site for when you can only remember part of a word/its definition 

site that gives you words that rhyme with a word

Oooh!  Yes!  I love kisses.  Kisses are where it all starts ;).

Okay, first, remember that a kiss is much, much more than just lips.  It is lips, but also tongues, teeth, eyes, faces, hands, noses, bodies, heartbeats,  breath, voice- and most importantly, a kiss is emotions.  A kiss without emotion is just wet mushy lips stuck together.  Ew.  Gross.  The most important part of a kiss isn’t the how, but the who- because of the emotions between the two people.

Okay so:

lips- Lips can slide, glide over each other smoothly, or they can be chapped and rough and dry and get stuck on each other.  They can match, top-to-top and bottom-to-bottom, or they can overlap, with one person’s top or bottom lip captured between the other person’s lips (yummy).  If there is lipstick or chapstick there is lipstick or chapstick flavor, otherwise, lips don’t have a taste (can you taste yours?).  Lips also can smack- the sound of two of them coming together or pulling apart, because they’re wet and warm and soft.

tongue- Tongues are always wet, and always warm.  They’re very versatile.  They can trace over lips, teeth, or another tongue.  They can be smooth and graceful or teasing and flicking.  When tongues are involved, there is drool.  It’s only sexy when you like the person you’re kissing, or else it’s kinda gross. :P

teeth- teeth can clack together awkwardly, or teeth can bite down sensually.  A person biting their own lip is cute, a person biting another’s lips is sexy.  A person biting gently is sensual, a person biting roughly is sexual.

eyes- Eyes can be wide open with surprise, half-lidded with desire, fully closed with pleasure.  Eyes can gaze lovingly, lustfully, wistfully, hungrily, seductively- it all depends upon the emotions of your characters.  Have them do whatever you like, but don’t leave them out- give them at least a mention!

faces- Faces are what the lips are attached to.  Noses bump, cheeks flush, ears turn red, foreheads either wrinkle or relax.  Kisses can leave lips, quite easily, and become kisses on chins, cheeks, noses, foreheads, ears, necks, throats.  Kisses on noses or foreheads are cute and adorable, kisses on cheeks are sweet, kisses on chins, ears, and throats are very sexual.  And a kiss on the lips can be all of those! <3

hands- Hands are super-important.  In order to describe a kiss, usually you want to also describe the hands.  Where are they?  Does one character have their hand behind the other’s head or back, holding them close?  Are they on someone’s shoulders pulling them near, or pushing them away?  Fingers brushing someone’s cheek or palms grabbing someone’s ass convey two very different kinds of situations, even if the kiss itself is exactly the same.

noses- Noses are annoying.  They easily get in the way, especially for first kisses!  People have to tilt their head to one side or the other, and if they don’t, noses bump.  I’d only mention noses if a kiss is supposed to be awkward or uncertain or nervous.

bodies- bodies are either close together, or far away.  Someone can be surrounded comfortingly by someone’s arms, or terrifyingly trapped by them.  Bodies are warm or hot, they are calm or nervous, relaxed or tense.  Body language says a lot.  Is your character pulling away, or moving closer?

heartbeat- Hearts can beat fast or slow, and that’s about all they can do- but there are lots of reasons why they do!  A heart can beat fast with fear or excitement or nervousness; a heart can pound with lust or race with terror or sing with joy.  Hearts can glow, cower, or shatter.  When you really want to drive the emotions of a character home, mention the heart.

breath- To me, the most consuming part of a kiss is the breath.  The air that someone else has just breathed going deep into your lungs is very intimate.  Lips and tongues don’t have a taste, but breath does.  Each person’s breath tastes different, smells different, and surrounds a person differently than anyone else’s breath.  Breath can be warm and sweet, breath can be hot and sexy, breath can be hot and frightening.  It is something that is very present and should not be left out.  A lot of writers leave breath out.  And it’s so important; it’s the most intimate part of a kiss.  Someone else is breathing into your lungs, and it’s either heaven or it’s hell.

voice- Voice conveys much, even without words.  A voice can groan, whimper, gasp, moan, catch, whine, scream, sigh.  Voice can convey emotion powerfully, and while some kisses are silent, usually they’re not.

emotion-  Emotion is the most important- and the thing you try not to say.  You want to describe it, through all of the things above, so that it’s perfectly clear what your characters are feeling, without you ever using the “feelings words”.  If they’re in love, their bodies will lean close, their eyes will smile, their voices will giggle softly.  If they’re nervous, their palms will sweat, their noses will bump, their voices will shudder.  If they’re afraid, their muscles will be tense, their faces will grimace, their lips will not open.  Emotion is the color that you keep inside your mind as you write; it’s the base line that drives the description behind everything else you say.

Wow, that was a lot!  Gosh I hope it wasn’t too much!  Keep in mind not every kiss has all these things- this is just a list of things to consider when writing a kiss, and based on how long of a kiss you want to make.  Keep in mind that typing “they kissed for a long time”…that’s six words, it takes half a second to read, so that’s a short kiss!  If you want a long kiss, you need long sentences that make the reader linger.

