cecelazul

[cecelazul]

One of the best writing advice I have gotten in all the months I have been writing is "if you can't go anywhere from a sentence, the problem isn't in you, it's in the last sentence." and I'm mad because it works so well and barely anyone talks about it. If you're stuck at a line, go back. Backspace those last two lines and write it from another angle or take it to some other route. You're stuck because you thought up to that exact sentence and nothing after that. Well, delete that sentence, make your brain think because the dead end is gone. It has worked wonders for me for so long it's unreal

[cecelazul]

Royal and Noble Addresses

Just a little bit of writing advice for writing a fictional kingdom or empire. Regarding how a royal or noble is meant to be addressed.

Any senior most religious figure (pope, high sage, high priest etc.) are 'Your Holiness' or 'Your Eminence'. So, the current pope is: ''His Holiness, Pope Francis.'' as is the Dalai Lama.

An Emperor or Empress is always ''Your Majesty''. So, they'd be addressed as ''His/Her Majesty, The Emperor/Empress''.

A King or Queen is normally also ''Your Majesty''. But, you can also get away with ''Your Highness'' or ''Your Grace'' if you're going medieval. Sire and Madam afterwards. So, in real life, King Charles of the UK is 'His Majesty, The King.' names aren't usually needed.

Princes and Princesses are always ''Your Royal Highness'' or simply ''Your Highness''. Sire and Madam also apply. In real life, Prince William is 'His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales'.

A Duke or Duchess is ''Your Grace'' never ''Your Lord/Ladyship'' or 'My Lord/Lady''. Sir and madam can also be used. 'My Lord Duke' or 'My Lady Duchess' can also be used verbally.

A Marquess or Marchioness is ''Your Lordship/Ladyship''. Sir and madam also apply here. Also ''Lord/Lady x' can be used. So, in Downton Abbey, Bertie and Edith are the Marquess and Marchioness of Hexham, and can be called 'Lord and Lady Hexham'.

An Earl or Countess is ''Your Lord/Ladyship''. Sir and madam can also be used. As can 'Lord/Lady x'. Also in Downton Abbey, Robert and Cora are The Earl and Countess of Grantham, and can be called 'Lord and Lady Grantham'.

A Viscount or Viscountess are 'My Lord/Lady'. Sir and madam also apply. As can 'Lord/Lady x'. Anthony and Kate in Bridgerton are the Viscount and Viscountess Bridgerton, so can be called 'Lord and Lady Bridgerton'.

A Baron or Baroness are 'My Lord/Lady'. Sir and madam follow after the title, and 'Lord'Lady x' apply as well. Dickie and Isobel in Downton Abbey are Baron and Baroness Merton, so are called 'Lord and Lady Merton'.

A Lord or Lady is simply 'My Lord/Lady firstname'. Again, sir and madam follow. But, anyone simply titled as a lord or lady is addressed by their first name only. So, in Downton Abbey, Mary is not 'Lady Crawley' or 'Lady Talbot', she is 'Lady Mary'.

Knights are always 'Sir'. A Dame (if used as a female knight title) can be 'Madam'.

Regular people are the usual 'Mister', 'Mrs', 'Master', or 'Miss'

If you wanna add someone into your court who is the chief magic user in the realm, you can go for Archmage or something similar, and have their address be 'Your Eminence' or something like that.

If your monarch is a bit messed up in the head, and declares themself a God on Earth, so a God-King or God-Emperor, you can opt for 'Your Radiance' or 'Your Worship' or something to hammer the point home.

It's also worthwhile to note ; many people with one of these titles, often have a few lower on the hierarchy. If your Prince is also a Duke, his senior most title as Prince takes precedence. As does his Princess' as Duchess.

Hope this helps! Happy writing!

[cecelazul]

If you're struggling with going overboard, I sincerely recommend "just" writing.

Force yourself to not use any -ly words in an entire paragraph. Once you're done, read back and decide which sentences actually feel like they're needed.

Now, you can ask yourself "How am I supposed to decide that, hm? Thats not easy!" And you would be right. So, generally, try thinking if having a "large" descriptive sense adds anything. They really work best when something is particularly X or particularly Y.

Someone who laughs normally doesnt need a descriptive sentence. But someone who laughs really quiet or really loud would.

Someone who smiles like any old jock does doesnt need one either. But someone that smiles so widely that you're almost afraid of their lips splitting open at the sides? Someone who smiles as if their mouth was merely a line? Thats note worthy.

Someone who runs like any jogger you find in the wild doesnt need one still. But someone who jogs as if they are in a marathon, despite being alone in the forest? They do. And someone who has to stop every five seconds as if their lungs had holes in them does too.

