#Writeblur

[curator-on-ao3]

Three modes of feelings toward characters as the writer is writing them:

These fuckers (affectionate)

These fuckers (annoyed)

These fuckers (literal)

[bi-dykes]

Embrace the silliness. Embrace the meaningfulness.

[emilywrites185]

List of Quirks

(The categorized lists are below)

What is a quirk?

Quirks are habits, attitudes, mannerisms, or behaviors that are unusual, unexpected, or strange.

People have quirks, and your characters and locations should too. Think obsessions, a silly or unusual laugh, habits like pacing around the room, knuckle cracking, or braiding or twisting hair while thinking. Someone could always be cold, even in the summer without AC. An old man could have the habit of checking his mailbox twice a day, so much so that there is a path of trampled grass leading to his mailbox.

Locations can have quirks. The front door might have to be pushed or pulled in a certain way to engage the lock. The sink faucets could be switched. The hot water tap could really be the cold water tap despite the label.

Think of somewhere you've lived or a person you knew. What stood out to you about them? What did you find bizarre, aggravating, or charming about them?

Quirks will serve as the little details that will make your characters and settings lifelike. These quirks will say a lot about what you are describing, and they can even be used to allude to something important in your plot. There could be significant explanations to the quirks you choose which can add a layer of depth to your story.

Personality Quirks:

Thorough planner

Never plans for anything

Lone wolf

Needs approval

Adventurous

High strung

Takes things seriously

Skeptical of everything

Loves to argue

Avoids people

Avoids touching people

Honest to a fault

Impulsive liar

The Martyr

Sensitive

Abrasive

Compulsive flirt

Ambitious but lazy

Behavioral Quirks:

Picks at nails

Smokes only certain brands

Drinks a homemade concoction of choice

Tops their food with a specific dressing or additional ingredient

Loud laugh

Subdued laugh

Whistles or hums when walking

Always misses the trash can

Touches their face when they talk

Gets a stomachache at tense moments

Stutters when talking to someone attractive

If they clean is always a deep clean

Avoids public restrooms

Collection of ducks

Collections in general

Very loud sneezes

Kitten sneezes

Hisses when thinking

Always sounds angry even when they aren't

Has a hard time articulating feelings or desires

Often gets cliches or common phrases wrong

Physical Quirks:

Twitchy eye

Twitchy foot

Extremely flexible

Extremely inflexible

Two colored eyes

Chipped nails

Long perfect nails

Distinctive weight distribution

Very short

Very tall

Distinctive marks like birth marks or scars

Clothes/accessories:

Wears new clothes but has an old beaten-up suitcase or bag

Fingers full of rings

Never seen without makeup

Never wears their hair down

Cracked glasses

Socks never match

Old people sweaters

One sock pulled up, the other falling down

Half tucked shirt

Always a pen in the shirt pocket

Wears only a specific color

Crooked pins or name tag

Wears anything with their favorite animal

Wears slippers out in public

Location Quirks:

Squeaky steps

Window that jams

Lot full of old trees

A popular place of business with limited, inconvenient hours

House locks that are hard to open

A front door without weather stripping

Plumbing that rattles when water runs

Whistling windows

Creaky couch

Wavy, uneven floors

Always windy

A yard where critters are always seen

A public place that seems to attract certain people or animals

Always spotless

[the-missann]

On characters...

So, I love writing characters and also love giving advice to people who want to have more interesting characters in their stories.

I happened to remember something about a character I'm currently writing for and wanted to share it.

So, I sometimes write "test stories" for characters to test their personalities, roles in the story, appearance, and even their conflicts. I totally forgot I did this with one character where I pretty much wrote a fanfiction for him before using him in the main story he's in now.

What that did was allow me to pick how I wanted him to be and solidify that before putting him in the main story. Essentially, that story is the exact same and his role is the same also; but writing the fanfiction allowed me to explore parts of him I'd never do in the actual story.

So, if you're ever struggling on making a character in any sense, try this!

