#EmilyWrites185

[emilywrites185]

List of Quirks

(The categorized lists are below)

What is a quirk?

Quirks are habits, attitudes, mannerisms, or behaviors that are unusual, unexpected, or strange.

People have quirks, and your characters and locations should too. Think obsessions, a silly or unusual laugh, habits like pacing around the room, knuckle cracking, or braiding or twisting hair while thinking. Someone could always be cold, even in the summer without AC. An old man could have the habit of checking his mailbox twice a day, so much so that there is a path of trampled grass leading to his mailbox.

Locations can have quirks. The front door might have to be pushed or pulled in a certain way to engage the lock. The sink faucets could be switched. The hot water tap could really be the cold water tap despite the label.

Think of somewhere you've lived or a person you knew. What stood out to you about them? What did you find bizarre, aggravating, or charming about them?

Quirks will serve as the little details that will make your characters and settings lifelike. These quirks will say a lot about what you are describing, and they can even be used to allude to something important in your plot. There could be significant explanations to the quirks you choose which can add a layer of depth to your story.

Personality Quirks:

Thorough planner

Never plans for anything

Lone wolf

Needs approval

Adventurous

High strung

Takes things seriously

Skeptical of everything

Loves to argue

Avoids people

Avoids touching people

Honest to a fault

Impulsive liar

The Martyr

Sensitive

Abrasive

Compulsive flirt

Ambitious but lazy

Behavioral Quirks:

Picks at nails

Smokes only certain brands

Drinks a homemade concoction of choice

Tops their food with a specific dressing or additional ingredient

Loud laugh

Subdued laugh

Whistles or hums when walking

Always misses the trash can

Touches their face when they talk

Gets a stomachache at tense moments

Stutters when talking to someone attractive

If they clean is always a deep clean

Avoids public restrooms

Collection of ducks

Collections in general

Very loud sneezes

Kitten sneezes

Hisses when thinking

Always sounds angry even when they aren't

Has a hard time articulating feelings or desires

Often gets cliches or common phrases wrong

Physical Quirks:

Twitchy eye

Twitchy foot

Extremely flexible

Extremely inflexible

Two colored eyes

Chipped nails

Long perfect nails

Distinctive weight distribution

Very short

Very tall

Distinctive marks like birth marks or scars

Clothes/accessories:

Wears new clothes but has an old beaten-up suitcase or bag

Fingers full of rings

Never seen without makeup

Never wears their hair down

Cracked glasses

Socks never match

Old people sweaters

One sock pulled up, the other falling down

Half tucked shirt

Always a pen in the shirt pocket

Wears only a specific color

Crooked pins or name tag

Wears anything with their favorite animal

Wears slippers out in public

Location Quirks:

Squeaky steps

Window that jams

Lot full of old trees

A popular place of business with limited, inconvenient hours

House locks that are hard to open

A front door without weather stripping

Plumbing that rattles when water runs

Whistling windows

Creaky couch

Wavy, uneven floors

Always windy

A yard where critters are always seen

A public place that seems to attract certain people or animals

Always spotless

[bi-focal12]

Author Ask Tag

thanks for the tag @sharkblizzardblogs (and @aalinaaaaaa, who tagged me with this game as well!)

What is the main lesson of your story?

I think there could be a few takeaways from Forest Fire but it's mainly about learning to let go of a romanticized image of the past and learning to face the things you've been running away from (a lesson for each main character, respectively).

What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding?

The idea started when I was looking out at the scenery during a spontaneous road trip to California but none of the worldbuilding I did then actually ended up in the version of FF im working on now, lol. For the current version, Studio Ghibli is a big inspiration (especially a scene towards the end of the boy and the heron) as well as the song This Place Is a Shelter by Ólafur Arnalds.

What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? So you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, or help them grow as a person?

Forest Fire is set in a dual POV, following two estranged brothers forced to grapple with a past they remember very differently, so-

Sylas just wants his older brother back and for his family to be the way he remembers it as a kid. He's desperate to bring his brother back home and keep him there.

Lincoln, on the other hand, doesn't want anything to do with the town he grew up in or the memories he can't escape there. He wants to be a responsible adult and return both Sylas and another young character (Peggy) to their respective homes and then get the hell outta dodge.

Through them, I'm trying to tell a coming-of-age story that teaches both of the characters to stop letting their past overshadow their present/future.

How many chapters is your story going to have?

Genuinely I have no idea, but hopefully at least 20?

Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

Original content! No idea what to do with it after I finish but once I start the editing process (or if I particularly like any snippets from the first draft) I'll probably share them here on tumblr :)

When did you start writing?

Literally the end of last year, this is a very fresh project for me.

Do you have any words of encouragement for fellow writers of writeblr?

I think my best advice is to not let the fear of the blank page overshadow your creative drive. Firsts drafts are meant to be of a lower quality than you want (or than you're capable of) because there are just so many elements to juggle at the same time while also learning how to best tell your story, so don't sweat the small stuff and give yourself the space to be curious and interested in what you're writing!

