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i’m so happy to see so many other blogs posting about fruits basket

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I love how some of the first things Hatori Sohma does is unleash a hyperactive German child upon the masses, break the Hippocratic oath, trick his cousins into smiling for a photo (with a different pun for each version), and unintentionally threaten some children all in the same day.

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☆  KYO SOHMA || Ep. 04

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Being a writer is lying in bed at two am, waiting for sleep, only to be met with two new characters, clarity for a plotline, and an entire scene concept for a novel that isn’t your current project.

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grammarly: the word you used appears repeatedly in this text. consider using a synonym in its place

me:

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Show, don’t tell!

Okay. But, like, how?

Easy enough. Replace all the ‘tells’ with ‘shows’ and voila!

Okay. But, like, how??

How I ‘show and not tell’ in my work

If the ‘Show, don’t tell’ rule feels redundant and useless to you, I’m here to help. I LIVE by this rule. This rule saved my soul and cleared my acne. Okay, not really, but it did save the soul and cleared up the unnecessary bumps in my writing. So, here are three things I do to make sure I am keeping it at the back of my mind.

* Use the five senses

Okay. But like. How?

Staying aware of the five senses is SO important to your story and gives it that extra ‘umph’ that you’ve been missing. You don’t want to overload your reader with senses but making sure you’ve got a few in place will keep you from having to go back and add a bunch in later.

I find it easier to sprinkle them in as I write. It also helps keep you in the zone. Let’s say you are writing your character outside a bar in the rain. Instead of saying:

Luke stood outside the bar. The rain poured from the sky. It was cold and he shivered.

You say:

Fat drops of water (sight) splattered over Luke’s bare toes as the garbled music and clinking glasses faded behind him (hear). The sharp air stung his lungs (feel), sinking into his throat until puffs of smoke slid between his chattering teeth. Huddled against the damp brick wall, Luke licked his cracked lips lifting the faint methanol and mint residue onto his tongue (taste).

Of course, you don’t have to elaborate every single instance where the 5 senses can be used. But, they help a lot when it comes to creating fuller scenes. Keeping touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste in the back of your mind while you write will dramatically help you with the ‘Show, don’t tell’ rule. This is especially important if your character is missing one or more of these senses. You will need to focus on the others and make them stronger.

*Eliminate filler words

Easy. Right? But, like, how?

I keep a list of filler words next to me at all times when I’m editing. Once you get the hang of what words to avoid, it’ll become easier in your writing. Since paying closer attention to the filler words and actively choosing stronger words, it has helped avoid ‘telling’ immensely. A lot of filler words are also senses that need filling out.

Instead of saying: Ted saw the yellow ball.

You’d say: A yellow ball bounced away from Ted.

But to get away from senses, I’ll use another example.

Instead of saying: Isa thought about going to the store. (Thought being the filler word here)

You’d say: Isa opened the fridge, frowning when there was no milk. Closing the door, she grabbed her keys off the counter and jotted down a quick list of household items.

Instead of 'telling’ your readers that Isa thought about going to the store, you 'showed’ her thought process.

*Read your work out loud

Okay, but…wait? How will that help?

My editor @fmtpextended taught me this neat trick and it has helped so much! It is crazy how much this small tip has improved my writing, especially where 'show, don’t tell’ comes in. If your sentences feel choppy, don’t flow, and kind of jump from one to point to another, you’ll want to read it out loud. This will help your brain connect things that maybe you didn’t catch while writing or reading. Our brains also have a bad habit of filling in or correcting mistakes without us even realizing it.

When you read out loud, you catch those mistakes much easier the first time around. It also helps you know what it will sound like to others. And you can easily pinpoint where you can add the senses and eliminate filler words.

That’s it! There are plenty more tips and advice about this process. And, everyone has their own way about writing through the 'show, don’t tell’ rule. These are the three things that help me most and I hope that they’ll be of use to you. Happy writing.

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Hi! Do you have tips on writing manipulative characters? I'm trying to write a villain with this trait and I want to reflect it in her actions, but I don't know how exactly...

There are many ways a person can be manipulative, and therefore many ways a character can be. Here are a few!

Not respecting boundaries, both physical and emotional.

Blames others for their own faults/mistakes, or twists a situation to make it the fault of another.

Gives aggressive and/or dismissive body language while others talk, by way of expressions, eye rolling, shrugging, sighing, head shaking. (Or even while others are expressing something important/exciting to them)

Plants seeds of doubt, or gaslighting.

Minimizing other’s joy, sorrow, and other strong emotions, as well as minimizing their own cruelty. (”It didn’t hurt that bad,” “Can’t you take a joke?,” “I could be worse, you know.”)

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“Show Don’t Tell”? Not Always. Here’s When to Use Summary.

I was inspired to write this post after getting a great anonymous question in my Ask: “What’s your opinion on the whole ‘show don’t tell’ advice? Do you have any tips for when to show and when to tell?”

