#writing resources

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

Other Words for "Look" + With meanings | List for writers

Many people create lists of synonyms for the word 'said,' but what about the word 'look'? Here are some synonyms that I enjoy using in my writing, along with their meanings for your reference. While all these words relate to 'look,' they each carry distinct meanings and nuances, so I thought it would be helpful to provide meanings for each one.

Gaze - To look steadily and intently, especially in admiration or thought.

Glance - A brief or hurried look.

Peek - A quick and typically secretive look.

Peer - To look with difficulty or concentration.

Scan - To look over quickly but thoroughly.

Observe - To watch carefully and attentively.

Inspect - To look at closely in order to assess condition or quality.

Stare - To look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something.

Glimpse - To see or perceive briefly or partially.

Eye - To look or stare at intently.

Peruse - To read or examine something with great care.

Scrutinize - To examine or inspect closely and thoroughly.

Behold - To see or observe a thing or person, especially a remarkable one.

Witness - To see something happen, typically a significant event.

Spot - To see, notice, or recognize someone or something.

Contemplate - To look thoughtfully for a long time at.

Sight - To suddenly or unexpectedly see something or someone.

Ogle - To stare at in a lecherous manner.

Leer - To look or gaze in an unpleasant, malicious way.

Gawk - To stare openly and stupidly.

Gape - To stare with one's mouth open wide, in amazement.

Squint - To look with eyes partially closed.

Regard - To consider or think of in a specified way.

Admire - To regard with pleasure, wonder, and approval.

Skim - To look through quickly to gain superficial knowledge.

Reconnoiter - To make a military observation of a region.

Flick - To look or move the eyes quickly.

Rake - To look through something rapidly and unsystematically.

Glare - To look angrily or fiercely.

Peep - To look quickly and secretly through an opening.

Focus - To concentrate one's visual effort on.

Discover - To find or realize something not clear before.

Spot-check - To examine something briefly or at random.

Devour - To look over with eager enthusiasm.

Examine - To inspect in detail to determine condition.

Feast one's eyes - To look at something with great enjoyment.

Catch sight of - To suddenly or unexpectedly see.

Clap eyes on - To suddenly see someone or something.

Set eyes on - To look at, especially for the first time.

Take a dekko - Colloquial for taking a look.

Leer at - To look or gaze in a suggestive manner.

Rubberneck - To stare at something in a foolish way.

Make out - To manage to see or read with difficulty.

Lay eyes on - To see or look at.

Pore over - To look at or read something intently.

Ogle at - To look at in a lecherous or predatory way.

Pry - To look or inquire into something in a determined manner.

Dart - To look quickly or furtively.

Drink in - To look at with great enjoyment or fascination.

Bask in - To look at or enjoy something for a period of time.

[imastoryteller]

20 Ways to Show Extreme Fear in Your Writing

As I dive into researching signs of fear for my horror WIP, I wanted to share some of the most compelling and visceral reactions I’ve come across. Whether you’re writing a chilling scene or crafting a character’s panic, these 20 signs of fear can help bring tension and realism to your story.

Physical Reactions

Hyperventilating — sucking in air but never feeling like it’s enough

Chest tightens — feels like a weight or hands pressing down

Limbs shaking violently, knees buckling

Complete loss of muscle control — collapsing or unable to stand

Cold sweat soaking through clothes

Heart hammering so hard they feel it in their throat or head

Tunnel vision — the world narrowing down to one terrifying focal point

Ringing in the ears or sudden deafness, like the world drops away

Dizziness / feeling faint / vision blurring

Dry mouth — unable to speak or even scream

Uncontrollable Behavior

Screaming / sobbing / gasping — involuntary vocal outbursts

Panic run — bolting without thinking, tripping over everything

Clawing at their own skin / chest / throat — like trying to escape their body

Begging / pleading out loud even if no one’s there

Repeating words or phrases — “No, no, no” / “This isn’t happening”

Hiding instinctively — diving under tables, closets, or corners

Desperate grabbing — reaching for someone, anything solid

Loss of bladder or bowel control (for extreme terror)

Total mental shutdown — frozen, slack-jawed, staring blankly

Memory blackout — later can’t recall what happened during the worst moment

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Words & Phrases to Avoid in Writing

When you sit down to write an article, essay, or novel, you’ll have to make decisions about word choice and phrasing.

