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shakespeare-who · 5 years

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Actually

The question I get the most is how I write characters that feel like real people.

Generally when I’m designing a human being, I deconstruct them into 7 major categories:

1. Primary Drive 2. Fear: Major and Secondary 3. Physical Desires 4. Style of self expression 5. How they express affection 6. What controls them (what they are weak for) 7. What part of them will change.

1. Primary Drive: This is generally related to the plot. What are their plot related goals? How are they pulling the plot forward? how do they make decisions? What do they think they’re doing and how do they justify doing it. 2. Fear: First, what is their deep fear? Abandonment? being consumed by power? etc. Second: tiny fears. Spiders. someone licking their neck. Small things that bother them. At least 4. 3. Physical desires. How they feel about touch. What is their perceived sexual/romantic orientation. Do their physical desires match up with their psychological desires.

4. Style of self expression: How they talk. Are they shy? Do they like to joke around and if so, how? Are they anxious or confident internally and how do they express that externally. What do words mean to them? More or less than actions? Does their socioeconomic background affect the way they present themselves socially? 5. How they express affection: Do they express affection through actions or words. Is expressing affection easy for them or not. How quickly do they open up to someone they like. Does their affection match up with their physical desires. how does the way they show their friends that they love them differ from how they show a potential love interest that they love them. is affection something they struggle with?

6. What controls them (what they are weak for): what are they almost entirely helpless against. What is something that influences them regardless of their own moral code. What– if driven to the end of the wire— would they reject sacrificing. What/who would they cut off their own finger for. What would they kill for, if pushed. What makes them want to curl up and never go outside again from pain. What makes them sink to their knees from weakness or relief. What would make them weep tears of joy regardless where they were and who they were in front of.

7. WHAT PART OF THEM WILL CHANGE: people develop over time. At least two of the above six categories will be altered by the storyline–either to an extreme or whittled down to nothing. When a person experiences trauma, their primary fear may change, or how they express affection may change, etc. By the time your book is over, they should have developed. And its important to decide which parts of them will be the ones that slowly get altered so you can work on monitoring it as you write. making it congruent with the plot instead of just a reaction to the plot.

That’s it.

But most of all, you have to treat this like you’re developing a human being. Not a “character” a living breathing person. When you talk, you use their voice. If you want them to say something and it doesn’t seem like (based on the seven characteristics above) that they would say it, what would they say instead?

If they must do something that’s forced by the plot, that they wouldn’t do based on their seven options, they can still do the thing, but how would they feel internally about doing it?

How do their seven characteristics meet/ meld with someone else’s seven and how will they change each other?

Once you can come up with all the answers to all of these questions, you begin to know your character like you’d know one of your friends. When you can place them in any AU and know how they would react.

They start to breathe.

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shakespeare-who · 5 years

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Ways For Your Characters to Realize They’re In Love

Marathoning favorite shows/movies of their partner even though they don’t really like it

Watching their partner study for an exam

Seeing their partner sorting candy by color

Hearing the way their partner talks to kids

Looking into their eyes and really looking at their eye color

Noticing small details about them (physically)

When they remember details about their partner

Going on a road trip with their partner and having a good time singing and talking for hours with minimal awkwardness

Seeing how their partner treats another human being/animal

The way their partner looks when they fall asleep/wake up

Seeing their partner make them a meal

Smelling their cologne/perfume in a crowd

Hearing their laugh

Having their partner reach for them without looking because they know they’re there.

Giving their partner a nickname/having their partner give them a nickname

Hearing a song that reminds them of their partner

Standing up for their partner/Protecting them

Catching their eye when they’re in a crowd

When they’re crying

When they pick them up/get picked up by them from work, school, etc.

Seeing how much confidence they have when they talk about something they love

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shakespeare-who · 5 years

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If You Give a Book a Title...

Book Titling FAQ

This post will mainly refer to novels and their nitty gritties, but a lot of this can also be applied toward short stories, novellas, poems and poetry collections, films, and the likes).

First Thing: What Does a Title Need to Do?