Descriptive sentences are extraordinary sentences. Go overboard. Thats what they're for! But only if its something worth mentioning, something that paints (haha.) a picture!

Anyways, Im glad you like my blog! I havent done much writing myself lately as well, but Im trying to collect all my lessons, if only to remind myself that I can do it and that I already have all the tools I need.

Have a great week :)

(Answered with the wrong blog, my bad)

But....

Can someone please give me the sparks notes version of how you convey emotion in writing. That is one thing I have never been able to successfully do.

I'm tired of this Grandpa....

#its often just about getting it explained properly #school has a tendency to forget that people learn differently #we're kinda expected to pick these things up naturally #but frankly #thats bullshit #nobody wakes up and knows this stuff #never be afraid to ask!

[cecelazul]

I can try!

Emotions are complicated, which is why they are so hard to write. We tend to think of ourselves, which makes it even harder.

Version 1: External, Physical

Lets start at an easy point though: Think about all the times you've seen someone else have emotions. You dont tend to just look into their eyes and see they're sad.

Emotions are physical. They shake a body. They're expressed through the following parts (just a few examples to help):

Eyes. Can widen or narrow. Can close. Can cry.

Eyebrows. Super important. Eyebrows convey so much.

Noses. Some people have twitching noses when they're mad. Snot. Redness.

Mouth. This ones pretty obvious.

Hands. Making fists, fidgeting, extending, wanting to grab someone, hold someone.

Breath. Fast, slow, tense, uneven.

Shoulders and Stance. Upright, sloped, making yourself tiny or big.

Gait. How does someone walk. Fast, slow, practised.

You get the point. Emotions are external. People are sad, which means their eyes well up with tears, they look away in shame, their cheeks flush with redness, they make themselves small. People are happy, their eyes are wide and inquisitive, they stand upright, they're smiling, their ears made be red.

Version 2: Internal, Mental

This one is harder, but usually its just the feeling you have in your own body. When your heart races so fast, it feels like it bursts through your chest.

This one relies on metaphors and symbolism and - most importantly - exaggeration. In moderation at least.

Its often easiest to combine an emotion with a physical description of something else like:

They were laughing so hard, it could have shaken pinecones from trees.

Try limiting descriptive words like "loudly, quickly, quietly" etc. and instead use a descriptive sentence. Not always, obviously. But they can convey a lot.

Hope this helped!

But....

Can someone please give me the sparks notes version of how you convey emotion in writing. That is one thing I have never been able to successfully do.

I'm tired of this Grandpa....

#writing #writing help #writing community #writing tips

[cecelazul]

Writing 101: The Scene

Any given scene has three variables that need to be adressed, which are Space, Characters and Time. If you find yourself writing something that feels flat or disconnected, look at these three variables and see if you are missing anything.

Characters, Space, Time.

The three pillars of all writing (and by this I mean: The three incredibly basic, broken down, handyman pillars of writing) can be applied and found in every scene that has every been written. You knew that. But lets look at what they can do for you.

Characters: Who are we even here for?

This one is the one you'll probably find the most tips online for. In essence, every character needs to have the following things:

A goal to move towards

A motivation to make them move

An obstacle to overcome in that journey

A flaw that makes the journey spicier

Those are all pretty standard. In terms of "The Scene", here are some additional things to keep in mind:

With whom do they have relationships with?

Which kind?

How is that expressed?

Whats the problem in the relationship (everyone has them. Even if they are routinely overcome, thats still a problem)?

Characters dont exist in a vaccum so dont view them as singular entities.

Having consistent, well defined characters that stand out will help you easily conquer the hearts of your readers. And having those people have defining relationships that reveal new traits about them is super helpful.

The way people interact with one another shows a lot about the characters.

Space: Where we are, where we were, where we will be

Space is experienced by occupying it, by passing through. Space is always relative to the other spaces next to, beyond and behind.

If this makes you go "So what?", you're not alone. We dont tend to think of space much. We dont always tend to think of space as relative either. But you should always be able to answer these three questions. Ive added some additional questions to make it easier to understand and know where to start.

Where are we? What relevance does this place have? Has it changed? Will it change? Who lives here and how? What does it feel like to pass through? Will everyone view it the same? Is this an emotionally charged place? An empty place? How large is the space?

Where were we? How does it contrast with previous places? And if there is contrast, how do we show that?

Where will we be? What happens when we leave the space? Can we return?

Time: Narrative Time and the beauty of writing

This is probably the easiest to understand: All stories happen in a timespan. Some of them are slow, some fast.