Whether you’re a writer of novels and short stories, a teacher proofreading a research paper or other academic writing, or a content marketing specialist trying to eliminate weak words from your infographic, there are certain unnecessary words you should eliminate that can improve any piece of writing.

Here is a list of words to avoid, as well as some general writing and editing tips to follow in order to become a better writer:

“Very”: Though “very” is meant to be an intensifier, it is clunky and provides no additional information beyond the word it’s magnifying. If you find yourself writing that someone is “very hungry” or “very tired,” it’s likely a sign that you should be choosing stronger adjectives. Instead of “very hungry,” try “famished.” Instead of “very tired,” try “exhausted.” Substituting “very” with stronger adjectives will help decrease your word count, make stronger word choices, and develop a sharper writing style.

“Is” and other “to be” verbs: “To be” verbs, including “is,” “am,” “are,” “was,” “were,” “being,” and “been,” are among the most common words in the English language. That means they’re also among the most overused and should be rejected in favor of stronger verbs. Oftentimes, “to be” verbs are a sign of passive voice, which results in needlessly complex sentence structure. Here’s a good example: Why write “The line was flubbed by Alex” when you could write “Alex flubbed the line”? Active voice helps eliminate useless words while making the sentence more dynamic and easier to understand.

“Thing”: “Thing” is a vague word—it can mean many different things, and vague words force the reader to spend extra time and effort to determine their meaning. When a writer uses words like “thing” and “stuff,” they’re often ignoring a potential replacement word that’s far more vivid and clear. Whether your preferred medium is fiction writing, copywriting, or online writing like blogging, one of the most common writing mistakes you can make is using “thing” and “stuff” instead of a word with more specificity.

Redundant phrases: “Join together.” “Armed gunman.” “Unexpected surprise” are all examples of redundant phrases (not to mention clichés). These unnecessarily wordy phrases can cause a reader to become distracted, and editors will often ask writers to get the same point across in fewer words. If you notice any of these phrases in your first draft, you should eliminate them in your rewriting process.

Extra words and crutch phrases: When it comes to the English language, native speakers tend to use extraneous words and filler phrases in their everyday speech. Bloggers and long-form writers alike should try to eliminate these phrases from their writing. Removing filler phrases like “at the end of the day” and “in spite of the fact” will help you use fewer words and improve the overall clarity and efficiency of your writing.

Prepositional phrases: Prepositions are frequently necessary to indicate the relationship between nouns, pronouns, and action verbs, but writers who are overly reliant on prepositional phrases can find themselves writing needlessly long and complex sentences. Thus, one of the most essential writing skills you can develop is the ability to excise prepositional phrases from your work. If you find yourself staring at a sentence with a bunch of prepositional phrases, try shifting to active voice, substituting adverbs, or omitting nominalizations.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[thewatcher727]

Writing Description Notes:

Updated 9th September 2024 More writing tips, review tips & writing description notes

Facial Expressions

Masking Emotions

Smiles/Smirks/Grins

Eye Contact/Eye Movements

Blushing

Voice/Tone

Body Language/Idle Movement

Thoughts/Thinking/Focusing/Distracted

Silence

Memories

Happy/Content/Comforted

Love/Romance

Sadness/Crying/Hurt

Confidence/Determination/Hopeful

Surprised/Shocked

Guilt/Regret

Disgusted/Jealous

Uncertain/Doubtful/Worried

Anger/Rage

Laughter

Confused

Speechless/Tongue Tied

Fear/Terrified

Mental Pain

Physical Pain

Tired/Drowsy/Exhausted

Eating

Drinking

Warm/Hot

[kurlyfrasier]

NEED HELP WRITING? (a masterlist)

I have likely not added many that I've reblogged to this list. Please feel free to roam my blog and/or ask/message me to add something you'd like to see on this list!