That depends on a lot of things. The listed things below are not always required but are typically all considered. You know your story best and what you intend on doing with it, so trim the list accordingly.

A title should…

represent the story, themes, and purpose as a whole

be marketable and easy to pitch

NOT resemble titles of other works in your genre

NOT be the exact same as another work, regardless of genre and medium (although some creator’s have proven otherwise; trust your instincts)

be easy to say and remember for an average joe when they bring it up in conversation

reflect your genre, sub-genre(s), and overall tone

make you feel proud to say and mention to others

get to the point

be interesting and raise questions or create mystique for someone unfamiliar (right between super-vague and super-specific)

be able to reach a wide audience

Are There Any Contingents?

Yes, both good and bad.

The Bad: If you are traditionally publishing, your publisher has the final say on the title. I know a lot of us have heard this scary statement, but I did some digging and found out some key things on this.

Yes, it is 100% true; a publisher has the final say. However, it doesn’t seem to be common practice and it’s not done without reason. A good publisher isn’t changing the title because they have their own good idea. When a good publisher changes the title, it’s because these industry professionals (who NEED your book to sell well) feel as if you have done a disservice to your book’s marketability with its original title.

The most common reasons I could find for a publisher changing the title were:

It was too long

I’m not talking The Knife of Never Letting Go or Are All My Friends Hanging Out Without Me? long. I’m talking very wordy compound sentences long. Said-In-Two-Breaths long.

It was too specific and narrowed down potential readers

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson appeals to many kinds of non-fic readers; The Roller Coaster of Emotions of a Mentally Ill Blogger by Jenny Lawson, although a funny title (and I love that book), narrows down that broad potential readership

You have to hook ‘em before they know what hit ‘em

It was too similar to another work

Either too similar to another work within the genre, too similar to another work within their publishing canon, too similar to another work coming out at the same time, too similar to a famous work, or just too similar to another work in general

tl;dr: If you think you have a strong, unique, and effective title, chances are you’ll be able to keep it.

The Good: You could be off the hook for a lot of the “necessary” things for a good publishing title if you’re not publishing on a wider scale. If you’re posting on tumblr, Wattpad, AO3, et al. or you aren’t publishing for the public AND you care more about the title meaning than the “marketability”, than you are good to go. There’s no shame in publishing work for your own fun and not for a “bigger goal”. Plus, if you decide to aim for a bigger goal, you can always tweak the title.

The Extra Good: There are opportunities to create nuanced titles all the time that don’t follow any “rule” listed in the first question. And even if they aren’t nuanced, IT’S ART! Do what you want! The advice here is simply to guide writers who want to focus on what makes a good title within a market. Both quests are noble and you should choose based on your story and your goal.

The Extra EXTRA Good: A lot of leeway can be given for series installments (see below).

How Do I Know if It’s a Good Title?

A great way is to survey your friends, mentors, and writerly peers. You could give them the title your set on for feedback or you could give them a list of options for them to vote on. The purpose isn’t to let them decide if your title is bad or to choose which title, but for you to get feedback to use how you want. Sometimes I throw in filler titles that I come up with off the cuff and THEY are the ones who get chosen. Feedback is just food for thought.

Another way is to research published titles in the same genre. Both to analyze overused trends, patterns, motifs, and words AND to get an idea of what gets a lot of readers interested. Of course, the cover and author and so many other variables go into a successful book, but the title is at least one facet.

Overall, you should think about its effectiveness. Does it evoke the tone you want? As you think about plot points and themes, does the title still make sense? Would you read a book with this title? Could this title be misleading in any way?

Slow Down! How Do I Find a Title in the First Place?

First, try to make a list of potential words and phrases to include in the title. There are many ways to find these which include, but are NOT limited to:

a common motif, symbol, image, or theme in the story

a character and their name

a once-said phrase/fragment from the text

a key word, phrase, setting, or name specific to the story’s world

words you like and/or sound pretty and are applicable

words that are uncommon but pretty and applicable (i.e. latin, historical/archaic terms, etc.)

a common expression, proverb, or saying

Now, let’s do some puzzle work.

