inspireme-to-write

Latest Posts by inspireme-to-write

Something's Wrong With You (senses)

Eyes

"Can you focus on me?"

"Hey... I'm over here?"

"What are you looking at?"

"Whoa, hey - sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"I'm - I'm right in front of you."

"Can you... can you not see?"

"When did you lose your vision?"

"Hey, it's okay - it's okay. Let me take your hand and lead you."

"Don't be scared - it'll be okay. We'll fix it."

"Don't flinch - I'm going to touch you."

Ears

"Hello? Hellloooo?"

"Are you ignoring me?"

"God, you never pay attention -"

"I'm talking to you!"

"Why aren't you listening?"

"Pay attention!"

"Listen!"

"Can you not hear me or something?"

"Why are you looking at me like that..?"

"What - wait... you can't hear? Why am I saying this you can't hear it."

Mouth

"Why are you making that face? I spent ages cooking that."

"Why are you adding salt to that?"

"Whoa, you're drooling like crazy."

"Are you choking?"

"Bland? How can it be bland?"

"I can't taste anything."

"My mouth just tastes like blood."

"Everything tastes of nothing."

"My tongue's gone numb."

"Bleh."

Nose

"Eugh, can't you smell that?"

"Oh, that smells hideous."

"It reeks in here!"

"You stink."

"I think I broke my nose."

"I can't smell anything?"

"I think I've gone nose-blind."

"Should I... be able to smell anything?"

"I think I burnt my nostril hairs out."

"Everything just smells like smoke."

Feeling

"I think I just burnt my fingerprints off."

"My hands have gone numb."

"I can't - I can't feel anything. At all."

"Are you touching me? I can't tell -"

"Your hands are shaking."

"Okay - if you're going to keep dropping things you need to put them down."

"Can you feel this?"

"I'm going to run my fingers through your hair."

"I'm taking your hand."

"It's okay - it's okay. Just take a breath. The feeling will come back."

diferent ways to describe the fear of something?

Different Ways to Describe Fear

Symptoms of Fear:

accelerated breathing

accelerated heart rate

goosebumps

sweating

sleep disturbance

butterflies in stomach

dizziness

Body Language Responses to Fear:

hunching shoulders

shrinking away

wide eyes

shaking / trembling

freezing

wrapping arms around themselves

shaking hands

Writing Prompts:

-> feel free to edit and adjust pronouns as you see fit.

She pressed a trembling hand to her chest as if that would do anything to slow her racing heart.

His eyes were crazed, darting around to look at the shadows of the room.

Their limbs felt like jelly, afraid that they would collapse at any moment.

She was utterly frozen. Her body cut all communication with her mind, and no matter how much her brain screamed for her to run she was immobilized in terror.

He had a tight knot forming in his stomach.

They couldn't breathe. They were totally suffocated by fear and it felt like a heavy weight was pressing down on their chest.

Dread clouded her thinking. She walked around like she was in a daze, relying solely on muscle memory to get her down the hallway.

His hands were trembling so badly that he couldn't do anything and his terror made it impossible to focus.

Their throat was dry. No matter how many times they swallowed it did nothing to relieve the uncomfortable feeling.

The salty taste of fear lingered on her lips.

His muscles screamed at him to leave, but he couldn't bring himself to move. He stared forwards hauntingly.

They ran. They ran faster than their legs had ever carried them, adrenaline taking over all of their senses. It felt like they were being chased, but there was no way for them to know for certain. They were too afraid to turn around.

It felt like her heart was about to burst from her ribcage.

Words to use instead of ‘said’

**Using the word ‘said’ is absolutely not a bad choice, and in fact, you will want to use it for at least 40% of all your dialogue tags. Using other words can be great, especially for description and showing emotion, but used in excess can take away or distract from the story.

Neutral: acknowledged, added, affirmed, agreed, announced, answered, appealed, articulated, attested, began, bemused, boasted, called, chimed in, claimed, clarified, commented, conceded, confided, confirmed, contended, continued, corrected, decided, declared, deflected, demurred, disclosed, disputed, emphasized, explained, expressed, finished, gloated, greeted, hinted, imitated, imparted, implied, informed, interjected, insinuated, insisted, instructed, lectured, maintained, mouthed, mused, noted, observed, offered, put forth, reassured, recited, remarked, repeated, requested, replied, revealed, shared, spoke up, stated, suggested, uttered, voiced, volunteered, vowed, went on