There are several ways of writing narrative time:

Actual Time: The characters process the things that are happening at roughly the same speed as we do. This is like the movie equivalent of a close up. Personal. Emotions and reactions flow as they would. It feels natural and its easy to follow along.

Quick or Condensed Time: The narrative time is passing much quicker than the perceived readers time. This is used for journeys, overviews, long sections that are summarised or poetically vexed about. Condensing several years into a few pages is less personal, but it can give you a relative sense of progress and allows you to put things into perspective. Its also - as the name says - fast.

Slow or Stretched Time: The narrative time is passing much slower than the perceived readers time. Minute details are extended, emotions are rested on longer, events play out almost like in slow motion. This is great for climaxes and impactful scenes, as often times what happens in seconds has much more of an impact of the people. You cant get more personal than this. Details shine easily, its slow and sometimes painful to consume because you cant look away.

There are also timeskips, flashbacks and whatnot. You can even be in the same time but far away from one another (Oh look, its space again).

Point is, time is relative and the way you express something in said time is important. Be aware of how time moves and how you want time to move.

Transition

Alright, I hope this helped you understand some of the core basics. This isnt a vast overview, more of a collection to help you understand the rough strokes. Ask any questions you have and dont forget to drink your water. Bye!

#writing advice #writing tips #writer community #writing help #novel writing #writing #writing 101

[cecelazul]

You take a break :)

Allow yourself some time to step away. Maybe go on a walk. Or just say "I wont touch this for a week". And then come back, go over your notes again and see if you have a new perspective. What dont you like? Is there something you can still change? Do you want to change it? Do you need to redefine character, plotpoints, whatever?

Point is. You're upset now. And thats okay. Imagine your story is like a mountain river. Its very clear water but once you throw in a few rocks, it gets all muddy from the sediment. Wait until it settles again and then see how you feel.

You got this!

Good luck🤗

help i just hit that part when writing a first draft when you realize that the story is not turning out how i imagined it in my head and i know that first drafts never do, i know that, but i'm still feeling very demotivated, what do i do?

[cecelazul]

I mean in all honesty, Tumblr. I regularly have one note or two note posts about needing writing help on my dash and if I have anything to add or help with, I tend to take that time.

The NaNoWriMo Community (at least, whats left of it) has a very active discord you can join and work with. And apart from that, there are many writing hubs on discord in general, but Ive only ever found them by accident. Often larger creators have curated a space.

But overall, I would take a deep breath and remind yourself that none of these people owe you their time and you cant do much more than politely ask.

There were Forum posts in the deep dark past too (like Fanfiction.net) that worked pretty well, same as people that read over and helped correct drafts for free on those sites.

Wattpad and other such commercial sites have drastically changed the availability of that, but im sure those people still exist.

Anyway, hope this helps!

god I am so annoyed right now. I joined the r/writing subreddit to ask a question about a story I'm writing, just like advice regarding slice of life that sure, was maybe a little specific to my own story, but why join a subreddit for writing if you can't even ask about your own writing???

Apparently they limit questions about specific things and advice regarding your own story to one fucking thread on tuesdays and fridays. How the hell am I supposed to get advice about my writing from people on the writing subreddit if I can't even ask for advice regarding my own story?

I can't even ask shit here because I don't have a fucking following and the story isn't fanfic, so this will be entirely ignored by literally everyone. I feel like I can't even ask for help from anyone because nobody would listen to a small account like mine.

This rant will also never even see the light of day for literally anyone because, again, I'm a shitty small account with almost all my posts being in regards to depression and webcomics, which is ironic because the advice I was asking about is about a webcomic I'm in the outlining stage for.

There's no fucking way to ask for help for literally anything regarding writing because unless you're replying to a prompt or posting a fanfic, nobody will see anything.

And yes, I get that I could ask advice on friday, but I am actively writing and looking for advice right now. Its more of the principle of the matter that's so frustrating.

If anyone sees this and actually fucking cares, do you know of another place to ask for writing advice? because I know jack shit about where to look.

[cecelazul]

I recommend reading other succesful books in the letter/diary style and seeing how they did it.

In addition, someone writing a letter can still use show dont tell:

Tell: Lucy felt really sad.

Show: Lucy felt her face crumple, and hot tears sprang to her eyes.

Because it is essentially just using less descriptive words.

I think your biggest problem will be "voice". Your narrator has limited knowledge and they are probably biased and unreliable. Above that, they need to be consistent. The example above (if you exchange Lucy for "I") is very wordy and old timey and might just not be in the voice of your journal writer.

