#writers guide

(I know, I've been slacking but I'm still alive)

When we think of the Victorians, the grand old Gilded Age or the Edwardians, we all think of those big mansions and manors where some of our favourite stories take place. But what and who did it take to run a great house?

Meet the Staff

Large numbers of staff were always needed to run great houses. Every department had its own management and its own teams, all working together to ensure everything ran smooth. There was both an interior and exterior team.

Interior

You can split the interior of the household into three departments: Service, Upkeep and Food Preparation.

Service

Butler: The Butler was the Head of all the household staff. He acted essentially as the manager of a great house, directing the staff on a day to day basis or at events on the command of the lord/lady/employer. Make staff would report mostly yo him and he would be in charge of keeping an eye on them. The Butler had charge of the wine cellars, the dining room, sometimes the pantry as well. As the manager of the house, Butlers were afforded the title of Mr. X. Our favourite examples being of course Mr Carson and Mr Pennyworth.

Valet: The valet was the male servant who handled the dressing of the men of the family. He would be in charge of his master's clothes, ensuring he was always dressed in the right outfit for the right activity (there was a lot) and be in charge of helping him into the outfit in question. The valet would also be in charge of cleanliness, sometimes shaving his master or running his bath. Valets were referred to as Surname and ranked in how their employer's ranked, for example the Lord’s valet would outrank his son's.

Lady's Maid: The lady's maid was similar to the valet. She was in charge of keeping the ladies of the house looking their best and handling their needs. She would style hair, care for jewels, mend clothes, care for clothes and often act as a companion, accompanying her lady on visits or day's out. The lady's maid was referred to by their surname.

Footman: The footman was a male servant who served at table, fetched items, handled heavy lifting such as luggage, opened and closed doors. Most footmen were young men and en chosen for good looks. Footmen polished the silver services at great houses and when called upon would often take on the role of valet to guests without a servant to help. Footmen were referred to as their firstname. Footmen were denoted by rank, the highest being first footman who had charge over the others and would assist the butler in some tasks.

Upkeep

Housekeeper:The housekeeper was second in command but she ran her most of the interior staff, especially those who took care of the house itself. She supervised all female staff. She helped the lady of the house when it came to running events and caring for guests. The housekeeper is always Mrs. Surname even when she's unmarried.

Housemaid: Housemaids clean the house. They would dust, make and strip beds, straighten things up and keep the house looking it's best. The housemaid was a servant that was almost never seen, usually rising early, lighting the fires, cleaning the house as the family moves from room to room. She was called by her Firstname.

Scullery Maid: The scullery maid is the lower ranking maid. She would also have been younger and less experienced. She was in charge of the more unsightly work: laying the fires, scrubbing the floors, emptying chamberpots, cleaning servant's chambers. She may even do mending and washing for other servants. She was called by her first name.

Hall boy: The hall boy was also young and handled the worst jobs. He would polish boots belonging to the family and sometimes staff, cempty the servant's chamberpots and waited on on the higher ranking servants. He was called by his name.

Food Preparation

Cook: The cook or chef was the third highest ranking servant downstairs and they ran their own department. They were in charge of the kitchen staff. All cooks and chefs would meet almost daily with the lady of the house to discuss menus and ordering but would answer to both housekeeper and butler. As with the housekeeper, a female cook or chef is Mrs Surname despite martial status and make cooks/chef are Mr.

Kitchen maid: The kitchen maid helped the cook/chef in preparing the food. She would be one of the first servants up, in charge of lighting the ovens and starting the breakfast for the family and servants. She would clean the kitchen, boil water when needed and bring food up to the servery when needed. She would be called by her first name.

Exterior

The house would needed a team on the outside to handle the stables, the gardens and any outdoor activity.

Gardeners: They would be responsible for the upkeep of the grounds itself, caring for the gardens. There would be multiple at a great house led by a head gardener.

Stableboy/groom/kennelmaster: They would take care of the family's horses and dogs. They would take care of tack, help plan hunts and riding pursuits and handle carriages.

Chauffeur: As automobiles became popular in this period, a chauffeur was needed to drive the family and take car of their motor.

