#creative writing ..

[nondelphic]

i love when a character is just. emotionally doomed. but like pretty about it.

[luna-azzurra]

Writing characters who almost say “i love you” (but never do)

(until they do, eventually, maybe.)

Some characters don’t fall in love quietly, not really. They fall in love loudly but refuse to say it, and not because they’re playing hard to get, but because they’re scared. Of messing things up, of not being loved back, or of saying too much and not being able to take it back. So instead, they almost say it. Over and over...

✶ They get close, like, painfully close.✶ It’s always on the edge of their tongue, but something stops them.

“I need to tell you something…” “I’ve been thinking about you...about this.” “You’re… important to me.”

They pause too long, they chicken out, the moment passes, and then they pretend it didn’t happen at all.

✶ There’s always something in the way ✶  Timing, fear, a phone call, a joke that kills the mood. One of them looks away and the moment slips through their fingers. And it’s so frustrating, and not just for the characters... for the reader too. Because it keeps almost happening, and then it doesn’t.

✶ They practice it in their head ✶ 

“I love you.” “Has anyone ever told you how much you mean to me?” “You’re it. You’re the one.”

They imagine saying it in the car, or on a walk, or at midnight when everything’s quiet. But when they’re actually in front of the person? It feels impossible.

✶  The other person knows. kind of. ✶  They feel it and hear it in the way they say their name. They see it in the way they look at them like the sun just walked into the room. But they’re scared too, so they wait... And wait, and wait. No one wants to be the first to fall without knowing the other person will catch them.

✶ When it finally happens, it’s never perfect ✶ It’s messy, blurted out, and maybe during an argument. Maybe after something awful happens and everything’s too raw to hide.

“I can’t keep pretending I don’t care.” “You matter to me more than anyone else.” “I love you, okay? I’ve been in love with you for forever.”

[conindiundrum-writing]

“How do I write good female characters-“

Exactly the way you write male ones. Treat them the same. The beauty of it is, even if you write shit male characters too, at least it’s clear you don’t discriminate.

[creativepromptsforwriting]

Writing Motivation

The 15 Minute Rule

Set a timer for 15 minutes (or however long you want) and then write. Do not stop. Don't edit or delete anything. Don't hesitate. These 15 minutes are just for you and your writing. Afterwards, you can leave the work as it is, delete it, or edit it. You can either move forward with it or move on from it. But for these 15 minutes, get it all out of your system.

[3amferaltrashdemon]

Yeah, but have you considered:

As children of the land, too long away from the mothers nurturing embrace afflicts you with a curse of unravelling. The only cure to this is a little piece of home, something innocuous like a fruit or a plant. The best of these cures are also the most prickly: bitter lemons and sharp nettles. Children of mother earth are nurtured by all her aspects. (It's all a matter of perspective.)

scurvy has got to have one of the biggest disease/treatment coolness gaps of all time. like yeah too much time at sea will afflict you with a curse where your body starts unraveling and old wounds come back to haunt you like vengeful ghosts. unless☝️you eat a lemon

[nondelphic]

decided to “quickly reread” my draft and ended up rewriting the entire thing. again. the road to hell is paved with ctrl+s.

[nondelphic]

sometimes the only thing keeping me writing is the threat of forgetting the imaginary people i made up

[literaryvein-reblogs]

How to Describe Faces in Writing

A human face reveals a lot about a person.

In creative writing, describing a character’s face can uncover information about who they are and how they feel.

Writers can zoom in on individual features, like the eyes or mouth, or describe a face in its entirety to paint a picture of a character.

Develop a character through their most telling attribute—their face.

Tips for Describing Faces in Your Writing

Use figurative language when describing a character’s face. When you’re introducing a character for the first time and want the reader to create an image in their mind, use figurative language to describe the character’s face instead of just stating the obvious qualities. For example, you can use similes and metaphors. It’s okay to simply say, “She has blonde hair,” but you could also use a simile: “Her hair was golden like the sun.” In Great Expectations Charles Dickens uses a unique metaphor to describe a feature of a character’s face: “His mouth was such a post-office of a mouth that he had a mechanical appearance of smiling.”

Create facial expressions that reveal emotions. How a character’s eyes, eyebrows, nose, forehead, mouth, and chin move in unison can let a reader in on their emotions. A character can have a facial tic when they get nervous. Whether it’s raised eyebrows and a mouth curved into a smile or a furrowed brow and an upper lip curled into a scowl, you can use a character’s expressions instead of dialogue to reveal their feelings about a situation.

Frame your character’s face with a hairstyle that reflects their story. A crewcut might signify a military soldier or someone who likes to be in control. A ponytail or pigtails might indicate a young character. Describe a character’s hair color—black hair, dark hair, brunette, redhead, blonde, gray, or white—in interesting ways instead of just stating the shade. It makes a difference whether your character dyes their hair or keeps it its natural shade. Describe the length of their hair. A confident businesswoman might have short or shoulder-length hair. A musician might have longer hair. Match your character’s hairstyle with their personality.

