#Writers Resources

[thecomfywriter]

List of Fidgets / Mannerisms

For all the fidgety characters or characters with specific tells, quirks, or body language. You can use this list as creatively as you please! Sometimes, people have little body language tells when they’re lying, or they’re nervous, or flirty, or sometimes just speaking in general. Also, if you’d like to support me on ko-fi, you can click the link in my pinned post, or click here to directly visit my ko-fi page :) Anyway— without further ado… the list:

┗━•❃°•°❀°•°❃•━┛

Biting inner cheek

Biting lip

Biting tongue

Bouncing a leg up and down

Clicking a pen repeatedly

Collarbone thrumming

Combing through hair

Cracking knuckles or other joints

Drumming fingers on a surface

Fiddling with clothes (buttons, zippers, jackets, pockets, long sleeves, even the corners of clothing)

Fiddling with hair (twirling, pulling, running fingers through it)

Finger flicking

Finger fluttering

Finger tapping / thrumming against a surface

Humming or making soft noises

Jittering extremities (fingers, hands, legs, feet)

Kissing teeth (when your tongue runs along your teeth, sometimes making a slight squealing noise)

Licking lips

Moving tongue around mouth

Nail biting

Pen tricks (around the finger, tapping, thrumming, tossing)

Picking at nails or skin

Playing with jewellery (pulling on chains / necklaces, pushing up brackets, twirling rings around fingers, removing and putting them back on, etc.)

Popping gum

Puffing out cheeks

Pulling face down with hands

Resting tongue under teeth (I personally do this one— I prefer resting my tongue in the grooves under my canines whenever I’m thinking)

Rocking back and forth

Rolling out ankles

Rolling out neck (like a little 360 of the head around the neck; a head rotation)

Rotating wrists

Rubbing chin / jaw

Rubbing collarbones

Rubbing hands / arms

Rubbing neck / nape of the neck

Rubbing temples

Scratching (head, arms, etc.)

Scrunching nose

Shaking a leg while sitting

Smiling / smirking a lot (while speaking, resting face, etc.)

Spinning objects (like a fidget spinner)

Sticking out tongue

Stretching arms upwards (can be a general stretch or a clasp around the wrist and then stretch)

Stroking hair, a beard or mustache

Swaying

Talking with only one side of the mouth (character might have an asymmetrical face if they do this, fyi)

Tapping feet

Toe tapping

Tossing, turning, or fiddling in hand (keys, paper, bags/purses, bottles, etc. I’ve picked up leaves off the ground to fiddle with them sometimes)

Twirling hair

Twisting fingers or hands together

Typing or tapping on a phone or other device

Unconsciously doodling on paper

Whistling

Wiggling eyebrows

Winking (🥲 apparently I wink a lot when I speak. It gives off the wrong message a lot of the time WHOOPS but yeah, pro tip if you have an accidentally flirty character. Speaking from experience 😔)

Wringing hands

Yawning or stretching excessively

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Hopefully that helps when writing fidgety characters! It’s the way I do a good 80% of the things on this list lmao. Okay anyways— cheers! Happy Writing!

[coffeetank]

One-liners to Use for Toxic Relationships

Some of these are inspired by song lyrics, the others are sentences I made myself. Go ahead and use them as you'd like.

Also note, these can be used to describe toxic relations between family as well alongside romantic relationships. You can also use them as dialogues.

Pain is more trouble than love is worth.

It feels so good but it hurts a lot worse.

Any form of addiction is harmful.

It doesn't square up for whatever has happened.

Where are you now when I need you most?

It's like a tiger using it's claws, except instead of hunting for prey it's killing itself.

There's no home.

I'm wrapped in with the demons.

I crashed and burnt all alone.

It's tough to choose when the only other option is to let go.

Rose coloured glasses all distorted.

He was like a drug that could fill her veins.

Don't say sorry after you've stabbed me in the back.

Now I can't do things without thinking of you.

You will never change, you're just like the rest.

My heart was naive, it took your whims for love.

Now I look for excuses to get away from you.

Between you and me, I was the third person.

If I stay any longer, not even satan will accept me.

Played those games just to test me.

I refuse to be with a traitor.

I let myself drown in the ocean of my own doom.

