These are Words

no. i don't.

i booked a front row seat to the devil's sacrament and you're blocking the view

Produce = Fresh. Tasty. Nutritious. Contains some ppm of Love.

me: great! time to post to ao3-

ao3 summary box: *exists*

me: 

ao3 summary box:

me:

ao3 summary box: 

Who: Main character(s)

Why: Character goal or desire (stated)

Why: Character need (implied)

When: Inciting Incident

What: Means (that achieves the goal/need)

Where: Place A >> Place B

How: The Plan

Obstacle(s): antagonist or challenge

For example:

Who: Bilbo Baggins, a respectable hobbit of Hobbiton

Why: Treasure, wealth (stated)

Why: Adventure, self-respect (implied)

When: After supper

What: Quest

Where: Hobbiton >> The Lonely Mountain

How: A company of dwarves, a wizard, and an ancient map and key

Main antagonist(s): a dragon

Thus, in less than 100 words:

Bilbo Baggins is a respectable hobbit in Hobbiton, never making any trouble or having any adventures. But when a wizard and a company of dwarves invite themselves to dinner, Bilbo finds himself joining their quest from the shires of Hobbiton to the legendary Lonely Mountain, the home of a long lost treasure, and quite, possibly, a dragon.  

~~~~

Not banning adverbs, just helping you avoid the icky ones.

1. Swap the adverb, not the meaning. Instead of: “He whispered angrily.” Try: “He hissed the words between his teeth.”

2. Replace “said” only when it changes tone. Not every line needs flair! But sometimes: • mused (thinking aloud) • snapped (tension) • muttered (quiet frustration) • chirped (bright and quick)

3. Alternatives to ‘almost’ that aren’t icky. Objects: brushing against, bordering, adjacent to Actions: poised to, ready to, about to States: akin to, resembling, not quite Misc: a whisper from, at the cusp of, within reach of

Example: Instead of: “She was almost smiling.” Try: “A smile hovered at the edge of her mouth.”

Punctuation as a Writing Superpower

Punctuation is mood.

1. Em-dash = drama or interruption. “The decision — reckless as it was — already felt final.”

2. Semicolon = linked thoughts. “The storm hammered the walls; inside, her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.”

3. Colon = emphasis or explanation. “He wanted only one thing: answers.”

4. Ellipses = hesitation or fading thoughts. “I thought I saw someone behind the shed, but…”

Readers don't tend to notice 'said', while it's there in the sentence, it doesn't give the sentence any life. It gets the job done, mostly...

Here are some options to try!

whispered / muttered / mumbled → soft or secretive

shouted / yelled / barked → anger, urgency

growled / hissed → danger, teasing, frustration

murmured / breathed → intimacy, vulnerability

snapped / barked / snapped back → irritation, defensiveness

laughed / chuckled / giggled → laughing, fun, playful or flirty

asked / questioned / queried / inquired → curiosity, questioning

demanded / insisted → authority or control

sighed / groaned → fatigue, exasperation, longing

When you're looking to replace said, think about why. You'll generally want to do this when you need the following:

when the tone of the line needs more context.

when you want to show emotion instead of telling it.

when your character’s body language, action, or expression can do the talking instead.

Take a look at the scene you're writing, is the character saying their line? Or are they yelling it? Screaming it? Are they enraged, or perhaps is their voice a broken whisper from grief?

because we all know the line is a classic for good reason but perhaps a bit too cliche

Oh. Oh no, I know what this is.

Well. That’s inconvenient.

Wait, why is…. Oooooh….

Okay, I know what this looks like. But… Oh man, who am I kidding?

Wait… Oh.

“Oh.” A blink. Then, slower, “Oh…”

“Wait…” Fuck.

What? Why would I feel that way when… Oh.

This is going to hurt, isn’t it?

“What the—“ Oh.

Everything aligns just right then. I’ve been a damn idiot.

“Oh my God!” … Oh my god…

Oh. Oh no…

My hands are shaking and suddenly I understand why my throat feels tight and my heart is pounding. I’m an oblivious fool.

Nope, nope. Not happening. … “Fuck.”

tell me you love it. tell me it made you slam your laptop shut. tell me you brought it up at your college lecture about kink. key smash in all caps. quote the passage that made you think. i promise, we’ll love it.

surgeonsblog

article i found this from^ (w/even more resources)

redwoods medical edge

^article where i found that

this article is short/basic/doesn’t link anywhere else, but i found it very helpful anyway

supposed to be good but to me, seemed difficult to navigate. (dp lyle)

this on the otherhand, is the jackpot (novelmalpractice)

tumblr blog centered around this topic

this is more about the common pitfalls/anachronisms of medical fiction but still helpful

writing medical scenes: useful links by paul anthony shortt

the last one im going to include is an article by a doctor about common mistakes in popular medical shows, i liked this one