Persuasive: advised, appealed, asserted, assured, begged, cajoled, claimed, convinced, directed, encouraged, implored, insisted, pleaded, pressed, probed, prodded, prompted, stressed, suggested, urged

Continuously: babbled, chattered, jabbered, rambled, rattled on

Quietly: admitted, breathed, confessed, croaked, crooned, grumbled, hissed, mumbled, murmured, muttered, purred, sighed, whispered

Loudly: bellowed, blurted, boomed, cried, hollered, howled, piped, roared, screamed, screeched, shouted, shrieked, squawked, thundered, wailed, yelled, yelped

Happily/Lovingly: admired, beamed, cackled, cheered, chirped, comforted, consoled, cooed, empathized, flirted, gushed, hummed, invited, praised, proclaimed, professed, reassured, soothed, squealed, whooped

Humour: bantered, chuckled, giggled, guffawed, jested, joked, joshed

Sad: bawled, begged, bemoaned, blubbered, grieved, lamented, mewled, mourned, pleaded, sniffled, sniveled, sobbed, wailed, wept, whimpered

Frustrated: argued, bickered, chastised, complained, exasperated, groaned, huffed, protested, whinged

Anger: accused, bristled, criticized, condemned, cursed, demanded, denounced, erupted, fumed, growled, lied, nagged, ordered, provoked, raged, ranted remonstrated, retorted, scoffed, scolded, scowled, seethed, shot, snapped, snarled, sneered, spat, stormed, swore, taunted, threatened, warned

Disgust: cringed, gagged, groused, griped, grunted, mocked, rasped, sniffed, snorted

Fear: cautioned, faltered, fretted, gasped, quaked, quavered, shuddered, stammered, stuttered, trembled, warned, whimpered, whined

Excited: beamed, cheered, cried out, crowed, exclaimed, gushed, rejoiced, sang, trumpeted

Surprised: blurted, exclaimed, gasped, marveled, sputtered, yelped

Provoked: bragged, dared, gibed, goaded, insulted, jeered, lied, mimicked, nagged, pestered, provoked, quipped, ribbed, ridiculed, sassed, teased

Uncertainty/Questionned: asked, challenged, coaxed, concluded, countered, debated, doubted, entreated, guessed, hesitated, hinted, implored, inquired, objected, persuaded, petitioned, pleaded, pondered, pressed, probed, proposed, queried, questioned, quizzed, reasoned, reiterated, reported, requested, speculated, supposed, surmised, testified, theorized, verified, wondered

This is by no means a full list, but should be more than enough to get you started!

Any more words you favor? Add them in the comments!

Happy Writing :)

Every writing tip tells you to read a lot to write a lot, but I have been having a hard time reading after I started writing. Everything seems so predictable, you start a book and notice a hero's journey and boom you know exactly what the story is going to be, or after you learn how to foreshadow you get all the little references and know exactly what the thing is leading to. It just feels boring. Do you know any way to overcome this?

Trouble Reading After Writing

Honestly, that really is the one big drawback to being both a reader and a writer. Once you have a grasp on how to tell a story, flaws in others' stories are more apparent to you. And that's what's happening, unfortunately... if the hero's journey is that obvious, even to another writer, that's a flaw in the storytelling. If the foreshadowing references are that obvious to you, that's a flaw in the storytelling. Because top quality writing should generally pass muster even to other writers. And I say "generally" because it's all subjective anyway, so what seemed predictable to you may still not be predictable to another writer.

So, where you're at is where a lot of more experienced writers find themselves... the books you're going to enjoy will have to clear a higher bar, and sometimes it can take some time to find authors who meet your personal criteria... but you will. You may want to take advantage of e-book deals, library books, ARCs, and samples for a little while as you try to find books and authors that work for you. Because I'd say probably the number one key to this stage in your writing/reading relationship is to not be afraid to DNF. I used to really struggle with DNF-ing, so I would force myself to read the book and end up reading like a page a day if I was lucky. My personal rule is I give a book 3-5 chapters. If I absolutely hate it by the end of chapter three or so and it shows no promise or merit, I'll happily DNF. If it shows some promise or merit, I'll give it a couple more chapters to see how it goes. If I'm not invested enough to keep reading of my own volition, I'll DNF then.

But... keep at it, because you will find writers and books that work for you. Also: if you've read enough that you're to that point--where you understand storytelling so well that you can spot the flaws in others' stories--you're probably past the point where you need to be reading voraciously. Because the whole point of reading voraciously as a less experienced writer is to learn how stories work through firsthand experience. So, don't feel like you have to be inhaling books if you're past that point. Read what you want, when you want. A lot of writers don't read a lot while they're writing.