[inky-duchess]

Fantasy Guide to A Great House (19th-20th Century)

(I know, I've been slacking but I'm still alive)

When we think of the Victorians, the grand old Gilded Age or the Edwardians, we all think of those big mansions and manors where some of our favourite stories take place. But what and who did it take to run a great house?

Meet the Staff

Large numbers of staff were always needed to run great houses. Every department had its own management and its own teams, all working together to ensure everything ran smooth. There was both an interior and exterior team.

Interior

You can split the interior of the household into three departments: Service, Upkeep and Food Preparation.

Service

Butler: The Butler was the Head of all the household staff. He acted essentially as the manager of a great house, directing the staff on a day to day basis or at events on the command of the lord/lady/employer. Make staff would report mostly yo him and he would be in charge of keeping an eye on them. The Butler had charge of the wine cellars, the dining room, sometimes the pantry as well. As the manager of the house, Butlers were afforded the title of Mr. X. Our favourite examples being of course Mr Carson and Mr Pennyworth.

Valet: The valet was the male servant who handled the dressing of the men of the family. He would be in charge of his master's clothes, ensuring he was always dressed in the right outfit for the right activity (there was a lot) and be in charge of helping him into the outfit in question. The valet would also be in charge of cleanliness, sometimes shaving his master or running his bath. Valets were referred to as Surname and ranked in how their employer's ranked, for example the Lord’s valet would outrank his son's.

Lady's Maid: The lady's maid was similar to the valet. She was in charge of keeping the ladies of the house looking their best and handling their needs. She would style hair, care for jewels, mend clothes, care for clothes and often act as a companion, accompanying her lady on visits or day's out. The lady's maid was referred to by their surname.

Footman: The footman was a male servant who served at table, fetched items, handled heavy lifting such as luggage, opened and closed doors. Most footmen were young men and en chosen for good looks. Footmen polished the silver services at great houses and when called upon would often take on the role of valet to guests without a servant to help. Footmen were referred to as their firstname. Footmen were denoted by rank, the highest being first footman who had charge over the others and would assist the butler in some tasks.

Upkeep

Housekeeper:The housekeeper was second in command but she ran her most of the interior staff, especially those who took care of the house itself. She supervised all female staff. She helped the lady of the house when it came to running events and caring for guests. The housekeeper is always Mrs. Surname even when she's unmarried.

Housemaid: Housemaids clean the house. They would dust, make and strip beds, straighten things up and keep the house looking it's best. The housemaid was a servant that was almost never seen, usually rising early, lighting the fires, cleaning the house as the family moves from room to room. She was called by her Firstname.

Scullery Maid: The scullery maid is the lower ranking maid. She would also have been younger and less experienced. She was in charge of the more unsightly work: laying the fires, scrubbing the floors, emptying chamberpots, cleaning servant's chambers. She may even do mending and washing for other servants. She was called by her first name.

Hall boy: The hall boy was also young and handled the worst jobs. He would polish boots belonging to the family and sometimes staff, cempty the servant's chamberpots and waited on on the higher ranking servants. He was called by his name.

Food Preparation

Cook: The cook or chef was the third highest ranking servant downstairs and they ran their own department. They were in charge of the kitchen staff. All cooks and chefs would meet almost daily with the lady of the house to discuss menus and ordering but would answer to both housekeeper and butler. As with the housekeeper, a female cook or chef is Mrs Surname despite martial status and make cooks/chef are Mr.

Kitchen maid: The kitchen maid helped the cook/chef in preparing the food. She would be one of the first servants up, in charge of lighting the ovens and starting the breakfast for the family and servants. She would clean the kitchen, boil water when needed and bring food up to the servery when needed. She would be called by her first name.

Exterior

The house would needed a team on the outside to handle the stables, the gardens and any outdoor activity.

Gardeners: They would be responsible for the upkeep of the grounds itself, caring for the gardens. There would be multiple at a great house led by a head gardener.

Stableboy/groom/kennelmaster: They would take care of the family's horses and dogs. They would take care of tack, help plan hunts and riding pursuits and handle carriages.

Chauffeur: As automobiles became popular in this period, a chauffeur was needed to drive the family and take car of their motor.