Make facial hair an element of a character’s style. How a male character keeps his facial hair is telling. If he’s constantly clean-shaven, he might go to a regular corporate job. A bit of stubble can signify a more casual career. From a beard to sideburns to a goatee, facial hair helps paint a picture of a male character and can help represent their life and what they do.

Realize that eyes are windows to the soul. There are endless ways to depict eyes. Describe obvious characteristics like eye color—green eyes, blue eyes, brown eyes, gray eyes, or black eyes. Highlight their shape—round, almond, narrow. Think about the entire orbital structure, from eyelids to eyelashes. Illustrate how the eyes are placed in relation to the character’s face—deep-set, wide-set, or close-set. Give eyes their own movements to tap into a character’s feelings. Let a character’s eyes twinkle, squint, gaze, or glare.

Describe your character’s skin. The tone and texture of a character’s skin can provide insights into a character’s life. A child’s face might be freckled. A sickly character might look pasty. An old cowboy might be good looking and rugged with craggy skin.

Give your character unique facial features. Set a character apart with distinguishing facial features. Give them dimples, freckles, or unique markings on their face. Give them poor vision so they need to wear eyeglasses. Maybe they wear heavy makeup or have piercings. Think of different ways you can create unique facial features that help define a character.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[zazou-aha]

.

sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

[theaftersundown]

the holy grail types of fanfic

[hayatheauthor]

10 Non-Lethal Injuries to Add Pain to Your Writing

New Part: 10 Lethal Injury Ideas

If you need a simple way to make your characters feel pain, here are some ideas: 

1. Sprained Ankle

A common injury that can severely limit mobility. This is useful because your characters will have to experience a mild struggle and adapt their plans to their new lack of mobiliy. Perfect to add tension to a chase scene.

2. Rib Contusion

A painful bruise on the ribs can make breathing difficult, helping you sneak in those ragged wheezes during a fight scene. Could also be used for something sport-related! It's impactful enough to leave a lingering pain but not enough to hinder their overall movement.

3. Concussions

This common brain injury can lead to confusion, dizziness, and mood swings, affecting a character’s judgment heavily. It can also cause mild amnesia.

I enjoy using concussions when you need another character to subtly take over the fight/scene, it's an easy way to switch POVs. You could also use it if you need a 'cute' recovery moment with A and B.

4. Fractured Finger

A broken finger can complicate tasks that require fine motor skills. This would be perfect for characters like artists, writers, etc. Or, a fighter who brushes it off as nothing till they try to throw a punch and are hit with pain.

5. Road Rash

Road rash is an abrasion caused by friction. Aka scraping skin. The raw, painful sting resulting from a fall can be a quick but effective way to add pain to your writing. Tip: it's great if you need a mild injury for a child.

6. Shoulder Dislocation

This injury can be excruciating and often leads to an inability to use one arm, forcing characters to confront their limitations while adding urgency to their situation. Good for torture scenes.

7. Deep Laceration

A deep laceration is a cut that requires stitches. As someone who got stitches as a kid, they really aren't that bad! A 2-3 inch wound (in length) provides just enough pain and blood to add that dramatic flair to your writing while not severely deterring your character.

This is also a great wound to look back on since it often scars. Note: the deeper and wider the cut the worse your character's condition. Don't give them a 5 inch deep gash and call that mild.

8. Burns

Whether from fire, chemicals, or hot surfaces, burns can cause intense suffering and lingering trauma. Like the previous injury, the lasting physical and emotional trauma of a burn is a great wound for characters to look back on.

If you want to explore writing burns, read here.

9. Pulled Muscle

This can create ongoing pain and restrict movement, offering a window to force your character to lean on another. Note: I personally use muscle related injuries when I want to focus more on the pain and sprains to focus on a lack of mobility.

10. Tendonitis

Inflammation of a tendon can cause chronic pain and limit a character's ability to perform tasks they usually take for granted. When exploring tendonitis make sure you research well as this can easily turn into a more severe injury.

This is a quick, brief list of ideas to provide writers inspiration. Since it is a shorter blog, I have not covered the injuries in detail. This is inspiration, not a thorough guide. Happy writing! :)

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!

Instagram Tiktok

[waywardsou2]

Some idiot: "Why are you reading your own fic, that's shallow and stupid"

All fanfic writers and writers everywhere: "Who the fuck do you think I wrote it for?!"

[bookwyrminspiration]

sometimes a theme recurs in your work without your permission. and sometimes it reaches a threshold where you're like. well now i think this is saying something about me against my will. don't know what though

[charbroiledchicken]

if it's good enough for you, then it deserves to be made. don't let anyone else decide if your story is worth it or not.

[nondelphic]

they told me to “do what i love” but forgot to mention that writing wouldn’t pay rent