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[writerjazz]

Hey! I love your blog, it's amazing! I was wondering if you had some tips or examples about clothing. My character goes on adventure but I think she wouldn't wear like fantasy clothes, more like casual ones but I'm tired of hoodies or things like that. Do you have any advice?

Hey! I love you, you’re amazing!

I’ll try my best for you, although I guess it depends on where your character is going on her adventure…! Clothes aren’t just about style (most garments have a practical function) but that doesn’t mean you can’t reflect your character’s fashion tastes with the outfits you choose for her to wear.

Before I begin, here’s a little note: long descriptions of clothing and outfits aren’t always necessary. It tends to only matter when the clothes are plot significant (the wizarding uniform in Harry Potter, the individual tribute outfits in The Hunger Games) or as a way of contributing to a character’s overall image.

Dressing for the Cold

To keep warm, you have to wear a lot of layers. Not just a t-shirt and a jumper over the top; we’re talking vests, long-sleeved shirts, sweaters, fleeces and a warm, waterproof coat. Then for your legs, hands, head and feet: long johns, thick socks (preferably more than one pair), sturdy, waterproof (and insulated) boots, roomy trousers, thermal gloves and a good hat.

This is all in the case of extreme cold though. Warmer temperatures would require less layers.

Dressing for the Heat

Clothes should be loose-fitting and layers are best avoided. Fabric can be really important, too. Combat pants or loose cut-offs will provide a decent amount of ventilation for the legs. You can also get trousers that can be unzipped around the knees to convert them into shorts if discomfort from the heat persists.

Of course, there’s not just the heat to worry about in hot places. To avoid sunburn, sun hats and fitted caps are a good place to start. Shirts with a collar that can be turned upwards will also help to protect the back of the neck from being burnt.

You’re probably thinking, ‘Well damn, everybody knows that, enlee!’ but I figured a quick recap wouldn’t hurt to provide you with some outfit ideas depending on the kind of environment your character will be traversing.

The fun part is thinking about her individual style and what kind of item she’d pick if you were to take her shopping. Sports clothing stores will have multiple brands and styles - functionality and fashion can work together, too!

Plus, nobody said your character has to be decked out in adventuring gear to go on an adventure. It’s just an option. If it’s not in her nature to shop in extreme sports stores and the adventure is sort of sprung upon her, then she mightn’t dress for the occasion.

My advice would be to combine your knowledge of how to dress in certain circumstances with the kind of style you want your character to have. What I mean by this is, choose items or create designs that can work in the environment, but aren’t necessarily made for it.

Looking through clothing websites is a great place to get ideas. Some stores do ‘Look Books’ in which the store stylists put together whole outfits using their current trends. See the links below for those and more resources.

Best of luck and I hope this has been even just a little inspirational.

- enlee

Resources:

lookbook.nu

New Look, 100 Days of Summer LookBook, New Look Online Store

River Island, Women’s LookBook (and here’s the Men’s)

All Saints LookBooks

(At this point I feel it’s worth mentioning that most clothes stores will have a LookBook - Google any store you like followed by ‘lookbook’…!)

Berghaus

Triple S

ExOfficio

Fuck Yeah, Clothes

Fuck Yeah Pretty Outfits

Fuck Yeah Chubby Fashion

Fuck Yeah Cute Outfits

Fuck Yeah Winter Wear

[writerjazz]

Bio help

CREATING AN OC

Building Fictional Characters

Creating an Original Character

Fiction Writing: Creating a Character

How to Create a Character

How to Create a Fictional Character From Scratch

WRITING A BIO

Character Creation Form

Character Personality Creator

Writing Tips

Found here. Bio layouts still to come.

[writerjazz]

BASICS:

Genres:

Alternate World: A setting that is not our world, but may be similar. This includes “portal fantasies” in which characters find an alternative world through their own. An example would be The Chronicles of Narnia.

Arabian: Fantasy that is based on the Middle East and North Africa.

Arthurian: Set in Camelot and deals with Arthurian mythology and legends.

Bangsian: Set in the afterlife or deals heavily with the afterlife. It most often deals with famous and historical people as characters. An example could be The Lovely Bones.

Celtic: Fantasy that is based on the Celtic people, most often the Irish.

Christian: This genre has Christian themes and elements.

Classical: Based on Roman and Greek myths.

Contemporary: This genre takes place in modern society in which paranormal and magical creatures live among us. An example would be the Harry Potter series.

Dark: This genre combines fantasy and horror elements. The tone or feel of dark fantasy is often gloomy, bleak, and gothic.

Epic: This genre is long and, as the name says, epic. Epic is similar to high fantasy, but has more importance, meaning, or depth. Epic fantasy is most often in a medieval setting.

