#Creative Writing Tips

[literaryvein-references]

When your Character...

Gets into: A Fight ⚜ ...Another Fight ⚜ ...Yet Another Fight

Hates Someone ⚜ Kisses Someone ⚜ Falls in Love

Calls Someone they Love ⚜ Dies / Cheats Death ⚜ Drowns

is...

A Ballerina ⚜ A Child ⚜ Interacting with a Child ⚜ A Cheerleader

A Cowboy ⚜ A Genius ⚜ A Lawyer ⚜ A Pirate ⚜ A Spy

A Wheelchair User ⚜ A Zombie ⚜ Beautiful ⚜ Dangerous ⚜ Drunk

Funny ⚜ In a Coma ⚜ In a Secret Society ⚜ Injured ⚜ Shy

needs...

A Magical Item ⚜ An Aphrodisiac ⚜ A Fictional Poison

A Coping Strategy ⚜ A Drink ⚜ A Medicinal Herb ⚜ A Mentor

Money ⚜ A Persuasion Tactic ⚜ A Quirk ⚜ To be Killed Off

To Become Likable ⚜ To Clean a Wound ⚜ To Self-Reflect

To Find the Right Word, but Can't ⚜ To Say No ⚜ To Swear

loves...

Astronomy ⚜ Baking ⚜ Cooking ⚜ Cocktails ⚜ Food ⚜ Oils

Dancing ⚜ Fashion ⚜ Gems ⚜ Herbal Remedies ⚜ Honey

Mushrooms ⚜ Mythology ⚜ Numbers ⚜ Perfumes

Roses ⚜ Sweets ⚜ To Argue ⚜ To Insult ⚜ To Kiss

To Make False Claims ⚜ Wine ⚜ Wine-Tasting ⚜ Yoga

has/experiences...

Allergies ⚜ Amnesia ⚜ Bereavement ⚜ Bites & Stings

Bruises ⚜ Caffeine ⚜ CO Poisoning ⚜ Color Blindness

Facial Hair ⚜ Fainting ⚜ Fevers ⚜ Food Allergies

Food Poisoning ⚜ Fractures ⚜ Frostbite ⚜ Hypothermia

Injuries ⚜ Jet Lag ⚜ Kidnapping ⚜ Manipulation ⚜ Mutism

Pain ⚜ Paranoia ⚜ Poisoning ⚜ More Pain & Violence

Scars ⚜ Trauma ⚜ Viruses ⚜ Wounds

[these are just quick references. more research may be needed to write your story...]

Writing Resources PDFs

[novlr]

The symbolism of flowers

Flowers have a long history of symbolism that you can incorporate into your writing to give subtext.

Symbolism varies between cultures and customs, and these particular examples come from Victorian Era Britain. You'll find examples of this symbolism in many well-known novels of the era!

Amaryllis: Pride

Black-eyed Susan: Justice

Bluebell: Humility

Calla Lily: Beauty

Pink Camellia: Longing

Carnations: Female love

Yellow Carnation: Rejection

Clematis: Mental beauty

Columbine: Foolishness

Cyclamen: Resignation

Daffodil: Unrivalled love

Daisy: Innocence, loyalty

Forget-me-not: True love

Gardenia: Secret love

Geranium: Folly, stupidity

Gladiolus: Integrity, strength

Hibiscus: Delicate beauty

Honeysuckle: Bonds of love

Blue Hyacinth: Constancy

Hydrangea: Frigid, heartless

Iris: Faith, trust, wisdom

White Jasmine: Amiability

Lavender: Distrust

Lilac: Joy of youth

White Lily: Purity

Orange Lily: Hatred

Tiger Lily: Wealth, pride

Lily-of-the-valley: Sweetness, humility

Lotus: Enlightenment, rebirth

Magnolia: Nobility

Marigold: Grief, jealousy

Morning Glory: Affection

Nasturtium: Patriotism, conquest

Pansy: Thoughtfulness

Peony: Bashfulness, shame

Poppy: Consolation

Red Rose: Love

Yellow Rose: Jealously, infidelity

Snapdragon: Deception, grace

Sunflower: Adoration

Sweet Willian: Gallantry

Red Tulip: Passion

Violet: Watchfulness, modesty

Yarrow: Everlasting love

Zinnia: Absent, affection

[vivsinkpot]

When Should You Describe a Character’s Appearance? (And When You Really, Really Shouldn’t)

It’s one of the first instincts writers have: describe your character. What they look like, what they wear, how they move. But the truth is — readers don’t need to know everything. And more importantly, they don’t want to know everything. At least, not all at once. Not without reason.

Let’s talk about when to describe a character’s appearance, how to do it meaningfully, and why less often says more.

1. Ask: Who Is Seeing Them? And Why Now?

The best descriptions are filtered through a perspective. Who’s noticing this character, and what do they see first? What do they expect to see, and what surprises them?

She looked like someone who owned every book you were supposed to have read in school. Glasses slipping down her nose. Sharp navy coat, sensible shoes, and an air of knowing too much too soon.

Now we’re not just learning what she looks like — we’re learning how she comes across. That tells us more than eye color ever could.

2. Use Appearance to Suggest Character, Not List Facts

Avoid long physical checklists. Instead, choose a few details that do double work — they imply personality, history, class, mood, or context.

Ineffective: She had long, wavy brown hair, green eyes, a small nose, and full lips. She wore jeans and a white shirt.