Okay, so to summarise (before I give you an example):

Know your character. Their age, their vocabulary, their vibes. This is important because your narrator is your character and a narrator needs to be consistent.

How does your character adress the diary? Is it like a friend? A logbook? A note to themselves? Do they expect someone else to read it?

What do they write about? What dont they write about? Your narrator holds the entire power. Some things are worse when only implied.

You dont always have to show, because stuff gets really friggin wordy that way.

On that note, try using show only in certain Situations. Usually high stress, narrative density, high emotions etc. But dont always use it in every sentence because it gets exhausting really fast.

And obviously: Do some research in other books, figure out what you like!

Now some examples:

Dear diary,

today has been horrible. It started out alright, but good god. Ma fell down the stairs and while shes alright, the sound of her breaking bone will probably haunt me into my sleep. I dont really want to write about it or i'll start vomiting again.

This has (afaik) no show and tell in it, but it still paints a very good picture.

First of June, 1923

At around seven o'clock today, mother fell down the stairwell. I heard her scream but before I could even run towards her, a most horrible sound echoed thoughout the house. Remembering it still sends a shiver up my spine and makes my heart race in panic. I would rather not talk about this ghastly affair in detail, least of all write about it.

This has a little more show and tell, but notice how its just the emotions in retrospect and how something echoes with them. That indicates a visceral reaction of they - after several hours have probably passed - still get upset about it.

June 1st.

I write this down in an attempt to cleanse my mind from it. I probably shouldnt but its been following me into my sleep and I feel like I can hear the screaming and wailing again, even though it makes no rational sense. So, here goes. Lets get this over with.

I think you get my point now. Perspective, tone, amount of information, reason to write, who gets adressed, etc. They're all super important and once you have them down and consistent, im sure it'll be much easier!

Hope this helped :)

Now, I know I typically post art here but I do write in my spare time and do hope to eventually make my writing into a graphic novel someday. For now, though I'm probably just going to post it on Wattpad that's just like a regular old-written story. This gets into the issue I'm going to ask for advice for, I was recently talking with my friend about how I want to know how to do good with writing characters and make people care about them. They brought up that a good way to do that is show don't tell which I do agree but the issue is that my story so far is being written in a perspective where it's a character is writing in a diary/journal which a lot of things sadly are more tell not show because well they're writing in a journal. Is there different advice to accommodate this or just the same advice apply but needs to be implemented well if so how do you implement it?

#writing advice #writing help #writerscommunity

[cecelazul]

why are star wars planets more boring than earth and our solar system like sure we’ve seen desert, snow, diff types of forest, beach, lava, rain, but like… 

rainbow mountains (peru)

red soil (canada/PEI)

rings (saturn’s if they were on earth) 

bioluminescent waves

northern lights (canada)

salt flats (bolivia, where they filmed crait but did NOTHING COOL WITH IT except red dust?? like??? come ON)

and cool fauna like the touch me not or like, you know, the venus flytrap.. and don’t get me started on BUGS like… we have bugs cooler than sw aliens

BASICALLY like???? come on star wars you had one (1) job where are the cool alien species

[cecelazul]

Writing Female Fighters

The Heroine Must. Fight.

Today's female protagonists cannot sit on the side crying and breaking down or whimpering as the battle ensues.

Readers want to see autonomous female fighters who can at least defense themselves with courage and adequate skill.

Not all women are the same, but the heroine should get her butt moving.

Less Muscle, but More Flexibilty

The average woman is shorter than the average man, which makes it more difficult to wield a long sword or slam something down on the opponent's head.

A woman who works out can plausibly be stronger than a male couch potato, but if her male counterpart works out as much as her, the man is going to be much stronger.

On the other hand, the center of gravity in a woman's body is lower than a man's which makes it harder to knock her off her feet.

She is also more flexible, which gives her advantage in grappling fights, making use of complex landscapes, or deflecting blows.

A woman's small size can also be an advantage if her opponent has only ever trained with male opponents. His big hands might not get a good grip on her slender limbs.

In historical fiction, giving your heroine good muscule build can be tricky as exercise was generally considered harmful for women, with some exceptions for horseriding any maybe archery at best.

In such cases, make your heroine an accomplished dancer or an eager horsewoman, or the only girl whose father considered to be son replacement and thus, gave her a boy's education.

Women of lower classes who couldn't afford to be fashionably weak will be plausibly stronger, perhaps even more than an idle gentleman.

More Room for Negotiation, but Prolonged Ruthlessness

In the Suspense part of your fight scene, females are more likely to negotiate and talk more, strategically trying to descalate the situation rather than attacking on a momentary impulse.