[08melancholie]

love it when the fanfic does the

[Watching the sunset]

Person A: "It's beautiful."

Person B: [Looking at Person A] "Yes, it is."

i am a sucker for that shit

[impossiblepeacehideout]

Stars

The stars no longer sing at night, Their silence heavy, soft as mist. Once they burned with endless light, Now only shadows twist and twist.

In the quiet, they slip away, Fading slow, without a sound. What once was bright begins to sway, As darkened thoughts circle 'round.

Yet in their absence, still I know, Even lost, they leave a glow. A gentle mark that quietly stays— A whispered light in hollow days.

[luchadorbard]

Me engaging with dark fiction: This is very compelling! I should attempt to make my own!

Me attempting to write dark fiction: Jesus Christ. What the fuck. Who the fuck would read this? Why am I even writing this. God has abandoned us.

[chrismerle]

Jumperverse: Anomaly 219

Class Gamma Anomaly 219, contained in 1992, "Bowser" Type: Canine, most likely some sort of doberman/shepherd mix Anomalous Properties: From the thoracic vertebrae forward to the atlas, Anomaly 219 resembles a normal dog. From the lumbar vertebrae back, Anomaly 219 is a clean skeleton, though Anomaly 219's hind feet leave bloody paw prints on rare occasions. Anomaly 219's head is also a bare skull, though no difficulties with eating have been documented. Anomaly 219 has never been documented defecating or urinating. Any attempts by researchers to look into where the rib cage terminates bring back reports of darkness, and a feeling of vague unease. Anomaly 219 also doesn't appear to exhibit signs of aging. Containment: While Anomaly 219 has a 2m x 2m cell at Site 06 for eating, sleeping, or "quiet time," Anomaly 219 spends the vast majority of time following researcher Carlisle wherever possible. Anomaly 219 has been shown to be quiet, non-disruptive, and friendly to anyone who has not shown malevolent intent, but should Anomaly 219 become less cooperative, wanderings shall be limited to the residential and recreational areas of Site 06 while researcher Carlisle is working. For what are most likely obvious reasons, Anomaly 219 is never allowed to leave Site 06 unless being professionally transported. Anomaly 219's appearance can be disturbing to others, and fear towards Anomaly 219 causes emotional distress. Because of this, anyone who will be working closely with researcher Carlisle is to first be shown photographs and video footage of Anomaly 219, and then see Anomaly 219 through a two way mirror before any official meeting. Alternatively, someone could try to convince researcher Carlisle to leave Anomaly 219 in the designated cell, but the loss in productivity after previous attempts was deemed not worth it.

Abigail Cooper is about 95% positive she switched sites at the worst possible time. Barely two weeks at the new site and the warlock got stolen from Site 03, and suddenly every site was on high alert, despite the fact that Site 06 had nothing overly valuable or dangerous in it.

She’s on night shift tonight, doing the hourly checks. She’s passing through the main hall of the residential building, and she scans her flashlight from one side to the other—and almost has a heart attack when Bowser appears in the cone of light. He has no eyes, so he has no eye shine, so instead he seems to just pop into existence in the beam.

His tail wags slowly, and Abigail is about to go back to patrolling as normal before the oddity of the situation fully catches up to her. It’s 2:00. Bowser should be in his room, or at least in Dane’s room.

Abigail gets closer, until it’s obvious that Bowser is sitting just outside a storage room. He doesn’t move as she gets closer, but watches her the entire time.

Abigail pulls the door open, and she’s not surprised to see Dane inside. It doesn’t immediately strike her as alarming. Dane Carlisle is good at many things, but sleeping steadily is not one of them. Site residents are currently encouraged to stay in their suites at night, but it’s not actually a requirement, and most of the long-term researchers treat guidelines like that as charmingly cute suggestions.

But Dane is dressed like he plans on leaving, not like he plans on going back to bed. He has a backpack with him. Abigail turns her flashlight back onto Bowser and finally realizes that he has a jammer attached to his collar.

