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help4writers · 4 years ago

Note

hi! i wondered if you had any tips for going about writing a redemption arc?

Hi!

Redemption arcs are one of the greatest ways to show character development in writing. So I had fun thinking about what goes into a typical redemption arc.

Redemption Arc

A character overcomes their flaws and redeems themself from their mistakes.

The character’s motivations and needs

there are a few things you need to decide for your character

what negative traits does the character have?

can you see them easily or are they hidden and come out in some kind of betrayal situation?

are they aware of their negative traits and wrongdoings?

do they have control over them?

do they want to be better or do they have no remorse in the beginning?

the character could be a bad guy because they want to, because they are forced to, because they have good intentions but go about it the wrong way, because their taught to be one

the character doesn’t need to be a major villain, you can also write a great redemption arc about someone whose opinions or beliefs caused harm to others, but through time and effort they realize their mistakes

Timeline

the character starts off with negative traits and making mistakes

they probably face repercussions for this

these could be good or bad, but should ultimately get the character to think about their behavior

which leads into the realization/enlightenment part where they see the errors of their way and want tot do better

the last part is the true redemption, it can be one big event or a series of smaller things that make the reader and the other characters forgive the bad guy or at least acknowledge their betterment

Examples

the self-sacrifice: the bad guy realizes that the good guys are right and sacrifice themself to save them and redeem their past through this selfless act

the teamwork-makes-the-dream-work: the bad guy does have a good point, but they just don’t go about it the right way, so the good guys induct them into their team and hope that they can control themself for the sake of good intentions

the failed redemption: the bad guy is on their best way to be a good person, but one final event brings them right back to making a choice and they choose the bad one

the isn’t it ironic?: the bad guy did the bad things for one specific reason (motivation or need) and they can just never achieve it, no matter how bad they are, but ironically achieve it by being good

the enemy-turned-family: favourite trope, the bad guy somehow ends up with the good guys and they treat them with respect, and why are they being so nice to them? Slowly the enemy becomes part of the family and suddenly they’re on breakfast duty and make really nice eggs for the whole crew

Reminder

The terms bad guy and good guys was used in this post out of simplicity. A redemption arc doesn’t have to be about heroes and villains. It can also be about the bitchy Queen B who realizes that she doesn’t have to be like this to make friends, or the strict father who learns that his behavior makes his kids resent him and wants to become a better father to better their relationship, or the employer who doesn’t listen to his employees but then sees themself that the hierarchy in the company was being abused by some managers and tries to create a safer work space for everyone. Everyone has flaws and character development is one of the most interesting things to read and it keeps readers on their toes and makes them root for characters.

I hope you write some awesome redemption arcs and have fun!

- Jana

#character arcs

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help4writers · 4 years ago

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30 Scenes for Character Development

THIS IS NOT MINE. But I thought this list from this website was helpful and might make a neat prompt list.

The character has a heart-to-heart with a Helper.

The character trains with a Mentor.

The character completes a MINI QUEST to get past a Threshold Guardian.

The character questions their relationship to the Antagonist.

The character receives bad news from a Herald.

The character realises that they were deceived by a Shapeshifter.

The character recognises an aspect of themselves in another character.

The character is forced to wait for someone or something.

The character is forced to ask for help from a character they dislike.

The character confesses their deepest fear or secret to another character.

The character must negotiate with a character or group of characters.

The character LOSES OR SACRIFICES something they value greatly.

The character sees or hears something they weren’t supposed to.

The character tries to understand the MOTIVATION behind another character’s actions.

The character tries to evade or ESCAPE another character.

The character is forced to MAKE A DIFFICULT DECISION that will affect others.

The character is abandoned by someone they love or value.

The character tries to convince another character to act.

The character reacts to mental or physical pain.

The character needs to work together with another character.

The character is rejected by another character or group of characters.

The character looks back at how far they’ve come.

The character undergoes a RITE OF PASSAGE.

The character becomes responsible for other characters.

The character learns their true name and origin.

The character tries to master or conceal their THOUGHTS or EMOTIONS.

The character faces their own, or another character’s DEATH.