Better: Her hair was tied back like she hadn’t had time to think about it. Jeans cuffed, a shirt buttoned wrong. Tired, maybe. Or just disinterested.

You don’t need to know her exact features — you feel who she is in that moment.

3. Know When It’s Not the Moment

Introducing a character in the middle of action? Emotion? Conflict? Don’t stop the story for a physical description. It kills momentum.

Instead, thread it through where it matters.

He was pacing. Long-legged, sharp-shouldered — he didn’t seem built for waiting. His jaw kept twitching like he was chewing on the words he wasn’t allowed to say.

We learn about his build and his mood and his internal tension — all in motion.

4. Use Clothing and Gesture as Extension of Self

What someone chooses to wear, or how they move in it, says more than just what’s on their body.

Her sleeves were too long, and she kept tucking her hands inside them. When she spoke, she looked at the floor. Not shy, exactly — more like someone used to being half-disbelieved.

This is visual storytelling with emotional weight.

5. Finally: Describe When It Matters to the Story, Not Just the Reader

Are they hiding something? Trying to impress? Standing out in a crowd? Use appearance when it helps shape plot, stakes, or power dynamics.

He wore black to the funeral. Everyone else in grey. And somehow, he still looked like the loudest voice in the room.

That detail matters — it changes how we see him, and how others react to him.

TL;DR:

Don’t info-dump descriptions.

Filter visuals through a point of view.

Prioritize impression over inventory.

Describe only what tells us more than just what they look like — describe what shows who they are.

Because no one remembers a checklist.

But everyone remembers the girl who looked like she’d walked out of a forgotten poem.

[hauntedraggedyanne]

Writing childish characters

NOT STUPID. NOT NAIVE. CHILDISH. I swear there is a difference you have to believe me I am SICK of childish characters being the go-to stupid one. THEY DON’T HAVE TO BE.

also just to clarify this isn’t meant for writing actual children. It’s meant for teens and adults who act childish.

—Having multiple hobbies that stem from little kids activities (ex: finger painting) and using their knowledge in that to improve upon more advanced skills in that hobby

—They don’t need to be the shortest one in the group. I’m not talking a 1 inch difference, I’m talking like over a foot-and-a-half difference for absolutely no reason. Please don’t make them the shortest one. —Similarly, they don’t need a high pitched voice. If you do both of the ones above, I’m sorry, but you’re describing an actual toddler.

—They might be able to understand children on a deeper level, as they’re more willing to engage in their activities with their full heart and soul. It can lead to some sweet moments between either babysitters, guardians, parents, siblings—whatever you want.

—Does it affect their living space at all? Color choice, wardrobe, food choice?

—Trying not to giggle during random things that have been said in a completely serious context

—They could be acting this way on accounts to being unable to during their actual childhood. When in doubt, trauma.

—Additionally, this could only be something they really showcase in the privacy of their home with a few very close people. Kids cartoons, drawings, bright colored rooms/furniture, stuffed animals, etc. They could be uncomfortable showing this side of them off, but once they finally trust someone, it can be an impactful moment.

—There’s plenty of arcs they can go on. Maybe one of learning to be more mature, maybe one where they begin to understand why they behave this way, or maybe one that doesn’t involve their childishness at all. I don’t know if I made it obvious enough, but I just watched a show with a character who was like 3 ft with the most annoying voice God could give and all they did was be the stupid, childish one and I wrote this in a fit.

[cowperviolet]

Listening to the Writing Excuses podcast, and one of the hosts said that, when she needs her characters to progress into, say, a romantic relationship or a close friendship, or, conversely, to fight, but for it to look organic, she uses a matrix initially invented by her mother-in-law as like a dating compatibility thing (but can be used for non-romantic arcs, of course).

Basically, she says, there are six “sliders”:

Manners (same idea of what is polite/acceptable);

Monogamy (not in a literal way, but like having the same idea of what your existing relationship is and what you are to each other);

Marx Brothers (yes) (having a similar sense of humor);

Morals (no explanation required, I think);

Money (same sense of what money is for and goals about it - does not mean you literally have the same amount of wealth)

Mind (similar degrees of intelligence).

Now, of course, the fun for a writer starts when any or half or most of these sliders between characters are NOT similar/same/aligned!

Here is an official photo of the London Library’s reading room for your attention.

@fideidefenswhore @theladyelizabeth I found it totally fascinating

[monstrousdesirestudy]

You guys! So I was making my fantasy map for my story about lesbian selkies and pirates and I wanted to find a brush for the topography (mountains, trees, etc) and I found this incredible FREE site where you are able to choose from a ton of map brushes that were vectorized from actual maps old maps!!

These are just tiny samples but there are SO many options to choose from. And again. It’s free!

[dnschmidt]

Swiss Army Knife Characters

I get annoyed by Swiss Army Knife characters in fiction. Go ahead, give a character three or four things they’re good at. But beyond that, they should have to get a partner or a teammate or a robot something to help them out.

Giving a character too many skills robs the story of dramatic tension. If it’s a story about a spy stuck in enemy territory when his Jeep broke down, I would much rather read about him struggling to get help or finding a clever solution than just “good thing I’m also an expert mechanic!”

Weaknesses make characters more interesting and give them space to grow. And showing one character not being able to fight or fly a spaceship makes your other character who can do those things seem more skilled and useful. If everyone in your story can fly a ship, readers might start to wonder why Peter Pilot is even in the story.

