raccoon-writing

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Questions to ask beta readers

General:

Were you confused at any point of the story?

What genre would you say this book is?

When did you put the story down?

Is the ending satisfying?

If you had to cut 3 scenes what would they be?

When did you feel like the story really began?

What was the last book you read before this story?

Characters:

Do you get any of the characters names confused?

Which character is your favorite?

If you had to remove a character who would you and why? (you don't have to remove the character, just make sure their role is meaningful)

Which character do you relate to the most?

Which character do you relate to the least?

Do the characters feel real?

Are character relationships believable?

Are the goals clear and influence the plot?

Are the characters distinct (voice, motivations, etc)

Setting:

Which setting was clearest to you?

Which setting was the most memorable?

Am including enough/too much detail?

Plot and conflict:

Are the internal and external conflicts well defined for the main characters?

Are the internal conflicts and the external conflicts organic and believable?

Are there enough stakes?

Are the plot twists believable but still unexpected?

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Writers: it's not normal to hear your character's voices in your head! Hope this helps

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In writing, epithets ("the taller man"/"the blonde"/etc) are inherently dehumanizing, in that they remove a character's name and identity, and instead focus on this other quality.

Which can be an extremely effective device within narration!

They can work very well for characters whose names the narrator doesn't know yet (especially to differentiate between two or more). How specific the epithet is can signal to the reader how important the character is going to be later on, and whether they should dedicate bandwidth to remembering them for later ("the bearded man" is much less likely to show up again than "the man with the angel tattoo")

They can indicate when characters stop being as an individual and instead embody their Role, like a detective choosing to think of their lover simply as The Thief when arresting them, or a royal character being referred to as The Queen when she's acting on behalf of the state

They can reveal the narrator's biases by repeatedly drawing attention to a particular quality that singles them out in the narrator's mind

But these only work if the epithet used is how the narrator primarily identifies that character. Which is why it's so jarring to see a lot of common epithets in intimate moments-- because it conveys that the main character is primarily thinking of their lover/best friend/etc in terms of their height or age or hair color.

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more on writing muslim characters from a hijabi muslim girl

- hijabis get really excited over pretty scarves - they also like to collect pins and brooches - we get asked a lot of questions and it can be annoying or it can be amusing, just depends on our mood and personality and how the question is phrased - common questions include: - “not even water?” (referring to fasting) - hijabis hear a lot of “do you sleep in that?” (we don’t) and “where is your hair?” (in a bun or a braid, usually) - “is it mooze-slim or mozzlem?” (the answer is neither, it’s muslim, with a soft s and accent on the first syllable) - “ee-slam or iz-lamb?” (it’s iss-laam, accent on the first syllable) - “hee-job?” (heh-jahb, accent on the second syllable)

- “kor-an?” (no. quran. say it like koor-annn, accent on the second syllable) - people tend to mess up our names really badly and you just get a sigh and a resigned nod or an awkward smile, maybe a nickname instead - long hair is easy to hide, short hair is harder to wrap up - hijab isn’t just covering hair, it’s also showing as little skin as possible with the exception of face, hands, and feet, and not wearing tight/sheer clothing - that applies to men too, people just don’t like to mention it ( i wonder why) - henna/mehendi isn’t just for special occasions, you’ll see people wearing it for fun - henna/mehendi isn’t just for muslims, either, it’s not a religious thing - henna/mehendi is not just for women, men also wear it, especially on their weddings - there are big mehendi parties in the couple of nights before eid where people (usually just women and kids) gather and do each other’s mehendi, usually just hands and feet - five daily prayers - most muslim kids can stutter through a couple verses of quran in the original arabic text by the age of seven or eight, it does not matter where they live or where they’re from or what language they speak natively - muslim families tend to have multiple copies of the quran - there are no “versions” of the quran, there has only ever been one. all muslims follow the exact same book - muslims have no concept of taking God’s name in vain, we call on God at every little inconvenience - don’t use islamic phrases if you don’t know what they mean or how to use them. we use them often, inside and outside of religious settings. in islam, it is encouraged to mention God often and we say these things very casually, but we take them very seriously - Allahu Akbar means “God is Greatest” (often said when something shocks or surprises us, or if we’re scared or daunted, or when something amazing happens, whether it be good or bad; it’s like saying “oh my god”) - Subhan Allah means “Glory be to God” (i say subhan Allah at the sky, at babies, at trees, whatever strikes me as pleasant, especially if it’s in nature) - Bismillah means “in the name of God” and it’s just something you say before you start something like eating or doing your homework - In Shaa Allah means “if God wills” (example: you’ll be famous, in shaa Allah) (it’s a reminder that the future is in God’s hands, so be humble and be hopeful)