Gaslamp: Also known as gaslight, this genre has a Victorian or Edwardian setting.

Gunpowder: Gunpowder crosses epic or high fantasy with “rifles and railroads”, but the technology remains realistic unlike the similar genre of steampunk.

Heroic: Centers on one or more heroes who start out as humble, unlikely heroes thrown into a plot that challenges them.

High: This is considered the “classic” fantasy genre. High fantasy contains the general fantasy elements and is set in a fictional world.

Historical: The setting in this genre is any time period within our world that has fantasy elements added.

Medieval: Set between ancient times and the industrial era. Often set in Europe and involves knights. (medieval references)

Mythic: Fantasy involving or based on myths, folklore, and fairy tales.

Portal: Involves a portal, doorway, or other entryway that leads the protagonist from the “normal world” to the “magical world”.

Quest: As the name suggests, the protagonist in this genre sets out on a quest. The protagonist most frequently searches for an object of importance and returns home with it.

Sword and Sorcery: Pseudomedieval settings in which the characters use swords and engage in action-packed plots. Magic is also an element, as is romance.

Urban: Has a modern or urban setting in which magic and paranormal creatures exist, often in secret.

Wuxia: A genre in which the protagonist learns a martial art and follows a code. This genre is popular in Chinese speaking areas.

Word Counts:

Word counts for fantasy are longer than other genres because of the need for world building. Even in fantasy that takes place in our world, there is a need for the introduction of the fantasy aspect.

Word counts for established authors with a fan base can run higher because publishers are willing to take a higher chance on those authors. First-time authors (who have little to no fan base) will most likely not publish a longer book through traditional publishing. Established authors may also have better luck with publishing a novel far shorter than that genre’s expected or desired word count, though first-time authors may achieve this as well.

A general rule of thumb for first-time authors is to stay under 100k and probably under 110k for fantasy.

Other exceptions to word count guidelines would be for short fiction (novellas, novelettes, short stories, etc.) and that one great author who shows up every few years with a perfect 200k manuscript.

But why are there word count guidelines? For young readers, it’s pretty obvious why books should be shorter. For other age groups, it comes down to the editor’s preference, shelf space in book stores, and the cost of publishing a book. The bigger the book, the more expensive it is to publish.

General Fantasy: 75k - 110k

Epic Fantasy: 90k - 120k

Contemporary Fantasy: 90k - 120k

Urban Fantasy: 80k - 100k

Middle Grade: 45k - 70k

YA: 75k - 120k (depending on sub-genre)

Adult: 80k - 120k (depending on sub-genre)

WORLD BUILDING:

A pseudo-European medieval setting is fine, but it’s overdone. And it’s always full of white men and white women in disguise as white men because around 85% (ignore my guess/exaggeration, I only put it there for emphasis) of fantasy writers seem to have trouble letting go of patriarchal societies. 

Guys. It’s fantasy. You can do whatever you want. You can write a fantasy that takes place in a jungle. Or in a desert. Or in a prairie. The people can be extremely diverse in one region and less diverse in another. The cultures should differ. Different voices should be heard. Queer people exist. People of color exist. Not everyone has two arms or two legs or the ability to hear.

As for the fantasy elements, you also make up the rules. Don’t go searching around about how a certain magic spell is done, just make it up. Magic can be whatever color you want. It can be no color at all. You can use as much or as little magic as you want.

Keep track of what you put into your world and stick to the rules. There should be limits, laws, cultures, climates, disputes, and everything else that exists in our world. However, you don’t have to go over every subject when writing your story.

World Building:

Fantasy World Building Questionnaire

Magical World Builder’s Guide

Creating Fantasy and Science Fiction Worlds

Creating Religions

Quick and Dirty World Building

World Building Links

Fantasy World Building Questions

The Seed of Government (2)

Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy

Fantasy Worlds and Race

Water Geography

Alternate Medieval Fantasy Story

Writing Magic

Types of Magic

When Magic Goes Wrong

Magic-Like Psychic Abilities

Science and Magic

Creative Uses of Magic

Thoughts on Creating Magic Systems

Defining the Sources, Effects, and Costs of Magic

World Building Basics

Mythology Master Post

Fantasy Religions

Setting the Fantastic in the Everyday World

Making Histories

Matching Your Money to Your World

Building a Better Beast

A Man in Beast’s Clothing

Creating and Using Fictional Languages

Creating a Language

Creating Fictional Holidays

Creating Holidays

Weather and World Building 101

Describing Fantastic Creatures

Medieval Technology

Music For Your Fantasy World

A heterogeneous World

Articles on World Building

Cliches:

Grand List of Fantasy Cliches (most of this can be debated)

Fantasy Cliches Discussion

Ten Fantasy Cliches That Should Be Put to Rest

Seven Fantasy Cliches That Need to Disappear

Avoiding Fantasy Cliches 101

Avoiding Fantasy Cliches

Fantasy Cliches

Fantasy Cliche Meter: The Bad Guys

Fantasy Novelist’s Exam

Mary Sue Race Test

Note: Species (like elves and dwarves) are not cliches. The way they are executed are cliches.