Synonym Lists

Look by @writers-potion

Descriptors

Voices by @saraswritingtipps

Show, Don't Tell by @lyralit

Tips & Tricks

5 Tips for Creating Intimidating Antagonists by @writingwithfolklore

How To (Realistically) Make a Habit of Writing by @byoldervine

Let's Talk About Misdirection by @deception-united

Tips to Improve Character Voice by @tanaor

Stephen King's Top 20 Rules for Writers posted by @toocoolformedschool

Fun Things to Add to a Fight Scene (Hand to Hand Edition) by @illarian-rambling

Questions I Ask My Beta Readers by @burntoutdaydreamer

Skip Google for Research by @s-n-arly

Breaking Writing Rules Right: Don't Write Direct Dialogue by @septemberercfawkes

Databases/Resources

International Clothing

Advice/Uplifting

Too Ashamed of Writing To Write by @writingquestionsanswered

"Said" is Beautiful by @blue-eyed-author

[novlr]

Writing Exercise: The Moment Before

If an action beat doesn’t feel natural, write out the moment before. How did your characters get to that moment? What were they thinking to bring them there? What does that moment change for them moving forward? And how does it change how you, the writer, view the scene?

The moment before probably won't make it into the story as anything more than a passing mention, but you'll have a much clearer picture of the context, which will help you give you scenes and characters more consistency. An action beat is a snapshot in time, so knowing its context can make all the difference in making it believable. 

[fixyourwritinghabits]

NaNo Alternatives

Okay, real post time (but keep those boops booping) - You want to do NaNoWriMo tomorrow, but you don't want to go anywhere near the main organization and their website. Here's a list of alternatives you can try:

Rogue Writers - International group launched to provide an alternative for writers. Their website has challenges, free tools, and more.

myWriteClub - Word tracking tool.

Novlr - A writing app designed to help you meet your writing goals.

WriteTrack - Word tracking tool.

Shut Up and Write - Find in-person or online groups to write together with!

NoQuWriCo - A November writing challenge with tools, tips, and encouragement to make it through the month! (Thanks to someone letting me know - this is a Christian alternative. Try another if that does not appeal to you!)

Writing Month - Write. A Month. Do It.

Your local library - If you did NaNo events through your library, chances are they're still doing it this year. Make sure you check in with all the resources you've used in the past, as they're likely still around.

Whatever you decide to do tomorrow, good luck! And remember, if you want to still use the NaNo website but don't like their AI policies and the rest of it, just don't give them money! Laugh to yourself, evilly, as you update your word count. It's very validating.

(Now back to booping.)

[literaryvein-references]

When your Character...

Gets into: A Fight ⚜ ...Another Fight ⚜ ...Yet Another Fight

Hates Someone ⚜ Kisses Someone ⚜ Falls in Love

Calls Someone they Love ⚜ Dies / Cheats Death ⚜ Drowns

is...

A Ballerina ⚜ A Child ⚜ Interacting with a Child ⚜ A Cheerleader

A Cowboy ⚜ A Genius ⚜ A Lawyer ⚜ A Pirate ⚜ A Spy

A Wheelchair User ⚜ A Zombie ⚜ Beautiful ⚜ Dangerous ⚜ Drunk

Funny ⚜ In a Coma ⚜ In a Secret Society ⚜ Injured ⚜ Shy

needs...

A Magical Item ⚜ An Aphrodisiac ⚜ A Fictional Poison

A Coping Strategy ⚜ A Drink ⚜ A Medicinal Herb ⚜ A Mentor

Money ⚜ A Persuasion Tactic ⚜ A Quirk ⚜ To be Killed Off

To Become Likable ⚜ To Clean a Wound ⚜ To Self-Reflect

To Find the Right Word, but Can't ⚜ To Say No ⚜ To Swear

loves...