The character questions a belief that has shaped their personality.

The character loses all hope that they will succeed.

The character contemplates their future.

#prompts #block

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help4writers · 4 years ago

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Writing Resources

Since I’ve been getting a lot of questions about writing and such, I’ve deiced to put together a resource post for you guys!

General Writing Help:

Writing Tips

Ambient Sounds

10 Ways to Start Your Story

10 Ways to End Your Story

Ways to get Un-Stuck

Getting Out Of The Comfort Zone

Alternatives To Said

Avoid Saying ‘Very…’

100 Ways To Say Good

Avoiding Unfortunate Implications

Begin A Novel

Finishing Your Novel

Creating Conflict

Show Not Tell

Words For Emotions Based On Severity

Pacing Action Scenes

Writing Races

Using Gender Neutral Pronouns

Dos and Don’t of Writing

General Writing Tips

How To Avoid Tense Change

Character Help:

How to Develop Your Characters

Introductions

Ways to Get Inspired to Write That Character

Writing a Relationship that Readers Will Ship

Character Names

Character Name Resources

Surnames Masterpost

Write Real

People Generator

MBTI Personality Test

MBTI Personality Descriptions

123 Character Flaws

Character Trait Cheat Sheet

List of Personality Traits

Types of Voice

55 Words to Describe Someone’s Voice

Showing Character Emotion

Character Motivation

Writing Characters Of Color

Other recommended WWC Posts.

The Key to Moving Beyond Checklisting is Not Less Diversity - “The problem with pasted-on diversity is not the diversity; it’s the pasted on part.”

Stereotyped vs Nuanced Characters and Audience Perception - Discusses one of our more common ask themes: the writing (or rather, the not writing) of stereotypes.

When We Read: Mod Wishlist - A list of what we as mods would like to see of ourselves in media. Check out the Native American WL too.

Bad Representation vs Tokenism vs Diversity just existing without justification like in the real world -Title says it all.

Stereotyping Tropes List - A categorized tropes list reposted from the TV Tropes website with links to their topics on the subject matter.

–WWC

#diversity #poc

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help4writers · 4 years ago

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Notetaking & Worldbuilding Resources:

Evernote - take notes, save screenshots/webpages, and has templates (desktop and mobile app)

World Anvil - focus on worldbuilding for original fiction and roleplaying universes (desktop)

World Scribe - simple notetaking for worldbuilding (android app)

Scrivener - write, research, and take notes in the same app. Not free but very popular for writers (desktop)

Trello - like Evernote, targeted more for business projects (desktop and mobile app)

Notebook.ai - worldbuilding app, separates by universes, characters, settings items, etc. (desktop)

Timetoast - timelines (desktop)

Wattpad - after a story is published, there’s a feature you can use called “Story Notes” (desktop and mobile app)

MyStory.today - like scrivener, write and take notes in the same place (desktop and mobile app)

Quoll Writer - separate categories for chapters, characters, items, research, and notes that can be linked to each other (desktop)

Narrative Nods - notes separated by storyline, characters/character relationships, plot, etc. (android app)

Writer Assisstant - for keeping track of projects, characters, and settings (iphone and ipad app)

Writer Plus - quick, basic notetaking (android app)

Character Story Planner 2 - multiple categories for keeping track of characters/character relationships, plot, magic, mythology etc. (android app)

#worldbuilding #web resources

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help4writers · 4 years ago

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I always found the 7 act structure helped me a lot more than the 3 acts.

Link right here

#outlining

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help4writers · 4 years ago

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If you’re new to the writing world and are a beginner or just want advice, here are a bunch of writing tips I (an experienced yet unprofessional writer) have that may help!

Don’t rush any of your stories. If you know a certain piece will take longer, then use that time. If you jump into it all at once then you have a possibility of stressing.

Read other people’s work. Chances are, you can learn a lot from someone else just by analyzing a piece they’ve done.

If you feel comfortable enough, write about an event that has occurred in your life. This way, you will be able to truly portray the picture in which you wish for others to see.