- Astaghfirullah means “i seek forgiveness from Allah” and it’s like “god forgive me” - Alhamdulillah means “all thanks and praise belong to God” and it’s just a little bit more serious than saying “thank god” (example: i passed my exams, alhamdulillah; i made it home okay, alhamdulillah) - when i say we use them casually, i really mean it - teacher forgot to assign homework? Alhamdulillah - our version of “amen” is “ameen” - muslims greet each other with “assalamu alaikum” which just means “peace be on you” and it’s like saying hi - the proper response is “walaikum assalam” which means “and on you be peace” and it’s like saying “you too”

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When I die

I just hope

That my headstone

Doesn't have her name on it

That when I pass

The memory people have of her

Is finally gone

And that they will remember me instead

I hope that when I'm burried

It isn't under her name

Because I will never be at peace

While she haunts my resting place

I dont want to be burried if its in a stranger's grave.

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I am a(n):

⚪ Male

⚪ Female

🔘 Writer

Looking for

⚪ Boyfriend

⚪ Girlfriend

🔘 An incredibly specific word that I can't remember

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Writing Accessibility PSA

Please avoid using long strings of characters as line breaks in your writing - these are not screen reader/TTS friendly!

Every ‘°’ will be read as ‘degree’ - can you imagine how long it takes to read out a string of 25? Let alone more complicated combinations of characters (eg. imagine listening to TTS read out ~*~ |°| ~*~ multiple times per line break)?

A good rule of thumb is to stick with short, 2-3 character line breaks (eg. I don’t find — or *** too egregious to listen to). Your readers can tell there’s been a scene change whether you use two or twenty em-dashes, but if you use twenty, some of us might have to listen for 30 seconds to read the next scene. If you’re more concerned about aesthetics, you can insert an image of your aesthetically pleasing line break with alt text simply reading ‘line break’ for accessibility.

Don’t feel bad if this is something you’ve never thought about before - now you know better and can make your writing more accessible moving forward!

I would like to invite any other screenreader users to add their own thoughts or preferences to this post. We’re not a monolith and there’s a variety to how different softwares interact with repeating character strings and images with alt text, so there’s bound to be some conflicting opinions on what I’ve suggested above. Let’s try to make the stories we share accessible for everyone :]

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*  ―  WEREWOLF STARTER PROMPTS .  

* tw for mentions of blood / cannibalism / death + murder .

to the werewolf .

❝ it’s almost a full moon. ❞

❝ are you still bipedal ? as a wolf, i mean. ❞

❝ you bit me ! ❞

❝ you smell like wet dog. ❞

❝ so do you howl at the moon ? ❞

❝ take a deep breath, okay ? you need to calm down. ❞

❝ your secret is safe with me. ❞

❝ so we should avoid silver then ? ❞

❝ i just saw you turn into a giant dog. ❞

❝ awoo. ❞

❝ so is this a lone wolf situation, or do you have like … a pack ? ❞

❝ do you prefer the term pack or family ? ❞

❝ you are covered in blood. ❞

❝ you’re not gonna start marking your territory or something, are you ? ❞

❝ you were howling with laughter. ❞

❝ look how big the moon is. ❞

❝ what big teeth you have… ❞

❝ luckily, i’m a dog person. ❞

from a werewolf .

❝ i’m a werewolf. ❞

❝ you seriously think i’m a werewolf ? ❞

❝ shut up and chain yourself to a tree. ❞

❝ we’re werewolves, not swearwolves. ❞

❝ alpha is an outdated term, based off of bullshit studies. ❞

❝ telling me to calm down is just gonna make it worse. ❞

❝ it’s the fullmoon, i don’t wanna ruin my good clothes. ❞

❝ look, i’m not gonna hurt you ! ❞

❝ get out of here, or i’m going to hurt you. ❞

❝ you think people are gonna believe you saw me turn into a giant dog ? ❞

❝ sorry i bit you. ❞

❝ so, you’re a werewolf now. ❞

❝ welcome to the pack ! ❞

❝ if it makes you feel better it’s not my blood. ❞

❝ i prefer the term werewolf/lycanthrope. ❞

❝ i told you, you need to leave. ❞

❝ are you … trying to walk me ? ❞

actions .

[ AWOO. ]   the sender howls at the moon.

[ TEETH. ]   the sender bites the receiver during a full moon .

[ CHANGE. ]   the receiver walks in on the sender during their transformation.

[ CALM. ]   the sender reaches out to calm the receiver. 

[ DARK. ]   the receiver finds the sender out on a full moon. 

[ FOUND. ]   the sender found the receiver somewhere after a full moon, and decides to take care of them

[ GROWL. ]   the sender growls at the receiver as a warning. 

[ PREPARE. ]   the sender helps the receiver prepare for the full moon. 

[ SILVER. ]   the sender accidently/purposefully gives the receiver something silver to see how they react. 

