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Anonymous asked:

Some tips on setting up a betrayal so people don’t see it coming but don’t feel cheated? The character in question is meant to be a favourite amongst most readers so it will obviously be a shock.

There are two major and often overlooked elements for setting up an effective and believable betrayal… 1) A Valid Reason If the betrayer doesn’t have a valid reason for the betrayal, it’s not going to be believable when it happens. What will the betrayer gain from this betrayal? What would they lose if they didn’t do it? These are the stakes of the betrayal for the betrayer, and the outcome of the betrayal has to be more important to them than what happens to the betrayed as a result of the betrayal. 2) Stakes of the Betrayal Are Established Early On As mentioned above, stakes in a betrayal are what is to be gained and what is to be lost, and this works for the betrayed as well as the betrayer: Betrayer: What will be gained by the betrayal? What will be lost if the betrayal doesn’t happen? Betrayed: What will be gained if they are not betrayed? What will be lost if they are betrayed? These stakes need to be established well before the betrayal, for both the betrayer and the betrayed. Not only will this give the betrayal more impact, because the reader will understand exactly what the betrayed has lost, but it will also make the betrayal more believable, because they will understand what was at stake for the betrayer, too. ——————————————————————— Have a writing question? I’d love to hear from you! Please be sure to read my ask rules and master list first or your question will not be answered. :)

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Anonymous asked:

Hi! How can I switch from first person pov to third person pov without giving away that the character who’s narrating dies?

That’s really tricky, because I think your reader is going to be wondering why the main character–or at least the POV character–has suddenly dropped off the face of the earth. After all, even if you switch to third person, it’s going to be obvious the POV character is no longer around if the third person narrator never mentions them. I think if you came up with a reason why the reader wouldn’t question that, you’d probably be okay. For instance, if the character dies on a great journey, you could end their last POV chapter with them starting off into the unknown, then begin the next chapter with the switch to the third person narrator, and switch the focus to the other part of the story. You might even consider putting these into split parts, like the first-person bit is in Part One, and then the third-person part begins in Part Two. :)

——————————————————————— Have a writing question? I’d love to hear from you! Please be sure to read my ask rules and master list first or your question will not be answered. :)

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Anonymous asked:

Hi :) So, I’ve read your post on Good and Bad Reasons to Kill a Character, and there’s something that confuses me. You say a bad reason to kill a character is for the development of another character and after you say that a good reason to kill a character is to motivate other characters. I don’t understand the difference. Sorry if this is obvious but I really don’t see the difference –’ I love your blog, btw 

Development, in this context, is about showing how a character grows and changes as a result of another character’s death. While this is fine when there’s another purpose for the death, you shouldn’t kill a character solely for the purpose of showing how it affects another character, and how they grow and change from the experience. Motivation, in this context, is when a character’s death gives another character a reason to do something. For example: take revenge, start an investigation, launch a rebellion, move to a new town, start a new life, etc. As I mentioned in the post, using a character’s death as motivation for another character can be tricky, because you have to beware of fridging and other unwanted death tropes. Typically, you want the character’s death to serve some other purpose besides providing motivation.  Thanks for writing! :)

——————————————————————— Have a writing question? I’d love to hear from you! Please be sure to read my ask rules and master list first or your question will not be answered. :)

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Anonymous asked:

Hello! I’m the one that asked you about resurrecting my MC or not (the prophet thing). I’m sorry to bother you again but I decided I won’t resurrect him. On the other hand, now I’m wondering if I should kill him in the first place or not. If you don’t mind, I want to tell you a little bit the argument so you can help me, please ><. It’s a world ruled by magical people that treat non-magical people with cruelty because 10 years ago non-magical people treated that way magical people So my MC doesn’t care about magical and non-magical people so he treats everyone well. That way, he becomes a symbol of unity, and magical people decide to execute him. The execution day, every person my MC has helped come to rescue him and this starts a battle. One of the magicals kills my MC in the middle of the battle, and people stop fighting because they realise that the situation is just a mess and they need to talk things. Do you think this death makes sense? Thank you a lot <3