Lives of Servants

Servants were paid very little at this time, mainly because most staff got free room and board. Most of the interior staff would live in the house itself and be supplied meals. Chauffeurs, gardeners etc would live nearby on the estate either as locals or be supplied a house as a staff member. Staff uniforms were also supplied. Days off were rare but not withheld. Permission was needed to leave the house either to visit the shop or take a few days off.

Servants were expected to be obedient, modest and humble at all times. They were expected to stand in the presence of their master's, speak only when spoken to and never question an order. They had to be ready for anything at the drop of a hat. You've set for a dozen guests but now there's five more coming? Tough luck, change the table settings. You get seasick? Nevermind that, your gentleman is going across the sea and as his valet you're going with him, like it or not.

Servants from one house often travelled to with the family to their other residences: the butler, footmen, chef, kitchen maids, lady's maid, valet would all go with the family while everybody else would get left behind. Every house would have its own housekeeper if it could be afforded. Housemaids and other staff needed could be hired locally when needed.

The Daily Routine

The working day of a servant in a grand house was a long arduous one.

Morning: At 6am, the servants rise. The scullery maid gets up and begins lighting the fires, starting with the kitchen. Then she cleans the kitchen top to bottom before the staff get in to cook. The kitchen maid would rise at the same time, helping with the cleaning. She would set for the servant's breakfast and start cooking it. The footmen open the shutters upstairs, cleans whatever tools they will need such as glasses and silverware, tend the lamps and sets for breakfast upstairs. The housemaids go about the house cleaning up after the night before, starting in the rooms that aren't being used (any room that's not the bedrooms). At around 8, the cook rises and starts the day. The kitchen maid serves breakfast to the other servants before returning to the kitchen to eat her own breakfast with the other kitchen staff. After breakfast, the housemaid will change her apron and deliver hot water to each of the bedrooms for the family. At 9, the family rise. Married women have breakfast in bed with all other family members and visitors eating in the dining room. Valets and lady's maids would have dressed them prior, gathering up any clothes to be mended or washed. The footmen and butlers will serve while the housemaids go into each empty room and begin their chores.

Midday: Just before midday, the chef would speak with the lady of the house to discuss menus. At around 11, the staff were permitted their first break, just enough time for a drink usually a cup of tea before they started again. The chef would start preparing for the main dinner of the evening with the lady's approval. Footmen would take their places at entrances or attend the family where he may be needed. At noon, the servants would have their dinner. At 1, the family would sit for their lunch. Once lunch is over, a footman might be permitted to attend personal business (with permission from the butler first) or be sent on errands out of the house such as delivering messages. While the family sit for breakfast, the maids tidy up any room they have been using since getting up.

Afternoon: The family take tea around 4. The footmen clear the tea before heading down to take their tea - a light meal- with the other servants around 5. Afterwards, the footmen will start to light the lamps, close the shutters and draw the curtains. The butler would oversee the laying of the table for dinner with the footmen. The first footman carries the silver, the second the china, while the butler sets the silver and glasses. If a guest is coming, a footman will remain on the door to see them in.

Evening: At 8, the footman or butler signals the start of supper. This is done by the rinibg of the gong or bell which gives the family and any staying guests, 15mins or more to get ready. Valets and lady's maids would already be upstairs at this point, helping their master/mistress. When the family head downstairs, they linger in the drawing room to chat while a footmen keeps an eye on them. Any guests visiting for dinner would be let in by a footman and announced upon entry. The butler announces dinner and escorts the family in. The footman serve the food while the butler pours the wine (chosen by the Lord with the butler's help). The footman stay in the dining room all throughout dinner, excepting when they go to the servery to collect the food from the kitchen maid. They serve and clear the plates for every course. When dinner is over, a footman will stay with the men while they drink their port while another serves the ladies their coffee in the drawing room. While dinner is on, the housemaid would tidy the empty rooms, check the fires and turn down the beds. At 9, the servants eat their supper while the family chill. When supper is over and the family is done for the night, the valets and lady's maids would ready their masters for bed. A footman would wait in the hall with candlesticks for the family and show any departing guest out. The kitchen staff would start to clean up while the butler starts locking up the house. The staff would get to bed about 11:30 - 12.

