basilsmells

[basilsmells]

abed nadir is a perfect example of a character who is aware of the narrative but is NOT doomed. he does all that because he feels like it

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last night I had a dream about an episode of community which ended abruptly because abed started to notice the logical inconsistencies and realized it was a dream and woke me up

[basilsmells]

Ways I Show a Character is In Love But Doesn't Know It Yet...

This one’s for the emotional masochists writing the slowest of burns, where your readers are screaming “just kiss already!” by chapter twenty... I Love and Hate you... ♥

They compare everyone else to the person… and everyone else comes up short. Even when they’re not consciously doing it. No one’s laugh is as warm. No one’s eyes crinkle that way.

They remember the weirdest little things about them. Birthdays? Whatever. But that time they snorted laughing at a dumb joke? Locked and loaded.

They feel weirdly guilty when flirting with someone else. Like they’re cheating… except they’re not even dating. Or are they? Or—ugh, feelings are the worst.

They notice every damn detail when the other person isn’t around. "They’d like this song." "This smells like their shampoo." "I wonder what they'd say about this weird squirrel."

They use weird, overly specific compliments. Not “You look good,” but “That color makes your eyes look like a storm in a novel I’d cry over.”

They get weirdly intense about that person being hurt or in danger. Like, irrationally intense. "He’s just a friend," they say while planning to murder anyone who makes them cry.

They feel safer around them than anyone else, and it freaks them out. Like: “I’m always on guard. Except with you. That’s... suspicious.”

[basilsmells]

Secret 4th option: sexy cat

[basilsmells]

thanks parker!!

uhh not sure who to ping so,,,

@agirlandherquill @waterbottlqueen @sunnyhedgie @silverfroot @themagichour @ilurvjohnoliver + @lastweeksshirttonight !!

(i don't have ten people really lol)

✨When you get this ask you have to put 5 songs you listen to, post it. then send this ask to 10 of your favourite followers (positive vibes are cool)🎶

Coping songs>>> (I wanna choose so many more too 😭)

@biro-main @chili-talks-alt @dicklesssswonder @dandelionsgivelifemeaning @go-banananas @kingferrets @roselovesthestars @andytheoverthinker @disgaydisaster @discoveredreality

[basilsmells]

Deal or No Deal Island, the new NBC show, sounds exactly like a gag show that would be on 30 Rock

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Troy from Community but the puppet version

Today, Jesus is holding:

Troy Barnes (puppet version) from Community

[basilsmells]

[basilsmells]

10 Flaws to Give Your Perfect Characters to Make Them Human

If you're tired of the usual vices like arrogance or impatience, here are some unique (or at least less basic) character flaws to give your perfect characters: 

Pathological Altruism

A character so obsessed with helping others that they end up doing more harm than good. Their inability to let others grow or face consequences creates tension.

2. Moral Narcissism

A character who sees themselves as morally superior to others, constantly justifying selfish or harmful actions because they believe they have the moral high ground.

3. Chronic Self-Sabotage

A character who intentionally undermines their own success, perhaps due to deep-seated feelings of unworthiness, pushing them into frustrating, cyclical failures.

4. Emotional Numbness

Rather than feeling too much, this character feels too little. Their lack of emotional response to critical moments creates isolation and makes it difficult for them to connect with others.

5. Fixation on Legacy

This character is obsessed with how they’ll be remembered after death, often sacrificing present relationships and happiness for a future that’s uncertain.

6. Fear of Irrelevance

A character-driven by the fear that they no longer matter, constantly seeking validation or pursuing extreme measures to stay important in their social or professional circles.

7. Addiction to Novelty

Someone who needs constant newness in their life, whether it’s experiences, relationships, or goals. They may abandon projects, people, or causes once the excitement fades, leaving destruction in their wake.

8. Compulsive Truth-Telling

A character who refuses to lie, even in situations where a lie or omission would be the kinder or more pragmatic choice. This flaw causes unnecessary conflict and social alienation.

9. Over-Identification with Others' Pain

Instead of empathy, this character feels others' pain too intensely, to the point that they can’t function properly in their own life. They’re paralyzed by the suffering of others and fail to act effectively.

10. Reluctant Power

A character who fears their own strength, talent, or influence and is constantly trying to shrink themselves to avoid the responsibility or consequences of wielding it.

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors! Instagram Tiktok

PS: This is my first short-form blog post! Lmk if you liked it and want to see more (I already have them scheduled you don't have a choice)

[basilsmells]

Hi! I have a question about writing asexuality.