Slowly, Abigail turns her attention back to Dane and looks him in the eye. He doesn’t look sheepish or embarrassed or even nervous. He just looks a bit resigned.

“Packing for a camping trip?” Abigail asks slowly, and Dane huffs out a reluctant laugh.

“Yeah, sure,” he agrees.

They lapse into silence for a moment. When Abigail opens her mouth to speak again, Dane cuts her off before she can.

“Salem spoke today.”

Abigail feels like someone has dropped an ice cube down her back.

She hasn’t been at Site 06 for long. She hasn’t met the facility’s resident animatractus demon, but she’s read the files. She knows Salem has said, at most, a handful of sentences since being contained in the 80s, all of them under duress.

“He spoke,” she repeats slowly.

“Of his own free will, even,” Dane confirms. “He asked who saved Adam.”

Adam. Adam.

He knows the warlock’s name. He knows the warlock. He may very well know who stole 000. Whoever stole 000 may very well come back for him.

She shakes her head, getting back on track.

“Why are you just dipping in the middle of the night, then?” she asks. “Just quit like a normal person.”

Dane gives her this look, then, like he can’t quite grasp the stupidity—or the naivete, maybe. What he finally says, though, is just, “And leave my dog behind?”

Abigail glances back at Bowser—he’s stood up but otherwise hasn’t moved—and then at Dane again.

“Carlisle, I like you, but you know I can’t just let you walk out with an anomaly,” she points out plainly.

“Yep,” he replies simply.

A low rumbling starts up behind Abigail, and the hair on the back of her neck stands up. Slowly, she turns.

219 growls, low and rumbling. The hackles along what’s left of his torso stand up straight. His feet are braced and his tail has stopped wagging.

Abigail swallows. All she can think to say is, “He’s supposed to be safe.”

“Yep,” Carlisle repeats. “He is, mostly. But he’s my fucking dog.”

Carlisle didn’t write 219’s file—it would have been considered a conflict of interest—but he did consult on it. He’s the expert on the dog, after all. He could say whatever he wanted and there would be no reason to question him.

Slowly, Abigail backs away. Carlisle smiles, almost reassuring, before he shoulders his bag and starts walking. He pats his thigh as he goes, and immediately the growling stops as 219 trots after him. Abigail stays rooted to the spot until they turn the next corner, when she sits down on the floor.

She just let a senior research leave without a proper exit interview, with a highly visible anomaly. Her job is toast, obviously, but that can’t be all that will happen.

She needs to go pack a bag, she realizes.

enjoy my noodling? maybe buy me a Ko-fi. monthly subscriptions are enabled, or you can just throw some pocket change. anything is appreciated. there's a link in my pinned post.

[oliverbrackenbury]

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[curator-on-ao3]

Hey, you … yes, you reading this post. Would you like some advice on how to gain confidence in your writing?

Yeah?

Okay, here it is:

Know why.

Those lists of writing “dos and don’ts”? Fuck ‘em. If they’re not wrong on the facts (there is not and has never been anything wrong with beginning a sentence with “and”), then those cookie cutter, clout-seeking, expertise-faking lists might be wrong for you and your writing.

So, to be confident in your unique writerly choices, be able to discern the why: Why you choose to break or follow a “rule” or why your characterization makes sense or why a reader should care about a particular moment/scene/plot.

A gentle “why” is how we have learned since toddlerhood. That’s why explaining things to yourself in this way can help increase your confidence. (“Why is a sentence in passive voice when active voice is supposed to be ‘better’?” Because the sentence is trying to create a mystery, and passive voice works well for that. “Why is this story set in the mountains instead of at a beach?” Because I’m the author and I feel more confident describing mountain life. “Why does character A think character B is pretty when fandom says character B is unattractive?” Because have you seen character B? Fandom is wrong.)

The best way to feel better about your writing is to ask yourself — kindly, gently — why you’re doing it … then believe your answer.

