for reference – oh my god, they were roommates

captaintinymite:

drabblemeister:

OKAY
I have been meaning to do this for MONTHS but hey, there’s no better time than the present so buckle up, here we go!

THESE BOOKS ARE A GODSEND.

I am ALWAYS on the lookout for writing aids that ACTUALLY HELP. If you’re like me, and occasionally venture out to buy books on, let’s say, showing vs telling – you will always get the same rehearsed speeches on what that means. -summons pretentious writer’s voice- You’ve got to shoooooow what’s happening in the scene, not teeeeeeell~~ BAH! What you NEVER get, however, is how to do it, or how do it better.

THESE BOOKS ARE THE STUFF OF DREAMS

Each of these is so freaking helpful, I can’t even convey. They all follow the same format as the pictures I’ve shown above, so you get one detailed page of descriptions followed by tons of more in-depth, thought provoking concepts.

I’ll do my best to lay out the five that I have and if you are interested, hop on over to Amazon and buy these suckers up because they are AMAZING; I have NEVER used a writing resource more than I use these.

Negative Trait Thesaurus & Positive Trait Thesaurus
-gives you a definition of said negative trait
-gives you similar flaws also found in the book
-gives you possible causes of WHY the character might have this trait
-gives you a list of other behaviors the chara might have
-gives you examples of the chara’s thought process
-gives associated emotions
-gives positive aspects of the trait, as well as negative
-gives examples of well known chara’s that have this trait
-talks about how the chara might overcome it
-gives traits that, when combined with this one, might cause conflict
How I use this information:
Chara building, or when I get stuck on what I want a character to do. Man, I just can’t decide what they WOULD do. Well, awesome, I have a little guide to help me think through the character’s possible motivations. Also, I get help building a potential backstory because I get a framework of which to think, why is the character this way?

Urban Setting Thesaurus & Rural Setting Thesaurus
-gives a whole lot of examples of sights, smells, tastes, and sounds
-gives examples of textures and sensations (ie at an ‘antique shop’ you may encounter chipped paint, distressed wood, etc)
-gives you possible sources of conflict (ie at a ‘hotel’ you might have noisy neighbors)
-gives list of people you might expect to find at said location
-gives related settings
-gives tips on this type of setting
-gives a setting description example
How I use this information: IMAGERY IMAGERY IMAGERY

Emotion Thesaurus (aka MY FAVORITE)
-gives a definition of the emotion
-gives physical signs and signals (ie chara may look pale, might fidget, etc)
-gives internal sensations (aka, blood pounding in the ears, dry throat, adrenaline rush)
-gives mental responses (ie fight or flight)
-gives cues of acute or long-term impacts of the emotion
-gives ‘may escalate to _______’ and directs you to other emotions
-gives cues of suppression (ie cues of suppressed rage)
-gives writer tips
How I use this information: I love this book so hardcore, it’s so helpful with internalizing. It’s great because I get to step outside of that box of using the same five responses to a certain emotion and start really thinking about, what can a character do instead to show that they are feeling this, rather than me using adverbs or his adrenaline pumped fifty gazillion times.

These books are all co-written by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi (bless their souls) and if this sounds of interest LOOK INTO IT!! I get such buyer’s regret after buying writing guides but these are legit the best ones I have found and I reference them so, so, so much.

Hope this helps anyone out there looking for something life-changing!!

I have these books and the emotion thesaurus is my favorite writing aid.

hey if ur cis and thinking about writing a trans character read this

lymantriidae:

i’m really fucking tired of trans character ~reveals~ never being consensual.

ex: being injured / unconscious and ~discovered~; someone peeping or walking in on them undressed and having ~the breakdown~ scene; someone Lifting Their Clothes literally what the fuck

i personally don’t wanna see cis peoples’ trans headcanons for a lot of reasons but mainly this. there’s some really fuckin gross implications there about what cis people think of trans people and trans bodies (and how cis people assume we view ourselves lmao)

idk. i’m not articulate enough to get into this in the detail it should be discussed, but if ur gonna write a trans character or headcanon a character as trans, please keep your trans audience in mind?? ?

like what are we supposed to get out of seeing a character go through what for some of us is our worst nightmare? how do you think it feels to only ever see characters like you in non-consensual situations? how do you think it feels to see a trans character’s outing used to pat a cis character on the back for being a “good person” ?

