JUST WRITE IT

Here are some motivation ideas specifically designed for your villains! Can you recognize any of these in your own antagonists?

Keeping a secret from their past

Keeping “peace” in society

Avenging a loved one

Finding a person who wronged them

Discovering truth about their identity

Making the world in their image

Making a political point

Progressing in their career

Having a specific image for society

Wanting to get something they were deprived of

Lead a community

Win a war

Start a revolution in their image

Keep themselves in power

Conceal their past or their roots

Raise a new generation in their image

Running away from their past or a particular person

Burying themselves in work as distraction

Finding someone they lost

Bringing someone they lost back from the dead

Concealing their mistakes or sins to save their skin

Get someone’s attention

Ruin a life because they had their ruined the same way

Prove their worth

Protect the only person they care about

Find the answer to a mystery that’s been following them

Beating a disease

Curing someone they love

Having a child, but they’re infertile

Haunting someone as revenge

Have you heard of my group coaching program for writers? It launches Feb 11th!

Here's what the class schedule looks like!

Would you like to learn more about crafting realistic characters who lead the plot FOR you? 🤯

You might want to give my 6-month group coaching program a go! It's designed specifically to help overcome this issue and teach you how to plot and write ANY story with ease. It uses a mix of writing their classes, with group coaching sessions to work specifically on YOUR project.

Find out more and secure your spot through:

Are you getting stuck on a certain chapter and you just can’t seem to finish it?

I get it… we all run into that one chapter that’s so much harder to write than others. So how do you get past this? Let me show you 5 methods you can apply today.

Figure out whether your story can work without this chapter If the chapter doesn’t bring any consequences or change your plot or characters, then it might be a filler. If this is the case, don’t be afraid to drag it to the bin.

Bullet point the important events If you write out a list of things that you need to happen in this chapter, it might create an easier overview for you to follow.

Let yourself improvise Try letting your character’s personality and choices influence their next step, without thinking too much about it. Let them take you in a different direction and they might just surprise you!

Do the opposite of your plan If you had a plan for your chapter but it isn’t working out, reverse it and do the exact opposite. Think of it as an exercise, and this could lead to a fresh perspective!

Leave it for a smarter you If it’s just not happening right now, simply write down a quick summary of the most important bits and move on to the next chapter. Come back to it later! The most important thing is to keep going :)

Watch the videos and subscribe through [the link here] or below!

Big no-no’s for story openers!

Now, don’t get me wrong - every type of story beginning can come out really well if you write it well, a skilled writer can make your typical wake-up-morning-routine-with-the-hero sound super interesting, but 9 times out of 10, this is not the case.

Especially if you are JUST starting out on your writing journey, I’d highly recommend to test out an unexpected opener for your story instead. Think of what makes your hero different, and HOW their normal is different than someone else’s.

#1 Waking up

Your protagonist wakes up to their alarm, tries to turn it off and drops the clock or breaks it. They get up and get ready for their day, typically while describing themselves in the mirror and telling us about their daily routine. Yawn. Pun intended.

✔️ The fix: If you’re going to start with a character’s wake-up routine, show us why it’s interesting. What’s different about their routine that could take your readers off-guard? Do they get up in the middle of the night? Inside a bunker? A submarine? If their routine is just like everyone else’s, there’s no reason to show it.

#2 Traumatic flashback

As soon as we open the book, we’re thrown into some kind of important and emotional moment of your protagonist’s life that happened years ago. The problem? We aren’t familiar with the protagonist yet, so we’re not going to care what happened to them.

✔️ The fix: Save the big important flashbacks for later. If you immediately hit with the biggest punch, then what is there to work up to? If you’re starting with a flashback, make sure it’s one that paints the character’s internal conflict well and makes us root for them.

#3 Exposition

Commonly found in prologues and first chapters, when we learn all about the story world, its history, the relationships between the characters in this scene, and their backstories. Also known as a surefire way to bore your readers before they’ve even started reading.

✔️ The fix: Subtext. Train yourself to think through subtext, and trust that your readers are smart enough to pick up on it. When we start the story we don’t care about the fascinating things of your world and complex backstories. We want to get to know who the characters are, and let them slowly reveal all the puzzle pieces through the book.

