ramirezwriting

[ramirezwriting]

31 Days Of Character Development: May Writing Challenge

– You’ve all been really enjoying these monthly writing challenges, so I decided to do a small series of prompt lists for developing your longer stories. This month is character development, and the next month will be plot development and worldbuilding. I look forward to seeing all of your guys’ responses here using the hashtag #wordsnstuffcharacterdevelopment and over on Instagram, where you can tag me @ writingandsuch.

☼ Prompt List ☼

Days 1-10: Motivation & Behaviour

What does your character think they want?

What does your character actually want?

What does your character need?

What are your character’s recurring feelings?

If you had to write 10 rules or beliefs your characters follow, what would they be?

Write a scene in which your character’s past affects their current actions.

What are your characters fears and where do they stem from?

What is your character’s biggest secret? Why do they keep it?

Where does your character stand on the alignment scale? 

What does your character have to lose?

Days 11-20: Physical/Personality Traits and Relationships

What are your character’s strengths?

What are your character’s weaknesses?

Find a face claim for your character and identify the differences.

What is your character’s ethnic background?

Write a short blurb of your character interaction with each other character.

List and explain your character’s positive traits.

List and explain your character’s negative traits.

Describe your character’s sense of style.

What are your character’s flaws?

Describe your character from the point of view of someone who hates them.

Days 21-30: Role, Impact, and Evolution

What role does your character play in the progression of the plot?

How could a reader relate to your character?

How does your character’s past affect people’s view of them?

To what extent does your character help the conflict resolve?

To what extent does your character worsen the conflict?

What are the major struggles your character is facing?

Describe your character in beginning vs. the end of the story?

What events play the largest part in changing your character?

How do you want your reader to remember the character?

What is the character’s overall impact on other characters and the story overall?

Bonus Challenge (Day 31)

Describe your character’s backstory, “once upon a time” style

Masterlist

If you enjoy my blog and wish for it to continue being updated frequently and for me to continue putting my energy toward answering your questions, please consider Buying Me A Coffee, or pledging your support on Patreon, where I offer early access and exclusive benefits for only $5/month.

Shoutout to my $15+ patron, Douglas S.!

[ramirezwriting]

On Writing for Yourself and Not for Notes

AKA How to Enjoy Writing for the Sake of it

Get off social media! I know it’s tempting to blabber on about a WIP to get those hella cool notes, but doing so only reinforces that writing’s only fun if it gets you attention. We all need that boost now and again, but too much of it will whittle away your self-reliance. Close your laptop, leave your phone in a different room, and sit down with a notebook if possible and if you need to. You’ll get to know what enthralls you personally about your story.

Don’t write for an audience for now. Tumblr likes to do this thing where it says “blah blah blah X is problematic in media” and while it’s well-intentioned, internalizing too much of this can make you feel like you’re trying to write through a maze and constantly failing at it. Forget about your audience–you can flag and catch problematic stuff in edits after tossing it to the betas.

Remember what made thirteen-year-old you lose their mind? Yeah, write that. Once you’ve let go of writing for an audience, you won’t worry about being “cringey” anymore, and that’s when things start to get real good and real fun. You don’t have to show your writing to anyone, or even tell them you wrote it, so just go buckwild! Trust me, it’s so liberating.

Your inner critic is useful–but not now. Shut that bitch up! Your job when drafting is to make something. If you did that, you win, so your critic’s opinion is worth squat here. However, if you try to fight her {I always envision mine as some bitchy middle-aged woman lol} she’s just gonna get louder. So tell yourself you can be as critical of your writing as you want during edits. You’re not working for perfect, or even good right now. You’re working for existing.

Remember that this is a process. Companies like tumblr are investing a BUNCH of cash into getting you to stay glued to their platforms, and if you’re a creator this might manifest in your feeling like you need to live your creative life online. You don’t. But retraining your brain isn’t easy. Remember that divorcing yourself from the validation of online noise takes work and time and a lot of discomfort and redirecting, especially for folks like me who thrive on routine. And don’t discipline. Redirect. Negativity has no right to be in your creative space ♥️

[ramirezwriting]

the suffering never ends

[ramirezwriting]

Emotionally repressed characters, a list of situations.

Fake tears/emotions just to be polite.

Avoiding funerals/emotional events in fear that not crying might be impolite.