Lives of Servants

Servants were paid very little at this time, mainly because most staff got free room and board. Most of the interior staff would live in the house itself and be supplied meals. Chauffeurs, gardeners etc would live nearby on the estate either as locals or be supplied a house as a staff member. Staff uniforms were also supplied. Days off were rare but not withheld. Permission was needed to leave the house either to visit the shop or take a few days off.

Servants were expected to be obedient, modest and humble at all times. They were expected to stand in the presence of their master's, speak only when spoken to and never question an order. They had to be ready for anything at the drop of a hat. You've set for a dozen guests but now there's five more coming? Tough luck, change the table settings. You get seasick? Nevermind that, your gentleman is going across the sea and as his valet you're going with him, like it or not.

Servants from one house often travelled to with the family to their other residences: the butler, footmen, chef, kitchen maids, lady's maid, valet would all go with the family while everybody else would get left behind. Every house would have its own housekeeper if it could be afforded. Housemaids and other staff needed could be hired locally when needed.

The Daily Routine

The working day of a servant in a grand house was a long arduous one.

Morning: At 6am, the servants rise. The scullery maid gets up and begins lighting the fires, starting with the kitchen. Then she cleans the kitchen top to bottom before the staff get in to cook. The kitchen maid would rise at the same time, helping with the cleaning. She would set for the servant's breakfast and start cooking it. The footmen open the shutters upstairs, cleans whatever tools they will need such as glasses and silverware, tend the lamps and sets for breakfast upstairs. The housemaids go about the house cleaning up after the night before, starting in the rooms that aren't being used (any room that's not the bedrooms). At around 8, the cook rises and starts the day. The kitchen maid serves breakfast to the other servants before returning to the kitchen to eat her own breakfast with the other kitchen staff. After breakfast, the housemaid will change her apron and deliver hot water to each of the bedrooms for the family. At 9, the family rise. Married women have breakfast in bed with all other family members and visitors eating in the dining room. Valets and lady's maids would have dressed them prior, gathering up any clothes to be mended or washed. The footmen and butlers will serve while the housemaids go into each empty room and begin their chores.

Midday: Just before midday, the chef would speak with the lady of the house to discuss menus. At around 11, the staff were permitted their first break, just enough time for a drink usually a cup of tea before they started again. The chef would start preparing for the main dinner of the evening with the lady's approval. Footmen would take their places at entrances or attend the family where he may be needed. At noon, the servants would have their dinner. At 1, the family would sit for their lunch. Once lunch is over, a footman might be permitted to attend personal business (with permission from the butler first) or be sent on errands out of the house such as delivering messages. While the family sit for breakfast, the maids tidy up any room they have been using since getting up.

Afternoon: The family take tea around 4. The footmen clear the tea before heading down to take their tea - a light meal- with the other servants around 5. Afterwards, the footmen will start to light the lamps, close the shutters and draw the curtains. The butler would oversee the laying of the table for dinner with the footmen. The first footman carries the silver, the second the china, while the butler sets the silver and glasses. If a guest is coming, a footman will remain on the door to see them in.

(This is for your final draft. If you're looking for revision tips, please place an ask and I'd be happy to yap once again)

I have realized upon doing research for ways to improve my proofreading- that the tips I find aren't very good?? So here's MY take on proofreading tips.

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1. Change your font + font size

Makes your work more unfamiliar to you and your brain treats it as reading something new. You can pick up on small details better this way that you could've missed first.

2. Read it with inverted colors

You like reading dark mode? Read it in light mode and vice versa. This does the same as tip #1.

3. Text To Speech

One of the easiest ways to catch grammar mistakes. When a TTS bot says "hesaid" instead of "he said", there's no way you can miss that mistake.

I reccomend using 'Paper2Audio' which is a free website where you can upload a document and they'll read it to you. It doesn't have such a robotic tone and unlimited characters unlike most TTS. (I read ToS and do not believe they use your writing for any ai purposes [see Submissions by User/end of Limited License Grant] but as always, please check ToS yourself before using any service. I AM NOT PRO AI)

4. Leave your writing for (at minimum) a month.

If you’re working on a deadline, that’s fine, but making it unfamiliar to yourself is the most effective way to catch mistakes. This guide may not be as efficient without doing this step. Your writing style also changes over time, so it can be easier to find errors that way as well.

