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[writing-by-stormy]

Using Other Creative Mediums to Improve your Writing

(Obligatory do not plagiarize disclaimer!! Inspiration is good, copying is just lazy)

Recently I’ve been trying to improve my writing, primarily my descriptions of things like setting and body language, and a lot of writing cheat sheets and advice just wasn’t cutting it. It wasn’t bad—and actually gave me a place to start—but I felt like something was missing. However while practicing I was hit with an idea and it actually helped me quite a lot so I hope someone finds some use it in too :]

Here’s some ideas I came up with, however this is by no means an exhaustive list and honestly it’s up to you to decide what is and isn’t helpful for you, as everyone thinks and creates differently.

1. Photography/Art

This is the one I started off with. I’m a very visual person and was really struggling with setting a tone when it came to the descriptions of my settings. I could technically paint the picture but not well, and it would really slow down the story rather than adding to it as intended. This is where artwork and photography came in, I realized that (at least from how I approach it) the ways an artist conveys mood, tone, and meaning wasn’t all that different than how I was trying to. They were creating a literal visual representation of an image they saw, and I was trying to get others to imagine what I was imagining. So I compiled a collection of photos and artwork that really resonated with me and started studying exactly why. Here’s some things I did that I found useful:

Compiling images based off subject and/or setting (I.e. forests, the ocean, desert, etc.) and comparing and contrasting them. If all your images are of a river, then what common themes do they share? What’s different? What’s the difference between a tranquil river and a harsh, dangerous one (outside of just the obvious). How do different things in the environment contribute to or take away from the focus that you’ve placed on the river? Do any of them have a different mood? Create a different atmosphere? Are there any you like more and why?

Compiling images based off mood/themes. This one really helped me notice the subtle details that contributed to tone such as how vast or crowded a scene is, where the photographer/artist chooses to emphasize, etc. when it comes to this you could compare and contrast too, or if you want something more challenging you could try listing what every detail contributes to the overall image, as well as what (if anything) could’ve been left out without changing much.

pretending you had the power to change their appearance. say you’re working with a picture of a lake, what would change if you wanted to add an island in it? Would the island be the new focus or not? How much detail could you add before it became over saturated? How much could you remove before it became uninteresting? If the picture was taken during the day, how would the way you describe/imagine it change during the night?

Writing down the context you get from the image, as well as trying to imagine your own. Say you’re working with the image of a gorgeous meadow, and in the background are some awe inspiring mountains. Can you tell based off the image whether it’s remote or not? If it is, what about the setting changes? Is it harder to reach? Are the trails and roads overgrown, barely visible, or so old and rocky cars can’t pass over them? How far would you say civilization is? What would bring someone there? What might happen if there was a sudden influx of people in the area, would it be overrun with tourism? Would they establish a settlement and if so what resources would they have? Is the remoteness part of what makes it beautiful—like a nice vacation from society—or does it create a feeling of isolation?

2. TV Shows/Movies/Animation

There’s a few more options for this category considering it in and of itself is a form of creative writing. Honestly there’s endless inspiration to be found in your favorite shows and movies, so in turn there’s endless opportunities for learning from them. Here’s just a few I came up with

Writing dialogue. Does your character have to small talk their way out of an awkward situation but you’re struggling to convey the discomfort? Do you want to write an inspiring monologue but aren’t sure how to go about it? Want to give characters a distinct voice and speech patterns but can’t think up your own? Luckily there’s nearly endless scenes to use as a reference for your dialogue difficulties!

Learning about body language/character quirks/behavior. This is what I like most about shows and movies, because every single thing about how a character acts is unique to them. You can read all the lists you want but its different when you get to watch how it actually looks on a person.

Watch something you don’t like and make a list of reasons why you don’t like it as well as what you’d change about it if you were one of the people writing/producing it. Anything from the delivery of lines to the way the camera is angled could provide insight into what elements of a story you value the most.

Getting to see character traits in the flesh. This is especially helpful for certain characteristics that a lot of writers tend to get wrong, such as charisma, being humorous, manipulative, etc. It can be helpful to study these traits and read up about them on your own, especially if that’s how you absorb your information, but a persons personality affects the way they move through the world and interact with others, and sometimes it can help to witness this for yourself.

Chose a detail to change, and brainstorm the ways it would change the story. If the heroes mother never dies, would he have the motivation to leave the house? If the protagonist didn’t have their sidekick(s), would they come out on top as often as they do? If they weren’t bound by their love for their childhood sweetheart, how much sooner would they have left to pursue their dreams? What if the main trio grew up in the city rather than a small town, would their struggles be different?

Other/Miscellaneous:

also known as the ideas that don’t fit into the other categories, fit into more than one, or that I struggled to come up with enough ideas to make them categories of their own.

