make believe worlds

If you get punched in the nose your eyes will water, a lot, even if it didn’t really hurt

Your body follows your head, your head gets pushed one way and your body will want to go that way

Getting hit in the stomach isn’t good, it hurts, getting hit in the diaphragm is worse. Causes your lungs to kinda spasm and make it hard to breathe (diaphragm is between stomach and chest)

When fighting a larger person they will have an easier time forcing you back

The jaw is the knockout button. Hit it hard enough and down for the count

Back of the head is very vulnerable, can cause serious damage if hit there

Kidney punches. They hurt. A lot.

People with experience will try to be where they are comfortable. A wrestler will try to get their opponent on the ground, a boxer will stay on their feet, etc.

Easiest counter to a kick is to get closer to whoever is throwing it, then they won’t have enough room for it to be effective

Want to flesh-out that vague idea of a person who’s been bouncing around in your dome piece? 

Here! Have a handy checklist:

Name, age

Sex, gender, gender expression

Physical appearance; how the character feels about their physical appearance

Race, class, ethnicity

Childhood experience - family relationships, friends and key figures, lifestyle, education, activities and interests

Education level, intelligence level, military service (if applicable)

Attitudes and moral beliefs

Current relationships - parents, siblings, romantic partners, friends, children, etc.

Sex life; attitude and feelings about sex

Religious background and current religious beliefs

Occupation; relationship to boss and coworkers

Hobbies and non-work activities

Political views

Main aspects of personality - introvert vs. extrovert, pessimist vs. optimist, thinking vs. feeling, and the like

What are they proud of? Ashamed of?

State of health

Fears

Sense of humor

Core characteristic

Inherent contradiction - the most interesting characters are already in conflict with themselves

In addition to these twenty items, you can ask yourself loads of bizarre questions like, “What would you write on their tombstone?” and “How would they react to a Japanese game show?” but I find this checklist to be the best place to start building real, solid groundwork that leads to a firm character, rather than a list of “fun facts” of likes and dislikes.

Two final items to consider:

What is the best thing that could happen to this character that could turn out to be the worst?

What is the worst thing that could happen to this character that could turn out to be the best? 

These bits and bobs should help you on your way. Remember: you can never know too much about your character. 

Ever not know how to give your characters depth without going too far or not far enough? I’ve made a list of fifty character tropes, some you hopefully haven’t seen before, to try and help. Adding them to any character would immediately spice up how the reader sees them and is sure to make your characters more interesting. So here we go!

“The Whole Plot Happens to Them by Accident so they Learn on the Way”

“The Predestined Hero”

“The Unwilling but Wanting to Do Good”

“Retired Hero Back in Action”

“The Volunteer for the Big Journey”

“The Average Kid Turned Protagonist”

“The Sarcastic Best Friend”

“The Willful ‘Little Sibling’” (Note: does not actually have to be a little sibling)

“The So-Selfless-They’re-Reckless Type”

“The Wants-Recovery-But-Doesn’t-Know-How-to-Get-It”

“The Learned-From-Bad-Experiences Mentor”

“Stays-Strong-for-Others-Not-Self Type”

“Takes Out Conflicts on Others Type”

“Takes Out Conflicts on Others Type, but they feel guilty later”

“Unsuccessful Artist”

“The Unnatural Leader”

“The ‘It’s Never Enough’ Perfectionist”

“The Calculator”

“Expresses Emotions with Actions Type”

“The Trying-To-Keep-Up Type” (Note: Usually used when a character has self-doubts about abilities while in a talented group of people)

“The (usually not listened to) Voice of Reason”

“The Expositionist”

“The More-Than-Meets-the-Eye Type” (Note: Usually used with a character thought to be superficial)

“The New-to-the-World Type”

“The Philosophical Thinker”

“The Worried Caregiver”

“The Overbearing Guardian Figure”

“The Tyrannical Zealot”

“Connects More with Nature/Machines Type”

“The Connections Maker” (Note: Usually used in large city settings with black market/illegal dealings)

“The Storyteller”

“The Calming Presense”

“The Influencer”

“21st Century Tech-Savvy Mogul”

“The Narcissistic Anti-Villain”

“The Arms Dealer”

“The Traveler” (Note: Usually used with characters who make big impacts in peoples’ lives but only for a brief time before leaving) 36!!!

