writing sideblog

Lying to the reader

Lying to themselves

Simply misinformed

Not paying attention

Has weird priorities

Assumed you knew

Hates you personally

Bad at communicating

Easily sidetracked

Will believe anything

Has weird prejudices

Character has 2 PhDs: either they did a dual degree program and are braggy about it, had a life-changing experience after their first degree and pivoted their whole career, or they find the structure of being a PhD student, despite all its stress, more comfortable and familiar than the stress of finding a Real Job and have a very indulgent advisor.

Character has 3 PhDs: who keeps accepting them to PhD programs. Either this person needs psychological help or their department needs to be investigated for its academic standards. Probably both

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May I present to you, nationalclothing.org?

a healer in a plague-stricken city discovers their apprentice is immune to the symptoms, but also a silent carrier that is actively spreading the disease

two friends running a small criminal operation are offered immunity if one testifies against the other, but both begin separately planning to take the fall to protect the other’s future

a successful warlord meets their former apprentice, who has become a pacifist negotiator

after growing up in an extremely toxic environment, one sibling wants to leave and the other doesn’t understand why

when one of the kids of a supernatural hunter family is turned into a werewolf, their sibling needs to dismantle their belief system to help keep them safe

finding out that they only got their job because a friend pulled some strings without telling them causes someone to reevaluate their skill and success

former roommates at an academy for muscle-for-hire meet again. one has become a bodyguard, the other an assassin, and both now have the same mark

after finding out their best friend betrayed them years ago, they chose to get revenge now, as the pain is fresh

a spirit becomes accidentally attached to a random disaster of a person and helps them tackle everyday life

the most romantic masterpost (over 100 prompt lists + advice)

the fluffiest masterpost (over 20 prompt lists)

the most hurt/comfort masterpost (over 10 prompt lists)

the angstiest masterpost (over 40 prompt lists)

the angriest masterpost (over 5 prompt lists + advice)

the happiest masterpost (over 5 prompt lists + advice)

Absquatulate: to leave without saying goodbye

Cassandra Complex: a psychological penomenon in which someone's accurate prediction of a crisis is ignored or dismissed

Cicatrize: to find healing by the process of forming scars

Even a Worm will turn: the belief that even the most docile creature will retaliate if pushed too far

Fernweh: the ache for distant places; the urge to leave everything familiar behind

Hamartia: a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero

Hiraeth: homesickness for a home you can never return to

Ichor: a fluid that flows like blood in the veins of gods

Jester's Privilege: the ability and right of a jester to mock his king without fear of punishment, for nothing he says seems to matter

Lachesism: longing for the clarity that comes with living through a disaster

Lotus-Eater: a person who lives their life in a constant state of dream and fantasy

Novalunosis: the state of relaxation and wonder experienced while gazing up at the stars

Pyrrhic Victory: a victory with such devastating consequence and collateral that is becomes a 'hollow victory'

Swan Song: a final act or effort given just before death

Wanderlust: a strong desire to wander and explore the world free from any obligation

Weltschmerz: the pain that comes with the realisation that the material world will never satisfy the demands of the soul

Whistle in the Dark: to make a show of bravery despite one's fear

Yhprum's Law: 'everything that can go right will go right'

Habits change: suddenly no energy or motivation to do so.

Rereading old texts from someone that used to be special.

They let their hot drinks go cold beside them.

They apologize for things that aren’t their fault.

They linger after everyone else has already left.

They keep checking the door wishing that anyone will walk through.

They sit in parked cars for a long time before going inside.

Avoiding eye contact; gaze never lingers for long. Staring at the floor, instead of at people.

Rubbing the back of their necks or holding one arm with the other. Closed body language & posture shrinks.

They take deep breaths like they’re steadying themselves.

Hesitation before letting go of a hug.

Movements feel slower than usual.

Trembling fingers and limbs and shaky breath.

Sitting on the shower floor, contemplating.

Voice cracks when they speak & hesitate before responding to simple questions.

Avoidance and deflection when speaking such as “It doesn’t matter now” / “Don’t worry about it” / “I just need some sleep.”

Lingering in doorways instead of entering or lingering at the edge of the group.

Sleeping with noise or lights on to avoid feeling alone. Or as a distraction.

Fixating on small, meaningless tasks to keep busy.

☽ Memory becomes absolute garbage. Like “why am I in the kitchen?” garbage. “What was I saying?” garbage. Their brain is running on buffering screens and regret.

☽ Fine motor skills? Ha. They’re dropping everything. Pens. Phones. Entire moral compass. They’re basically a malfunctioning claw machine.

☽ Hallucinations creep in. That jacket on the chair? Suddenly a person. That noise? Definitely doom. Everything becomes mildly haunted.

☽ Time gets weird. Five minutes feel like a year. A full hour disappears and they swear they blinked wrong.

