pipedream

White

also: pale; blanched; sallow; pallid; waxen; spectral; translucent; albino; 

Grey

also: dust; stone; pepper;  

Black

also:  coal; slate; dusky; ebon; shadow; murky; 

Tan

also: flesh; khaki; cream; tawny; 

Brown

also:  henna; russet; sepia; chestnut; cocoa; drab; bronze; 

Red

also: terracotta ; rouge; carmine;  fire-engine; ruddy

Orange

also:  pumpkin ; rust ; 

Yellow

also: sunny; amber; saffron; hay; straw; platinum; 

Green

also: viridescent; grass; jade; forest; 

Blue

also: turquoise; cyan; ultramarine; royal; aqua; aquamarine;

Purple

also: berry;  amaranthine;

Pink

also: flushed; candy; cherry blossom; petal pink ; 

—– source: http://ingridsundberg.com/

Why is passive voice (and past progressive tense) “bad”?

First off, I have to put a disclaimer here because I tend to rope past progressive tense into passive voice, because they both rely on “to be” verbs a lot, and because I’m lazy. I’ll talk about them both separately for once.

1. Passive voice can lead to confusing sentences. In non-grammar jargon, passive voice often makes it so the “thing doing the stuff” comes later in the sentence than the stuff it was doing. It’s a click-bait sentence. ‘Want to know who this action is being done by? Keep reading to find out more!’ 

This can make scenes harder to seamlessly imagine. On occasion though, you’ll find a sentence might be easier to follow and understand when it is written in passive voice, it’s just much more rare. 

2. Passive voice and past progressive tense is like telling a campfire story instead of letting the reader exist in the story. Now, this isn’t to say that some (or even many) readers can’t still connect and feel immersed in a passive voice story, but it’s still another barrier you’re making them cross, and certain readers just plain won’t be able to. Lets compare, using a less than perfectly written “you won’t believe what happened to me yesterday!” example:

Passive voice + past progressive tense (ie, “I’m telling you what happened to me in the past” voice.)

“I was walking down the street, when I was startled by a noise and had to turn. I was being barreled toward by a car. It was screeching and skidding and I was panicking.”

Active voice + regular old past tense (ie, “come live the story with me” voice.)

“I set off down the street, but a noise startled me, and I turned. A car barreled toward me, screeching as its tires skidded. I panicked.”

Granted, most writers don’t write that abruptly or casually for long periods of time, but even a few passive voice or past progressive tense clauses in the same paragraph, when repeated throughout an entire novel, can have a negative effect on the reader’s ability to fade into the story.  

3. Passive voice and past progressive tense often use a lot of useless “to be” words. Usually the only reason to type “I was running” instead of “I ran” is if your word count is ridiculously low, and if your word count is that low, then you should really consider adding words that give the story more meaning instead of just making the sentences pointlessly longer.

Other things to think about:

Passive voice and past progressive tense slow descriptions. An area where a lot of otherwise very active voice writers fall into mounds of the clunky “to be” verbs is during descriptions. When descriptions are written like this, they often stop the story flat out to explain what a thing looks like and then press the play button again once that’s done. Challenging yourself to show the way something is without passive voice or past progressive tense is a great way to intertwine description with action, showing the reader their surroundings as the story continues to move forward. (Find more about writing descriptions here.)

Passive voice and past progressive tense are not the devil. Don’t kill yourself trying to remove every instance of them from your novel! The fewer you have, the better, but only up to a point. If you have a reason to keep a few in each chapter (whether that be for clarity, the sentence’s impact, or your own sanity) then keep them.

We’ve all been warned about the dangers of using too much description. Readers don’t want to read three paragraphs about a sunset, we’re told. Description slows down a story; it’s boring and self-indulgent. You should keep your description as short and simple as possible. For those who take a more scientific approach to writing fiction, arbitrary rules abound: One sentence per paragraph. One paragraph per page. And, for god’s sake, “Never open a book with weather” (Elmore Leonard).

