#and tips

[wandixx]

I had a might need to draw cape with stars and well, Miss Martian was a great model.

[multi-fandom-bi]

Fuck it, I don't have the balls to ask anyone irl to be my beta reader so i'm just gonna post the first chapter of my book/idk-what-it-is on here and be at the mercy of tumblr critique. I think the pacing is a little wack and i'm afraid that maybe it's a lil confusing to anyone that doesn't have access to my mind.

Just a quick reminder that I am just starting out so don't expect anything too ground breaking. Constructive criticism is very much welcomed! (but please don't be too mean cuz i will cry and give up writing)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marcus was going to be sick. It wasn't anything new, he felt like he wanted to throw up about ninety percent of the time, but this time he might just actually do it.

He was in the royal court yard, like everyone else, awaiting the ceremony. The yard was adorned with all sorts of flowers, hyacinths, peonies, roses, all put in pretty garlands, and fancy decorations, even an ice swan. It was by far the most elegant event he's ever been to. And the most boring. Some unimportant member of the royal family was getting married to some other royal from the Don't-give-a-damn Kingdom, who was just as insignificant.

They'll help with our goal, dear, their wedding is the perfect event to get our point across. They're not insignificant, whispered Drochan. Immediately, Marcus felt a headache coming through and a sudden jolt of vertigo. It was always like this, when he talked to Drochan.

He was ripped out of his thoughts as the wedding began and everyone turned toward the aisle. To say he felt nervous was an understatement. This was their biggest "presentation", as Drochan liked to call them, yet.

He was used to operating in the semi shadows with small crowds, running away when he heard the guards approach. Now he was in enemy territory, wearing a very uncomfortable suit, sitting in a very uncomfortable chair and completely sober, might he add.

It's fine, Drochan knows what she's doing, he lied to himself. He stopped believing in his partner in crime, turned headache, a long time ago. But he couldn't quit now, she won't allow it. And he had nowhere to go anyway.

Don't lose your focus, you'll mess up. And you know what happens if you do. Marcus chose to ignore that threat, and focus on the surrounding flora and fauna instead. Those were his ammo.

The priest went on and on about the union of the lovers under the ever-watching eye of Niama, goddess of everything that's green and good. He could feel the hatred coursing through Drochan, and, by extension, through him, at the mention of the name. He didn't really care about Drochan's family drama, only doing what she asked because it was better than the alternative route his life could've taken, but he knew that that drama was the main reason why Drochan was doing any of this in the first place.

Get ready, they're going to say they're vows to dear old Niama any day now. Marcus sighed, Drochan always had a feel of theatrics, and started doing his thing. He started feeling.

He felt the ants that were being crushed under the guests boots, dying flowers trying desperately to hang on to life, the leaves of early autumn slowly decaying. A dead deer next to a dwindling stream. He called out to them and, as expected, they answered back.

“And now, the lovers shall express their gratitude towards Niama with the customary vows” the priest said

Now, Marcus

He let the dead loose. The ants and bugs rose from the grave, the dead flowers spread their decaying roots, enveloping the chairs, the altar, even the people. Screaming filled his ears, he could even hear someone crying on the other side of the court yard. He willed dead vines and roots to block all exits and engulf the guards, so they couldn't move. He was preparing himself for what was to come, the worst part of their presentations. The part in which Drochan will deliver their message.

I would've thought you would be used to this by now. After all, we've been doing this for years.

It isn't exactly the best feeling, having a deity come out of you, Marcus thought, then immediately regretted it as Drochan sent a pulsating headache his way.

Don't be rude, dearest, she said, in that sickly-sweet voice she loved to use when reminding him who was in charge. All of a sudden, the all too familiar feeling of dread and nausea engulfed him. He doubled over and spit out his good old pal, Drochan.

She always came out in the very disturbing —and foul smelling— form of a black substance before taking her actual form. Marcus coughed, his stomach feeling like he downed several bottles of vodka on an empty stomach and then ate manure. As he was recovering from the delivery, a huge, three meter tall shadow washed over him.

