Doodle.Study.Sleep

1. Interesting- note worthy; thought-provoking; fascinating; attracting; appealing; attention-grabbing; captivating; gripping; invigorating; engrossing; engaging; electrifying.  

2. Beautiful- striking; stunning; magnificent; lovely; charming; gorgeous; radiant; dazzling.

3. Good- acceptable, wonderful, exceptional; positive; brilliant; first-rate; notable; stellar; favorable; superb; marvellous; prime.

4. Bad- awful; lousy; poor; unacceptable; crummy; dreadful; rough; inferior; substandard; atrocious; appalling; dreadful; defective.

5. Look- glance; fixate; observe; stare; gaze; peer; scan; watch; study; browse; eye; glimpse; review; inspect.

6. Nice- lovely; superior; pleasant; satisfying; delightful; likeable; agreeable; correct; adequate; swell; fair; okay; approved.

7. Very- extremely; exceedingly; exceptionally; immensely; tremendously; abundantly; particularly; remarkably.

8. Fine- satisfactory; worthy; respectable; exquisite; suitable; well; imposing; decent; admirable; praise-worthy; decent.

9. Happy- cheerful; delighted; pleased; content; amused; thrilled; elated; thrilled; ecstatic; on cloud 9. 

10. Really- genuinely; truly; honestly; actually; undoubtedly; certainly; remarkably; incredibly; downright; unquestionably; extremely.

11. Sad- miserable; gloomy; devastated; down at heard; distraught; distressed; dispirited; sorrowful; downcast; feeling blue; desolate.

12. Big- massive; huge; giant; gigantic; enormous; large; colossal; immense; bulky; tremendous; hefty; sizable; extensive; great; substantial. 

13. Shocked- taken aback; lost for words; flabbergasted; staggered; outraged; astonished; astounded; stunned; speechless; appalled.

14. Small- tiny; petite; mini; miniature; microscopic; minuscule; compact; pocket-sized; cramped; puny; undersized; limited; meager; modest; minute; pint-sized. 

15. Angry- irate; enraged; touchy; cross; resentful; indignant; infuriated; wound-up; worked-up; seething; raging; heated; bitter; bad-tempered; offended; frustrated. 

16. Know- understand; comprehend; realize; learn; perceive; recognize; grasp; sense.

17. Change- alter; transform; replace; diversify; adjust; adapt; modify; remodel; vary; evolve; transfigure; redesign; refashion; advance; transition; shift; adjustment.

18. Old- aged; ancient; matured; elderly; senior; veteran; decrepit; seasoned; venerable; past one’s prime; doddering; senile.

19. Think- ponder; reflect; conceive; imagine; contemplate; consider; determine; realize; visualize; guess/assume; conclude; envision. 

20. Funny- comical; ludicrous; amusing; droll; entertaining; absurd; hilarious; silly; whimsical; hysterical; joking; witty; facetious; slapstick; side-splitting; knee-slapping.

21. Go- move; proceed; advance; progress; travel; walk; journey; depart; exit; flee; make one’s way; clear out; get underway.

22. Give- grant; donate; hand-out; present; provide; deliver; hand over; offer; award; bestow; supply with; contribute to; send; entrust.

23. Get- acquire; obtain; receive; gain; earn; gather; collect; buy; purchase; attain; score; secure; take possession of; grab.

24. Easy- effortless; simple; clear; smooth; straightforward; uncomplicated; painless; accessible; apparent; basic; plain; child’s play; facile; elementary; cinch. 

After putting my writing on hold for several weeks, I decided to jump back in. I expected to find all sorts of problems with my story–inconsistencies in the plot, lack of transitions, poor characterization–the works. But what began to stick out to me was something to which I’d given little thought in writing.

Filter words.

What are Filter Words?

Actually, I didn’t even know these insidious creatures had a name until I started combing the internet for info.

Filter words are those that unnecessarily filter the reader’s experience through a character’s point of view. Dark Angel’s Blog says:

“Filtering” is when you place a character between the detail you want to present and the reader. The term was started by Janet Burroway in her book On Writing.

