daducharme-blog

[daducharme-blog]

“Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing.”

— Henry Miller

[daducharme-blog]

I really truly cannot stop thinking about the scene in AKOFAF where Casteel is fully devoted to finding Poppy the perfect piece of cheese

Despite the fact that people are trying to engage him, their PRINCE, in likely important discussions about the future, he just nods along like yh yh great, I hear you, but internally he’s solely focused on his task of evaluating the cheese on offer, to the point where Poppy even notices & wonders why he’s been staring at the cheese for so long

Like?! If I don’t end up with someone who will prioritise scouring an entire cheese board just to find a slice they think will make me happy, over literally any other obligation they may have at the time, then I want no part of it

We all deserve to be loved like that

[daducharme-blog]

“Don’t just plan to write—write. It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style.”

— P. D. James

[daducharme-blog]

Writing Challenge: Day 1

Scribendi.com 30-day Writing Challenge

Take us through a written walk down your street and to your favorite place through the eyes of somebody else.

A Walk in Your Shoes

The day was sunny but chilly, and a gentle breeze caressed Jin’s face. Accompanied with that breeze, an enticing smell of cinnamon and butter wafted under his nose, and he heard, “Hotteok! Hotteok! 3,000 won!” Naturally, he stopped and got in line. He made a promise to himself and to Rae that he’d fully experience this walk for everything it offers. Even though this is his city, his home, he wanted to see why she loves this street so much through her eyes.

Jin purchased his hotteok and slowly ate as he continued walking down the street. The sweet cinnamon filling was perfect for this time of year, as it warmed Jin from the inside. He looked around and saw the shops with their twinkling, sparkling lights, and a warmth surrounded him despite the winter chill. The trees were budding, promising beautiful flowers in the near future, despite the small piles and pockets of snow on the ground. Wow, it’s very quaint over here. Everything is soft and sparkly and warm and... is just like her.

He started to stare in awe as that realization hit him. I’m seeing her. Not just the street and the shops. It’s her. This is all her. He paused and stood in front of one of the shops, a small beauty boutique with handmade, natural products. A set of rose petal and rose oil products caught his eye, prompting him to enter the shop. He gently and quietly opened the door, avoiding eye contact with staff, and walked over to the table. As he reached for the rose oil balm, a staff member came over and greeted him.

“Hello, sir. Can I help you with anything?”

Jin paused, unsure if he needed help. He shook his head.

“Here’s a basket. Please let me know if you need anything,” she said with a gentle smile.

Jin thanked her and returned to the table to begin looking at the products. As he tested the rose oil balm, he felt himself being transported to when he first saw Rae.

It was early summer and he was out on a bike ride since he had a break from his recording and practice schedule. The smell of summer flowers, from roses to hydrangeas to irises, surrounded him as he rode through the park. In front of him was the bridge to crossover the little garden streams, which he knew he needed to cross in order to keep on his bike path and get to his favorite cafe. Suddenly, a woman was in his way, and he barely stopped himself in time, his bag flying off his shoulder and chaos ensued.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!” she gasped, reaching to help him pick up his bag, muttering to herself about what happened. “I made all your things get messed up. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re not hurt?”

She shook her head, and looked up at him. And he froze. Those eyes. I’ve never seen such a beautiful mess of colors. Deep like the ocean. Glittering like the stars. Like when the sun shines through the top of the ocean. There’s just a light coming through the depth. And yet, a grayness, almost sadness, was there too. I don’t even know what to call this color, but, it feels like I already know her. 

As he continued to stare, a flush crept up her cheeks. With a gentle shuffle of her feet, and her hand twisting her golden brown hair, she said, “Uh... I’m okay. I promise. Are you okay?”

He mentally jolted himself to respond, ran his hand through his raven hair and said, “I’m okay. I’m sorry. I should have been paying better attention on my ride. I must have startled you.”

She laughed, a sparkling, twinkling giggle, a laugh a pixie would have. I’m in trouble... 

She said, “No, not at all. I was in my own little world and I wasn’t thinking that a bike would come up the bridge. So really you just helped me come back to reality.” Her face lit up with the softest, cutest smile as she stood up. Jin followed, realizing how tiny she really was. I’m really in trouble...

“Will you let me make it up to you at least? I’m on my way to a cafe. Let me buy you a coffee.”

“Funny enough, I was thinking about getting coffee. Let’s do it.”

“Oh, by the way, I’m Jin,” his hand reaching to rub the back of his neck.

She giggled again, and said, “I know who you are. Your face is everywhere. It’s nice to meet you, Jin. I’m Rae.” The way she looked up at him, he knew she was being playful. Her cute wink sent him over the moon.