It’s hard to say for sure, not having the same vantage as you, but from here it sounds like the only purpose of the death is to serve as a wake up call to those fighting. Here are some things to consider… 1) If your MC dies, who will the rest of the story focus on? You really need a central character, or a group of central characters, to bring the reader through the remainder of the story. 2) Why did the battle start in the first place? Presumably because the non-magicals show up to save the MC, and the magicals launch a defensive attack. If this is the case, the magicals will see the non-magicals (who showed up to save the MC) as the aggressors, and will probably want to punish them for their “attack.” That said, if the non-magicals were fighting to save the MC, it makes sense that his death would bring their fighting to a grinding halt, but why would this stop the magicals? They would probably keep fighting until every last non-magical on the battlefield is either dead or in custody. 3) Is there another character who could die, who would maybe have an impact on both sides? For example, what if some of the magicals (who secretly felt the way your MC did), decided to jump into the battle on the non-magicals side, and what if one of these people was a young person (or very beloved magical) who was important to one of the magical leaders. And, what if the young person/beloved magical was killed by another magical–maybe even accidentally killed by someone they were important to–and that could be the thing that brings everything to a grinding halt. Something like that could really have impact on both sides, and really make everyone question the sense of what they are doing. Just some things to consider. :)

——————————————————————— The WQA inbox is closed until 9/29. If you have a question in the meantime, please have a look at my post master list, or you can search the tags on my main site. :)

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Writing Antagonists, Antiheroes and Villains

Obviously there’s a lot of overlap between the three, despite their differences, which is why this is all one post. In fact, some of the articles have one of those words in their title but the content of the article belongs in one of the other categories.

I think the links about the antagonist’s journey are some of the most interesting on this list.

Antiheroes

Heroes and Anti-Heroes - What’s the difference? Anti-heroes in Science Fiction Movies 5 Types of Anti-Heroes You Need More Scoundrels in Your Life: How to Write a Han Solo Hero in Six Easy Steps! Han Versus Luke – Who’s the Better Hero? Defining and Developing Your Anti-Hero, excerpt from Bullies, Bastards & Bitches by Jessica Page Morrell 4 Ways to Make Your Antihero Deliciously Irresistible

Antagonists

When Being Bad is Good: Creating a Great Antagonist Being Evil: Plotting From the Antagonist’s Perspective 10 Traits of a Strong Antagonist 12 Tips On How To Write Antagonists Your Readers Will Love To Hate Types of antagonist Seven Types of Antagonists Ten Tips for a Terrific Antagonist 10 Essential Tips for Writing Antagonists How To Write The Bad Guy Likable Villains 3 Traits Your Hero and Villain Should Share Guide to Writing a Villain A Guide to Villainous Motivations

Villains

Guide to Writing a Villain Creating an Interesting Bad Guy The Sympathetic Villain WriteWorld: Villains Exploring The Dark Side: The Anti-Hero’s Journey - despite the title, this article is about villains, not antiheroes as the term is usually understood Killer Personalities The Antagonist’s Epiphany How to Create a Credible Villain in Fiction How to Avoid Creating a Weak Villain 5 Characteristics of an Epic Villain Writing a Great Villain 14 Motives for Becoming a Supervillain Writing Villains Vs. Writing Heroes Villains Are People Too, But… A Short Defence of Villains by Agnes Repplier Villains: because a good bad guy is the author’s best friend. The Other in Fiction: Creating Wonderfully Wicked Villains Three-Dimensional Villains: Finding Your Character’s Shadow 10 Traits of Highly-Effective Villains Writing Tips #79:How To Write Better Villains Villains by Vicki Hinze The Sixteen Villain Archetypes

The Antagonist’s Journey

Exploring The Dark Side: The Anti-Hero’s Journey The Villain’s Journey Does the Villain’s Journey Mirror the Hero’s Journey? Forget the Hero’s Journey. Women want an Antagonist’s Tale Return to the Antagonist’s Tale

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things people do in real world dialogue:

• laugh at their own jokes

• don’t finish/say complete sentences

• interrupt a line of thought with a sudden new one

• say ‘uh’ between words when unsure

• accidentally blend multiple words together, and may start the sentence over again

• repeat filler words such as ‘like’ ‘literally’ ‘really’ ‘anyways’ and ‘i think’

• begin and/or end sentences with phrases such as ‘eh’ and ‘you know’, and may make those phrases into question form to get another’s input

• repeat words/phrases when in an excited state

• words fizzle out upon realizing no one is listening

• repeat themselves when others don’t understand what they’re saying, as well as to get their point across

• reply nonverbally such as hand gestures, facial expressions, random noises, movement, and even silence

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I got a request to do a tutorial on how to create galaxies! Well, here you go!! Painting galaxies is so much fun, and can be really calming. So have fun!! 