Astronomy ⚜ Baking ⚜ Cooking ⚜ Cocktails ⚜ Food ⚜ Oils

Dancing ⚜ Fashion ⚜ Gems ⚜ Herbal Remedies ⚜ Honey

Mushrooms ⚜ Mythology ⚜ Numbers ⚜ Perfumes

Roses ⚜ Sweets ⚜ To Argue ⚜ To Insult ⚜ To Kiss

To Make False Claims ⚜ Wine ⚜ Wine-Tasting ⚜ Yoga

has/experiences...

Allergies ⚜ Amnesia ⚜ Bereavement ⚜ Bites & Stings

Bruises ⚜ Caffeine ⚜ CO Poisoning ⚜ Color Blindness

Facial Hair ⚜ Fainting ⚜ Fevers ⚜ Food Allergies

Food Poisoning ⚜ Fractures ⚜ Frostbite ⚜ Hypothermia

Injuries ⚜ Jet Lag ⚜ Kidnapping ⚜ Manipulation ⚜ Mutism

Pain ⚜ Paranoia ⚜ Poisoning ⚜ More Pain & Violence

Scars ⚜ Trauma ⚜ Viruses ⚜ Wounds

[these are just quick references. more research may be needed to write your story...]

Writing Resources PDFs

[mangotangerine]

Adverbs or BADverbs?

You've heard it in English class, in podcasts, on writer tip listicles and TikToks and YouTube videos promising to tell you how to write like a pro: avoid using adverbs if at all possible! Adverbs make you look like a dork who doesn't know how to write!

So what do you do? You find every damn adverb in your story and you rifle through a thesaurus or dictionary to find the most appropriate verb. Let's use an example—the dreaded "ran quickly."

How about the sentence:

James runs quickly through the glen to get to grandma's house.

So you get your thesaurus and you run your finger down the list of verbs:

Hurried

Rushed

Sprinted

Dashed

Bolted

Darted

Raced

Sped

Fled

Charged

Tore

Barreled

Lunged

Took off

Bounded

Scrambled

Careened

Hurtled

Jogged

Galloped

Scampered

Scurried

Hustled

Blazed

Streaked

Flew

Zoomed

Zipped

Whizzed

Shot

Rocketed

Pelted

Wow! So many! You just pick one, right? And you all said along with me: No, of course not. You pick the one that means what you want.

So let's figure out what fits. Let's start with the generic runs quickly. I'm going to write that my character James is running through the glen to get to grandma's house. He's not in a hurry, he just likes to go places fast. Kind of like a video game character—his default is run. If most people run at around… 5 mph (8 kmh), then James runs at 8 mph (~13 kmh).

So our sentence:

James runs quickly through the glen to get to grandma's house.

What does this tell the reader? James is running through a glen, going to grandma's house, and he's running quickly. Perfect, exactly what I mean to say. But oh no! We're using an adverb!

So let's try on some of those specialized verbs. I'm not going to go through all of them in this post, because that's a lot, but feel free to try the ones we don't go through for yourself. Now, on to the experimentation!

James hurries through the glen to get to grandma's house.

Let's do the same thing—what does this tell the reader? He's going through a glen—he's no longer running, you see, since "hurry" does not always mean run—he's going to grandma's house, and he's in a hurry. Besides the fact he's no longer running, you've added something with the word "hurry." There's now some external motivator there. Is he late? Is there a time crunch? Why's he hurrying?

You've just added a different connotation. That's the thing about words—they don't just come with a dictionary meaning. They have a secondary, subconscious meaning, something culturally embedded in the language.

And our James? Not in a hurry. So cross hurry off the list.

Let's try a few more. Let's pick ten, and just go down the list.

James rushes through the glen to get to grandma's house.

Similar to hurry, in that this one doesn't necessarily mean run—just moving quickly. This one does seem a bit faster, though. Still, our James isn't rushing. He's just leisurely running quickly.

James sprints through the glen to get to grandma's house.

Woah woah woah. Don't get crazy now. That's a little intense. Okay, he's running now, but he's not sprinting—that's a whole other level of running. He's just running at an average quickness. A casual 8 mph run.