Drochan was mesmerizing in the way a tornado that was heading your way was. You know it’s going to destroy you and everything you love if you stick around too long, but there is a certain je ne sais quoi to it, something that makes you want to stay, out of pure curiosity, just to see what will happen. She was dangerous, and that's what makes her so alluring. Besides the obvious tall-as-heck stature, Drochan stood out with her pure black and decaying flesh. She had a tattered dress and several bracelets and necklaces, each with a little trinket on them. A little rabbit’s foot, some dried flowers and various animal bones. He'd gotten a full lecture on all of the bones, back in the day, but he couldn't recall all of them now. It was so long ago, back when he had some hope about this whole thing.

“People of Nashira” Drochan began “you have been misguided for too long.”

As she was talking, Marcus could hear whispers all across the courtyard, and people trying to get out via the vine-blocked gates. Their efforts were fruitless, nobody could break through those vines. Some magic thingy was making them nearly indestructible, Marcus wasn’t sure what exactly.

“You have been taught to fear death all your lives, but today I say we embrace it.” Nice lie by omission, Marcus thought. What Drochan meant by “embracing death” was that she needed more power, and to her, death equals power.

“The natural order is imbalanced, there isn't enough death, the world is at full capacity” Now that was a full blown lie. One he's heard a million times before, it was her favorite. Marcus was still recovering from his little “delivery”. At some point he got onto his knees on the ground. He was dizzy and incredibly thirsty, and could barely focus on the rest of Drochan's speech. He's heard it a million times before anyways.

He needed to regain his wits, otherwise this whole plan will go astray. He needed to get ready to run because once Drochan was done with her whole monologue and the vines keeping the guards still would be gone, and he would be in danger.

Drochan went on and on about how they should all “cause a little more destruction and death”, y'know, for the good of “the natural order”. Marcus restrained from lashing out and telling her to just shut up for a second, so he could stop his vision from spinning. But he heard the closing phrase so he had to get back onto his feet and prepare to bolt:

“And if you don’t heed my warning, well, awful things might start happening.” God, that sing-song voice she does is going to drive him crazy in the worst way possible.

With a sinister laugh, Drochan merged with him once more, giving him vertigo again. Well, no time to rest now, he thought as he started running as fast as he could out of there. He could hear the guards’ shouts, their heavy metal boots hitting the wet ground. Marcus ran across the winding streets that smelled of dew and booze. His head was spinning and his vision was getting fuzzy. He couldn't keep on doing this.

You have to, for us.

That little intervention was not helping him at all, in fact it was making him more dizzy. He could still hear the guards, their voices ever closer. He took a left after the bakery that sold some divine cinnamon rolls that were great for a hangover , then a right after the post office run by the cranky old man that always sneered when he approached and finally he could see the forest that would hide him.

As if on cue, one of the guards yelled “Don't let him go into the forest!”. His pace started to falter, his steps were clumsy and uncoordinated. Heavy metal boots clanked behind him, dangerously close, and Marcus tried to get his stupid legs to just work properly already and Drochan started also yelling at him to hurry up and he tried to tell her that she wasn’t helping–

Marcus tripped. He tripped, like a toddler. Trying to get up proved to be a fruitless endeavor, as his legs turned into mush. He was lifted by one of the guards off of the ground.

What are you doing? Get up, you useless human! They’ll take you to the cells! Drochan yelled, her raspy inhuman voice ringing in his head. But Marcus had no more fight left in him, he wasn’t used to running so much and so fast right after a “presentation”. The boy didn't even know how he was still conscious.

“There you are, bastard” said the guard that caught him “we've been trying to catch you for far too long”

Marcus tried to call on the dead, but his focus was off and he gave up when he felt cuffs around his hands. Well he had it coming at some point. Honestly, the prospect of having somewhere to just lay down, even if it was a cell, was incredibly alluring. He was tired and hasn’t eaten anything today. And he needed new clothes, his suit having been ruined after regurgitating Drochan slop. He almost felt bad for destroying the thing, he was planning to give it back to the nice shop keeper after the wedding, because he really didn't like to steal from people who were just trying to survive.

All of a sudden he felt a pinch in his right arm and he looked up from the ground. The guard had injected him with some sort of thing. He was starting to feel a little sleepy.

“Sorry, kid, but we can't have you raising up someone's dinner on the way” the guard said “This will keep you asleep for about four to five hours. You look like you need it anyways”

Motherfuc-

Marcus promptly fell asleep.