“Testing” their own emotions out of doubt: “what if everyone’s right? Am I unemotional?”

Trying to make themselves cry when they’re alone, because “can I actually cry?” Then holding back said tears if they succeed because oh, shit, this isn’t actually what I want.

Guilt for not showing what everyone else did, not because they didn’t want to, but because they can’t.

Choking back whatever they feel on moments they don’t think it’s convenient.

Frustration about the poor timing of tears because it would’ve been so useful a while ago! Despite knowing they probably wouldn’t have cried at that funeral if they would’ve felt tears sting their eyes.

Being misunderstood all. the. damn. time. and not undertaking the slightest efforts to change people’s misjudgment.

“You can’t feel [insert emotion], can you?”, “Hah, no I can’t!” Of course they can, they just won’t say it. Or, the alternative: the blank stare/an empty laugh instead of a vocal reply. Neither a denial nor a confirmation.

Pure and utter confusion about emotional people on TV. An inability to relate to why people would let themselves go like that in front of a camera – not understanding that perhaps, not everyone is as good at concealing emotions as you are.

Deadly silence instead of showing anger.

Passive aggressiveness.

Yelling at someone instead of crying in front of them.

Better come off as offended or arrogant than show what you really feel.

“I’m laughing but actually I want to punch you in the face.” the fact that the person who made them angry probably doesn’t even know it is even more infuriating.

Saying “I need to be alone” and meaning it. Don’t follow to console, please.

When they do lose control, you bet it’s going to be a whirlwind of emotion.

Not consciously having to restrain themself anymore. It just happens.

Only really feeling certain emotions in relation to another person. When someone else is upset, when a person offends someone else – but not when it happens to them.

[ramirezwriting]

Artist in Abramtsevo, Russia. Photo by N. Solovyov (1985)

[ramirezwriting]

Anti-war protests after Israel attacked Lebanon. Photos from Ottawa, Tashkent, Tel Aviv, published in Soviet Ogonyok magazine (1982).

[ramirezwriting]

Library in basement of Plassey House, with study facilities, with two unidentified students, ca. 1973.

[ramirezwriting]

Hello :) Do you have any tips on writing short stories? I’m applying for a prestigious student writing program in my city and I need to submit a 7ish page story, but I really struggle with writing short stories. Thank you so much ☺️

Hi there Nony, thanks so much for your ask, and I definitely do!

Tips for Writing Short Stories

Make sure you have a set plan for your story.

If you can write an entire novel and make it up as you go, great! That strategy isn’t nearly as effective when you’re writing a short story, because you don’t have the next chapter to figure it out. Planning is crucial when you’re writing a short story; try to include as many details as possible.

Don’t try to cram in too much.

Some people fall into the habit of thinking that short stories are like condensed novels, but I’m going to go ahead and say that effective short stories are not like that. Think of your short story being centered around one event, and you can go from there. While short stories can have action, generally they are written to have more of an emotional punch. Your outline should be centered on one main event, like a trigger, and a little bit of what happens after.

Create effective character arcs.

Like I said before, short stories are meant to be short. If you’re writing this seven-page piece and each single-spaced page will have about 500 words, so that’s 3500 words to get your point across. Don’t hesitate with any of this; do your best to limit foreshadowing and, again, pack a punch into your writing. This is why your central event should be so crucial. It needs to have a lasting effect that gives your characters a sense of dynamicity.

Symbolism can be your friend.

While it’s sometimes hard to work into a short story, symbolism can be a helpful method to bring a new dimension to the story. Symbolism is what makes a metaphor, even if it’s not as deep or complex as you want it to be.

Pay attention to story structure.

Even if it’s only a couple thousand words, your story should still have a clear structure. There should be rising/falling action and a climax, just… shortened. But, like I said before, be careful not to include too much when you’re structuring your story.

Use prose to your advantage.

Always beware purple prose, but now is the time to go heavy on line-editing. You only have so many words, and so it’s important that you do your best to use strong vocabulary. (Note: long and hard to understand words ≠ strong vocabulary.) This also includes dialogue; make everything mean something.

Develop your characters.

Your readers have less than 4000 words to figure out who your characters are and to create a connection with them before the end of the story. Make sure you know who they are and how everything will affect them!