I hope that helps!

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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Some words to use when writing things:

winking

clenching

pulsing

fluttering

contracting

twitching

sucking

quivering

pulsating

throbbing

beating

thumping

thudding

pounding

humming

palpitate

vibrate

grinding

crushing

hammering

lashing

knocking

driving

thrusting

pushing

force

injecting

filling

dilate

stretching

lingering

expanding

bouncing

reaming

elongate

enlarge

unfolding

yielding

sternly

firmly

tightly 

harshly

thoroughly

consistently

precision

accuracy

carefully

demanding

strictly

restriction

meticulously

scrupulously

rigorously

rim

edge

lip

circle

band

encircling

enclosing

surrounding

piercing

curl

lock

twist

coil

spiral

whorl

dip

wet

soak

madly

wildly

noisily

rowdily

rambunctiously

decadent

degenerate

immoral

indulgent

accept

take

invite

nook

indentation

niche

depression

indent

depress

delay

tossing

writhing

flailing

squirming

rolling

wriggling

wiggling

thrashing

struggling

grappling

striving

straining

Types of Opening Scenes for Your Novel

Here are a handful of ways to open the very first scene in your book! There are plenty more to explore, but these are a set of very tried and true methods.

Autobiographic - your protagonist starts the book reflecting or talking about a past event. They’re looking back in time and sharing an important piece of information with the reader.

In trouble/conflict - a problem has arisen for the protagonist and a sense of urgency is established. This can be an intense conflict like a chase scene or a puzzling problem.

Mysterious opening - the reader is introduced to something peculiar (a fantasy location, unique magic, a cloaked figure, etc.) that raises questions in their mind. Their curiosity will keep them reading.

Scene-setting - the most common opening where you focus on introducing the setting and the characters in it before anything else.

The questioner - the protagonist is questioning something: “Who invited the guy in the trench coat covered in red?”

Beginning with a thought - the novel is started with a philosophical quote or meaningful thought from the protagonist. “What is living worth if she’s not doing it with me?”

Intriguing dialogue - the book starts with interesting dialogue that captures the attention of the reader.

Mood establisher - the novel opens with a deliberate mood that signifies to the reader what they should expect from the story. Ex. a spooky story may open with eerie words and a dark atmosphere.

Instagram: coffeebeanwriting

101 ways to say i love you

firstly, tysm for 101 (actualy 103, haha) followers! when i started this account i honestly had no intentions of having so many of you lovely people take interest in me, but i'm very grateful nonetheless! this is my gift to you all, and, again, thank you!

i've seen a few other posts like this, but i wanted to go ahead and make my own! this is going to be completely different from the others that i have seen as well, so there's a lesser chance of duplicates for those of you who really enjoy these!

"You don't have to do this alone."

"I won't let you do this alone."

"I'll always be by your side."

"I'll get that for you."

"Let me bandage you up."

"I want you to be a part of my future."

"Here. You look hungry."

"Come here, I'll carry you."

"I fed your pets while you were away."

"Is something wrong?"

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I have an extra ticket... Would you like to go with me?"

"I saw you looking at it last time we were in the store together, so I got it for you."

"Stay with me."

"Thank you for making me smile."

"Your smile is beautiful. I want to see it more often..."

"I want to kiss you."

"You have a beautiful soul."

"No... No! Come on, I can't lose you!"

"You make me feel safe."

"Don't let me go."

"Give me a brush. I'll fix your hair for you."

"I want you, and only you."

"Your hands are too cold, I'll warm them up."

"Kiss me."

"I know you don't feel great, so let's stay home today, okay?"

"You're so beautiful."

"Hold me. Please."

"You're family."

"Marry me."

"I took care of the laundry already."

"Go back to sleep, (term of endearment)."

"I'll protect you."

"Take care of yourself."

"Let's take a break and relax."

"You're the first person I think about when I wake up."

"You smell so nice."

"Let's move in together."

"I wanna know everything about you."

"Don't leave yet."

"Let me see your scars..."

"I remember when we first met..."

"Here's your medication."

"I have a surprise for you."

"I bought this for you. It's in your favorite color..."

"Your skin is so soft."

"I would do anything for you."

"I'll help bring in the groceries."

"Last night your feet were really cold, so I found some of your socks and put them on you."