In terms of example, you should watch out for:

To see

To hear

To think

To touch

To wonder

To realize

To watch

To look

To seem

To feel (or feel like)

Can

To decide

To sound (or sound like)

To know

I’m being honest when I say my manuscript is filled with these words, and the majority of them need to be edited out.

What do Filter Words Look Like?

Let’s imagine a character in your novel is walking down a street during peak hour.

You might, for example, write:

Sarah felt a sinking feeling as she realized she’d forgotten her purse back at the cafe across the street. She saw cars filing past, their bumpers end-to-end. She heard the impatient honk of horns and wondered how she could quickly cross the busy road before someone took off with her bag. But the traffic seemed impenetrable, and she decided to run to the intersection at the end of the block.

Eliminating the bolded words removes the filters that distances us, the readers, from this character’s experience:

Sarah’s stomach sank. Her purse—she’d forgotten it back at the cafe across the street. Cars filed past, their bumpers end-to-end. Horns honked impatiently. Could she make it across the road before someone took off with her bag? She ran past the impenetrable stream of traffic, toward the intersection at the end of the block.

Are Filter Words Ever Acceptable?

Of course, there are usually exceptions to every rule.

Just because filter words tend to be weak doesn’t mean they never have a place in our writing. Sometimes they are helpful and even necessary.

Susan Dennard of Let The Words Flow writes that we should use filter words when they are critical to the meaning of the sentence.

If there’s no better way to phrase something than to use a filter word, then it’s probably okay to do so.

Want to know more?

Read these other helpful articles on filter words and more great writing tips:

Filter Words and Distancing Point of View

The Reasons Editors reject Manuscripts

Personality is the most important thing about your character.

So, whenever I see character sheets, most people just put a little paragraph for that section. If you’re struggling and don’t know what your character should say or do, what decisions they should make, I guarantee you that this is the problem.

You know your character’s name, age, race, sexuality, height, weight, eye color, hair color, their parents’ and siblings’ names. But these are not the things that truly matter about them.

Traits: 

pick traits that don’t necessarily go together. For example, someone who is controlling, aggressive and vain can also be generous, sensitive and soft-spoken. Characters need to have at least one flaw that really impacts how they interact with others. Positive traits can work as flaws, too. It is advised that you pick at least ten traits

people are complex, full of contradictions, and please forgive me if this makes anyone uncomfortable, but even bullies can be “nice” people. Anyone can be a “bad” person, even someone who is polite, kind, helpful or timid can also be narcissistic, annoying, inconsiderate and a liar. People are not just “evil” or “good”

Beliefs:

ideas or thoughts that your character has or thinks about the world, society, others or themselves, even without proof or evidence, or which may or may not be true. Beliefs can contradict their values, motives, self-image, etc. For example, the belief that they are an awesome and responsible person when their traits are lazy, irresponsible and shallow. Their self-image and any beliefs they have about themselves may or may not be similar/the same. They might have a poor self-image, but still believe they’re better than everybody else

Values:

what your character thinks is important. Usually influenced by beliefs, their self-image, their history, etc. Some values may contradict their beliefs, wants, traits, or even other values. For example, your character may value being respect, but one of their traits is disrespectful. It is advised you list at least two values, and know which one they value more. For example, your character values justice and family. Their sister tells them she just stole $200 from her teacher’s wallet. Do they tell on her, or do they let her keep the money: justice, or family? Either way, your character probably has some negative feelings, guilt, anger, etc., over betraying their other value

Motives:

what your character wants. It can be abstract or something tangible. For example, wanting to be adored or wanting that job to pay for their father’s medication. Motives can contradict their beliefs, traits, values, behavior, or even other motives. For example, your character may want to be a good person, but their traits are selfish, manipulative, and narcissistic. Motives can be long term or short term. Everyone has wants, whether they realize it or not. You can write “they don’t know what they want,” but you should know. It is advised that you list at least one abstract want

Recurring Feelings:

feelings that they have throughout most of their life. If you put them down as a trait, it is likely they are also recurring feelings. For example, depressed, lonely, happy, etc.