“The On-Top-of-Everything Assistant”

“The ‘At the Top but is Miserable’ Type”

“The Moralistic Murderer/Assassin/Warrior”

“The Angry Parent” (Note: Usually used in a positive way with parents who would fight to the death for their kids)

“The All-Bark-No-Bite Type”

“The Sassy ‘You need me, I don’t need you’ Type” (Note: Usually used with a character the protagonist comes to for help)

“The Bullied Genius”

“The Questionable Scientist”

“The Doomed-from-the-Start Type”

“The Survivalist”

“The Conspiracy Theorist”

“The International Person-of-Interest”

“The Pop Culture Know-it-All”

“The Smiles-in-the-Face-of-Death Type”

for the writer who can’t seem to write.

Buy a pencil and paper. Get a writing program and a keyboard.

Spill all your ideas into a notebook that will never see the light of day. Write down literally every idea you have that even sort of relates to the scene/chapter/book that you want to write until your thoughts converge on a pointed attack.

Quality vs. Quantity? No competition. Quantity all the way. The more you write, the better you will know your story. Worry about Quality LATER.

Think about where the idea came from. Go there. Set up a cardboard box and live there. This is your home now.

What is the coolest, most self-indulgent thing you can think of? That’s what you want to write at this point, until you get some steam.

Short-term goals, my friends. And by short-term, I mean a minute from now, ten seconds from now. What are you going to do to write RIGHT NOW? Stop thinking about an hour from now, stop thinking about a day from now.

This is not a book. This is not a book. You are not writing a book. You are writing a story. A story is much easier to take bites out of than a book. A book is a big, scary, colossal thing. Stories are fun and carefree.

Get yourself a writing friend. A cactus, an old bottle of nail polish, a fish in an appropriately sized tank, etc. Make them hold you accountable.

Set crazy low goals. Promise yourself you will write ten words today. Ten words and you will be the Best Writer in the Entire World to Ever Exist. Accomplishing things is a morale booster and will urge you to write more.

First off, writing habits cannot be established over night. It’s a matter of knowing yourself, your schedule, and what is realistically achievable for you. For me, it’s been a lot of trial and error, and I’ll go through the things I’ve tried, even if they don’t work for me, they could perhaps work for you. Here’s what I’ve got: 

Write 2000 words a week: Nanowrimo has taught me that I can write 2000 words a day, and I can do that. This was a tip that I’ve heard from a number of writer friends. The truth, it doesn’t work for me, if you are a somewhat sporadic writer, then you will likely struggle with this too. While I do write every day, I might write six words one day and 1,000 the next, overall, aiming for 2,000 a week, while it might work for some people, it wasn’t a habit I could stick to. 

Write every day. This is something I believe in. I keep this blog. I keep a writing journal where I jot down thoughts for characters, plots, stories, so long as you’re writing something even if it’s not exactly your novel, you’re not going to fall out of the practice of writing. But then again, I know it’s not for everyone. 

Find a writing group. This isn’t for everyone. Writers, of all artists, are an especially skittish folk. But if you can work up the nerve to go out an meet other writers, it’s worth it. Connect with them through Nanowrimo, through your local university, through writing classes, etc.  Not everyone will write the kinds of things you do. Most people will write things you would not preferably write about. Get over that. They too are writers. Meet them to build community. This is a great way to talk out ideas, to go on mini writing retreats, swap work - really, there is no downside. Writing is so solitary and your art will always be your art, but having a community around you makes you want to do more of it. Write more. Read more. Writing is something you’re talking about often, it’s on your mind.  You might even make a few friends in the process. Definitely try this. 

Set writing goals. Say that you want to finish scene A by next Tuesday. That’s a goal. This is something that only works for me if I feel the heat. I have to tell someone about this made up deadline so that it becomes real. It works. But only if the deadline is real. 