[syninplays]

So uhm... I did a thing...

✨Character Info Template✨

Been meaning to do this a long time ago (and actually started it but never finished it, lol) as a way to share some more information about my ocs without needing to use a custom page theme, but mostly because I haven't found any page theme that looks exactly as I want and allows this much customization.

There are two versions and both are almost exactly the same; but the example shown in the left has an 'appearance' section which is small and has few quick facts regarding the oc's appearance; while the example on the right has a 'moodboard' section instead which allows you to add more info about your oc.

You can change every section/title to fit your needs like I did in the examples below; I personally removed some categories as well and got rid of some connections as this oc doesn't have that many close friends/partners to fill the original template. However, I also included an extra separated 'connections' section in the download in case you want to add more people and more information.

I recommend you stick to square-shaped pictures so it's easier to fit them to each section. Also if and when you edit the information or section titles, please select only one line at a time to replace it so you don't lose the text format. (Titles shouldn't change because that's a single format/font within the same text box, but should it change you can always hit ctrl+z hehe) When you're done, I strongly recommend you save this as a .png instead of .jpg so it's the best possible quality!

Last but not least, this is a .psd file. So you'll need either Photoshop (I did this with Photoshop Portable, but it supports newer versions of PS and it *should* support older versions too) or Photopea to open and edit this file.

Credits: Adobe Photoshop, Inter font, Golften Vintage font

>DOWNLOAD< (patreon but free :p)

(note: I'm posting this with my gaming blog because I think my fellow gamers might be interested in this, but please consider giving credits to me if you use this template by tagging @synindoodles instead of this blog)

More info on how to use and edit this template below the cut!

Layers:

>Each layer is properly named and categorized. The general layers such as the background, the icon shape and background shapes are under the groups.

>If you don't want to see/don't need one of the connections' pictures and information, I recommend you find which one it is (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6) and click on the eye symbol next to the layer to hide it so that way if you ever need it, it won't be truly gone.

>To edit a text section, simply find the layer (such as General Information>Left Column) and double click on the 'T' symbol next to the layer. That way it will open edit mode and allow you to edit the text, just don't hit delete or enter while everything is selected or you'll erase it :p

>Main text sections aren't separated, they're blocks of text. I recommend you don't remove the amount (for example, if you downloaded the version with the 'appearance' section, which has 5 sections of information, don't remove the fifth line.) Either leave it empty or replace it with another data, otherwise it will look weird. The 'general information' section might look good even if you remove a few lines, just don't get rid of the whole block of text.

Pictures:

>To add a new picture, simply paste it over this document and move it using the Move Tool.

>To frame it (so it becomes a circle or fits over the shape you want), make sure the picture layer is over the layer you want, then while holding alt click between the two layers. [For example, if you want to add a new main oc picture: 1) paste the pic you want, 2) move it with the Move Tool so it's covering the big circle, 3) once you've fully covered the shape (if it isn't you can resize it by right clicking on it then on 'free transform', sometimes you might need to hold shift to proportionally resize it) make sure the newly pasted pic layer is over the layer named "picture goes here", 4) hold the alt key and hover your mouse cursor over the line between your pic layer and the circle layer until you see an arrow going down symbol, once you see it click it and tah dah! your picture should now have the same shape as the circle! - you can further move it if it doesn't fit the way you want with the Move Tool (;

Others:

>You can change every color, font and section to your liking, just don't change the general layout of the template.

>To hide/show the guides (those bright blue lines all over the document), click ctrl+,

>'Inter' is a free font and you can get it in the link above (linked with the credits), Golften Vintage is not, but you can get the demo version >here< (just scroll down and click the blue download button under license). I will not tell you how to install fonts as it might be different for everyone (for me it's C:/Windows/Fonts and I just drop the zipped files (except the .txt one) there), but google is your friend.

>I can't think of anything else that needs to be said here, but if you have any other question feel free to send me an ask or dm and I'll help you out!

>Last but not least, a like is appreciated if you plan to use this plus consider tagging @synindoodles if you use it <3

[novella-november]

Do you know of any Free, Open Source writing tools and aids?

plain text: Do you know of any Free, Open Source writing tools and aids?