☽ Irritation skyrockets. They get mad at chairs. At air. At gravity. At the audacity of other humans continuing to exist.

☽ Their voice sounds weird. Slow, scratchy, like they swallowed sand.

☽ They walk like a drunk baby giraffe. Walls suddenly jump closer. Floors rise unexpectedly. Coordination said: “I’m out.”

☽ Zoning out becomes a hobby. They stare at random objects like they’re trying to understand quantum mechanics.

☽ Vision blurs in and out. Like someone smeared Vaseline over their eyeballs out of spite.

☽ Their body just hurts. Not a dramatic pain, just the “why does my skeleton feel like it’s buzzing?” pain.

☽ Food cravings go feral. They’d fight someone for a stale cookie.

☽ Terrible choices. They will absolutely say “I’m fine” while making decisions that end in disaster.

☽ Random emotional implosions. Crying because their sock feels wrong? Yes.

Intimacy isn't always just the spicy stuff! Here's a few ways to show it through your characters in a few, simple ways...

Kissing their S/O's hand, knuckles, wrist...bonus points for eye contact!

Speaking of which...eyes. Glances across the room, prolonged eye contact, staring at each other

Tending to the other's wounds/ injuries

Knowing the other's tiny habits

Reaching out to the other when in pain, trouble, ect

Whispering jokes to each other

Carefully wiping off a stain from their clothes or face

Taking care of each other when sick or hurt

Hand over the heart/ ear over the heart just to hear it beat

Pressing their thumb over the pulse point for the same thing

Tracing scars, tattoos, birth marks, freckles

Giving the other something tiny that means a lot, a picture, a shiny rock, a flower

In fantasy settings, helping the other put on/ take off armor...trusting the other to know where daggers, knives, poisons are hidden

Telling each other secrets/ thoughts they've told nobody before

Tucking back the other's hair

Putting a piece of jewelry on the other or letting them borrow clothes

Keeping each other warm in the cold

In cases with chronic illness, letting the other care for/ know symptoms

Brushing, braiding hair, applying skincare, etc.

Nightmare comfort

Wiping away tears

Proximity- sitting near each other, sticking close, standing beside each other while doing a task such as cooking, laundry, painting...

1. The FBI's Famous Cases & Criminals archive (fbi.gov/history/famous-cases) has detailed breakdowns of real fraud cases, Ponzi schemes, and confidence operations. The language they use is clinical and precise, which is perfect for getting the procedural details right.

2. The FTC Consumer Sentinel Network publishes annual reports on the most common fraud tactics in the US. Great for understanding how modern scams actually work and what makes people fall for them.

3. The Smithsonian's American Art Museum has a free digital collection of forgery case studies. If your character forges documents or art, this is gold.

4. Court Listener (courtlistener.com) is a free legal database where you can read actual court transcripts from fraud trials. Want to know how a real con artist talks under oath? This is where you find out.

5. The Internet Archive's collection of old newspaper crime sections. Search for "confidence man" or "swindle" in papers from the 1920s through 1960s and you'll find incredible real stories that would feel too dramatic for fiction.

Bonus: The Psychology of Fraud section on the Association for Psychological Science website has accessible articles about why people trust, how deception works cognitively, and what makes someone a convincing liar. Essential reading if you want your con artist characters to feel psychologically real.

1. Slow down at emotionally important moments.

Big emotions need space to land. If a scene feels rushed, pause the plot briefly to show how the moment affects the character.

2. Add reactions, not explanations.

Instead of explaining what a character feels, show it through physical responses, hesitation, or small actions that reveal emotion naturally.

3. Ground every scene in the senses.

If a scene feels thin, add one or two sensory details—sound, texture, smell, or temperature—to make the moment feel lived-in.

4. Let thoughts interrupt action.

A line of internal thought can deepen a scene without slowing it too much. Thoughts show stakes, fear, longing, or conflict beneath the action.

5. Expand consequences, not events.

You don’t need more things to happen—you need to show what matters. Focus on how events change relationships, decisions, or self-perception.

6. Strengthen setting where emotion peaks.

The environment should echo or contrast the emotion of the scene. Setting is not decoration—it’s emotional reinforcement.

7. Add specific details instead of general ones.

Underwriting often relies on vague language. Swap “they argued” for one sharp line of dialogue or a specific breaking point.

8. Let dialogue breathe.

Short dialogue exchanges without pauses can feel flat. Add beats—silence, gestures, interruptions—to give the conversation weight.

9. Show transitions between scenes.

If scenes jump too quickly, readers feel disoriented. A brief transition helps establish time, mood, and emotional continuity.

10. Clarify stakes early in the scene.

If readers don’t know what can be lost, scenes feel empty. Make sure the character wants something specific and fears losing it.

11. Use the “what are they feeling right now?” check.

After each major beat, ask what emotion is dominant in that moment. If it’s missing on the page, the scene is likely underwritten.

12. Expand scenes that feel “too clean.”