musings-of-a-lonely-soul

[musings-of-a-lonely-soul]

Write Your Story

I just showed my 11-year-old son how many coffee shop AUs there are on AO3.

Why?

He sat down the other day to write a Minecraft story about three kids who go through a portal in their back yard and end up in the world of Minecraft where they have to battle all the big bosses (I didn’t even realize there WERE big bosses in Minecraft but that’s beside the point). He wrote three chapters with a little input from me – his first beta – and y'all?

He was fucking excited. To be writing a story.

Today he came home from school and seemed a little down, so I asked him about it only to find out that some little asshole at his school told him, “There is already a Minecraft story.”

Me: Okay? So what?

Lucifer: If there’s already a story, no one will read mine.

Immediately, I dragged him in and pulled up my AO3 account. My boys know I write fanfiction, so I showed him my account and how many subscribers I have. Then I showed him how many Teen Wolf stories there are. And then, because it seemed like the perfect analogy, I said, “What if I wrote a story where two characters meet in a coffee shop and fall in love? No werewolves, nothing at all to do with the actual Teen Wolf universe. Just Stiles and Derek meet in a coffeeshop and fall in love.”

He laughed.

I showed him Mornings Aren’t For Everyone. Showed him how many hits it had, how many kudos, how many lovely comments.

Then I said, “So do you think, if anyone else wrote a story about those exact same characters meeting in a coffee shop and falling in love… would anyone read it?”

He laughed and said, “No because you already did.”

So I clicked on the Sterek tag and refined to coffee shop AU. His mind was blown to see that they ALL had thousands of hits and kudos and comments. Then I clicked on JUST the coffee shop AU tag and showed him all the fics across all the fandoms written by countless different people.

I’m going to tell you all now what I told him because it applies to everyone.

Write your story. It doesn’t matter that someone else has written a story about that subject. They didn’t write YOUR story. Only you can do that.

And I want to read your story.

[musings-of-a-lonely-soul]

tweet

Something like this would be so colossally helpful. I'm sick and tired of trying to research specific clothing from any given culture and being met with either racist stereotypical costumes worn by yt people or ai generated garbage nonsense, and trying to be hyper specific with searches yields fuck all. Like I generally just cannot trust the legitimacy of most search results at this point. It's extremely frustrating. If there are good resources for this then they're buried deep under all the other bullshit, and idk where to start looking.

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Love how tumblr has its own folk stories. Yeah the God of Arepo we’ve all heard the story and we all still cry about it. Yeah that one about the woman locked up for centuries finally getting free. That one about the witch who would marry anyone who could get her house key from her cat and it’s revealed she IS the cat after the narrator befriends the cat.

[musings-of-a-lonely-soul]

She-Who-Fights-And-Writes FAQ + Complete List of Writing Resources

Please refer to this page before sending any asks, please!

I will answer questions about:

Characters

Plotting

POV

Setting

Tropes

Fanfiction

Genres

Getting Started

And more!!!!

I will NOT answer questions about:

Things that are already on this list 

The publishing/editing industry (primarily because I’m unqualified)

Children’s fiction and Nonfiction (Same reason as above)

Hyper-specific details of your WIP; I can’t tell you how to write your own story. 

“Does ____ sound like a good idea?” 

Anything that can be figured out with a quick Google search (i.e. how fast can cheetahs run, how long does it take to get a license, etc.)

Asking me to reblog your post, give you a shout-out, etc. This blog is just for writing content only and will remain ad-free. 

Asking me to read/edit your story for free. I’m a college student with a very busy life who also has her own writing projects to worry about, and cannot put time aside to edit someone’s work for no cost at all. Refer to my commissions page, please!

Sorry, but I am quite rigid about these rules!

This is just a compilation of the questions I get a lot or I think I answered pretty well, so if you need anything else feel free to check out my #answering asks tag!

I’ve also included some posts from other blogs/sources as well because I feel as though they can explain it much better than I ever could!

About Me!