But what this conventional wedding wisdom fails to take into account is the difference between static and dynamic description. Static description is usually boring. It exists almost like a painted backdrop to a play. As the name suggests, it doesn’t move, doesn’t interact or get interacted with.

There were clouds in the sky. Her hair was red with hints of orange. The house had brown carpeting and yellow countertops.

In moderation, there’s nothing wrong with static description. Sometimes, facts are facts, and you need to communicate them to the reader in a straightforward manner.

But too much static description, and readers will start to skim forward. They don’t want to read about what the house looks like or the stormy weather or the hair color of each of your protagonist’s seventeen cousins.

Why? Because they can tell it’s not important. They can afford to skip all of your description because their understanding of the story will not be impacted.

That’s where dynamic description comes in. Dynamic description is a living entity. It’s interactive, it’s relevant. It takes on the voices of your narrators and characters. In short, it gives us important information about the story, and it can’t be skimmed over.

So how do you make your description more dynamic so that it engages your readers and adds color and excitement to your story? Here are a few tips.

(I have a TON more tips about setting and description. These are just a few. But I’m trying to keep this short, so if you have any questions or want more advice about this, please feel free to ask me.)

– The idea of this game is to answer these 20 questions in character in order to develop aspects of your character that are difficult to flesh out in other ways. Have fun with it and be creative, but remember to stay in character. It’s a fun little writing/development/immersion exercise that really pays off. Enjoy!

How do you like to spend your free time?

What is your relationship with your immediate family members?

If you inherited a large sum of money, how would you approach handling it?

Who are you closest to in your life?

What is your most painful memory?

What is your happiest memory?

Describe your experience in an education system, if any.

What is your biggest fear and why are you so afraid of it?

To what extent do you believe in hate?

To what extent do you believe in love?

What is the number one personal rule you have for yourself?

If you saw a picture of yourself, what is the first place you would look?

How would you describe yourself?

How would others describe you?

What do you believe is your greatest weakness?

What do you believe is your greatest strength

What makes you get out of bed everyday? 

What is the major challenge you face every single day?

If you could give a message to your younger self, what would it be?

What is it that you want most?

If you would like to turn this into a tag game, feel free to tag your writer friends! And if you respond to any/all of these online, please tag it with #wordsnstuff so I can check it out!

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As someone who writes fics with action sequences and the use of guns, I thought maybe it would be helpful to pass some things on. Even though I’ve done lots of research and talked with family members (I live in WI which is a big hunting state and we have lots of guns), I still catch myself making mistakes with specific terms and their usage. Reading more James Bond fics lately, I catch others making mistakes also. So here is a little guide to help writers. 

A ‘clip’ is something that stores multiple rounds of ammunition. It is not what you would insert into a handgun to load it. Clips make loading into a magazine easier because they simply store the rounds. It helps with organization. 

A magazine is what feeds the ammunition into the barrel. Magazines vary in capacity. They, unlike clips, are spring-loaded, which helps the ammunition move in the gun. So, when you want a character to reload, they would use a pre-loaded magazine, NOT a clip. 

A silencer is really a suppressor. ‘Silencer’ is a word that’s used in media to refer to a suppressor that doesn’t exist in real life. Guns that are suppressed will still be loud and have a sound. This is because compressed air will still leak out of the end of the barrel, you can’t silence a bullet moving extremely fast through the air, and you can’t silence the mechanical parts on a gun. There will be a noise, but it just won’t be as loud or more importantly, alert people in a nearby area that a gun was just fired. SO suppressor is a much more accurate term technically speaking. 

There are different kinds of suppressors. One important kind suppresses the muzzle flash. It’s likely a sniper would use this more than they would want to use a sound suppressor, as the muzzle flash more easily enables you to be spotted when you don’t want to be. These are simply referred to as flash suppressors. 

