Description: Emotions

“This is your daily, friendly reminder to use commas instead of periods during the dialogue of your story,” she said with a smile.

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."

If you’re not in a group and you want to learn how to write characters in that group respectfully and realistically

1. Read media by people in the group. Fiction, nonfiction, blog posts – anything from “how my day went today” to 300-page epic adventure novels to history pamphlets. (By people in the group, not just about them. This is important.)

2. Google “How not to write a [the group] character” because the odds are that at least a few people in the group have written blog entries rattling off all their least favorite tropes representing their demographic. I’ve seen lesbians writing about how not to write lesbians, Asians talking about offensively-written Asians, etc. Refraining from writing the overused, negative, one-dimensional tropes listed in posts like this is probably a good start.

My ability to proofread increases by 1000% after I hit “Submit”.

“The walls looked ready to take their secrets to the grave”

this is porco

edit: this is jean

Writing Prompt #297: Hook, Line and Sinker

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

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.

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.