Please submit them, either in an ask, a PM, or in the *Replies* of this post so they're easy to keep track of!

In the opposite direction of pro-ai, subscription based ""resources"" for writers, I would love to put together a masterpost of *Free, Open Source* programs on this blog, to help out any aspiring writers out there!

Let's start with the very basics, shall we?

Free and Open Source Word Processor:

(plain text: Free and Open Source Word Processor)

LibreOffice is community-driven and developed software, and is a project of the not-for-profit organization, The Document Foundation. LibreOffice is free and open source software, originally based on OpenOffice.org (commonly known as OpenOffice), and is the most actively developed OpenOffice.org successor project.

[steviebbboi]

Fall/Autumn Season Dividers

Transparent

Non-Transparent

:)

If you use them, if you would so kindly tag me @steviebbboi, I would love that (reblogs are also just as welcome)!

My Dividers Masterlist

Main Masterlist

[daemon-in-my-head]

As requested by @theannoyingurge let's take a detour from our regular schedule and talk food preservation in medival settings / before everybody had a refrigerator so you can write the bg3 fic of ur dreams and be realistic even with details that keep getting in ur way:

Underground cellars/basements. No rly. They can be incredible cool even in summer or even if they're not too deep, and they've been used to ripen and store food such as wine or cheese or meat since ages. Cooling and freezing has been no new invention, we've been refrigerating food (where possible aka northern regions and those with real winters) since forever. The only difference is that it's more convenient nowadays.

Your food can't spoil if you let it rot deliberately aka fermenting. Whether it's fruits and vegetables, honey and grape wines, beer, cheese, or soy sauce. People have been using fermentation since ancient times to preserve foods. Remember Surströmming? The canned fish that smells incredibly bad? Yeah that's just fermented fish.

My personal fav: The burial method. Foods would be burried in dry soil (the deeper u go the cooler it gets) to protect from, well, the sun, but also and very importantly, pests and that stuff. Sometimes the food would also be tightly packed in salts or some marinades to infuse some flavour and to dry it out even better, it's a method still used today for food such as Graved Lachs (lit. buried salmon) a 'delicacy' and yeah shit tastes awesome actually I highly recommend trying it.

Can't have fermenting without pickling. Even ancient Romans loved pickles. Everyone knows that wine can turn into vinegar, and guess what they took advantage of. Also you can pickle pretty much everything. Fish, meat, fruits, veggies. It's edible? You can pickle it. And apparently people will.

Boiling stuff with sugar or honey, aka, making jams and jellies. Sugar can preserve food, and while they didn't have those cute lil glasses we do, they still very much enjoyed their jam. Ofc this was used primarily for sweeter foods. Strawberry jam has been used as a treat for God knows how long. You wouldn't believe how old some cake recipes really are.

Curing and smoking: a method we still very much use to this day to make sausages and prepare other sorts of meat and fish. People have ever since loved the smoke flavour and dangerous amounts of salt. Jerky is certainly no new invention.

Drying: yep. Grain, nuts, fruits, veggies. Lots of shit lasts nearly forever if its purposefully dried. Just make sure you don't screw it up and treat the not yet so dry produces carefully. Garlic ropes may keep out vampires but the biggest advantage is that it'll keep it from spoiling so fast.

And most importantly; the take only what you need approach. You need only 2 tomatoes? Only pluck 2 off the vine. You need meat 3 days from now? Well, only get it on the day you'll need it. You need bread today? Bake it today. People we're very conscious about their foods and what they needed. Doesn't hurt to leave the apple on the tree for one more day if it's not close to overripe already.

Now for the fun part, the random trivia regarding food;

Originally it was a woman's job to brew the beer

Beer can be used as food and it often was used as a cheap tavern food or in times of need

Island nations and coastal regions love to eat fresh, raw fish. A lot of culture from this region somehow includes raw fish in their cuisine for a plethora of reasons. Coastal people love their raw fish. Also algae. They do love algae too

Not a single hair on an animal was wasted. Hair = brushes, fat = soaps and cosmetics, blood = can be cooked and eaten. Blood sausages and all that stuff. Lamb's intestines were famously used as condoms. I meant it when I said everything.

