#author advice

[hayatheauthor]

10 Non-Lethal Injuries to Add Pain to Your Writing

New Part: 10 Lethal Injury Ideas

If you need a simple way to make your characters feel pain, here are some ideas: 

1. Sprained Ankle

A common injury that can severely limit mobility. This is useful because your characters will have to experience a mild struggle and adapt their plans to their new lack of mobiliy. Perfect to add tension to a chase scene.

2. Rib Contusion

A painful bruise on the ribs can make breathing difficult, helping you sneak in those ragged wheezes during a fight scene. Could also be used for something sport-related! It's impactful enough to leave a lingering pain but not enough to hinder their overall movement.

3. Concussions

This common brain injury can lead to confusion, dizziness, and mood swings, affecting a character’s judgment heavily. It can also cause mild amnesia.

I enjoy using concussions when you need another character to subtly take over the fight/scene, it's an easy way to switch POVs. You could also use it if you need a 'cute' recovery moment with A and B.

4. Fractured Finger

A broken finger can complicate tasks that require fine motor skills. This would be perfect for characters like artists, writers, etc. Or, a fighter who brushes it off as nothing till they try to throw a punch and are hit with pain.

5. Road Rash

Road rash is an abrasion caused by friction. Aka scraping skin. The raw, painful sting resulting from a fall can be a quick but effective way to add pain to your writing. Tip: it's great if you need a mild injury for a child.

6. Shoulder Dislocation

This injury can be excruciating and often leads to an inability to use one arm, forcing characters to confront their limitations while adding urgency to their situation. Good for torture scenes.

7. Deep Laceration

A deep laceration is a cut that requires stitches. As someone who got stitches as a kid, they really aren't that bad! A 2-3 inch wound (in length) provides just enough pain and blood to add that dramatic flair to your writing while not severely deterring your character.

This is also a great wound to look back on since it often scars. Note: the deeper and wider the cut the worse your character's condition. Don't give them a 5 inch deep gash and call that mild.

8. Burns

Whether from fire, chemicals, or hot surfaces, burns can cause intense suffering and lingering trauma. Like the previous injury, the lasting physical and emotional trauma of a burn is a great wound for characters to look back on.

If you want to explore writing burns, read here.

9. Pulled Muscle

This can create ongoing pain and restrict movement, offering a window to force your character to lean on another. Note: I personally use muscle related injuries when I want to focus more on the pain and sprains to focus on a lack of mobility.

10. Tendonitis

Inflammation of a tendon can cause chronic pain and limit a character's ability to perform tasks they usually take for granted. When exploring tendonitis make sure you research well as this can easily turn into a more severe injury.

This is a quick, brief list of ideas to provide writers inspiration. Since it is a shorter blog, I have not covered the injuries in detail. This is inspiration, not a thorough guide. Happy writing! :)

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!

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[blue-eyed-author]

Writing rule:

Every character who speaks gets their own paragraph. If two characters are talking, each time they switch you must create a new paragraph.

Do not add more than one characters’s dialogue into a single paragraph or it will be too confusing for the reader.

[eight-littlenightmares]

hey, writers. especially neurodivergent writers with anxiety or OCD.

if you see one of those writing advice posts that is literally just, ‘these tropes suck’, ‘this story idea sucks’, ‘this sucks’, ‘that sucks’, ‘all of this is horrible’.. don’t dwell on it.

these are just random people on the internet, okay? they’re just acting like they know everything and that their personal preferences are universal.

you don’t have to listen to them, write whatever you want, regardless of if dirtysocks574774757 on Tumblr/Pinterest doesn’t like it.

(ahem, if a user by the name of dirtysocks574774757 from Tumblr or Pinterest actually does see this.. sorry 😅 i’m sure you understand)

[trashandwriting]

"How do I plot a book" You don't. You start writing. You make notes about ideas you have while writing. When you're finished, you bring everything together like a puzzle. You fix potholes, you delete dead scenes, you bring in funky dialogue. You let someone else read it and put some patches on it. Tada! There's your book.

[brittanyearnestauthor]

The Art of Character Growth

Learning is a continuous journey. We aren't the same person we were yesterday. Each day, we grow from new experiences and lessons.

**Character Development:**

In your writing, ensure characters grow and learn. Stagnant characters can lose readers’ interest. People seek hope and growth in stories, so reflect that journey.

**Humor and Engagement:**

Inject humor to keep readers entertained. A laugh can ensure they stay hooked to see what happens next.