Self Image:

what the character thinks of themselves: their self-esteem. Some character are proud of themselves, others are ashamed of themselves, etc. They may think they are not good enough, or think they are the smartest person in the world. Their self-image can contradict their beliefs, traits, values, behavior, motives, etc. For example, if their self-image is poor, they can still be a cheerful or optimistic person. If they have a positive self-image, they can still be a depressed or negative person. How they picture themselves may or may not be true: maybe they think they’re a horrible person, when they are, in fact, very considerate, helpful, kind, generous, patient, etc. They still have flaws, but flaws don’t necessarily make you a terrible person

Behavior:

how the character’s traits, values, beliefs, self-image, etc., are outwardly displayed: how they act. For example, two characters may have the trait “angry” but they all probably express it differently. One character may be quiet and want to be left alone when they are angry, the other could become verbally aggressive. If your character is a liar, do they pause before lying, or do they suddenly speak very carefully when they normally don’t? Someone who is inconsiderate may have issues with boundaries or eat the last piece of pizza in the fridge when they knew it wasn’t theirs. Behavior is extremely important and it is advised you think long and hard about your character’s actions and what exactly it shows about them

Demeanor:

their general mood and disposition. Maybe they’re usually quiet, cheerful, moody, or irritable, etc.

Posture:

a secondary part of your character’s personality: not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Posture is how the character carries themselves. For example, perhaps they swing their arms and keep their shoulders back while they walk, which seems to be the posture of a confident person, so when they sit, their legs are probably open. Another character may slump and have their arms folded when they’re sitting, and when they’re walking, perhaps they drag their feet and look at the ground

Speech Pattern:

a secondary part of your character’s personality: not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Speech patterns can be words that your character uses frequently, if they speak clearly, what sort of grammar they use, if they have a wide vocabulary, a small vocabulary, if it’s sophisticated, crude, stammering, repeating themselves, etc. I personally don’t have a very wide vocabulary, if you could tell

Hobbies:

a secondary part of your character’s personality: not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Hobbies can include things like drawing, writing, playing an instrument, collecting rocks, collecting tea cups, etc.

Quirks:

a secondary part of your character’s personality, not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Quirks are behaviors that are unique to your character. For example, I personally always put my socks on inside out and check the ceiling for spiders a few times a day

Likes:

a secondary part of your character’s personality, not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Likes and dislikes are usually connected to the rest of their personality, but not necessarily. For example, if your character likes to do other people’s homework, maybe it’s because they want to be appreciated

Dislikes:

a secondary part of your character’s personality, not as important as everything else. It is advised you fill this out after. Likes and dislikes can also contradict the rest of their personality. For example, maybe one of your character’s traits is dishonest, but they dislike liars

History:

your character’s past that has key events that influence and shape their beliefs, values, behavior, wants, self-image, etc. Events written down should imply or explain why they are the way they are. For example, if your character is distrustful, maybe they were lied to a lot by their parents when they were a child. Maybe they were in a relationship for twenty years and found out their partner was cheating on them the whole time. If their motive/want is to have positive attention, maybe their parents just didn’t praise them enough and focused too much on the negative

On Mental and Physical Disabilities or Illnesses

if your character experienced a trauma, it needs to have an affect on your character. Maybe they became more angry or impatient or critical of others. Maybe their beliefs on people changed to become “even bullies can be ‘nice’ people: anyone can be a ‘bad’ person”

people are not their illness or disability: it should not be their defining trait. I have health anxiety, but I’m still idealistic, lazy, considerate, impatient and occasionally spiteful; I still want to become an author; I still believe that people are generally good; I still value doing what make me feel comfortable; I still have a positive self-image; I’m still a person. You should fill out your character’s personality at least half-way before you even touch on the possibility of your character having a disability or illness

Generally everything about your character should connect, but hey, even twins that grew up in the same exact household have different personalities; they value different things, have different beliefs. Maybe one of them watched a movie that had a huge impact on them.

Not everything needs to be explained. Someone can be picky or fussy ever since they were little for no reason at all. Someone can be a negative person even if they grew up in a happy home.