CHARACTERS

Read More

[writerjazz]

Free! LOG① by セレネ

[writerjazz]

Seven Steps to the Perfect Story

From structure and plot to heroes and characters, your story must have everything in place if it’s to connect with the reader. Follow our guide to storytelling success.

[writerjazz]

Closer, closer...

There are quiet nights that Freir and Rous come home not quite tired enough to sleep but not quite energized enough to do their chores before bed. Those nights, they turn on the old record player that Freir has kept in good repair all these years and the demon gently tugs the elf towards him, a loose grip on a thin and lovely wrist enough for them to meet face to face.

They come into the house barefoot, shoes left on the stoop from a particular incident with a crate improperly shut and they laugh softly to each other, into the skin of their necks and they speak to each other in ticklish whispers as they slowly sway back and forth to the beat of tinny music. The demon pecks at the tiny freckles that litter fair skin and the elf only mutters playful protest. And they dance in a way that brings them close but not as close as they want, as they need.

Freir whispers important lyrics as they are sung, his favorite lines and meanings and those songs that Rous has heard more than once, he quietly sings the lyrics back to him and those lovely ballads that they take as nothing leave them proclaiming a love for each other that they cannot voice otherwise, that goes ignored save for these moments where they are lost in each other’s hold and eyes and voices and kisses before going back to their wonderful friendship.

"I met him when the sun was down," Rous sings, a lovely soft tone that quirks the corners of a demon’s lips and reveals laugh lines gained over so many centuries. He loves those. "The bar was closed, we both have had no sleep. My face beneath the street lamp, it reveals what lonely people seek. Closer, closer…"

They tilt their heads to meet in a kiss, small, simple, an exchange that leaves neither one blushing and feeling contentedly warm and they continue to move together until the song ends. But they don’t pull apart. They press themselves tightly together in a grip that says that a broken facade wouldn’t end as well as their dreams and this moment together could be one of their last.

[writerjazz]

How to write a novel: Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson teaches his wildly popular Snowflake Method for designing and writing a novel.

Since I’m mainly in the plotting stage right now, I thought I’d share this really helpful tool in getting to know your novel that really hammers what you want to say into your brain. So far, it’s working out excellently for me. I understand if you don’t like outlining, but give it a try! You probably won’t be disappointed!

[writerjazz]

BASICS:

Genres:

Alternate World: A setting that is not our world, but may be similar. This includes “portal fantasies” in which characters find an alternative world through their own. An example would be The Chronicles of Narnia.

Arabian: Fantasy that is based on the Middle East and North Africa.

Arthurian: Set in Camelot and deals with Arthurian mythology and legends.

Bangsian: Set in the afterlife or deals heavily with the afterlife. It most often deals with famous and historical people as characters. An example could be The Lovely Bones.

Celtic: Fantasy that is based on the Celtic people, most often the Irish.

Christian: This genre has Christian themes and elements.

Classical: Based on Roman and Greek myths.

Contemporary: This genre takes place in modern society in which paranormal and magical creatures live among us. An example would be the Harry Potter series.

Dark: This genre combines fantasy and horror elements. The tone or feel of dark fantasy is often gloomy, bleak, and gothic.

Epic: This genre is long and, as the name says, epic. Epic is similar to high fantasy, but has more importance, meaning, or depth. Epic fantasy is most often in a medieval setting.

Gaslamp: Also known as gaslight, this genre has a Victorian or Edwardian setting.

Gunpowder: Gunpowder crosses epic or high fantasy with “rifles and railroads”, but the technology remains realistic unlike the similar genre of steampunk.

Heroic: Centers on one or more heroes who start out as humble, unlikely heroes thrown into a plot that challenges them.

High: This is considered the “classic” fantasy genre. High fantasy contains the general fantasy elements and is set in a fictional world.

Historical: The setting in this genre is any time period within our world that has fantasy elements added.

Medieval: Set between ancient times and the industrial era. Often set in Europe and involves knights. (medieval references)

Mythic: Fantasy involving or based on myths, folklore, and fairy tales.

Portal: Involves a portal, doorway, or other entryway that leads the protagonist from the “normal world” to the “magical world”.

Quest: As the name suggests, the protagonist in this genre sets out on a quest. The protagonist most frequently searches for an object of importance and returns home with it.