"I would go anywhere with you."

"You're cold, take my jacket."

"I promise."

"You're so golden."

"No one has ever made me feel like this."

"I missed you... a lot."

"Come back soon."

"I got us matching shirts!"

"I know you can do it."

"I'll never forget you."

"Wait!"

"I've waited so long for this..."

"You look like something's bothering you... You can talk to me if you need to."

"We make the best team."

"I'll hurt whoever did this to you."

"You didn't deserve that... You deserve so much better."

"I want you to meet my family."

"I want to start a family of our own..."

"Your back is so tense. Would you like a massage?"

"This is my favorite picture of us."

"Don't hurt yourself again..."

"You should be more careful."

"Hey, your favorite movie is on. I'll get the popcorn."

"You've never let me down."

"I saw that you were almost out of shampoo, so I went and got some for you."

"You're overworking yourself... Please take a break."

"I named my little plant after you."

"It's an honor just to know you like this."

"I didn't make you uncomfortable, did I?"

"I never imagined that someone's heartbeat could sound so amazing."

"What was your childhood like?"

"You looked so cute when you were little."

"You look just like your mom/dad."

"What happened to you?!"

"Does it hurt?"

"I'm sorry."

"I love waking up next to you."

"Don't be scared. I'm right here."

"Have you been drinking enough water?"

"We can look out for each other."

"I'd like to take you on vacation one day, just the two of us."

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"You're so funny."

"Do you want to help me fix dinner tonight?"

"You don't have to pay me back."

"No, you're sick. You're not doing chores until you're better."

"Your voice is so relaxing."

"Text me when you get home safely."

"I found this meme that I think you'll like. Wanna see it?"

"Can I give you a hug? You look upset."

"I'm yours."

"I love you."

Rare Tropes

One of my favorite rare tropes is this, kitchen absolutely RECKED, but the most perfect food ever made. It's never used but I find it cute and funny. Here's an example;

Character A walks out the kitchen, covered in stains and spills, the stench of smoke wafting of them. Character B is terrified as a sloppy slice cake is placed In front them. They steal a quick glance at A, who's looking at them with an excited smile. B gives a defeated sigh, and takes sizeable bite of the cake, expecting the worst. It tastes better than heaven.

Full offense but your writing style is for you and nobody else. Use the words you want to use; play with language, experiment, use said, use adverbs, use “unrealistic” writing patterns, slap words you don’t even know are words on the page. Language is a sandbox and you, as the author, are at liberty to shape it however you wish. Build castles. Build a hovel. Build a mountain on a mountain or make a tiny cottage on a hill. Whatever it is you want to do. Write.

This isnt a joke my favorite piece of writing advice that I’ve ever seen is someone that said if you were stuck with a fic and couldn’t figure out why or what was wrong, your problem is actually usually about ten sentences back. Maybe there was something wonky about the tone or the dialogue or you added something that didn’t fit but it’s usually ten sentences back. And every single time I get stuck in a fic I count back ten sentences and it’s always fucking there

Resources for Writing Injuries

Patreon || Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress

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Head Injuries

General Information | More

Hematoma

Hemorrhage

Concussion

Edema

Skull Fracture

Diffuse Axonal Injury

Neck

General Information

Neck sprain

Herniated Disk

Pinched Nerve

Cervical Fracture

Broken Neck

Chest (Thoracic)

General Information

Aortic disruption

Blunt cardiac injury

Cardiac tamponade

Flail chest

Hemothorax

Pneumothorax (traumatic pneumothorax, open pneumothorax, and tension pneumothorax)

Pulmonary contusion

Broken Ribs

Broken Collarbone

Abdominal

General Information

Blunt trauma

Penetrating injuries (see also, gunshot wound & stab wound sections)

Broken Spine

Lung Trauma

Heart (Blunt Cardiac Injury)

Bladder Trauma

Spleen Trauma

Intestinal Trauma

Liver Trauma

Pancreas Trauma

Kidney Trauma

Arms/Hands/Legs/Feet

General Information | More

Fractures

Dislocations

Sprains

Strains

Muscle Overuse

Muscle Bruise

Bone Bruise

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Tendon pain

Bruises

Injuries to ligaments

Injuries to tendons

Crushed Hand

Crushed Foot

Broken Hand

Broken Foot

Broken Ankle

Broken Wrist

Broken Arm

Shoulder Trauma

Broken elbow

Broken Knee

Broken Finger

Broken Toe

Face

General Information

Broken Nose

Corneal Abrasion

Chemical Eye Burns

Subconjunctival Hemorrhages (Eye Bleeding)