A character who can do everything is unrelatable. I can write stories and do magic tricks and tell little jokes on the internet. That’s three things. That’s a normal amount of things for a person to be able to do. You know someone who can do five things? That's weird. They're probably robots, or some kind of talent vampire. Either way, don't trust them.

[cosette141]

How (and Why) to Write through One Character’s Eyes at a Time - Using CHARACTER POVs to Make Your Writing More Visceral and Emotional

*Just thought I'd share this writing tip that I learned over many years of reading and experimenting on my own, because I don't often see this stuff talked about anywhere. Hope it helps someone else! :)

There’s something that’s very rarely talked about when it comes to prose and fiction narration, which brings me to writing this. 

And that’s character perspectives.

This is NOT a post about choosing between first and third person perspective. Choosing a character perspective (aka POV, or point of view) is a step after that, and it’s a step that some writers don’t even know exists (no one told me, at least, lol). 

This post is about the importance of writing in one character’s perspective at a time. By “at a time,” I mean per section. (Think, every time there’s a chapter change or a line break, that’s the end of a section.) 

Staying in one character’s head/POV at a time in third-person is essential to get the reader emotionally invested. Without it, your reader is just reading a bunch of interesting events one after another.

Now, what do I mean by staying in one character’s head at a time?

Before we get really into this, let me give you an example.

Here’s an example of not staying in one character’s head:

Aiden pulled up on his motorcycle, feeling pride well in his chest that he managed to get his license before his sister, Lisa. Over on the driveway, Lisa watched Aiden sit on his motorcycle, jealousy running through her every vein. The front door opened, and their parents walked out. Their mother frowned. I never wanted him to drive that thing, their mother thought bitterly. Their father smiled wide, feeling his own sense of pride that his son was able to finally drive his old bike. 

I switched POV four times in that paragraph - I went into each character’s head. 

Now I’ll do the same exact scene, staying only in Aiden’s head: 

Aiden pulled up on his motorcycle, feeling pride well in his chest that he managed to get his license before his sister, Lisa. She stood there on the driveway, arms crossed, eyes narrowed at him. He smiled a little more to himself, knowing how jealous she was. A creak tore his attention from her, seeing his parents come out of the house. 

First his mother, who frowned immediately, looking at the bike with something between anger and worry on her face, eyeing the machine like it was something disgusting. In contrast, his father walked out with the biggest smile, and Aiden knew he made him proud. 

-.-.

Now in Lisa’s:

She watched from the driveway as her brother rode noisily down the road and onto the driveway. I’d have done that way better, she thought bitterly. Aiden, however, gave her a smug look as he took off his helmet, making her glare deeper at him.

She heard the front door open behind her. Her mother came out, and Lisa was happy to see the woman frown instantly, even if Lisa knew it was because she didn’t like the bike rather than the boy riding it. It was her father’s bright smile that made her blood boil more, for that smile should have been for her. 

-.-.

The mother:

Mother heard the machine before she saw it, feeling dread. She walked outside anyway, her husband following her, to see her little boy step off the dangerous thing. That smile meant he passed his test, and it made her frown. 

She could see Lisa’s negative reaction as well, glad she wasn’t alone in that. But her husband’s clear excitement made her worry shift instantly to anger. I’ll be talking to him about that later. 

-.-.

And finally, the father: 

Father heard the engine the moment it turned onto the block, and he quickly followed his wife to the door. 

There he was, in all his glory, his bike. And, of course, his son. That smile on Aiden as he stepped off the bike made Father’s grow. Father was elated; he was passing down the same bike he was given to by his own father. 

He knew his father would be proud he was keeping the tradition alive.

-.-.

Notice how in these four examples here, we’re sticking with one character, seeing that scene as if through the character’s eyes, one by one. 

That’s how you want to think about third-person, 95% of the time.

As if you, the writer, are inside the character’s head, only able to hear, smell, touch and feel what that one character can.

The big question: why do we want to do this? Why shouldn’t we live in everyone’s head?

Because - which of those examples did you enjoy more? The all-four-at-the-same-time POV, or the one by one? If anything, you were able to feel more in the one-by-one. And that’s because you were put right in the character’s shoes to experience what they experience. 

That’s the beauty of reading (and writing) - being able to live vicariously through characters. 

If we switch from head to head of the characters in the same scene, the moment you settle into one person’s shoes, you’re taken out and put in someone else’s. It’s like someone letting you sit in the driver’s seat of a new car and asking you, “How does this car feel?” As you start to see what you feel, you’re picked up and pushed into a new car, and asked the same question. Naturally you’d respond, “I don’t know what I felt; I was only there for two seconds!” Since that switch happens so often, you never get to settle into it, you never get to relax into it, you never get to sit there long enough to really feel it. Only long enough to get an idea of what that car is like on a more objective level. 

In stories written in prose, we want to let the readers sit, feel and settle into that character so they can experience it. Just like you want to feel that car seat and atmosphere, so you can experience the journey of your drives. Not just get to your destination. (AKA, not just list plot point after plot point).

The reason this is just for prose and not script or playwriting is because both scriptwriting and playwriting don’t stay in one character’s head; it’s in all the characters’ heads the whole time. Simply because the script’s job is to tell the director and actors how to show it. If the script says Lisa is jealous, the director and the actress will decide if she crosses her arms or glares. 

But, in prose, we (the writers) do the showing. And showing occurs where we show how characters feel. A script is a bit more open for interpretation, but a prose story or a novel is more like a moment captured in time, and we’re just recounting exactly as it happened. It won’t be done a different way; this is it. 