Some of your words and phrases that you have compiled are perfectly fine on their own as titles. Other may need some support. I have a post on this concept, but I’m going to put it all here and expand upon it.

Here are some common ways author’s arrange these words/phrases into the title*:

The Long-Title Metaphor w/ Imagery

ex. The Knife of Never Letting Go

The Short-Title Metaphor w/ Imagery

ex. Lost Stars

A Sentence Fragment

ex. And I Darken

_______’s _______

ex. The Savior’s Champion

The Main Character(s) (No Names)

ex. The Book Thief, The Help, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Dark Disciple

The Pair of Recurrent Theme(s)

ex. Pride and Prejudice

_________ from ________

The Execution from the Silent Valley

The Easter Egg

ex. Fahrenheit 451

(paper burns at that temp)

The Command

ex. Fall on Your Knees, Call Me By Your Name, Tell the Wolves I’m Home

The Introduction

ex. I, the Sun

An Utterance

I Might Regret This, You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me

_________ of ________

Trail of Lightning, Evidence of the Affair, Monsters of Men

Adjective + Noun

Hillbilly Elegy, Sharp Objects

*some of these examples include titles that appear in their entirety within the text, which means the author didn’t really have to manipulate a list like yours, but I still think they’re good examples to know

How Should I Title for a Series?

For this answer’s purpose, I’ll be referring to series with interrelated stories rather than anthologies like Goosebumps.

There are two parts here: individual installments and the series as a whole.

Individual Installments:

You should look at other series of the same length and genre. Some have titles that correlate and some prioritize other things like imagery.

* I’d also like to note that it is much easier to get away with a title that is similar/identical to another work if it is the 2nd+ installment in a series.

In fact, it’s easy to disregard most of the aforementioned “rules” for the 2nd+ installment once it’s under the umbrella of a unique first book title. You don’t have to worry about a title that will “hook” a random reader so much. You do that more with the first book.

Here are some examples to get you started:

Dystopian trilogies

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay

Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant

Historical trilogy

And I Darken, Now I Rise, Bright We Burn

Fantasy romance trilogy

Caraval, Legendary, Finale

Dystopian romance series

Shatter Me, Unravel Me, Ignite Me, Restore Me, Defy Me, etc etc

Matched, Crossed, Reached

YA Mystery/Thriller Series

The Naturals, Killer Instinct, All In, Bad Blood

Series Names

The series’ name can take so many different forms. So, as always, I’ve got some examples for you.

The Conqueror’s Saga

Chaos Walking Trilogy

The Hunger Games Trilogy

Only example here named after the first book

Southern Reach Trilogy

The Chronicles of Narnia

Variants

Willow and Birch

Goodnight Family

Above all, an effective series name is short, unique, and memorable.

How Should I Title For an Anthology?

requested by @books_of_lunacy

An anthology, when referring to a collection of multiple books*, is when a series is comprised of stand-alone installments. It is less about a specific story or set of characters and more about broader concepts.

All anthologies have a theme, whether it’s based off of genre or something else, and some have a specific setting (which can sub in for a theme). When you are naming an anthology, you should have its theme and/or setting nailed down.

There are some easy words to tag onto a series title to make it clear it is an anthology.

The _______ Anthology

Stories of _______

Tales from _________

et cetera et cetera

However, you can also include the word “anthology” within the synopsis or book cover. Depending on if you traditionally publish, they will most likely try to make it very clear it is a stand-alone book and advertise it as such. In this case, you might not have to be so explicit with your series title itself.

Above all, it should still follow the guidelines of a series title and be short, unique, and memorable.

It also helps to be more specific and denote the theme, genre, or setting at hand. This hooks a reader in just like a title does. For example, a popular TV anthology is pretty specific: American Horror Story. And while that might objectively seem too specific, subjectively, it works. It tells prospective viewers the setting, theme, and genre. Each season ( or “installment” that works like a full novel) grows more specific on the setting. “Murder House”, “Asylum”, “Roanoke”, etc.

Now, for titling the Individual Installments

Just like an interrelated series, anthology installment titles can be coordinated or uncoordinated. It depends on your goal.

