#writing guide

Generally you unbutton and re-button a suit coat when you sit down and stand up.

You’re supposed to hold wine or champagne glasses by the stem to avoid warming up the liquid inside. A character out of their depth might hold the glass around the sides instead.

When rich/important people forget your name and they’re drunk, they usually just tell you that they don’t remember or completely skip over any opportunity to use your name so they don’t look silly.

A good way to indicate you don’t want to shake someone’s hand at an event is to hold a drink in your right hand (and if you’re a woman, a purse in the other so you definitely can’t shift the glass to another hand and then shake)

Americans who still kiss cheeks as a welcome generally don’t press lips to cheeks, it’s more of a touch of cheek to cheek or even a hover (these days, mostly to avoid smudging a woman’s makeup)

The distinctions between dress codes (black tie, cocktail, etc) are very intricate but obvious to those who know how to look. If you wear a short skirt to a black tie event for example, people would clock that instantly even if the dress itself was very formal. Same thing goes for certain articles of men’s clothing.

Open bars / cash bars at events usually carry limited options. They’re meant to serve lots of people very quickly, so nobody is getting a cosmo or a Manhattan etc.

Many people create lists of synonyms for the word 'said,' but what about the word 'look'? Here are some synonyms that I enjoy using in my writing, along with their meanings for your reference. While all these words relate to 'look,' they each carry distinct meanings and nuances, so I thought it would be helpful to provide meanings for each one.

Gaze - To look steadily and intently, especially in admiration or thought.

Glance - A brief or hurried look.

Peek - A quick and typically secretive look.

Peer - To look with difficulty or concentration.

Scan - To look over quickly but thoroughly.

Observe - To watch carefully and attentively.

Inspect - To look at closely in order to assess condition or quality.

Stare - To look fixedly or vacantly at someone or something.

Glimpse - To see or perceive briefly or partially.

Eye - To look or stare at intently.

Peruse - To read or examine something with great care.

Scrutinize - To examine or inspect closely and thoroughly.

Behold - To see or observe a thing or person, especially a remarkable one.

Witness - To see something happen, typically a significant event.

Spot - To see, notice, or recognize someone or something.

Contemplate - To look thoughtfully for a long time at.

Sight - To suddenly or unexpectedly see something or someone.

Ogle - To stare at in a lecherous manner.

Leer - To look or gaze in an unpleasant, malicious way.

Gawk - To stare openly and stupidly.

Gape - To stare with one's mouth open wide, in amazement.

Squint - To look with eyes partially closed.

Regard - To consider or think of in a specified way.

Admire - To regard with pleasure, wonder, and approval.

Skim - To look through quickly to gain superficial knowledge.

Reconnoiter - To make a military observation of a region.

Flick - To look or move the eyes quickly.

Rake - To look through something rapidly and unsystematically.

Glare - To look angrily or fiercely.

Peep - To look quickly and secretly through an opening.

Focus - To concentrate one's visual effort on.

Discover - To find or realize something not clear before.

Spot-check - To examine something briefly or at random.

Devour - To look over with eager enthusiasm.

Examine - To inspect in detail to determine condition.

Feast one's eyes - To look at something with great enjoyment.

Catch sight of - To suddenly or unexpectedly see.

Clap eyes on - To suddenly see someone or something.

Set eyes on - To look at, especially for the first time.

Take a dekko - Colloquial for taking a look.

Leer at - To look or gaze in a suggestive manner.

Rubberneck - To stare at something in a foolish way.

Make out - To manage to see or read with difficulty.

Lay eyes on - To see or look at.

Pore over - To look at or read something intently.

Ogle at - To look at in a lecherous or predatory way.

Pry - To look or inquire into something in a determined manner.

Dart - To look quickly or furtively.

Drink in - To look at with great enjoyment or fascination.

Bask in - To look at or enjoy something for a period of time.

A Horse! A Horse! My X for a Horse!

Let's be honest, fantasy authors love their kingdoms and empires. You can throw a rock in a bookshop or a library in the fantasy section and you will 99.99999% hit a fantasy book that will be set in or mention either of those structures. But what are they really? What's the difference between them all? Are there any more examples of structures that would suit your WIP better? Are you using the right terms? Let's have a closer look.

Duchy

A Duchy is a small territory ruled by a Duke/Duchess. While Duchies can be found in kingdoms, some duchies were sovereign states in their own right. Duchies are usually small by land mass but some duchies such as Burgundy were extremely powerful and influential. Independent Duchies were usually apart of a kingdom but grew so powerful that they eventually broke away to become a sovereign state in their own right. An example would be modern day Luxembourg, historic Milan and Burgundy.