If you have any questions or if I made a mistake, feel free to message me!

Do not remove caption

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Cardcaptor Sakura: SyaoSaku + The Five Love Languages

Happy birthday, Syaoran!

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elven cuir bouilli armor by Shattan

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Resources: Master List of WQA Posts

Beginning a Story: New to Writing Advice for Teen Writers Getting Better at Writing How to Perfect Your Writing Creating the Perfect Writing Space Finding the Time to Write Beginning a Novel Figuring Out a Plot How to Give Your Story a Purpose Resolving Plot Points Building a Story Off a Loose Timeline Outlining a Scene How to Tell if a Scene is Necessary Outlining and Planning a Series The Series Arc vs Each Book’s Arc Brainstorming for Ideas  How to Brainstorm Finding Focus During a Storm of Ideas Turning Ideas into a Story Finding an Entry Point Into Your Story The Opening Line The Opening Scene Introducing Characters Choosing Between First and Third Person Point of View Where to Post Fiction Online Concerned About Plagiarism When Posting Story Online What is NaNoWriMo? NaNoWriMo Tips Collaborating With Another Writer Coming Up with a Title

Character Development: Character Authenticity Recognizing a Flat Character Fleshing Out a Flat Character Choosing a Personality Different Kinds of Antagonists Strong Female Protagonists Name Resources How to Write a Witty Character Tricks for Visualizing Your Character Figuring Out Who Your Characters Are Creating a Truly Evil Villain Ethnicity and Skin Tone Literal Skin Tones: An Experiment To Kill or Not Kill a Character Alternatives to Character Worksheets Finding Your Character’s Voice Keeping Character Personalities Separate and Unique Good and Bad Reasons to Kill a Character Emotionally Muted Characters Levels of Friendship  How Friendships Form

Copyright: Referencing Other Works in Fiction Using Real People as Characters Fiction Based on Original Works Plagiarism & Sharing Your Story Online Acceptable Borrowing Description: Describing Skin Tones About Describing Ethnicity The Great Ethnicity Debate How to Make Simple Writing More Vivid Describing Physical Appearance Writing Fight Scenes and Elemental Magic Horror by Daylight Horror in Darkness Describing Actions Describing Clothing and Appearance Fight Scene Resources Battlefield Scene Resources Battlefield Aftermath Avoiding the Info Dump Give Your Story a Darker Tone Weaving Details Into the Story Describing Architecture Describing Everyday Settings Writing Emotions Writing Things You Can’t Experience Showing Rather Than Telling Showing vs Telling

Dialogue: How Much is Too Much? Cutting Dialogue Down Portraying Sign Language in Dialogue Balancing Description and Dialogue Writing Dialogue Writing Accents Translating Foreign Language for the Reader Making Dialogue More Detailed Reducing Name Tagging Smooth Dialogue & Tag Help Dialogue Tags and Punctuation “Said” and Dialogue Tags Getting Dialogue to Flow Smoothly The Trouble with Foreign Dialogue Sounding Era Appropriate

Editing: Four Drafts Minimum Ways to Tighten Up Your Writing Expanding the Word Count Cutting Down the Word Count Late Stage Suggestions Different Types of Editing Getting Feedback Self-Editing After First Draft Finding a Beta Reader Finding a Critique Partner Grammar & Style: Writing Concise Sentences Three Types of Voice (also talks about writing style) Motivation: Getting Back to Writing What to Do When Your Story Stalls Moving Forward When You’ve Lost Interest (In Your Story) Finding Inspiration When You’re Stuck for an Idea Take a “Vacation” to Re-Charge Your Creativity How to Get Excited About Your Story Again Beating Writer’s Block Frustrated with Writing Quality Getting Better at Writing Staying Motivated Struggling to Get the Ball Rolling Too Stressed to Write Experiencing Enough Shushing Your Inner Editor During the First Draft

Plot and Story Structure:

How to Develop a Plot Plot and Story Structure The Prologue Should I Cut My Prologue? What Makes a Good Prologue? Writing a Dramatic Ending Cliffhanger Endings Chapter Titles and Endings Incorporating Back Story Publishing: Where to Begin Typical Word Counts  Contests, cover letters, and Query Letters Posting Novel or Sections on Blog E-Books Agents (Everything You Need to Know) Self-Publishing vs Traditional Publishing Making a Living Off Books Building a Writing Portfolio Keeping Image Private A Guide to Self-Publishing Getting Published Abroad Taking Criticism Attracting Readers on Fiction Sharing Sites Finding Readers on Tumblr Getting Stories Noticed on Wattpad How to Write a Book Blurb Age Categories: Middle Grade, Young Adult & New Adult Hard to Pronounce Author Names To Use or Not to Use a Pen Name Anonymity and Pen Names Research: Research Tips How Much Research is Enough WQA’s Guide to Internet Research Writing Things You Can’t Experience Romance: How to Avoid Forced Romantic Sub-Plot Kissing Scenes Sexual Tension Writing Romance without Experience Subtle Signs of Love Getting to Know Your Neighbor Guide to Love Triangles Delicate and Relevant Sex Scenes Love at First Sight and the Stages of Love Using Timelines to Pace Romantic Relationships Avoiding the Cheesy Stuff

Story Elements:

Tone and Theme Suspense, Climax, and Ending Conflict and Tension Foreshadowing Symbolism Making a Point Without Tongue-Wagging Writer Responsibility Accounting for Lost Time in Scene Transitions Using Transitions to Skip TIme Scene Transitions Flashbacks Alternatives to Flashbacks Flashbacks vs Memories Writing Things You Can’t Experience

World Building and Setting:

Establishing a Non-Traditional Fantasy Setting Creating a Fictional Calendar Naming Months in a Fictional Calendar Creating a Language Telling Time Without Clocks Going Too Far with Fantasy? Map Making Creating Religion in a Fictional World Cultural Appropriation Creating and Naming Kingdoms Setting Your Story in an Unfamiliar Place Choosing a Setting for Your Story Naming Things Setting Your Story in a Fictional Town How to Set Up an Oppressive Government

Writing Process: How I Plan Drafts Timelines Organizational Tools Budgeting Your Time

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Advice: Good and Bad Reasons to Kill a Character

Anonymous asked: People say a lot that there have to be a purpose for a chracters death, what does that mean? What is a good reason for killing a character?

Let’s start with bad reasons to kill a character:

for shock value

to liven things up

for the development of another character

because you don’t know what else to do with them

Good reasons to kill a character:

to set off a chain of events

to provide an important clue or piece of information

to motivate other characters (though this can be tricky, beware of fridging and make sure the character who dies has some other purpose in the story besides acting as a motivator in death)

because it is the only logical way to complete a character’s arc

Character deaths should serve a purpose beyond furthering another character’s development or creating shock value. However, that doesn’t mean those things can’t be a side effect of the death. It only means those can’t be the sole reason for the character’s death. Ultimately, a character’s death–especially if they are a main character–should come as a natural completion to their story arc. They should have had a purpose in the story other than dying, and that purpose should relate in some way to why they have to die. Either their purpose in the story sets off a chain of events that ultimately leads to their death, they sacrifice their safety or their life in relation to the plot, or they are a logical casualty of the plot. For example:

Six gladiators, including the MC, are stuck in an arena to fight to the death. One of the gladiators, the MC’s best friend, is sickly and weak going into the fight, so a seventh gladiator volunteers to take his place. Unfortunately, the MC happens to be in love with the seventh gladiator, and now they’ll have to fight to the death. Eventually they are the last two standing. Barring any conveniently placed poison berries, one of them will have to die, but we’ll have to find meaning in the death. There are several possibilities. One is that the seventh gladiator returns the MC’s affection, and he jumped on the opportunity to volunteer so he could make sure his love survives the fight. Then, when they are the last two standing, he sacrifices himself so that his love/the MC is the winner. Alternatively, it could be that the seventh gladiator was in love with the sickly best friend gladiator, and maybe he was jealous of the MC because he’s best friends with the guy he’s in love with. He volunteers to take the place of his poor sickly love. Then, when he and the MC are the last two standing, he finds he can’t kill the MC, knowing this is his love’s best friend. So he sacrifices himself. In any case, the seventh gladiator isn’t dying for the sheer heck of it. There was a purpose to his existence as well as his death.