[ TRAP. ]   the receiver is caught in a trap by the sender. 

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how's some angst ? but only if you want to !

I’m always in the mood for angst!

Angst Prompts

Prompts

A and B have been dating for a while, and A finally meets B parents. A discovers that B never told their parents that they’re dating, and confronts B about it.

A is constantly talking about how they’re dissatisfied with where they are in life. They hate their house, their job, everything. B confronts them about it because if A hates everything about their life, they must hate B too, right?

A and B have been pining for each other hard. B finally makes a move and A freaks out and shuts them down. They get into a fight and discover why A thinks they can never be together.

A is hurt but is super mad at B. While yelling and objecting, A reluctantly lets B take care of them.

A is terrified of the dark. The first time they stay over at B’s house (alternatively, while camping, staying at a hotel or anywhere you’d like), they forget a nightlight / there’s a powercut . B finds them in a mess, in the dark.

A is revisiting their childhood home with their partner B. While there, the house burns down. A gets upset that all the memories are lost and dwells on their lost past.

A gets into an accident that erases their memory. B desperately tries to get them to remember their life.

Oneliners

“Nothing is worth it anymore”

“Was any of it real?”

“I’d take all of it back if I could”

“No, you’re not going to die like this”

“I can’t do this anymore! I’m hurting you!”

“How can you trust me when I don’t even trust me?”

“The past always catches up one way or another”

“You did this”

“Stop acting like you don’t matter!”

“You broke every promise you made”

“What we had meant nothing to you!”

“They’re all dead . . . all of them . . .”

“One day you’re/they’re gonna see me the way I see myself”

“It wasn’t just one mistake! It was one after another after another after another!”

“I should’ve saved them . . .”

Also see:

OTP hurt/comfort prompts and oneliners

50 ways to say I hate you

Betrayal prompts and oneliners

Let me know if you want me to add more!

Leave requests for other oneliners / prompts!

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Angst Prompts Masterlist

50 ways to say I hate you

Angst oneliners

More angst oneliners

Angst prompts and oneliners

Betrayal prompts and oneliners

Hurt / Comfort prompts and oneliners

Grief prompts and oneliners

Reasons for your characters to hate each other

More reasons for your characters to hate each other

30 day angst writing challenge

Also see:

Prompt masterlist

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Flower Language Based Prompt List I made instead of writing 💐

I tried to make the prompts relate to each flower’s definition per the Victorian Flower Language without getting too repetitive.

The prompts are all fairly open ended and I figured people could use them for their own inspiration or request games!!

You know the “send me a ship and flower and I’ll write something.”

Anywho, if anyone does end up using this I’d love it if you’d tag me so I can read what you’ve written!! Either way, I hope someone can get use out my procrastinating 💖

Click here to view an unedited version of the document: The List

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If you're reading this...

go write three sentences on your current writing project.

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From my Dog Soldiers fic:

Cooper shakes his head, “No, no I don’t want you gone. I should, but I don’t. I… I love you I just… They took everything from me… You can’t be one of them.”

Tagging anyone who wants to do this!

Last line tag 📝

RULES—share the last line you wrote for your WIP, and then tag as many people as there are words.

thank you to my dear @beigepajamas for the tag!

After all, Satoru had told you how twisted love’s curse was and here he is - its personified champion.

omg tagging that many people I’d feel awful so I’ll just keep it to as many as I can LMAO

no pressure tags: @willowser @stellamancer @andypantsx3 @strawberrystepmom @acerathia @lorelune @firein-thesky @sukisweetie @procrastination-artist @fairy-writes

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Welcome!

Im Rowan (he/end) and I like to write! Here you'll find reblogs of writing tips, prompts, and other useful things! I also post fics, drabbles, and requests!

Carrd (where you can find a longer about, fandoms and characters I write for, and rules!)

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I didn’t see any request rules so I’ll just toss this here

What r ur thoughts on a domestic life w Natasha? GN reader pls

I should really like. Make a pinned post anyway-

Nat is the type to show her feelings through actions rather than words, so you can definitely expect her to do things around the house. Anything needs to be done and she's on it. Dishes? Cleaned and dried. Laundry? Hung up and folded neatly. Cleaning? She's got the duster and vacuum already out.

And oh my god her cooking? Expect breakfast in bed nearly every day. Your favorites, right there when you wake up. If you're the type to compliment her on her cooking she glows from the praise. She values your opinion so much, and to hear it from you? She feels on top of the world.

Overall she's a very caring and doting person, she does her best to make sure everything is perfect for you. It takes a lot out of her but she loves doing things for you, but if you tell her to take a break? She will. Anything for you.

If you want any other specifics, lmk!

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I wanna try and do some short drabbles while i work on a longer fic, so if you have any prompts or requests,,,

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