The 'trash' meat aka scraps and very non tasty looking stuff was mixed with grain and fried in times where food was rare. Great source of protein and very filling.

Meat was expensive, so it was rare to come by and very much valued.

Normal middle/lower class people would often only eat the "good stuff" once a week or on special occasions.

During outbreaks of the pest and other illnesses even kids drank beer. Water was too dirty and contaminated.

In fact the primary drinks were wines, beers, ales all that stuff. Water had to be boiled first.

Pretty much everything that wasn't poisonous would be eaten by people. Wasting food really didn't happen a lot outside of the upper class.

Religion was heavily influenced by food. Meat will spoil very quickly in the deserts heat, a sober soldier fights better than a drunk one, fish is rare outside of coastal towns so it's expensive and rare, cows are much more useful if they're alive rather than dead, you took a life to feed yourself so be responsible about it, that kinda shit. Food influences religion. Has always done that.

Hope this helps or this is what u were looking for. I somehow crave Graved Lachs now so I shall hunt some in the supermarket or smth.

[cursedhaglette]

do folks have any writers groups/discords/channels for original fiction that they recommend? maybe female focused? or fantasy focused? i'm looking to get back to my original works and would love a space of other writers working on similar projects

[synindoodles]

Got bored so I made another ~thing~

✨Character Info Template - Viking edition✨

Thought it would be cool to attempt a Viking-fied version of my other Character Info Template so here it is (;

This time I also made two versions, but they're more different from each other. However, both allow a lot of customization, though I recommend not fiddling with the sections too much to avoid ruining the general look of this hehe

More info + free download under the cut

Okay so left pic is version 1, right pic is version 2 - version 1 is a bit more simple, allows for some general facts about your character, while version 2 has more sections and more space for information. As I already said above, feel free to edit the section names or titles to include whatever information you consider relevant, just try to avoid long titles and descriptions so everything stays in place :p Background can also be changed either to a plain color or you can adjust the gradient colors by using the "hue/saturation" editing option.

Same as last time, to add your own pics just paste the pic over the shape you want it to fit (also make sure the layer of your pic is right over the layer of the shape) then in the layer section hold ALT then click between your pic layer and the shape layer to adjust it (;

Last but not least, this is a .psd file. So you'll need either Photoshop (I did this with Photoshop Portable, but it supports newer versions of PS and it *should* support older versions too) or Photopea to open and edit this file.

Credits/needed fonts: Adobe Photoshop, Vollkorn Font (if you installed the variable versions and photoshop gives an error about missing fonts, install the files inside 'static' instead), Vollkorn SC (only needed for V2) & Old English Text MT

>DOWNLOAD< (free on patreon)

(note: in case it's not obvious the pics above are previews I did to show how the template can be used, the .psd files are clean of pictures and ready for you to use your own information)

[mandyraine]

How to ask for feedback on the first draft of your novel

A reader who has no previous experience with your novel can bring a fresh set of eyes and new perspective to your writing to help you close the gap between what you think you’ve put on the page and what you have actually put on the page.

Obtaining outside feedback is an essential piece of the evaluation step of the novel writing process. A reader who has no previous experience with your novel can bring a fresh set of eyes and new perspective to your writing to help you close the gap between what you think you’ve put on the page and what you have actually put on the page. When asking others to review a draft of your novel, it is…

[thecomfywriter]

👾 writing humour 101 👾

Heyyo! It’s your girl, @thecomfywriter, back with another post. Alrighty, lowkey this one is going to be a bit informal since, as I have previously mentioned, I am in the process of moving. But anyway, today’s post is going to be how to approach the incredibly subjective and horrifically difficult task of adding humour to a story. I’m not going to ramble too much, so without further ado, let’s get straight into it.

·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

1.0 The fundamentals of humour:

What is humour? Literary speaking, humour is the ability or quality to perform comedy. To be humorous is to be amusing to others. Note, that definition does not automatically equate to “a person who tells good jokes”. To be humorous is to be amusing.

By that extension, to have a humorous character, they must possess the quality of being able to amuse others. Whether it is through a charismatic presence, an ability to make other’s laugh, or an appeal to their company— a comedic character is one that is able to lighten a mood and add an element of fun to the dynamic.