Principality

A principality is territory ruled by a Prince/Princess. A principality is typically smaller than a kingdom and in some instances, can be apart of a larger kingdom or be a sovereign state. Principalities have a history of having broken away from a larger kingdom or eventually becoming apart of a kingdom. A principality within a kingdom is ruled by a Prince/Princess, usually an heir of the monarch and can be used to train them up to assume the throne in the future. Examples include Monaco, Liechtenstein and Andorra.

Kingdom

A sovereign state/country that is ruled by ruling King or a Queen. A kingdom is much larger and more powerful than a principality. Kingdoms can be feudal, meaning they are ruled in a strict hierarchy or an autocracy where the monarch rules alone with minimal input from the government or constitutional where the monarch is more of a figurehead and the government has a good chunk of control. Examples include England, Thailand and modern day Spain.

Commonwealth

A Commonwealth isn't a popular choice in fantasy but it is an interesting structure. A Commonwealth in its most basic form is a collection of states that are linked by either a shared culture or history. A Commonwealth can be a politically power or an economic power, with every state allowed to participate as much as they like. Not one state leads the others, it is all one group of equals. A Commonwealth can be a good idea for a group of nations that are more powerful together with them keeping their own independence.

Federation

A Federation is a political structure that is made up of united states or countries that are under a single government but each state is still independent and rules itself. Each state can have different laws, different cultures and economies but they all answer to the single government. Examples include the United States of America.

Republic

A Republic is a territory that is ruled by leaders and heads of state that have been elected on merit and by choice of the people. Republics are not just countries but can also be much smaller areas such as cities. Republics are democratic in nature, with the people having a say in who leads them in accordance to a constitution. There are many kinds of Republic: presidential, parliamentary, federal, theocratic, unitary. Examples of Republics include the Republic of Ireland and the city of Florence.

Protectorate

A Protectorate is a country/region/territory that is independent but relies on a larger, more powerful state for protection either in a military or diplomatic sense. A Protectorate was often used by Empires in order to maintain control over an area without annexing it. There are many reasons a larger state and the protectorate would agree to this, mainly the protectorate is much smaller meaning it is far more vulnerable to attack or it has very little power when compared to other states. A Protectorate allows the territory some power to rule itself but the larger state may feel the need or desire to interfere in the dealings of the territory. Examples of protectorates include the client kingdoms of the Roman Empire like Egypt before its annexation and Puerto Rico.

Empire

A SEAMSTRESS, in a historical sense, is someone whose job is sewing. Just sewing. The main skill involved here is going to be putting the needle into an out of the fabric. They’re usually considered unskilled workers, because everyone can sew, right? (Note: yes, just about everyone could sew historically. And I mean everyone.) They’re usually going to be making either clothes that aren’t fitted (like shirts or shifts or petticoats) or things more along the lines of linens (bedsheets, handkerchiefs, napkins, ect.). Now, a decent number of people would make these things at home, especially in more rural areas, since they don’t take a ton of practice, but they’re also often available ready-made so it’s not an uncommon job. Nowadays it just means someone whose job is to sew things in general, but this was not the case historically. Calling a dressmaker a seamstress would be like asking a portrait painter to paint your house

A DRESSMAKER (or mantua maker before the early 1800s) makes clothing though the skill of draping (which is when you don’t use as many patterns and more drape the fabric over the person’s body to fit it and pin from there (although they did start using more patterns in the early 19th century). They’re usually going to work exclusively for women, since menswear is rarely made through this method (could be different in a fantasy world though). Sometimes you also see them called “gown makers”, especially if they were men (like tailors advertising that that could do both. Mantua-maker was a very feminized term, like seamstress. You wouldn’t really call a man that historically). This is a pretty new trade; it only really sprung up in the later 1600s, when the mantua dress came into fashion (hence the name).

TAILORS make clothing by using the method of patterning: they take measurements and use those measurements to draw out a 2D pattern that is then sewed up into the 3D item of clothing (unlike the dressmakers, who drape the item as a 3D piece of clothing originally). They usually did menswear, but also plenty of pieces of womenswear, especially things made similarly to menswear: riding habits, overcoats, the like. Before the dressmaking trade split off (for very interesting reason I suggest looking into. Basically new fashion required new methods that tailors thought were beneath them), tailors made everyone’s clothes. And also it was not uncommon for them to alter clothes (dressmakers did this too). Staymakers are a sort of subsect of tailors that made corsets or stays (which are made with tailoring methods but most of the time in urban areas a staymaker could find enough work so just do stays, although most tailors could and would make them).