Feel free to ask other writers for ideas! I do this all the time and it honestly get your creative juices flowing.

Take breaks. Every now and then, put down the pencil or turn off your screen. Sometimes a little breather can do a lot for your imagination.

Read your stories aloud. A lot of errors can be made; it’s impossible to avoid as a writer. When you hear yourself saying the words and pronouncing them, it’s easier to spot mistakes. Don’t always rely on just your vision to find these.

If you are looking to gain more attention from your stories, when posting them online, use lots of hashtags that relate to what your topic is and the genre (e.g., fluff, angst, smut) and also tag creators that you think would like to read it. And they will, I promise.

When coming up with titles, choose a phrase or word that best describes what the story will be/is about. You can make them plain and straightforward or add some background. However, try to not give away too much. This may spoil your piece and cause readers to lose interest.

Anytime you think of an idea, jot it down! I cannot stress this enough. No matter how great your memory is, you will not remember each and every single aspect. So make sure you get it on paper or in a document before you forget even the slightest bit of information.

Listen to and accept feedback! Constructive criticism from readers is how we learn to better our work. This is not to be taken the wrong way. The purpose of feedback is to simply help you improve your skills and strategy! It’s an educational process.

Keep in mind that there are eventually going to be people who don’t enjoy the stories you write. It is not a personal matter. Specific people prefer to read other genres and that is perfectly okay! They aren’t judging you. We all have our differences.

Writer’s block is a common occurrence that we as authors face time to time. There are many strategies to combat it. For instance, reading a new book of the genre you write in or asking people you know for what to write about cause those ideas to gradually come back. It does not last forever, and inspiration is out there waiting for you.

Find a quiet, distraction-free or empty area to write. It helps you focus and concentrate on the thoughts in your mind. Cooler temperatures seem to relax me when it’s too crowded, as well. This might not work for you and it’s nothing to worry about. Figure out what spaces and temps work for you personally.

Dialogue is a crucial part of literature. Avoid making your characters speak for too long, as it drags the story on longer than needed. Short and sweet paragraphs where characters speak will get your point across. Stay away from repeating “said”. It’s an overused dialogue tag that gets boring after using too much of it.

Thesaurus.com is a great website for synonyms. They are words that share a similar meaning to other words (e.g., a synonym of run is sprint and a synonym of cry is weep).

Figurative language. A great way to include description. Use it when you feel it will give the reader a clearer explanation of what is taking place in the story, but stop yourself from overdoing it, or else there’s more detail than necessary.

Negative comments do not define your talent. Even if a writing of yours is receiving disrespectful replies, they shouldn’t impact your technique or passion. People will say rude things about your work only to discourage you, but don’t give them what they want. They are jealous of how well you can compose an idea, unlike them.

Experiment! Go out of your comfort zone and attempt another genre. You never know how it will turn out, and perhaps there will be a positive result. Give it a shot. I have faith in your abilities, so do several others.

This also goes for penmanship and typing. If you usually write on paper, switch up the way you style your words. Work on size, color, font, and neatness of your letters and punctuation. If you usually use a desktop or mobile device, lower or raise the brightness, but not enough to hurt your eyes. Go on light or dark mode for a change.

Get fresh air. Step outside the house for a brief moment to relish in the natural world. Being near wildlife and plants always give me piece when I’m tense from a story not going as planned.

Double check your spelling and grammar! There are a ton of resources on the internet that can assist you.

And lastly, the most vital tip you can receive from me is to believe in yourself! Remind yourself every time you write that you are capable of doing whatever you set your mind to.

I truly hope that I was able to help you with your writing journey! Good luck 🤍

@sosweetgrethan @prettyboydolan @soledadgray @blindedbythelightt @rhyrhy462 @godlydolans @333dolans @vintagedolan @angelgrayson @dolanissues @bingexdolan @mercurygrant @delightfuldolan @dolansficsandpics @evergreendolan

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help4writers · 4 years ago

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Hi, I love your blog! I was wondering if you had any tips on how to increase word count? My stories right now are barely touching nine-hundred words, and that’s usually with a ton of purple prose and unnecessary things thrown in. Is there any natural way to do this?