James dashes through the glen to get to grandma's house.

Okay, cool, he's still running—we don't have the issue of hurry or rush here—but dashes implies some sort of urgency, or speed above just "running."

James races through the glen to get to grandma's house.

Races has either an implied competition, or going at full speed, trying to get somewhere. It implies urgency. It's directional. You race toward something. He is running to grandma's house, but is he going at full speed? Is there urgency?

James flees through the glen to get to grandma's house.

Is he being chased by feral hogs?

James charges through the glen to get to grandma's house.

Calm down buddy, you're gonna give grandma a heart attack.

James hurtles through the glen to get to grandma's house.

He's certainly not hurtling—hurtles implies wild and uncontrolled. His run is quite controlled.

James scurries through the glen to get to grandma's house.

What is he, a mouse?

James scrambles through the glen to get to grandma's house.

Wild, chaotic, uncontrolled—that's how I get dressed in the morning when I'm late for work. It's certainly not how James, an expert runner, runs through the glen.

James flies through the glen to get to grandma's house.

This one implies he's running so fast he barely hits the ground. He is certainly not flying through the glen.

Okay. We could keep going—I could make you read through every single possible replacement for 'runs quickly' and my commentary, but I won't, because I think I've illustrated my point.

Are the non-adverbial verbs more evocative? Yes. They add emotion. They add connotation.

The advice to never use adverbs isn't to avoid adverbs for adverbs' sake. There's nothing inherently wrong with adverbs. They're a perfectly normal and useful part of language.

What the advice is getting at is that you should choose your verbs according to what you're trying to get across.

You cannot simply look at dictionary definitions or a thesaurus—what is the precise meaning you are attempting to convey? If James is late, perhaps he hurries, or rushes, or races. If he's being chased by a feral hog, perhaps he sprints or he flees. If James is a mouse, perhaps he scurries or scampers.

But my James simply moves around his world like a video game character—always on run-mode—so what is the most precise choice for me?

It's runs quickly. It's the adverb one. It's the rule-breaking one.

My advice to you is to write with intuition and to not worry so much about word choices in the moment. If "speeds" seems right as you write it, go ahead. If you can't think of the perfect word, write "runs quickly" and come back to it in editing.

Then ask yourself, what's the external/internal motivation? What's the context? Choose your verb—with or without an adverb—according to that. But don't just pick a word to avoid an adverb.

Write with intuition, edit with intention. Use adverbs if they're the best fit for what you want to say, and if you get feedback from someone to not use an adverb—even though you've gone through the other verbs and decided an adverb is the best choice—you are free to disregard that feedback.

You know what you mean. Make sure your words match it, to the best of your ability. But don't get caught up in trying to pick the best word in the writing process. It's a trap. Do it in editing.

Don't let the fear of adverbs hold you back from writing.

[squeegin]

Thanks you ❤️❤️❤️

💀 Making Your Villain Make Sense (Without Making Them Right™)

("because if I see one more war criminal with a sad diary entry get a redemption arc, I’m gonna throw my laptop.")

Here’s the thing: your villain doesn’t need to be redeemable. But they do need to make sense.

And I mean sense beyond "they’re evil and they monologue about it." Or “they have a tragic past, so now they do murder <3.” Or “they were right all along, the hero just couldn’t see it 🥺.”

Let’s fix that.

─────── ✦ ───────

🧠 STEP ONE: BUILD A LOGIC SYSTEM THAT ISN’T OURS Your villain shouldn’t just be wrong, they should have their own internal system that works for them. Morally flawed? Absolutely. But coherent.

Ask yourself:

What do they value more than anything? (Power? Order? Loyalty? Vengeance?)

What do they believe about the world, and how did they get there?

What fear drives them? What future do they think they’re trying to prevent?

The villain doesn’t need to know they’re wrong. But you should.

Make their logic airtight. even if it’s awful. Give them cause and effect.

─────── ✦ ───────

👿 STEP TWO: STOP GIVING THEM THE BETTER IDEOLOGY Listen. I love a “morally gray” moment as much as anyone. But if your villain is making all the good points and the hero’s just like “no because that’s mean,” your arc is upside down.