Take a breath. Take a stretch. And just write :)

gently tagging:

@peaceheather @moody-tortured-artist @mk-writes-stuff @agirlandherquill @antsday @sorrowsfallallaround @emilywrites185 @aether-wasteland-s @cee-grice and @blu3ha1redbrat

[writin-on-the-dock-of-the-bay]

Any advice on how to make a timeline? (A website, an app, of even excel?).

Thanks in advance.

@heywriters @em-dash-press @emilywrites185 @sweet-as-writing

[araneidinversicolor]

hardcover or paperback / romantic story or thriller / fantasy or science fiction / audiobook or eBook / slow burn or crush at first sight / happy ending or open ending / childhood friends to lovers or enemies to lovers / exes to lovers or fake dating / forbidden love or soul mate / au or crossover

I’ve been tagged! This is a first! I’ve always wanted to do one of these. Thanks, @just-a-nerd-called-frey!

Tagging @emilywrites185 and anyone else who wants to partake!

Sorry for taking so long to respond, but thank you @supernovafeather

hardcover or paperback / romantic story or thriller / fantasy or science fiction / audiobook or eBook / slow burn or crush at first sight / happy ending or open ending / childhood friends to lovers or enemies to lovers / exes to lovers or fake dating / forbidden love or soul mate / au or crossover

Tagging: @goshilovehappiness, @duchessoftheheart, @interwebseriesfan24, @can-of-pringles, @auroramagpie

[emilywrites185]

10 More Additional Words to Love

Here is another installment from my very long list of favorite words.

Anathema (Noun)- Person, place, idea, or thing that is intensely disliked.

Beseech (Verb)- to beg or request with urgency or anxiety.

Cacophony (Noun)- in regards to sound, it is a chaotic mixture of loud, unpleasant sounds. Dissonance.

Demur (Noun)- The act of objection or hesitation to something.

Elocution (Noun)- the style of speaking, or the art of public speaking. A skill of clear, precise speech.

Frieze (Noun)- A coarse, durable wool fabric. Or an ornamental band around furniture or architecture.

Incendiary (Adj)- Used to describe something hot, combustible materials or weapons. Can also be used as a noun in regards to an arsonist or weapon. Someone who starts trouble. An agitator.

Loquacious (Adj)- Used to describe someone who talks a lot. Wordy and talkative.

Massif (Noun)- A clustered group of mountains that stands out from the other groups.

Obsequious (Adj)- excessively obedient or attentive.

[emilywrites185]

Tough things about writing that are actually okay (Part one)

It is okay to think that writing is hard.

Because it is. Everyone has their own struggles with writing. I struggle with endings, editing, and reworking sentences. My list of writing struggles goes on.

Writing is one of the most involved art forms, and it takes a long time to create a finished piece and sometimes even to consume it. There are so many moving parts to writing, it’s hard NOT to have a hard time with some part of it.

Getting an idea, coming up with a plot, characters, settings, rules, magic systems, keeping elements of the story a mystery, grammar, editing, formatting...oh look, a plot hole. Now what? Uh oh, this character is doing what it wants. Weren't they just wearing green? Which arm was injured? Or was it their leg.. How am I going to get them out of this? Dangit, now I need to add something earlier to happen to make this part make sense. Maybe this chapter should go here....or maybe I don't need it at all. I don't have time to write this week. I have no motivation.. just one meme...

There's always SOMETHING that makes the process hard.

I’ve never met a writer who didn’t struggle with writing. The writing community is not afraid to express what they have trouble with, and they are also more than ready to share advice on what helps them.

Its okay to think writing is hard, and there's millions of reasons why we still do it. Don't let the bumps in the road throw you off.

[emilywrites185]

Check Out My Pinterest!

If you use Pinterest and like writing, I have made an account for exactly that to go with this one! I have several boards I am filling with advice on plots, character development, word choice, quotes from authors, writing challenges and prompts, memes, and more!

Thank you to all who have followed me and welcomed me aboard! Its been great so far! :)

[writingonscrappaper]

Ooooh, this looks fun!

Tagged by: @emilywrites185

Last Song: I Can’t Decide by Scissor Sisters

Last TV Show: Futurama was playing in the background but I wasn’t really watching

Currently Watching: Wipeout, but again, just playing in the background

Currently Reading: How to Think When You Write Vol 1 by the Etherington Brothers

I don’t really know anyone on here well enough to feel comfortable tagging them, so anyone who sees this and wants to!

Rules: Tag 9 people you would like to know/catch up with.

Tagged by: @softlypause thank you!

Last song: Softcore by The Neighbourhood

Last TV show: Sharp objects

Currently watching: Vinyl

Currently reading: Doug Adams: Music of The Lord of the Rings films

Tagging: anyone who feels like doing it and, if they want to, @polutrope , @spiced-wine-fic , @poorlywordedoath , @ramyun-monster , @halfelven , @tyelpemacil