Once Upon A Time (Starting)

How to Get Into Writing Fiction

How to Outline

Plotting for Pansters and Pantsing for Plotters

How to Write In Certain Tenses

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

How to Write Consistently

How to Improve Your Writing

How to Expand Your Vocabulary and Utilize English Idioms/Figures of Speech

Is Your Story Better as a Fanfic or an Original Work?

Structuring

How to Write a Scene (Source: Jerry Jenkins)

How to Write a Sub-Plot

How to Write a Flashback

How to Make Your Story Longer (Feat. a helpful reblog from @romancingthebook)

How to Fix Your Filler Scenes

How to Cut back Filler Words (For People Looking to Reduce Their Word Count!)

How to End Your Story (Source: Now Novel)

POV Tips

How to Choose Which POV to Use (Source @evans-writing)

How to Write First Person POV

How to Write Switching POVs in Fanfiction

Genres + Setting

How to Write About Medieval Europe

How to Write About Mid-Nineteenth/Early Twentieth Century America

How to Write About School

How to Write an Apocalypse

How to Write Gangster/Mafia Fiction

How to Write Humor

How to Make Your Story Less Sad

How to Make Your Story Scarier

Stuff Happens (Plot)

How to Write Character Death

How to Fake a Character’s Death

How to Write Character’s Planning/An Explanation of an In-Story Plan

How to Write a Fight Scene

How to Write Magic

How to Write Missing Person’s Reports

How to Write Pain

How to Write Regret

Subverting Common Fanfiction AUs and Plot Ideas

Fantasy AU Ideas

Descriptions + Dialogue

How to Write Arguments

How to Write Dialogue

How to Write Humor

How to Write a Smooth, Rhythmic Narrative

How to Avoid Purple Prose (Source: WikiHow)

How to Balance Description and Dialogue

Prologues and Info Dumping

Master List of Speech Tags

Characters (Who you will inevitably wind up torturing)

When to Change Your Character’s Name

Ways To Tell if Your Characters are Too Similar (How To Cut Characters)

How to Describe Bodies

How to Describe Clothing

How to Write Characters Who Are Different From You

How to Write Close Platonic Relationships

How to Write Complex Characters

How to Write (Good) Female Characters

How to Write a Good Monarch/Ruler

How to Write a Villain

How to Write a Villain Redemption Arc

Villain Motivations

How to Write Young Children and Babies

How to Write Siblings

How to Write a Drunk Character (For people who can’t/prefer not to drink)

Love Stuff

How to Write Romance

How to Write Falling In Love

How to Write a Love Triangle

How to Write Enemies to Friends to Lovers

How to Write Healthy Relationships

How to Write Long Distance Relationships

How to Write Non-Explicit Sex Scenes

How to Write Teasing in a Romantic Relationship

How to Write Toxic Relationships

Reasons for Divorce

Fantastic Beasts (And How to Write Them)

How to Write Shape-shifters

How to Write Characters With Wings

How to Write Angels (A History of Angelic Lore)

How to Write Characters with Tails

How to Write Zombies

How to Write Gods, Goddesses, and Deities

How to Write Animals in Battle

How to Write a Hive Mind

Diversity

I am a white, neurotypical, cisgender woman and shouldn’t give you any advice but to DEFINITELY include diversity! Here are some great blogs for you to follow!

@writingwithcolor

@yourbookcouldbegayer

@scriptautistic

@actuallyblind

@cripplecharacters

Writing Deaf of Hard of Hearing Characters

Miscellaneous

How to Become a Writing Advice Blog

How to Write Constructive Criticism

Books You Should Get As a Writer

Writing Memes

Writing Playlists

Maddy’s Favorite Instrumental Songs

Maddy’s Ultimate Instrumental Playlist

you’re a haggard adventurer discovering worlds beyond your wildest dreams

you’re a hero who’s just lost everything

you’re a scholar searching for the secrets of the universe

you’re a villain plotting to take over the world

you’re an ancient god

you’re falling in love

you’re fighting the final battle

you’re having a tea party

you’re in a chase scene

you’re in the medieval times

you’re in your childhood room. The door is open a crack. Your family is talking downstairs.