If your villain is critiquing injustice, oppression, or inequality, make sure their methods are the problem, not their entire worldview.

✖︎ WRONG: Villain: “The ruling class is corrupt.” Hero: “That’s not nice.”

✔︎ RIGHT: Villain: “The ruling class is corrupt, so I’m burning the city and everyone in it.” Hero: “So you’re just… committing genocide now?”

Your villain can touch a real issue. Just don’t let them be the only one talking about it, or solving it with horror movie logic.

─────── ✦ ───────

🔪 STEP THREE: GIVE THEM POWER THAT COSTS THEM The best villains lose things too. They’re not just untouchable horror dolls in sexy coats. They make bad choices and pay for them. That’s where the drama lives.

Examples:

They isolate themselves.

They sacrifice people they love.

They get what they want, and it destroys them.

They know they’re the monster, and choose it anyway.

If your villain can kill a dozen people and feel nothing, that’s not scary. That’s boring. Let them bleed. Let them regret it. Let them double down anyway.

─────── ✦ ───────

🧱 STEP FOUR: MAKE THEM PART OF THE WORLD, NOT OUTSIDE IT Villains shouldn’t feel like they were patched in from another genre. They should be part of the world’s logic, culture, class system, history. They should reflect something about the setting.

Villains that slap:

The advisor who upheld the regime until they decided they deserved to rule.

The noble who’s using war to reclaim stolen legacy.

The ex-hero who thinks the system can’t be saved, only reset.

The priest who truly believes the gods demand blood.

They’re not just evil, they’re a product of the same world the hero is trying to save.

─────── ✦ ───────

👁 STEP FIVE: SHOW US THEIR SELF-JUSTIFICATION You don’t need a tragic backstory™. But you do need to show us why they think they’re right. Not just with exposition, through action.

Let us watch them:

Protect someone.

Choose their goal over safety.

Justify the unjustifiable to a character who loves them.

Refuse to change, even when given a chance.

A villain who looks into the mirror and goes “Yes. I’m correct.” is 1000x scarier than one who sobs into a journal and says “I’m so broken 🥺.”

─────── ✦ ───────

🧨 BONUS ROUND: DON’T MAKE THEM A HATRED MEGAPHONE Especially if you’re writing marginalized characters: don’t let your villain become a mouthpiece for slurs, abuse, or extremism just to make them “evil enough.” That’s lazy. And harmful.

You don’t need real-world hate speech to build a dark character. You need power, consequence, and intent.

─────── ✦ ───────

TL;DR: Good villains don’t need to be right. They need to be real. Not a vibe. Not a sad boy in a trench coat. Not a trauma monologue and then a sword fight. They need logic. They need cost. They need to scare you because you get them, and still want them to lose.

Make them dangerous. Not relatable. Make them whole. Not wholesome. Make them make sense.

—rin t. // thewriteadviceforwriters // villain critic. final boss consultant. licensed chaos goblin

P.S. I made a free mini eBook about the 5 biggest mistakes writers make in the first 10 pages 👀 you can grab it here for FREE:

[imastoryteller]

20 Compelling Positive-Negative Trait Pairs

Here are 20 positive and negative trait pairs that can create compelling character dynamics in storytelling:

1. Bravery - Recklessness: A character is courageous in the face of danger but often takes unnecessary risks.

2. Intelligence - Arrogance: A character is exceptionally smart but looks down on others.

3. Compassion - Naivety: A character is deeply caring but easily deceived due to their trusting nature.

4. Determination - Stubbornness: A character is persistent in their goals but unwilling to adapt or compromise.

5. Charisma - Manipulativeness: A character is charming and persuasive but often uses these traits to exploit others.

6. Resourcefulness - Opportunism: A character is adept at finding solutions but is also quick to exploit situations for personal gain.

7. Loyalty - Blind Obedience: A character is fiercely loyal but follows orders without question, even when they're wrong.