Here’s my response:

I honestly think that “show don’t tell” is one of the most over-quoted and least-understood pieces of writing advice out there.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, “show don’t tell” means that instead of explaining or telling something to your reader (“Sheila was reckless and impulsive”), you should show Sheila’s impulsiveness through action or dialogue. For example, “Even though her rent was overdue, after she got her paycheck Sheila spent $400 on an antique toilet.” This would allow the reader to draw the conclusion that Sheila was impulsive for themselves, rather than being told.

Theoretically, this is great advice for new fiction writers, who, left to their own devices, tend to write their stories entirely in “telling” mode.

But summary (telling) has a place in fiction as well, and it’s an important one.

Keep reading

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Words to replace said, except this actually helps

I got pretty fed up with looking for words to replace said because they weren’t sorted in a way I could easily use/find them for the right time. So I did some myself.

IN RESPONSE TO Acknowledged Answered Protested

INPUT/JOIN CONVERSATION/ASK Added Implored Inquired Insisted Proposed Queried Questioned Recommended Testified

GUILTY/RELUCTANCE/SORRY Admitted Apologized Conceded Confessed Professed

FOR SOMEONE ELSE Advised Criticized Suggested

JUST CHECKING Affirmed Agreed Alleged Confirmed

LOUD Announced Chanted Crowed

LEWD/CUTE/SECRET SPY FEEL Appealed Disclosed Moaned

ANGRY FUCK OFF MATE WANNA FIGHT Argued Barked Challenged Cursed Fumed Growled Hissed Roared Swore

SMARTASS Articulated Asserted Assured Avowed Claimed Commanded Cross-examined Demanded Digressed Directed Foretold Instructed Interrupted Predicted Proclaimed Quoted Theorized

ASSHOLE Bellowed Boasted Bragged

NERVOUS TRAINWRECK Babbled Bawled Mumbled Sputtered Stammered Stuttered

SUAVE MOTHERFUCKER Bargained Divulged Disclosed Exhorted

FIRST OFF Began

LASTLY Concluded Concurred

WEAK PUSY Begged Blurted Complained Cried Faltered Fretted

HAPPY/LOL Cajoled Exclaimed Gushed Jested Joked Laughed

WEIRDLY HAPPY/EXCITED Extolled Jabbered Raved

BRUH, CHILL Cautioned Warned

ACTUALLY, YOU’RE WRONG Chided Contended Corrected Countered Debated Elaborated Objected Ranted Retorted

CHILL SAVAGE Commented Continued Observed Surmised

LISTEN BUDDY Enunciated Explained Elaborated Hinted Implied Lectured Reiterated Recited Reminded Stressed

BRUH I NEED U AND U NEED ME Confided Offered Urged

FINE Consented Decided

TOO EMO FULL OF EMOTIONS Croaked Lamented Pledged Sobbed Sympathized Wailed Whimpered

JUST SAYING Declared Decreed Mentioned Noted Pointed out Postulated Speculated Stated Told Vouched

WASN’T ME Denied Lied

EVIL SMARTASS Dictated Equivocated Ordered Reprimanded Threatened

BORED Droned Sighed

SHHHH IT’S QUIET TIME Echoed Mumbled Murmured Muttered Uttered Whispered

DRAMA QUEEN Exaggerated Panted Pleaded Prayed Preached

OH SHIT Gasped Marveled Screamed Screeched Shouted Shrieked Yelped Yelled

ANNOYED Grumbled Grunted Jeered Quipped Scolded Snapped Snarled Sneered

ANNOYING Nagged

I DON’T REALLY CARE BUT WHATEVER Guessed Ventured

I’M DRUNK OR JUST BEING WEIRDLY EXPRESSIVE FOR A POINT/SARCASM Hooted Howled Yowled

I WONDER Pondered Voiced Wondered

OH, YEAH, WHOOPS Recalled Recited Remembered

SURPRISE BITCH Revealed

IT SEEMS FAKE BUT OKAY/HA ACTUALLY FUNNY BUT I DON’T WANT TO LAUGH OUT LOUD Scoffed Snickered Snorted

BITCHY Tattled Taunted Teased

Edit: People, I’m an English and creative writing double major in college; I understand that there’s nothing wrong with simply using “said.” This was just for fun, and it comes in handy when I need to add pizzazz. 

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#IT’S BEEN SO MANY YEARS #AND RIN STILL MAKES HARU’S HEART FLUTTER EVERY DAMN TIME #IF IT ISN’T THE CUTEST THING EVER I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS

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Why? Why didn’t i realize? I lost sight of it, and didn’t realize. All the time, she smiles so delightfully, that’s why. It takes just the littlest thing to make her smile so happily. But still, saying she doesn’t mind being alone, that she’s all right, There isn’t a person alive who is like that.

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Only the gentle are ever really strong.

James Dean (via quotemadness)

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She was unafraid of honesty or silence, two things I always think of when I think of her. She had a genius, a maddening intellect that came with a supernatural vision—of people and things.

Tennessee Williams, referring to Geraldine Page, quoted in Follies of God: Tennessee Williams and the Women of the Fog (via violentwavesofemotion)

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