lilsoftgrimm-blog

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Prompt

How long does it take to fall in love?

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Tips On Dialogue

This has been highly requested and a long time coming and finally, ‘tis done. I hope this proves useful to you. Enjoy!

Writing Quality Conversation

Dialogue Should Serve A Purpose

All pieces of dialogue in your story should serve a purpose. You just have to train your writer brain to ask itself what it accomplishes. Here are some examples of how dialogue functions:

To reveal characterization

To establish the mood or tone

To disclose exposition

To create tension or conflict

To advance the plot

To build suspense

To establish foreshadowing

To reveal backstory

Examples Provided From This Source

Dialogue Is Not A Loophole To Tell Instead Of Show

You should not be using dialogue as a way to tell the reader what’s going on or how the setting looks or anything that is usually done in a narrative form. Trying to use dialogue as a way to get out of concisely describing the situation to the reader in an artistic and eloquent way is lazy and once you start, you start to believe you can get away with it more and more. Don’t let that slippery slope get you. 

Be Inspired By Real Conversation, Don’t Mimic It

The truth is, your reader will not fault you for leaving out the “um..”s and the “eh..”s and the weird vocal mannerisms that you have assigned to your characters. Leave those for the movie adaptation. Instead, if you character is stopped in the middle of a statement, use “but he-” rather than “bu-” because that will read strangely in your reader’s head and stall them in the process, killing he momentum of the conversation.

If You’re Stuck With A Piece Of Dialogue, Read It Aloud

As a writer, you are also an actor, and if you are stuck on a line and need to act it out a few different ways to match one to your scene, so be it. Say it loudly, say it gravely, say it flirtatiously, whisper it; it doesn’t matter. Try it out yourself and find what works. Your reader is going to be hearing this in their head, so make sure you convey it exactly how you want it to sound.

Remember Who’s Speaking

Your characters are all different people with different word preferences and personal catch phrases and tonal patterns and vocal styles. Use this to your advantage. You are making a movie in your reader’s head, so use these specific characteristics to your advantage.

Dialogue Tags

Don’t Over-Do Dialogue Tags

There are a lot of very interesting and wonderful dialogue tags out there. You do not need to use all of them. If you have a very clear vision of how this line is said and you know that you want your reader to hear it that way, then use a dialogue tag, but if you know they’ll connect the dots from hearing the word “said”, then refrain from using a unique dialogue tag. Part of the fun of reading is having your own special imaginative freedom while consuming the story. Too many dialogue tags strip your reader of that freedom because every detail is directed.

Respect “Said”

Said is not dead. Said is very much alive and well and must not be taken for granted. Love Said and nurture Said and Said will be good to you and your story. 

Flow

Use Action Between Periods Of Dialogue (Give Your Characters Stage Business)

This is pretty self-explanatory, but here’s an example of the wonders this simple fix can achieve:

“No,” he said, “I’m not leaving.”

vs.

“No,” He said, fixing his sleeve cuff calmly and meeting her eyes with an intimidating stare, “I’m not leaving.”

Don’t Include Too Much Information In One Conversation

Information in stories is supposed to be distributed evenly over time, not in a single conversation whenever you need to pack a bunch of knowledge into the reader in order for them to understand the next scene. Dialogue is also, again, not the method you are supposed to use in order to tell the reader all they need to know. Information about the setting, world, characters, past, present, and future is all supposed to be revealed through description, non-verbal communication, exposition, narration (if it allows), and other literary tools. Do not use dialogue to tell your reader everything.

Keep It Short

Dialogue, specifically individual pieces of dialogue, are meant to be short, informative, and sweet. Don’t drag it along, don’t make the discussion longer than it has to be, and going back to a previous point, don’t include unnecessary information.

If You’re Wondering How To Punctuate Dialogue, Read This Post by @heywriters

People With Accents Don’t Spell Words Differently

This doesn’t need too much unboxing on its own, but just because someone has a thick British accent doesn’t mean that “you” is suddenly spelled “yeh”. This is incredibly difficult to get used to and can A. Confuse the reader, whether it be the first time they come across it or repeatedly over time, and B. bother the reader so much they end up putting the book down because it’s so exhausting trying to remember that “yeh” means “you”. If your reader has to repeatedly assure their self that yes, that is what they’ve just read, then your story is only going to suffer for it.

*Side note: this does not apply to fanfiction. This is because, most of the time, the reader has an idea of what the protagonist’s voice sounds like and can therefore navigate the writing without a problem because they aren’t trying to form a unique voice in the narrative. Just something I thought I should mention. Sorry if this sounds ridiculous to non-fanfiction readers.