After a handgun runs out of ammunition, the slide will lock back into place and you will know that it is out. There is no ‘click’ signifying an empty weapon that is so dramatized in movies and tv. A more likely scenario that would prevent a gun from firing would be a jam. Or programming the gun to recognize certain palm prints. 

A great place for writers, in particular fanfic writers, who want information on guns is imfdb. You can find out what guns are used in movies and shows, and what guns characters use. You can also just search for guns. 

If you want to get really specific, check out YouTube. There are users who will post reviews of guns on there, which can be really helpful if you want to see how a particular gun looks or how to shoot it. 

Firstly, let me explain the “kick” of a gun. A “kick” is the feeling of the round leaving the barrel of the gun.  Every gun has one, the impact of the “kick” depends on the caliber, make and type of gun.

Another way to describe a kick is the feeling of the gun exploding in your hand.  Of course, the gun doesn’t literally explode, but it is a great burst of power that only lasts a second.

For example: A .45 mm hand gun with have a bigger “kick” than a .22 mm hand gun.  If someone is a first time shooter and does not know what to expect, they would most likely drop the gun after firing it once due to the shock of the force being released in their hands.

Sniper Rifles are incredibly accurate and mainly used for long distance hits.  They are also ridiculously heavy, as most rifles are, therefore, be prepared for a gigantic “kick”.

Sniper Rifles are special because they are so powerful (they need to be in order to have the same impact a .45mm would 10 feet away compared to the shell half a mile away), thus a stand is required to use it.

No matter what you will always need a firm holding to place the rifle (besides your grip) in order to prevent the gun from falling over after it is discharged and injury to your person. There are ridiculously powerful guns.

General rule of thumb is that you place the butt of the rifle next to your shoulder, just below your clavicle.  I’m not very good at describing this position, so I suggest looking it up.  DO NOT place it anywhere in the armpit area, dislocation is likely to occur.  Depending on how prepare you are and the type of rifle being used (excluding snipers), bruising might occur.

You will be standing if you use a normal rifle, so make sure you are steady and prepared for the “kick” that follows after.

If you are using a sniper rifle, you will be on the ground or leaning against something.  Some people have special rests for their snipers specifically to fire the gun from any spot.  Point is: do not stand alone while firing this.  You will get hurt.

Other helpful tips:

Earplugs or Ear Protectors are your friends.

Safety glasses are also your friend to avoid shells from flying into your face.

Keep the safety on until you are ready to fire the gun.

If you are NOT currently firing the gun, whether it is loaded or unloaded, and it is in your hand, ALWAYS hold it with two hands and point it at the ground at your feet. DO NOT get distracted.

NEVER joke around with someone by pointing the gun at them.  EVEN IF YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE THAT THE GUN IS TOTALLY UNLOADED, MAGAZINE OUT OF PLACE, DO NOT RISK IT.  It is not funny.  Even if the gun is on safety, do NOT do it.  You could accidently switch off the safety or the gun could misfire despite the safety.

Lastly TWO HANDS.  One on the side near the trigger and the other underneath.  This is not the movies, do not attempt to fire a gun with one hand.  Not only will your aim be incredibly off if you are inexperienced but you will also endanger yourself as well as others if you lose control of it.

The caliber of a round is usually measured in either millimeters or in hundredths of an inch. One “unit” of caliber, I guess, is one one-hundredth of an inch. For example, a 45-caliber round has a .45 inch diameter (which is why it’s called a .45).  DO NOT CONFUSE THIS WITH MILLIMETERS. .45 mm is NOT 45-caliber.

Common cartridges measured in millimeters with their respective calibers:

Rifles:

5.56mm = ~.223 caliber

7.62mm = ~.300 caliber

12.7mm = ~.500 caliber

Handguns:

5.64mm = .22 caliber*

9mm* = .354 caliber

10.16mm = .40 caliber*

11.43mm = .45 caliber*

(*the measurement you’re more likely to see for each cartridge.)

