Writing & Reference

You wanna write create some fantasy creatures but don’t know where to start? Go check out some videos The Weird Creatures Earth has Had.

Want some inspiration for your Super Evil Villain’s Villanous Deeds?

Or maybe you want some weird locations to kick start your Fantasy World Terraforming?

Or maybe you need knowledge of bunches of historical places and cities and cultures?

But maybe you’re basing fantasy on the modern world?

Okay but lets say you want to start from the same inspiration as GRRM? (and part two!)

That’s just the stuff I could quickly grab. Things I’m subscribed to, that I know offhand. There is So. Much. Stuff. Online.

However, there are longstanding rights intended to protect authors. These are legally called 'the moral rights of authors.' Good naming.

These rights include:

The right to attribution. To have your name on your work. Don't repost peoples work without attribution.

The right to use a pen name or to publish anonymously. Publishers should protect the privacy of authors. Service providers shouldn't require posters to provide ID.

The right to integrity. Editors should not cut up your work to make it say something you do not endorse.

So let's review:

❌ AI harms authors because it violates copyright.

✧ Broken ribs suck. You don’t just “walk it off.” Breathing hurts. Laughing hurts. Existing hurts. Characters with rib injuries won’t be doing heroic sprints.

✧ Concussions aren’t instant naps. Dazed vision, nausea, dizziness, maybe even personality changes, but they’re not going to collapse neatly like in the movies.

✧ Blood loss is sneaky. It’s not just about dramatic pools of blood. It’s dizziness, confusion, and the body getting cold as circulation tanks.

✧ Adrenaline lies. Someone can take a serious injury and not feel it until the fight’s over. That “I didn’t realize I was bleeding until later” trope? Very real.

✧ Twisted ankles are brutal. One bad step and suddenly running is off the table. Even walking hurts like hell. Perfect way to ground a chase scene.

✧ Burns linger. Even small burns hurt more than most people expect. Blisters, infection risk, constant pain, it’s not just a cool scar later.

✧ Dislocated shoulders = useless arm. Characters can’t keep swinging a sword or firing a gun. They’re basically fighting one-armed until it’s fixed.

✧ Shock is a thing. Pale skin, trembling, rapid heartbeat, and eventually disorientation. A character might not even realize how bad their wound is.

✧ Stitches aren’t magic. Getting sewn up is painful and recovery takes time. They’re not instantly battle-ready after a needle and thread.

But my number two piece of advice is this: be deliberate.

Honestly this would fix so many pieces of bad writing advice. Don't forbid people from doing something, tell them to be conscious and deliberate about it. This could help stop people from falling into common mistakes without limiting their creativity. Black and white imperatives may stop a few annoying beginner habits, but ultimately they will restrict artistic expression.

Instead of "don't use epithets": "Know the effect epithets have and be deliberate about using them." Because yes, beginners often misuse them, but they can be useful when a character's name isn't known or when you want to reduce them to a particular trait they have.

Instead of "don't use 'said'" or "just use 'said'": "Be deliberate about your use of dialogue tags." Because sometimes you'll want "said" which fades into the background nicely, but sometimes you will need a more descriptive alternative to convey what a character is doing.

Instead of "don't use passive voice": "Be deliberate about when you use passive voice." Because using it when it's not needed can detract from your writing, but sometimes it can be useful to change the emphasis of a sentence or to portray a particular state of mind.

Instead of blindly following or ignorantly neglecting the rules of writing, familiarize yourself with them and their consequences so you can choose when and if breaking them would serve what you're trying to get across.

Your writing is yours. Take control of it.

It probably sounds like I'm preaching to the choir here because most of my mutuals are already great writers. But I'm hoping this will make it to the right people.

Tags stolen from prev (sydmarch) but like taking literally TWO seconds of thought and a kindergarteners knowledge of how scent works would have made that line make sense!!! Our olifactory memory is so good that yes, someone who has been in a midnight forest might actually recognize the scent of a midnight forest. When we smell things, the memory of when it was last smelt comes before the recollection of the scent! You might smell a room and think “this smells like a middle school slumber party” before you think “this smells like the exact lotion my best friend used growing up and someone made popcorn recently.”

So like, yes, someone can smell wet pine needles and moss because dew forms at the coldest point in the night, plus all the nearby flowers are closed so there’s less of a floral scent, and the smells of plants baking in the sun are absent. But no one fucking thinks that, they think “I experience this smell in a midnight forest.”

You’ve met her before. The girl with “flowing ebony hair,” “emerald eyes,” and “lips like rose petals.” Or him, with “chiseled jawlines,” “stormy gray eyes,” and “shoulders like a Greek statue.”

We don’t know them.

We’ve just met their tropes.