Developing the density of your draft...

When it comes to making your developing the density in your writing, this is something that has more to do with editing and less to do with your actual drafting style. When you’re first getting a story on the page, directly from your mind, you’re bound to gloss over detail and depth in the interest of making your vision come to life as quickly and fully as possible. This seems contradictory, but when you’re in the zone you tend to make assumptions about what the reader may or may not know.

When you go back to a draft to edit and revise, it’s important that you ask yourself “what have I told the reader?” and “What do I see that I haven’t described in the actual draft?”

It’s very, very easy to forget that maybe you haven’t described the important aspects of the setting or that you forgot to describe the movement of the characters from one place to another. If you want to increase the word count (and overall quality) of your preliminary drafts, you need to find those holes and fill them. You’d be surprised how many opportunities you’ll find to develop the story further if you give your draft a few days to rest and then read over it a couple of times.

This is not me telling you to use flowery language or add useless description. Look for things you as the writer take for granted in the draft that a reader wouldn’t see unless you actually describe it in your writing. You may see the full scene in your head, but they won’t unless you paint the details for them to observe as well.

Here’s some extra resources and past advice that you may find helpful:

On Underwriting

Expanding Scenes

Giving Characters Stage Business

Improving Your General Writing Skills | Part II

How To Develop A Distinct Voice In Your Writing

Using Vocabulary

Balancing Detail & Development

Powering Through The Zero-Draft Phase

How To Better Your Vocabulary & Description

Getting Words on The Page

Step-By-Step : Editing Your Own Writing

Improving Flow In Writing

Adding Description

Finding And Fixing Plot Holes

–

Masterlist | WIP Blog

If you enjoy my blog and wish for it to continue being updated frequently and for me to continue putting my energy toward answering your questions, please consider Buying Me A Coffee, or pledging your support on Patreon, where I offer early access and exclusive benefits for only $5/month.

#description

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help4writers · 4 years ago

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Writing Techniques: Fight Scenes and Clarity

kerzoro said to howtofightwrite:

What would you say at the writing techniques to write a fight? I’ve received (what I feel is valid) criticism that my action scenes need to be punchier and feel too passive, but I’m not 100% what that means, or how to translate that to paper.

What your critique partners are telling you is that you’ve got issues with passive voice which is a common problem for new writers. Passive voice is an overuse of the subject acting on the verb rather than the verb being acted upon.

Passive Voice

She was chased.

Active Voice

He chased her.

Now, both passive and active voice have their uses in writing and can be applied to great effect under the right circumstances. Some writing advice will tell you to rid yourself of passive voice entirely, never use “was”, “were”, “felt”, “is”, etc. While the advice is useful in encouraging you to practice your active voice, it can result in your writing falling out of balance. Passive voice is excellent for framing within a scene while active voice is solid for action. Overuse of active voice can lead to reader fatigue. You want to find a balance between the two which creates a solid rhythm.

However, this is basic advice you can get from any writing blog. Many blogs will tell you that the key to writing a good action scene is to use active voice, make your sentences shorter, raise the tempo of your sentences so the pace quickens and tension increases. These are all good techniques and well worth the effort to develop.

To really succeed at writing action sequences, you need to look beyond surface prose and dig deeper. This involves learning about both real world combat and action created for entertainment. Both have different purposes, but one informs the other by providing you with more options and ways to structure your scenes.

The major failures of most action sequences revolve around lack of clarity.

Clarity of Understanding.

Clarity of Visual Image.

Clarity Setting Reader Expectations

“How” and “Why” Create Worlds

If you don’t understand what’s happening in your narrative and why then you cannot write your story. Narratives are built on cause and effect. Actions happen and a result occurs, these actions large or small build your story. Fight scenes, down to individual actions, are the same way — action happens, result occurs.

If your critique partner is telling you that your fight scenes should be punchier, you’re not just lacking in sentence structure, your imagery and stakes are also suffering.