He grinned.

“Okay, Rae. Let’s go get our coffees.”

Jin was back at the boutique, a gentle, loving smile across his face. I knew she was it the second I saw her look up at me. He decided that the memory flooding back in such a way meant he needed to buy the rose oil balm for her. And so he did.

Back out on the street, the sun lowered in the sky, and more twinkling lights came on. Even in the trees, like little fairies waking up for their nightly dance. Jin continued his walk, taking in the shops and cafes and listening as people passed, living in their own bubble within the city. A small group of elementary student ran past him, laughing and teasing each other as they went into the convenience store. Warmly he thought to himself, hopefully, one day, I’ll have a kid that does that.

He noticed he was coming up on the sign where Rae told him to stop, and found himself wishing he could continue to walk along the street. He was falling in love with it. Still, he stopped at the sign and read what it was, and chuckled. Of course this is her favorite place. And he wandered inside.

At first, the place looked like an average used bookstore, yet as he walked along the aisles, he noticed that it wasn’t. It’s a rare-find, vintage bookshop. He felt the warmth, even more than the warmth outside on the streets, coming from the energy of the store. A small gray cat meandered through the aisle and brushed itself across his legs, and with a soft meow, turned around to go back from where it came. Jin paused for a moment, unsure if he should follow. Another meow, louder this time, came from down the aisle, so follow he did.

The aisle opened into a cozy sitting area, twinkling lights along the ceiling, and beautiful, flourishing plants along the tables and shelves and hanging from the walls. And sitting in her favorite corner, was Rae, her face hidden in a book and coffee growing cold next to her. The small gray cat jumped immediately into her lap, purring as her hand caressed it’s head.

Jin ambled his way over, and gently tapped her hand on the table. She jumped, startled by the action, and turned her glittering blue eyes to his face. Immediately, she glowed.

“Fancy meeting you here,” she giggled.

“Well, you see, someone told me this was the best place in the city, and I thought I would check it out,” he teased. She smiled, a knowing look spread across her glowing, glittering face. She patted the seat next to her, and he slid in and placed his arm around her, placing the boutique bag on the table.

“So, what did you think?”

“Hmm. I don’t know. I don’t know that anything could be greater than my handsome face.”

She stared at him, shook her head, and said, “Mhmm, I’m sure.”

Jin took a breath, and gently moved her face to look directly at him. With a hand cupping her cheek, he said, “I saw more into you and your soul today than I thought I ever could. I love you and all your warmth and shine. And this area, this area embodies all that you are. I see why you love it so much. And I see why I only want you for the rest of my life.”

A glistening tear rolled down her cheek, though she beamed at him.

With a gentle flourish of his other hand, he added “And this bookstore? It feels like I came home to you.”

He gently caressed her cheek, eyes moving to her lips. He leaned in and kissed her, her lips soft and supple, and a lingering taste of vanilla and coffee. As he pulled away, her hands grabbed his face to keep him close.

“I love you with all my heart. I only want you for as long as I live, or for eternity, whichever comes first,” she said, “And I am at a really good part of the book, so stay with me and keep me company as I finish.” She winked.

I would move the earth for you if you wanted.

“Okay, let’s get comfy then.”

[daducharme-blog]

Hey guys! As a writer myself, it’s hard to have a lot of resources for writing in one place. That’s why I decided to create this masterpost, and maybe make more if I find future resources. I hope you like it, and expect to see more masterposts like this in the future!

Generators

Character

Appearance Generator

Archetypes Generator

Character Generator

Character Traits Generator

Family Generator

Job/Occupation Generator, (II)

Love Interest Generator

Motive Generator

Name Generator

Personality Generator, (II)

Quick Character Generator

Super Powers Generator

Names

Brand Name Generator

Medicine Title Generator

Name Generator

Quick Name Generator

Vehicle Generator

Town Name Generator

Plot

First Encounter Generator

First Line Generator, (II)

Plot Generator, (II), (III)

Plot Device Generator

Plot Twist Generator

Quick Plot Generator

Setting/World-Building

City Generator

Fantasy Race Generator

Laws Generator

Pet Generator

Setting Generator

Species Generator

Terrain Generator

Prompts

Subject Generator

”Take Three Nouns” Generator

Word Prompt Generator

Misc

Color Generator

Decision Generator

Dialogue Generator

Journey Generator

Title Generator, (II), (III)

Some Tips

Just a few I found from the writing tips tag!