In the case of rifles, cartridges meant for civilian use are usually designated as .223, .300, .308, etc. Designations such as 5.56mm, 7.62mm, etc. are usually indicative of military-grade ammunition. This is not always true, but usually that’s how it is.

Military-grade bullets are held to higher standards and typically cause more stress on the internal mechanism, and the guns they’re meant for are built to handle that. They can also handle civilian ammunition. It doesn’t work the other way around, however. Do not attempt to use military-grade ammunition in a civilian-model firearm that hasn’t been modified to handle it.

A few different kinds of cartridges:

- Full metal jacket, which gives increased penetration capabilities but doesn’t do much in the ways of expansion. Risky to use in situations with a lot of innocents around, as often they can over-penetrate and go on to hurt someone behind the target.

- Hollow-points, which expand like crazy when they hit something, causing massive internal damage to their target. Outlawed in warfare under the Hague Convention of 1899, but can be used by civilians.

- Soft-points, which serve as a happy medium between the penetration capabilities of full metal jacket rounds and the expansion of hollow-point rounds.

- Shot, usually rat-shot or snake-shot, which can be fit in bullets and used to kill small vermin at close range without doing a whole lot of damage to the surrounding area.

If you’re an outliner by nature, let your outlines ferment for a while. When you come back to them, shred them to pieces. 

Disassemble the character development into key scenes and choices.

Write out the plot points for each plot thread. 

Examine the logic and emotion behind each tense scene. 

Tear apart any extra scenes.

Double check the settings.

Triple check the pacing.

...and why it’s the most common piece of advice, given.

What does that sentence appear like to you? It is obvious that someone is telling you that Alexander is upset, instead of showing it. I’m essentially asking you to take my word for it, that Alexander is upset. No, trust me, he is! I assure you! Yet I neglect to offer you any other believable portrayals in addition to the emotion, that being facial expression, body language, gestures, tone of voice, language, etc. And yet, by writing it I am demanding that you, the reader, know and understand this through my telling, of it.

But do you believe me? Probably not. You certainly don’t feel Alexander’s frustration, so why should you? Because you don’t feel it, you’re more than likely going to just accept the fact, without really feeling any true connection to the situation or character.

Any writer can point out an instance within a story where someone is showing; however, not every can point out an instance where someone is telling. The telling aspect is a much harder thing to spot, and can be more complex than the example given above. But why, you ask? Still yet, why is this so important and vital to a story beyond it becoming a more “readable” work of fiction? Here’s why:

The Human Experience

Think about how you process the world. Telling a story is an attempt to re-create the world within a reader’s mind and artificially construct an environment to reflect that. As humans we are able to speculate, interpret, draw conclusions, comprehend, and use our senses to arrive at an educated guess based on experience. That there, is the golden ticket– the fact that it is all an experience. Similarly, in writing we strive to do the same– constructing an experience for the reader. Saying things like “The chair is comfy”, robs the reader of the exact reason you are saying it in the first place- the ability to allow them to understand just how comfortable that chair truly is.

An Ineffective Tale

By telling and not showing, you are further diluting the experience in reading a work in the first place. It’ll never be a convincing work if it does not make a play on how we already experience and interpret the world. Without it, a world in which an individual is forever expressionless, no line or creases in the face to denote stress, no gestures or ‘thumbs-up’ signs to denote appreciate or luck– if we are simply continued to be told, this is the sort of world you are inviting your readers to, and it is a bleak one. The story defeats it’s own purpose in this right, and as a writer you do not want to spend your life contradicting the reason stories are written in the first place (unless of course it is intentional and done as a statement, of which that is perfectly okay).

