kakiross

[kakiross]

✦ Writeblr Reintroduction ✦

a sff writer makes a heroic return to her writeblr account after a year of relative inactivity! the audience gasps! a return!? after so long!? is that allowed!? but our heroine has no care for what is allowed! she scoffs in the face of mockery!

Hey everyone! I’m Mae Crowe (@touchingmadness)! Some of you might already know me, but most considering the upheaval in the Writeblr community recently… Well, most of you probably don’t. I’ve been on Writeblr for six years as of August 2022, but I’ve been relatively inactive for the past year due to senior year of college, thesis work, and job applications.

In the time I’ve been away, I have a new contemporary fantasy WIP in the second draft that I am excited to share, as well as three WIPs in planning stages that I’m hoping to share somewhere down the road. I am also looking for some writers and WIPs to follow, because how else do you make friends on here?

[Banner made using “Astrolava’s character creator!” picrew.]

More about me, my writing, and what I’m looking to follow below the cut. Signal boosts allowed and appreciated!

Keep reading

[kakiross]

[kakiross]

5 + 1 Whump Prompts

Five times Character A treated Character B’s injuries, plus one time B treated A’s.

Five times Character A went hungry, plus one time Character B treated them to dinner.

Five times Character A had nightmares about Character B, plus one time it was a good dream.

Five times Character A left Character B behind, plus one time they went back for them.

Five times Character A hid an injury from Character B, plus one time they couldn’t hide anymore.

Five times Character A flinched at Character B’s touch, plus one time they reached out first.

Five times Character A missed Character B’s call for help, plus one time they picked up.

Five times Character A said they didn’t need Character B’s help, plus one time they accepted it.

Five times Character A said, “I’m fine”, plus one time Character B answered, “You’re lying.”

Five times Character A coped with being sick on their own, plus one time Character B took care of them.

Five times Character A saw Character B crying, plus one time they asked what’s wrong.

Five times Character A and Character B huddled for warmth, plus one time it was moreso cuddling.

Five times Character A helped Character B up off the ground, plus one time B helped them up.

Five times Character A used something unconventional to staunch the bleeding, plus one time they were prepared.

Five times Character A came to rescue Character B, plus one time they didn’t get there in time.

[kakiross]

Writing Tips

Punctuating Dialogue

✧

➸ “This is a sentence.”

➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.

➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”

➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”

➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”

➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”

➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.

“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.

“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”

➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”

➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”

However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can also be “outside”!

➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.

If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)

➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations dashes typically express—“

“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.

➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.

➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”

➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.

“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”

➸ “If it’s the same speaker but different paragraph, keep the closing quotation off.

“This shows it’s the same character continuing to speak.”

[kakiross]

Writing Tips

Descriptions in Between Dialogue

✧

⤠ how characters interact with the environment

⇝ moving something, picking something up, looking somewhere

⤠ how the environment interacts with the characters

⇝ weather, other character’s actions or movements

⤠ gestures

⇝ facial expressions, body language

⤠ shifts in position

⇝ standing, sitting, leaning, shifting weight, crossing arms/legs

⤠ physical reactions

⇝ body temperature, fidgeting, heart rate, character quirks

⤠ environmental descriptions

⇝ descriptions using the five senses, setting, character’s appearances

⤠ internal dialogue

⇝ emotional reaction to what was said, reflection of past experiences, connections to other characters/settings/actions

➵ I want to reiterate… descriptions using the five senses ; when in doubt, think of the five senses your character is experiencing and pick what best moves the story forward

[kakiross]

I hope every writer who sees this writes LOADS the next few months. Like freetime opens up, no writers block, the ability to focus, etc etc you're able to write loads & make lots of progress <3

[kakiross]

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)

#jobs #fantasy #occupation #ideas

[kakiross]

1, 8 and 23 :)

1. Book close to my heart?

Kind of ransom, but Bad Dreams by RL Stine was the first book I ever read that made me LIKE reading and inspire me to start writing back in the 5th grade. So it has a very special place in my heart 🥺❤

8. Book I finished in one sitting?

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I SOBBED OKAY

23. A book in my TBR

The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean 🤔🤔🤔

#anon ask

[kakiross]

#79 from the book recs ask game please!

-Mari from @contre-qui

a book that reminds you of your favorite song?

So I'm going to answer this slightly backwards. This is my favorite song and it reminds me of my wip "Big Bad Red" , a dark ya fantasy

[kakiross]