Sword and Sorcery: Pseudomedieval settings in which the characters use swords and engage in action-packed plots. Magic is also an element, as is romance.

Urban: Has a modern or urban setting in which magic and paranormal creatures exist, often in secret.

Wuxia: A genre in which the protagonist learns a martial art and follows a code. This genre is popular in Chinese speaking areas.

Word Counts:

Word counts for fantasy are longer than other genres because of the need for world building. Even in fantasy that takes place in our world, there is a need for the introduction of the fantasy aspect.

Word counts for established authors with a fan base can run higher because publishers are willing to take a higher chance on those authors. First-time authors (who have little to no fan base) will most likely not publish a longer book through traditional publishing. Established authors may also have better luck with publishing a novel far shorter than that genre’s expected or desired word count, though first-time authors may achieve this as well.

A general rule of thumb for first-time authors is to stay under 100k and probably under 110k for fantasy.

Other exceptions to word count guidelines would be for short fiction (novellas, novelettes, short stories, etc.) and that one great author who shows up every few years with a perfect 200k manuscript.

But why are there word count guidelines? For young readers, it’s pretty obvious why books should be shorter. For other age groups, it comes down to the editor’s preference, shelf space in book stores, and the cost of publishing a book. The bigger the book, the more expensive it is to publish.

General Fantasy: 75k - 110k

Epic Fantasy: 90k - 120k

Contemporary Fantasy: 90k - 120k

Urban Fantasy: 80k - 100k

Middle Grade: 45k - 70k

YA: 75k - 120k (depending on sub-genre)

Adult: 80k - 120k (depending on sub-genre)

WORLD BUILDING:

A pseudo-European medieval setting is fine, but it’s overdone. And it’s always full of white men and white women in disguise as white men because around 85% (ignore my guess/exaggeration, I only put it there for emphasis) of fantasy writers seem to have trouble letting go of patriarchal societies. 

Guys. It’s fantasy. You can do whatever you want. You can write a fantasy that takes place in a jungle. Or in a desert. Or in a prairie. The people can be extremely diverse in one region and less diverse in another. The cultures should differ. Different voices should be heard. Queer people exist. People of color exist. Not everyone has two arms or two legs or the ability to hear.

As for the fantasy elements, you also make up the rules. Don’t go searching around about how a certain magic spell is done, just make it up. Magic can be whatever color you want. It can be no color at all. You can use as much or as little magic as you want.

Keep track of what you put into your world and stick to the rules. There should be limits, laws, cultures, climates, disputes, and everything else that exists in our world. However, you don’t have to go over every subject when writing your story.

World Building:

Fantasy World Building Questionnaire

Magical World Builder’s Guide

Creating Fantasy and Science Fiction Worlds

Creating Religions

Quick and Dirty World Building

World Building Links

Fantasy World Building Questions

The Seed of Government (2)

Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy

Fantasy Worlds and Race

Water Geography

Alternate Medieval Fantasy Story

Writing Magic

Types of Magic

When Magic Goes Wrong

Magic-Like Psychic Abilities

Science and Magic

Creative Uses of Magic

Thoughts on Creating Magic Systems

Defining the Sources, Effects, and Costs of Magic

World Building Basics

Mythology Master Post

Fantasy Religions

Setting the Fantastic in the Everyday World

Making Histories

Matching Your Money to Your World

Building a Better Beast

A Man in Beast’s Clothing

Creating and Using Fictional Languages

Creating a Language

Creating Fictional Holidays

Creating Holidays

Weather and World Building 101

Describing Fantastic Creatures

Medieval Technology

Music For Your Fantasy World

A heterogeneous World

Articles on World Building

Cliches:

Grand List of Fantasy Cliches (most of this can be debated)

Fantasy Cliches Discussion

Ten Fantasy Cliches That Should Be Put to Rest

Seven Fantasy Cliches That Need to Disappear

Avoiding Fantasy Cliches 101

Avoiding Fantasy Cliches

Fantasy Cliches

Fantasy Cliche Meter: The Bad Guys

Fantasy Novelist’s Exam

Mary Sue Race Test

Note: Species (like elves and dwarves) are not cliches. The way they are executed are cliches.

CHARACTERS

Read More

[writerjazz]

Pennames and aliases

Anonymous asked you:

I was wondering how important using my birth name is? For instance I have a blog and twitter. I want to use them to speak about my writing. Do I “have” to use my birth name? Is using my birth name important? What if I self-publish or publish, would I need to use it there? I would really like to avoid using my birth name if possible, but I don’t know.

Your birth name is only as important as you make it (in regards to establishing yourself, not, you know, taxes and legal things and such). Plenty of authors use pennames today for a multitude of reasons, and sometimes publishing companies encourage it when it comes to particular genres. Why would you use a penname?