My final piece of advice is to focus on creating questions for your readers to wonder about, and resist the temptation to answer those until later chapters.

Did you hear I’ve got a Youtube channel? Subscribe through [the link here] or below, and watch my latest video about Creating Complex Characters!

First drafts are not great quality. Some lines might be fantastic, but overall, it probably won’t be amazing. And that’s totally fine, it’s normal, it’s exactly what you want.

Our silly writer brains expect perfection on the first go for some reason?? Which makes no sense. 

They’re meant to be terrible, just thoughts spewing onto paper, really. Just get the dialogue out, get the story into a tangible, clear sequence of events that’s actually a readable story, not just an outline. You can fix it later <3

Think of it as the “zero draft” instead of the first draft. “Garbage draft” works too.

Write it out on paper with pen, or add messy notes to your documents everywhere to really reinforce the idea that there’s no pressure or expectation for perfection.

Don’t look at any of the draft as you write it until you’re done the draft. Looking back at bad writing while working on the same project can be really discouraging, so just don’t look. 

Once you finish the draft, wait a couple weeks. Long enough to distance yourself from it, so you can come back to fix it with a clear head. 

Don’t compare your first draft to published books. Ever. Those books might be on their tenth, twentieth, thirtieth draft. It’s unfair. Don’t bully yourself or your project.

Set yourself a goal, x words per day, x minutes spent writing, whatever you want. Just make sure it’s achievable. Don’t set yourself up for failure unless you’re asking for discouragement.

You got this <33 Just get that draft down. 

Writing great chemistry can be challenging. If you’re not super inspired, sometimes the connection between your characters feels like it’s missing something.

Here are a few steps you can consider when you want to write some steamy romantic chemistry and can’t figure out what’s blocking your creativity.

1. Give the Love a Name

Tropes have a bad reputation, but they can be excellent tools when you’re planning or daydreaming about a story. Giving the romance a name also assigns a purpose, which takes care of half the hard plotting work.

You can always read about love tropes to get inspired and think about which might apply to the characters or plot points you have in mind, like:

Friends to lovers

Enemies to lovers

First love

The love triangle

Stuck together

Forbidden love

Multiple chance love

Fake lovers turned soulmates

There are tooooons of other tropes in the link above, but you get the idea. Name the love you’re writing about and it will feel more concrete in your brain.

2. Develop Your Characters

You should always spend time developing your characters individually, but it’s easy to skip this part. You might jump into writing the story because you have a scene idea. Then the romance feels flat.

The good news is you can always go back and make your characters more real. Give them each their own Word or Google doc and use character templates or questions to develop them. 

You should remember to do this for every character involved in the relationship as well. Sometimes love happens between two people who live nearby and other times it happens by:

Being in a throuple

Being in a polyamorous relationship

Being the only one in love (the other person never finds out or doesn’t feel it back, ever)

There are so many other ways to experience love too. Don’t leave out anyone involved in the developing relationship or writing your story will feel like driving a car with only three inflated tires.

3. Give the Conversations Stakes

Whenever your characters get to talk, what’s at risk? This doesn’t have to always be something life changing or scary. Sometimes it might be one character risking how the other perceives them by revealing an interest or new fact about themselves.

What’s developing in each conversation? What’s being said through their body language? Are they learning if they share the same sense of humor or value the same foundational beliefs? Real-life conversations don’t always have a point, but they do in romantic stories. 

4. Remember Body Language

Body language begins long before things get sexy between your characers (if they ever do). It’s their fingertips touching under the table, the missed glance at the bus stop, the casual shoulder bump while walking down the street.

It’s flushed cheeks, a jealous heart skipping a beat, being tongue tied because one character can’t admit their feelings yet.

If a scene or conversation feels lacking, analyze what your characters are saying through their body language. It could be the thing your scene is missing.

5. Add a Few Flaws

No love story is perfect, but that doesn’t mean your characters have to experience earth shattering pain either.

Make one laugh so hard that they snort and feel embarrassed so the other can say how much they love that person’s laugh. Make miscommunication happen so they can make up or take a break. 

People grow through their flaws and mistakes. Relationships get stronger or weaker when they learn things that are different about them or that they don’t like about each other. 