BOOK RECS ASK GAME

a book that is close to your heart

a book with a blue cover

a stand-alone that you wish was part of a series

a poetry book that reads like a story

something in fiction that reads like poetry

a book with a pink cover

a book you did not finish

a book you finished in one sitting

your favourite book of 2020

a book that got you through something

a book with a green cover

a book that mentions food in the title

your favorite romance novel

a book that made you trip on literary acid

a book rec you really enjoyed

a book you'd recommend to your younger self

a book with a yellow cover

your least favorite book ever

a book that put you in a reading slump

a book that got you out of a reading slump

a book with a red cover

your favourite thriller

a book that is currently on your TBR

a book on your nightstand

a book by your favourite author

your favourite memoir

a book with a purple cover

a book you wish you could read as a beginner again

your favourite YA novel

your favourite middle grade book

a book that mentions a name in the title

your favourite nonfiction novel

a book with a white cover

a book featuring the enemies to lovers trope

a book featuring the found family trope

a book that mentions time in the title

your favourite heist book

your favourite series

a book featuring your favourite character

a book with a black cover

a book about nature

a book that made you want to scream by the time you got to the end

a book that you have read more than three times

your favourite fantasy novel

a book featuring the friends to lovers trope

a book with a brown cover

a book that mentions a place in the title

your favourite sci-fi novel

a book featuring the bed-sharing trope

a book that made you cry a LOT

a book that you found underwhelming

a popular book/series that you love

a popular book/series that you hate

a book with the best opening line

a book with a satisfying ending

a book that features an animal in the title

a book you want to hit bonk your head with

a book with an orange cover

a book about city life

a book that you think about at 3am

your favourite horror novel

a book with a forgettable plot but amazing characters

a book that actually made you laugh out loud

a book with a grey cover

a book that scared the crap out of you

a book that fucked you up

your favourite historical fiction novel

your favourite piece of classic literature

your favourite mythological retelling

your favourite poetry collection

your favourite LGBTQ+ fiction

a book with a gorgeous cover

a good book with an awful cover

your favourite love triangle

a book featuring the I'm not like other girls trope

a book with a golden/silver cover

a book so useless that you could use it as a coaster

your favourite royal read

a book that reminds you of your favorite song

a book that reminds you of a loved one

a book that mentions flowers in the title

a book featuring the chosen one trope

a book featuring the fake dating trope

your favourite dystopian read

your favourite book about magical realism

a book with an insane plot twist

a book with a predictable ending

a book that made you angry

a book that disappointed you

the longest book you've read

the shortest book you've read

a book about a redeemable villain

a book featuring an unreliable narrator

a book about grieving

your favourite coming of age novel

a book with a restaurant/food setting

a book with a hospital setting

a book set in a fictional kingdom

a book with a strong female protagonist

your favourite gothic novel

a book set in a school

your favourite dark academia read

a book that deals with heavy topics

a fluffy, sweet read

your favourite crime novel

a book that made you squeamish

your favourite book in a different language

a book with a small town setting

a book featuring a teacher/professor

your favourite psychological thriller

a book writing a book

a book about war

a book about the great depression

your favourite chick lit novel

a book that talks about mental health

a book with multiple povs

your favourite anthology

your favourite short story collection

your favourite summer read

a book about childhood friends

a book that makes you nostalgic

your favourite winter read

a book recommended by a celebrity

the book you're currently reading

your favourite autumn read

your favourite spring read

a book you'd read when you're missing somebody

a book that made you hungry

a book with beautiful prose

a book featuring flashbacks and/or intersecting storylines

tag somebody with whom you would want to buddy read a book

who is your favorite person to go to for book recs?

a book that you came across randomly and fell in love with

unreccomend any book you like!

recommend any book you like!

#i realized i have a year old ask I never saw so I'm reblogging for context c: #also feel free to ask more

[kakiross]

masterlist of characters’ deepest fears

ok maybe i shouldn’t call this a masterlist but it’s pretty comprehensive i think hello!! i was having a lot of trouble finding resources for ideas of fears to give to characters so i thought i would compile my own list, then i figured i might as well share it with y’all! 

this list is for those deeper, more intangible, existential type of fears rather than fears such as illness or bugs or clowns (all very valid fears!! just not the kind i needed rn) it might be a little repetitive but i wanted to be thorough/account for nuances and such. hope this is helpful :-)

• Fear of intimacy • Fear of death/dying • Fear of failure • Fear of rejection • Fear of commitment • Fear of being alone/loneliness • Fear of God • Fear of abandonment • Fear of change • Fear of the unknown • Fear of success • Fear of love • Fear of being forgotten/ignored • Fear of getting old/growing up • Fear of the future • Fear of loss • Fear of forgetting/losing memories/amnesia • Fear of becoming their parents • Fear of being a bad person • Fear of being unwanted

Keep reading

[kakiross]

You can always edit it later, so don’t stress over every word you write. Just allow your creativity to flow. Writing is about discovering your story. Editing is about polishing your story.

[kakiross]

Fun Ways to Meet Characters

Thieves stealing important objects from the main characters and then being forced somehow into a found family situation

Saving a character’s life by doing something like taking an arrow/bullet

By losing a bet with a stranger and then teaming up

Gambling with a shifty character and getting really mad at them, only for them to later end up saving the other character’s life

Meeting the other in an arranged marriage and actually liking them (or really, really hating them)

Or having a chaotic dynamic where they irritate each other but they’re equally chaotic, so they become the mischievous duo in the found family

By bickering over the last piece of food at a banquet

Getting hired as a servant or maid, or some other serving position

By accidentally almost killing a character, only for them to join the found family and literally never stop bringing up that first meeting

[kakiross]

Writing is not about 'telling an epic story' or 'making something that will outlive you'. Writing is about going "You know what would be fucking awesome?" and then committing word crimes

[kakiross]

writing tip:

if you push buttons on a keyboard, letters will appear on the screen. and with that power you can do anything

[kakiross]

[kakiross]

I hope every writer who sees this writes LOADS the next few months. Like freetime opens up, no writers block, the ability to focus, etc etc you're able to write loads & make lots of progress <3