If your goal is to produce a canon of work where each book is successful upon themselves and not the anthology, title your books as you would a non-series book. The more coordinated your titles are, the more likely they are to rely upon one another for full comprehension, which alienates a reader who just wants to delve into one book.

If your goal is to produce an anthology that is more often recognized as a whole than by single installments, coordinate your titles. This enforces the idea of “unity” between individual books within the context of the anthology. Like the AHS examples above, this could be that every installment title comes from a specification within the theme and/or setting at hand. This could be a character, place, year, etc. You could also create a prefix or suffix fragment that bookends a new title. For example, each book title could begin with “The People vs. ______” if your anthology revolves around court cases.

Always rememberyouru goal for the anthology and its installments.

*some anthologies are stories within a single book. however, this was not the requested question

I Have More Questions!

Awesome! At the risk of totally filling up someone’s dash with one post, I’m going to stop here for now. However, I encourage you to send further questions to my Ask box! Make sure it isn’t anon, though, because I will be updating this post with your question/my answer and I would like to give credit!

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shakespeare-who · 5 years

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Hey, writeblrs! Can you please reblog this if your blog is a safe space for diversity!

#hell yeah!

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shakespeare-who · 5 years

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#oc / kenji

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shakespeare-who · 5 years

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UPDATE TO TRANSGENDER STYLE GUIDE: AVOIDING INVALIDATING LANGUAGE TRAPS

Full description of the featured image for the post “Update to Transgender Style Guide: Avoiding Invalidating Language Traps” (word bubbles and text that illustrate an update to the style guide):

Title: The Radical Copyeditor’s Style Guide for Writing About Transgender People: 2.8-2.11: Avoiding Invalidating Language Traps

Speech bubbles contrast the following phrases under the headings “Invalidating language” versus “Validating language”: “Women and trans women” versus “Cis and trans women”; “Students who consider themselves ‘non-binary'” versus “Non-binary students”; “Zed, who identifies as agender” versus “Zed is agender”; “her secret was exposed” versus “her history was publicized”; “closeted,” “stealth,” and “passes” versus “private” and “nondisclosure”; and “an out trans man” versus “openly trans” and “public.”

#writing / reference

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shakespeare-who · 5 years

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cop: can you describe the woman who stabbed you

male author: lithe, spirited, outgoing, and not afraid to speak her mind. she was a raw sexual force and she knew it. she was dandelion fluff on a summer day, gone in an instant, leaving you with nothing but the memory of her touch and the faint taste of strawberries on your lips

#misc / lmao

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shakespeare-who · 5 years

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※ MORE JENNA MARBLES SENTENCE STARTERS ※

sentences from 10 more of jenna’s videos – feel free to change names/pronouns/zodiac signs/etc.! more jenna sentences

AN ADVENTURE IN PARAFFIN WAX

“You’re calling this a bad idea? I haven’t even started yet…!”

“You can’t hide behind bad ideas.”

“I’ll take one fuck me up fam and a knife, please.”

“All of my fucking dreams are coming true.”

“I did not anticipate it taking three fucking hours, but here we go.”

“Why don’t you snap me some nudes while we wait?”

“I look like the hamburger helper guy.”

“Imagine the power of this in the wrong hands. Those are my hands.”

“I like my nails like I like my life: a mess.”

“Are you judging me?”

“Considerate bukkake is the new genre of porn.”

“No good idea has ever come from my brain.”

“They will not let you do this at the salon because they clearly don’t like fun.”

“We don’t care about your safety, anyone else’s safety, or the fire code.”

“What, you don’t like fun?”

“I’ve invented a thing…! I’ve invented a thing that’s never existed before…! As far as I know…!”

“Are you impressed or what?”

“This has been bothering me for, like, fifteen years.”

“I invented fucking candle hands, okay?”

MAKING TINY THINGS FOR OUR HAMSTER 2

“Can I trust you with the scissors?”

“I swear to god, we’re gonna go to the hospital by the end of this video.”

“Go wash yourself, you’re nasty, and you need Jesus.”

