SuperPaleOrb

¹⁾ a rural gas station in the middle of the night

²⁾ the last room at a drive-in motel in the small hours of the morning

³⁾ a cold, draughty church on a thursday night

⁴⁾ a stranger’s bedroom at noon

⁵⁾ a window seat on a red-eye flight during a storm

⁶⁾ a hospital waiting room with only one other person in it

⁷⁾ a sleeper train eight hours from its destination

⁸⁾ the first night in a new house, alone

⁹⁾ the steps of a wedding chapel in the rain

¹⁰⁾ a dingy truck stop after ten hours on the road

¹¹⁾ a divorce attorney’s office on valentine’s day

¹²⁾ the beach at ten on a monday morning

¹³⁾ a police station in a foreign country

¹⁴⁾ a coffee shop at two in the morning

¹⁵⁾ a concert venue, hours after the band’s set has finished

¹⁶⁾ a boat miles from land in any direction

¹⁷⁾ the third highest floor in a skyscraper

¹⁸⁾ the end of the line at a b-list movie star’s meet-and-greet

¹⁹⁾ a bar an hour after last call

²⁰⁾ an overgrown garden in a heatwave

²¹⁾ a car park lit only by streetlamps

²²⁾ a film set two days from the end of production

²³⁾ a graveyard in spring

²⁴⁾ the lap of someone who’s been gone for too long

holding hands during a stressful situation

smiling in-between kisses

touching foreheads

cheek kisses

slow dancing

intertwining fingers

comparing hand sizes

resting your head on your partner's lap

piggy back rides

standing on your tip toes to reach your partner's lips

kissing your partner's wounds

forehead kisses

falling asleep on your partner's shoulder

bridal carries

spooning

rolling over in bed, switching positions during a kiss

embracing your partner

intertwining fingers when making love

pulling away from a kiss, deeply looking into each other's eyes, appreciating being here with each other before diving back in

nudging into the crook of your partner's neck

being carried/tucked into bed, after having fallen asleep on the couch waiting for your partner to come home

saying ''i love you'' in-between kisses

nose boops

back rubs

tracing fingers down your partner's chest

hand on chest during a casual conversation

bumping into each other

hugs that last longer than they should

showering together

hands around the waist

straddling your partner's thighs

helping your partner undress

playing with your partner's hair

falling asleep to your partner's heartbeat

resting a hand on your partner's back

squeezing each other's hands

sitting in your partner's lap

cupping your partner's face

tickling

linking arms with each other

exploring each other's lips

caressing your partner's face

brushing your lips together, lingering for a moment

jumping into your partner's arms

wrapping legs around your partner

tucking a strand of hair behind your partner's ear

pulling your partner into your lap

hugging from behind

lifting your partner off the ground

holding hands across the table

holding hands under the table

bear hugs

caressing your partner's hand

laying a hand on your partner's thigh

literally sharing a sweater

slapping your partner's butt

tummy kisses

feeling each other's pulse

glancing at each other's lips

falling asleep while cuddling on the couch

Punctuating Dialogue

✧

➸ “This is a sentence.”

➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.

➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”

➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”

➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”

➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”

➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.

“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.

“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”

➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”

➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”

However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can ask be “outside”!

➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.

If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)

➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations, dashes typically express—“

“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.

➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.

➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”

➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.

Do you ever find yourself over-using the word “said” in your writing? Try using these words/phrases instead:

stated

commented

declared

spoke

responded

voiced

noted

uttered

iterated

explained

remarked

acknowledged

mentioned

announced

shouted

expressed

articulated

exclaimed

proclaimed

whispered

babbled

observed

deadpanned

joked

hinted

informed

coaxed

offered

cried

affirmed

vocalized

laughed

ordered

suggested

admitted

verbalized

indicated

confirmed

apologized

muttered

proposed

chatted

lied

rambled

talked

pointed out

blurted out

chimed in

brought up

wondered aloud

Descriptions in Between Dialogue

✧

⤠ how characters interact with the environment

⇝ moving something, picking something up, looking somewhere

⤠ how the environment interacts with the characters

⇝ weather, other character’s actions or movements

⤠ gestures

⇝ facial expressions, body language

⤠ shifts in position

⇝ standing, sitting, leaning, shifting weight, crossing arms/legs

⤠ physical reactions

⇝ body temperature, fidgeting, heart rate, character quirks

⤠ environmental descriptions

⇝ descriptions using the five senses, setting, character’s appearances

⤠ internal dialogue

⇝ emotional reaction to what was said, reflection of past experiences, connections to other characters/settings/actions

This website has a whole page dedicated to physcial descriptors of certain emotions, including tiredness and exhaustion!