Describing physical appearance is one of the trickiest — and most overdone — parts of character writing. It’s tempting to reach for shorthand: hair color, eye color, maybe a quick body scan. But if we want a reader to see someone — to feel the charge in the air when they enter a room — we need to stop writing mannequins and start writing people.

So let’s get granular. Here’s how to write physical appearance in a way that’s textured, meaningful, and deeply character-driven.

1. Hair: It’s About Story, Texture, and Care

Hair says a lot — not just about genetics, but about choices. Does your character tame it? Let it run wild? Is it dyed, greying, braided, buzzed, or piled on top of her head in a hurry?

Good hair description considers:

Texture (fine, coiled, wiry, limp, soft)

Context (windblown, sweat-damp, scorched by bleach)

Emotion (does she twist it when nervous? Is he ashamed of losing it?)

Flat: “Her long brown hair framed her face.”

Better: “Her ponytail was too tight, the kind that whispered of control issues and caffeine-fueled 4 a.m. library shifts.”

You don’t need to romanticise it. You need to make it feel real.

2. Eyes: Less Color, More Connection

We get it: her eyes are violet. Cool. But that doesn’t tell us much.

Instead of focusing solely on eye color, think about:

What the eyes do (do they dart, linger, harden?)

What others feel under them (seen, judged, safe?)

The surrounding features (dark circles, crow’s feet, smudged mascara)

Flat: “His piercing blue eyes locked on hers.”

Better: “His gaze was the kind that looked through you — like it had already weighed your worth and moved on.”

You’re not describing a passport photo. You’re describing what it feels like to be seen by them.

3. Facial Features: Use Contrast and Texture

Faces are not symmetrical ovals with random features. They’re full of tension, softness, age, emotion, and life.

Things to look for:

Asymmetry and character (a crooked nose, a scar)

Expression patterns (smiling without the eyes, habitual frowns)

Evidence of lifestyle (laugh lines, sun spots, stress acne)

Flat: “She had a delicate face.”

Better: “There was something unfinished about her face — as if her cheekbones hadn’t quite agreed on where to settle, and her mouth always seemed on the verge of disagreement.”

Let the face be a map of experience.

4. Bodies: Movement > Measurement

Forget dress sizes and six packs. Think about how bodies occupy space. How do they move? What are they hiding or showing? How do they wear their clothes — or how do the clothes wear them?

Ask:

What do others notice first? (a presence, a posture, a sound?)

How does their body express emotion? (do they go rigid, fold inwards, puff up?)

Flat: “He was tall and muscular.”

Better: “He had the kind of height that made ceilings nervous — but he moved like he was trying not to take up too much space.”

Describing someone’s body isn’t about cataloguing. It’s about showing how they exist in the world.

5. Let Emotion Tint the Lens

Who’s doing the describing? A lover? An enemy? A tired narrator? The emotional lens will shape what’s noticed and how it’s described.

In love: The chipped tooth becomes charming.

In rivalry: The smirk becomes smug.

In mourning: The face becomes blurred with memory.

Same person. Different lens. Different description.

6. Specificity is Your Superpower

Generic description = generic character. One well-chosen detail creates intimacy. Let us feel the scratch of their scarf, the clink of her earrings, the smudge of ink on their fingertips.

Examples:

“He had a habit of adjusting his collar when he lied — always clockwise, always twice.”

“Her nail polish was always chipped, but never accidentally.”

Make the reader feel like they’re the only one close enough to notice.

Describing appearance isn’t just about what your character looks like. It’s about what their appearance says — about how they move through the world, how others see them, and how they see themselves.

TOP 100 RONANCE FICS

As voted by the community. And as of now we have officially broken fifty fics nominated, we are halfway to a full list and we've certainly had some shake ups since the last entry. If you'd like to contribute, then go ahead and vote to make your voice heard.

As always, the list itself is under the cut

This isn't going to get particularly graphic, but I know there are a lot of people who follow me who might not want to read about this, so this is my warning right now that this post will be a fairly blunt discussion of writing sex scenes and (some of) my thoughts on how to make them sexy.

Writing sex scenes can be complicated and awkward, and lots of people have lots of feelings on what makes a good sex scene (or sexy scene) in a story. Here are a few of my thoughts on them.

Figure out how graphic you want to make the scene. Sex in books can range anywhere from closed door (it's just implied that they had sex) to fully explicit detailed descriptions of what's happening, and everything in between.

But even if you don't want to write closed door, you can write fairly sexy/sensual scenes without actually mentioning most body parts. This is where you want to rely on a combination of senses and emotions. You can describe what a character is feeling, seeing, tasting, etc. and their emotions without every describing at Tab A into Slot B situation.