Tailors and dressmakers are both skilled workers. Those aren’t skills that most people could do at home. Fitted things like dresses and jackets and things would probably be made professionally and for the wearer even by the working class (with some exceptions of course). Making all clothes at home didn’t really become a thing until the mid Victorian era.

And then of course there are other trades that involve the skill of sewing, such as millinery (not just hats, historically they did all kinds of women’s accessories), trimming for hatmaking (putting on the hat and and binding and things), glovemaking (self explanatory) and such.

first thing you might want to consider: is the pain mental or physical?

if it’s physical, what type of pain is it causing? — sharp pain, white-hot pain, acute pain, dull ache, throbbing pain, chronic pain, neuropathic pain (typically caused by nerve damage), etc

if it’s mental, what is the reason your character is in pain? — grief, heartbreak, betrayal, anger, hopelessness, fear and anxiety, etc

because your character will react differently to different types of pain

PHYSICAL PAIN

sharp and white-hot pain may cause a character to grit their teeth, scream, moan, twist their body. their skin may appear pale, eyes red-rimmed and sunken with layers of sweat covering their forehead. they may have tears in their eyes (and the tears may feel hot), but they don’t necessarily have to always be crying.

acute pain may be similar to sharp and white-hot pain; acute pain is sudden and urgent and often comes without a warning, so your character may experience a hitched breathing where they suddenly stop what they’re doing and clench their hand at the spot where it hurts with widened eyes and open mouth (like they’re gasping for air).

dull ache and throbbing pain can result in your character wanting to lay down and close their eyes. if it’s a headache, they may ask for the lights to be turned off and they may be less responsive, in the sense that they’d rather not engage in any activity or conversation and they’d rather be left alone. they may make a soft whimper from their throat from time to time, depends on their personality (if they don’t mind others seeing their discomfort, they may whimper. but if your character doesn’t like anyone seeing them in a not-so-strong state, chances are they won’t make any sound, they might even pretend like they’re fine by continuing with their normal routine, and they may or may not end up throwing up or fainting).

if your character experience chronic pain, their pain will not go away (unlike any other illnesses or injuries where the pain stops after the person is healed) so they can feel all these types of sharp pain shooting through their body. there can also be soreness and stiffness around some specific spots, and it will affect their life. so your character will be lucky if they have caretakers in their life. but are they stubborn? do they accept help from others or do they like to pretend like they’re fine in front of everybody until their body can’t take it anymore and so they can no longer pretend?

neuropathic pain or nerve pain will have your character feeling these senses of burning, shooting and stabbing sensation, and the pain can come very suddenly and without any warning — think of it as an electric shock that causes through your character’s body all of a sudden. your character may yelp or gasp in shock, how they react may vary depends on the severity of the pain and how long it lasts.

EMOTIONAL PAIN

grief can make your character shut themself off from their friends and the world in general. or they can also lash out at anyone who tries to comfort them. (five states of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and eventual acceptance.)

heartbreak — your character might want to lock themself in a room, anywhere where they are unseen. or they may want to pretend that everything’s fine, that they’re not hurt. until they break down.

betrayal can leave a character with confusion, the feelings of ‘what went wrong?’, so it’s understandable if your character blames themself at first, that maybe it’s their fault because they’ve somehow done something wrong somewhere that caused the other character to betray them. what comes after confusion may be anger. your character can be angry at the person who betrayed them and at themself, after they think they’ve done something wrong that resulted in them being betrayed, they may also be angry at themself next for ‘falling’ for the lies and for ‘being fooled’. so yes, betrayal can leave your character with the hatred that’s directed towards the character who betrayed them and themself. whether or not your character can ‘move on and forgive’ is up to you.

there are several ways a character can react to anger; they can simply lash out, break things, scream and yell, or they can also go complete silent. no shouting, no thrashing the place. they can sit alone in silence and they may cry. anger does make people cry. it mostly won’t be anything like ‘ugly sobbing’ but your character’s eyes can be bloodshot, red-rimmed and there will be tears, only that there won’t be any sobbing in most cases.

hopelessness can be a very valid reason for it, if you want your character to do something reckless or stupid. most people will do anything if they’re desperate enough. so if you want your character to run into a burning building, jump in front of a bullet, or confess their love to their archenemy in front of all their friends, hopelessness is always a valid reason. there’s no ‘out of character’ if they are hopeless and are desperate enough.

fear and anxiety. your character may be trembling, their hands may be shaky. they may lose their appetite. they may be sweaty and/or bouncing their feet. they may have a panic attack if it’s severe enough.