5. Annotate!

Treat it like a school paper!! I personally print out my work and take a pencil and some highlighters to it like a hacksaw.

Highlight literary devices, the elements of style, your favorite parts and your least favorite parts. Annotate suggestions, why you liked/disliked a scene, why you chose certain wording over others, or what you were trying to get across in a sentence.

6. Delete unnecessary words

Most writers have a habit of adding words into their writing that don’t need to be there. You may think these words make it sound smoother, but actually, they make it clunkier.

For example, “Just, that, suddenly, felt, like” are all words that don’t always need to be used. There are SO many more examples, I recommend looking them up!

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PART TWO

GENERAL

Writing Resources (Age, Punnett Square, Calendar)

The Everything Creative Writing Book PDF

TikTok Michael Bjork Writing Tips

PLOT HELP

Story Planner Helper

Plot Development

WORLDBUILDING

Realistic Worldbuilding from Professional Cartographer

Wordbuilding With a Biology Brain

Cultural Anthropology Guide to Worldbuilding

Writing Politics (Worldbuilding)

Free Worldbuilding Worksheet

Worldbuilding Checklist

Understanding a Place Checklist

Building a Fictional Government

Creating Fictional Languages

Creating Fictional Holidays

Worldbuilding Guide: Currency

Cultural Iceberg

SCIENCE FICTION

Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

Asteroid Impact Writing Resource

HISTORICAL/FANTASY

Medieval AU Armor

Historical/Fantasy Tips from Reenactor

Historical Resources +

Magic Circles

Revolutionary War Era & Medical Resources

Guide to Fantasy Worldbuilding

Fantasy Guide to architecture

Fantasy Wardrobe: Popular Men’s Fashion of History

Creating an Original Fantasy Creature

Fantasy Guide to Hair

WORDS

PG Ways to Say Idiot

Guide to Figurative Language

Reverse Dictionary for Brain Freezes

Words to Use Instead of Said

Transitional Words & Phrases

Alternatives for Said

FOOD & DRINK

Writing Alcoholic Drinks

Words & Adjectives to Describe Food

SCENES

Writing Vivid Descriptions

Writing Fight Scenes

Mistakes to Avoid in Action

Gravestones

Writing Swordfighting

CHARACTER BUILDING

Build a Character Masterpost

Name Berry

Artbuilder (Design Realistic Characters)

Character Development

Character Traits Words

TikTok Writing Black & Biracial Characters

Writing With Color Tumblr (writing and resources centered on racial, ethnic and religious diversity)

CHARACTER ACTIONS & PERSONALITY

Villains (Types)

Writing Believable Friendships

Writing Jealousy

Gaslighting (Abusive)

Facial Expressions

Eye Movements

Mannerisms

Master list Body Language & Gestures

Moral Alignment Test & Description

ROMANCE

Seven Point Story Structure (Romance Edition) | Romance Worksheet | Source: Sarahmeden.com

INJURIES

Hypothermia Prevention on Battlefield

Reactions to Injuries Samples

Writing Injuries

Writing Injuries

Writing Appendicitis

Writing Natural Remedies

Life of a Bruise

Slit Throat

Not Quite Dead: Writer’s Guide to Serious Injuries

Writing Realistic Injuries

Writing Cuts, Scrapes & Bruises

NEURODIVERGENCE

Things to Avoid

TikTok Dr. Kojo Sarfo

TikTok Dr. Tracey Marks

TikTok Dr. Melissa Shepard

Writing Neurodivergence

Basic Guide to Writing Mental Illness

Writing Mental Illness, Autism, & Abuse

Tips Writing About Mental Illness

PTSD Academic Research Launch Point

Accurately Depicting Bipolar Disorder

TikTok Things Not To Say Bipolar Edition

Writing Autism When You’re Not Autistic

Writing Autistic Characters

TikTok Paigelaye Autism In Girls | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six

TikTok Writing Autistic Characters

TikTok ADHD Connor DeWolfe

Writing ADHD

DISABILITIES

Writing Epilepsy

Advice On Writing Epilepsy

Writing Disability in a Non-Ableist Fashion

Hillo everyone!