8. Optimism - Denial: A character remains hopeful in difficult times but often ignores harsh realities.

9. Humor - Inappropriateness: A character lightens the mood with jokes but often crosses the line with their humor.

10. Generosity - Lack of Boundaries: A character is giving and selfless but often neglects their own needs and well-being.

11. Patience - Passivity: A character is calm and tolerant but sometimes fails to take action when needed.

12. Wisdom - Cynicism: A character has deep understanding and insight but is often pessimistic about the world.

13. Confidence - Overconfidence: A character believes in their abilities but sometimes underestimates challenges.

14. Honesty - Bluntness: A character is truthful and straightforward but often insensitive in their delivery.

15. Self-discipline - Rigidity: A character maintains strong control over their actions but is inflexible and resistant to change.

16. Adventurousness - Impulsiveness: A character loves exploring and trying new things but often acts without thinking.

17. Empathy - Overwhelm: A character deeply understands and feels others' emotions but can become overwhelmed by them.

18. Ambition - Ruthlessness: A character is driven to achieve great things but willing to do anything, even unethical, to succeed.

19. Resilience - Emotional Detachment: A character can endure hardships without breaking but often seems emotionally distant.

20. Strategic - Calculative: A character excels at planning and foresight but can be cold and overly pragmatic in their decisions.

These pairs create complex, multi-dimensional characters that can drive rich, dynamic storytelling.

---

+ If you find my content valuable, consider Support This Blog on Patreon!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

How to Create Character Goals

Every main character has a goal or something they’re trying to achieve over the course of a story, and it’s important for the writer to identify what their character wants and what their character’s needs are to properly convey them to the reader and immerse them into the world they’ve built.

Tips for Creating Goals for Your Characters

If during your novel writing you’re finding your character motivation lacking or your character arcs weak, it’s likely because the character’s goal isn’t strong enough in your overall story. Here are some tips for creating strong goals:

Establish goals at the beginning of the story. We should know relatively early on what your main character wants. While every single detail does not have to be readily apparent (goals can start out abstract but become more specific as more characters are introduced or setting is explored), they should have a powerful story motivation that is always driving them forward. A goal for a character can also change as the story progresses, but it’s important that the audience understands the direction the character is heading in.

Establish inner conflict. Your character’s goals should be clear, but not immediately attainable. Even when Frodo finally has his chance to destroy the ring, he succumbs to its power. This internal conflict—wanting to be powerful versus needing to do the right thing—sets up another struggle that the hero must overcome. These machinations of the mind allow us to view the particular point of view of a character, adding yet another layer of complexity to the overall story goal.

Establish a goal in each scene. Scene goals keep characters active and make them feel like they function as they would in real life. Readers want to see characters working towards something and always pushing the narrative forward. Characters should not feel stagnant, and each scene goal functions as a step towards your overall goal.

Establish what’s important. What do your characters value? Does their backstory inform what their motivations are? What do they need in their life to feel content? By thoroughly understanding who your characters are, you can better understand what they want. Is saving the world important? Or is it saving themselves? Finding out what matters to them will give your audience an indication of what they’ll be fighting for.

Establish a timeline. Writing out a timeline of when your character accomplishes specific parts of their goal can help you pace your story and spread out the conflict enough so that it remains engaging to readers. If a protagonist’s goal is to finally meet their birth mother but it doesn’t happen until chapter eight, plot out each of the main steps in the chapters leading up to that moment—maybe chapter one is finding out her name, and chapter three is getting her on the phone. Figuring out how to pace major moments in your character’s quest to achieve their goals can give you a better idea of when certain events should happen.

External vs. Internal Character Goals

During the writing process, you’ll have to establish what your protagonist wants—figure out their character desires and decide if these are internal goals or external goals. A character’s goals are integral to their character development and play a large part in how they contribute to the story structure and flow.