**Emotional Connection:**

When characters cry, make readers feel it. Emotional connections are crucial. Remember, tears don’t always mean sadness—they can signify joy too.

**Vulnerability and Realism:**

Vulnerable characters in key moments make stories more realistic and relatable.

**Pacing Your Story:**

The right pacing is essential. Don't rush or drag the plot. For horror, build tension slowly before the reveal. In romance, let love develop naturally to avoid unrealistic expectations.

**Planning and Outlining:**

Outline your story to guide proper pacing. Avoid major time-consuming mistakes. Writing and developing characters is complex and requires thorough planning.

Practice pacing and character development for better stories. Happy writing!

[theeccentricraven]

A common misconception I hear people say about "show, don't tell" is that showing lengthens the description, but I find the opposite to be true. "Showing" involves the right word choice that portrays a lot in just a few words, whereas telling takes more words to describe things.

For example:

Telling: After Seth listened to the disturbing song, he said, "I am so traumatized. That song will give me nightmares. It has changed me forever."

Showing: After Seth listened to the disturbing song, he said, "I miss the person that I was three minutes ago."

[kusakabesimp]

Writing fanfiction is a deeply personal and courageous act. It’s pouring a piece of your soul into something and letting your imagination breathe life into the things you love. It’s understandable to feel like you’re not good enough sometimes, but that doesn’t make it true. The fact that you’re creating at all, that you’re trying, is already something to be proud of.

Not everyone will love or even notice your work, but that doesn’t diminish its value. Somewhere out there, someone will be deeply touched by your story, even if you never hear from them. And even if no one else sees it, you are still the most important audience. You’re giving yourself something special -- a chance to grow, to dream, and to express things you may not even have words for otherwise.

It’s okay to go slow. It’s okay to feel unsure. You don’t have to be the most popular or the most polished. You just have to be you. Writing is a journey, and it’s one you deserve to take at your own pace.

When you feel like giving up, remind yourself that what you create is worth something because you created it. You don’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. Every story, every sentence, every word you write is an act of bravery and self-love.

So please, be gentle with yourself. You’re allowed to struggle. You’re allowed to doubt. But don’t let those feelings take away the joy and the pride you deserve to feel for everything you’ve already done. Keep writing, because your stories deserve to exist. And because you deserve the happiness that comes from making them real.

[phoenixofthegreenwood]

Character Name Ideas

I know people sometimes struggle to come up with character names, so here are some tips for coming up with them!

Year they were born:

If your story is set in the real world, then you could give them a name from the year they were born (Roughly). So for example, if your story is set in the modern day, and your character is 23 years old, give them a name that was popular in 2002. Similarly, if your story is set in the 1800s, used names popular in that time period! Lots of different websites can give you popular baby names based on year and region.

Region/Country they are from:

Speaking of region, that could also be an excellent way to gain character names inspiration! If your character is from Japan for example, look up Japanese names! From Ancient Rome? Give them Roman names! Are there parents a mix raced couple? Give them a first name from one region, and a middle or surname from there other parents region! This technique can be paired well with the previous technique too!

Use name with meaning:

This is probably very common advice, but I decided to mention it regardless. All names from any language and culture have meanings, so use that! If your character has connection to water or the ocean, look for names with meanings connected to water. Is your character very brave or noble? Use names that mean bold or courageous. This could even help hint at story elements like character arcs and foreshadowing. Is your character the twist villain of your story? Give them a name that means villainous or cunning. You can really have fun with this!

Mix words from other words:

This one is a little weird, but it can sometimes work really well. Especially if you’re writing in a fantasy or sci-fi setting and want your characters to have unique sounding names. What you do is take two or three words (can be from whatever language) and take elements of those words and squish them together to make a name. The words can have similar meanings that represent that character, or could be from a specific culture that the character is inspired by. An example of this could be taking the words Darkness, Redemption & Sanque (Italian word for blood), and make the name Demarksan. Coming from Ark from Darkness, Dem from Redemption & San from Sanque.

Have naming themes:

Naming themes can be a good way to name multiple characters and have them all feel consistent, especially if the naming theme go to specific families. For example, in one of my WIP’s, all the royals are named after flowers. Names like Rose and Lily. It sounds simple, but it can help name a a big bulk of characters if you have a huge cast.