Now the question remains, but how? I understand what you’ve told me here, and I recognize what you are saying, but how do I begin to show, and not tell? What are the steps?Well, first, there are no exact steps per se. A lot of the ability to show and not tell comes from the experience of writing at all! So what, are you telling me I should just write? This guide is useless! Indeed I am telling you to write, but there are things you should recognize what you are doing when you are constructing certain sentences. It easy to recognize when you’d like to build on a particular paragraph in a work you believe needs more highlight and attention to be paid, to it– Johnny lost his toy in the well? This will be an important experience later in life, build on it! –however, it is most certainly not as easy to spot when you need more action in a scene. So how do you build on that? Pay attention to the type of telling that is going on in order to understand how to show. I will give an example of each.The Mode of Being (or Lack thereof)

Coloring

Texture

Sort or hard

Size

Smell

In addition to describing those types of sensations (both visual, olfactory, touch, etc.) is the use of language. You could use words such as:

Fleshy

Velvety

Smooth

Fuzzy

Aromatic

So, instead of saying “The peach was ripe.” you could, instead say, “I sunk my teeth into the red-orange peach, breaking skin. It’s juice trickled against my tongue, then down my chin.”

It is then inferred through that second sentence that the peach is indeed, ripe. It would not be able to be eaten otherwise, and allowing your reader to have that bit of ability to infer will assist you in the long run.

Another way to think about describing the “undemonstrated” is through emotion. Take for example that a character is feeling very agitated. The easy means of telling it are to say, “Clarissa was agitated.” The more complex means is to consider all the factors that can make one agitated. Look around your environment, at others, and mostly a hard look at yourself. What is the motivation behind the agitation? Describe the sensation, and how it manifests itself physically and externally. For example, when agitated, do you pace? Does your character pace? Do they frequently jump from project to project? Are they fidgety? Do they play with their hair a lot, pick at their nails? Do they avoid eye contact? Or, do they hit the gym to work it off?

There are many, many forms of agitation, some that are more prominent than others and easily recognizable. Others, a person can be more calm and barely express the internal frustration. However, it will come out by other means– perhaps they become obsessive over a certain task as a way to try and relieve the agitation, or perhaps busy themselves in work. Whatever the situation it is, its easy to portray not only how the individual deals with the emotion, but also, how it is externalized.

If you’re having trouble coming up with something, think about how you feel in certain emotional states. Really begin to pay attention to the little things you do both big and small during the emotion. Write it down. Write what other people do, down. Whether they are happy, sad, restless– each individual displays something. It is up to you to be observant of yourself and others to try and bring that to your characters.

More examples:

Telling: The girl was hyper.

Showing: She first jumped upon her bed, up and down, up and down, then made to run from the room in hysterics as children often do, screeching and banging against the walls.

Telling: The night was cold.

Showing: His teeth chattered, wind flowing through the locks of his unkempt hair as he wrapped his arms about himself.

Telling: The bread was soggy.

Showing: It ripped apart easily, the center of the sandwich gooey from the tomato slices inside of it.

Action not Described

The next issue with telling and not showing, is the lack of described action. For example perhaps someone writes, “He dropped his phone.” While actions such as these may be hard to recognize as 'telling’ they still constitute as such. You want to describe the action as it happens in the moment, not after the fact. Why? Because you would not explain the action otherwise, were it not significant to the moment. Imagine that there is a camera in the room, and it is observing what is going on in the present. What is viewed from that camera must be relayed. The character didn’t simply drop the phone, but it slipped from his fingers, was knocked off the table, he tripped and it flew through the air, and then it hit the ground, or fell in the sink, or hit the wall. See that? Now it is not simply just dropping the phone, but it is the phone moving through space and also creating a situation which the character will react to. The phone wasn’t just dropped– it was dropped in the sink. That’s a big deal. Without that added description, you are denying your reader the importance of the action as it occurs, and the consequences of it.If you decide your character will get in a fight with another, that’s all well and good. But consider how. How will that character throw the punch? Where will the punch connect with? There’s a big difference in punching someone in the face (oh dear) as opposed to punching someone in the gut. That does two different things to the receiver of the blows and the reactions to each are vastly different. Therefore, you must be explicit and realize when you are telling someone that they punched another, and when you are showing. In the instance of the phone dropping, you’ll want to consider what noise does it makes when it hits water versus a wall? Where did it fall? How did it? Image time slowing down; register in your mind what happens from point A to point B when that singular object, drops. Also consider other detail– does the phone have a case around it? The sound would be vastly different from the sound of a case hitting the floor or wall, versus the sound of a phone with no case. Again, these are minuet details but, the writer should be considerate of them as necessary. The scene must be shown; the action shown. If it isn’t, you are robbing your readers of a very sensory experience within writing.Now, that’s not to say every action must be described in detail– it does not have to be. To describe every single action in detail would be becoming too overly-descriptive. How does one find that happy medium? Well, it’s up to the writer to decide what is mundane action versus what isn’t. You most certainly don’t want to write as though you are giving directions on where to go, or trying to handle a puppet walking through a door– you want to write out in detail the action that is important to the scene. If stepping into a pile of dog shit is important, write about it. If not, then keep it simple. If walking through the door and grabbing the keys is important, mention it in detail. If not, you can simply say “He grabbed the keys,” and although that’s telling the reader what he is doing, it is leading up to the action that is deserving of more attention, and so where you are creating that build-up be aware of where you should start slipping in more information.