My Book

I’m currently working on a novel titled Wings of Faith, and often post content such as art, aesthetics, and writing updates!

Summary:

Humans are nothing if not imaginative creatures. They tell tales of being watched over by invisible guardians, of bearing witness to divine messengers descending from the sky in a blaze of fire. Snowy wings, flaming swords, haloes and harps…you know, all the classic bullshit.

“Be not afraid!” they write these creatures saying, since humans like to comfort themselves with the notion that their celestial shepherds are merciful. But mercy, even for such “angels” that are so often painted and prayed about, is a luxury that only those with enough life left in them can afford.

(OR a jaded one-winged angel must team up with a ragtag band of demons to escape from Hell)

Wings of Faith Masterpost

My Art Blog

Here’s the blog that I post all of my art on, including Wings of Faith content, art wips, fandom content, and original work! Feel free to check it out here!

[musings-of-a-lonely-soul]

*including weird little girls who grew up and realized they were not girls and weird little girls who didnt know they were girls yet. also this does not imply that you grew out of said interest. i didnt grow out of mine. also if you had multiple pick the most intense / primary one <3

#dinosaurs at first #then pottery #then dinos again #and wuickly pivoted #to old world religions #which evolved into my personal brand of paganism after my dad died

[musings-of-a-lonely-soul]

[FREE] The Writer's Workbook

Hello hello, it's me! Hope you're doing well.

Today I am announcing a project I've been working on and is finally ready for you guys to download (for free!)

So, what is it, you ask me.

It's a digital WORKBOOK with over 90 pages to help you develop your new novel!

With clear instructions, plenty of examples, and helpful resources, I designed this workbook to be easy to use and accessible for writers of all skill levels. It has plenty of worksheets and templates to help you organize your ideas and plan your novel!

Over 60 exercises

Tips

Worksheets and templates

A comprehensive list of additional resources to help you continue your writing journey

You can download it as a PDF and use it digitally or print it out!

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!!

I hope this is helpful <3 have a nice day

[musings-of-a-lonely-soul]

A mark on your forehead identifies the god you must worship to stay alive, usually by joining its local church or temple. Your mark is unknown, meaning an old, forgotten god sponsored you. To survive, you must either find an old temple to worship at, or do the arduous task of building a new one

[musings-of-a-lonely-soul]

Did I daydream this, or was there a website for writers with like. A ridiculous quantity of descriptive aid. Like I remember clicking on " inside a cinema " or something like that. Then, BAM. Here's a list of smell and sounds. I can't remember it for the life of me, but if someone else can, help a bitch out <3

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Writers, if you're in the flow of writing, how many words can you knock out in an hour?

(Here, I mean a workable text, not perfect and edited, but not a page of random words either).

Reblog for a bigger sample, I'm curious to know how many fellow "speed write and fix it later" authors there are out there.

#i can rought out over 100 an hour for academic analysis #creative works about 350

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My professor rips into me for being late as I stand in the door to his classroom

And I want to ask him, in the rippling silence after, if he knows what its like

How it feels

To live a litigated existence

Not to be political but

To be

Politics

Does he know what it feels like to have a core of his identity debated in the commons like some newfangled idea

Do you know what it feels like to have your peers debate your existence

Your right to live

To self determine

Your right to be happy

To live unmolested and unafraid

Do his muscles quiver at the mention of a policy or bill passing into the hands of a faraway governor

Do you know what it means to be surrounded by people that think youre like them

And not something

Different

Does he know what it means to go to bed hungry three nights in a row

To be awake for 48 hours straight working and studying

To be alive but not live

To skirt by the forces welling beneath the government and hope they dont see you

Does he know?

Because if he did

He'd be happy I showed up

Not because I wanted to

But because it meant

I was still breathing.