6. Create Intellectual Moments

When you’re getting to know someone, you bond over the things you’re both interested in. That’s also a key part of falling in love. Have your characters fall in intellectual love by sharing those activities, talking about their favorite subjects, or raving over their passions. They could even teach each other through this moment, which could make them fall harder in love.

7. Put Them in Public Moments

You learn a lot about someone when they’re around friends, acquaintances, and strangers. The chemistry between your characters may fall flat if they’re only ever around each other.

Write scenes so they’re around more people and get to learn who they are in public. They’ll learn crucial factors like the other person’s ambition, shyness, humor, confidence, and if they’re a social butterfly or wallflower.

Will those moments make your characters be proud to stand next to each other or will it reveal something that makes them second guess everything?

8. Use Your Senses

And of course, you can never forget to use sensory details when describing the physical reaction of chemistry. Whether they’re sharing a glance or jumping into bed, the reader feels the intensity of the moment through their five senses—taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell. 

Characters also don’t have to have all five senses to be the protagonist or love interest in a romantic story. The number isn’t important—it’s how you use the ways your character interacts with the world. 

-----

I got a great question in my Ask recently from someone wanting to know how to identify an info-dump in their writing. Here’s my response!

For those who don’t know, an info-dump refers to areas of a story where a writer gives a long expository description, either in narrative or in dialogue, where they are basically “dumping” a bunch of information on the reader all at once, as opposed to revealing it naturally throughout the story.

Signs of an info-dump:

Read your passage out loud. Do you get bored? You might be info-dumping.

Has all conflict in your story come to a screeching halt while you spend more than 1-2 paragraphs explaining something to the reader? You might be info-dumping.

Are two characters telling each other things they already know for, like, a long time? You might be info-dumping.

If invited to read your work publicly, would you definitely NOT read that passage, because “nothing really happens” and you worry the audience would get bored listening to it? It could be an info-dump.

Signs that you are probably not info-dumping:

Have you woven in necessary backstory and information in 1-3 sentence bursts throughout your story? Not an info dump.

Does a character spend a short paragraph or two explaining something to another character that they didn’t already know, for a good story reason? Not an info dump.

Do you keep the story going and keep conflict and tension alive while you gradually show your reader what’s going on? Not an info dump.

Do you have just a few sections where you spend 200-300 words or less explaining something to the reader? As long as your story is on the longer side, you’re probably not doing too much info-dumping.

Again, these are just general guidelines. After you finish your story, though, you might want to give it to a friend or fellow writer to give you feedback and let you know if they spot any areas that are too thick with exposition.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Things that must be in the story (this can be characters, specific scenes, settings, subplots etc.)

1 cup of Vague plot ideas I may not use

1 tbsp of Central Themes

1 tsp of Ending (either happy, tragic, or bitter-sweet)

1 tsp of Protagonist's Primary Motivation

2 lbs of Brick Wall

Time, as needed

Instructions:

In a large bowl, mix Things that must be in the story. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, sift together Vague plot ideas I may not use. Discard the excess and set aside.

Add Themes, Ending, and Motivation to a small jar. Screw lid on tight and shake until mixture becomes Conflict.

Pour Conflict and Vague plot ideas into Things that must be in the story. Blend on medium until Plot Points form.

Taste.

If it is still missing something, smash head against 1 lbs of Brick Wall for one to six hours.

Let marinate for one to 365 days. Add more Things and Vague plot ideas as desired.

Smash head against the rest of the Brick Wall for one to six hours.

Scream.

Repeat steps 5 through 9 as needed.

After sufficient marination, the mixture will form an idea. This will tell you what specific action must happen in order to resolve your story's conflict. Write this down and make appropriate sacrifices to thank whichever deity took pity on you.

@literary-hana this comment must see the light of day. I hope this comment will give some poor writer in the depths of writer's block despair hope.

It took me 13 months from conceiving of a story concept until I actually knew enough about the plot to start writing it (and I am not a plotter). I have several other WIPs that have been "marinating" for 5-10 years because they just aren't ready yet. I don't see it as being stuck, just that I haven't yet come up with a "specific action that needs to happen to resolve the conflict" that I'm happy with.