It’s vital to write in one character’s POV at a time in order for your reader to not just know what’s happening in your story, but to experience your story. To live through your character. If you don’t stay in one character’s POV at a time, your reader will not be able to feel what your character feels. This makes the difference between a reader simply understanding what’s going on in your story, and actually living vicariously through your characters. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF STAYING IN ONE CHARACTER’S POV AT A TIME

I’ll reiterate that this post is not about choosing first or third-person POV. However, to explain what I mean about character POVs, let’s revisit first and third-person POV. 

We’ve all heard of the two major narration perspectives in novel writing: first person and third-person. (There’s also second person but less than 0.5% of books are written in that one). To quickly define them:

First-person narration speaks from one person’s mind and perspective as if written like a diary straight from their mouth. It uses I, me, we. 

Ex. I walked to school today. Dana didn’t talk to me. Instead I spent the day with Ashley; we walked home together. 

Third-person narration speaks as if from an unrelated party that follows the main characters around. It’s like that deep narrator voice that comes on before or after many cartoons and says things like, “Superman has saved the town; now our hero is off to his next adventure.” It uses he, she, they.

Ex. She walked to school today. Dana didn’t talk to her. Instead, she spent the day with Ashley; they walked home together. 

(If you’re curious, second-person speaks with you and us and is most often used when writing a letter to someone. Ex. I miss you, do you miss me? Therefore it’s used more rarely in stories as narration, though sometimes this peeks in even in 1st person narration where sometimes the character will address the reader as  “you”, as in the narration.) 

BUT that’s not all we need to know about character perspectives! There’s something about POVs that people forget or don’t understand about third-person perspective that people usually do with first-person. 

To get the most emotional investment, you have to stay in one character’s head at a time, even in third-person.

It’s most obvious in first-person to see when a writer jumps from character to character in the same paragraph, chapter, or book as a whole. 

Let me explain:

Ex. I love her. I look at her across from the quad, wanting to tell her. I love him. I see him staring at me from across the quad. 

Here the confusion is clear. 

First you’re confused because you don’t know what’s going on - those things contradict and don’t make sense next to each other, and somehow later you find that they’re not the same person. 

But say we separate it with a line break or making it two chapters:

Ex. 

I love her. I look at her from across the quad, wanting to tell her. 

   .-,-

I love him. I see him staring at me from across the quad. 

Here, it makes much more sense. Names would make it even easier to discern, but we get the fact that two people are here. 

It is possible to write first-person stories in different characters’ heads, but usually the author will let you know which character is speaking by posting their name before their section or making it very obvious. 

But, what I want to talk about here is that we need to do the same thing in third-person perspectives. 

In 95% of all writing scenarios in fiction prose, it is essential that you stay in one character’s head at a time (per section, chapter, or the entire story). That 5% of scenarios is for where emotional investment is not as important; think of slapstick humor, or stories where we get the rare chapter that follows the bad guy, say in a spy novel, where the chapter is only there to give us exposition. (That’s not to say you can’t write your story in one head at a time 100% of the time, nor is this to say that you’re wrong if you do not. This is just a more impactful way of writing, so I recommend it, but writing is also art, and therefore I would never come out and tell anyone they are doing it wrong.)

Again: this is for prose, not script or playwriting. 

Notice also my mention of: emotional investment. 

This is all about connecting your reader to the story in the strongest way possible.

At this point, you might be wondering something like this: “But if I have a scene with two or more characters, and both of them do something vital in a scene, how do I write it just from one of them?”

Have no fear!

There’s two ways around this: one is to write the scene in one person’s POV, and then in the next chapter, backtrack, and write the same thing from the other character’s POV. If both POVs are super vital, this is really great for that. I’ve done this many times, but it’s not viable for every situation. It works best when, say, the characters were in different locations but talking on the phone, and we get to see what both of them were doing and feeling at the same time. Or, if one or both of the characters are hiding a secret or their intentions from the other character, and we want to backtrack so the audience has both points of view. There’s a lot of reasons to do this, and we’ll go over that a little later. 

Essentially, you’ll choose one person’s POV for each scene, and there’s a special way to decide on that character, and a special way to factor in the other character’s actions and emotions without a flashback.

The second way around it is to commit to one person’s perspective by deciding whose perspective is the most important to the story.

And if you’re wondering but what about the other characters?, I’ve got tricks for that too.

There are many ways to tell the reader what the other characters are doing, thinking and how those other characters feel without being in their head or perspective. 

Sound like witchcraft? 

It… kinda is. 

But first… 

We need to figure out what character’s perspective is the best one to choose, and this is, at least, how I do it.

HOW TO CHOOSE WHICH CHARACTER TO SEE THROUGH

In 95% of prose (that other 5%, again, being more exposition scenes or scenes where it’s not really about emotional investment such as slapstick comedy) we need to choose one character’s POV to follow - one set of eyes to see through at a time. Think of that one character you’re choosing as the camera we’re seeing through. And remember - you can change character POVs throughout your story. Just make sure you make a break in the chapter when you switch, or start a new chapter entirely so that the switch doesn’t confuse your readers. 

But here’s the million dollar question—how do you choose which character to see through?

That is entirely up to you, the writer. 

There’s a few ways you can decide. 

The best way to decide which character POV to use is which character is most essential and interesting to see through? 

That entirely depends on what is going on in your story and what matters to you. 