I believe this is a thought out layout for making well-rounded OCs, antagonists and protagonists, whether they’re being created for a roleplay or for a book. This layout is also helpful for studying Canon Characters if you’re looking to accurately roleplay as them or write them in fanfiction or whatever.

I’m really excited to post this, so hopefully I didn’t miss anything important…

If you have any questions, feel free to send a message.

I’ve taught drawing and painting for 10 years now. I’ve seen a lot of portfolios. I’ve critiqued thousands of assignments. And the problems I saw in student work back when I first started teaching are the same one’s I’m still seeing now. These are fundamental issues that don’t change with the latest version of photoshop or even what century you live in.

Before we jump in, I want to quickly mention that I’m working on a drawing basics course. It’s meant to be a new artist’s first course, to get you started doing the right things and hit the ground running. If you don’t want to miss it when it comes out, get on the newsletter.

So, here are 5 shading mistakes you’re probably making, and how to fix them.

#5 – Icing Before Cake

I meet artists all the time who are just starting out, and they’re practicing techniques and anatomy and shading details and all this really cool stuff… But it’s not making their drawings better. Why is that?

While they’re focused on all the fancy fun stuff, they’re making huge proportion mistakes, their perspective is off, and their gesture is stiff. That’s not even icing before cake, that’s icing without cake. You’ve got to build your pictures and your skills with the fundamentals first.

Each concept builds on the last. Surface stuff like anatomy, techniques and rendering details are all at the tippy-top; awesome but initially unnecessary and less important than the stuff at the bottom. You can’t shade correctly if you don’t know the simple form; you can’t draw the simple form if you don’t understand perspective; The forms don’t matter if you can’t draw a straight line, keep your proportions in check or establish a dynamic pose.

Below are some drawings I did a few years into my studies. If you think it’s really good, you’ve fallen for my tricks. At this point in my development I got good at shading. But it’s filled with structural errors. I didn’t really understand form. I just learned some effective tricks to make the drawing appear 3D. An exaggerated core shadow, some reflected light, and a bright highlight as a cherry on top. Wow, it’s so easy! But it’s all just a cheap distraction from the uninformed construction.

The icing might be the part that makes it look pretty or makes it stand out, but icing by itself is gross… It’s empty calories. Remember this every time you want to draw eyelashes before the eye socket.

#4 – Bad reference

Whoa, hold up guys, I just got tagged and I’ve got to take a selfie… let’s see… First, camera up high, very slimming. Kinda dark in here, turn flash on… Click… Alright, now I’ve got to choose a nice filter… Hmm… Tweak that a little bit… Perfect.

A photo like that is distorted and edited. It might be flattering or maybe even a good photo, but photography and drawing are two different fields. Something that makes a good photo won’t necessarily make good reference for drawing.

Drawing from bad photos is super common, and super easy to fix. I wrote a blog post about it ages ago, so you can go there for a more detailed lesson on what makes good photo reference. But to paraphrase… 

When looking for reference, look for photos with good lighting and clear shadows. This will translate into a dimensional drawing. Drawing from a flash photo with no shadows makes it much harder to define the forms in your drawing. It’s possible, I’ve done it, but it takes a trained eye and ability to use subtle halftones to define the forms. Beginners usually end up with flat, muddy looking patches of tone. If you’re just getting started, I recommend sticking to photos with lighting that clearly defines the forms.

You can find photo packs made specifically for artists that have good lighting and minimal touch-ups. I’ve got some here. In the long run, the best thing to do is learn how to take your own reference photos. And if you can draw from life instead, that’s better than any photo.

#3 – Outlines

There’s always a silver lining, but there’s also not, because the real world doesn’t have outlines. Yet as beginners, we all start by drawing thick, dark outlines around everything. Now, there’s nothing wrong with linear drawing or cartoons if that’s your intention. But if you’re trying to draw realistically, you need to be thoughtful about your outlines. It’s ok to use them. It’s a mistake to overuse them, or use them as a crutch.

Stop thinking of 2D shapes and start thinking of 3D planes. Knowing the structure of the nose – that means the planes of the nose, which are based off of anatomy, will help you place patches of tone that make it look like a convincing nose. No need for outlines. You can draw a whole picture without any outlines, since that’s how we actually see things.