The problem for most writers when they sit down to write fight scenes is they don’t really understand the material they’re working with. Whether this involves the reasons and motivations for conflict (why does the bully start a fight with a male protagonist in a bar?), or the mechanics of violence itself (what happens when you punch someone?). Despite consuming violent media for most of your life, if you’ve never considered the mechanics of violence in depth, choreographing violence in your narrative is difficult.

Make no mistake. When you are crafting a fight scene in your narrative, you are choreographing a sequence like one would performance art. When a critic stresses the importance of realism, you shouldn’t chase the real world blindly. You failed to set appropriate expectations for your reader and abide by your own rules. No reader really cares about the real world, they care about suspension of disbelief. Learning how things work helps build suspension of disbelief.

For example: if your amazing military general understands nothing about troop movements, military structure, supplies lines, army bureaucracy, the role of spies, interaction with the ruling governing body, etc, then both your character and your world building will suffer. As a result, your suspension of disbelief also suffers.

The goal is not to mimic, duplicate, or import a real world individual or military wholesale, but rather to learn how and why different militaries throughout history (successful and unsuccessful) worked the way they did. From how and why, you can create. Your way doesn’t need to be the best way, the most perfect way, it can be the way that evolved because these individuals had access to these resources to create this culture.

If you’re wondering why I’m talking about world building on a post about writing techniques for fight scenes, the answer is: your character’s culture and the resources they have access to defines how they fight just as much as their personality. How they choose to fight defines their portion of your action sequence. Violence is an expression of identity.

The Parry, Parry, Thrust, Thrust Conundrum

Many fiction writers treat all swords as the same. In reality, less than half a centimeter of distance can be the difference between victory and defeat with bladed weapons.

Why is this piece of information important?

If your answer was: whoever has the longer weapon wins. Well, you’re wrong.

Understanding a weapon’s designated use, it’s strengths and limitations works as a means of setting reader expectations which builds your narrative’s stakes.

A character taking a scimitar into a narrow alley is going to be different from a character taking a rapier into the same narrow alley. In fact, a character with a rapier might choose to lure the character with the scimitar into a narrow alley because they feel choice of terrain benefits them.

This one choice transforms a character from passive into active. The character makes decisions based on the information they have available. They may make the wrong choice, but the choice itself creates an active participant. You cannot make educated choices without knowledge. The more knowledge you have, the more information you have, the smarter and more interesting your setting becomes.

Take these two characters discussing the use of a specialty weapon — a lasbow, which shoots psychically generated lasers bolts.

Suits you, Nathan’s warm thoughts filled her. You could’ve killed that spino with a carefully constructed shot.

Yes, she grit her teeth, but lasbows require more concentration, expend more energy, and bolts fly only so far as imagination and focus allow. A plaspistol just needs a charge.

Here, we see the character lay out the strengths and drawbacks of a lasbow before we see the weapon in combat. We know a lasbow is different from a regular bow. While a lasbow can strike a target at any distance with devastating effect, it is not fire and forget. The wielder must maintain the shot from start to finish. This is a significant weakness in frantic melee if the wielder is not shooting from a defensive position. If the difference between life and death is losing concentration, that might be a little worrying.

Now, let’s see the lasbow in action.

Together, the rexes lumbered into the canyon. Humans perched on saddles atop their massive heads. The rexes were armored in saurohide and plasteel pieces reconfigured from ancient dragon and carno armor.

Leah raised her bow. The rexes’ large nasal cavity allowed them to locate prey from across great distances. Some bonded raiders learned to utilize this sense to locate caravans and other enemies. Probably how they found us. A sharp whine filled her ears, the buzz of electricity. And riding reconditioned fly-bikes. Six humans rode two per vehicle. One driver, one gunner, bikes with built-in weaponswere difficult to come by without a technician. Surprise. Distract. Overwhelm. Simple tactics; terrify and distract with the tyrannosaurus while the bikes and raptors cut the enemy to pieces. Effective against the inexperienced.

Patterning the mental signature of the rex rider on the left, Leah generated her bolt by drawing two fingers through the air. The bolt burst to life in a crackling, snapping hiss of blazing yellow. She fired. The bolt shot through the trees, searing away fronds and leaves.