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I will wait in the garden of my soul for you. I will wait forever if I have to. But so help me you damned fool if you do not let me love you with the ardour of a flaming galaxy I will lock the gate before you step over my threshold. No one is allowed to treat you so terribly as to feel unloved, unwanted, undeserving. Not even you. Only my love will save you from my wrath, you damned fool.

[musings-of-a-lonely-soul]

I love that RPG race trail rations post, and it got me thinking about non-Eurocentric fantasy trail rations. I focused on Central and South Asian cuisines (as I also needed the information for a project I’m working on). I looked for foods that were easy to carry (dry or dehydrated), easily obtainable in markets/easily foraged, easy to cook/not needing cooking at all, and high in protein/generally filling. Many foods had language-specific names and some overlapped into different regions, so I bare-bones’d the names. This is what I came up with: 

Dried curd comes in many forms – kashk, aaruul, quroot, etc. – and was of particular interest to me, since I learned it was used since (and before) medieval times as a trail ration for soldiers and travelers because it is lightweight and high in protein. The more you know. 🌈

Tempeh is one of my favorite food options, but I should note that it originates from Southeastern Asia, Indonesia in particular. 

Bamboo is extremely handy for use as both a carrying and cooking vessel, and would save a character the hassle of bringing a skillet with them (provided the character is in an area with large bamboo and a water source). It’s a method still used today because it’s extremely efficient. Storing eggs in rice is a good way to travel with them and keep them from cracking for a short time. 

These are just some basics and I’m only scratching the surface, so if anyone has foods to add from these regions (East and Southeast Asia, too!), or any non-European region honestly, don’t hesitate to add them! 

[musings-of-a-lonely-soul]

writing characters with one eye

i can pretty much guarantee that ↑that↑ is not a heading you see everyday.

now i will not be giving advice on writing cyclopses, (though it may be sort of the same thing) i still hope this will be helpful for some people out there that are looking to provide a more diverse cast to their wip!

i have never ever ever read a book, watch a show movie etc etc that involves a character with one eye. (aside from those badass characters who wear eye patches bc they lost sight in one eye in some badass way)

for context: i am one of many people who was born with microphtalmia, an eye disease that results in one or both eyes develope smaller than normal at birth. i myself was born with a smaller left eye, which resulted in my left eye being removed exactly twenty days after birth.

microphthalmia (along with many other eye diseases) typically leads to being half or fully blind. i lucked out and only lost my left eye which i am so so thankful for.

i would really really love to see more representation for my community in literature, especially so people would come to see that being half blind isn’t as unusual and weird as people make it out to be.

without further ado, i present to you, a list of information, facts, and first hand experiences from yours truly!

i’ve had prosthetic eyes made to fit my eye socket for about fifteen years (i’m 16 lol) (the first 6ish months after the surgery i never had a prosthetic)

in my life i’ve had four different prosthetic eyes made because just like other people, my eye socket grew alongside the rest of me, meaning the prosthetic needed to be made bigger

i’ve had my current prosthetic for four years now, the past ones lasted about 2-3 years at a time. this one will probably last me through the rest of my life unless i need/want a new one

as opposed to most media/assumptions, my prosthetic (along with most prosthetics) is PLASTIC (people always think it’s glass) and only half a circle!!

i’ve had three surgeries related to my eye

i do not have depth perception which makes doing certain things very difficult (estimating distance, how close/far i am from something etc)

driving is not affected too much, i just have to turn my head more than other people. i believe being blind in the right eye might be more difficult, but i couldn’t say

doing my make up is kinda easy, except for eyeliner is a pain in the ASS since most people close their eye to do it on their upper lid, but clearly i can’t close my right eye whilst doing it lol

my family as well as my friends and even myself often forget i have a prosthetic, which sometimes results in awkward/funny situations

i hate walking with people on my right bc i can’t tell where they are unless i’m constantly looking down at my/their feet

i sucked at basketball bc i had such a disadvantage (no depth perception, i could only see half the court, i was constantly turning my head) but professional swimming is much easier for me since it’s not a contact sport and doesn’t really require for me to be paying attention to a million things at once