Masters like John Singer Sargent, know how to use both. In the face of this drawing, he’s not using outlines, just tone. It’s the center of interest, so he makes it more realistic. In all these secondary elements, he uses outlines. The outlines are deliberate. The tonal face and the outlined parts have a nice contrast. And the outlines don’t look boring. They have a variety to their weight. The jaw and neck are outlined. But the ear isn’t. The edge is lost into the background. He used the outline sparingly only in areas where he wanted the forms to pop. The left side of the figure is separated from the background with a value difference.

The jaw, neck, shirt, bowtie, and jacket are all very similar in value. To separate them with tone, would require very subtle shading. In a quick drawing like this, too much detail in secondary elements could look overworked. A well placed outline is clean and simple. It does the job.

#2 – Afraid of the Dark

The next mistake is not going dark enough with your shadows. I see this all the time, especially on portraits. People are afraid to put dark shadows on fair skin, because they know that the local color of the skin is pale, so they think light skin, light values. But the shadow is just a shadow. It’s the lack of light. It’s supposed to be dark. Or some people are afraid to go too dark because they might not be able to erase it, so their shadows end up being just as light as their halftones.

By removing the shadows, you remove the mood that the lighting created. And you’re losing the 3-dimensionality of the forms. If you didn’t like the lighting in the photo, why did you use the photo? Retake it! Don’t make it that hard on yourself. Inventing a new light setup on a face is really hard. If you’re advanced you can do whatever. You can draw a pretty girl while looking at a beaver! But if you’re a beginner, don’t.

So, to avoid muddy or cartoony drawings, learn how to see values correctly. When you’re drawing, make sure you separate the light family from the shadow family. Remember the rule: the lightest dark is darker than the darkest light. If you’re not sure what that means, this next mistake is for you.

#1 – Sloppy Values

The most common shading mistake I see is not organizing your values correctly. Not making your shadows dark enough like I mentioned in the last mistake is one way, but making your halftones too dark is just as bad. So, general sloppiness with your value control is the bigger issue.

The first thing that is important to understand is that the value on any particular point on the surface is mostly determined by the angle of the surface in relation to the light source. Unless you’re dealing with highly reflective surfaces, then they act more like a mirror to the environment. For now, let’s stick to surfaces like skin, which are slightly reflective.

I did a lesson on “How to Shade a Drawing” a while ago. I highly recommend you watch that next. But generally, the part of the surface that points directly toward the light is called the center light. 

It will be the brightest spot, excluding any reflected highlights.

As the surface turns away from the light source, those planes will get progressively darker. These are known as halftones. The more they face away the darker they are.

After we pass what’s called the “terminator” the planes don’t receive any direct light from the light source, since they are facing away from the light.

Everything in there is shadow. Unless you’re in space, shadows won’t be pure black.

Light will bounce off other things in the environment. So, within the shadows you’ll have bounce light, or reflected light. But those are still darker than the halftones in the lit side. That’s the general concept. There’s also occlusion shadows, cast shadows, core shadows and highlights, but you can go watch the other lesson for the full explanation.

Ok, now that you understand form and how light reveals form, it’s important to stay consistent throughout your drawing. Light reveals the 3 dimensional forms because the value of a plane tells the viewer the angle of that plane. If you make your halftones as dark as your shadows, then you’re not communicating the correct plane angles and that breaks the illusion of form. That brings us back to that rule: the lightest dark is darker than the darkest light. Let me rephrase that a little. The lightest shadow is darker than the darkest halftone. Make a little more sense?

You might think that the reflected light under the jaw would be lighter than the halftone on the side of his check, but you’d be wrong. Just sample the colors and extend them out to see.

So, if it’s in the shadow family, it should be darker than anything in the light family. Organize your values and use them correctly in your drawing.

And the key is to stay consistent with that throughout your drawing. If you break that, it should be intentional.

There’s also incomplete shadows: scratchy shading that has all these little holes of light in the shadow.