These are just a couple of the tips you can use. My “expertise” isn’t in short stories, but these are some of the things I’ve learned in my time writing short stories. I would definitely check out @shaelinwrites as well, as she’s much better at short stories than pretty much anyone I know. (Make sure you search her blog before you ask, she’s already answered lots of questions!)

Thanks so much for your ask!

[ramirezwriting]

Asks for the Gothic Heroine

candelabra - Are you afraid of the dark? If not, what do you fear?

skeleton key - Is there a room that you are not allowed inside?

moorlands - Do you prefer the rain over the sunshine?

the bleeding nun - During childhood, was there a monster under your bed?

pressed flowers - Have you ever fallen in love?

whispers - Tell a secret.

shadowy ruins - If you had to conceal yourself from someone, where would you hide?

cobwebs - Have you ever been lost?

silver dagger - Have you ever had an injury? Of mind or body?

hidden staircase - Have you ever witnessed something you weren’t supposed to?

white chiffon  - Do you want to get married? Why or why not?

neglected manuscript - Do you have a favorite novel?

distant shores - If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

armoire in the attic - Have you ever hidden anything away? What and why?

sleeping draught - What was the last dream you had?

peeling wallpaper - Write about a memory.

conspirators - Do you have a confidante?

phantom footsteps - Do you believe in ghosts?

[ramirezwriting]

One Word Writing Prompts [pt. 4]

Send me a number 1 thru 50 for a word that I’ll use to write either a headcanon, drabble, or starter. Send 🎆 for a random number instead.

01. — energy 02. — scented 03. — uncharted 04. — acute 05. — infinity 06. — trusted 07. — cherry 08. — secondhand 09. — teal 10. — notebook 11. — brush 12. — cookie 13. — grow 14. — acidic 15. — needy 16. — flora 17. — lemonade 18. — system 19. — raw 20. — welcome 21. — corrupt 22. — nail 23. — assault 24. — tooth 25. — fuel 26. — waiting 27. — goofy 28. — undress 29. — pie 30. — diligent 31. — undesirable 32. — trinket 33. — earsplitting 34. — cinnamon 35. — ambush 36. — pop 37. — rosy 38. — adagio 39. — bunny 40. — potent 41. — chopped 42. — shot 43. — ginger 44. — handle 45. — betrayal 46. — tape 47. — bubblegum 48. — charm 49. — bind 50. — grace

[ramirezwriting]

Keira Knightley as Cecilia Tallis in Atonement (2007).

[ramirezwriting]

romantic fluff alphabet [ k-r ] [ s-z ]

[ramirezwriting]

The World to Come (2021)

[ramirezwriting]

a great piece of writing advice i’ve heard, if not one of the greatest, is that you should always write what your characters would say, not what you want them to say.

this might sound confusing to some people, given that you’re the writer, and you provide your characters with a voice (they wouldn’t exist without you) but writing what your characters would say/do, as opposed to what you want them to say/do, really just comes down to what you want to happen in your story, and what realistically would happen.

as in, you might want one of your characters to be open about their feelings, and to trust the person standing in front of them. but your character has trust issues, and they don’t easily open up to people. forcing this character to do so anyway, will only lead to inauthentic storytelling, and characters that continuously contradicts themselves.

let your characters guide you through their lives, and let the story unfold itself. you won’t always have control over what happens.

characters will face the consequences of their actions, one thing will lead to another, and the story will turn in a direction so far from the one you initially meant for it to go in. let that happen. don’t force a story in there if it doesn’t go with the current narrative.

[ramirezwriting]

Designing Your Characters

Hey everyone, Abby here with another writing post! Today I want to talk about character designs and how to make them, and why they help me so much personally. Let’s get right into it!

What is a character design?

Have you ever been creating a character and bam, you get a sudden and (very) detailed image of this character in your head? Isn’t it the coolest? (Correct answer: yes.) Most people think of character designs as drawings of the same character in different poses and outfits and such, but some of us weren’t blessed with artistic abilities of the drawing type. So us writers turn to the character design using words and descriptions (then there are the lucky ones who have both, teach me your ways)!

Character designs are extremely important for your writing because you want to have a consistent reference for the appearance of all of your characters while you’re writing. They often take a while, but I think in the end they’re definitely worth it.