i rarely have to take my prosthetic out, and if i do, it’s either to clean it, (we do get eye crusties on our prosthetics just like other people do when they have pink eye or sever allergies) it’s bothering me/really dry, or i want to take it out to show/scare people lol

a lot of people don’t realize when i first meet them that it’s fake bc my recent prosthetic is amazing accurate to my real eye. others notice and assume i have a lazy eye since it doesn’t move

for some reason people think i can’t cry out of my left (prosthetic) eye??? i still have a tear duct??? i actually think more tears come out of my left tear duct than my right lol

i am extremely self conscious about it, but i know there are other one-eyed beauties out there who aren’t which is amazing!! i try to live vicariously through them lol

i make sooo many jokes about my eye lol, and i’m usually ok w other people making jokes as long as they aren’t like overly rude/offensive, then i’ll feel a lil bad about my self

people never really made fun of it, but kids in middle school likes to wave things in front of my left eye/on my left side that i couldn’t see which got really annoying after a while

getting custom designed prosthetics are available, but they’re really expensive (so are normal lol) they costs thousands of dollars, just like other prosthetics do

i run into things that are on my left side ALL THE TIME it’s actually kinda funny lolol

i try to hide my left eye/turn more to my left side in photos bc my eyes aren’t always looking in the same direction, which really gets to me

i wear glasses for both protection and bc my right eye is -1.75 lmao but i did used to wear non-prescription glasses purely for safety

i do have contacts to wear during the summer, swim meets etc, for when i don’t want/can’t wear my glasses but need to see. bc of this, i have a second pair of glasses that have no prescription

if doctors/scientists managed to figure out a way to fix microphthalmia (a birth defect), or do a sort of eye transplant, i would not be able to have that done to me because all parts of my left eye have been removed from my body

microphthalmia is NOT the only disease that results in the haver losing sight in one or both eyes!! there are many others, but it is not my place to share any experiences for something i have not experienced!!!

for once i just want to see a clumsy character who has one eye that WASNT a result of some tragic event.

so please please please consider including a character with one working eye in your wip. it would mean the world to myself and all the other members of the community (there’s a lot of us, trust me) plus, i wouldn’t mind starting an acting debut playing a half-blind female protagonist, that would be so dope.

that’s about all i can think of for now! please send an ask or reply to this post if you have any questions, i’m willing to answer any!!! and if you happen to be a member of the one eye club, please add to this post!! that would mean the world to me:)

[musings-of-a-lonely-soul]

BUILD A CHARACTER (Masterpost)

>Naming

Websites:

- NameChef - Name Generator - Reedsy Generator - Fake Name Generator - Fantasy Name Generator - Baby Names - Baby Center

Lists:

- Long Names List by @leafvy - Giant Name List by @serifsystem - Dark Academia Inspired Names by @victoriahazelnut - Dark Academia Inspired Names part II by @victoriahazelnut - Modern Names Similar to Constellations by @victoriahazelnut

>Personality

Websites:

- Personality Generator - Random Character Traits Generator by @lucalicatteart - Random Zodiac Sign Generator - Zodiac Generator

Lists:

- 638 Personality Traits - Character Traits List with Examples - 800 Character Traits: The Ultimate List (+ How to Develop a Good Character Step-by-Step) - The Signs in a Relationship by @neo-wonderland - Character Flaws by @madswritess - A List of Character Quirks by @psychidion - Victorian Detective by @iamacuteapplepie - Little Quirks for Future Reference by @elvenwinters - Things your Character Might be Afraid of by @rpmemesbyarat - Masterlist of Characters’ Deepest Fears by @bailey-writes

>Backstory

Websites:

- Kassoon Backstory Generator - Character Biography Generator - How to Write Compelling Character Backstories: Step-by-Step Guide - Childhood Memory Generator

Lists:

-  33 Life Events For Your Character’s Backstory by @creativerogues - Important Life Events - Past Traumas by @blackacre13

>Goals & Motives

Websites:

- Character Goal Generator - Character Motivation Generator - Motive Generator

>Secrets

Websites:

- Secret Generator

Lists:

- 300 Secrets for your Character by @crissverahelps - What Secret does your Character Keep? - 150 secrets/plots by @sunshineandtearph

>Appearence

Websites:

- Appearence Generator - Portrait and Figure Drawing References

Lists:

- Appearence Adjectives - Adjectives to Describe People 

[musings-of-a-lonely-soul]

A list of nice words we should use more to describe people

Adventurous : willing to undertake new and daring enterprises.

Affectionate : having or displaying warmth or fondness.

Ambitious : having a strong desire for success or achievement.

Amiable : diffusing warmth and friendliness.

Brave : not being afraid of danger.

Considerate : showing concern for the rights and feelings of others.

Courageous : able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching.

Courteous : characterized by politeness and gracious good manners.

Diligent : characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks.

Empathetic : showing ready comprehension of others’ states.

Exuberant : unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings.

Gregarious : temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others.

Humble : marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful.

Impartial : free from undue bias or preconceived opinions.

Intuitive : obtained through instinctive knowledge.

Inventive : marked by independence and creativity in thought or action.

Kind : behaving in a caring way towards people

Passionate : having or expressing strong emotions.

Philosophical : meeting trouble with level-headed detachment.

Practical : guided by experience and observation rather than theory.

Rational : having its source in or being guided by the intellect.

Reliable : worthy of trust.

Resourceful : adroit or imaginative.

Sensible : able to feel or perceive.

Sincere : open and genuine; not deceitful.

Sympathetic : expressing compassion or friendly fellow feelings.

Witty : demonstrating striking cleverness and humor.

[musings-of-a-lonely-soul]

Challenging Fatphobic Language in Writing: Some Alternative Vocabularies

So I’m currently working on a short story for an explicitly fat-positive anthology, and it’s making me realize just how little language I have readily at hand for describing large bodies in positive terms! 

Putting aside for a moment the whole debate over HAES and fat positivity and everything else – and if you clown on this post, I’m simply going to block you, that’s not what we’re here for – sometimes you just want to write a story with a fat person in it and you need some adjectives/descriptive language that isn’t overtly gross and/or fetishistic. 

Well, I’ve got you, fam. I have compiled this handy list of descriptive terms and phrases for describing big bodies with positive connotations.

Why am I doing this? 

Because this:

And this: 

And frankly, we all deserve better. So let’s go. 

Positive (and Neutral) Adjectives for Fatness

Abundant

Ample

Big

Broad

Buxom

Considerable

Curvy

Full

Generous

Heavy

Large

Luscious

Plentiful

Plump

Replete

Robust

Round

Rubenesque

Soft

Solid

Stocky

Substantial

Thick

Voluptuous

Zaftig

Movement Verbs Evoking Fatness

Amble

Bounce

Lope

Mosey

Pad

Plod

Pound

Ramble

Scoot

Shuffle

Trundle

Some Points to Keep In Mind

A big part of challenging fatphobia in writing is inverting or subverting stereotypes. Here are a few lazy/played-out tropes and things to think about: 

Fat = Greedy I think we can all agree at this point that there are better ways to show greed – such as excessive wealth, entitlement, selfishness, and so forth. There is really no need to use fatness or gluttony as a metaphor for these concepts. Just write your greedy character doing greedy things and resist the urge to make them also be fat. If you need a strong visual metaphor, go for opulence and wealth instead. 

Fat = Gross  A ton of media, especially horror, loves making fat people slovenly, smelly, covered in food stains, farting and belching, etc. etc. So if you want a more positive representation, just presenting the character as clean, well-dressed, tidy, etc. actually goes a very long way. Consider playing against type by making your fat character dapper or fastidious about other elements of their appearance, like their hair, or wearing very nice custom-fitted clothes (or even just “dressing up” a bit more than everyone else). 

