Angst/fluff Prompt List

types of kisses (part i)

wake up kisses pressed gently to the column of A’s neck or the underside of B’s jaw.

morning kisses; gentle and lazy, humming in contentment, limbs still tangled together, hands wandering over soft exposed skin.

stay in bed kisses, mischievous and deep, punctuating flirtatiously whispered bargaining words.

come back to bed kisses left on A’s neck and shoulder, unhurried and tender, with arms wrapped around A’s waist.

rushed late for work kisses, a flash of heat before hurrying out the door.

tender kisses when one brings home flowers for the other.

sticky ice cream kisses, sitting on a bench in the park and laughing against each other’s lips.

cheek kisses that leave red lipstick stains.

kisses absently left on the backs of hands, fingers entwined in silent comfort.

joyful kisses peppered across foreheads and cheeks between scattered giggles.

comforting kisses pressed to tear-stained cheeks between whispered words of reassurance and concern.

heated kisses with gasps in between, hands tugging at clothes and exploring skin, bodies pressed close. giving in.

long, slow kisses in the afterglow, fingers woven through hair and hearts beating in unison.

soft goodnight kisses exchanged on lamp-lit doorsteps on chilly autumn evenings.

a single loving kiss left on the other’s forehead when they fall asleep snuggled close together.

“Oh my god, you’re adorable.” “I wish you’d stop calling me that.” “What - adorable?” Their brow furrowed in confusion.  “Yeah. Like, I don’t know. It’s so babyish.” 

“You know adorable doesn’t mean you can’t be kickass, right? You could conquer a kingdom and I’d still find you cute.” They meant it sweetly, lovingly, reaching out a hand to draw her closer. She jerked away with a fresh bolt of anger even when they knew it was ill deserved - because, yeah, that was exactly the problem. 

Just once, it would have been nice to beautiful, or powerful, or breath-taking instead of something that made her think of kittens and bunny rabbits. Why did everything small have to be fucking cute?

I made these as a way to compile all the geographical vocabulary that I thought was useful and interesting for writers. Some descriptors share categories, and some are simplified, but for the most part everything is in its proper place. Not all the words are as useable as others, and some might take tricky wording to pull off, but I hope these prove useful to all you writers out there!

(save the images to zoom in on the pics)

this is porco

edit: this is jean

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."

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!) 

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

Here’s a little bit on subplots!

5 Common Story Problems with Simple Fixes

Our stories are often plagued with these common story problems, but if we don’t know how to fix them, we’ll never improve our writing. It’s important that you remember you don’t need to scrap your novel if you keep having the same issues over and over again. Hopefully this list will help you pinpoint what’s going on and provide ways for you to improve your novel.

Problem: Unmotivated Characters

If you’re having trouble figuring out where your story should go next, the problem could be with unmotivated characters. Characters aren’t in your novel just so you can push them around every once in a while and make them do things. They need to develop over time and keep your story going in the right direction.

Solution:

Work on your character’s wants, goals, and motivations. You need to figure out what’s driving your character if you want them to do anything. Where do they want to end up? What’s standing in their way? What’s their plan? Who will help them? Think about everything your character will need to do to resolve your novel. Focus on what they want and what motivates their actions and your characters will stop being dull and lifeless.

Problem: Boring First Chapters

A boring first chapter is dangerous because you want to captivate your audience right away. You don’t want to lose readers just because of this, but sometimes it happens.  You should give enough information to keep your readers interested, while also keeping them intrigued enough to figure out what happens next.

Solution:

Putting emotion into your scenes from the beginning will not only help set the tone, but we’ll get an immediate understanding of your world. The best advice I can give is to construct a scene that helps us best understand your character. If they’re on the run, show us that they’re being chased. If they’re sad and lonely, construct a scene that lets us feel their isolation. You don’t necessarily need to open your book with action, but you do need to introduce the conflict. Think about what your character wants and go from there. Think of your first chapter as an introduction to an essay. You don’t go right into the points immediately, but you set us up for something good.

Problem: Plot Holes

Writers worry about forgetting to include important information in their novel that’s necessary to the plot. If you’re discovering that readers often point out plot holes in your story, maybe it’s time to reevaluate how you plan your novel.

Solution:

Pre-planning or prewriting your novel often solves any plot hole problems. If you take the time to write out important scenes so you don’t forget them, your story will become stronger. However, if you’re not someone who likes to do so much planning, you can tackle plot holes during the editing phase. Take notes when you’re editing so that you can catch these plot holes and figure out where you can add necessary information. A plot hole does not always mean your novel needs loads of reworking, but it is something you need to take the time to fill in.

Problem: Poor Pacing

Poor pacing can ruin a novel, but luckily it’s something you can tackle head on before you even start writing your story. Good pacing helps add tension to your novel and helps you make sure there’s enough rising and falling action to keep your story interesting.

Solution:

Planning out your novel ahead of time also helps solve pacing problems. You can create a timeline that helps you keep track and plan out when you want certain things to happen. Read up on story arcs and try to plan out your scenes accordingly. If you’re already done with your novel and you notice poor pacing, try rearranging scenes or spreading out the action.

Problem: Info-Dumping

A very common writing problem is info-dumping. This is when you tell your readers loads of information at a time without showing them anything important. Info-dumps usually occur in first chapters of novels, but they can happen anytime during the course of your story. Info- dumps can drag down your story and bore your readers.

Solution:

Cut out long paragraphs where you explain what’s going on in your novel and show your readers instead. Avoid over explaining things that can be explained through action. Letting your audience figure things out instead is a much more satisfying reading experience and it lets your readers connect with your characters on a deeper level.

-Kris Noel

“people think doing magick is all dignified and shit, but yesterday I threw a hotdog onto the ground and shrieked wordlessly at it to cast a curse.”