External goals: An external goal is one that involves forces or motivations that exist outside of the character themselves. It could be an object they’re searching for, or a destination they must reach, but this character’s goal is an external conflict that is out there for the world to see, and it’s one of the things that keeps them motivated until the end of the story. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel Lord of the Rings, the protagonist’s goal is to cast the ring into the fires of Mount Doom. We know that despite whatever else happens to Frodo throughout his journey, that is his main, specific goal.

Internal goals: An internal goal is your character’s motivation beneath what they outwardly express that can be unbeknownst to the other characters, or even the reader. For instance, the character’s goal on the exterior could be to get elected as student body president, but the true goal of the protagonist could be to immediately dismantle their school’s system of government. Having a character’s wants driving them beneath the surface gives them a multifaceted quality that allows for added complex layers to your character’s life and personality.

The Importance of Character Goals

A character needs a clear goal in order to keep them driven and help move the story forward. While in fiction it always seems like the main characters want many things or have various ambitions, there is always a primary goal.

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[literaryvein-words]

Word Lists

will update this every few weeks/months. alternatively, here are all my tagged word lists.

Blood ⚜ Blush ⚜ Book ⚜ Eye ⚜ Flower ⚜ Fly ⚜ Girl / Boy

Glow ⚜ Gold ⚜ Heaven ⚜ Hell ⚜ Honey ⚜ Moon ⚜ Sun

Sick ⚜ Soul ⚜ Time ⚜ Ward ⚜ Water

Collections

"Beautiful" Words: Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

"Poetic" Words: Part 1 2 ⚜ "Ugly" Words

Animals ⚜ Dance ⚜ Emotions ⚜ Garden ⚜ Kill ⚜ Personality Traits

Food: Part 1 2 3 4 5 ⚜ Aphrodisiacs ⚜ Drinking

Love: Part 1 2 ⚜ Sex Scenes ⚜ Sensory Words ⚜ Saying No

Palindromes ⚜ Shapes ⚜ Voice ⚜ 1930s Slang ⚜ Habitats

Legendary Creatures ⚜ Parts of a Castle ⚜ Silent Letters

Lexical Universals ⚜ Magical Properties of Oils

Loan Words: French in Middle English ⚜ Nonsense Words

Months: August ⚜ September ⚜ October

Seasons: Autumn ⚜ Spring ⚜ Summer

Topics List: Part 1 2 ⚜ Terms of Endearment

Uncommon Words: Body ⚜ Emotions

Characters

Achilles ⚜ Patrolcus ⚜ Amy Dunne ⚜ Aphrodite

Aragorn ⚜ Arwen ⚜ Hannibal ⚜ Will Graham

Giorno ⚜ Josuke ⚜ Katniss ⚜ Morticia

Languages

Ancient Greek ⚜ Czech ⚜ Greek Words for Love

French Part 1 2 ⚜ Italian ⚜ Japanese ⚜ Latin

Portuguese ⚜ Romanian ⚜ Russian ⚜ Spanish

Literature

Sylvia Plath ⚜ The Secret History

all posts are queued. send questions/requests here ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[lyralit]

writers' resources

sick of using "very _____" ? : https://www.losethevery.com/

want to simplify your writing ? : https://hemingwayapp.com/

writing buddies / motivation ? : https://nanowrimo.org

word you're looking for but don't know ? : https://www.onelook.com/thesaurus/

need a fantasy name ? : https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/

need a fantasy name ? : https://nameberry.com/

want a name with meaning ? : https://www.behindthename.com/

who wants a map maker! : https://inkarnate.com/

story building / dnd ? : https://www.worldanvil.com/

need some minimalistic writing time ? : https://zenpen.io/

running out of ideas ? : https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/

setting a goal ? how about 3 pages / day ? : https://new.750words.com/

what food did they eat ? : https://www.foodtimeline.org/

questions on diversity within writing ? : https://writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/

now what was that colour called ? : https://ingridsundberg.com/2014/02/04/the-color-thesaurus/

want more? : https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lyralit :]

[thewordsarestuckinmyhead]

currently doing plot edits again. this stage is so daunting that it's making me procrastinate badly. future me: please tell me how this work is paying off as you're doing line edits.