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Resources For Writing Sketchy Topics

Medicine

A Study In Physical Injury

Comas

Medical Facts And Tips For Your Writing Needs

Broken Bones

Burns

Unconsciousness & Head Trauma

Blood Loss

Stab Wounds

Pain & Shock

All About Mechanical Injuries (Injuries Caused By Violence)

Writing Specific Characters

Portraying a kleptomaniac.

Playing a character with cancer.

How to portray a power driven character.

Playing the manipulative character.

Portraying a character with borderline personality disorder.

Playing a character with Orthorexia Nervosa.

Writing a character who lost someone important.

Playing the bullies.

Portraying the drug dealer.

Playing a rebellious character.

How to portray a sociopath.

How to write characters with PTSD.

Playing characters with memory loss.

Playing a pyromaniac.

How to write a mute character.

How to write a character with an OCD.

How to play a stoner.

Playing a character with an eating disorder.

Portraying a character who is anti-social.

Portraying a character who is depressed.

How to portray someone with dyslexia.

How to portray a character with bipolar disorder.

Portraying a character with severe depression.

How to play a serial killer.

Writing insane characters.

Playing a character under the influence of marijuana.

Tips on writing a drug addict.

How to write a character with HPD.

Writing a character with Nymphomania.

Writing a character with schizophrenia.

Writing a character with Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Writing a character with depression.

Writing a character who suffers from night terrors.

Writing a character with paranoid personality disorder.

How to play a victim of rape.

How to play a mentally ill/insane character.

Writing a character who self-harms.

Writing a character who is high on amphetamines.

How to play the stalker.

How to portray a character high on cocaine.

Playing a character with ADHD.

How to play a sexual assault victim.

Writing a compulsive gambler.

Playing a character who is faking a disorder.

Playing a prisoner.

Portraying an emotionally detached character.

How to play a character with social anxiety.

Portraying a character who is high.

Portraying characters who have secrets.

Portraying a recovering alcoholic.

Portraying a sex addict.

How to play someone creepy.

Portraying sexually/emotionally abused characters.

Playing a character under the influence of drugs.

Playing a character who struggles with Bulimia.

Illegal Activity

Examining Mob Mentality

How Street Gangs Work

Domestic Abuse

Torture

Assault

Murder

Terrorism

Internet Fraud

Cyberwarfare

Computer Viruses

Corporate Crime

Political Corruption

Drug Trafficking

Human Trafficking

Sex Trafficking

Illegal Immigration

Contemporary Slavery 

Black Market Prices & Profits

AK-47 prices on the black market

Bribes

Computer Hackers and Online Fraud

Contract Killing

Exotic Animals

Fake Diplomas

Fake ID Cards, Passports and Other Identity Documents

Human Smuggling Fees

Human Traffickers Prices

Kidney and Organ Trafficking Prices

Prostitution Prices

Cocaine Prices

Ecstasy Pills Prices

Heroin Prices

Marijuana Prices

Meth Prices

Earnings From Illegal Jobs

Countries In Order Of Largest To Smallest Risk

Forensics

arson

Asphyxia

Blood Analysis

Book Review

Cause & Manner of Death

Chemistry/Physics

Computers/Cell Phones/Electronics

Cool & Odd-Mostly Odd

Corpse Identification

Corpse Location

Crime and Science Radio

crime lab

Crime Scene

Cults and Religions

DNA

Document Examination

Fingerprints/Patterned Evidence

Firearms Analysis

Forensic Anthropology

Forensic Art

Forensic Dentistry

Forensic History

Forensic Psychiatry

General Forensics

Guest Blogger

High Tech Forensics

Interesting Cases

Interesting Places

Interviews

Medical History

Medical Issues

Misc

Multiple Murderers

On This Day

Poisons & Drugs

Police Procedure

Q&A

serial killers

Space Program

Stupid Criminals

Theft

Time of Death

Toxicology

Trauma

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Tips On Writing About Mental Illness

– These are my personal tips based on personal experience when it comes to reading and writing about mental illness and mentally ill characters. This isn’t meant to offend anyone, so let this serve as a trigger warning to those who might find the subject matter of this post uncomfortable. That being said, I hope this is helpful to you!