“Babe, do you know what my astrological sign is?”

“It means that you’re fucking insane.”

“What are you writing on your hand?”

“Don’t write secrets about Joel Osteen on your hand.”

“This is fucking frustrating already.”

“Julien’s doing aries things again…”

“Now we have some time to talk about how you need to stop it.”

“If it comes out shitty, don’t make fun of me, okay?”

“This is fucking impossible.”

“It’s not exactly perfect, but we tried our best.”

“This took so much effort, oh my god.”

“When you’re dating me, do you ever just feel like, what the fuck?”

“I mean, this shit’s ridiculous.”

“I failed, I’m sorry, I’m trying my best.”

“Bitch, where the fuck am I?”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re a little ungrateful.”

“Not quite a success, but not quite a failure, so, sounds a lot like my life.”

GIVING MYSELF A PERM

“First of all, I have a wedding to go to this weekend, how can I fuck that up?”

“What can I do that I’ve always wanted to do?”

“I want a perm, but not like a full-blown one.”

“Excuse you, I have a living, breathing online resumé that I think more than qualifies me as a beauty professional.”

“Get fucked.”

“Yeah, this smells like ass.”

“I have a question for you, Julien. Why do you put up with me?”

“I haven’t gone to a professional hair dresser since, what, last December…?”

“I’d like one fuck me up fam.”

“Apparently, this stuff burns your skin and shit.”

“I feel like, if this works, you’re gonna be fuckin’ jealous.”

“I’m in the middle of something…!”

“I feel so disrespected.”

“This is mediocre at best, but we done did it.”

“Hey, that’s kind of dramatic.”

“Did you just spit on the floor…!?”

“Have you ever tried swatting flies with a knife?”

“It’s not time to dick around yet.”

“It’s always time to dick around, okay?”

“I just look like a dirtier version of myself.”

“Is it bad that I kinda like it?”

“This level of damage takes such hard work and dedication.”

“I’m having so much fucking fun right now, are you kidding me?”

“Touch this and tell me what it feels like?”

“For $8, this is an awful lot of fun.”

I SUCK AT PRANKS 3

“We’re just gonna have to freak out and do it.”

“Who, after a long day of hard work, doesn’t love to come home to a surprise prom?”

“He’s gonna be pissed, and it’s gonna make a mess.”

“Wait, who the fuck are you?”

“I hope that he’s too busy and doesn’t notice that I’m gone at all.”

“Is this even fucking worth it?”

“I will do anything to romance prank my boyfriend.”

“I’m a little disappointed, but it’s gonna be alright.”

“What the fuck is that?”

“No, you’re ruining prom…!”

“This bubble machine has more than paid for itself in fun.”

“Oh my god, I don’t know what to do, I’m not almost done.”

“Julien’s gonna be pissed, but that’s okay.”

“This is gonna be a disaster to clean up.”

“I didn’t expect him home this soon — he said 5 PM, and it is not 5 PM. I’m freaking out.”

“I’m not good at pranks or surprises.”

“Will you go to prom with me?”

“What is going on?”

“Am I being pranked?”

“What are you wearing?”

“We’re going to prom…!”

“I have to go, immediately.”

“I got a fog machine that doesn’t work.”

“Be very careful, it’s slippery.”

“Help yourself to some punch — it’s watermelon water and vodka.”

“You scared the shit out of me when I walked in.”

“This was amazing…!”

“Alright, clean this shit up.”

GOOGLE DEEP DIVE WITH ME 2

“I don’t know if I can take any more.”

“I’m literally losing my mind today.”

“That dog looks like it’s wearing dentures.”

“First of all, fuck her.”

“Don’t look at me, look at the road.”

“She’s gonna kill someone.”

“Nobody had a good time in Driver’s Ed.”

“How is that not against the law?”

“We’re having a really hard day.”

“There’s nothing to dislike about this…!”

“I’m invested in the story now.”

“This is my favorite channel on the Internet.”

“Get back here right now.”

“He just shot her…!”

“Dude, this guy’s a fuckin pro…!”

“He’s a legend. He’s an absolute legend.”