You want to preserve your anonymity. If you work by day and write by night and you don’t want your boss to hear about your erotica side job, a penname is a good avenue. Or, it could be that you have family members that you’d really rather not know about your writing career. Whatever the case may be, this removes the attachment of what you write to your birth name.

You want to distance yourself. Maybe you’re a particularly private person, or maybe you want the rejection that comes with the publication to be dumped on a name that’s not your own. It might help distance you from that rejection (since rejection is just an inherent part of the industry).

You want to write across different genres. If you write YA (young adult) on one side, but then erotica on the other, having a penname at least for one will make sure that a teen doesn’t look up your name on Barnes and Noble and get confused when all the covers are smutty eye candy.

Your birth name is safely simple. John Smith is always the popular name to pick on in this case. Names like these are easy to mix up with other John Smiths that people might know, or easy to mix up with John White or John Brown.

Your birth name is easily misspelled. You’re more difficult to search for if the way your name looks is different than the way your name sounds, or if your name has a million different spellings (Riley, Reilly, Riley, Rylie, Rhiley, Ryleigh, etc.), or even if your parents changed up the spelling of your name (Ashliy, Lyam, Khristopher).

Your birth name has already been used by other authors or celebrities. You don’t want your work to be confused with other authors, or vise-versa. You also don’t want people to think Angelina Jolie wrote your romance novel.

You want a name that’s gender-ambiguous. Some genres are dominated by particular genders, such as military espionage or romance. Having a gender-neutral penname can prevent any inherent prejudices that come with writing in a particular genre.

You wrote something a while ago that you don’t want to be connected to what you’re writing now. This goes especially with books that flopped. Choosing a new name is sort of like a fresh start.

If you decide on a penname, that’s cool. Pennames can do a lot of awesome things if made well. Here are some tips on putting one together:

Look at the names of your genre. Study what’s working for these authors. You can also find writing forums that discuss the known pennames of authors and learn about them that way.

Don’t get too ambitious. As in, don’t make your name Temujin Alexander Nero Napoleon Mortimer II. Don’t do it. That’s a really, ridiculously epic name. Remember that the names of well-known historical figures will greatly influence the way your name will be received. Names with particular connotations will do the same.

Be reasonable about the length. Put together something that can stand out large and bold on a cover. I almost decided to add my middle name to my author name until I tried it on a cover once and found out how small I had to make it (as in, very small).

Be aware of the sounds and cadences. Speak the name aloud. Record yourself speaking it. Pay attention to how it flows off the tongue.

Run the name through Google and Barnes and Noble/Amazon. Make sure no other authors or celebrities have this name (or convicts, I guess).

Get opinions from your friends. Give them the name and ask them what sorts of images the name conjures up for them. Or, if you’re pressing for that anonymity, find a writing forum and ask people what they think of the name.

Sit on it for a while. Don’t decide on anything right away. Give yourself plenty of time to tweak and play with it.

Make sure you’re excited with it. If you’re “meh” about the name, then put it away and try putting together a different name. If you’re not excited about it, your readers might not be, either.

Test it. If you post your writing online, try posting under this name. See how it’s received.

Be aware that using a penname is not a legal wall. Any defamation or avoiding taxes can still get you in trouble, and if you sign the contract of a publishing company that requires you to give that publisher a look at your next book, avoiding this part of the contract through using a fake name can still constitute a breach of contract (better to ask permission than forgiveness in this case). If you’re still unsure, you can always Google famous authors that used a penname. You might be surprised at what you find. Good luck!

[writerjazz]

by Alex Palmer  

For a self-published author, marketing the book can be more important than writing it. With a few key steps, an author can build a loyal following, get the word out about his or her work, and get people to buy it.

Build your web presence

Build a Mailing List

Target Your Messaging

Keep Up the Maintenance

Read More →

[writerjazz]

Researching steampunk

just-noticing-it asked you: I have had an idea for a story set in a steampunk world, but I’m pretty new to the genre. Do you have any tips on where to start learning about steampunk?

Steampunk is one of our most favorite things ever, holy cow, both aesthetically and theoretically. Firstly, there are many different subsets of steampunk and some of them get pretty crazy. We’re most familiar with your basic historical AU (alternate universe) type of steampunk set in the Victorian and Great War/World War I eras. Steampunk requires a good deal of research, and since I just wrote my own steampunk fantasy a year ago, I can tell you what you’re going to need to know well:

History. Know what’s going on and why. Who’s in charge and what are political figureheads doing with their power? Who’s in control of the currency? How are the borders holding up and how are foreign relations? Tensions with the upper classes and other countries impacted daily life in the form of media (newspapers, really, with a heavy helping of gossip), taxes, trade embargos, and so forth.