My Character Designs

I consider myself an extremely organized person, so I like to use two different “forms” that I’ve created. (The other one is for personality, which I’ll go over in another post.) So we’re going to go with a made-up character for this one, just so I can give some good examples. 

Below the cut you’ll find a “form” that I fill out for all of my characters’ appearances. The effectiveness of this whole thing is decided by how in-depth you go with it. You can get the basics if you just answer the questions, but for a full understanding you’ll want to get in an much description as you can. Like I said, time-consuming.

[ A Note: While it will be helpful to know everything about your character’s appearance, there’s no need to include it all in your writing. Unless it’s super important to the story later, I’m not entirely sure readers will need to know about your olive-skinned character’s sloping nose with a bit of a snub at the end, slightly sculpted jawline, golden-brown eyes, and full lips all at once.]

Keep reading

[ramirezwriting]

Writing Tips Masterlist

Last updated April 9, 2021.

World-Building

4 Tips for Writing Magic

Creating a Culture

Totalitarian Governments

Creating a Distinct World

Creating (Fictional) Medicine

Describing New Settings

Writing a War

Writing a War with Superheroes / Magic / Fantasy

70 Questions for World-Building

Creating Superstitions

49 Questions for Creating a Religion

The Tie Between Characters and World-Building

34 Questions for Creating a Government

36 Questions for Music in World-Building

Creating a New Species

42 Questions for Creating an Education System

Characters

Developing Character Appearance

Developing Character Personality

Multilingual Characters

Creating a Wardrobe

How to Name Your Characters

Your Characters vs. Already-Established Characters

Effective Point-of-View Character

Writing an Impactful Death

Writing with Archetypes

Designing Your Characters

Mute Characters

Thinning Your Cast

Not Enough Characters?

84 Questions for Developing Plot and Character Roles

Sexuality without a Relationship

Consistent Personalities

Skills and Knowledge

Creating Conflict

Character Arcs

Sympathetic Characters

Name vs. Pronouns and When to Use Them

Creating Character Voice

Characters Who Are Learning Another Language

Character Fears

Finding Motivations

Creating Character Flaws

Emotionless Characters

Relationships

Dynamic Relationships

Sibling Relationships

Believable Romance

Characters Who Don’t Know How to Relationship

Complementary Character Traits

Writing a Slow-Burn Romance

Characters Who Fall Out of Love

Groups of Characters

Making Compatible Characters

Emotions

Frustration

Grief

Fear

Planning & Plotting

Planning a Series

Writing an Outline

Tips for Writing Subplots

Non-Point-of-View Romantic Subplots

Avoiding Generic Plots

Planning and Pace

Editing & Prose

Writing with Emotion

Controlling Pace with Detail

Steps of the Editing Phase

Descriptions in Context

Imagery

Dialogue

Showing vs. Telling

What is passive voice?

Reworking Moments of Exposition

Adverbs

When to Cut Your Content

Avoiding Cliches in Your Story

The Importance of Vocabulary

Writing Beginning Paragraphs

Motivation

How to Balance Multiple Projects

How to Fall Back in Love with Your Story

Writing Every Day?

Sticking with Your Story

Getting (Back) Into the Writing Habit

Setting Realistic Goals

Shiny New Idea Syndrome

Positive Writing Mindset

Staying Motivated on Your Projects

Getting in “The Zone”

Keeping Writing Logs

Avoiding Burnout

Breaking Out of Writer’s Block

Scenes

Quick Decisions

Travel Scenes

Breakdown in the Shower

General Writing & Miscellaneous

The Joys of the First Draft

Injuries

Creating Suspense

Writing Poison

Prophecies

A Word to Young Writers

Making a Moodboard

Consuming with the Producer Mindset

For First-Time Writers

Building Your Writing Skill

Advice for Student Writers

How to Do Research

How to Maximize Your Writing Time

How to Make Your Book Look Like a Book

On Experimenting in Writing

When to Use Multiple Points of View

Building Theme

Becoming a Beta Reader

Background Music While Writing

Why Committing to a Project Can Be Stressful

Warm-Ups for Writers

Determining Your Story’s Genre

Why do we get stressed when we don’t write?

Writing Short Stories

If my work helps you or your writing, please consider supporting me my joining my Patreon!

[ramirezwriting]

I don't know how accurate some of these are, but they can be useful