[yourlocalpizzarat]

Anyway back to art, tried my hand at some spooky stuff

[tenderwatches]

sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

[hayatheauthor]

10 Non-Lethal Injuries to Add Pain to Your Writing

New Part: 10 Lethal Injury Ideas

If you need a simple way to make your characters feel pain, here are some ideas: 

1. Sprained Ankle

A common injury that can severely limit mobility. This is useful because your characters will have to experience a mild struggle and adapt their plans to their new lack of mobiliy. Perfect to add tension to a chase scene.

2. Rib Contusion

A painful bruise on the ribs can make breathing difficult, helping you sneak in those ragged wheezes during a fight scene. Could also be used for something sport-related! It's impactful enough to leave a lingering pain but not enough to hinder their overall movement.

3. Concussions

This common brain injury can lead to confusion, dizziness, and mood swings, affecting a character’s judgment heavily. It can also cause mild amnesia.

I enjoy using concussions when you need another character to subtly take over the fight/scene, it's an easy way to switch POVs. You could also use it if you need a 'cute' recovery moment with A and B.

4. Fractured Finger

A broken finger can complicate tasks that require fine motor skills. This would be perfect for characters like artists, writers, etc. Or, a fighter who brushes it off as nothing till they try to throw a punch and are hit with pain.

5. Road Rash

Road rash is an abrasion caused by friction. Aka scraping skin. The raw, painful sting resulting from a fall can be a quick but effective way to add pain to your writing. Tip: it's great if you need a mild injury for a child.

6. Shoulder Dislocation

This injury can be excruciating and often leads to an inability to use one arm, forcing characters to confront their limitations while adding urgency to their situation. Good for torture scenes.

7. Deep Laceration

A deep laceration is a cut that requires stitches. As someone who got stitches as a kid, they really aren't that bad! A 2-3 inch wound (in length) provides just enough pain and blood to add that dramatic flair to your writing while not severely deterring your character.

This is also a great wound to look back on since it often scars. Note: the deeper and wider the cut the worse your character's condition. Don't give them a 5 inch deep gash and call that mild.

8. Burns

Whether from fire, chemicals, or hot surfaces, burns can cause intense suffering and lingering trauma. Like the previous injury, the lasting physical and emotional trauma of a burn is a great wound for characters to look back on.

If you want to explore writing burns, read here.

9. Pulled Muscle

This can create ongoing pain and restrict movement, offering a window to force your character to lean on another. Note: I personally use muscle related injuries when I want to focus more on the pain and sprains to focus on a lack of mobility.

10. Tendonitis

Inflammation of a tendon can cause chronic pain and limit a character's ability to perform tasks they usually take for granted. When exploring tendonitis make sure you research well as this can easily turn into a more severe injury.

This is a quick, brief list of ideas to provide writers inspiration. Since it is a shorter blog, I have not covered the injuries in detail. This is inspiration, not a thorough guide. Happy writing! :)

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!

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[helpful-writing-tips]

if you're trying to get into the head of your story's antagonist, try writing an "Am I the Asshole" reddit post from their perspective, explaining their problems and their plans for solving them. Let the voice and logic come through.

[evilgoodguys]

...clearly, he's not jealous.

[frownyalfred]

Tips for writing those gala scenes, from someone who goes to them occasionally:

Generally you unbutton and re-button a suit coat when you sit down and stand up.

You’re supposed to hold wine or champagne glasses by the stem to avoid warming up the liquid inside. A character out of their depth might hold the glass around the sides instead.

When rich/important people forget your name and they’re drunk, they usually just tell you that they don’t remember or completely skip over any opportunity to use your name so they don’t look silly.

A good way to indicate you don’t want to shake someone’s hand at an event is to hold a drink in your right hand (and if you’re a woman, a purse in the other so you definitely can’t shift the glass to another hand and then shake)

Americans who still kiss cheeks as a welcome generally don’t press lips to cheeks, it’s more of a touch of cheek to cheek or even a hover (these days, mostly to avoid smudging a woman’s makeup)

The distinctions between dress codes (black tie, cocktail, etc) are very intricate but obvious to those who know how to look. If you wear a short skirt to a black tie event for example, people would clock that instantly even if the dress itself was very formal. Same thing goes for certain articles of men’s clothing.

Open bars / cash bars at events usually carry limited options. They’re meant to serve lots of people very quickly, so nobody is getting a cosmo or a Manhattan etc.

Members of the press generally aren’t allowed to freely circulate at nicer galas/events without a very good reason. When they do, they need to identify themselves before talking with someone.