The holes are as light as a highlight, and they break up the shadow and ruin the effect of light on form. So the shadows don’t actually look dark, they just look spotty. Shadows look like halftones and halftones look like shadows… The result is dirty looking skin. You can fix this by filling in the holes manually, blending, or preventing it from happening in the first place by shading with tight, close-together lines.

When the shadows are consistent and clean like the image below, it has a much more realistic and 3-dimensional feeling. The goal is to clearly communicate what is light and what is shadow. That makes clear 3D form.

Check out Stephen Bauman’s patreon and instagram.

Below is another example of a master breaking the rules. Harry Carmean doesn’t always fill in his shadows with clean tone. But, he’s still clearly communicating what is shadow and what is light. He uses the dark pencil only in the shadows. He uses the white pencil only in the lights. This clearly distinguishes the two. His mess is extremely well controlled. It’s full of energy and fun to look at. It’s skillfully designed, the anatomy is accurate and dynamic. It all holds together.

Again, if you want to participate in the Drawing Basics course, make sure you’re subscribed.

7th lv spell scars, dms please abuse your power 

(Cantrip scars)  

(1st level spell scars)

(2nd level spell scars)

(3rd level spell scars)

(4th level spell scars)

(5th level spell scars)

(6th level spell scars)

I managed to find my masterpost of my favorite resources I made a while ago on my original blog. I’m reposting it here so it’s not lost forever and I can begin to salvage whatever of my original content I can find. :)

Study Tips

The Five Day Study Plan by brandi-studies

Finals Study Tips by kimberlystudies

Achieving your full academic potential: Things to Avoid Doing by portiastudies

How Should I Study? by reviseordie

Best Study Apps for iPhone by apprecommendations

Tools to Help You Focus by strive-for-da-best

How Do I Study For ___ by ladykaymd

Reasons Why You Just Can’t Focus On Studying by mydeskcoop

Tips For Effective Study by kimberlystudies

7 Day Study Challenge by studyingstudent

Memory Tips by brain-exercise

How To Stay Focused by studyblr-royals

How I Create a Study Guide by retrovyrus

Time and Task Management by pensandmachine

12 Creative Study Techniques by kimberlystudies

Guide to Kicking Booty on Exams by studyign

Note Taking Tips

How to Take Notes: from a Textbook by staticsandstationery

Sketchnote Tips by studyspoinspo

How I Take Notes by academicmind

Taking Lecture Notes by strive-for-da-best

theorganizedstudent‘s Note Taking System

Organize Your Life: Note Taking Edition by vsdharris

How I Take Notes by wonderfullifee

Ashley’s Tips for Notetaking by studyconfident

Note Taking Systems by kimberlystudies

Typing Your Notes by study-well

On note taking… by studyingwithclass

How studyign Makes Cause and Effect Diagrams

More of studyign‘s notes

How to Make Organized Notes by mindofamedstudent​

College Tips

How to Study Like a Straight A Student by collegerefs

University Success Tips by stressandstudying

College Scholarship Masterpost by jesussbabymomma

saralearnswell‘s Guides to College Success

What to Do During Your Senior Year by applicantmusings

Advice on Writing the Common App Essay by collegeadmissionbook

Microsoft Office for College Students Free

Scholarships: How to Find Them and Apply by futurecristinayang

Advice for College Labs by hexaneandheels

College Prep Timeline by collegeessayguy

tisaybitch‘s College Masterpost

The Tiny Anthropologist’s Advice for College

Ultimate College Packing List by kimberlystudies

thestudyaesthetic‘s College List Template

How to Prepare for College During Your Senior Year of High School by kimberlystudies