Facial Trauma

Broken/Dislocated jaw

Fractured Cheekbone

Skin & Bleeding

General Information (Skin Injuries) | More (Arteries)

femoral artery (inner thigh)

thoracic aorta (chest & heart)

abdominal aorta (abdomen)

brachial artery (upper arm)

radial artery (hand & forearm)

common carotid artery (neck)

aorta (heart & abdomen)

axillary artery (underarm)

popliteal artery (knee & outer thigh)

anterior tibial artery (shin & ankle)

posterior tibial artery (calf & heel)

arteria dorsalis pedis (foot)

Cuts/Lacerations

Scrapes

Abrasions (Floor burns)

Bruises

Gunshot Wounds

General Information

In the Head

In the Neck

In the Shoulders

In the Chest

In the Abdomen

In the Legs/Arms

In the Hands

In The Feet

Stab Wounds

General Information

In the Head

In the Neck

In the Chest

In the Abdomen

In the Legs/Arms

General Resources

Guide to Story Researching

A Writer’s Thesaurus

Words To Describe Body Types and How They Move

Words To Describe…

Writing Intense Scenes

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Masterlist | WIP Blog

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How to Make Your Descriptions Less Boring

We’ve all been warned about the dangers of using too much description. Readers don’t want to read three paragraphs about a sunset, we’re told. Description slows down a story; it’s boring and self-indulgent. You should keep your description as short and simple as possible. For those who take a more scientific approach to writing fiction, arbitrary rules abound: One sentence per paragraph. One paragraph per page. And, for god’s sake, “Never open a book with weather” (Elmore Leonard).

But what this conventional wedding wisdom fails to take into account is the difference between static and dynamic description. Static description is usually boring. It exists almost like a painted backdrop to a play. As the name suggests, it doesn’t move, doesn’t interact or get interacted with.

There were clouds in the sky. Her hair was red with hints of orange. The house had brown carpeting and yellow countertops.

In moderation, there’s nothing wrong with static description. Sometimes, facts are facts, and you need to communicate them to the reader in a straightforward manner.

But too much static description, and readers will start to skim forward. They don’t want to read about what the house looks like or the stormy weather or the hair color of each of your protagonist’s seventeen cousins.

Why? Because they can tell it’s not important. They can afford to skip all of your description because their understanding of the story will not be impacted.

That’s where dynamic description comes in. Dynamic description is a living entity. It’s interactive, it’s relevant. It takes on the voices of your narrators and characters. In short, it gives us important information about the story, and it can’t be skimmed over.

So how do you make your description more dynamic so that it engages your readers and adds color and excitement to your story? Here are a few tips.

(I have a TON more tips about setting and description. These are just a few. But I’m trying to keep this short, so if you have any questions or want more advice about this, please feel free to ask me.)

Keep reading

So... I found this and now it keeps coming to mind. You hear about "life-changing writing advice" all the time and usually its really not—but honestly this is it man.

I'm going to try it.

Beyond this, consider how these professions might vary depending on who the customers are - nobles, or lower class. Are they good at their job or just scraping by? Do they work with lots of other people or on their own? City or village?

For younger characters:

Apprentice to any of the above

Messenger/runner

Page/squire

Pickpocket

Shop assistant

Student

Looks after younger siblings

(Images all from Wikimedia Commons)

this is porco

edit: this is jean

jean <3

okay since we’re sharing porn on the dash, here’s my contribution

hange

minors dni!

An aye-write guide to Showing vs. Telling

I’ll bet that if you’ve ever taken an English class or a creative writing class, you’ll have come across the phrase “Show, don’t tell.”  It’s pretty much a creative writing staple! Anton Chekov once said “ Don’t tell me the moon is shining. Show me the glint of light on broken glass.” In other words, showing should help you to create mental pictures in a reader’s head.

Showing helps readers bond with the characters, helps them experience the emotions and action more vividly, and helps immerse them in the world you have created. So “show, not tell” is definitely not bad advice - in certain circumstances. But it has its place. More on that later. 

So How do I Show? 

Dialogue

Thoughts/Feelings

Actions

Visual Details

So instead, of telling me “He was angry”, show me how his face face flushes red, how his throat tightens, how he slams his fist, how he raises his voice, how his jaw clenches, how he feels hot and prickly, how his breathing gets rapid, how his thoughts turn to static, etc.