MY DOGS EATING PEANUT BUTTER FOR 3 MINUTES STRAIGHT

“Nothing serious is happening, you don’t need to be worried.”

“I’m just feeling not quite like myself today.”

“I thought to myself, what would make me happy today?”

“I love watching dogs — or any animal, really — eating peanut butter.”

“This is what I’m gonna make this week.”

SHAVING MY BOYFRIEND’S FACE

“You’re gonna have to teach me all of this.”

“Are you still gonna love me if I accidentally cut you?”

“Get you a man that loves you even if you cut him.”

“It’s a neck beard, and I don’t want one.”

“This part takes me approximately 30 seconds to do by myself.”

“Can I shave the rest of your body?”

“Can I use this on my legs?”

“That’s perfect, you’re doing really well.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“You bailed out?”

“This is a lot of trust I’m giving you right now.”

“I like when you praise me.”

“I think you look super hot… and a little crazy.”

“I feel so objectified.”

“Baby… you hardly shaved me.”

“I wanted to err on the side of caution.”

“I’m saving myself for marriage.”

“Can I shave your eyebrows?”

“Can I shave your head? Like, with a razor?”

“I’m ignoring you.”

“Are you complimenting yourself?”

“We can’t all be aries, okay? The world would be a fucking tornado and nothing would get done.”

“That is the definition of being nasty.”

“Alright, um, clean all this shit up.”

RECREATING FACE PAINTINGS

“Did I just call myself a lady?”

“This is what a grown woman does in her free time.”

“Just know that I’m putting my life at risk for you.”

“I hate the Internet.”

“This really isn’t off to a great start.”

“Orange isn’t gonna work, it’s too pale, because I am the color of that.”

“This shit is cute as fuck.”

“What about this says blowjob to you?”

“Oh, that’s terrifying…!”

“Do you like it or not…!?”

“There’s a cockroach in there, I’m gonna die.”

“Oh my actual god, that looks horrifying.”

“Are you the art police?”

“I have to go because there’s a cockroach lost in my house somewhere, and we’ve gotta burn it down.”

“It’s time to burn the house down, Julien.”

“I hope that you’re pleased with yourselves.”

PRANK CALLING PEOPLE BUT WE CAN’T HEAR THEM

“I’m not cut out for pranks. I just feel guilty the whole time.”

“I don’t feel bad pranking them - they deserve it.”

“Where are you? I’m looking for you, I can’t find you.”

“I told you to block your number…!”

“I’m super high.”

“You guys wanna get three-way married?”

“Did he just think I was high out of my mind?”

“I got high. I got too high.”

“Wait, is she actually having a breakdown or something?”

“I don’t know what to say!”

“It’s fun calling your friends like this.”

“I couldn’t say the word butthole to save my life.”

“This is just the lowest kind of humor, and sometimes, it’s what’s necessary in the world.”

“Alright, that’s it, that’s what we contributed to the world today.”

TEACHING MY BOYFRIEND HOW TO PITCH A SOFTBALL

“I was a pitcher in college, but, like, not a good one.”

“Look at me right now and tell me you’re not intimidated.”

“Get that off your fuckin head, you damn idiot.”

“This is fun, we’re having fun.”

“Oh my god, are you trying to kill me?”

“That’s good; you’re doing better than I thought you’d do.”

“How actually dare you?”

“Get your sweaty hat off of me.”

“This feels a lot like revenge, and I’m feeling pretty happy about it.”

“Don’t break it; it’s vintage and authentic.”

“You look like my mom and my dad.”

“You found a sport you’re not good at.”

“True life I killed my girlfriend.”

“This is not the sport for me.”

“I’m not gonna give in to your weird, sick fantasies today.”

“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

“Everything hurts, but it’s good.”

“You look like you’re in genuine pain.”

“Who hurt you?”

“Respect me.”

“Now hit the showers.”

“Are you coming, or…?”

“One of us finished their college career.”

“I got hurt.”

“If you don’t fuckin let me down, I swear to god.”

“Pay me for my services…!”

“I’m gonna call the police…!”

#writing / prompts

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