For example, if the story is about how Aiden goes off to be this champion of motorcycle racing, about his struggles and journey to win the pride of his father, then we probably want to see things through Aiden’s point of view, feel his pride, etc. 

But what if this story is about Lisa? What if Lisa wants to gain her father’s pride, and this moment with Aiden showing off makes her determined enough to go out and get her own license and race against him, winning the race and her father in the end? This chapter from Aiden’s POV doesn’t make sense anymore then. The story is about Lisa, and this is a pivotal moment where she gains enough fire to spur her into action. 

But what if the main character is the father? And this is the moment where his son is beginning to set after the dream he’s always wanted for himself? And the story is about how the father bonds with his son in the way he never did with his own father, achieving a goal he never could himself? In that case, this scene doesn’t make sense in Aiden’s nor Lisa’s POV. 

But what if the mother is the main character? What if the story is about how the mother lost a sibling to a motorcycle accident, and now her son’s dream is to race them of all things, so she sets out to try to stop him from following his dream by sabotaging the championship, and perhaps her relationship with him and her whole family in the process, leading her to have to make a very crucial decision in the climax? In that case, again, no one’s POV makes more sense than hers. 

See how it totally matters on the context?

But, what if the story has two main characters? And you want to spend time with both of them because they both are interesting and essential to see through? What if it’s a sibling rivalry between Aiden and Lisa, and both are important to the story? How do you choose which character’s perspective to take for a scene they’re both in?

I fall into this trap all the time. Often I have more than two characters I want to use for the scene I’m writing. So, how do I choose which POV to take?

If they’re all essential in the scene, then move onto who is the most interesting in this moment? No matter what, someone will be.

Let’s take the example where Aiden and his father have the father’s storyline - where the father wants the son to win a race he lost as a kid.

They’re both main characters who will bond in the story. But in this moment, who is more interesting to experience this moment through? The same way you’d think about what outfit you want to wear today, think of your character POV. Which character seems like more fun to write right now? Which one fits the mood? The theme? Whose thoughts and feelings do we learn from more in this moment? Which character is more emotionally invested?

Well, I think this is the beginning of the story, and later Aiden will learn that his father is trying to live through him rather than support him. But he doesn’t know that in the beginning. So, Aiden’s simply happy. But his father is witnessing the beginning of a second chance. I think I’d take the father’s POV. There’s just more to work with there, and I feel an emotional weight with the father - I’m more interested in the story from that perspective. Basically, I have more to work with and draw on with the father, due to the emotional baggage he has and the ulterior motive. Aiden’s story is a bit more one-dimensional at that point, if we’re going with this context for the story. So I just simply have more pieces to play with with the father, and it’s much more interesting (at least to me).

And if you’re torn on which character to choose, do what I did earlier— write the scene out in each character’s POV separately. You’ll know which ones are more fun to write cause they’ll feel good. They’ll feel right. The ones that aren’t right will be shorter and harder to write. For me, that was the mother. I didn’t feel very interested in her part of the scene. That’s how you narrow them down. 

There will never be a tie.

Someone will win. 

And again—even if it ever does get close to a 50/50 split between characters, you can always backtrack. We’ll talk about that later.

HOW TO SAY WHAT OTHER CHARACTERS ARE DOING AND FEELING THROUGH ONE CHARACTER’S POV

So you’re probably thinking to yourself that if you have to stay in one character’s head at a time, everyone else’s thoughts and feelings and POVs are going to fall off the face of the earth, right? Actually, that doesn’t have to happen!

You can tell the reader what other characters are thinking and feeling even when you’re staying in one character’s head at a time.

This is not as hard as it might seem.

The best way to think about this is to think about how you would describe people sitting in a room with you. 

Say you’re in a waiting room at the DMV. There’s two people waiting beside you: a man and a woman. 

Now if someone asked you what the man was feeling, would you be able to say, “He had his license taken away and was nervous he wouldn’t get it back”? 

Of course not! 

He’s a stranger. And unless he says these words out loud, we have no idea what he’s feeling or thinking. And we certainly can’t literally feel what he’s feeling. 

What we need to do is infer.

We can infer what he’s feeling. If someone is crying, they’re probably upset about something. If someone is tense, they’re probably nervous. If they’re holding a bridal magazine, they’re probably getting married. Do we know this for sure? Of course not. But this is as far as we can get to knowing those people around us, because we are in our own head, and we cannot go into someone else’s.

So, put your main character—let’s call him Jack—in this waiting room. If we have this guy sitting next to him in the waiting room, and he’s all tense, not even leaning back into the chair, and very uptight, what can we infer? The man beside Jack looks like a deer in headlights. He seems to be nervous about something. 

The word seems (or synonyms of it) will be your friend. 

Because if instead we say “The man beside Jack is nervous,” we don’t actually know that. We’re inferring based on what we see. Remember: we only see and feel through one character. 

Let’s take the woman.

There’s a woman waiting next to Jack. The woman is dressed to the nines, and briefly Jack realizes her purse must cost more than his whole apartment. She’s inspecting perfectly manicured nails as if looking for a flaw. She seems to think she’s better than this place. 

More inferring. We’re taking what we see the woman wearing to give her the beginning of a personality, the beginning of us trying to understand what she could be thinking and feeling.

Doesn’t mean we can’t do this:

The woman dials a number on her phone, telling the person on the other line, “Yeah, I’m still waiting. … Look, I don’t know why I had to go and get these stupid clothes and manicure. I hate these nails. I can’t wait to get them off.”