Sometimes you can't force it. You just have to be patient and keep mulling things over until the right idea finally forms. And yeah, it can take years. It's frustrating when you just Want to Write, but you just have to move on to other things in the mean time, other WIPs etc. That story isn't ready yet.

masterlist. main navigation.

@bluebxlle_writer on Instagram

1. Pacing

A fight scene should be fast-paced and intense. Unless it's a final battle with numerous parties, a fight scene that's too long tends to take away suspense. To speed up your pacing, use active voice to describe movement and don't overdescribe your characters' thoughts. Excessive inner monologue will be unrealistic, as people usually have no room to think during intense combats.

2. Character mannerisms

Here's a point that people often overlook, but is actually super important. Through fight scenes, you should be able to reveal your characters' contrasting mannerisms and personality. A cunning character would play dirty - fighting less and making use of their opponent's weakness more. A violent character would aim to kill. A softer one would only target to disarm their enemies, using weakened attacks. A short-minded character would only rely on force and attack without thinking. This will help readers understand your characters more and decide who to root for.

3. Making use of surroundings

Not only the characters, you also need to consider the setting of your fight scene and use it to your advantage. Is it suitable for fighting, or are there dangerous slopes that make it risky? Are there scattered items that can help your characters fight (e.g. nails, shards of glass, ropes, wooden boards, or cutlery)? Is it a public place where people can easily spot the fight and call the authorities, or is it a private spot where they can fight to the death?

4. Description

The main things that you need to describe in a fight scene are :

• Characters involved in the fight

• How they initiate and dodge attacks

• Fighting styles and any weapons used

• The injuries caused

Be careful to not drag out the description for too long, because it slows down the pace.

5. Raise the stakes

By raising the stakes of the fight, your readers will be more invested in it. Just when they think it's over, introduce another worse conflict that will keep the scene going. Think of your characters' goals and motivations as well. Maybe if the MC didn't win, the world would end! Or maybe, one person in the fight is going all-out, while the other is going easy because they used to be close :"D

6. Injuries

Fights are bound to be dirty and resulting in injuries, so don't let your character walk away unscathed - show the effect of their injuries. For example, someone who had been punched in the jaw has a good chance of passing out, and someone who had been stabbed won't just remove the knife and walk away without any problem. To portray realistic injuries, research well.

7. Drive the plot forward

You don't write fight scenes only to make your characters look cool - every fight needs to have a purpose and drive the plot forward. Maybe they have to fight to improve their fighting skills or escape from somewhere alive. Maybe they need to defeat the enemy in order to obtain an object or retrieve someone who had been kidnapped. The point is, every single fight scene should bring the characters one step closer (or further :D) to the climax.

8. Words to use

• Hand to hand combat :

Crush, smash, lunge, beat, punch, leap, slap, scratch, batter, pummel, whack, slam, dodge, clobber, box, shove, bruise, knock, flick, push, choke, charge, impact

• With weapon :

Here are my best tips to writing realistic strong redemption arcs for the characters in your novel!

Figure out their pivotal moment The first thing you’ll need is a powerful moment that acts as a wake-up call that they can no longer keep going this way. Does someone they care about get hurt? Do they make a grave mistake that they can’t take back? What the moment, it should be the biggest baddest thing that’s ever happened as a direct result of their actions.

What is their reason behind the redemption? This is where you ask yourself - why? Why do they want to redeem themselves? Is it because they lost someone’s trust? Is it because they were reminded of a past where they were different?

What are the stakes? Now that you know why they want to redeem themselves, think about what happens if they don’t. What do they lose?

Let them make mistakes Even if they’ve now decided to flip the switch, it’s incredibly difficult for a person to immediately make the right choices, especially if they were used to doing things differently so far. Let them have a few slip-ups before they adjust.

Let them learn from it What sets apart a character worth of redemption is whether they keep trying, even if they fail to redeem themselves the first time. Persistence is key!

Let it be for them A character’s initial reason for redemption can most certainly be to prove themselves to another person, or to do it for a larger cause. But the only way it’s actually going to stick is if they come to realize they must do it for themselves, despite whatever else happens. Despite what they may lose in the process.

A list full of names you can use for your stories.