[physalian]

Small fantasy worldbuilding elements you might want to think about:

A currency that isn’t gold-standard/having gold be as valuable as tin

A currency that runs entirely on a perishable resource, like cocoa beans

A clock that isn’t 24-hours

More or less than four seasons/seasons other than the ones we know

Fantastical weather patterns like irregular cloud formations, iridescent rain

Multiple moons/no moon

Planetary rings

A northern lights effect, but near the equator

Roads that aren’t brown or grey/black, like San Juan’s blue bricks

Jewelry beyond precious gems and metals

Marriage signifiers other than wedding bands

The husband taking the wife's name / newlyweds inventing a new surname upon marriage

No concept of virginity or bastardry

More than 2 genders/no concept of gender

Monotheism, but not creationism

Gods that don’t look like people

Domesticated pets that aren’t re-skinned dogs and cats

Some normalized supernatural element that has nothing to do with the plot

Magical communication that isn’t Fantasy Zoom

“Books” that aren’t bound or scrolls

A nonverbal means of communicating, like sign language

A race of people who are obligate carnivores/ vegetarians/ vegans/ pescatarians (not religious, biological imperative)

I’ve done about half of these myself in one WIP or another and a little detail here or there goes a long way in reminding the audience that this isn’t Kansas anymore.

[nondelphic]

sometimes the best writing advice is "just let it be bad." revolutionary. terrifying. but it works.

[sabertoothwalrus]

You probably get asked this a lot, but how do you draw hands? Even when I'm tracing, they look so weird 🙃

I could probably go on and on and on about hands, but here are some key points I compiled! I LOVE drawing hands, and I never hesitate to use my own as a reference

[snakebites-and-ink]

I've already said that my number one piece of writing advice is to read.

But my number two piece of advice is this: be deliberate.

Honestly this would fix so many pieces of bad writing advice. Don't forbid people from doing something, tell them to be conscious and deliberate about it. This could help stop people from falling into common mistakes without limiting their creativity. Black and white imperatives may stop a few annoying beginner habits, but ultimately they will restrict artistic expression.

Instead of "don't use epithets": "Know the effect epithets have and be deliberate about using them." Because yes, beginners often misuse them, but they can be useful when a character's name isn't known or when you want to reduce them to a particular trait they have.

Instead of "don't use 'said'" or "just use 'said'": "Be deliberate about your use of dialogue tags." Because sometimes you'll want "said" which fades into the background nicely, but sometimes you will need a more descriptive alternative to convey what a character is doing.

Instead of "don't use passive voice": "Be deliberate about when you use passive voice." Because using it when it's not needed can detract from your writing, but sometimes it can be useful to change the emphasis of a sentence or to portray a particular state of mind.

Instead of blindly following or ignorantly neglecting the rules of writing, familiarize yourself with them and their consequences so you can choose when and if breaking them would serve what you're trying to get across.

Your writing is yours. Take control of it.

It probably sounds like I'm preaching to the choir here because most of my mutuals are already great writers. But I'm hoping this will make it to the right people.

[saszor]

Overview of some topics when it comes to drawing characters who are burn survivors.

DISCLAIMER. Please keep in mind that this is an introductory overview for drawing some burn scars and has a lot of generalizations in it, so not every “X is Z” statement will be true for Actual People. I'm calling this introductory because I hope to get people to actually do their own research before drawing disabled & visibly different characters rather than just making stuff up. Think of it as a starting point and take it with a grain of salt (especially if you have a very different art style from mine).

Talking about research and learning... don't make your burn survivor characters evil. Burn survivors are normal people and don't deserve to be constantly portrayed in such a way.

Consider supporting me on ko-fi if you find this to be helpful.

edit: apparently tum "queerest place on the internet" blr hates disabled people so much that this post got automatically filtered. cool!

second way more important edit: How are people seeing this post where I specifically talk about burn survivors being normal, real people, and still tag this as "TW body horror"? Not a single one of these drawings or pictures is a fresh injury. All of them are healed. How the hell would you feel if someone tagged a photo of you as "trigger warning: gore"?

Disabled people are not your fucking body horror. Grow up.