Unestablished History

The last problem that occurs with telling versus showing, is something that occurs perhaps less frequently, but is important to note nonetheless. It is usually something that could be mentioned in passing with a character, or an attempt as writing backstory without giving full knowledge of the reader of why it matters. For example, in this instance an example of telling would be, “When Jane and I met, we were inseparable.” That is telling– and can be fine if you follow the sentence with more detail and lead-in about the characters. However, as writers do, this will sometimes not end up being the case. Depending on the importance of the character and overall sentence to the story, it’s good to elaborate. If “Jane” and the narrator of my story comprise of much of the work, showing their relationship is absolutely necessary. If not, then a more brief comment on the relationship (whilst still showing it) could work as well.For example, if it is the gut of the story I could instead start off by saying:It started when we were kids– I had parked my bike out by her garage, forgetting for a moment whose garage it was. Our houses were similar– real similar, in fact, it was almost hard to distinguish back then the differences I thought they were so much alike. The roof slanted in the same way (I think, anyway) and the colors of the siding looked about right. But, it was through that confusion that we first met– her house right next to mine, and I thought I was entering my home. But the only thing that clued me in was the door. Hers was on the right side. Mine? The left. But it didn’t occur to me then. So I began to rang the doorbell, expecting my mom to open with a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches, and instead I got Jane.See how descriptive that was in comparison? It is the beginning to a story, a childhood friendship perhaps turned lovers later, but whatever the case depending on how significant a history is for a character, as a writer, you shouldn’t hesitate to go into some amount of detail. Otherwise, it’s probably not worth mentioning.

Overall this is all I can think of for now regarding showing and not telling. Much of this information I learned from my narrative writing class the past semester, and decided to share it with you all. I hope it assists with learning how to write in detail and knowing when to add the detail. In addition to what I’ve written here, I’m also providing an opening to a story I wrote that displays a method of showing, and not telling.Sample Writing:

But as it were, even the rush of a spout sputtering from what water it could manage to excrete was not nearly enough to wash away all that would lay in consequence of the act he had committed. As that very same hand that had left stains of black and blue across a once pulsing and wrinkled neck, now glistened with the same motions of slow precision. Precision down the arm, to scrub and to wipe, and to feel his fingernails scraping across the surface of his skin until the stains of brown all but faded into the murky liquid depths below. An unceremonious closing to it all, with one creak of the sink’s handle. And suddenly, there was the quick shake of the hands, droplets seeming to spray out everywhere sporadic in their liberation from all it had clung to, and the heavy expanding of lungs seemed to kick start the life within him once more. His eyes seemed to wander to the creaking floorboards beneath him of their own accord, fixated not on the almost indistinct aftermath of a crime scene, but of the way the light filtering in through a window nearby had caught the dust particles floating about. For a moment he was distracted by such a simple occurrence, and his eyes seemed want to close in on themselves in a stupor before the sharp honk of a vehicle rushing past brought him back to his senses.