Fat = Out of Shape Yes, absolutely, many fat people are also out of shape couch potatoes. But so are a lot of skinny people. And fat people absolutely can be athletic – go google “fat athletes” for several lists of them if you don’t believe me! Sure, you probably won’t find a ton of fat long-distance runners, but you’ll definitely find plenty of hefty weight lifters, fighters, folks with physical jobs, etc. A lot of super muscular people are also carrying extra fat, and that is in fact way more common and natural than the super-defined, well-cut muscles you see on TV. Keep that in mind the next time you’re writing an army of strong hand-to-hand combatants – they’re likely to be physically big, not in a bulging muscle He-Man way but more of an “absolute unit” way. Keep in mind, too, that even regular folks packing extra pounds will often tend to be a lot stronger (on account of spending every day carrying extra weight!) You can be fat and graceful, fat and strong, fat and with endurance. Just something to keep in mind. 

Fat = Pig  Pigs have a reputation for being huge, dirty, smelly, garbage-eating slobby creatures, and “disgusting fat pig” and “porker” and their ilk have been insults against big people for a long time. Of course, in reality pigs are also super smart, highly social (and fucking terrifying) but that’s not usually waht gets invoked when people think of them! Really, avoiding animal language when talking about people is often a good idea (since animal comparisons can be dehumanizing), but if you are going to evoke an animal, go with something else. Like a seal (super cute, very graceful in its natural environment) or a bear (big and solid and intimidating) or a bull elk (thick and majestic). 

Fat = Ugly  Fat people can be beautiful. I mean, sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and inner beauty is a thing and all that – but that’s not what I’m talking about. I mean that fat bodies are great! They’re warm and soft and huggable. They’re big and solid and comforting. They can be strong and protective. They can be super-feminine and curvy. Cute as a button or powerful and demanding with their presence. 

Obviously dismantling fatphobia is a whole big (ha, ha) topic all on its own, and there’s a ton more to think about. But this is at least something to get you started! 

Context matters a whole lot in description – words can be positive or negative based on how they’re utilized! But these are at least some terms intended to be a bit less loaded with negative baggage than those often used in less flattering descriptions. 

Have you read a book with a fat character who had a great or interesting description? Please reblog, I’d love to see how other authors have handled it! 

[musings-of-a-lonely-soul]

Win an Introduction to an Agent or Publisher During Pitchapalooza

Ready to pitch your novel to the pros? Here’s a message from The Book Doctors to tell you how!

You wrote your 50,000 words (or close!). You’re a winner. You felt the high. Now what are you going to do with your precious manuscript? That’s where we, The Book Doctors, come in. Join us for our twelfth annual NaNoWriMo Pitchapalooza to learn how to catch the attention of publishers and readers. 

For those of you unfamiliar with Pitchapalooza, here’s the skinny: You get 250 words to pitch your book. Twenty pitches will be randomly selected from all submissions. We will then critique the pitches during a live webinar on April 2, 12PM PT, so you get to see what makes a great pitch. At the end of the webinar, we will choose one winner from the group. The winner will receive an introduction to an agent or publisher appropriate for their manuscript.

We will also crown a Fan Favorite who will receive a free one-hour consultation with us (worth $250). On April 3, 2022, the 20 random pitches will be posted on our website, www.thebookdoctors.com. Anyone can vote for a fan favorite, so get your social media engine running as soon as the pitches go up! Connecting with your future readers is a vital part of being a successfully published author, and this is a great way to get some practice. Voting closes at 11:59PM PT on April 25, 2022. Fan Favorite will be announced on April 26, 2021.

Here’s how to enter:

Beginning February 15, 2022, you can email your pitch to [email protected]. 

Do not attach your pitch, just embed it in the email.

You get up to 250 words to pitch your book.

Include your title and your name at the top of your pitch. These don’t count toward your 250 words.

All pitches must be received by 11:59PM PT on March 15, 2022.

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