Uses your name and origin as inspiration:

If you’re unsure where to start with things to use as inspiration, use yourself! If you are of a specific nationality, give your characters name from your culture. If your name has a meaning you like, use that meaning! This can be especially good when you first start making your characters, and when they’re in the early stages of development. You can even mix different elements of yourself to make something truly unique! A good example of this would be my DnD character, Bladsen. His name comes from the word Blad, meaning leaf in Danish (Since I’m partially Danish). And sen, a part of my surname.

Final notes:

These are just a couple of techniques I personally use when naming characters, so feel free to use them as well if you find them helpful! And remember to have fun when naming characters. If you don’t like naming characters, then you don’t have to have an in-depth reason to name a character something. It can be purely vibes, and that’s totally fine!

[agreeewrites]

Tips on writing a book?

you've opened the flood gates, please bear with me

writing a book is one of the most challenging and rewarding things a person can do. there will be days where it's the most fun you've ever had, and there will be days where you'd rather smash your fingers with a hammer than write another word.

it's all part of the process. It's a labor of love; labor being the key word. It is as mechanical as it is creative.

that being said, here are my trade secrets:

REMINDER!! EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. TAKE WHAT RESONATES. LEAVE WHAT DOESN'T.

Know your characters before you start writing. You don't need a plot really, or even a world. The best novels have the best characters, they are the single most important part of your story. When you reflect on your favorite books, most of the time, it'll be the characters you remember loving and cheering for (or rooting against), not specific plot points or descriptions.

Now, you don't need to know their zodiac sign, favorite food, and preferred sleeping position, but you need to know what drives them, what pushes them to do the things they do? Is it a loved one, an item, a legacy? Keep it small, keep it specific. Saving the world is far too large, but repaying a blood debt to a childhood best friend is compelling. Then, how far are they willing to go for it? And at what point do they stop? What needs to happen to push them beyond that point? Therein lies the soul of your story, and the rest of the body will be built around it.

Build a writing routine that works WITH you. Writing a novel requires a lot of work and time. Look at your current day-to-day, not your IDEAL day-to-day, what it actually is. Be brutally honest with yourself. Whether you've got three hours of downtime, or twenty minutes in the pick-up line, figure out how much of it you want to commit to writing, and build a WC goal that fits into it.

For me, 1,500 words a day is the sweet spot. I can knock out a fairly clean chunk of 1,500 in about an hour and half. It's not hard for me to find that time, but it'll look different for everyone. Find what works for you, be flexible, and most importantly, BE KIND TO YOURSELF.

Even just 100 words a day is a win.

Fill your creative well regularly. Writing is an act of reaping. You are pouring forth and creating something from nothing. That requires a lot of energy, and it's absolutely vital that you replenish that energy and nourish your imagination frequently. It can be books, movies, music, whatever. Find what inspires you and consume it like air. You will be a better writer and a happier person for it.

All a first draft has to do is exist. That's it. If the first draft exists, regardless of form or quality, it's a victory. You cannot improve upon a blank page.

It's okay to write out of order. If you've got a scene at the end of the book that's taking up all your brain space, but you're only a quarter of the way in, just write it. Get it out of your head and onto paper. No one says you have to write the book in linear order. You'll feel more inspired and energized without all the mental clutter, and you'll curb any feelings of resentment or guilt that are motivation-killers.

Write for yourself first. We all have big dreams of being published (and that's ok!), but when you're focused on the selling, it sucks energy, focus, and authenticity from the actual creating. Write for fun, edit to sell. Or else you'll get nowhere fast.

Give yourself permission to be cringey and bad. Be self-indulgent. Be cliché. Be cringe. And do it badly. Write steaming piles of scalding hot garbage. Then do it again. I promise there will be nuggets of gold buried beneath the shit.

Now, some less lofty advice:

Find one tool to plan/plot and stick with it. I recommend Notion for digital planning.

Have a dedicated writing space. Kitchen table, closet floor, meticulously organized writing desk, I don't care, but have somewhere you can go that is predominantly for writing. For me, it's one specific chair at my dining room table.

Use a writing program that you can access anywhere and is backed up to the cloud. Back it up often. I use Reedsy.

Read craft books by the masters in your chosen genre. Learn the genre standards. You have to know the rules before you can break them.

We are no better than dogs. Treat yourself recklessly and often.

There is a worse writer than you getting published as we speak. Anyone can do it, and that includes you.

You only fail when you quit. Keep writing.

I believe in you!!!

[revilloutionaire]

Can we kill therapy-speak in fanfic?

Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not saying your characters can’t be familiar with therapy keywords. But the use of it in fanfic is just killing off any sort of real, emotional stakes in certain fics. *cough* the my hero fandom

I’ll be real with you; I don’t want my characters to approach a situation with an acute awareness for any possible triggers or emotional responses in an attempt to build rapport with another character who has experienced severe trauma and/or abuse. And sure, let’s say that it is a professional, whose job it is to approach these situations. That doesn’t mean you have to write them like a mental health textbook vs a textbook victim of trauma.

For example; “Aizawa stepped back, not wanting to trigger any sort of trauma response from the abused teenager.”

Yeah, sure. Aizawa is a professional who, as a professional hero, probably has education in dealing with situations like this. But the way it is written is clinically detached, cold, and also way too professional from a man who has probably attended a total of one therapy session on mandate after witnessing the death of one of his best friends (which he never got over btw).

When you want to write a character who is attuned to other people’s needs and fears, try using less therapy bingo words, and be more descriptive of the emotions of the scene.

Instead; “Aizawa carefully stepped backwards, attempting to show he meant no harm. He knew how easy it was to scare a starving alley cat, you would be surprised how the same logic applied to a starving teenager.”

See? Isn’t it so much more soulful? So much easier to connect with? Sure, the first passage got the point across: Aizawa is aware that the kid he’s approaching is likely a victim of something traumatic, so he is approaching it as such. But the average human doesn’t have the dialogue of an occupational therapist, so writing situations like the characters are occupational therapists, kills off any sort of relatability for readers who don’t attend weekly therapy sessions. And even for people who do, it feels more like sitting in the armchair instead of absorbing yourself in the worlds and stories you’re trying to tell.

I’m not saying to ditch the mental health awareness altogether. Sure, having emotionally stunted characters create for interesting stories, but you can tell just as compelling of a story without having to resort to textbook wording. Instead, use that therapy foundation to build something more around your characters. Because using the therapy speak is just the same as telling, and not showing.

With that, good luck with your next hurt no comfort fic, and happy writing!

[hayatheauthor]

100 Dialogue Tags You Can Use Instead of “Said”

For the writers struggling to rid themselves of the classic ‘said’. Some are repeated in different categories since they fit multiple ones (but those are counted once so it adds up to 100 new words). 

1. Neutral Tags 

Straightforward and unobtrusive dialogue tags: 

Added, Replied, Stated, Remarked, Responded, Observed, Acknowledged, Commented, Noted, Voiced, Expressed, Shared, Answered, Mentioned, Declared.

2. Questioning Tags 

Curious, interrogative dialogue tags:

Asked, Queried, Wondered, Probed, Inquired, Requested, Pondered, Demanded, Challenged, Interjected, Investigated, Countered, Snapped, Pleaded, Insisted.

3. Emotive Tags 

Emotional dialogue tags:

Exclaimed, Shouted, Sobbed, Whispered, Cried, Hissed, Gasped, Laughed, Screamed, Stammered, Wailed, Murmured, Snarled, Choked, Barked.

4. Descriptive Tags 

Insightful, tonal dialogue tags: 

Muttered, Mumbled, Yelled, Uttered, Roared, Bellowed, Drawled, Spoke, Shrieked, Boomed, Snapped, Groaned, Rasped, Purred, Croaked.

5. Action-Oriented Tags 

Movement-based dialogue tags: 

Announced, Admitted, Interrupted, Joked, Suggested, Offered, Explained, Repeated, Advised, Warned, Agreed, Confirmed, Ordered, Reassured, Stated.

6. Conflict Tags 

Argumentative, defiant dialogue tags:

Argued, Snapped, Retorted, Rebuked, Disputed, Objected, Contested, Barked, Protested, Countered, Growled, Scoffed, Sneered, Challenged, Huffed.

7. Agreement Tags 

Understanding, compliant dialogue tags: 

Agreed, Assented, Nodded, Confirmed, Replied, Conceded, Acknowledged, Accepted, Affirmed, Yielded, Supported, Echoed, Consented, Promised, Concurred.

8. Disagreement Tags 

Resistant, defiant dialogue tags: 

Denied, Disagreed, Refused, Argued, Contradicted, Insisted, Protested, Objected, Rejected, Declined, Countered, Challenged, Snubbed, Dismissed, Rebuked.