Fantasy Names

Fantasy Names II

German Names (Girls)

German Names (Boys)

German Names (Genderneutral)

Random Names Part I

Random Names Part II

Random Names Part III

Random Names Part IV

Random Names Part V

Random Names Part VI

Girls

Addison

Agatha

Alexandra

Amalia

Aurelia

Beatrix

Camille

Carlotta

Carmen

Claudine

Claire

Dorothea

Elisabeth

Florence

Francesca

Gwendolyn

Helena

Johanna

Liliana

Madeleine

Margaux

Margot

Marjorie

Maude

Milicent

Ophelia

Rosalia

Valentina

Viktoria

Wilhelmine

More names!

A good bromance can set your story way ahead. Here’s how to do it

Give each bro their own issues & personality It’s super powerful when two bros are bros despite having a largely different personality and set of issues, goals, and struggles.

They anticipate the other bro’s reactions to things Basically - the bros know everything there is to know about each other, and they’ll be able to tell exactly what their bro will think of a certain event, or how they will act and feel in a certain situation.

Their bro is the first to know Whatever happens in their life that’s exciting or interesting, their bro is the very first person they’ll tell. And secrets? They don’t exist.

They won’t be toxic about their bromance This is a huge thing to consider that will set your bromance apart. They’re physical with each other, they joke around, they’re comfortable around the other and would never turn up their nose at being “mistaken” for a couple.

When they fight, it hits deep Because they’re likely each other’s person, if they ever fall out, it could hurt more than a breakup, and they’ll likely be moody and regret their actions.

A bro is a bro even when they’re not a bro What’s really going to tug at your readers’ emotions is if even during a fallout, your bros still remain loyal and respectful to each other’s wishes and secrets.

Check out my first two videos through [the link here] or below!

Remember, requests are open.

WARNINGS: VIOLENCE, CURSING, MENTION OF BLOOD. MENTION OF A GUN.

DIALOGUE:

TAUNTER:

1) “Is that really all you got?” 

2) “Come on, you can do better than that.” 

3) “I’m not even sweating yet.” 

4) “Think I broke more of a sweat petting my cat than I did fighting you.” 

5) “I’m sure you can hit me if you try hard enough. I believe in you.” 

6) “So close.” 

7) “You’re… boring me.”

8) “I expected more.”

9) “Why couldn’t the cops deal with you?” 

10) “Oh, no.” (said really sarcastically) 

11) “I’m sooo scared.” 

12) “Honestly, if you weren’t threatening actual lives, you’d be more of a nuisance, really.” 

13) “This is what I was called for? You?” 

14) “What… is this?” 

15) “Do you want me to slow down for you?” 

16) “If it makes you feel better, I’ll let you get a hit in.” 

17) “This is stupid. Goodnight.” 

18) “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be good enough to beat me one day.” 

19) “Come and get it.” 

20) “That actually hurt. Wow.” 

21)  “Compared to my usual crowd, you’re nothing.” 

22) “Get out of my way.” 

23) “Move.” 

24) “Having fun?” 

25) “Aw, you’re not hurt already, are you?” 

26) “I was just playing. Surely you can take more.” 

27) “Oh my, is that blood? Just from that?”

RESPONDING 

28) “You have to get through me!”

29) “Shut up!” 

30) “I can keep going.” 

31) “This— this is nothing.” 

32) “I’ll make you regret saying that!”

33) “Then let me make this a little more challenging!” 

34) “Of course it hurts, dipshit.” 

35) “You should be scared.” 

36) “Stop— stop taunting me!” 

37) “Fun? Fun? Don’t insult me.” 

38) “I’ll show you better!” 

39) “I can’t stand you.” 

40) “Get out of my way!” 

41) “Over my dead body!” 

42) “I won’t let you get to them.” 

43) “I’ll make sure you can’t hurt anybody else.” 

44) “Over my grave, you bastard.” 

45) “Dammit, all right, here we go!”

46) “I’ll take you down if it’s the last thing I do.” 

47) “If I can’t take you down, I will never forgive myself.” 

48) “Try and move me, I dare you!” 

49) “You’re gonna regret that!” 

50) “You want to see what I can do?” 

51)  “You’re nothing.”

52) “Keep taunting me and see what happens.” 

53) “I’ll give you one chance, walk away.” 

54) “Fine, I guess we’re doing this.” 

55) “Y’know, talking during fighting isn’t very professional!” 