2.0 How to go about humour:

There are 2 integral factors to executing a joke. 1) Knowing your audience. 2) Getting the timing right.

I could have a killer joke lined up and ready to use that is a mix of witty and sarcastic and is bound to make anyone who hears it need a moment to process just how funny it was. But if I’m telling that joke to a group of toddlers…?

Whoosh! 💨

It doesn’t work. Humour is subjective, which is why you have to make sure the subject is targeted. I wouldn’t tell boomer jokes to a teenage, neither would I make puns with someone who hates puns.

Context is integral when writing humour. A part of that context is time, place, and audience.

Is your character telling a joke at a funeral. Oof. Lowkey though… depending on who is around them, some people genuinely might laugh. As a cooing mechanism. Out of shock. Or because they too are so appalled at the gall that it’s kinda funny.

“Here we put to rest, Uncle Steve… The-“

“-Lazy bastard died on shift. Could’ve just said you wanted the day off, buddy.”

Like bruh.

It’s so inappropriate, and it is generally tacky, but if Uncle Steve was the type of person who would crack jokes like that as well, that sentiment would not only be comforting, but also funny to them. Otherwise… yeah maybe don’t crack jokes at the funeral in the middle of the grieving family’s speech.

3.0 The icks and yucks of writing humour:

Have you ever read a book where the author is very clearly trying to write “the designated comedian friend” character, so they make all the characters react disproportionately to their jokes? Do you remember how artificial it felt as a reader to witness those scenes and feel awkward because, dude it’s not that funny why are you peeing yourself?

Obviously, like I’ve reiterated multiple times throughout this post— humour is subjective. And sometimes, jokes are stupid, but because you’re with specific company, it’s hilarious. Like the times you and your friend glance at each other and feel the urge to laugh. But in those cases, that is more telling of the bond and dynamic between the characters, rather than the comedic quality of the character themselves. Inside jokes are when stupid quips really make sense. And inside jokes are descriptors of relationships, not comedy itself.

If you take one thing away from this post, let it be this: when writing humour, try to make the reader laugh, not the characters. What I mean by this is rather than have your characters react to prove that the humour works, let the humour speak for itself by cracking a smile from the reader itself. Your reader formulating their own impression that, 'Hey! This character is pretty funny!' has a farrr stronger effect than your characters saying, 'Damn man, you're funny.'

4.0 Types of humour:

Let's review some different types of humour you can use in your writing, both narratively, and through character actions/speech:

Slapstick humour: theatrical humour involving body comedy (exaggeration, theatrical movements, corny situations)

Wit: can range from puns to cleverly using puns and innuendos. Layered humour with multiple dimensions to it

Sarcasm and irony: ironic situations (something happening opposite to what was expected), or sarcasm (say the opposite of what you mean); sassiness also applies to this type of humour

Self-deprecation: putting oneself down or making fun of yourself ; making yourself the butt of the joke

Dark humour: comedy around morbid or taboo topics (i.e. death, trauma, controversial opinions, etc) -> careful with this one lol

Sitcom: very cartoony, tv show-esque, nonsensical situations

5.0 So how do I make a funny character then?

I'm doing dot jots y'all, i'm sorry LOL

Behaviours: use behaviours and mannerisms to convey the type of humour and charm they have in their personality

Observation: people watch and observe how comedic people in real life act; how do they set up their jokes, how do they build up anticipation for their punchline, how do their storytelling skills look?

Dialogue: this is the real kicker; you want to make it natural and banterous. humour works best when its quick. think of punchy lines in a conversation that bounces off each other. its also how you develop chemistry between characters-- through their ability to banter and build off each other's convo easily

Relationships: yall... i'm not funny around some people, but around others? the jokes fire out real quick. and sometimes, inside jokes just have us laughing. the type and level of comedic genius might vary depending on time, situation, and audience.

6.0 Things to avoid:

explaining the joke

too much humour

inappropriate timing/reactions

too far/insensitive dark humour (not an excuse to be a bigot y'all...)

cliches (you can technically do this, but it really only works if you execute it right, which is often difficult. but hey! go for it if you think you can. sometimes, cliches are phenomenal)

Alrighty! That's it! Good luck!