Avoid overly technical language unless that is your goal. One thing that can make sex scenes feel awkward or stilted is when they fall into very technical descriptions of what's going on. Some of this comes down to the language you use for specific body parts ("cock" is often seen as sexier than "penis," for example) but it can also be about the level of description you go into for how they're moving. If you start describing every time they shift a body part or change position, it can start feeling more like a list of actions than a sexy or sensual moment. It also feels extremely in the character's head to the point where it can feel like overthinking as opposed to being more of an indulgent or fun experience.

Sometimes, though, the point of a sex scene is actually about the technical aspect of it. This may be one character teaching another about sex, about characters exploring sex after a trauma or other reluctance, or about a kink exploration. In those cases, having more technical details can make it feel more real and grounded and can give you a way to provide clear insight into a character's experience with it. It allows you to show that this touch is the good or bad one, as opposed to the general experience of having sex.

Pick a couple of words for things and stick to them. You don't need seven euphemisms for a body part. You can leave "throbbing manhood" behind. If you stick to one to two words for each thing, it can help the word fade to the background in the same way that a dialogue tag does, making it easier for the reader for focus on the emotions or experience you're trying to describe, rather than being jarred every time a new euphemism for clitoris pops up.

Know how you're approaching consent. This is not to say that every sex scene needs to start with a negotiation or even an explicit yes, but you as the author should know whether the characters have consented to the sex, what it means if they haven't, and what impacts that might have. And if a sex scene is consensual or nonconsensual, we as the reader should be able to tell.

For example, I've read a ton of sex scenes where one of the characters (usually a female character) will say no at the start, sometimes more than once. But the other character(s) progresses with the sex they've initiated, and in the end, nobody seems to remember that it started with a no. Often it leaves me wondering whether I'm supposed to take that as having been consensual sex. And it leaves me wondering if the author thinks it was consensual sex.

Characters can be messy, and we don't need perfect characters who are perfect at consent. But at least for me personally, I find it really hard to root for a romance where it feels like one of the characters has sexually assaulted the other one.

So if you're writing sexual assault, you should know that you're writing sexual assault--and do it on purpose.

If you want to write kinky stuff, you should read kinky stuff. Real kinky stuff. Sometimes I read sex in stories, where it feels like Baby's First Foray Into Kink--but the author has clearly only read kink in other stories that were also Baby's First Foray Into Kink. It will be random spanking that's never really addressed, or he will choke her and then never talk about it (please for the love of everything that is good do not do this in real life), or she will inexplicably call him Daddy once. It will often feel either random and disjointed or extremely unnegoatiated (or both). And again, your characters don't need to Be Good At Kink, but if you want to write kink, you should at least know what you're intentionally leaving out. And to do that, you need to read things by actual kinky people.

Be specific. One of the biggest pitfalls that I see in a lot of sex scenes, especially but in no way exclusively in straight romances, is that they feel very generic. We are cycling through the same five pieces of dirty talk that every one of these stories uses, with the same three mild kinks. Someone says "say you're mine." She calls him Daddy. He spanks her. He comments on her mouth when she says a a sexual word.

But consider what these characters are into. Characters shouldn't lose their personality or interests simply because they're having sex, and they shouldn't all be the same. Are they interested in touching? Being touched? What body parts are they into on other people, and what of theirs do they like being focused on? Is there anything they're not into?

Do they make jokes during sex? Are they competitive? Do they want it slow? Fast? Are there toys that they like? Scents? Music? Do they make noise or are they quiet?

How would they talk? You don't need to default to Daddy/good girl if you're writing M/F romance. How do they feel about someone commenting on their body during sex?

How long have they been together? Sex between people who have been together for twenty years will look and feel different than a first-time hookup.

Are their restrictions (self-imposed or otherwise) on how they can have sex? How does that change how they talk to each other?

A few followers have asked for tips on writing romance into their stories or as the basis of their stories. Here’s a masterlist of sources that may help.

General Romance:

What Defines Romantic Love?

How to Plot a Romance Novel

Slowburn Romance

When Friends Fall for Each Other (ask)

Tips for Writing a Character Who Has a Crush

Tips on Writing Unrequited Love 

Writing Healthy Couples in Fiction

An Antidote to “Love at First Sight”

How Attractive Should Your Characters Be?

3 Great Ways to Show That Your Character Is In Love

Seven Great Sources of Conflict for Romances

9 Romance Writing Mistakes to Avoid

How to Write a Kissing Scene in a Romance Novel

Types of Kisses and Kissing + This Post Is All About Kisses

List of Ideas to Keep Romantic Tension High

100 Questions for Character Couples

How Do I Make the Relationship Development Realistic?

How Do I Know If Two People Are Compatible?