A plot is merely a series of plot points, so for this, we need to answer the following questions: 

What is a plot point?What makes a plot point strong? 

In order for something to be a plot point to begin with, it must provide a point within the plot where the story could go in more then one direction. In most situations, it’s the character’s choices (generally those of the main character, though not necessarily) which pick the direction the plot takes from this point. 

Looking at a plot point from this angle, we can deduce that the plot has a lot to do with who our character is. This makes sense. Goals are absolutely necessary for almost every story imaginable, because if your character doesn’t want something then you have no plot.

So we have a character who’s striving towards their goal. How do we turn that into a strong plot point? Characters who have goals should also have beliefs, (or in some cases, secondary goals), and these two things must conflict somewhere. Anywhere the character must choose between them, we have a foundation on which to build an interesting, strong plot point. On the other hand, if we don’t have these things, our plot point won’t ever be as strong as it might otherwise have been, no matter how many cool things we throw into it. 

So to create a strong plot point we can start with a character who needs to make a choice in order to reach their goal. We make this choice more interesting by throwing road blocks at the character. It might help to ask yourself these sorts of questions:

What can we throw at this character to make them change their choice partway through?

What can we throw at this character which we know will stress them out personally?

What can we throw at this character after they’ve made their choice, which they’ll have to now overcome because of the choice they’ve made? 

What sort of consequences will come out of this choice and how do we show them?

And if you’re willing to do some work in order to find a realistic way for your character to get out of the situation: What can we throw at this character which will turn this into their worst nightmare; the most awful possible version of this situation?

Knowing what makes a strong plot point, we can finally answer the question: Are weak plot points – and the weak plots they create – really bad?

Plot points and plots with weak foundations are really bad, yes. Weak plot points which don’t revolve around a character making tough choices in order to reach their goals will generally fall flat to readers.

But, not every plot point needs to be a crazy, chaotic mind blowing twist either. 

Sometimes the choices we find most emotional and stressful are the ones everyone else tells up should be easy. The key to engaging your reader in a plot point is to convince them that this is emotional and stressful for your character and that your character believes there will be consequences to making a bad choice, and to instill in them the need to know what choice your character will make and what outcome that choice will bring.

In crafting a villain’s backstory, we often want the origin to be as powerful as the character themselves. As Chris Colfe says, “A villain is just a victim whose story hasn’t been told.”

Unfortunately, however, tragic backstories become tedious. Oh, of course their parents were eaten alive in front of them, their home was foreclosed on by a corrupt institution, the love of their life betrayed them, their favorite TV show was canceled, and they couldn’t get the last scrap of mayonnaise out of the jar. Someone get the fainting couch, quick.

At a certain point, it’s no longer a backstory – it’s a sob story, which quickly transforms our empathy into pity, and finally into boredom. We roll our eyes and wish the villain had kept the melodrama to themselves.

On the other side of that coin, having a character who stomps on bunnies for no reason isn’t exactly relatable, and a well-rounded character can’t just burst into existence one day fully formed. Everyone has a history. 

So how can you give your villain a backstory that tugs on readers’ heartstrings, without making it a sob story?

For this, we’re going to use Epic of Lilith as an example once again (How to Make Your Villain Domestic but Still Evil), as well as Megamind briefly. Some of these tips can also be applied to heroes, but we’ll stay villain-centric for now.  

NaNoWriMo is a month away, which means you only have a NaNo’s length of preparation left. If you’re planning on participating, using the next 31 days to prepare can help you hit that 50k goal. 

If you’re worrying that this post will list plot, character, and world-building elements you need before you put pen to paper in November… relax.

There are no requirements for what you have to plan before writing. None. It’s fine if you sit down on Nov 1st with a 20-page outline to guide you through the month, but it’s equally valid to open a blank page that first day and simply start writing whatever comes to your head. 