Generally, women are less aggressive than men and remain level-headed longer than her male counterparts, opting for non-violent methods first before using force.

Exceptions apply if she is trying to protect her children (or someone who she cares for as a child). Mothers can be tigresses.

A female pre-fight conversation may be: "If you had not done so-and-so and betrayed me with so-and-so, we could have been good friends as I thought we would be." "What do you mean? It was in fact you who brought bad blood between us. I can still hear you laughing with so-and-so, taunting me, purposefully making me look bad -" "But that was so long ago! If you want me to say sorry about something so insignificant, you should have just said so: I'm sorry. There. Satisfied?" "Ha! I can't believe you say that so easily. You still don't get it, do you?" "Who's being petty and unreasonable now?"

A male pre-fight conversation will be shorter: "Who's the coward now?" "You're wrong." "Prove it." "Bastard."

Compared to men, it will take more time for a woman's fight hormones (adrenaline, neurotransmitters and such) to kick in.

She would be slower to engage initially, throwing reluctant punches and thinking, but she'll grow more and more violent and lose all rational thought and compassion, and once she's in full flow, may not stop even when her opponent begs for mercy.

When writing a male-female duo, you can show him going for the first blow while she observes and strategizes first. When he's past his peak and panting, she is flying about left and right. Later when the tension wears off and she becomes wobbly and teary, she can rely on him to have recovered faster and distract other teammates so that they won't see her cry.

Plausible Skills and Backstory

In many cultures and time periods, the general attitude of society towards girls is that they have no place in fist fights or martial arts, unlike how it is encouraged for boys of the same age. So if your heroine has physical prowess that surpasses typical 'fitness' or is hidden, build a backstory of how she's obtained it.

For modern heroines, it can be as simple as signing her up for martial arts classes or yearly membership at the local gym. For historical fiction or girls with strict 'feminine' upbringing, it can be trickier.

It can be related to profession: maybe she was an erotic wrestler, catfighter, or an assasin who thought killing was more honorable than prostitution. They may have dabbles with it for a short time and is now trying to hide their past from their respectable employer or fiance.

It can be family backstory: Perhaps her mother was an accomplished martial artist or she had to fend for younger siblings on the streets from an early age. Maybe she was the only girl in a family of many boys who refused to be the punching bag.

Inexperienced Female Fighters

A woman with no fighting experience or training is likely to resort to one of these on instinct:

Try to talk herself out of the situation, attempting to persuade or negotiate for her life.

Grab something to use as a weapon. This instinct seems to be stronger for women than it is in men.

Use her hands to try and break free, or kick (often wth little success)

Pull hair

Scratch.

In a serious fight, pulling hair and scratching won't be helpful, except when the police come to find her body, they would find the opponent's DNA under her fingernails.

Plausible Weapons and Clothing

All of the above applies to scenes where both parties have no weapons, or has the bare minimum (like one dagger each).

Weapons are equalizers, and if your heroine is pointing a gun at her opponent she will definitely NOT hesitate to be the one to shoot first.

When giving your female character a weapon, choose one she can plausibly use. It would take an unusually brawny woman to wield a great medieval longsword.

For historical fiction, give your heroine something she'll plausibly own. Swords and firearm were a no-go for women, but archery was borderline acceptable.

For clothing starters, you definitely CAN NOT dress her in a tight miniskirt and chainmail bra with long, flowy hair and multiple silver chockers. Unless she's trying to seduce her way into her opponent's bedroom, and he has a chainmail bra fetish.

A practical heroine will have her thighs covered, preferably with leather but at least with fabric, since a lot of blood flows through the thighs and a slash would be critical.

She'll keep her hair tied, tucked under a helmet, braided back, etc. so that it won't impede her vision.

She'll support her breasts with a strong sport bra. In a historical eprioid, she'll either tie her breasts tight with a fabric bandage or support them with some kind of leather corset.

Invent a female version of male fighter clothing of the time you are writing about if it doesn't exist.

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

[cecelazul]

Let's talk about killing off characters.

Killing off characters is a dramatic device often used to advance the plot, create tension, or evoke emotional responses from readers or viewers. We love doing it. The initial shock, the mourning after. The effects of it on the other characters. It's fun.

Nevertheless, you can still achieve the desired impact on your plot and characters without necessarily resorting to fictional murder.

Here are some alternatives to drive the plot forward:

Character Transformation: Instead of killing off a character, you can have them undergo significant personal growth or change. This could involve overcoming challenges, facing moral dilemmas, or undergoing a shift in beliefs or values. Their transformation can still drive the plot forward and impact other characters. (I especially love it when the transformation is negative—like when a traumatic experience of some sort completely strips a character of their soul. But that's a sentiment for another day.)