Writing action / @berrybird

How to create a strong voice in your writing / @collegerefs

How to plot a complex novel in one day! / @lizard-is-writing

8 ways to get past writer’s block / @kiramartinauthor

psa for writers / @dasakuryo

”Write Using Your 5 Senses” / @ambientwriting

How People Watching Improves Your Writing / @wherethetransthingsare

Writing Science Fiction: Tips for Beginners / @fictionwritingtips

Creating Likeable Characters / @authors-haven

Vocabulary

Descriptive words / @somekindofstudent

Words to replace “Said” / @msocasey

Obscure color words / @mintsteelpeachlilac

Words to spice up your stories / @busyibee

Words to describe someone’s voice

Words to Use Instead of Very / @gaybybirth

Touchy Feely Words / @gaybybirth

Some Advice

Stephen King’s Top 20 Rules for Writers

”But my plot isn’t UNIQUE or BIG enough!” / @youreallwrite

8 Things Every Creative Should Know / @adamjk

(How To) Get Over Comparing Yourself to Other Creatives / @adamjk

How to Get Over Common Creative Fears (Maybe) / @adamjk

14 Tips From Stephen King On Writing / @i-can-give-you-prompts

Playlists

Electronic Thoughts / @eruditekid

“Mix About Writing” An Instrumental Mix / @shadowofemirates

Shut Up, I’m Writing! / @ninadropdead

Chill / @endlessreveries

Breathtaking Film Scores / @tweedskirts

Music to Write to Vol. 1: Starlight / @crestadeen

Music for Written Words / @ghoulpatch

Dead Men Tell No Tales / @scamandersnewt

Fatale / @dolcegf

All These Things that I’ve Done / @referenceforwriters

Feeling Soaking into Your Bones / @verylondon

I Can Feel Your Pulse in the Pages / @rphelper

Morally Ambiguous / @scamandersnewt

Wonderwall / @wheelerwrites

Pythia / @mazikeene

Ballet: To Dance / @tanaquil

Websites and Apps

For Writing

ZenPen: A minimalist writing website to keep you free of distractions and in the flow.

The Most Dangerous Writing App: A website where you have to keep typing or all of your writing will be lost. It helps you keep writing…kind of. You can choose between a time or word count limit!

Evernote: An online website where you can take notes and save the product to your laptop and/or smartphone!

Writer, the Internet Typewriter: It’s just you and your writing, and you can save your product on the website if you create an account.

Wordcounter: A website to help check your word and character count, and shows words you’re using frequently.

Monospace: An Android app for writing on the go when you feel the inspiration, but you don’t have your laptop on you!

For Productivity

Tide: An app that combines a pomodoro-esque timer with nature sounds and other noises! (Google Play / Apple Store)

ClearFocus: An Android app with a pomodoro-type time counter to let you concentrate easier and stay productive.

Forest: An app with a time counter to keep you focused and off your phone, and when you complete the time limit, a tree grows in your garden! (Google Play / Apple Store)

SelfControl: A Mac downloadable app that blocks you from distracting mail servers, websites, and other things!

Prompt Blogs

@writeworld

@dialouge-prompts

@oopsprompts

@prompts-for-the-otp

@creativepromptsforwriting

@the-modern-typewriter

@theprofessionalpromptmaker

@writers-are-writers

@otp-imagines-cult

@witterprompts

@havetobememes

@auideas

@putthepromptsonpaper

@promptsonpaper

@fyotpprompts

@otpisms

@soprompt

@otpprompts

@ablockforwritersblock

@awritersnook

Writing Tips Blogs

@writeworld

@anomalously-written

@awritersnook

@clevergirlhelps

@referenceforwriters

@whataboutwriting

@thewritershelpers

@nimblesnotebook

@slitheringink

[daducharme-blog]

Whew... I’m finally doing it...

Ever since I was probably seven years old, I realized how much joy and fun reading books and stories would bring me. You know that little kid who often stayed up until wee hours of the morning with a flashlight, reading under their covers? (Think: Harry Potter at the beginning of Prisoner of Azkaban.) 

That was me. This carried well into my adulthood. However, in recent years, I lost interest. Depression is beast of a thing, and now that I’m healing and working on myself and rediscovering myself, books and writing are sources of joy again. 

Over the past few months, I created works in my head and only jotted down notes on scenes and characters. And I think it’s high time I actually make this a real thing. Thus, this blog was created. 

I am mostly doing this for fun and to overall increase my writing skills and find my unique style, while also enjoying and sharing the books I read with anyone who would like to join me. 

Here goes nothing! First post incoming... (it’ll definitely be more like a fan fiction, but alas, that’s what I’m used to writing...) <3