The rex rider sensed her touch. Their rifle raised, eyes scanning the canyon.

Female. She caged the woman’s mind. No alarms. The bolt pierced through the center of the rider’s helmeted forehead, sliced through the brain, and vanished.

The tyrannosaur’s rider slumped, corpse held in place by saddle straps.

The rex bellowed in agony.

Surprise shook the human minds. Too late. They were committed.

Leah smiled. Let’s go.

Multiple important details occur in this scene.

The enemy is defined and the main character, Leah, instructs the reader regarding the raiders’ intended tactics. This builds anticipation for the battle to come.

The preemptive strike with the lasbow is launched, but Leah also cages the mind of her target to keep them from psychically warning the others. Tactics.

Strategy is also at play, Leah waits until the raiders advancing force is in too deep and cannot retreat when they realize their enemy’s strength. She kills the rex’s rider rather than the rex to create a battlefield wild card, cutting off the only easy escape route.

Leah’s confidence at the end of the scene builds the reader’s sense of security for the coming battle.

A character’s actions can be multi-pronged while the effects of those actions have multiple outcomes. If the world you create is convincing and works off its own logic, you don’t have to worry about it matching reality. If you understand how different kinds of violence work, you can create clear images within your scene that are advanced beyond punches and kicks.

The reason why I generally suggest looking at films rather than novels for your action sequences is because films have the advantage of being choreographed by professionals. As a writer, you’ll never be able to really make use of the same visual spectacle, but the important point is a fight scene choreographer’s business is choreographing fight scenes for entertainment. Whether you’re watching Spiderman, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or Heat, you’re given the opportunity to see a martial artist’s mind at work constructing action in the service of a greater narrative. As a creative who lacks similar experience, you can review a lot of good and bad fight scenes from the famous to the unknown. You can see what worked and what didn’t. You’ve been consuming film fight scenes non-critically for most of your life, now it’s time for you to start learning about the choreographers who created them, figuring out how they work and why.

I’m not suggesting you mindlessly copy, but carefully consider. Each action sequence is an expression of all your characters.

– Michi

This blog is supported through Patreon. If you enjoy our content, please consider becoming a Patron. Every contribution helps keep us online, and writing. If you already are a Patron, thank you.

Writing Techniques: Fight Scenes and Clarity was originally published on How to Fight Write.

#description #fight scenes

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help4writers · 4 years ago

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Naming a South Asian Character

“I need a name for a South Asian character”

We’re going to need a little more information than that…

Please see the following maps of South Asia:

Image description: Two maps of South Asia. The top map depicts the South Asian region, including Afghanistan with color-coding of different regions by 8 color-coded language groups. The bottom depicts the official state/ province/ languages and scripts for countries in the South Asian region, excluding Afghanistan. See end of post for detailed image description under the cut.

(Links: Top Map, Bottom Map)

That’s a lot of languages, right?

Names in South Asian cultures are primarily dictated by religion and language. While there’s some overlap between cultures, we can make an educated guess of someone’s ethnicity & religion based on their name. For example:

Simran Dhillon … is a Punjabi Sikh.

Priyanka Ghosh … is a Bengali Hindu

Maya Srinivasan … is a Tamilian Hindu.

Harsh Patel … is a Gujarati Hindu.

Amin Usmani … is a Muslim from a traditionally Urdu speaking community.

Teresa Fernandes … is a Goan Christian.

Behind the Name is a good place to start looking as they state the specific language the name is from. As for religion, there are more factors to consider.

Sikhs

Sikh first names are gender neutral. The 10th Sikh guru designated Singh (meaning lion, for men) and Kaur (meaning heir to the throne, for women) as Sikh surnames. These surnames were designed to be equalizers within Sikh communities. However, many Sikhs keep their Punjabi surnames (many of these surnames are now primarily associated with Sikhs) and use Singh and Kaur as a middle name (eg. Ranjit Kaur Shergill, Amrit Singh Cheema). More devout Sikhs use only Singh and Kaur or use the same format legally but do not share their surnames.