Betrayal or Conflict: Introduce betrayal or conflict between characters that challenges relationships and creates tension. This can lead to significant plot developments and character arcs without resorting to death. And it can be cause for quite a lot of angst.

Separation or Estrangement: Have characters physically or emotionally separated from each other, causing tension and driving the plot forward as they strive to reconnect or deal with the consequences of their estrangement.

Sacrifice without Death: Characters can make significant sacrifices that don't necessarily involve their death. This could be sacrificing personal goals, relationships, or values for the greater good or to achieve a specific objective.

Injury or Disability: Instead of killing off a character, you can incapacitate them through injury or disability. This will create challenges for the character and those around them, leading to character development and plot progression as they're forced to adapt to their new circumstances.

Redemption Arcs: Characters who have committed wrongdoings can undergo redemption arcs where they seek forgiveness, make amends, or strive to become better individuals. This can drive the plot forward while also adding depth to the character. Keep in mind that this may not be a suitable alternative to death for some characters—for instance, the protagonist forgiving their abusive parent despite all they were forced to go through may evoke a sense of indignation rather than admiration for their supposed selflessness.

Revelations or Secrets: Introduce revelations or uncover secrets that have significant impacts on characters and their relationships. This can lead to conflict, tension, and plot twists without the need for death.

Forced Alliances or Unexpected Partnerships: Characters can be forced into alliances or partnerships with unlikely allies, leading to interesting dynamics and plot developments as they navigate these new relationships.

Loss of Power or Status: Characters can experience a loss of power, status, or reputation, which can drive the plot forward as they strive to regain what they've lost, seek revenge on those responsible, or adapt to their new circumstances.

Time Constraints or Pressure: Introduce time constraints or pressure situations that force characters to act quickly and make difficult, split-second decisions that may end up being quite regrettable later on. This can raise conflicts of who's to blame, or what should have been done.

I feel like I strayed off a little, but there you have it. Hope this was helpful! ❤

[cecelazul]

morality: a character creation guide

creating and understanding your oc’s personal moral code! no, i cannot tell you whether they’re gonna come out good or bad or grey; that part is up to you.

anyway, let’s rock.

i. politics

politics are a good way to indicate things your character values, especially when it comes to large-scale concepts such as government, community, and humanity as a whole.

say what you will about either image; i’d argue for the unintiated, the right image is a good introduction to some lesser discussed ideologies… some of which your oc may or may not fall under.

either way, taking a good look at your character’s values on the economic + social side of things is a good place to start, as politics are something that, well… we all have ‘em, you can’t avoid ‘em.

clearly, this will have to be adjusted for settings that utilize other schools of thought (such as fantasy + historical fiction and the divine right of kings), but again, economic/social scale plotting will be a good start for most.

ii. religion + philosophy

is your oc religious? do they believe in a form of higher power? do they follow some sort of philosophy?

are they devout? yes, this applies to non-religious theist and atheist characters as well; in the former’s case… is their belief in a higher power something that guides many of their actions or is their belief in a higher power something that only informs a few of their actions? for the atheists; do they militant anti-theists who believe atheism is the only way and that religion is harmful? or do they not care about religion, so long as it’s thrust upon them?

for the religious: what is your oc’s relationship with the higher power in question? are they very progressive by their religion’s standards or more orthodox? how well informed of their own religion are they?

does your oc follow a particular school of philosophical thought? how does that interact with their religious identification?

iii. values

by taking their political stance and their religious + philosophical stance, you have a fairly good grasp on the things your character values.

is there anything they value - due to backstory, or what they do, or what they love - that isn’t explained by political stance and religious and/or philosophical identification? some big players here will likely be your oc’s culture and past.

of everything you’ve determined they value, what do they value the most?

iv. “the line”

everyone draws it somewhere. we all have a line we won’t cross, no matter the lengths we go for what we believe is a noble cause. where does your character draw it? how far will they go for something they truly believe is a noble cause? as discussed in part iii of my tips for morally grey characters,

would they lie? cheat? steal? manipulate? maim? what about commit acts of vandalism? arson? would they kill?

but even when we have a line, sometimes we make exceptions for a variety of reasons. additionally, there are limits to some of the lengths we’d go to.

find your character’s line, their limits and their exceptions.

v. objectivism/relativism

objectivism, as defined by the merriam-webster dictionary, is “an ethical theory that moral good is objectively real or that moral precepts are objectively valid.”