I'm working on a comedy/drama about a sw who takes a job as a secretary for an Anglican church. She becomes friends with the assistant pastor, who actually hates his job because he's smack dab in the middle of deconstructing :(

Now, about the asexuality: I'm thinking about making my priest asexual, but I'm worried that the audience may perceive that he is ace because he's Anglican, when really he's never felt sexual attraction to someone. How can I make it clear to the audience that he's ace, and has been so because he was born that way?

I'm making him ace to blatantly subvert the "hooker with a heart of gold" trope. And it makes good comedy because he's very conventionally attractive.

Hey! Thank you so much for reaching out~ Apologies for making you wait two weeks before getting a response; I hope this response will be worth it!

To be honest, I don't have much experience with writing asexuality, so some research was involved before I realized that there isn't a lot of useful content about this specific topic, but here's the best I got!

In reality, I think that's it's going to be difficult to make it clear that his sexuality has nothing to do with his religion without stating it outright. However, straight-up telling your audience will seem a bit tacky, so if you're looking to be as transparent as possible, dialogue is probably your best bet!

I suggest initiating a conversation between the priest and preferably, his love interest. A verbal interaction allows you to discreetly include questions that guide your readers to the point you wish to make. All it takes is to ask the right questions!

Another way to demonstrate that his asexuality has no correlation to his religion is to show that he doesn't believe that engaging in sex is a sin and/or should not happen. This way, your readers will know that he's not against sex because of his beliefs but will understand (later) that it's something he was born with. This also may happen through dialogue, but it doesn't have to be a full conversation, it can take place as simply a question (if the priest believes intercourse is a sin) and response.

Lastly, if your story takes place in first POV or is in third but focuses on the priest, you could reveal this information in the form of a reflection or even flashback (ex: he never felt sexually attracted to anyone in college, maybe he thinks he's weird because of his asexuality, etc.). If you can show that his lack of sexual attraction isn't a choice, the audience will realize that him being Anglican has no impact regarding his asexuality.

Again, I'm so sorry for this late response and hopefully, it'll give you some new ideas and insight!

Happy writing~

3hks <3

[basilsmells]

this is a little hyper specific lmao but i was wondering if you have any advice on writing a pov character being mysterious? tyyy

Writing A Mysterious POV Character

Thanks for the question!

Here are some characteristics that I think makes a POV character "mysterious"

The reader is not meant to understand everything the POV character says, describes or alludes to.

The POV character actively holds off information from the readers either because (1) it's hard for them to talk about it or (2) they don't think it's important, somehow.

They reconstruct the narrative in the way they perceive it, not following the chronological order of events and often providing piecemeal information that only (if ever) comes together at the end.

The POV character simply has a wholly different perspective that a human reader will have difficulties understanding (i.e. story told from an animal or alien's POV)

I think the best way to portray this is to provide examples, which I think qualify as mysterious narrators. Note that not all mysterious narrators are unreliable narrators, although they could be. Here are the selected narrators and a few extracts for illustration purposes, divided by loosely defined subcategories (there can be overlaps!):

Incomprehensive Jargon & Allusions

Given that you can do this without boring or genuinely pissing off the reader, using lots of jargon, making allusions to things your target audience will probably not know to create atmosphere can be effective.

I recommend having a strong thematic core to justify all that jargon and reference, though.

Richard Papen from <The Secret History> by Donna Tartt

The characters talk and make references to Greek/the Classics. Arguably, it is not "incomprehensible", but the entire book is tirelessly full of them and unless you are a scholar in a related field, very unlikely to know all the Greek/ancient works being referenced all the time.

by M.L.Rio

Interesting style where the characters talk and even think in Shakespeare. They literally quote lines from Shakespeare to talk to each other. Not as difficult to follow as <The Secret History>, given that these are q famous plays (Hamlet, Macbeth, etc.) but it certainly adds well to the mystery at the heart of the book's plot.

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Witholding Information

Have your narrator subtely refer to a large event in their past (a murder, a traumatic memory, etc) but never telling the reader upfront, making them only make implied guesses.

The only reservation I would have for this option is to not annoy the reader by letting them know the narrator has information, but is somehow not telling them. It would help to have a clear reason for them to not talk about it: e.g. they haven't accepted the past themselves, they're too scared to talk about it, etc.

by Eliza Clark

In here, the narrator has killed someone in the past - a fact that only becomes kind of clear at the end. Even then, the murder is never referenced because this narrator has some serious mental issues, but when you look back with this knowledge at the end of the book, her behavior starts making more sense.