A young medieval courtier rises in the king’s favor, and eventually he falls in love with her and marries her. She becomes a powerful and much beloved queen. She builds schools, has books printed, promotes reason and learning–and as a result, the people get smarter and start to realize that their king is not great. As the king begins to realize what is happening, the queen falls from grace. Meanwhile, the king has rapidly lost favor with his people and there is a rebellion brewing under his nose. The king banishes his wife to a dank, chilly castle where she becomes very ill and dies. The entire kingdom is heartbroken at the news of her death, but for the rebels, it is the last straw. Eventually they rally behind the king’s younger brother who would be a much more suitable king, and the bad king dies in battle. In this case, the queen is the architect of not only her husband’s downfall, but her own. Her death isn’t random. It makes sense within the context of the plot, and also it serves the purpose of motivating her people, which ultimately leads to the death of her inadvertent (or maybe not so much?) killer, and brings better times to the kingdom.

Now, some people may disagree with the notion that a character’s death has to have a purpose and/or meaning. In real life, death is often random and meaningless. However, if your goal is to satisfy your reader and keep them coming back to your stories, it’s better not to have random character deaths. Can you get away with it? Sure. Will it piss people off? You’d better believe it! Do some best-selling novels get away with random/meaningless character deaths? All the time! As with all writing “rules” and guidelines, you have to figure out when to follow them and when to break them. Sometimes a character’s death is meaningless and random, but it just works somehow, and you can’t explain why. If that’s the case, just go for it. Unless you have that strong gut instinct, though, it’s best to make sure the death has a purpose and meaning. :)

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Resources: Fight Scenes and Elemental Magic

raventsurara asked: Hi, I found your blog some hours ago and I really like your advice and the sources that you provide. I’m interested in writing a novel and it involves some fighting scenes using elemental magic and common weapons like swords or bows but I find it really difficult to describe those kind of scenes. What can I do to get better at this?

Hi! I’m glad you found WQA. :)

You should read some articles about writing action and fight scenes, and you should also do some research into weapons and elemental magic. You can Google any of those terms to bring up some information, but I’ll find some links to get you started. :) Writing Action Scenes: Expert Tips for Writing Action Scenes  The Rules for Writing Action Scenes How to Write Action Scenes Writing Fight Scenes: Pow! Boom! Ka-Pow! 5 Tips to Write Fight Scenes Writing Fight Scenes

Get Into The Fight: How to Write Action That Won’t Show You’ve Never Thrown a Punch

(you may also want to look up some fight scenes on YouTube or see if you can find some visual guides to fight moves.)

Weapons:

A Guide to Medieval Weapons for Fantasy Writers

The Wattpad Writer’s Guide to Modern Weapons

Elemental Magic: Common Magic System Pros and Cons: Elemental Magic

Guide to Fantasy Writing - Magic

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Resources: Battlefield Scenes

<br<Anonymous asked: Hello! I am writing a novel and for the most part it takes place in the battlegrounds of a war. Do you know of any helpful resources I could use for things like how it all works?

Here are some links: Creating Fight Scenes and Battles Writing Battles How to Make a Battle Come Alive on the Page

Tactical vs. Tactile: Writing Fantasy Battles Writing Fantasy Battles - A Look at Strategy

Describing Blood and Gore

I would also recommend researching battles in the specific war you’re writing about, if it’s real, or find a real war that is most similar to yours. Then you can look up specific detail about things like strategy, battlefield tech, battlefield conditions, etc. as a basis for details in your story. Edited to add two old WQA posts I found that might also help: Battlefield Aftermath Writing a Massacre

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Advice: Giving Your Story a Darker Tone

Anonymous asked: Hi! You are one of my favorite writing blogs! And I wanted to ask if you know any tips on how to write a more “dark” story. I’m finishing my first draft, but I would like to have in mind some tips on doing it more dark and serious when editing it. Thank you so much! You have no idea how much you help us (I find extremely useful the links you provide!).

Thanks! :) <3 The best way to bring a darker tone to your story is with the themes you explore. Darkness, death, grief, horror, evil, etc. are some to consider. You can also add a dark edge with a darker setting. For example, imagine if Twilight took place in Beverly Hills, California. It would have been a lot different from the gray, rainy, misty setting of Forks. I know most people don’t think Twilight is scary, but it would have been less so in another setting.  Imagine if you moved The Fault in Our Stars to a dark and gloomy castle on the Scottish highlands, where ghosts lurk in long shadows, and thunder echoes through cold stone halls. It would change the story completely, because the love, hope, and happiness at the heart of that story would struggle to thrive in such an environment.  Regardless of your themes and setting, description will play a big role in how you pull off your darker tone. Sensory details will draw your reader into the story. Things to focus on:

Sights - gray sky, moonless night, thunder clouds, lightning, rolling mist, clinging fog, flickering light, moving shadows, frightening objects or animals, eerie glow, moonlight, silhouetted figures, and creepy people.