Instead of telling me “The cafeteria was in chaos”, you could show me  someone covered in food and slowly turning crimson, children rampaging under the feet of helpless adults, frenzied shouting, etc. 

Handy Hint! Try to avoid phrases like “I heard”, “I felt”, “I smelled”, etc. These are still “telling words” (also known as filters) and may weaken your prose, as your readers could be taken out of the experience and you may lose their attention.

Is Showing Always The Right Thing to Do? 

No! Absolutely not! Showing is not always right and telling is not always wrong! It’s important to develop the skill and instinct to know when to use showing and when to use telling, as both can be appropriate in certain occasions. 

So, “Show, don’t tell” becomes “Show versus tell”. 

What is Showing and Telling? 

Showing is “The grass caressed his feet and a smile softened his eyes. A hot puff of air brushed past his wrinkled cheek as the sky paled yellow, then crimson, and within a breath, electric indigo”

Telling is “The old man stood in the grass and relaxed as the sun went down.”

Both of these excerpts are perfectly acceptable to use in your writing! But both do different things, although their meanings are pretty much the same. The first example is immersive, sweeping, visual, engaging. The second example is much more pared back and functional. But both have their places in prose! 

Telling is functional. Think about when you tell people things. You tell your children dinner is ready. The news reporter tells you there’s a drop in crime rates. Your best friend tells you she’ll be late because her car broke down on the way to yours. These are brief and mundane moments in everyday life. 

So, do these deserve multiple paragraphs with sensory detail and action/feeling/thought for every little thing? Do you need to spend an entire paragraph agonising over a minor detail when there’s a sword dangling (physically or metaphorically) over your MC’s head? No. And I’ll explain why. 

When To Use Telling

As before, telling is functional. It’s brief. It’s efficient. It gives a gist of a situation without getting bogged down in detail.

Showing is slow, rich, expansive, and most certainly not efficient! 

Here’s an example of some telling: 

“Years passed, and I thought of Emily less and less. I confined her to some dark dusty corner of my brain. I had to elbow my memories of her to the side. I was too busy with other things. Finishing school, then university a year later. Life was full and enjoyable. But then, one dark cold September night…”

You can’t show this example, unless you wanted to waste page after page of your MC waking up, going through everyday life, to get to the point your actual story started. If you do that, you will likely kill off any interest a reader would have in your novel and likely, your book itself.

Summing Up 

Showing: 

Should be used for anything dramatic

Uses thoughts, feelings, dialogue, action, and visual detail 

Will likely be used more than telling

Telling: 

Can be used for 

Delivering factual information

Glossing over unnecessary details 

Connecting scenes

Showing the passage of time 

Adding backstory (not all at once!) 

𝖕𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖙 𝖇𝖆𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖕𝖙𝖘.

01. “You are weak with love for her.” 

02. “You attack one of us… you attack all of us.” 

03. “Sacrifice, that’s what we do for the people we love.” 

04. “I thought they’d killed you. I lost my temper.” 

05. “I will find her, or I will die trying.” 

06. “Never saw one without the other, did you?” 

07. “Don’t you touch her.” 

08. “If I can still breathe, I’m fine.” 

09. “Kind of a pretty boy, isn’t he?” 

10. “Always have an escape plan.”

11. “I wonder what will get you killed first – your loyalty or your stubbornness?”

12. “Where you go, I go.” 

13. “These people are my family, and if you hurt them in anyway – I will kill you.” 

14. “You are my dearest friend. My deepest love. You are the best part of me.” 

15. “You are the sun.”

16. “Oh, darling, everybody sees how you look at him.” 

17. “The choices I’ve made I would make again, for him, no matter the cost.”

18. “In my defense, the moon was full and I was left unsupervised.” 

19. “I’ll choose her happiness over mine every time.” 

20. “Of all the things my hands have held, the best by far is you.” 

21. “That’s beyond stupid. He’s created a new kind of stupid.” 

22. “I’m just here to establish an alibi.” 

23. “People say that I am heartless.” 

24. “I stopped being a kid the day you sent me down here to die.” 

25. “Fight it, or accept it. Fear it, or control it.” 

26. “You save everyone, but who saves you?” 

27. “When I was a child, I heard voices.” 

28. “I think you are the sweetest thing.” 

29. “If you hurt my brother, I’ll kill you. I swear I’ll kill you all.” 

30. “Chin up, kid, they’d kill to see you fall.” 