Do Your Research

It is INCREDIBLY important to do your research on everything when it comes to mental illness. Know the difference between a story and a stereotype, know symptoms, read about and listen and talk to actual people with mental illness, hear their stories, know how people express mental illness, everything. There is more than one form of self harm. There are multiple mental illnesses under the umbrellas of anxiety and depression and obsessive compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder. Also, I highly recommend, if you’re working on a larger piece of writing, that you talk to a licensed psychologist or specialist doctor about mental illness, because the internet has a ton of misinformation and false facts about it and it’s more reliable (obviously) to talk to a professional. When it comes to subjects like this, it’s imperative that you know what you’re talking about.

Use Primary (And Reliable) Sources

Like I mentioned previously, there are a ton of primary sources out there made by people and about people with mental illnesses, so utilize them. Even if you, yourself, suffer with mental illness, it’s always wise to explore the different ways people experience it and the different ways it affects their lives. It simply makes you more educated and that’s never a bad thing. Read people’s stories about their illnesses, read interviews, listen to podcasts made by professionals or read blogs by doctors or whatever. Tip that you probably already know, try to stick to .org, .edu, and .gov sites when doing internet research. There are obviously worthy exceptions but use your common sense to know an unreliable source when you see one.

Do Not Make Mental Illness The Character’s Only Identity

Your character should not only revolve around mental illness because in real life, mentally ill people still lead actual lives. A character can be depressed and still work hard in school. A character can have schizophrenia and really love their partner. Yes, mental illness does affect every part of a character’s life, but it doesn’t make those parts go away. Mentally ill people are not shells of human beings. Avoid giving your readers the impression that it’s reasonable to believe that they are.

Portray, Don’t Romanticize/Desensitize

Romanticization of mental illness has become incredibly common, especially on the internet. While there is a major stigma against people who actually have mental illness, there is also a stigma against people who fake it because it’s ‘trendy’ or whatever. You need to keep this in mind when even talking about mental illness, because this reaches further than only writing about it: mental illness is an illness, not a personality trait. Self harm is not something to be taken lightly. You aren’t “cute but psycho”. Mental illness is an illness, whether you can see it or not, and you wouldn’t buy a t-shirt that says “cute but a cancer patient” on it. Portraying mental illness can and should be done in a respectful manner. Those horrid pro-ana or pro-mia or “screw neurotypical people” or self harm glorifying blogs and sites and stuff are ridiculous and harmful to people of all levels of mental illness. Do not be like these people when you’re writing characters with mental illness. You’re portraying an illness, not a fad.

Portray Symptoms Instead Stereotypes

People who suffer from depression are not constantly crying. Schizophrenic people don’t stand around seeing imaginary butterflies all day. People with bipolar do not have a mood swing every five minutes. Obviously, these are extreme examples of stereotypes associated with mental illnesses, and there are tons of less detectable one, but I think you get the point. Yes, delusions are one of many symptoms of schizophrenia, but most of the time, a symptom does not constantly affect a person with mental illness. This just kind of goes with the territory of do your research, so please educate yourself on how mental illness is actually displayed in a person’s life.

Make Your Mentally Ill Characters Ones Your Readers Can Identify With

Like I mentioned previously, mental illness should not be the only trait that your characters hold. Your characters are portraying people, which have interests and hobbies and things they like and dislike and feel and experiences that have shaped them. Use those to appeal to the reader. It’s no secret to readers or writers that most books are popular, in part, due to relatable characters and situations. If you’re writing a book that is telling about a character’s struggle with mental illness, you will probably be reaching an audience of people who have that illness, and you want to make a character that they can identify with. These characters are not only difficult to form, but imperative when it comes to literature about mental health. These characters and portrayals make the readers feel understood and less alone, which is a huge responsibility that you need to come to terms with and be prepared for.

Give Up On The “Crazed Killer”

Maybe this was acceptable 30 years ago, but the world has matured and educated itself a great deal (We aren’t there yet, though) about mental health and what it actually means when somebody is mentally ill. However, the stereotype that people with mental health issues are destined to become murderers or school shooters or whatnot is harmful and the literary world needs to start realizing that mental illness is not the all in one solution to the issue of “why is my villain doing this? Oh yeah, cause they’re crazy”. Taking that easy way out is lazy. Come up with a real arc for your villain. 

Mental illness can play a part in what makes people do horrible things, but it’s usually not the main cause. And if you’d like to justify making mental illness apart of your character, focus on the events that lead to the illness, not the symptoms themselves. It’s more interesting and doesn’t feed into the stigma when it comes to mental illness. Yes, mental illnesses can be linked to genetics, but in most cases, they’re caused by other factors– like psychological and environmental ones. Either way, it is better to develop a backstory for a character with mental illness. Not only because it makes your character more human, but it can educate people on mental illness and what causes it. 