Technology. Understand how steam power works and how it impacts the industrial age. Look up machines of all sorts specific to your era (or the era you’re borrowing from, in the case of fantasy), such as vehicles, ships (and airships, if you so choose), cameras, radios, everything that would be a clincher detail to your time period. This will also be dictated by –

Resources. Trade. What’s coming into the country? What’s going out? Europe’s transcendence to the industrial age was because of their access to fossil fuels, a resource that was extremely rare elsewhere in the world (countries such as China were already on the cusp of an industrial revolution hundreds of years prior, but lacked the fuels to take off).

Infrastructure. Architecture. How homes were built, why they were built this way (as in, how did homes hold up against climate), how daily chores were performed in these homes, what the streets look like, what everything was made of, etc.

Culture. Where is your steampunk story set? In the case of fantasy, you can take it anywhere in the world. There’s fantastic multi-cultural steampunk art that envisions what might have come about with specific fashion if clothing had become mass-produced and streamlined as it had in Europe. If you chose this route, make sure you do more than enough research, like a ton of it.

Language. Traditional steampunk takes place in Great Britain, which means British English and the various accents and dialects that come with it. Non-traditional and fantasy steampunk can take you anywhere, which means learning how different characters of different languages interact.

Fashion. Of course. The waistcoats and trousers and cravats and spats and gaiters and oxfords and derbies—and that’s just the men. Make sure you research all of this, as there’s different dresses for the daytime and the evening, and different silhouettes were more prominent in particular eras (especially for the upper class, who were the most likely to invest in a new dress with every new style).

Steampunk is extremely visual. Fashion plays a huge part, but so does technology. It’s more than just a smattering of clock gears that makes steampunk – it’s about why a machine works and what it does and how it does it. It’s about the awe of technology and oftentimes portraying it in a way that’s very nearly monstrous. We’re so accustomed to technology nowadays, it’s part of our daily lives, but steampunk does to technology what fantasy does to magic. It becomes limitless. This is why understanding how steam power works is paramount. Our favorite steampunk author is Gail Carriger with her Parasol Protectorate series. She also recently put out a YA novel set in the same world, “Etiquette and Espionage”. Hope this helps! Good luck! Any followers with book recommendations?

[writerjazz]

Hey, guys!  So, we’re all familiar with Cyberpunk and Steampunk, but there are so many more alternate histories/speculative science fiction genres out there!  I came across this handy-dandy infographic and figured I could share a bit of these punk genres for anyone interested.

Steampunk Roughly covers the Western world during the mid- to late-19th century (ie:  Victorian era, US wild west, etc.), and sometimes up to the Edwardian era.

Dieselpunk 1920s up through WWII, ending at just about the Cold War.

Decopunk A cleaner, artistic, more “optimistic” version of Dieselpunk (same time period)

Clockpunk Covers the time of the Renaissance (think da Vinci)

Atompunk Cold War era, ie: the Space Race

Teslapunk Derivative of Steampunk, but focuses on electricity rather than steam.

Splatterpunk Explicit horror and gore

Biopunk Biotechnology, genetics (part science fiction, part real life)

Nanopunk Nanotechnology, sometimes overlaps with Biopunk

Cyberpunk The granddaddy of them all:  computer technology, the internet, hackers, etc. 

Others not included in the infographic

Elfpunk Fantasy-based, features creatures like elves and fairies.

Mythpunk Mythology and folklore, includes urban fantasy.

Seapunk?

Stonepunk, Bronzepunk, Plaguepunk

[writerjazz]

[writerjazz]

Physical Description Clichés to Avoid in Your Writing

Physical Description Clichés to Avoid

[First, my profound apologies to the vast majority of readers who don’t steal content, but I have to state the following.  This article and all content on this website belongs to Val Kovalin, copyright © Obsidianbookshelf.com, except where noted. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without written permission from Val Kovalin is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Val Kovalin and Obsidianbookshelf.com with a return link to the original content.] 

Clichés are descriptive phrases and comparisons that have been run into the ground with overuse.  Amateur writers tend to use them because they come quickly and easily to mind.  But they’re dull and create no real mental picture and tend to make us readers disengage. 

I’ve also included perfectly good words like “slender" and basic colors like blue, brown, gold, and green.  This is because these words are not enough when used in description:  He was slender and his eyes were blue.  Used like this, these words (while not clichés) serve as basic labels and are boring.  You need to take them further:  slender as a birch twig, blue as a gas-jet flame.

Use everything on this list with caution.  I try never to say “never" and some of these clichés I like – such as flashing eyes.  So, with the exception of what’s in the Cliché Hall of Fame, go ahead and use them if you have to, but be aware that they are clichés and keep your use sparing.  You can bet I’ll be adding more clichés and worn-out words as I run across them.