Write in a coffee shop. This is a weird tip, but oddly I get a lot done in places like this. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I went alone to a coffee shop and hid behind my computer. Maybe it’s because I had nothing else to do. Maybe it’s because the café didn’t have internet. Who knows, but it works. 

Writing sprints. I love these. I didn’t know anything about this until recently, but it was a tip I picked up from a friend, who I guess saw it on Nanowrimo, but it works wonders. Write for 15 minutes at a time. Set a timer so you’re not watching the clock. Don’t write outside that 15 minutes. Before that you’re thinking so when the 15 minutes starts you are exploding like a bottle rocket with creativity so you go super fast and then you just keep going and going and going until the end of the 15 minutes. Then, stop. Even if you have more to say. Just stop. Save it for the next 15 minute sprint. 

Writing tipsy. It doesn’t work for me. I might be too much of a lightweight because even one drink in, I struggle with typing. But it works for some people, so it makes the list! (Don’t make this an every day habit though, I do advise heavily against that). This is something I would say is probably best to do in a moment when you need creativity, but then again, how many authors have become alcoholics? Don’t do this daily. Please. 

Write with a partner. This doesn’t work for everyone but it works really well for me. The key to this is to just have fun with it. Find someone who is looking to write the same kind of story as you are. Similar tone is ideal. You don’t need to be at the same strength or the same level of anything. When you’re writing together, it’s a first draft. Remember that. First drafts are ugly. Don’t try to edit the other person’s work to death until after it’s all been written and don’t target them either. It is a combination effort, so it should represent both of you. 

Writing in the same place every day. Yeah… this one is a must for some people but I need a change of scenery. But the idea is that it is nice to write at your own desk in the environment that you find most ideal. Yeah, not for me, but it’s on the list!

Write to music. This tip is good for maintaining a mood in your writing, but otherwise can be distracting for some writers. It’s up to you. I like it at times, but it’s not something I can’t live without. 

This will be a four part series of posts, so I’ll cover all of the astrological signs. One tip I mentioned awhile back that got a lot of attention was on how to further develop characters by giving them a zodiac sign, so now, I’m going to go into that in a bit more detail. One issue I especially wanted to address is stereotypes. It’s hard not to create stereotypes when you’re reading off a list of traits, but my goal is to help you move beyond the stereotype and get you to consider the qualities with a fresh perspective that might help add to the characters you want to create.

The water signs, of all the signs, are probably the most misunderstood of the bunch. Though known for their depth of emotion, they are not all cry babies. Water signs have a reputation for being sensitive and while this is likely true of many of them, their actual essential shared characteristic is more generally a deeper connection to emotion - all emotions. Not just the ones that make you cry.

Cancer. Stereotype: Motherly. This idea comes the idea that Cancers are generally caring and concerned. Cancers are extremely energetic about the things they love and tend to be extremely involved in the lives of those they care about - that is how “motherly” factors in as a characteristic. You can be motherly, but you can also have those characteristics and have absolutely no maternal instinct. Cancers, despite their large emotional capacity, are known for being reserved when it comes to sharing their feelings. This is a place where you might want to think about character history or development. Why is this character so reserved? What is it in their psychology that has made them this way? Even in real-life Cancers aren’t just this way by design, there will be a reason, even a minuscule one.

Scorpio. Stereotype: Sex-addict/Fan girl of the world. The fact is that Scorpios like to keep their secrets - most of the time. And of course, these secrets naturally could be fandom-related, sexual, or just pretty much any kind of thing you wouldn’t necessarily decide to bring up in small talk. This stems from the Scorpio trait obsessive. Not all Scorpios will be obsessive just as not all Cancers are going to be motherly. Generally, Scorpios do love their secrets (or at the very least, privacy) - which is why Scorpio (as all water signs) is associated with introversion. Does keeping to yourself mean that you’re a sex-addict? What doesn’t help matters is Scorpio’s well-know curiosity. Curiosity comes in many ways - for this reason, Scorpios tend to have rich inner-worlds and love intellectual debate (or any debate, really), and absolutely cherish being right (but they’re only as likely to ward it over you as any other sign). When writing a Scorpio, consider factors like curiosity, imagination, strong-will, and privacy - instead of just a stereotype.