You can compare and contrast the ways stories have been adapted across different mediums. Things such as the anime adaptation of your favorite manga, the live action version of an animated movie, etc.

Compare and contrast different interpretations of the same trope or story (Ex: different Mentor characters or different adaptations of Beauty and the Beast)

Listen to a fiction/anthology/storytelling podcast and pay attention to the ways they establish a scene solely through audio and dialogue

Watch a live performance and pay attention to the use of props, costumes, and actions to tell a story

Play a video game and think about how you’d go about describing it, as well as how context changes the way you’d go about that. How would you describe Minecraft as your setting? If your main character wasn’t from that blocky world what would they focus on the most? Alternatively, if they were from Minecraft how would you go about describing things that would seem odd to us but not to them? Would the graphics and mechanics of the game reflect over into that reality too?

Happy writing, I hope there was something of value to be gained from this and that you have a lovely day/night <3

[writing-by-stormy]

Fictional Religion Brainstorming Ideas

(Remember: you don’t have to use or think of each and every one of these in order to create a religion for your story. These are just prompts to get you thinking/help if you’re feeling stuck <3)

setting affects the beliefs of the people living there. If they live in a harsh climate, their beliefs will reflect that. Gods and other spiritual forces are often used as personifications of natural forces, so think about the relationship your people have to their environment

What is their definition of good and evil? Is it more spiritual or moral? What are the rules/guidelines? What (if anything) is considered a sin/transgressions?

Do they believe in gods? Spirits? The soul? What separates each of these things? What do they represent?

Is there any type of “divine justice”? What (if anything) happens to “bad” people? What must you do to be redeemed?

What are their traditions, and how have they evolved over time? How do they vary?

How much influence does this religion your society? Is it something people view as traditions that they practice because of the cultural significance? Or is it more all consuming and ingrained in almost every aspect of life? Maybe they’re a group who’s outcasted or discriminated against, if so why? Where do they differ from the mainstream beliefs and why is that such a dividing issue?

How were these beliefs passed down and recorded? Are they written down in a book like the Bible? Passed down through manuscripts and scrolls? Word of mouth and storytelling? Who has access to these records? Have any been lost to time or altered? Who would want to alter or control access to them and why?

What do these people find to be important? people find meaning in things that are significant to their ways of life. For an example, a society that centers around agriculture might rely heavily on time of year, seasons, weather, etc. and base a lot of their culture and religion off that. They also might celebrate harvests, have rituals meant to encourage growth, view crops as rewards/blessings from the Gods, etc. Likewise, insects and droughts might be seen as punishment, or a sign the spiritual realm isn’t satisfied.

What is the significance of prayer, mantras, meditation, hymns, ritual, etc? Is it an attempt to commune with the divine? Seek wisdom and guidance? Show respect or reverence?

How does your religion view death? Is it taboo or something you celebrate? What about the afterlife (if there is one)

How is your religion spread, and how easy is it to convert? Is it an isolated, closed religion unique to a specific group(s)? is the goal to spread their beliefs to everyone? Can anyone join at any time or is there an initiation process? What (if anything) is kept a secret and why?

[writing-by-stormy]

Words I Like to Read

(And what they mean)

In no specific order

- Limpid : Completely clear, transparent, lacking stress, totally calm

- Visceral : instinctive reaction, raw emotion

- Decrepit : Old, worn down. Usually abandoned, weak, crumbling

- Noxious : dangerous and toxic, poisonous, typically refers to a scent or gas

- Forsake : to abandon, relinquish, or give something up

- Wallow : to over indulge in a negative experience/emotion (i.e. “wallowing in sadness”)

- Bulbous : bulging, round lump(s)

- Elated : a euphoric feeling, being in high spirits

- Opulent : affluent, abundantly rich or luxurious

- Opalescent : to shine like an opal

- Luminary : an inspiring person/a celestial body that glows

- Visionary : someone who’s innovative and has unique views about the future

- Crystalline : to shine like/have the structure of a crystal

- Wayward : someone governed by their whims/is unpredictable or hard to control

- Listless : little to no interest/energy/motivation, aimless

- Dismay : feelings of shock, distress, and alarm from an unexpected event

- Forlorn : (a task) with little chance of success. Something abandoned, pitiful, unhappy

- Reverie : a dreamy pleasant state, lost in one’s thoughts and imagination

- Slink : to move in a stealthy and quiet way to avoid attention

- Oblique : slanted, uneven, unclear

- Entropy : something unpredictable and random in nature, a decline into disorder

- Desolation : destruction and devastation, somewhere empty and abandoned

- Vapid : dull, lacking in something interesting, empty

- Intoxicating : Exhilarating and a bit out of control, Sometimes with a “negative” undertone

- Recoil : to move away/back quickly in response to something

- Revitalize : to give something life again, to rejuvenate or restore it