Sikh first names are derived from gurbani (Sikh holy texts), so they are often uniform across cultures. Most Sikhs who aren’t Punjabi use Singh & Kaur or cultural surnames in the same format. The latter is usually seen among Afghan & Delhiite Sikh communities. While most changed their surnames to Singh & Kaur, some families still kept the surnames they had before they converted from Islam and Hinduism (eg. Harpreet Singh Laghmani, Jasleen Kaur Kapoor).

If you’re stuck on a surname for a Sikh character, Singh for men and Kaur for women is the safest way to go regardless of ethnicity.

Good resources for Sikh names can be found here:

https://www.sikhs.org/names.htm

http://www.sikhwomen.com/SikhNames/

Christians

South Asian Christians naming conventions depend largely on who brought Christianity to the region and when. For example, Christianity was largely brought to Goa by Portuguese Catholics so you’ll see Portuguese surnames, while many Christians in the Seven Sister States didn’t change their names. South Asian Christians will also often have Christian first names, either in Portuguese or in English.

Hindus, Jains, castes and gotras

Hinduism is the majority religion in India and the South Asian region overall. A key thing that many newcomers overlook when writing about Hindus is that rather like feudal Europe, a person’s last name can also tell you what their family used to do because of the caste system. Both Hindus and Jains employ gotras (or lineage systems) designed to keep people from the same patrilineal line from marrying each other. Thus, if your Hindu character is a Vaishya (tradesman/ merchant class), but you have chosen a last name for them related to farming, or if your Kshatriya (warrior) character has a last name that means bureaucrat, you’ve made a mistake. Most Hindus and Jains will have last names derived from Sanskrit, or a language with Sanskrit roots.

A note on middle names: in South India, Hindus will often use the father’s first name for the child’s middle name.

For what it is worth, South Asia is hardly the only region to have these particular features. Japanese society until the end of the Edo era was heavily segregated by caste, and to this day, many families with samurai last names occupy relative positions of privilege compared to other castes, even though the Japanese caste system ended with the Meiji Restoration.

A note of caution: Baby name websites tend to be inaccurate for Hindu names, often confusing Farsi and Arabic-derived Urdu names with the more traditional Sanskrit-derived names. Behind the Name is by far the most accurate website, but it doesn’t hurt to check multiple sources. For Hindu and Jain surnames associated with different castes, regions and gotras, Wikipedia is surprisingly thorough.

Muslims

Islam is the majority religion in Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as the second largest religion in India, but the differing ethnicities and arrival periods of Muslims in South Asia over the course of history can have a significant impact on a character’s name. For example, think of when your character’s family will have arrived in South Asia or converted to Islam:

During the Delhi Sultanate, when Hindustani would have been spoken?

Under the Mughals when Persian was more common?

Are they from Bangladesh and thus speak Bengali?

Do they have ancestors from Afghanistan or Swat Valley, and thus have Pashto last names?

Does the family speak Urdu?

All of these will impact what their name might reasonably be. As a general rule, Muslims will have last names that are in Farsi/ Persian, Urdu, Arabic and Bengali. Bangladeshi Muslims may have Hindu names (both first and last) as well.

Buddhists

When discussing Buddhists in South Asia, we are primarily talking about Nepal and Sri Lanka. The majority languages in these countries are Nepali and Sinhala, respectively. Both languages are part of the Indo-Aryan language family, and like many Indo-Aryan languages, show heavy Sanskrit influence.

Others

Don’t forget that India also has a large number of lesser known minority religions, including Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Tibetan Buddhism and a host of indigenous religions.

Judaism: There are a number of historical Jewish enclaves in India, as the result of specific waves of migration. Like South Asian Muslim names, Jewish last names will vary depending on the ethnicity and arrival period for each particular wave of Jewish diaspora.

Zoroastrianism: People who practice Zoroastrianism are likely to have Farsi last names.

Tibetan Buddhism: Tibetan Buddhists will obviously have Tibetan names and are often a part of the Tibetan diaspora who entered India as refugees during the Chinese government’s invasion of Tibet.