as a trans person i want trans characters so i can see myself represented. i want good, well-written, diverse characters, written with the same level of awareness and detail that cis characters get to be written.

i don’t want cheap shock value. i don’t want the same stereotypical scenario over and over. i don’t want a characters transness to be presented in non-consensual or unsafe contexts just to pad cis peoples’ good ally savior complexes.

u feel me

if you can’t think of any way to disclose a character as trans other than a forced outing then maybe you shouldn’t be writing trans characters

we deserve better

homosevual:

S A P P H I C S O N G S

jessie’s girl // mary lambert | whatever you like // anya marina | can’t help falling in love // hayley reinhart | girls like girls // hayley kiyoko | midway // bad bad hats | night go slow // catey shaw | i do adore// mindy gledhill | jenny // studio killers | you picked me // a fine frenzy | nobody love // tori kelly | sing to me // mary lambert | she keeps me warm // kat robichaud | sum of our parts // mary lambert | i love you // beatrice eli | she // jen foster | skinny love // birdy | everyone is gay // a great big world | explosion // zolita | i didn’t just kiss her // jen foster | only a girl // gia | boyfriend // tegan and sara | ghost // halsey | girlfriend // icona pop | tee shirt // birdy

+{ listen }

How to write fic for Black characters: a guide for non-Black fans

eshusplayground:

eshusplayground:

eshusplayground:

Don’t characterize a Black character as sassy or thuggish, especially when the character in question is can be described in literally ten thousand other ways..

Don’t describe Black characters as chocolate, coffee, or any sort of food item.

Don’t highlight the race of Black characters (ie, “the dark man” or “the brown woman”) if you don’t highlight the race of white characters.

Think very carefully about that antebellum slavery or Jim Crow AU fic as a backdrop for your romance.

If you’re not fluent with AAVE, don’t use it to try to look cool or edgy. You look corny as hell.

Don’t use Black characters as a prop for the non-Black characters you’re actually interested in.

Keep “unpopular opinions” about racism, Black Lives Matter, and other issues pertinent to Black folks out the mouths of Black characters. We know what the fuck you’re doing with that and need to stop.

Don’t assume a Black character likes or hates a certain food, music, or piece of pop culture.

You can make a Black character’s race pertinent without doing it like this.

Be extremely careful about insinuating that one or more of a Black character’s physical features are dirty, unclean, or ugly.

Feel free to add more.

Adding more…

Be wary of making Black characters seem animalistic, uncivilized, or subhuman in comparison to white characters. Watch out for: comparing us to monkeys, gorillas, chimpanzees, apes, and other animals.

Words like Negroid, colored/colured, Negro, and the n-word do not belong in the mouths of contemporary characters you want to portray as sympathetic.

Not all Black people are African American.

Africa is not a country but the second-largest continent on earth with some 54 different countries with thousands of ethnic groups and 1,500 to 3,000 languages and dialects.

Resist the urge to make a Black character seem uneducated and ignorant compared to white characters.

Capitalizing Black shows that you recognize that the word unifying people of African descent, particularly the diaspora, should be described using a proper noun.

Please, say “Black people,” not “blacks.”

Give Black characters the same psychological and moral complexity as white men are given by default.

Make sure that you don’t write a Black character as happily subservient to a white character.

Understand and show that you understand that Black characters don’t exist to be the caretakers of white characters.

And more…

Do your own homework instead of expecting, asking, or demanding Black fans to do it.

Before approaching that Black person you admire so much for being so articulate about race issues (this is sarcasm) to beta read your work: 1) make sure it’s something they’ve expressed interest in doing, and 2) you offer something in return for their time and expertise.

Be prepared for fans to have issues with what you came up with and open to suggestions.

Having only one Black character in a story that takes place in a huge city, country, or galaxy looks weird. Really, really weird. Scary weird.

Don’t use a Black character’s death to motivate a white character.

Portray Black characters with complex and multifaceted identities. We are more than just Black. We are also women, LGBT, Jewish, disabled, neurodivergent, immigrants, etc.

There is a huge chasm between hypersexual and desexualized.

Remember: what’s progressive for a white character is not necessarily progressive for a Black one.