Disclaimer: I only have experience in giving BJs and don't have experience with cooch (even though I wish I did), soooo, here we are. A lot of this is based on my own experience so I'll just leave it at that and get us started.

Appetiser

⋆˙⟡ —

So, to set the scene: your characters are getting into the mood. They're getting frisky; they're kissing, they're touching, hands wandering wherever they please, soft noises falling from their mouths.

They're so excited, mind a faint buzz; bodies and minds anticipating what's to come next.

Entrée

⋆˙⟡ —

Maybe they're still fully clothed, maybe they're stripping each other off slowly, enjoying the slow teasing — or maybe they're already fully naked having practically ripped each other's clothes off in a desperate attempt to have that skin to skin contact quicker. Or maybe only one of them is clothed, while the other is partially/fully unclothed. This part, of course, depends on where this happens — or what the mood is.

If it's in the shower, then it can be assumed they're both fully naked already (unless they like stripping wet clothes off each other, then have at it. Go crazy, go wild).

If it's in the bedroom (or anywhere else, who are we to judge?) it can go both ways.

The atmosphere and the environment is so important, as it really adds to the mood.

Is it in the shower, under a showerhead with warm water cascading down on them?

Is it in the bedroom or elsewhere, candles lit, a very specific ambiance in the room to set the mood?

Is there AC blasting cool air, or is it mild temperatures - or does it feel hot and heavy?

Is it on the floor, is it on the bed, is it on a couch - where is this happening in that room?

What sounds can they hear? The pitter patter of water falling onto tiled flooring? The soft and controlled or loud and uncontained noises coming from either one of them? The moans, the gasps, the sighs, the whines... the desperate plea for more, more, more because the other person is such a fucking tease, God damn it. Or is it them trying to keep it down... key word here being trying.

What are the smells? Natural bodily fluids, bodily smells, sweat, faint scent of some type of perfume or cologne. Or maybe it's different scented soap and shampoo? Maybe it's scented candles?

What can they feel? Knees pressed against hard tiled flooring; back pressed against the cold pane of the shower. Or knees against soft sheets and fingers gripping onto the silk-like material? Or is it finger tips on soft/coarse patches of skin... or over the prickles of freshly growing hair... or over smooth skin.

What position are they getting themselves into?

Are they lying down?

Is one of them kneeling while the other is standing?

Are they in the 69 position?

Is one of them sitting up while the other is lying on their stomach?

Maybe the receiver is standing up, hovering over the giver's face who's lying down on their back?

Perhaps the giver is kneeling down and bent over while the receiver is lying down on the couch?

As long as no limbs are broken and they're flexible, there are so many positions they can test. The sky is the limit as long as no one ends up in the hospital (but hey, shit like that sometimes does happen so if you wanna make it realistic but also funny in a way, go right ahead!)

Your characters may or may not be comfortable with the position, and that can come with trying new things. Try and make them both as comfortable as possible and know their limitations, otherwise it's not gonna be fun for either party. Or you could make things uncomfortable for them if you wanna be a bit sadistic.

That is up for you to decide.

Main

⋆˙⟡ —

Now, onto the spicy shit (I know you came here for that, you lil' curious demon).

They're comfortable, they're settled, they're in the mood — so into each other. One of them is aching to have a mouth wrapped around them; the other is drooling to have something throbbing in their mouth, reminding them that life is maybe worth living after all.

What are they doing to each other?

What are they saying to each other?

What is the giver doing to the receiver, and vice versa?

Is the giver experienced or are they not used to doing this, perhaps because it’s their first time or they just never learned the right techniques (there’re more than one — just as with incorrect techniques).

Is the receiver running their hands through the giver’s hair.. gently, muffled sounds of pleasure leaving their kiss-bitten lips? Hips thrusting involuntarily into the giver’s mouth, compliments leaving their lips in faint whispers.

Or are they gripping onto tufts of hair, face-fucking them relentlessly, demanding for the giver to look them in their eyes? Hips thrusting rhythmically, taking pacing control into their own hands.

Is the giver looking up at them, demanding for the eye contact, or do they seem to be enjoying the dominance coming from the receiver?

The giver could be bobbing their head, teasingly, taking them in slowly, then quicker, then slowly again.. adjusting their pace to tease and frustrate the receiver — or their eyes could be watering, drool pooling at the corners of their mouth and dribbling down their chin.