9. Confused Tags 

Hesitant, uncertain dialogue tags:

Stammered, Hesitated, Fumbled, Babbled, Mumbled, Faltered, Stumbled, Wondered, Pondered, Stuttered, Blurted, Doubted, Confessed, Vacillated.

10. Surprise Tags

Shock-inducing dialogue tags:

Gasped, Stunned, Exclaimed, Blurted, Wondered, Staggered, Marvelled, Breathed, Recoiled, Jumped, Yelped, Shrieked, Stammered.

Note: everyone is entitled to their own opinion. No I am NOT telling people to abandon said and use these. Yes I understand that said is often good enough, but sometimes you WANT to draw attention to how the character is speaking. If you think adding an action/movement to your dialogue is 'good enough' hate to break it to you but that ruins immersion much more than a casual 'mumbled'. And for the last time: this is just a resource list, CALM DOWN. Hope that covers all the annoyingly redundant replies :)

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!

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[ellehavenwood]

How To Write Your Magical Character When You Don’t Get Your Own Magic System

I’m a weird one in the world of fantasy writing in that I generally don’t have the magic system all planned out when I start writing. So, I thought I’d cover some tricks and tools I use to get myself started when I’m writing a character with magic that I haven’t fully fleshed out.

Keep a log while you draft: Mine’s super simple it has three columns [Worldbuilding | Location | Purpose/Rule] and as I draft I will just copy and paste generally whatever I write that defines something, stick it in with the chapter number as the location, and then extrapolate or simplify in the purpose or rule (such as if it’s only for one type of being). Then, if you’re confronted with something later on, you can refer easily to what you’ve already written to use that or, if something needs to change, you know where to change it.

Understand your character: Are they going to be cautious or are they going to have fun trying out everything? Will they go about this strategically or is the magic just going to accidentally erupt from them? If you get how they react to the world and the magic around them, then it’ll be easier to start forming their magical understanding as well as your own.

Put them into situations which forces you to answer questions: What questions do you have about this world’s magic? Where in your plot (or following scene if you don’t plot as much) can you answer that question with a situation?

These are my top three tips! I hope they can help some of you, but remember that there’s no right way to write so take what helps and leave what doesn’t. This is just some more inspiration for you.

[eight-littlenightmares]

hey authors :D so this post applies to EVERYONE, but especially those of y’all with anxiety or OCD

if you are writing something that has a stereotypical trope?? that’s perfectly okay. even if it’s a trope that you see a lot of people on the internet whining about.

it’s okay. it’s okay if you have a love triangle, or a miscommunication incident, or.. well i’m having a hard time thinking of more examples of tropes, it’s a little bit late and it’s been a long day, but i just want y’all to know that it is YOUR story. YOUR writing.

why tf would you want to spend all your time writing something you don’t even like??? if you want to write about something but most people think that it’s ‘cringe’ or ‘cliche’, you should still absolutely go for it!!!

because after all, your stories are for YOU. maybe other people can read them too, if you’re posting or publishing them, but at the end of the day they’re ultimately for you.

you CANNOT make everyone happy. so PLEASE do not cut out things that make you happy just so you can try to make your writing more palatable to snobs on the internet who don’t realize that they can just choose not to read things that they don’t personally enjoy.

this was kind of long. anyways i hope y’all have a nice day/night :D

[sunnywalnut]

Hello writers of Tumblr! I've got a quick question for you

Background for said question for those that want to give an informed answer: I myself am white and on a quest to find enjoyable and inoffensive language to describe wide ranges of people, specifically nonwhite folks and have come across the term while reading through a Tumblr post about a king and his group of concubines with various government backgrounds.

The description piqued my interest and I immediately liked it, looked it up, and loved it even more, since from what I know, foxes are pretty much the one animal nobody has a problem with being compared to. Silver foxes, vixens, or just regular old "you're a total fox" comments. But now that I've thought about it a bit more, I'm curious.

I've looked into it. On Google, on the handful of blogs dedicated to writing poc correctly such as @writingwithcolor, and even a reddit post or two. But very few were actually about what I was looking for, and even fewer had anything to say other than "it means a person with high cheek bones and narrow eyes"

So before I do any writing with it, I'd like to know what you guys think.

Thank you

[thepedanticbohemian]

K.M. Weiland is one of my favorite authors on writing. She has an entire series and website devoted to "helping writers become authors."

[theeccentricraven]

"Writing is a skill, and the more we do it, the better we get at it. I expect to be learning to write till I die. There's always more to learn, and that may be the best thing about being a writer." Gail Carson Levine