Be Prepared For Criticism

There will be people who don’t identify your characters and therefore dismiss your understanding of mental illness, even if you suffer from it. It’s common sense that everyone with a mental illness experiences it differently, but it’s not as common sense as you may believe. Remember two things when it comes to writing about mental illness: 1.) You are starting a discussion, which is incredibly important and difficult, and you are responsible for however that discussion starts. 2.) You will never get it 100% right. Not all of your readers will identify with your characters. Your story will not reflect every reader’s truth. It is a sensitive subject and the world still hasn’t made up its mind on it, but starting the discussion is important and the more awareness this issue gets, the closer we are to solutions.

Know Your Mental Illnesses

I’ve made another post about mental illnesses that was made to educate and raise awareness about mental illness. It lists quite a few mental illnesses and details about them so you can check it out here. There are countless other resources out there for you to learn about the different types of mental illnesses and specific forms of mental illnesses. 

Be Truthful 

Be honest about how mental illness affects people’s relationships and careers and families and self-image. Stories about mental health don’t always have a happy ending and they definitely don’t have much of a happy middle either. Your mentally ill character’s partners, majority of the time, will probably be a bit uncomfortable if they learn your character is self-harming. Your character’s family will probably try to down-play your character’s illness because of common denial that comes with learning about anybody you love being sick. A character with depression will probably find it very difficult to get out of bed some days, let alone go into work and pretend everything is peachy keen. Be honest. Be realistic. Be raw about how mental illness can destroy people and, if your story is about a person recovering, how seeking help can be really really hard.

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Resources For Describing Physical Things

Setting

Abandoned Mine

Airplane

Airport Check-in

Alley

Amusement Park

Attic

Bakery

Bank

Basement

Bathroom (home)

Barn

*GE* Barn 2 (Dairy Focus)

Beach

Bedrooms

Birthday Party

Bonfire

Bowling Alley

Bridge

Bookstore

Cafeteria

Casino

*GE* Catacombs

Cave

Church

City Park

Classroom

Closet

Coffee House

Courtroom

Cruise Ship

*GE* Cryogenic Sleep Chamber

Daycare

Desert

Diner

Dragon’s Lair

Dungeon (Caution Graphic Description)

*GE* Egyptian Pyramids

Elevator

Farms

Forest

Frozen Tundra

Gallows

Garage

Garage Sale

Garden

Graveyard

*GE* GLOBAL WARMING (dystopian)

Grocery Store

Halloween Party

Haunted House

Herbalist Shop (fantasy)

High School Hallway

Hospital

Hotel Room

House Fire

House Party

Kitchen

*GE* Laboratory

*GE* Laboratory (secret genetic)

Lake

Library

Locker Room

Meadow

Medieval Castle Armory

Medieval Marketplace

Middle School Dance (informal)

*GE* Mindscape (Mind Magic)

Mountains

Movie Theatre

Night Club

Nursery

Ocean/Sea Bed

Old Pick-Up Truck

Pirate Ship

Playground

Pond

Pool Hall

Prison Cell

Pub

Public Pool (Outdoor)

Rainforest/Jungle

Ranch

Restaurant

River

School Bus

School Office

Shopping Mall

Sleep-Away Camp

*GE* Spaceport

*GE* Spaceship

Stands at a Sporting Event

Storm Sewer

Subway Station

Swamp

Taxi cab

Teacher’s Lounge

Toolshed

*GE* Trailer

Treehouse

*GE* Tropical Island City

Urban Street

Video Arcade

Waiting Room

Waterfall

Water Slide Park

Wedding Ceremony (Church)

Woods at Night

Zoo

Weather

Air Pollution

Avalanche

Blizzard

Breeze

Clouds

Dew

Drought

Dusk

Dust or Sand Storm

Earthquake

Eclipse

Fall

Falling Star

Flood

Forest Fire

Frost

Hailstorm

Heat Wave

Hurricane/Typhoon

Lightning

Mirage

Mist or Fog

Moonlight

Mudslide

Rain

Rainbow

Sky

Sleet

Snow

Spring

Summer

Sunrise

Sunshine

Sunset

Thunderstorm

Tornado

Vortex

Wind

Winter

Color, Texture, & Shape

Color

Black

Blue

Brown

Gray

Gold

Green

Orange

Pink

Purple

Red

Silver

Spotted

Striped

Transparent

White

Yellow

Texture

Bumpy

Barbed/Spined

Crackled

Crumbly

Crusty

Foamy/Spongy

Fuzzy

Gritty

Pitted

Powdery

Prickly

Saw-edged/Serrated

Slimy

Smooth

Sticky

Shape

Arch

Circular/Sphere

Crescent

Heart

Oval & Oval-like

Rectangle

Spiral

Star

Square

Triangular

Tube

Wavy

Support Wordsnstuff!