Sounds - wind, thunder, creaking stairs, gun shot, agonized scream, voices in the darkness, footsteps in pursuit.

Smells - like the acrid smell of rotting flesh, or the fading aroma of old urine.

 Tastes - perhaps the metallic taste of blood, or the harsh taste of dried gasoline on a rag used as a gag.

Psychological - hiding and knowing someone is close to finding you, running and being pursued, being trapped or cornered

Emotional - fear, terror, grief, confusion, desperation

Visceral - hearts pounding, breaths fleeting, stomach rolling.

I hope that helps! :)

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Guide: Describing Clothing and Appearance

When Describing a Character DO:

provide enough detail to give the reader a sense of the character’s physical appearance 

highlight details that serve as clues to who the character is and perhaps what their life is like

describe clothing to establish character or when relevant to scene

DON’T:

go overboard with too many details or take up too much of the reader’s time describing one character

repetitively describe features or fixate on certain characteristics

describe clothing every time the character shows up unless its somehow relevant to the scene. 

describe minor characters’ clothing in-depth unless it’s relevant

Choose a Focal Point When describing a character’s appearance, choose a focal point and work up or down from there. For example, you may describe them from head to toe, or from toe to head. Try not to skip around. If you’re describing their face, start with their hair and work your way down to their mouth, or start at the mouth and work your way up to their hair. Describing Race and Ethnicity There is a lot of debate about the right and wrong way to describe a person’s race. If you want, you can state that a person is Black, white, Hispanic, Native American, First Nations, Latino, Middle-Eastern, Asian, Pacific Islander, etc. Just remember that races are made up of different ethnic groups. Someone of Asian descent could be Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. If you’re describing a character whose ethnicity is unknown or not important to the plot, you could just say that they were Asian or Black, for example. But, the rest of the time you need to be clear about whether they are Chinese, Chinese American, Korean, etc. Also, remember that not all Black people are African-American, such as someone born in England or Haiti, for example. You may instead choose to describe a character’s race through the color of their hair, eyes, and skin. It’s up to you which you feel most comfortable with and is most appropriate for your story. Just remember, if you describe one character’s skin color or otherwise make an issue of their race, you should describe every character’s skin color or race. Describing Clothing Just like with physical appearance, when describing clothing you want to choose a focal point and work up or down. Think about things like the garments they’re wearing (pants, shirt, coat) and accessories (hat, jewelry, shoes). Be sure to choose clothing which are both relevant to your character and to the time and place where your story is set. You can find out about appropriate clothing by Googling the time and place your story is set plus the word clothing: “Clothing in Victorian England” “Clothing in 1960s New York” “9th century Viking clothing” Be sure to look for web sites that aren’t providing cheap Halloween costumes. Shops providing clothes for historical reenactors are often very accurate. Looking for Inspiration There are many resources online for both historical and modern clothing. For historical clothing, you can look for web sites about the period, web sites for or about historical reenactors, or web pages for historical enthusiasts or museums. For modern clothing, you can simply pull up the web site of your favorite department store or clothing designer. Choose an outfit that works for your character, then learn how to describe the relevant parts. Resources for Describing Clothing:

Describing Clothing Describing Clothes Writing Tips on Describing Clothes Describing Clothes and Appearance (If You Should at All) Resources for Garments and Accessories: Shirts Trousers  Dress Types of Dress Shorts Briefs Panties Lingerie Bra Swimsuit Pajamas Shoes Coats and Jackets Sweaters Hats Jewelry Sunglasses Sleeves, Necklines, Collars, and Dress Types Scarves for Men Scarf Buying Guide The Ultimate Scarf Tying Guide

Historical Clothing Resources: OMG That Dress! Period Fabric Amazon Dry Goods Reconstructing History Historic Threads Historical Costume Inspiration History of Costume: European Fashion Through the Ages Women’s Fashion Through the Years Clothing in the Ancient World Clothing in Ancient Rome Clothing in Biblical Times Vintage Fashion Guild Reproduction Fabrics Fabrics and Trims Vintage Fabric Fur and Skins Fashion Timeline 1800-1990 18th Century Clothing Tips Clothing Reference Book List Costume Gallery Legit’s Historical Fashion Master Post