This is a different post. I'm not going to talk about a new Mythos I made, I'm going to give a template on how to write a writers guide for a Mythos. That way people can make their own mythology the same way I do it. With that being said let us get in there.

Disclaimer: This is where you tell people that they don't have to follow these rules these are just suggestions.

Title: The title of the Mythos

A guide on how to create [insert Mythos Title Here] iteration.

The tone of the Mythos and World building suggestions: This is where you establish the elements of the Mythos, and possibly establish some directions where the story could go.

Design Elements and aspects: This is where you lay down The rules on what is okay and what is not okay for designs of the Turtles in your Mythos, what species you're allowed to make them, what powers they are allowed to be given, and also establishing what kind of Vibes the Turtles may give off if you decide to move them somewhere outside of New York.

Origins: This is where you establish what is & isn't allowed in your mythos.

The Foot Clan: This is where you establish what the Foot Clan even is in your Mythos.

Splinter: This is where you establish who or what Splinter even is, and allowed to be in this Mythos, backstory-wise.

How to write this Splinter: This is where you establish how Splinter is to be portrayed in your Mythos.

Leonardo: This is where you establish Leo's personality, you can change his personality anyway you want as long as you keep him in honorable strategist.

Donatello: This is where you establish Donatello's personality, you can change his personality anyway you'd like as long as you keep him the sensible one, the smart one, The Tech Guy, and constantly seeking out knowledge.

Raphael: This is where you established Raphael's personality, you can change this personality any way you want as long as you keep him the strong muscular tough one of the group, good-hearted person who wants to do the right thing, wants to protect people at all costs, runs in without a plan thinking with his fists, and is a big softy.

Michelangelo: This is where you establish Michelangelo's personality, you can change this personality any way you want as long as you keep him the most open, light-hearted, and friendly turtle. He also wants to be a human and is a party animal.

Human allies: This is where you established who their human allies are if you decide to make them anyone different than April and Casey and what you're allowed to do with those human allies.

Main antagonists: This is where you established who their main antagonists are and what you're allowed to do with them.

The the tldr little bit at the end: This is where shortened down versions and Minor Details that didn't get squeezed into the above categories get mentioned

Mythos title

What skin color they're allowed to be

What species are allowed to be

Where it takes place

Who the leader is

What color is they wear

Their ages

Their weapons

Who's the strongest muscle wise

And who's the strongest ninjutsu skill-wise

I started reading YR fanfiction and I noticed people using Spanish in several occasions. Since it’s canon from the show I think it’s amazing authors are trying to incorporate it but sometimes it doesn’t sound as natural. As a writer I know is really hard and also brave to work around something you don't know. That being said, I hope this guide is helpful.

1. I want to address something important because it is kinda offensive: they’re not Spanish. There’s a difference between language and nationality. Since both Omar and Carmen -Linda- have Latino heritage, is proper to assume the family comes in a way or another from South America. I read a bunch of fics in which people referred to them as Spanish, but they are Latinos. Spanish music, culture and cuisine are rather different. Please take this into account.

  2. Pet names: really cute but also kinda cringy when it's not well executed. 'Mi amor' means my love. It's normal from a parent, it's serious coming from a 16 yo boy to another. I would use it when the relationship gets serious and try to not overuse it. If they are older and married, go for it. An older Crown Prince Wilhelm would totally make his husband blush by calling him mi amor.   Mi vida (my life) is not frequent coming from a parent, less serious believe it or not and really nice. But also I wouldn't use it if you are trying to make one of them swoon for the other. It's not as romantic as it sounds in English. Bebe means baby, of course. I think it's cute, this one you can totally overuse. Sounds fresh and young, I think Simon would go for bebe and Wille would die every time. I know darling it's pretty normal in English, but cariño sounds way too motherly to me. I would only use it between Willmon if they are older and married. Cielo means sky, which sounds weird, I know.  But some people use it as a pet name. Mi cielo - my sky- as well. In a way, it means 'my everything'. Idk why. Maybe bc the sky covers everything. Who knows. I like it but it's a personal opinion. Mijo means my son. It's pretty common in Latinamerica. Parents use it all the time. Maybe try not to overuse it. Not because it's wrong, but it often feels like you´re trying too much to make them sound bilingual. Good alternatives are: hijo, amor mio, mi amor, cariño, mi cielo. 