In Conclusion

An in-depth coverage of name etymology in South Asia would probably be the size of an encyclopaedia. The above is hardly exhaustive; we haven’t scratched the surface of the ethnic and linguistic variations in any of the South Asian countries displayed on the maps above. We hope, however, that it motivates you to research carefully and appreciate the cultural diversity South Asia has to offer. Just like in any setting where issues of lineage are plainly displayed by a person’s name, names in South Asia tell stories about where a person is from, what language they speak, and what their ancestors might have done, even if this has little bearing on the character themselves. It may seem a little elaborate to try and imagine the ancestors of your character before you even decide who your character is, but the reality is that most South Asians know these things instinctively, and whether or not you do your due diligence will be part of how we judge your work.

Name a thing to fight over, and South Asians have probably fought over it at one point or another, whether it be religion, ethnicity, language, or caste. However, one thing many South Asians have in common is pride in our individual origins. Respecting this love of identity will be invaluable as you plan your story.

At the end of the day, there is no substitute for actually talking to people who share your character’s background. We will always recommend having someone from the community you’re writing about check your naming.

Keep reading

#names #diversity #south asia

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help4writers · 4 years ago

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Writing ship-able couples

Here are some tips for writing relationships your readers can get behind:

1. Give them reasons to click

The two characters must have things in common - a hobby, a philosophy, a background. There has to be some element that connects them.

Your readers will root for relationships in which the characters fit together better than they would with others.

Also, make their traits compatible. Have them share some characteristics or have their strengths and weaknesses be complementary. Is the one hotheaded? Maybe the other keeps their cool well in situations of conflict.

There are endless possibilities. Just make sure there’s a reason these two people like/love each other.

2. Have them be vulnerable in front of each other

Personally, this is the best way to get me to love a couple.

Have them share secrets, open up about their feelings and tell each other things they haven’t told anyone. Have them cry in front of each other and comfort each other.

This can be taken to a whole new level by having them understand the other’s emotions even without speaking and already offer comfort. Keep in mind that this will probably only be possible with long-established couples.

And having them open up is also a great way for them to discover all the things they have in common/love about each other.

3. Build up the tension

I cannot emphasise this enough: DO NOT MAKE YOUR COUPLES GET TOGETHER TOO QUICKLY.

One of the best elements of a romantic subplot (or even main plot) is the tension. Your readers want to see the pining! They want the build-up.

And no, I’m not saying that you should introduce endless, petty obstacles. That can become tedious and appear forced.

Just give your characters time to sort through their feelings. Make them fall in love slowly. Have them be unsure. Insert SOME obstacles/conflicts.

Have them almost kiss a few times. Not all the time. Too many almost-kisses can become frustrating. But you should throw a few in there.

And, if you feel comfortable with it, add some sexual tension. Have them notice each other’s bodies and imagine what they’d like to do to each other (that sounds more explicit than I intended :) )

4. Write a healthy relationship

This could just be me and my rejection of unhealthy romances, but I will not root for abusive relationships.

Have your characters be kind to each other, support each other and truly care for each other.

If your characters are constantly putting each other down, physically/emotionally abusing each other or going against the other’s wishes, they’re not in a healthy relationship.

A great way to write a healthy relationship whilst still maintaining the tension, is to have the conflict in the relationship be external. Instead of having the conflict be due to internal struggles between the two characters, have obstacles enter from outside.

Your readers should want them to be together and for that, they should be good for each other.

5. Have their friends/family see their chemistry

I find it beyond adorable when two characters are still figuring out their feelings for each other, but the fact that they’re perfect for each other is crystal clear to everyone around them.

Have their friends tease them about the relationship. Have family members ask after the them. Have their loved ones conspire to get them to admit their feelings.

If your other characters are rooting for them, your readers will probably do so as well.

Plus, this means that the chemistry between the two characters is so strong that it’s obvious, which is always good for an exciting romance.

That’s all I’ve got for now. If you have any further questions about writing OTPs or any other aspect of writing, feel free to message me or pop me an ask.

Reblog if you found any of this useful. Comment with your own tips. Follow me for similar content.

#relations

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