, relationships, and self-esteem
⤠ Destructive Anger: unhealthy response to anger commonly expressed through verbal/physical actions to hurt others
⤠ Judgmental Anger: response to a perceived injustice which can be expressed through criticizing others and can cause feelings of loneliness or low self-esteem
⤠ Overwhelmed Anger: sudden response due to stress reaching a boiling point
⤠ Passive-Aggressive Anger: avoidant response that includes emotional suppression, often expressed as sarcasm or pettiness
⤠ Retaliatory Anger: reaction to a direct attack, verbal or physical, in which anger is usually directed back at attacker
⤠ Self-Abusive Anger: anger directed inward, often caused by shame and low self-esteem
⤠ Silent Anger: non-verbal reaction to anger in which someone closes themselves off and does not communicate
⤠ Verbal Anger: aggressive anger in which one lashes out at another through verbal attacks; often feels guilt afterwards
⤠ Volatile Anger: explosive and destructive response that makes it hard for person to communicate or express themselves
✺
➵ describe body language
➵ describe facial expressions
➵ describe physical side effects
➵ show character’s behavior
➵ show character’s inner dialogue
➵ show other characters’ reactions
➵ use short sentences and sharp words to build tension
➵ avoid using the word ‘anger’ or any synonyms; using the word is an obvious sign that you are telling the emotion instead of showing it