[etherealspacejelly]

this is your gentle reminder to stop fighting against your adhd and instead structure your life around it

buy a pack of chapsticks and put one in the pocket of all of your coats and jackets because you always forget to bring one and chapped lips is sensory hell

leave important things where you can see them. if they go in a box or a drawer you will forget they exist

put any appointments or deadlines in your phone calendar As Soon As you get them. set a reminder for a week before, a day before, an hour before, as many as you need as often as you need them.

when that little voice in your head says "i dont need to write that down, ill remember it" that is the devil talking!!! write it down anyway!!

plan for down time. have a few hours at the end of every day to just do fun stuff like engage in your hyperfixations. even if you didnt get all of your work done that day, have the rest anyway. you probably spent the whole day beating yourself up for not doing what you Should be doing, so you still need the break.

if you never eat vegetables because its too much effort to chop and cook them, get the frozen or canned shit. it doesnt go off for ages and you just have to microwave it. theres no point buying fresh vegetables if they just keep going off and being left to rot in the bottom of your fridge

if you struggle to decide what to have for dinner every day, take the decision out of it. choose a set of meals and eat those on rotation until you get sick of them, then choose some new ones and do it again.

its not stupid if it works! our brains literally have a chemical deficiency. you are allowed to accommodate yourself. go forth and stop making your life more difficult than it has to be because "this shouldn't be this hard". it is hard, so make it easier.

[hayatheauthor]

100 Dialogue Tags You Can Use Instead of “Said”

For the writers struggling to rid themselves of the classic ‘said’. Some are repeated in different categories since they fit multiple ones (but those are counted once so it adds up to 100 new words). 

1. Neutral Tags 

Straightforward and unobtrusive dialogue tags: 

Added, Replied, Stated, Remarked, Responded, Observed, Acknowledged, Commented, Noted, Voiced, Expressed, Shared, Answered, Mentioned, Declared.

2. Questioning Tags 

Curious, interrogative dialogue tags:

Asked, Queried, Wondered, Probed, Inquired, Requested, Pondered, Demanded, Challenged, Interjected, Investigated, Countered, Snapped, Pleaded, Insisted.

3. Emotive Tags 

Emotional dialogue tags:

Exclaimed, Shouted, Sobbed, Whispered, Cried, Hissed, Gasped, Laughed, Screamed, Stammered, Wailed, Murmured, Snarled, Choked, Barked.

4. Descriptive Tags 

Insightful, tonal dialogue tags: 

Muttered, Mumbled, Yelled, Uttered, Roared, Bellowed, Drawled, Spoke, Shrieked, Boomed, Snapped, Groaned, Rasped, Purred, Croaked.

5. Action-Oriented Tags 

Movement-based dialogue tags: 

Announced, Admitted, Interrupted, Joked, Suggested, Offered, Explained, Repeated, Advised, Warned, Agreed, Confirmed, Ordered, Reassured, Stated.

6. Conflict Tags 

Argumentative, defiant dialogue tags:

Argued, Snapped, Retorted, Rebuked, Disputed, Objected, Contested, Barked, Protested, Countered, Growled, Scoffed, Sneered, Challenged, Huffed.

7. Agreement Tags 

Understanding, compliant dialogue tags: 

Agreed, Assented, Nodded, Confirmed, Replied, Conceded, Acknowledged, Accepted, Affirmed, Yielded, Supported, Echoed, Consented, Promised, Concurred.

8. Disagreement Tags 

Resistant, defiant dialogue tags: 

Denied, Disagreed, Refused, Argued, Contradicted, Insisted, Protested, Objected, Rejected, Declined, Countered, Challenged, Snubbed, Dismissed, Rebuked.

9. Confused Tags 

Hesitant, uncertain dialogue tags:

Stammered, Hesitated, Fumbled, Babbled, Mumbled, Faltered, Stumbled, Wondered, Pondered, Stuttered, Blurted, Doubted, Confessed, Vacillated.

10. Surprise Tags

Shock-inducing dialogue tags:

Gasped, Stunned, Exclaimed, Blurted, Wondered, Staggered, Marvelled, Breathed, Recoiled, Jumped, Yelped, Shrieked, Stammered.

Note: everyone is entitled to their own opinion. No I am NOT telling people to abandon said and use these. Yes I understand that said is often good enough, but sometimes you WANT to draw attention to how the character is speaking. If you think adding an action/movement to your dialogue is 'good enough' hate to break it to you but that ruins immersion much more than a casual 'mumbled'. And for the last time: this is just a resource list, CALM DOWN. Hope that covers all the annoyingly redundant replies :)

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!

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