Te amo and Te quiero are not the same. Te amo is I love you, but Te Quiero means I love you (chill version). Linda tells Simon both 'te quiero' and 'te amo' at some point, which works because it's normal from a parent or a son/daughter. Te quiero is less serious, works great between friends. Some people say te quiero when they aren't ready to say Te amo, but I wouldn't use it coming from Simon to Wille. It would be out of character. Use it between Sara-Simon-Linda.

Te adoro means I adore you. Is not common but is CUTE AND ROMANTIC. This one is completely personal, take it with a grain of salt.

Mi principe means my prince, but sounds cringy. His mom could say 'tu principe azul' which means 'your prince charming' while trying to embarrass Simon. He would blush, cute. 

Well written-normal phrases: 

'¿como estas?': How are you?

 'bien, ¿y tu?': well, and you? 

 'Como te fue hoy?': how was your day?  

'Todo va a estar bien': everything will be fine. 

 '¿Necesitas algo?': Do you need something?

 'No, gracias' 'Si, gracias': No and Yes, thank you.

‘Perdon’: Im sorry

‘Te extraño’: I miss you

 '¿Qué quieres cenar?': What do you want for dinner?

'¿Tienes tarea?': Do you have homework?

 '¿Cómo está Wilhelm?': How is Wilhelm?

‘Mamá’: Mom (Wille calls his mom ‘mama’ or ‘mamma’, but it’s a different pronunciation. I believe Simon says ‘Si, mamá’ at some point. That’s spanish.) 

‘Mami’: Mom but cuter

‘Má’: Mom but shorter. 

‘Madre’: Mother

If you have any other suggestions for pet names/words/phrases and how to apply them, send me a message!

3. Common phrases: it's important to notice that only Linda and Simon talk to the other in spanish. Unless Wille learns spanish and it's part of the plot, Simon would never say something in spanish to him - besides pet names- This includes Sara, she seems to understand but replies in swedish. I read that the actress used to work in Barcelona, Spain, so she probably understands the language. That means the decision to make her respond in swedish has something to do with her character. That being said, we don't really switch between languages if we know the other person can't understand. It's rude. I would never go and say 'como estas? ups, Im sorry, I forgot. How are you?' But something that happens A LOT is that I forget words or phrases and try to remember them by saying them in the other language. For example 'and she went to the... mierda, como se dice... aeropuerto... oh! airport!'. Or the other way around, I forget words in my mother language but I know them in english. It doesn’t seems to happen to Simon, but it’s fairly normal.  Also, and I'm sorry if this is getting too long, Simon and Linda talk to each other in spanish as a way to express how close they are. It's part of the characters and their relationship. Simon is clearly more in tune with his Latino heritage, which comes from his mom, and he shows it by using the language fluently with her. -'Como estas? -Bien, como te fue en el trabajo?' he is asking about her job and her day. It almost sounds like a conversation between a married couple. Is not meant to be weird, is meant to express that Simon feels like he has to replace his father. So maybe take this into account and don't throw spanish phrases between them just for the sake of it.

  4. If Wille learns some Spanish for Simon he would totally explode. He is clearly really proud in general and the fact that the Prince of Sweden can speak spanish because of him would kill him. In the best way. This has nothing to do with the language, but I'm just saying. Bonus points if he uses spanish to make Kristina feel left out. That would be a nice rebellious act.

5. Again, they are not spanish. People from Spain use 'vosotros' instead of 'ustedes'. Both of those word mean 'they', but in South America we don't use vosotros. This is just ONE example. I know spanish is confusing and has millions of variations; don't worry about the specifics. But try to be respectful when referring to them as spanish/latinos.