SCENARIOS 

56) You have a stupid smirk on your face, and I’m just trying to be serious. Why are you like this? Can we fight already? 

57) Why are you taunting me? Stop— stop dancing. We’re in the middle of a fight. 

58) When the cops/superhero/my friend told me what you were doing, I wanted to stay in bed. And now that I’m here, I’m thinking that maybe I should have. 

59) Is that bomb fake or real. I can never tell with you.

60) I’m bleeding from your knife/kicks/punches, but I’m not gonna stop fighting until you’re finally taken down. 

61) Every time you taunt me, I see red, and you know this. I should be stronger, but I’m not. 

62) I won’t let you hurt the people I love. Not while I’m still breathing. 

63) You notice that I’m breathing heavy, and you just keep smirking. I— I can keep going. I can. 

64) We used to be friends, what happened to us? Why do we always have to fight? 

65) If you’d just put that gun/remote/knife, we could go home, y’know? We don’t have to keep fighting. 

66) You’re not fighting like you used to, what happened? 

67) This is pathetic and a waste of my time, you’re in my way. 

68) You’ve gotten weaker, I can’t help but let a smirk cross my lips, this is almost… funny. 

You stumble against the wall with half-lidded eyes. It’d be so easy to just stroll by you, but for some reason, I can’t help but keep taunting you. 

69) You hate me. I hate you. Yet, taunting you is one of my favorite things to do. 

Body

descriptors; ample, athletic, barrel-chested, beefy, blocky, bony, brawny, buff, burly, chubby, chiseled, coltish, curvy, fat, fit, herculean, hulking, lanky, lean, long, long-legged, lush, medium build, muscular, narrow, overweight, plump, pot-bellied, pudgy, round, skeletal, skinny, slender, slim, stocky, strong, stout, strong, taut, toned, wide.

Eyebrows

descriptors; bushy, dark, faint, furry, long, plucked, raised, seductive, shaved, short, sleek, sparse, thin, unruly.

shape; arched, diagonal, peaked, round, s-shaped, straight.

Ears

shape; attached lobe, broad lobe, narrow, pointed, round, square, sticking-out.

Eyes

colour; albino, blue (azure, baby blue, caribbean blue, cobalt, ice blue, light blue, midnight, ocean blue, sky blue, steel blue, storm blue,) brown (amber, dark brown, chestnut, chocolate, ebony, gold, hazel, honey, light brown, mocha, pale gold, sable, sepia, teakwood, topaz, whiskey,) gray (concrete gray, marble, misty gray, raincloud, satin gray, smoky, sterling, sugar gray), green (aquamarine, emerald, evergreen, forest green, jade green, leaf green, olive, moss green, sea green, teal, vale).

descriptors; bedroom, bright, cat-like, dull, glittering, red-rimmed, sharp, small, squinty, sunken, sparkling, teary.

positioning/shape; almond, close-set, cross, deep-set, downturned, heavy-lidded, hooded, monolid, round, slanted, upturned, wide-set.

Face

descriptors; angular, cat-like, hallow, sculpted, sharp, wolfish.

shape; chubby, diamond, heart-shaped, long, narrow, oblong, oval, rectangle, round, square, thin, triangle.

Facial Hair

beard; chin curtain, classic, circle, ducktail, dutch, french fork, garibaldi, goatee, hipster, neckbeard, old dutch, spade, stubble, verdi, winter.

clean-shaven

moustache; anchor, brush, english, fu manchu, handlebar, hooked, horseshoe, imperial, lampshade, mistletoe, pencil, toothbrush, walrus.

sideburns; chin strap, mutton chops.

Hair

colour; blonde (ash blonde, golden blonde, beige, honey, platinum blonde, reddish blonde, strawberry-blonde, sunflower blonde,) brown (amber, butterscotch, caramel, champagne, cool brown, golden brown, chocolate, cinnamon, mahogany,) red (apricot, auburn, copper, ginger, titain-haired,), black (expresso, inky-black, jet black, raven, soft black) grey (charcoal gray, salt-and-pepper, silver, steel gray,), white (bleached, snow-white).

descriptors; bedhead, dull, dry, fine, full, layered, limp, messy, neat, oily, shaggy, shinny, slick, smooth, spiky, tangled, thick, thin, thinning, tousled, wispy, wild, windblown.

length; ankle length, bald, buzzed, collar length, ear length, floor length, hip length, mid-back length, neck length, shaved, shoulder length, waist length.

type; beach waves, bushy, curly, frizzy, natural, permed, puffy, ringlets, spiral, straight, thick, thin, wavy.