Healthy Relationships Can Include Teasing

How to Write a YA Romance Without Cliché   

Intercultural Romance:

How do I write an interracial couple accurately? (ask)

15 Common Stereotypes About Intercultural Relationships

Cross Cultural Relationships

14 Experiences in a Cross-Cultural Relationship

Things to Avoid When Writing Interracial Romance

writingwithcolor: Interracial Relationships (w/ links)

Bad Romance:

Things to Keep Out of Your Healthy Relationships!

Removing the Creeps From Romance

Why The Surprise Kiss Must Go

Possessiveness 101

10 Signs You May Be in an Emotionally Abusive Relationship

Edward & Bella Are In An Abusive Relationship

Red Flags, Verbal Abuse, Stalking… | Script Shrink

5 Huge Mistakes Ruining the Romantic Relationships in Your Book

How do you write a [bad] relationship without romanticising it? (ask)

General Tips for Writing Characters Love Interests:

How to Write from a Guy’s POV

7 Point-of-View Basics Every Writer Should Know

How Do You Describe a Character?

4 Ways to Make Readers Instantly Loathe Your Character Descriptions

3 Signs Your Story’s Characters Are Too Perfect

Is a Quirk Just What Your Character Needs?

Six Types of Character Flaws

Is Your Character Optimistic Or Pessimistic?

5 Ways to Keep Characters Consistent

9 Simple and Powerful Ways to Write Body Language

10 Body Language Tricks for Deeper Characterization

Describing People Part Three: Gestures, Expressions, and Mannerisms

33 Ways To Write Stronger Characters

Conveying Character Emotion

Distinguishing Characters in Dialogue

How to Make Readers Love an Unlikable Character…  

Characters: Likability Is Overrated

Relationships in General:

How to Create Powerful Character Combos

8 Secrets To Writing Strong Character Relationships

Character Relationships: 6 Tips for Crafting Real Connections

Writing Relationships: Hate to Love

Stereotypes, Archetypes, & Tropes:

Five Signs Your Story Is Sexist: Part 1, Part 2

Five Signs Your Story Is Sexist – Against Men

TVTropes: Always Female vs Always Male

Born Sexy Yesterday & other harmful tropes at Pop Culture Detective

Manic Pixie Dream Girl

7 (Overused) Female Love Interests

Other Resource Lists

Resources For Romance Writers

thewritershelpers FAQ (romance, kissing, sexuality, etc)

#romance | WordsnStuff

#romance | Hey, Writers!

—

Say, for example, you’re writing a swimming pool scene and you need to plant the fact that Susan is blonde, because in a few chapters, the detective will find a blond hair at the crime scene.

You want the planted information to be memorable, but at the same time not stand out too much. The ideal is to push the information into the reader’s subconscious without a neon light arrow saying, “You might want to remember this, dear reader. This will be relevant!” The planted information needs to feel natural, organic, but memorable enough so when it turns out to be ✨a clue✨, your reader thinks, “I should have seen it!”

Let’s look at some options.

Susan, who is blonde, took a deep breath and dived into the pool.

This feels forced and awkward. The two pieces of information (pool + blonde) are not connected, the fact that she is blonde feels irrelevant and shoved in. If the reader remembers this, it’s because they noticed how the information is forced upon them.

Elegant ⭐

Memorable ⭐⭐

Organic ⭐

The blonde Susan swam across the pool. / The blonde, Susan, swam across the pool.

This feels more natural, but there’s a danger that only the swimming will stick into the reader’s mind because her being blonde is so unnoticeable. There is also a minor danger that the reader will expect an non-blonde Susan to show up in the first variation.

Elegant ⭐⭐

Memorable ⭐

Organic ⭐⭐

Susan was annoyed. She had just washed her hair with that ridiculously expensive Luscious Blonde shampoo and now her friends wanted to go swimming? What a waste of money.

This feels natural and organic, because both elements are conveyed from Susan’s point of view. They are both relevant and connected, and on top of that you get to build Susan’s character.

Elegant ⭐⭐⭐

Memorable ⭐⭐⭐

Organic ⭐⭐⭐

Her friends were already in the pool, but Susan held up her pocket mirror, making absolutely sure that the latex cap wouldn’t let any water in. She just had her hair bleached and after the debacle of 2019, she would never forget what chlorinated water did to bleached hair.

Susan’s POV makes her blond hair relevant to the swimming, as with the example above, but this time you’re presenting a completely different character. It feels organic and personal, and the fact that she is blonde will be lodged into the reader’s mind without screaming “It’s a clue!”.

Elegant ⭐⭐⭐

Memorable ⭐⭐⭐

Organic ⭐⭐⭐

I hope this is helpful! Follow me for more writing tips or browse my entire collection of writing advice now.