Pisces. Stereotype: The Cryer. (It’s supposed to be The Artist, which is a bit more on target, but when it comes to personality, somehow Pisces becomes very weepy.) Pisces is often the most hit when it comes to stereotypes. Pisces is as emotional as all the other water signs, but always seems to be portrayed as extra delicate. Unlike the other two signs, Pisces is more often associated with self-expression and putting themselves out there (while Cancer and Scorpio are known for self-expression, they tend to be a bit more private than the shameless Pisces.) To expose yourself to criticism is going to mean that you’re going to get knocked down. But think about character development. If your character gets hit with insults all the time, eventually it’ll stop hurting quite so much. Pisces can develop a thick skin and actually be very strong because of their past experiences. It takes experience to gain strength. A Pisces does not have to be “An Artist” either, even the artist image comes out of other factors, such as imagination, insightfulness, and authenticity. It’s this authenticity - their complete sincerity - that often makes them easy targets for criticism and manipulation. But Pisces with time and experience, comes out all the wiser. When writing about a Pisces remember that with weakness comes strength, with openness comes opportunity to be manipulated, and with experience, comes knowledge. While this is true of any sign, it is especially so with Pisces.

Gemini. Stereotype: Crazy. I never got the “crazy” vibe from any Gemini I actually know, so let’s unpack that. Gemini is known for duality. The Twins - their personality is two-sided like a coin. A Gemini while meant to be an extrovert, might take on introverted qualities and even act like an introvert at times - this is what I mean by duality. Gemini is unpredictable in this way. You can think you know them until you find another side of their personality that might even seem contradictory. Gemini is a complicated person without meaning to be complicated. Their “madness” also appears in their work ethics. Gemini is the king of multitasking. Gemini can think of a million things at once and often does, why not watch a movie while playing video games and simultaneously do homework? Another important thing to remember, Gemini loves to talk. About anything. Everything. For hours. And the thing about this, is that Gemini fairly often won’t even think anything of it - as though talking for six hours is a typical conversation… 

Libra. Stereotype: Shallow. It’s mean to say that about Libra, but face it, it’s a stereotype. Like Pisces, Scorpio, or even Virgo, Libra gets bashed quite a bit by their stereotype. Really, Libra is The Scales, which signifies balance, but really… what are we supposed to get from that? I’ll help explain. Libra’s bad reputation comes from this “balance” - Libra is a sign that cares about others a lot. Libra isn’t like Aries who can naturally march to the beat of their own drum, because Libra wants to get along with others, wants others to like each other - life’s not so easy for Libra. The idea of Libra being shallow comes from Libra’s eagerness to please and wanting to be well-liked - which is innocent enough. Many Libras are not shallow at all. Libra is prone to anxiety as a result of conflict. While Libra likes to resolve problems, a problem Libra cannot solve might hurt them. Like all signs, Libra loves to talk, they love to solve problems and offer advice. When writing a Libra take all these things into account. 

Aquarius. Stereotype: The Free-Spirit. Aquarius is known for their forward-thinking and self-expression. They are all about ideas and are very concerned with uniqueness and originality - for this reason, they are often perceived as free spirits, but these traits also set them up to be ideal candidates for other roles such as politicians. Aquarius is a stubborn sign. They hold fast to their ideas - brilliant or otherwise. Aquarius is notorious for being a difficult sign. They are big believers in their own ideas and often uneasy friends to make. When writing an Aquarius, think about all these factors. If you forget to include aspects like stubbornness, you could end up writing a Pisces, Aquarius’s neighboring sign.

In case you haven’t been keeping up, this is the last post of my Character Construction with Astrology series! (Here’s the others if you’ve missed them - Water Signs, Fire Signs, Air Signs.) So today, I’m going to talk about the Earth signs and how to go about writing them - first by looking into their stereotype, unpacking the stereotype, and discussing the the variety of traits you have to think about when writing an earth sign character. 