Soft Sentence Starters

bc i need inspiration

“I’ll protect you.”

“You always duck away when you smile.”

“Like I expected, you’re much comfier than my pillow.”

“I’m nervous too.”

“Do you like it?”

“Let me hug you.”

“Piggy back ride?”

“I want to kiss all of the freckles on your cute face.”

“Can you keep holding my hand, please?”

“Wait, the tears are good tears?”

“I think you look cuter with me.”

“I won’t forget this moment.”

“This is where we first met isn’t it?”

“I’ve always wanted to thank you, but was never sure how.”

“If you’re happy then okay.”

“Let’s share.”

“It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

“Everything ends up being about you somehow.”

“It tastes like…. You tried…. I’ll eat it. It’s a good attempt. Really.”

“Why are you hiding against me like this?”

“I heard you weren’t having that great of a day… These are your favorite candies, right?”

“Ah, the puppy dog face. Check mate, huh?”

“Quit poking my sides; you know I’m ticklish!”

“Your hair is sticking out everywhere. Cute.” 

“Wait, let me get a picture of you there.”

“If you need my shoulder, or my hand, or a hug-”

“Kiss me again.”

“I’m sorry, but it was too funny for me to intervene.”

“It doesn’t matter what they think, I just care about what you think.”

“You can ask me as much as you want, I’ll say I love you each time.”

“I’m glad you were here with me.” 

“That trip looked hilarious– but also kinda painful; you okay?”

“I called you because I can’t fall asleep.”

“I let you win.”

“You look good in it.”

“Don’t look away from me.”

“I’m not jealous, I’m just practicing my pout.”

“I just want to hug you.”

“You’ve kissed me like fifty times today.”

“You love me.”

“Can we be alone for a bit?”

“The stars wish they were as bright as you.”

“You make me cliche, but I love it I guess.”

“I’d feel better if you kissed me.”

“You’re overthinking– I’m yours. That’s all I want to be.”

“You’re my favorite.”

“You want to take another selfie?”

“I’d let you if you asked.”

“Since it’s you, I’m gonna let it go.”

“My only regret is not telling you I loved you sooner.”

send a sentence and a name!! x

pick-me-ups for writers

for the self-conscious beginner: No one makes great things until the world intimately knows their mediocrity. Don’t think of your writing as terrible; think of it as preparing to contribute something great.

for the self-conscious late bloomer: Look at old writing as how far you’ve come. You can’t get to where you are today without covering all that past ground. For that, be proud.

for the perfectionist: Think about how much you complain about things you love—the mistakes and retcons in all your favorite series—and how you still love them anyway. Give yourself that same space.

for the realist: There will be people who hate your story even if it’s considered a classic. But there will be people who love your story, even if it is strange and unpopular.

for the fanfic writer: Your work isn’t lesser for not following canon. When you write, you’ve created a new work on its own. It can be, but does not have to be, limited by the source material. Canon is not the end-all, be-all. 

for the writer’s blocked: It doesn’t need to be perfect. Sometimes you have to move on and commit a few writing sins if it means you can create better things out of it.

for the lost: You started writing for a reason; remember that reason. It’s ok to move on. You are more than your writing. It will be here if you want to come back.

idk if anyone will find this useful, but this is how i go about planning my stories. i mostly write fantasy, so that’s what this is most applicable to. but it could work with other genres too.

so there’s three major components to a story: the characters, the plot, and the world. creating them individually is the easy part, but they all connect and affect each other in different ways. (like you can’t have a character who loves peaches and eats them every day if they live a peasant in a region that doesn’t grow peaches, for example.)

so i created a cheat sheet to help connect all three components together.

1) the world creates the characters.

this is related to the peach example above. the characters should be a direct result of the environment they grew up in and the environment they currently live in.

2) the characters are limited by the world.

also related to the peaches. characters can’t do anything outside of what the rules of their surroundings and universe allow, such as eating peaches when they’re not available. this also applies for magic users. they can’t have unlimited magic, so keep in mind what you want out of both the characters and the world when creating magic systems.

3) the characters carry the plot.

we’ve all heard it before: “bad characters can’t carry a good plot. good characters can carry a bad plot.” but we all like a good plot anyway. try to make sure you’re not giving your characters too heavy or too light of a plot to carry.

4) the plot pushes the characters.

if nothing in the plot happens, your characters will remain static forever. if you struggle with plots, try starting with what character development you want to happen, then go from there.