[bi-dykes]

YA novel covers

[emilywrites185]

Tough things about writing that are actually okay. (Part Two)

Sometimes you lose writing momentum. That’s how it works, and that’s okay. Look back at what you’ve accomplished with the momentum you had and take a break when you need to. Its so easy to get caught up in a grindset and feel bad when you can’t reach a goal. The progress you make is worth more merit. Getting to that final goal/prize is always the main focus, but it can make one blind to the work they accomplish and its value along the way. When you lose momentum, look back at what you wrote. Its more than what you accomplished last time. Every piece is necessary. Give yourself more credit.

[caffeinated-by-daylight]

And then you learn to make peace with the shadows and the crooked edges of your bed frame. There’s a raging thunderstorm inside you. Your feet are cold. You can’t wait until the next full moon’s light pierces into your window.

You’ll be whole again, child.

[coconutgingerjuice]

What’s your opinion on blocking a writer after they refuse your commission, because they’re are uncomfortable with certain themes?

[08melancholie]

having the worst writers block in a while bro I cant even get 1k words in per day anymore😞

feeling bad for the people that made fic reqs i promise ill get it out soon chat </3

[the-missann]

Ideas I'm never going to make

So, I have a lot of ideas I am never going to write because they're not my style. So, instead of never talking about them, I'll leave them here to maybe give some inspiration to others. Most of these ideas are 1-5 years old with a handful being over ten years old and I would love to see them written, I just have no drive to write them.

Don't know how often I'll do this, but don't worry I get a ton of ideas that never go anywhere, so I'm sure there will be more!

Onto the ideas:

A dystopia where only two people actually exist, like actually. The planet and everything on it is destroyed and by the end, it's revealed the other party caused this to happen so they could be alone with the other survivor (romantic or platonic).

A passionate romance where the two parties are dangerously obsessed with each other. It starts where only one party seems dangerous, but is revealed later on they both are. Knowing this is bad, they decide to embrace those feelings for a short time to hopefully get it out of their system.

Two enemies end up stranded together. The injured party is cautious when the healthy is trying to help them. It's revealed later that their bosses were conspiring together to kill the pair.

A mature magical girl. It's still your normal Sailor Moon, but the MC is an adult with children. Specific to what I outlined, her husband was kidnapped because of his research and she gains magical powers to go and save him.

The origin story of a pirate girl. She starts off apart of a fairly kind crew, but she wants to make a name for herself and leaves only to find a mythical being of some kind and be cursed to travel with them. In my case, it was a grim reaper.

A vampire and a vampire hunter who end up on bad (putting it lightly) terms after the hunter assumes the vampire killed their newborn child. Plot twist for me was it was actually the hunter's father and the vampire had to find a way to prove it.

A detective agency that is the center of mysterious murders. Their agency is accused of killing their detainees as anyone who goes in never comes out. Is the killer one of the detectives or is the killer just trying to frame them? The setting for me ended up where the whole group was trapped in the police department like Resident Evil 2 almost.

This one is about to be ten years old and has more detail than the others. Two kids (in about the Gothic Era) go to a toy maker's shop. This is to pick up a toy before their families embark on a long trip somewhere. The toy maker is a mysterious man, but one of his toys end up cursing the children to age backwards. In this reality, objects hold memories so they're told by the toy maker to find objects that have sentimental value as that will maintain their age until they can rid of the curse.

The tale of a sun deity and moon deity creating the sun and moon cycle. The moon was a shy anxious child and the sun was a bright cheerful child for me.

An unassuming tale of a newly wed prince and princess where the story begins as "normal" until night falls and the prince is unable to stay awake. His princess then undergoes her own form of unconsciousness where her daytime "Princess Peach" version is switched for a warrior "Biscuit Krueger" version. Who is duty bound to protect her sleeping beauty. This transformation is similar to Greed and Ling from FMA:B where there's two souls inhabiting one body.

I actually had way more than I thought, so I'm gonna cap it at ten -_-;

Thanks for reading and here's to hoping one day I can read these ideas in their entirety~ 🍂