Now we have a totally different personality. Our character was wrong about this woman. You can also show what other characters think and feel through dialogue, just like in the example with the woman on the phone.

This is where we get clever.

Just like what I did with the woman on the phone call, you—the writer—can come up with ways for the main character you’re seeing through to learn what the other characters are thinking and feeling. Using actions or things the other characters do or say, such as talking to our MC or someone else and saying things about what they’re thinking or feeling, or facial expressions, to help denote what they’re feeling. 

This is an example of not staying in Jack’s head:

Jack looked over and saw a woman dressed to the nines. She seemed like she didn’t think she belonged here with the rest of them. 

The woman, Sandra, hated that she had to come here. She was missing an important appointment with a divorce attorney, and she was nervous about it. 

Across the room, Jared, a teenager was anxiously waiting to hear about the state of his license. He didn’t want to lose it for a dumb mistake; his parents were going to kill him.

Jack’s name was called, and he got up.

Here’s the same thing in Jack’s head:

The earlier examples of just staying in Jack’s head helped to keep us grounded in him more; this way around feels very surface-y. 

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU WANT TO GIVE MORE THAN ONE CHARACTER POV IN THE SAME SECTION

The first option you can choose is what I mentioned earlier; you can just do the same section twice, from both perspectives. I’ve used this for phone conversations a lot, to show what was happening on the other side of the line: 

Damien shook his head to himself, sitting alone at the restaurant his brother was supposed to meet him at an hour ago. He dialed his number and waited as it rang.

“Hello?”

Damien’s brows kneaded at his brother’s voice; he sounded weird.

“Jack?” asked Damien. “Where are you? You were supposed to be here an hour ago,” he said, the accusation falling heavily.

There was a pause from the other line, and Damien’s anger was traded for suspicion… and concern. But before he could ask, Jack said hollowly, “I’m… in a little pickle, here. Can you come pick me up?”

Damien sighed, signaling for the waitress to bring the check for the drink he ordered. “Why?” he asked Jack, already knowing he wasn’t going to like the answer; his reckless little brother tended to get into these “pickles” often. “What did you do now?” he asked with an exasperated sigh.

Now, let’s see what was happening on the other line:

Jack’s phone suddenly rang; it was Damien. 

Uh oh; his brother was going to kill him for being late. 

Jack reluctantly picked up the call, panting hard from where he was stuck under the ladder that fell on him two hours ago. “Hello?” he coughed out.

“Jack?” came the confused voice on the other line. It was his brother; Damien. “Where are you? You were supposed to be here an hour ago.” 

Jack winced, trying and failing to free himself from the ladder pinning him down. “I’m… in a little pickle, here. Can you come pick me up?”

“Why?” asked Damien, but Jack could already hear suspicion in his tone. Then, an exasperated sigh. “What did you do now?”

If we kept this in the same scene, we miss the emotion, and we also miss the mystery. I, personally, love the fact that if the Damien perspective comes first, we don’t know what’s wrong with Jack yet, and we’re confused along with Damien. 

Also notice things in this like “Jack could already hear suspicion in his tone.” This is another way you can be in Jack’s perspective, but tell us how Damien’s feeling. He hears suspicion in his brother’s voice, rather than coming out and saying Damien is suspicious. Or, Jack hears an exasperated sigh from Damien, rather than saying Damien is exasperated. 

Plus, you can also have the characters simply just assume what the other is thinking or feeling. That’s such a human thing to do, and it makes your narration feel even more relatable.

This same technique works even if we don’t have a phone conversation in separate locations, and instead just want to see both perspectives so that we the reader have the whole picture, even if the characters themselves are still stuck inferring.

There’s a bunch of ways to do this, and relying on inferring things about the other characters is really key. When you only see through one character at a time, it’s all about what that character thinks about the other characters, what they assume, what they suspect. But that makes the story even more interesting and clever in its own right, because when the reader isn’t entirely sure what’s going on either (in a suspenseful way), it makes the story that much more satisfying. Even if the main character draws wrong conclusions and then later realizes they’re wrong. There’s so much room for interest and character development.

So, you don’t have to write this way; you can feel free to continue writing in all the characters’ heads at a time. 

But if you do want to keep readers even more engaged, to really get them emotionally invested and allow them to live vicariously through your story, then I really do recommend trying this on for size. :) 

[thecoramaria]

Hi! I stumbled upon your YouTube channel and it's SO underrated! :D I don't know if anyone asked you this already, if so I apologize, but I've been having trouble with starting my chapter. I mean, I already know what the chapter will be about, and I have all the lines and actions already planned out, but the problem is actually starting it. I can't come up with the first few opening lines. My biggest problem is starting my chapters, because I just don't know how to make it sound interesting and not out of place. I hope my question is clear enough, and I was wondering if you could offer some advice or tips for this problem. Thanks

I mean, I often have false starts to my chapters while drafting that I later polish and make more exciting. As long as you write down something, even if you decide to delete it later, you're still making progress. As for how I generally like to start chapters, I almost always try to have it start in the middle of something. Not necessarily in the middle of a big action scene, but in the middle of a scenario.

If a chapter opens with a strategy meeting, I'll open in the middle of the meeting rather than at its beginning. That way, I can skip over all the formalities or the boring stuff and go straight to the meat of the scene. Often my false starts are the result of beginning the chapter at the start of a scenario and then I rework that beginning in the editing stage. Here are some examples of turning chapters that start at the beginning of a scenario into ones that start in the middle:

False start: Chapter begins with a character waking up, reaching for their sketchbook, and doodling until they get stuck and their thoughts wander to a difficult conversation they need to have with a friend.