5 Things to Know About the Transition from High School to College by kimberlystudies

The Perfect Resume for Someone with No Experience

How to Write a University-level Essay by healthyeyes

Free College Textbooks

Things No One Told Me Before College by delthenerd

University Writing Resources by seystudies

Math

How I Prepare For Math Tests by sabitcher

English

Annotating Fiction and Nonfiction by collegerefs

How to Annotate by wandering-writing

Novel Annotation Tricks and Tips by justhitthosebooks

How to Succeed in English Without Really Trying by studylicious

Synonyms for “Suggests” in Essays by justkeeprevising

100+ Legal Sites to Download Literature by itsrosewho

dukeofbookingham‘s Tips for Reading Shakespear

Shakespear Plot Summaries by cheshirelibrary

Helpful Literature Studying Tips

Alternatives for Overused Words

Transition Words for Your Essays by soniastudyblr

Commonly Misused Words by englishpracticenow

Stuff You Need to Write Essays by studyign

Foreign Languages

Language Pod Company

Language Learning Masterpost by z-co

AP Psychology

Get Ahead in AP Psych by stylizedstudying

AP Psychology by studyign

Summer Productivity

Ultimate Summer Masterpost by studyable

Get Shit Done During Summer by studyforthata​

Summer Productivity by revisicn​

How to Have a Very Productive Summer by studyign​

Other Resources

Free SAT and AP Prep Materials by raincoffeebooks

Online Study Guides by back-to-school-series

How to Google More Efficiently

How to be a Google Power User

Ten Tips that Will Make Your School Year Easier by warmvanillabookworm

Productivity Resource List by lifting-books

Learn Things for Free by girl-havoced

Internet Resources for Your Education by studyign

SAT Help by studyign

Miscellaneous Masterposts

study-well‘s Exam Master-post

Giant School Masterlist by blazeluke

Everything You Need: Masterpost for Students by strive-for-da-best

The Masterpost of Masterposts by revisionmate

Back to School Masterpost by doitforthea

toolazytostudy‘s Ultimate School Masterpost

What the Heck is a Bullet Journal by studyign

Stress Reliefs by studyign

Study Music Masterpost by kimberlystudies

study-well‘s Masterpost of Tips

Study Help by keepziam

Studying Masterlist by soph-studies

Everything You Need to Succeed in School by studyign

A Very Long List to Help You Survive School by listsandmasterposts

studeezpo Masterpost

Let bad things happen to good people. Let your characters try and fail. And try again. And fail again. Let them be betrayed in the worst possible way. Let them betray others because they have no choice. Force them into situations that make them uncomfortable. Force them to argue or fight or bargain their way out. Drive them to the brink of insanity. Push them over the edge. Take everything away from them. Let them realize what they’ve lost.

Be kind to your characters.

Let faith and perseverance win out. Let love be enough. Let the Sun dry up the rain. Give them friends who will never leave. Let someone save them before the axe falls. Acquit them of false accusations. Give them the strength to stand up again. And again. When they’ve lost hope, give them something to believe in. Remind them there’s good in the world. Remind them there’s good in them, too. Surprise them. Make them laugh until they cry. Teach them that they can’t be broken.

Most importantly: balance.

winking

clenching

pulsing

fluttering

contracting

twitching

sucking

quivering

pulsating

throbbing

beating

thumping

thudding

pounding

humming

palpitate

vibrate

grinding

crushing

hammering

lashing

knocking

driving

thrusting

pushing

force

injecting

filling

dilate

stretching

lingering

expanding

bouncing

reaming

elongate

enlarge

unfolding

yielding

sternly

firmly

tightly 

harshly

thoroughly

consistently

precision

accuracy

carefully

demanding

strictly

restriction

meticulously

scrupulously

rigorously

rim

edge

lip

circle

band

encircling

enclosing

surrounding

piercing

curl

lock

twist

coil

spiral

whorl

dip

wet

soak

madly

wildly

noisily

rowdily

rambunctiously

decadent

degenerate

immoral

indulgent

accept

take

invite

nook

indentation

niche

depression

indent

depress

delay

tossing

writhing

flailing

squirming

rolling

wriggling

wiggling

thrashing

struggling

grappling

striving

Arouse -  agitate, awaken, electrify, enliven, excite, entice, foment, goad, incite, inflame, instigate, kindle, provoke, rally, rouse, spark, stimulate, stir, thrill, waken, warm, whet, attract, charm, coax, fire up, fuel, heat up, lure, produce, stir up, tantalize, tease, tempt, thrum, torment, wind up, work up

The boys are in the house, ghouls beware