relativism, as defined by the merriam-webster dictionary, is “a view that ethical truths depend on the individuals and groups holding them.”

what take on morality, as a concept, does your character have? is morality objective? is morality subjective?

we could really delve deep into this one, but this post is long enough that i don’t think we need to get into philosophical rambling… so this is a good starting point.

either way, exploring morality as a concept and how your character views it will allow for better application of their personal moral code.

vi. application

so, now you know what they believe and have a deep understanding of your character’s moral code, all that’s left is to apply it and understand how it informs their actions while taking their personality into account.

and interesting thing to note is that we are all hypocrites; you don’t have to do this, but it might be fun to play around with the concept of their moral code and add a little bit of hypocrisy to their actions as a treat.

either way, how do your character’s various beliefs interact? how does it make them interact with the world? with others? with their friends, family, and community? with their government? with their employment? with their studies? with the earth and environment itself?

in conclusion:

there’s a lot of things that inform one’s moral compass and i will never be able to touch on them all; however, this should hopefully serve as at least a basic guide.

[cecelazul]

Writing 101: Narration Sentence

And how it'll help you script, your characters and perhaps even your sanity!

This is a form of narrative structure, meaning that it provides you with a baseline, but also a framework for your story.

What is a narration sentence?

In its baseform, its a complete summary of what your character, your story or a single event wants, does and struggles with. It is generally formulated like this:

A wants B because of C but D

They are the quint essence and therefore short. If your narrative sentence meanders around a lot, you need to define it better.

What can a narration sentence achieve?

Keep your silver lining in mind

Define your characters precisely

Help you summarise chapters in one glance

Remind you what you wanted to achieve

Set up clear contrasts and motivations

As you can see, narration sentences are there to help you have less work and a clearer vision. Thats pretty much all.

Some examples

Protagonist wants to save the princess because they want to be a hero but the dragon is too powerful.

As you can see, we havent even met the protagonist but we already know they are a little selfish and fame hungry (or maybe naive), the world isnt really in their favor and theres an antagonist setup. We also have a setup for potential failure or trickery to beat the odds.

Lets look at something a little more complex.

Antihero wants to redeem themselves out of shame but they dont grasp the breadth of their actions.

Emotions are always hard to put into words, but here we have someone who is yet blind to what they have actually done and they will have a long winded journey before they get there. What exactly they are ashamed about isnt necessarily part of the narration sentence, because we always keep it as short as we can. But (!) if you feel its easier to make it longer, go for it. This is your sentence after all.

Lets do a few more for funsies:

The wolf wants to eat red riding hood because he is really hungry but red riding hood is smarter than he is.

Rapunzel wants to leave the tower because she longs for freedom and agency but there is no key.

Snow White wants to survive against her murderous stepmother but she remains naive.

Moana wants to see the world because that is the call of her people but she hasnt learned any of the skills to do that.

You get the point, dont you.

Its Motivation, Setup, Roadblock all in one pretty sentence. Sometimes, over chapters and character change, these structures need to be retuned. Having an overarching narration sentence and several smaller ones is also allowed and can help you see If any of your changes are a little too much (and if they feel like a lot has changed, what have you done to justify that?)

Transition

Hope this helps :)

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[cecelazul]

So you wanna write better

Forests!

Dont worry, its not that hard! By the end of this, you'll most likely have some extra juicy ideas on all the things you can put into your forrest scenes (from a certified "I live next to a forest and also studied this" person).

Ive divided this into Emotions, Smell, Sound, Sight and Feel. Scroll to whichever part you need help with!

The literal forest

Forests are places of change in literature. That doesnt mean every forest needs to change your protagonist. But because they are often vast, unclaimable and dangerous - not to mention mythical and powerful, primal and maybe divine - they tend to have an effect on your protagonist.

A place of change (or power) can mean many things, and depending on your story and your stories culture, this might not apply. But generally speaking, a forest is a large and uncomprehensibly complex thing that provides an opportunity to face nature.

But! Remember that this thinking stems from the culture vs. nature debate in literature and you do not have to follow it.

The natural forest

Emotions

By day, a forest looks very different than by night. Its almost a beast in itself, a gnawing machine that does not care for you.

How does your protagonist feel by day, when everything is bright and loud and endless and green? When water gurgles and birds chirp at them. How do they feel by night, when lack of light makes shadows endless and the reduced sounds echo in a vast and uncaring void? Does their campfire provide enough warmth against the elements? Do they have lanterns, flashlights, specialty goggles that allow them to see? The forest creaks and shouts without them needing to witness it, it echoes and enlarges sounds, swallows them too. Are they familiar with that? Does their heart raise at the foreigness of it all?