True start: chapter begins with the character staring at their half-finished drawing and tapping their charcoal against their knee, thinking about a difficult conversation they need to have with a friend.

False start: If the previous chapter ended with the characters entering some hot volcanic mines, the next chapter opens with a handful of paragraphs summarising the first few hours of exploring said mines before they have to hide from the monster stalking them.

True start: Chapter starts with the characters already hiding from the monster, with setting description naturally incorporated into the tense scenario. Once the monster moves on, the characters run through the mines to a safe zone, and then the narration can provide a little context to catch up the reader.

I hope these examples clear some things up! The opening lines of your chapters can just be some vomit in your drafts and then polished and cleaned up later. Sometimes it takes writing a not-so-great beginning to find an amazing one that's meant to be.

[ancientroyalblood]

Writing Across Genres: Blending Styles and Themes

When writers dare to venture into multiple genres within a single story, they open doors to creative freedom, unique storytelling experiences, and new ways to captivate readers. Writing across genres isn’t just about combining elements from two distinct categories, like romance and mystery, or science fiction and horror. It’s about weaving together themes, moods, and stylistic choices to form a…

[novlr]

A Quick Guide to Colour Symbolism

Colour symbolism has been a long-standing part of the writers' craft. Colours can hold different meanings across various cultures, but here are some common examples of some colours and their associated imagery.

🍎 Red: Love, lust, anger, danger, violence, passion

💎 Blue: Tranquillity, calm, peace, sadness, isolation

🥬 Green: Jealousy, rebirth, growth, greed, renewal

♠️ Black: Death, sadness, loss, grief, evil, depression

🎀 Pink: Sweetness, love, kindness, innocence

🍊 Orange: Joy, creativity, energy, excitement

🌼 Yellow: Joy, cowardice, innocence, optimism

🏳️ White: Innocence, faith, peace, purity, mourning

🐴 Brown: Stability, comfort, predictability, boredom

💟 Purple: Royalty, bravery, virtue, luxury, spirituality

[tagbintech]

Mastering the Art of Creative Writing: A Comprehensive Guide

Creative writing is more than a skill; it’s an art that blends imagination, storytelling, and emotional expression into written form. Whether you're crafting a novel, scripting a play, or penning poetry, creative writing allows you to convey ideas in unique and captivating ways. This article explores the essentials of creative writing, techniques to enhance your craft, and its impact on personal and professional growth.

What is Creative Writing?

Creative writing refers to original writing that transcends conventional norms to express ideas, emotions, and narratives imaginatively. Unlike technical or academic writing, it prioritizes storytelling, vivid imagery, and emotional connection.

Key forms of creative writing include:

Fiction (novels, short stories, flash fiction)

Non-fiction (memoirs, personal essays)

Poetry (sonnets, free verse, haikus)

Scripts (plays, screenplays)

Creative journalism (feature articles, profiles)

Why is Creative Writing Important?

Creative writing serves various purposes:

Self-Expression: It provides a platform to share personal experiences and emotions.

Enhances Communication: By crafting compelling narratives, writers improve their ability to connect with audiences.

Boosts Creativity: The process challenges the writer to think differently and innovate.

Emotional Catharsis: Writing can be therapeutic, helping individuals process emotions.

Professional Growth: Creative writing skills are valuable in advertising, marketing, blogging, and publishing.

Key Elements of Creative Writing

To produce compelling creative writing, certain elements are essential:

Imaginative Ideas Begin with a concept that sparks your interest. Inspiration can come from personal experiences, history, dreams, or hypothetical scenarios.

Narrative Structure A well-defined structure keeps readers engaged. This includes:

Beginning: Introduce characters and setting.

Middle: Present conflicts and challenges.

End: Resolve conflicts or leave a thought-provoking conclusion.

Character Development Strong, relatable characters drive the narrative. Give them goals, strengths, weaknesses, and growth arcs.

Setting and Atmosphere Create immersive worlds by describing locations, weather, and cultural contexts. Make the reader feel like they are part of the story.

Voice and Style Your unique writing voice differentiates your work. Experiment with tone, sentence structure, and perspective.

Techniques to Improve Creative Writing

Read Widely and Often Exposure to diverse writing styles and genres enhances your understanding of storytelling techniques.

Practice Freewriting Dedicate 10-15 minutes daily to writing without constraints. This helps overcome writer’s block and stimulates creativity.

Show, Don’t Tell Engage readers by showing actions and emotions through vivid descriptions instead of outright statements.

Instead of: She was angry.

Write: Her fists clenched, and her voice trembled as she spoke.

Use Strong Imagery Paint a mental picture using sensory details:

Sight: Describe colors, light, and shapes.

Sound: Incorporate noises or silence.

Smell and Taste: Add depth by appealing to less common senses.

Experiment with Perspective Write from different viewpoints—first person, third person, or even an omniscient narrator.

Embrace Feedback Share your work with others and accept constructive criticism to refine your writing.

Challenges in Creative Writing and How to Overcome Them

Writer’s Block

Solution: Change your environment, engage in brainstorming exercises, or revisit old ideas for inspiration.

Fear of Judgment

Solution: Write for yourself initially and focus on the joy of creation before considering the audience.