Earth signs include the sun signs Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. Earth signs are known for being (as clichéd as it sounds) down-to-earth. They are notoriously level-headed and well-reasoned. Earth signs are generally introverted types. 

Taurus. Stereotype: Stubborn Foodie. According to the stereotype, Taurus loves to eat, that’s true of some of them sure, but I know a few that really couldn’t care less about food, but they’re still a Taurus in personality none-the-less. This comes from the idea that Taurus is a lover of the material world. Taurus loves good food, good wine, good cheese - good exercise even too! Even loving all this, Taurus will probably hate shopping (maybe not hate, but cringe over.) Taurus is practical and frugal as hell - they don’t want to buy something they don’t need. They recognize the value of the dollar and won’t spend it just on any old thing. Taurus is also a sentimental sign. Give them a gift and they will cherish it forever because you gave it to them. Taurus instills meaning into possessions and likes to surround themselves with these things. The stereotype about stubbornness is mostly true as well, but Taurus isn’t alone in that. Taurus is the annoying offender because they back up their strong will with reasons and it’s hard to win in a fight against them. The other stubborn signs include Aries, Aquarius, and Scorpio, but none of which will generally match the strong reasoning skills of a Taurus. When writing about a Taurus, it’s okay to make them out to be stubborn, but it’s a long way from being their distinguishable trait. Think broadly on the whole scope of the character. 

Virgo. Stereotype: Control Freak. Virgo too can be a stubborn sign, but it’s always best to remember that Virgo is a well-intentioned sign - they just want everything to be perfect (or happy). Virgo is a hard working sign too and will go the extra mile to get everything in working order. These tendencies might make Virgo seem controlling but really, Virgo just wants everything to go smoothly for their own peace of mind. Virgo also has incredibly high standards. This may make them seem choosy or picky, but really Virgo just wants to hold others to the same standard that they hold themselves which seems pretty fair. When writing a Virgo character, remember that they are logical, though hard-working, they’re not maniacs about it. Virgo, like any earth sign, uses logic and reason. Virgo has a tendency above all other signs to be germophobic and this might be where the most madness comes into the lives of Virgos, but really it’s a fear with a loose basic in logic. 

The fire signs all have this spark within them. I know that sounds cheesy. It is cheesy, but yeah. Fire signs tend to be extroverted and have a kind of magnetism about them. People just want to hang around them and for this reason, fire signs are also associated with leadership and spunk. They of course too have their stereotypes, which I’ll address. If you’re going to write about the sign, don’t just go for the stereotype but also consider what traits are underlying that might further add to the character. With the fire signs, the stereotypes are less offensive than the water signs, but still, it’s best to look at the whole picture. 

Aries. Stereotype: The Rebel. Truth be told, Aries tends to be rebellious - not so much in that they despise authority, but that they feel the need to stand strongly for their own beliefs. Aries is stubborn and strong-willed. They often don’t feel the need to be well-liked, like some of the other signs, and this stems from a knowledge of themselves. They know who they are and what they believe in. (But think first, no one is born just knowing these things.) So when writing an Aries, remember, though they are strong-willed and have such a well-defined identity, it took a struggle (perhaps even an existential crisis) to get to that point. There was likely a time when Aries tried out a number of different personalities and fad beliefs, but ultimately found out who they were as an individual. 

Leo. Stereotype: The King. The idea that a Leo makes a good leader only applies in some aspects. When everyone says Leo is the “king” they do mean “king” and not political leader or CEO or something like that. Aries is perhaps more suited for politics than Leo. It’s not that Leo couldn’t be a world leader, but it’s not really what the typical Leo cares about. Leo makes a good king because Leo cares about people. Leo is naturally someone who attracts attention and dazzles crowds just for being exactly who they are. Leo makes people happy and does actually make lots of people happy. It’s Leo’s primary concern. Leo can be a little full of themselves, but more often than not it comes off endearingly because Leo so naturally has good relationships with those around them. 