Hands; calloused, clammy, delicate, elegant, large, plump, rough, small, smooth, square, sturdy, strong.

Fingernails; acrylic, bitten, chipped, curved, claw-like, dirty, fake, grimy, long, manicured, painted, peeling, pointed, ragged, short, uneven.

Fingers; arthritic, cold, elegant, fat, greasy, knobby, slender, stubby.

Lips/Mouth

colour (lipstick); brown (caramel, coffee, nude, nutmeg,) pink (deep rose, fuchsia, magenta, pale peach, raspberry, rose, ) purple (black cherry, plum, violet, wine,) red (deep red, ruby.)

descriptors; chapped, cracked, dry, full, glossy, lush, narrow, pierced, scabby, small, soft, split, swollen, thin, uneven, wide, wrinkled.

shape; bottom-heavy, bow-turned, cupid’s bow, downturned, oval, pouty, rosebud, sharp, top-heavy.

Nose

descriptors; broad, broken, crooked, dainty, droopy, hooked, long, narrow, pointed, raised, round, short, strong, stubby, thin, turned-up, wide.

shape; button, flared, grecian, hawk, roman.

Skin

descriptors; blemished, bruised, chalky, clear, dewy, dimpled, dirty, dry, flaky, flawless, freckled, glowing, hairy, itchy, lined, oily, pimply, rashy, rough, sagging, satiny, scarred, scratched, smooth, splotchy, spotted, tattooed, uneven, wrinkly.

Let’s just get to it!

What Is Worldbuilding?

Worldbuilding is the part of the writing process that sets up where your story takes place

When you build a world, you include the landscape that your characters will inhabit, the tone of your story, its major preoccupations and themes, as well as the nature of its morality

Worldbuilding lays the groundwork for your characters to develop, providing the stage for where your creations will perform.

It’s okay if you can’t answer every question there is about your world, but setting down the basics will help you start writing and building.

What Is the Purpose of Worldbuilding?

The purpose of worldbuilding for writers is to give their story structure and somewhere real to live.

starting point should be to establish the rules and boundaries of your imaginary world and how everything exists within it

8 Tips to Guide Your Worldbuilding Process

Decide where to start. Whether it’s the language spoken by the inhabitants or the apocalyptic landscape, pick the aspect of the world you’re most excited about exploring and start there.

List the rules and laws. The inhabitants who live in this world you’ve created will have their own independent existence. What is their governing system? Who is in charge? Do they use magic in this world? If so, who can use it, and how powerful is it? Setting up boundaries helps create a more realistic world that functions like a real one.

Establish the type of world you want. Pick a genre. Is this a dystopian or fantasy novel (or both)? Does it take place in our Earth or is it an alternate earth? Knowing this will help figure out the tone and mood of your world.

Describe the environment. What’s the weather like? How does it affect the world or planet? Are there natural disasters? Are there extreme temperatures? What natural resources exist in this location? How do people use the land? Establishing the environment and how it impacts the life within it can be a useful detail in the creation of your world.

Define the culture. What do the inhabitants of this universe believe in? Is there religion? Is there a God? Do they have any sacred customs? What do they celebrate? Breathe life into the characters who populate this location by giving them a meaningful existence.

Define the language. How do the inhabitants communicate? Is there a common tongue? Are there any ‘bad words’ that are off-limits? Knowing what can and can not be said in your world can be an apt source for conflict.

Identify the history. What is the history of this place you’ve created? Have there been any world wars? Do the countries within your world have enemies? Are there rival races? Is there a sole antagonist? Providing the backstory for your world can give it an added dimension and make it feel more tangible.8. Use existing works to inspire. Revisit the works of successful authors to get inspiration. Never steal ideas, but review the work of other fiction writers to see how they answer the same worldbuilding questions within their own novel writing.