Time Management

Solution: Set dedicated writing times and treat it as a non-negotiable appointment.

Perfectionism

Solution: Accept that first drafts aren’t perfect. Focus on completing your work and refine it later.

Creative Writing in the Digital Age

The rise of digital platforms has transformed the creative writing landscape. Writers now have access to tools, communities, and opportunities like never before.

Self-Publishing: Platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) empower writers to publish their work independently.

Writing Communities: Websites like Wattpad, Medium, and Substack allow writers to share stories and gain readers.

Online Courses: Platforms such as MasterClass and Coursera offer specialized courses for aspiring writers.

AI Tools: Applications like Grammarly and Sudowrite assist with grammar checks, tone adjustments, and idea generation.

Famous Creative Writers for Inspiration

Some celebrated creative writers include:

William Shakespeare: A pioneer of storytelling, known for his plays and sonnets.

J.K. Rowling: Author of the Harry Potter series, blending fantasy with universal themes.

Maya Angelou: Acclaimed poet and memoirist, whose works resonate with resilience and humanity.

Stephen King: Master of suspense and horror, known for his ability to keep readers hooked.

How Creative Writing Shapes Careers

Many industries value creative writing skills:

Content Writing: Storytelling enhances brand engagement.

Advertising: Creative copywriting drives campaigns.

Film and Theatre: Scripts form the foundation of visual storytelling.

Blogging: Personal and professional blogs thrive on authentic, engaging narratives.

Conclusion

Creative writing is an empowering skill that allows individuals to explore their imagination, articulate emotions, and connect with audiences on a profound level. By embracing the techniques discussed and staying committed to regular practice, anyone can master this art form. Whether for personal fulfillment or professional advancement, creative writing offers limitless possibilities to express ideas and stories in unique ways.

[badassunicorn2016]

Well, I started this blog 7 years ago with great intentions, and had a great almost 7 months posting and then I started grad school and anything other than grad school sorta fell by the wayside.

In the years between then and now, I’ve thought about picking up where I left off, but haven’t really found the motivation at the right time of the year.

So I’m sort letting the daily writing prompt/daily writing tip thing go after 7 years (it’s time 😂). While I stopped posting, I did continue writing (sporadically) and now that I am done with grad school I am actually taking a creative writing class for the first time ever and I am so excited!!!

It’s only just started, but one thing that my prof said that I’ve been ruminating over and want to share with you all is that a lot of people use backstory solely to justify a character’s actions. And if used like that, then it’s really easy to fall into common tropes and make your character feel very two dimensional. Instead, backstory should give your character depth. It can (and likely will) explain some of the character’s attributes/decisions/etc, but it should also add to the character in some way.

Idk I hope I’m explaining that right and in a way that makes sense.

For me, the example that comes to mind is from the show Miraculous Ladybug (I’m not caught up yet with what’s been released on Disney+ so PLEASE NO SPOILERS), where we have two characters, one of whom is a villain and one of whom is a superhero. Character one is a rich fashion designer with a wife who mysteriously disappeared and since then has rarely left his house and still grieves her. Character two grew up isolated, lost his mother as a child and his father is very distant, he was essentially raised by his father’s personal assistant. He was homeschooled, almost completely cut off from the outside world unless it was convenient for his father to parade him around.

Character one seems like he’s set up to be a Batman-like superhero, while character two is set up to be the villain with a chip on his shoulder.

But in reality, character one is the villain terrorizing Paris by preying on people’s negative emotions, while character two is an absolute cinnamon roll of a human who wholeheartedly accepts his role as second in command of a superhero duo, then a superhero team, led by a female superhero. He’s not even an antihero, he just absolutely loves Ladybug and is absolutely willing to accept that she is in charge from the get go. It does also explain some of his attributes/actions (why he loves being a superhero so much bc he finally gets the freedom he never got before; his worst nightmare is being locked up) but it *explains and adds*.

Like. They could’ve used his tragic Disney Princess background to justify making him an asshole. But they gave him the backstory while also making him the sweetest, kindest, ladybug simp possible.

There’s so many things this show gets right (this is just one of them) and even tho it’s a kids show I recommend everyone watch it (at least the earlier seasons… jury’s still out on what Disney has decided to do with it since they acquired it lol)

Anyway. Am hoping to share any other tidbits that I learn along the way, but based on that 7 year gap I am not making any promises 😂

[cowperviolet]

I’m a bit of a fiend when it comes to looking for helpful creative writing education outside the literal craft books - so, books on screenwriting (though it’s adjacent), psychology, acting, etc. I’m now geared up to read Uta Hagen’s books on acting and character construction for actors, but hadn’t done so yet.

However, a fellow author shared with me this cheat sheet/questionnaire that amalgamates questions an actor needs to answer when character-creating, all cherry-picked from different models (including Uta’s). Here it is!

(Pic for attention)

[monstrousdesirestudy]

To all my fantasy writers who hate world building (me): I get really stressed out when I have to do world building as it’s one of my weakest writing traits HOWEVER years ago I saw this fantastic exercise. Get a piece of paper and some coffee. Splash the coffee onto the paper and let it dry. Then, with a sharpie or pen, begin tracing the outlines of the splash marks. Soon, you’ll be able to make out continents and islands, bays and rivers and BOOM you got yourself a map and a whole new world! Easy as that and super original :D

[dnschmidt]

How to write every day

Like it or not, all skills take practice. The more you write, the better you will get at it. Read on to learn how to start a daily writing habit.