·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

Before I sign off, I just want to do a mini #thecomfywriter ramblings for a second about my WIP and things i'm about to post on this account.

So, fun fact... I'm leaning more towards publishing as an indie author. So, as a result, I've been very preoccupied with: 1) moving, 2) work, and 3) copy editing ToV. But as I'm reading through my book, I've been finding a lot of scenes that I enjoyed, and lowkey falling in love with the book again.

So, if in the coming weeks, I post more ToV / WIP related content than writing toolbox posts like this, apologies in advance. I do hope you enjoy the ToV content. And if you would like to see more content specifically relating to my book, you can check out my pinned post here, which has a navigation guide of where to find everything on my blog, as well as join the TCW tag list here.

Alright! Now I'm really done LOL

Go Buckwild! Go Crazy! Happy Writing!

[the-family-business67-reblogs]

Dean Winchester

Sam Winchester

Castiel

Baby

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[inky-duchess]

Fantasy Guide to Regents and Regencies

A Regency is a period of time where another party rules of behalf of a monarch who is either too young, too ill or absent. A Regency can either be the monarch's own choice or a decision made for them on their behalf by a third part, usually government. Either way, a Regent is selected to act as temporary Head of State whilst the monarch is incapable of ruling.

Who can be a Regent?

A Regent is an important office, even though its a temporary one. Regencies of child monarchs generally either go to the Consort, though there are all sorts of reasons why this can be blocked. Sometimes governments and kingdoms are uncomfortable with foreign consorts with uncertain allegiances ruling the kingdom or sometimes the government just doesn't approve on the basis that they doubt the Consort's skill set. Other candidates for Regencies are nearly always family members such as uncles, aunts, cousins and even children of the monarch (especially if they are absent from the country or ill). But a Regent doesn't have to be a royal. They could just be a noble elected to the position (Sir William Marshall) or even one that siezes power for themselves (Richard of York) or even a council made up of Regents, headed by a Lord Protector.

Who makes a Regent?

As I mentioned before, monarchs can appoint the Regent that will replace them in certain cases. For instance, a monarch would chose the Regent if they were voluntarily leaving the country or they might designate a chosen Regent on their deathbed or just in case of emergency. But they wouldn't chose a Regent if they were ruled mentally incompetent. In those cases, the government would chose.

The Powers and Responsibilities of a Regent

A Regent is the acting head of state but they are not the monarch. They do not have the right to wear crowns or have a coronation and are not granted the hall pass of divine right. A Regent is referred to as their own title, say for example Duke of X, Regent of Y or Prince Regent. They are merely there to fill in for the monarch. A Regent would meet with the government, make decisions with the approval by government and sign offical documents. In cases of an absent monarch, a Regent may need the approval of the monarch themselves. Regents of child monarchs would usually include their charges in the country's running, either as spectator or student. A Regent, being temporary Head of State, would also have the responsibility of ensuring a natural cessation of their power to their monarch when their term is over. Some regents are better than others at handing over power.

Notable Regents of History

George IV, Richard III, Anne of Austria, Katheryn Parr, Richard of York, Margaret of York, Katherine of Aragon, Catherine de Medici, Louise of Savoy, Phillippe duc de Orléans, Edward Seymour Duke of Somerset, Sir William Marshall, John Duke of Bedford, Humphrey Duke of Gloucestershire, John Dudley Duke of Northumberland.

[lissastrata]

How ChatGPT Can Assist Authors

Interested in how authors can use ChatGPT to help with their writing?

Photo by LJ on Pexels.com I’ve talked briefly about how people do not need to fear that ChatGPT will take over the literary world by producing engaging full-length novels anytime soon because the creativity and ability to write in such long-form for nuanced fiction simply doesn’t exist yet. But can ChatGPT be used to assist in the writing of a novel? One potential use of ChatGPT is for…

[steviebbboi]

Coffee (Autumn Themed) Dividers

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A/N: if you do end up using my dividers, kindly tag me please~ any reblogs/signal boosts/comments/interactions are so welcome <3

Happy Fall 🍁 ☕️

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[lemondonutsfromcirclek]

the struggle is real when an artist tries to become a writer i am SOBBING. i need tips asap how do i word