Request A Writing Help Post/Themed Playlist/Writing Tips!

Send Me Poetry To Feature On Our Instagram!

Receive Updates & Participate In Polls On Our Twitter!

Like us and share on Facebook!

Read More On Our Masterlist & See our Frequently Asked Questions!

Tag What You Want Me To See With #wordsnstuff!

Participate in monthly writing challenges!

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Resources For Describing Characters

Physical Appearance

Arms

Athletic Build

Back

Butts

Cheeks

Chest

Chins

Curvy Build

Ears

Eyebrows

Eyes

Faces

Facial Hair

Feet

Fingernails

Fingers

Hair

Hands

Head

Hips

Jaws

Knees

Legs

Lips

Muscular Build

Neck

Noses

Shoulders

Slender Build

Sickly Build

Skin

Stocky Build

Stomach

Teeth

Toenails

Toes

Underweight Build

Character Traits

Affectionate

Ambitious

Bossy

Brave

Calm

Cautious

Charismatic

Clever

Conceited

Courageous

Creative

Critical

Curious

Determined

Diplomatic

Dishonest

Disorganized

Eccentric

Excitable

Friendly

Funny

Generous

Glamorous

Guarded

Honest

Impulsive

Independent

Intelligent

Just

Kind

Loyal

Manipulative

Mature

Modest

Mysterious

Naïve

Optimistic

Prejudiced

Persistent

Proper

Responsible

Sensitive

Sentimental

Serious

Shy

Reckless

Stingy

Stubborn

Talented

Thoughtful

Thrifty

Visionary

Wise

Witty

Worry Wart

Wounded

Talents & Skills

A Knack for Languages

A Knack for Making Money

A Way with Animals

Archery

Astral Projection

Astrological Divination

Baking

Basic First Aid

Blending In

Carpentry

Charm

ESP (Clairvoyance)

Empathy

Enhanced Hearing

Enhanced Sense of Smell

Enhanced Taste Buds

Farming

Fishing

Foraging

Gaining the Trust of Others

Gaming

Gardening

Good Listening Skills

Haggling

Herbalism

Hospitality

Hot-Wiring a Car

High Pain Tolerance

Knife Throwing

Knowledge of Explosives

Lip-Reading

Lying

Making People Laugh

Mechanically Inclined

Mentalism

Mimicking

Multitasking

Musicality

Organization

Parkour

Photographic Memory

Predicting the Weather

Promotion

Psychokinesis

Reading People

Regeneration

Repurposing

Sculpting

Self-Defense

Sewing

Sharpshooting

Sleight-of-Hand

Strategic Thinking

Strong Breath Control

Super Strength

Survival Skills

Swift-footedness

Talking With The Dead

Throwing One’s Voice

Whittling

Wilderness Navigation

Wrestling

Elemental Abilities

Miscellaneous

Voices

Voice Types

Speech Patterns

Speech Impediment

List of Character Flaws

List of Archetypes

Hairstyles

Describing Body Types & How They Move Around

Secrets To Give Your Character

Support Wordsnstuff!

Request A Writing Help Post/Themed Playlist/Writing Tips!

Send Me Poetry To Feature On Our Instagram!

Receive Updates & Participate In Polls On Our Twitter!

Like us and share on Facebook!

Read More On Our Masterlist & See our Frequently Asked Questions!

Tag What You Want Me To See With #wordsnstuff!

Participate in monthly writing challenges!

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Thought I should let you know that all take home boxes float

#food#foodie#pizza#bath#bathtub#diy#lifehack#easymeal

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Monday mood

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Inktober day 1 promt: poisonous

#inktober #poisonus #sad #dark #quote #pastel #art #drawing #creepy #pretty

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I'mma just put this here

#art #Halloween #inktober #poision #swollen #spider #pumpkin #pastel #painting #drawing #October #happy Halloween #art challenge #drawing challenge

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The road may be long and perilous, but remember, fait favors the brave

Took this last week

Feel free to use, just please credit me

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Remember to stop and smell the Rose's

Just a photo I took the other day

Feel free to use, just please credit me