Cliché Hall of Fame:  Stamp out these phrases like the roaches they are!

Dancing eyes.  Gack!

Full.  As in full breasts, full lips, and a full mouth (when you mean “full lips" rather than full of food)

Soft.  Man, do I hate this word.  Soft bosoms?  Soft hair?  No kidding.  Soft eyes?  Surely there is a more precise way to describe a gentle or melting glance. 

The List of Words:  Look on this alphabetical list for the thing you want to describe.  After the dash, you will see words that are clichés, inadequate, or too basic.  You’ll need to decide whether to avoid the word, go ahead and use it, or give it some help with the addition of some sharper details.  For example, Nalini Singh in Slave to Sensation described her heroine’s eyes as “night-sky" dark, which is a cliché by itself.  But she turns a worn-out comparison into a beautiful image when she adds “an endless field of black scattered with pinpricks of cold white fire."

Blood – copper [smells and tastes like], copper pennies, coppery, metallic [smell, taste].  Comment:  what does metal and/or copper smell like?  Nothing, right? 

Body – fat, fleshy, heavy, slender, slim, stout,

Body, female – curvaceous, curvy, hourglass figure, lithe, lithesome, lush, slender, slim, voluptuous

Body, male – brawny, burly, hard, lean, muscular, powerful, slim, strapping, strong,

Breasts, Bosoms – ample, full, heaving, soft,

Eyes – beady, clear, cold, dancing, doe-eyed, fiery, flashing, glowing, limpid, liquid, piercing, rolling, shining, snapping, soft, sparkling, steely, twinkling, wide,

Eyes, blue – baby blue, china blue, cornflower blue, forget-me-not blue, ice blue, indigo, sapphire, sky blue, steel blue

Eyes, black – coal black, ebony, jet, midnight, night, night sky, obsidian, onyx, pitch black, smoky, soot, velvety

Eyes, brown – amber, doe-eyed, golden, nut brown, soft, topaz, velvety, walnut

Eyes, green – bottle green, cat’s eyes, emerald, forest green, grass green, jade, leaf green, sea green

Eyes, gray – charcoal gray, cloud gray, silver, slate, smoke, steel,

Facial shape – horsey, heart-shaped,

Fingers – elegant, gnarled, slender, stubby, tapering,

Gaze – hypnotic, mesmerizing, passionate, penetrating, piercing, smoldering

Hair – cascading, flowing, mane, silky, soft, wavy

Hair, blond(e) – ash, flax, flaxen, gilded, gilt, gold, golden, honey, platinum, straw-colored, taffy, tawny, wheat,

Hair, brunet(te) – chestnut, mouse-brown, mousey, nut brown, raven, russet, sable,

Hair, gray – grizzled, hoary, pearly, snow white, winter white,

Hair, red – auburn, chestnut, cinnamon, coppery, fiery, flame, ginger, russet

Neck – slender, swan-like, thick,

Nose – beaky, button nose, hawk nose, prominent, pug nose, snub nosed

Skin – flawless, glowing, leathery, lustrous, soft,

Skin, dark – bronzed, chocolate, cinnamon, cocoa, coffee, coppery, dusky, mahogany, nut brown, swarthy, tan, walnut

Skin, dark/golden – gilded, golden, honey, sallow, waxy

Skin, fair – alabaster, chalky, creamy, milky, pallid, peaches-and-cream, pearly, porcelain, translucent, whey-faced

Skin, fair/reddish – apple-cheeked, rosy, ruddy

[writerjazz]

Songwriting 101

Writing songs can be extremely relieving when you’re feeling like you need to let all your feelings out. Whether you’ve never written a song or you’re looking to improve your songwriting, we hope we’ll be able to help you. While there is a lot to say about this topic, we’re going to focus on the basics right now.

[writerjazz]

Rebloggable version, as requested by davrosbro. :)

Oooh!  Yes!  I love kisses.  Kisses are where it all starts ;).

Okay, first, remember that a kiss is much, much more than just lips.  It is lips, but also tongues, teeth, eyes, faces, hands, noses, bodies, heartbeats,  breath, voice- and most importantly, a kiss is emotions.  A kiss without emotion is just wet mushy lips stuck together.  Ew.  Gross.  The most important part of a kiss isn’t the how, but the who- because of the emotions between the two people.