Modern Clothing Resources: Clothes on Pinterest Polyvore Fashion Dictionary This is a Fashion Blog What I Wore Fashion is Endless Physical Details Resources: Women’s Body Shapes Men’s Body Shapes Face Shapes Face Reading Guide - Tips & Secrets Human Anatomy Fundamentals: Advanced Facial Features Nose Profiles Nose Shapes Ear Shapes More Ear Shapes Realistic Eye Shape Chart Eye Shapes Lip Shapes More Lip Shapes Facial Hair Types How to Describe Women’s Hair Lengths The Ultimate Haircut Guide for Women Men’s Haircuts (Barber Shop Style) A Primer on Men’s Hairstyles Hair Color Obsidian Bookshelf Hair Color Obsidian Bookshelf Eye Color Skin Color Chart Curl and Texture Chart Writing with Color: Guide to Skin Color, Part I and Part II Hairstyle Descriptions

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albasresources asked:

Hi! I’m writing a story that takes place in other world, so I had to do a lot of world building. I like it a lot so far, but I’m having problems with the calendar. I don’t know if I should use a unique calendar or just go with our calendar (Earth’s calendar, the one we have nowadays). A few stories that I follow use our calendar (for example, One Piece), but others use their own calendar, so I don’t know what to do. Any advice? And if I finally use my own, how do I introduce it? Thank you!

I think it’s nice to use a unique calendar if your story takes place in another world. However, you can “cheat” a little by using our calendar (the Gregorian calendar is the one most of us are familiar with) as a basis and tweaking it by creating new names for days and months. You can even rename the seasons, if you like, but you may want to choose names that keep them in context. For example: flowercid, greensen, leavesen, snowrud. (See Creating a Fictional Calendar and Naming Months in a Fictional Calendar for more.) If you do create a fictional calendar, you don’t have to go out of your way to introduce it or explain it. Incorporate it the same way you would our calendar: only mention it when it’s relevant. You can add some contextual clues to help your reader understand when things are taking place. For example: “Your father says you are to marry before the beginning of leavesen.” Jazdar frowned. “Before the harvest? Is he mad?” “He may very well be,” his mother said with a small laugh, “But, it’s time. And you have been courting ladies of the realm since last Frostmun. Your father will not see you go through another snowrud as a single man.” “I suppose not.” He could feel his mother’s eyes on him as he pushed the buttered beets around on his plate, no longer interested in eating. His father may wish to see him married soon, but Jazdar wasn’t going to give up full control of this decision. “All right. Tell father I will be married before snowrud, but I will marry in Feastmun, after the harvest.” Leavesen is clearly a period of time, because Jazdar has to marry before the beginning of it. Because it is not capitalized, we can surmise that it is a season, and “leaves” seems to indicate that it is autumn, especially when it appears to coincide with the harvest. Since Jazdar has been courting ladies (and not marrying one) long enough to annoy his father, we can assume this has been going on longer than a week, which eliminates Frostmun as a day of the week. And, because it is capitalized, we know it’s not a season, either. That means it must be a month, and since it includes the word “frost,” we can safely assume it is a winter month (December, January, February). Since it is not capitalized, we can guess that snowrud is another season, corresponding to winter because of the “snow.” Feastmun is capitalized, so it is not a season. It’s also not a day of the week, because you wouldn’t say, “I will marry in Tuesday.” But, you would say, “I would marry IN March,” so we can guess that Feastmun is a month. From context, we know that Feastmun occurs before winter but after the harvest, making it a pretty safe bet that Feastmun is the last month of fall, aka November. What you may want to do is go ahead and create your fictional calendar–days of the week and months at the very least. (Seasons are optional–it’s okay to just use spring/summer/winter/fall if you prefer.) But, when you write your first draft, go ahead and just use the regular calendar. That way you’re working the day and month references normally. Then, when you write your second draft, you can go ahead and convert all calendar references to your fictional calendar, and if you need to you, you can add contextual clues. When your second draft is finished, you can use the “find” feature to search for all regular day and month names to make sure you didn’t accidentally leave any behind. ;) ——————————————————————— Have a writing question? I’d love to hear from you! Please be sure to read my ask rules and master list first or your question may go unanswered. :)