Use existing works to inspire. Revisit the works of successful authors to get inspiration. Never steal ideas, but review the work of other fiction writers to see how they answer the same worldbuilding questions within their own novel writing.

Somethings to Consider:

Diversity exists everywhere or maybe not

Magic and powers have limit, what are they?

Figure out the technology and it’s availability to the characters and environment

What’s the government system like? Or if there isn’t one — why?

How strict are the rules?

Are people treated equally?

Where do people get their food / water from?

Are there basic commodities: schools, hospitals, etc

Are there jobs? Can anyone work?

What’s transportation like? How isolated is your world?

These are just somethings to consider of course there are many but it’s up to you to decide how detailed you want it!

Scenes are the fundamental building blocks of novels and short stories, and each one should propel a story toward the climax.

Generally speaking, your scene structure should mirror the story structure. In other words, take a novel-writing approach to a scene, crafting a beginning, middle, and end. Like a story, the beginning of a scene should have a strong entry hook that pulls the reader in.

Start with the setting. Often a new scene signifies a change in time and location. Establishing the setting at the top of a scene helps your readers get oriented. It also sets the tone and mood of what will unfold in the coming pages. A setting can serve as much more than a backdrop in literature. Have your scene take place somewhere that builds tension and hinders your protagonist. If you’re writing a thriller, describe a dark and foreboding place where the worst might happen. Be descriptive and use sensory details to make your setting come alive before you jump into the action.

Use visual imagery. In screenwriting, writers have to think in pictures. What images will excite an audience at the top of a scene? Your approach should be the same when writing any kind of fiction. As you write the opening of a scene, use descriptive language to engage a reader through detailed imagery. Think like a screenwriter as you’re writing scenes.

Drop the reader into the middle of the action. Hit the ground running by starting a great scene in media res. It doesn’t have to be a fight scene or a car chase, but physical movement creates momentum and builds tension in a story. It’s also a way to instantly engage a reader. Be sure you begin the scene before the high points of the action so you build up to the scene’s climax.

Write a character-driven scene opener. A good scene starts by giving characters a goal. Start by putting your protagonist in a situation that creates an obstacle or opportunity for both the scene and the overarching storyline. Try starting with dialogue, like an intense conversation between your POV character and a mystery character whose identity is revealed later in the scene. If you’re writing from an omniscient third-person point of view, consider starting a scene with a secondary character, even the antagonist, and use it as a chance for deeper character development.

Summarize past events. You might choose to use the beginning of the scene to do a quick recap of what’s brought your main character to this place and moment in time. A summary is especially helpful if you’re writing in third-person and a new scene switches to a different character. Take the opportunity to remind the reader where we left off. Instead of a straight-forward update, get creative. Go into deep POV and let a character’s thoughts provide the summary instead of the narrator. Be sure to keep this summary brief—just a line or two—so you can get back into the action.

Introduce a plot twist. The start of a new scene is a chance to pivot and take your story in a new direction. Start a new scene at a turning point in your story. Dive into a flashback or character’s backstory, revealing critical information that changes the course of the story going forward.

Keep the purpose of the scene in mind. Effective scenes are clear about what they set out to accomplish and how they contribute to the overall plot. They might include plot points or reveal important information needed to move a story forward. Establish your scene’s intention from the very first word and keep the rest of the scene on point.

Rewrite until you’ve found the perfect scene opening. When you’ve finished the first draft of a scene, go back and read it through. If your scene needs something, but you can’t figure out what, it might be how the scene starts. The best way to know if your opening works is by reading how it plays with the rest of the scene. Review the last paragraph and see if it ties back to your beginning. If the intro feels weak, rewrite it. Maybe your real opener is hidden in plain sight somewhere else in the body of the scene.

Make sure your opening scene is your strongest. While your entire book should be filled with compelling scenes that start strong, the very first scene of your book needs to lead the pack. This is the reader’s introduction to your story and where you’re revealing the characters, the setting, and kicking off the plotline with the inciting incident. This first scene has to hook the reader from the first line so they keep turning the pages.

Read a lot of books. If this is your first novel and you need some inspiration and ideas to help you start off your scenes, start by reading other books. Choose a book by a bestselling writer like Dan Brown or Margaret Atwood. Study the different ways they approach every scene. Reading other authors is a great way to hone your scene-writing skills.