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Reconstructing the Narrative

Don't go in chronological order. Use time skips, or invent a new system for the narrator to arrange their memories and thus, retell the story. This gives the narrator power over the narrative because they've seen the whole thing play out, but the readers are getting bits and pieces, trying to get the puzzle pieces to fall together.

Other options:

POV character has amnesia

POV character has dementia

Using narrative interruptions that are in a completely different style (can work for 3rd person, look at Olivie Blake's work referenced below)

Olivie Black's <Alone With You in the Ether>

Using screenplay-like interruptions to the narrative that limits the reader's access to the characters' minds. Also creates interesting tone.

Kim Youngha's <Diary of the Murderer>

[I don't have pictures for this because I only have the Korean version....but really worth mentioning]

Here, the narrator has dementia and cannot fully remember the murders he has committed in the past. He is also an unreliable narrator who can only remember things in bits and pieces - thus the typical chronological order is interrupted.

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"Non-Human" Perspectives

Give yourself a narrator that is not human, or is "dehumanized" in some way (lack of emotion, inability to relate to others, etc.) to view the entire world from a perspective not often experienced by the average human.

Death as a narrator from <The Book Thief> by Marcus Zusak.

Zusak inserts these little "pronouncements" or "interruptions" to the narrative and the calm but transcending tone constantly raises questions.

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Do note that the overall tone of the novel contributes significantly to how the narrator comes across to the readers. Many of the works above also deal with "reality vs. unreality" as a theme, which is augmented by the use of a mysterious narrator that prompts the reader to challenge

Hope this helps, Happy writing :)

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💎If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! Also, join my Tumblr writing community for some more fun.

💎Before you ask, check out my masterpost part 1 and part 2 

[basilsmells]

Quick Tips for Writing Protective Tension

One character immediately steps in when something happens, overprotective much? The other one is like, “Chill. I got this.”

They stand just a little too close, constantly checking if the other person’s okay, but trying (and failing) to be subtle about it.

“Be careful,” “Watch out,” or “Don’t do that,” every two seconds, like they’re babysitting, but it's all about concern.

One of them puts a hand on the other’s shoulder, almost possessively, like, “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

They instinctively move in front, even if it’s something minor like a crowded street or a heated argument.

[basilsmells]

One of the biggest non-writing writing tips I can give is to add inside jokes into your work that only you get

Not just the finished product, but your plot notes and drafts too. On the one hand it makes you less fussed about leaving things imperfect while you’re still drafting, but more importantly it makes it so much more fun to re-engage with your notes and plans and old drafts if you can have a giggle as you go through it

You can even leave them in the final work, if you want! Just don’t be afraid to add those little snippets that make you love the work all the more

[basilsmells]

COLOURS in DESCRIPTION

colour is the lifeblood of a scene. here are ways not to over-use it.

Red: cardinal, coral, crimson, flaming, maroon, rose, wine, brick red, burgundy, carmine, cerise, cherry, chestnut, claret, copper, dahlia, fuschia, garnet, geranium, infrared, magenta, puce, ruby, russet, rust, salmon, sanguine, scarlet, tition, vermilion, roseate, rubicund, ruddy, rubescent, florid

Orange: apricot, tangerine, merigold, cider, ginger, bronze, cantaloupe orange, clay, honey, marmalade orange, amber

Yellow: blond, chrome, cream, gold, ivory, lemon, saffron, tawny, xanthous, sandy

Green: grassy, leafy, verdant, emerald, aquamarine, chartreuse, fir, forest green, jade, lime, malachite, mossy, pea green, pine, sage, sea green, verdigris, willow, spinach green, viridian

Blue: azure, beryl, cerulean, cobalt, indigo, navy, royal blue, sapphire, teal, turquoise, ultramarine

Purple: violet, indigo, lavender, lilac, mauve, periwinkle, plum, violet, amethyst, heliotrope, mulberry, orchid, pomegranate purple, wine, amaranthine, perse, violaceous, reddish-blue

[basilsmells]

if you commit to a bit he loves u

[basilsmells]

lets make a videogame how hard can it be

[basilsmells]

☆ — "i care about you" (without actually saying it). by @ricesinspo, tag me if using!

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"close your eyes. maybe it might make things a little easier."

"i'm sorry i don't know how to help." they sit next to you. "i'm here if you need anything."

love languages!! learning which ones you enjoy receiving and using them

always going out of their way to make you feel loved / wanted.

to be loved is to be seen

sending random pictures of things that remind them of you. bonus if it doesn't make any sense

little greetings. daily. first thing in the morning.

periodically checking in, especially when you least expect it.

helping you do chores when you're too tired

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