The pacing matters, and consistency matters in bringing someone to the edge (at least in my experience)… but that can also be done in patterns. It doesn’t have to stay at one pace because that can be tiring.

That doesn’t mean “Let’s do it at an inconsistent pace where I go extremely fast and then boom, I’ve slowed down to a snail’s pace in one second”. That means doing changing speed in a calculated way to tease them.

Is the giver giving the compliments in between as they tease the receiver in other ways to keep them turned on (and to ensure the moment lasts just a little longer — plus to tease them)? Letting their fingers brush against their nipples more than just multiple times, kissing them all over their body; their chest, their inner-thighs, their neck; wrapping their hands around the area which can’t fit in their mouth because perhaps the receiver has a lot of length to offer.

Or are they licking stripes up their partner’s cock; letting their tongue swipe against the slit on the tip of the cock; sucking on the head of their cock like a lollipop of some sort, tantalisingly good at their teasing?

Is the receiver the one giving the compliments, telling the giver how pretty they look with their mouth wrapped around them like this, how good they’re taking them, how they’re driving them crazy?

Or, if they like degradation.. you can go that route as well. Your drafts are a safe space for you to explore.

What sounds is the receiver making? Are they silent… or are they letting soft moans leave their lips? Or are they loud with that? Is the giver taking in those sounds and using that as a queue with their playful teasing?

Are there other people in the house? That’s gonna be something to think about.

Are the characters aware of that? Do they care if they are? Are they gonna restrain themselves or are they just not gonna give a flying shit about other people’s sanity?

And with the experience thing.. Again, how experienced is the giver? Is this their first time? Or are they just not good at this and need a bit more practice? Be aware though, experience doesn’t mean much in some cases if they aren’t listening to their partner or being receptive to feedback! Experience can only do so much, but it’s being receptive which takes things to a whole new level.

And just a tip (no pun intended): are they using teeth? If so, that’s a no go. Find some way to have their lips wrap around their teeth — you don’t want to be scraping at your partner’s cock, as that area is hella sensitive. It can be painful and using your teeth will not make things better (and can make it worse).

Much to think about.

Dessert

⋆˙⟡ —

The climax… It’s coming.

Close to heaven’s gates or whatever they call it.

Does the giver let the receiver come.. or are they gonna be a shit and edge them?

And when they do come, where is it gonna happen?

In the mouth (and is the giver gonna swallow or spit)? On the face?

Will the giver choke last second as the receiver comes because they thrusted their hips a bit too hard and now the giver and the receiver are both laughing, but the receiver continues to orgasm because they’re just so turned on? (Yes, that can happen, and I’m adding this specific example in because I had to deal with that and it’s still something my ex is very proud about).

Or is the receiver gonna ask to get down and dirty because they don’t want this to end here yet, so they can come elsewhere? That elsewhere can be left up to your own interpretation.

What signs will the receiver give that lets the giver know they’re coming? Will they make noises, will they say words… Or is it just gonna happen because they couldn’t warn the giver in time and it happens without warning?

And once this is all done and both have exhausted themselves, will they do something else (maybe the giver becomes the receiver, and vice versa), or maybe they’ll cuddle and fall asleep under the covers.

And they wait for the next time this happens again… maybe in the next 30 minutes, or maybe in a few hours… Either way.

It’s a done deal, and both are satisfied (or they aren’t — sometimes sexual acts don’t go as intended, aka Results May Vary).

As a final tip (going for anything that has to do with intimacy and sex) — moments like these can be filled with awkwardness and nervousness if it’s their first time.

It can take time to learn your partner’s body, their queues, what they like, what they dislike, the way their body responds to certain things — it can take some experimentation.

It can also be filled with laughter and humour and jokes — it doesn’t always just have to be sexy, sweaty and heavy breathing. Sometimes other emotions makes it even hotter and more memorable too.

Have fun writing! (Or practicing them in real life if you so please.)

1. Where It All Started: The Character’s Origin

Place of Birth: Where did your character first see the world? Think about the impact of this place—was it a busy city where they had to fight for attention or a quiet village where everyone knew everyone’s business? This location doesn’t just say where they’re from; it shapes how they see the world.

Family and Upbringing: What was their family like? Were their parents loving or distant? Maybe they were raised by someone other than their parents—a mentor, an older sibling, or even alone. Family (or the lack of it) is usually one of the most significant factors in shaping who someone becomes.

Society’s Expectations: What was expected of them when they were young? Possibly, they were born into wealth, with all the pressure to continue the family legacy, or maybe they were raised to be invisible in a world where survival mattered. How does this influence who they are now? Do they accept or reject those expectations?