Horror

Remember that cityfolk tend to be freaked out by forests much more than ruralfolk. Remember that sounds that could be familiar to you (the creaking of wood with heat and cold, the strange chirps of birds, the blubbering of a spring) could be completely foreign to another. Remember that everything Ive written from here on out relies heavily on familiarity. Remember that the size of a forest also determines how calming it is.

How far are you from civilisation? Who could come to help you? Which animals are out there? Which familiar sights arent around you at the moment?

A forest that leaves you stranded and closed off from civilisation is terrifying to everyone who doesnt know the land. It is a maw. It could bite down any moment. A forest without signs, without manmade paths, without civilisation is a place to die in. Or a place to get lost in. The horror of the forest is the forest itself. Its the fact that you dont know it. It is the fact that it is an endless stretch of unknown that does not care for you.

Sound

Forests are incredibly "loud" in a subtle way. There are always birds, insects, the wind in the leafs, the steps of animals over wood, leafs, water. You can listen to some birdcalls online (some of them are super strange) or search on sites like freesound.org for natural recordings of forests to grasp just how much fucking Sound™ there is. Silence in a forest means bad things. Are the animals dead? Hiding? Where did all the insects go? If there isnt any buzzing, are there still worms? Bugs? What happened to the wind? If your forest is silent, thats a choice. Employ it!

Smell

Forests tend to smell "fresh". I know, that degree really serves me. But in all honesty: You are walking through a natural lung. The air is being filtered 24/7. Forests literally breathe like you and I do and they are excellent at it. If you are closer to running water this increases. After rain, the air has qualities of that grass scent you know from your garden. You also smell a lot of rot. Leafs, trees, dying plants. They tend to smell good to us. The only time that rot becomes unbearable is (afaik) two cases:

The carcass that is rotting is an animal of larger size. Small sized animals dont "smell" unless you're very close to them. And most animals that are small get taken by scavengers. You wont find them rotting, because they will be eaten before you get there. Its only once the carcass is so large that it cant be eaten at once or fast or it has some venomous qualities that you will find rot.

The other options is rot in still water. It wont smell immediately, but still water tends to take on scent after a few days. The scent of still water should be familiar to you from old puddles or algae infested waters. It will be ridden with bacteria and - and dont forget about this - larvae! Amphibians and insects love some stiller waters for that stuff.

Sight

This might be easiest: You've probably seen a forest in your lifetime. I wont bore you with "green leafs" and "blue skies". Instead, lets go over some more uncommon scenarios, often forgotten:

Moss. Moss is everywhere. Its on stones, on wood, on treebarks. There are over a hundred different species of moss. Google them. Moss in itself is a little eco system.

Treewounds (also known as tree cancer). Trees get nibbled on. They get scratched at. They have sicknesses. And then they tend to grow in these tumor looking things. Apart from that, they can have gaping open wounds from broken off branches, from birds pecking into them, from insects infesting them. Trees paint the history and the health of a forest. Take time to mention what they look like.

Pathways. Even if no human (or other protagonist species) has ever set food into your forest. There will be paths in the undergrowth. Paths often traveled by many tiny paws. They tend to lead to other such paths, to water, sometimes to good food sources and to gathering places. You need to train your eye a little but you'll find them.

Nests. For insects, for birds, for everyone involved. Clusters of larvae under bark or stone or attached to ferns, swimming in water, nestled into mud. Birdnests placed into treeholes and cliffsides. Holes in the ground that lead to mice, rabbits, you name it.

Feel

What does a forest feel like? That depends. Bark is incredibly textured. It has valleys and hilltops, it swirls under your fingers like a miniature map of cartography. No bark is the same. Birches are flat, fruit trees are coarser and the older the tree, the gnarlier it is. Look at pictures of trees and look at the bark. Stones can be all kinds of coarse and rough but they are so much softer when overgrown with moss. They are almost like pillows. The pathways are often soft soil, compressed by hundreds of feets. They might have stones in them. Waterbeds are muddy and soft, but oftentimes carry pebbles and other uncomfortable rocks in them. Mud itself is like a very soft peeling. Most dirt in waterbeds has been washed clean and soft by time. The newer a waterbed, the coarser it is. The middle of the riverbed will always be harsher than the sides. Mud deposits as sediment after all. Clay feels soft too. Sticking your feet and hands into the muddier parts of a river is always a gamble. There might be something living there. Be aware.

Oh look, a transition

Hope this helps anyone! Have a great day :)

If you have any further questions or suggestions, do ask!

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