Writing the first draft is all about finding the story you want to tell, and it doesn’t matter where in the draft you find it. 

However, there are a couple of simple and valuable ways to prepare for a 30 day write-a-thon, outline or no: 

1. Read. Read. Read. 

Do you want to write a mystery novel? A whimsical Middle Grade? A romantic YA contemporary? Spend your October reading books that are something similar to the book that you’d like to write. Read as much as you can. Pay attention to how the books are crafted, to story-telling techniques you can steal for your own novel.

If you don’t have a set novel in mind, just read. Discover what kind of book you’re interested in right now and write one of those.

This is the most useful thing you can do before you start writing next month.  

2. Sign up. 

The first thing you should do is sign up or sign in to the official NaNoWriMo website. For obvious reasons. Turn that ‘create novel’ page into a contract,  declaration for the world to see. Commit yourself now. 

3. Join your local NaNoWriMo group.

Most cities–and even many smaller towns–have regional ‘liaisons’ who organise writing and socialising events at local bookstores, coffee shops, and libraries. If you don’t have many writer friends, joining these NaNoWriMo groups can be a way in to your own writing group. 

Sign-up in October so you can start talking to people and learn about any pre-Nano or November 1st events. 

4. Start looking for writing time 

NaNoWriMo is all about finding writing time in your daily life. Get a head start this month by keeping an eye out for things like:

Bored social media browsing periods.

Times of the day you feel most creative.

Times of the day when you have the most energy.

5. Scope out some writing spots.

Similarly, this is a great time to test out nearby cafes, libraries, and other wi-fi hubs. Find out which places play good writing music. Which places have the most outlets and the largest tables. Which almost always have open tables and which don’t. Which open earliest or close latest. 

Find places you’d love to return to. Make going to write at a pretty cafe a treat on days when you have no other motivation. 

6. Gather some inspiration.

This is the time to start looking up author interviews, past pep-talks, motivational quotes etc. and fill your desk with them. Wallpaper your writing space with motivational post-it notes. If you require a more instagram-able space, choose a pretty font, print some quotes out, and hang them on the wall in cheap frames or washi tape. Do what you need to do to make sure that when you want to give up on Day 10, you have something to recharge your spirits. Here’s a list of 103 First Draft quotes. 88 Cups of Tea has amazing author interviews.  I’ll also try to blog and reblog inspirational things starting late October. 

7. Follow some writing blogs!

Obviously you’re following this blog. Or you’re following someone following this blog. Or following someone who’s following someone who’s following this blog. Or following someone who’s following someone who…nvm. 

You found this post, which means you’re probably on the right track already, but I can’t make this list without recommending you follow as many writing blogs as possible. Start now. Fill your dash with advice, read it all this month, and use it while you write next month. 

Here are some writing blogs I follow & recommend: 

thecaffeinebookwarrior.tumblr.com/

lets-get-fictional.tumblr.com/

writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/

heywriters.tumblr.com/

the-writers-manual.tumblr.com/

oliviapaigewrites.tumblr.com/

thecharactercomma.tumblr.com/

yeahwrite.co/

brynwrites.tumblr.com/

thewritingnook.tumblr.com/

ancwritingresources.tumblr.com/

thewritershandbook.tumblr.com/

writersrelief.tumblr.com/

fixyourwritinghabits.tumblr.com/

clevergirlhelps.tumblr.com/

Some of my posts you may find useful in November:

If you’re trying to develop a regular writing schedule…

Creating Characters

Writing Tools: The Draft Notebook 

Write What You Know (Not Necessarily What You’ve Experienced)

How to Steal: Good Writers Borrow…

How to Steal: Know Your Tropes

How to Finish a Draft

The Forest Productivity App

Ambient Soundscapes Inspired by Famous Authors

What to Do When You Can’t Write

Writing Podcasts

Narrative Voice