5) the plot depends on the world.

you can’t overthrow the evil government if there isn’t one. think of what your world needs most and what your plot is centered around, and fit those two together.

6) the world is changed by the plot.

even if your plot is centered around something most of your world would call “insignificant”, the world will still experience some change from the plot. either the evil government will be gone, or maybe that one teacher is now way more careful about keeping an eye on the test key. either way, the world will be different from now on.

final note: usually people will be able to write one or two of the components with ease, but don’t know where to go from there. i personally can’t write plots, but thinking this way has really helped me actually make a story out of the world and characters because i looked at what i needed from what i had. i really hope this can help you too! happy writing!

tl;dr this is a cheat sheet to help anyone who struggles with writing one or two of what i consider the three major components to a story.

Writing Prompt #22: Prove Them Wrong!

Take every bit of writing advice you’ve ever heard and throw it out the window. Your job today is to fit every cliche you can possibly think of into your story. Don’t write them in a new way, don’t put a spin on it, don’t phrase it differently. Do straight up, in your face cliche. And make us like it.

10 Free Websites To Improve Your Writing

There’s no such thing as too many resources for writers. Books are helpful, but they can cost more money than the average author is willing to spend ($0.00). So here’s ten free websites any author can use. Whether you’re a professional with ten books under your belt, or a brand new writer starting from scratch, this list has something for everybody. Because we’re worth it. 

Critique Circle

Probably the best writing review website on the internet. The idea is to review other people’s work, and, for every review you do, you get ‘credits’, which allows you to post your own work on the website so it can get critiqued. It’s one big Circle Of Life that works really well. The credit system they have in place ensures that people will actively seek out and critique other people’s work. Also includes a very active forum, and much more features than I could ever say here. If you take nothing else away from this list, take this one. 

Grammar Girl

Exactly what it says on the tin. Grammar Girl takes those hard to answer grammar questions and explains them in any easy, simple way.

Writers Helping Writers

Home of The Bookshelf Muse, this website is described as a ‘descriptive thesaurus’. Some of them include: Emotions, Settings, Themes, Talents, Colors, Shapes, and so much more. This website is great for any author looking to add realism and depth into their writing, 

Writer’s Digest

Full of information. Very helpful. Very…confusing? The front page looks like a link explosion, but it’s useful links. It takes some getting used to how the website is laid out, but once you do, you’ll find everything from writing prompts to goals to genres and everything in between. 

One Look Dictionary

Not your average dictionary. One Look takes everything you never knew you wanted and compiles it into one website. 

One Look Reverse Dictionary

One Look also has a reverse dictionary. Simply put in a concept and get back words and phrases related to that concept.

Spell Check Plus

If you’re a writer of any kind, you’ve probably done a search for a decent spellchecker. And, if you’ve done that, you’ve probably stumbled across about ten of them, which are all about the same. Spell Check Plus tops all others by a mile. It fixes spelling errors with suggestions, offers word choices to help with grammar, and gives a summary of possible errors.

NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo is a website where authors aim to write a novel in one month. This happens every November, with Camp NaNoWriMo happening every April. The goal is simply to get 50k words written in thirty days, no editing. It’s something to try to break out of your normal writing shell, because really, when else is 50k words with no editing ever allowed? Free yourself, my friends.

Fuck Yeah Character Development

This is absolutely amazing for character development. Anything and everything you could possibly need to creative any character you want can be found here. 

YA Highway

Don’t be put off by the title, YA Highway contains writing tips that can be applied to all genres and methods of writing. There’s many different posts that encompasses many things, so some searching may be in order. But when you find what you’re looking for it’s all worthwhile.

Writing Prompt #169: Hook, Line and Sinker

She never should have gotten up this morning. She knew it. Her dog knew it. And she was pretty sure the strange man on her doorstep knew it too.

Writing Prompt #234: Write This Story

The apothecary had been there for as long as anyone could remember.

Writing Prompt #284: That’s What They Said

“Wow. This is all kinds of not good.”

Writing Prompt #296: Write This Story

Animals tend to be the best alarm systems. if they suddenly kick up a fuss, it’s time to move. If they go completely silent, it’s really time to move.

Writing Prompt #297: Hook, Line and Sinker

It only took fifty two seconds for sixteen people to disappear into thin air.

Writing Prompt #380: Hook, Line and Sinker

It was only noon and I had been shot twice and hit over the head with a flower vase. I’d hate to see what the rest of the day has in store for me.