Sagittarius. Stereotype: The Wanderer. This stereotype never made much sense to me. What are we supposed to get from that? Anyway, I’m going to unpack it. In a sense, Sagittarius is meant to be the wanderer in that they are quick to pick up new fads and new hobbies and drop them just as fast. Sagittarius likes to try new things all the time, often veering towards an intellectual mindset, looking to try new languages, learn about different religions, and travel. Sagittarius is an out-on-the-town type of person, always out meeting new people, going to new places. When writing a Sagittarius, think about how these habits are both a benefit and a hinderance to Sagittarius. It could signify a fear of commitment.

The most common piece of writing advice I’ve ever heard is “write every day” and yeah, like that actually happens…  I do actually write every day, but actually figuring out how to do that without getting too tired out is a struggle. The reason: inspiration. Inspiration is a cold angry dragon. Sometimes it is awesome and cool but a lot of the time it’s an evil monster that wouldn’t touch you with a five foot pole. The way to write every day is to keep yourself inspired.

How do we do that? 

Writing sprints. Write for 20 minute segments for an hour and a half each day. 20 minutes of writing followed by a 10 minute break. If you stop in the middle of a sentence, just stop. Keep going 10 minutes later. Even if you’re not inspired, doing this, you will write. Eventually inspiration will come. 

Write to a prompt. Keep your answer short and sweet. Make sure you’re having fun with this. Don’t write for anyone to see it. Just have fun. Eventually inspiration will come. 

Talk about writing. Preferably with someone who is also interested in writing. This will make you write more. 

Write with a partner. If you’re not inspired, you have a partner to force you back into writing mode - you’ll be inspired eventually.

Revision has got to be, at least for me, the most cringeworthy part of writing just about anything. I get to the end of a first draft and I look back over the great, wide mess of the thing I just wrote and I don’t want to do it. I think well, maybe the next new story will be better from the beginning, but that’s not logic. That’s not really how writing works.

Anonymous said to @alloftheprompts: Do you have any Christmas Prompts that could be used for romance? I was hoping for like a 25 days of Christmas writing type thing but I can’t find prompts that could be used for mini romances

I hope these help! ♥

Character A and Character B, sworn enemies, are chosen to prepare the company Christmas Party.

Character A’s best friend rigs the Secret Santa, because they know Character A has a crush on Character B.

Character A works as a Santa’s helper. Character B has a small sibling/child.

Character A is desperate to find a particular item (book/toy/etc.) as a present for someone, but it’s been sold out everywhere. Character B helps.

Character A and Character B are co-workers, but they barely know each other. But they both have to work through the holidays.

Character A and Character B meet in the ER on Christmas Eve.

Character A can’t wrap gifts to save their life. Character B is thir neighbor and can help.

Character A’s ex will be at the Christmas Party A is attending. Character B poses as A’s fiance.

Character A vows to do something nice for a stranger during the Christmas time. Character B is that stranger.

Character A and Character B both sign up for a Christmas Pen Pal project to exchange postcards.

Character A and Character B broke up, but now they meet at a Christmas party.

Character A is stuck working in coffee shop on Christmas Day and Character B is the lonely soul spending their whole day there.

Character A’s little sibling/child wants to meet their favorite celebrity/writer/person for Christmas. Character B is said “Christmas present”.

Character A can’t travel to see their family on Christmas, so they invite their grumpy loner neighbor Character B.

Character A and Character B compete in Christmas house decoration.

Character A bakes too many Christmas cookies so they share it with Character B.

Character A has to dress up as Santa for Christmas.

Character A and Character B have to save Christmas.

It’s Character A’s first Christmas since a tragedy.

Character A returns to their birth-town for the holidays. Character B is their estranged childhood best friend.

Character A is pretending to be their friend’s lover for the sake of the friend’s family. Character B is said friend’s sibling.

Character A loses a bet and has to wear a different ugly Christmas sweater every day till Christmas. Character B works at a clothes store.

Character owns a struggling toy store. Character B is looking for a Christmas present.

Character A doesn’t feel the Christmas spirit but Character B, who lives above them, keeps playing Christmas carols really loud.

Hi Lizard. What do you do about plot holes? I see a big plot hole in my work in progress right now, but I don’t know how to fix it. Should I just go with it or do you have any advice on mending the hole?