Okay so:

lips- Lips can slide, glide over each other smoothly, or they can be chapped and rough and dry and get stuck on each other.  They can match, top-to-top and bottom-to-bottom, or they can overlap, with one person’s top or bottom lip captured between the other person’s lips (yummy).  If there is lipstick or chapstick there is lipstick or chapstick flavor, otherwise, lips don’t have a taste (can you taste yours?).  Lips also can smack- the sound of two of them coming together or pulling apart, because they’re wet and warm and soft. 

tongue- Tongues are always wet, and always warm.  They’re very versatile.  They can trace over lips, teeth, or another tongue.  They can be smooth and graceful or teasing and flicking.  When tongues are involved, there is drool.  It’s only sexy when you like the person you’re kissing, or else it’s kinda gross. :P

teeth- teeth can clack together awkwardly, or teeth can bite down sensually.  A person biting their own lip is cute, a person biting another’s lips is sexy.  A person biting gently is sensual, a person biting roughly is sexual. 

eyes- Eyes can be wide open with surprise, half-lidded with desire, fully closed with pleasure.  Eyes can gaze lovingly, lustfully, wistfully, hungrily, seductively- it all depends upon the emotions of your characters.  Have them do whatever you like, but don’t leave them out- give them at least a mention!

faces- Faces are what the lips are attached to.  Noses bump, cheeks flush, ears turn red, foreheads either wrinkle or relax.  Kisses can leave lips, quite easily, and become kisses on chins, cheeks, noses, foreheads, ears, necks, throats.  Kisses on noses or foreheads are cute and adorable, kisses on cheeks are sweet, kisses on chins, ears, and throats are very sexual.  And a kiss on the lips can be all of those! <3

hands- Hands are super-important.  In order to describe a kiss, usually you want to also describe the hands.  Where are they?  Does one character have their hand behind the other’s head or back, holding them close?  Are they on someone’s shoulders pulling them near, or pushing them away?  Fingers brushing someone’s cheek or palms grabbing someone’s ass convey two very different kinds of situations, even if the kiss itself is exactly the same.

noses- Noses are annoying.  They easily get in the way, especially for first kisses!  People have to tilt their head to one side or the other, and if they don’t, noses bump.  I’d only mention noses if a kiss is supposed to be awkward or uncertain or nervous.

bodies- bodies are either close together, or far away.  Someone can be surrounded comfortingly by someone’s arms, or terrifyingly trapped by them.  Bodies are warm or hot, they are calm or nervous, relaxed or tense.  Body language says a lot.  Is your character pulling away, or moving closer?

heartbeat- Hearts can beat fast or slow, and that’s about all they can do- but there are lots of reasons why they do!  A heart can beat fast with fear or excitement or nervousness; a heart can pound with lust or race with terror or sing with joy.  Hearts can glow, cower, or shatter.  When you really want to drive the emotions of a character home, mention the heart.

breath- To me, the most consuming part of a kiss is the breath.  The air that someone else has just breathed going deep into your lungs is very intimate.  Lips and tongues don’t have a taste, but breath does.  Each person’s breath tastes different, smells different, and surrounds a person differently than anyone else’s breath.  Breath can be warm and sweet, breath can be hot and sexy, breath can be hot and frightening.  It is something that is very present and should not be left out.  A lot of writers leave breath out.  And it’s so important; it’s the most intimate part of a kiss.  Someone else is breathing into your lungs, and it’s either heaven or it’s hell.

voice- Voice conveys much, even without words.  A voice can groan, whimper, gasp, moan, catch, whine, scream, sigh.  Voice can convey emotion powerfully, and while some kisses are silent, usually they’re not. 

emotion-  Emotion is the most important- and the thing you try not to say.  You want to describe it, through all of the things above, so that it’s perfectly clear what your characters are feeling, without you ever using the “feelings words”.  If they’re in love, their bodies will lean close, their eyes will smile, their voices will giggle softly.  If they’re nervous, their palms will sweat, their noses will bump, their voices will shudder.  If they’re afraid, their muscles will be tense, their faces will grimace, their lips will not open.  Emotion is the color that you keep inside your mind as you write; it’s the base line that drives the description behind everything else you say.

Wow, that was a lot!  Gosh I hope it wasn’t too much!  Keep in mind not every kiss has all these things- this is just a list of things to consider when writing a kiss, and based on how long of a kiss you want to make.  Keep in mind that typing “they kissed for a long time”…that’s six words, it takes half a second to read, so that’s a short kiss!  If you want a long kiss, you need long sentences that make the reader linger. 

So maybe to start off, pick three things on the list to describe in your first kiss.  Don’t try to do it all- that would be too much for even the most epic kiss.  Just pick what’s most important to this particular scene, to these particular characters, and describe those parts along with the lips, and you’ve got yourself an awesome, emotional kiss. <3

[writerjazz]

63. Cold Embrace I'm too little to leave the toybox alone. So, if I give you this one last hug, will you wake up when I come back?