I present to you a - probably quite incomplete, I’m sure I’m missing a lot of speech sounds - reference list and a bit of a guideline for the different ways one can describe the sounds your characters make whilst writing smut. I’ll definitely be referring to it, because I sometimes get stuck on exactly how to describe a particular noise. (aka, “he can’t groan again, he just groaned last paragraph”)

Sounds (noun, both independently and describing speech): breath/breathe, gasp, moan, groan, pant, whimper, whine, shout, yelp, hiss, grunt, cry, scream, shriek, sob, growl, curse, sound, sigh, hum, noise, squeak, snarl, howl, roar, mewl, wail, choke, keen, purr

Sounds (noun, describing speech): rasp, husk, drawl, plea, murmur, whisper, beg

Descriptors (adjective): loud, hushed, quiet, low, high, high-pitched, little, tiny, soft, deep, unrestrained, restrained, strained, breathy, rough, sudden, short, drawn-out, sharp, harsh, hard, thick, smooth, thin, heavy, impassioned, insistent, hungry, passionate, repeated, filthy, debauched, sweet, slow, deliberate, guttural, languid, surprised, husky, distracted, happy, pleased, satisfied, wordless, cut-off, bitten-off, contented, hoarse, extended, long, depraved, aching, choked, strangled, broken, helpless, shuddering, shaky, trembling, urgent, needy, desperate, wanton, shattered, pained, eager

Combine a descriptor and a sound for best effect - for example, “needy moan,” “pleased hum,” or “sudden scream.” You can even use two: “low, rough grunt,” “sweet little cry,” “desperate, filthy noise,” as long as you don’t repeat a word that means the same thing, unless you really want to emphasize it. Avoiding repetition is pretty key here. You don’t usually want to say “hushed, quiet gasp” except on rare occasions when it’s very important how soft the sound was.

Use your own common sense, as well; some sounds and descriptors don’t generally work well together. “Deliberate shriek” probably wouldn’t work well, and neither would “languid grunt,” but again, this is all very situational - play around! Have fun.

Soooo, here’s the deal. I’m not an expert myself. BUT, guess what. No one needs expertise to understand that two characters are smooching let alone to write it. Those fanfics you read? They’re often based on what the writer has seen or read somewhere else, which is how we end up with so many stock phrases like “their tongues battled for dominance” (ugh).

For that reason, keep it nice and simple: They kissed. He cupped her face in his hands. She leant into him, deepening the kiss. Tbh, I can’t really describe what “deepening the kiss” means other than “they obtained a better angle to kiss at and were both pretty into it.” I’m guessing that’s what it means.

The Nose Smash

Yes, that happens, especially among newbies who’ve never kissed before. If you want your scene to be a little quirky and sweet, leave some awkwardness in there. It shows your characters are new to this or are still shy around each other. New kissers can also be sloppy, unsure whether to open/close their mouth, and not know where to put their hands.

The Affectionate Smooch

Not heated, just a “Nice to see you again” or “So happy to be with you right now.” This is still within the acceptable PDA range around other people. It’s not  a peck on the cheek, but it’s not “get a room” either.

The Gentle Touch

Your character is either really in love or really good at appearing that way. They leave soft, gentle kisses on their partner, especially on intimate places like bare shoulders and necks. These kisses usually occur in private or semi-private settings when no one’s looking, and can lead to more heated stuff later—or at least leave one or both characters thinking about heated stuff.

The Passionate Makeout

Mostly hands, and touching, and “fervent/fevered” kissing. Breathing is mostly done through the nose, but if your character is really into this other person they may not be thinking about breathing, and take it when they can get it. The couple might even take mutual breaks to catch their breath before continuing. The tongue doesn’t really need to get involved as often as it does in fanfic, and FYI not all couples use tongue. Sure, tongues, teeth, etc. will get involved in a kissing session, but choosing to focus on them in your writing will change the tone of your scene.

There aren’t too many synonyms for kissing or types of kisses, so adjectives will be necessary if you want to differentiate one kiss from another. However, I urge you not to differentiate every kiss. Like “said,” oftentimes “kiss” is good enough and requires no further explanation.

Types of Kisses

peck - quick, effortless; the most common type of kiss usually between friends and relatives, generally on the cheek

smack - like a peck, but louder and messier like the kind a little kid or playful partner would leave

nuzzle - rub or push against gently with the nose and mouth, not really a kiss but intimate and gentle

to lip, to mouth - just like they sound; not so much a kiss as an exploration, generally involving anywhere but the other person’s lips/mouth

make out - other countries have their own terms/slang for kissing a lot for a long period of time

Questions you should ask yourself are: How much kissing is actually required in this scene? How long has it been since I reminded the reader they’re still kissing? How will I show/tell that they’ve stopped? Is this couple really the smooching kind or only sometimes?

Unless you’re the next J R R Tolkien, it’s best not to attempt a huge outpouring of historical backstory at the beginning of your novel. Your readers want a gripping story, not a history lecture.

There are many ways that you can gradually reveal backstory through your novel without having to halt the telling of your story.

Setting: Bombed buildings hint at a recent war, a flood may have left your characters living upstairs in their houses. Street names, pub names and building names can hint at historical backstory (such as Battle Square, Hangman’s Lane or The Burning Scholar Inn).

Culture: A town that used to be plagued by dragons may have a policy on killing lizards, a populace that used to be slaves may eat quickly, a town that suffers regular droughts may value water over money.

Character: A woman who was attacked may be scared to leave home after dark, someone who was criticised as a child may be a perfectionist as an adult. After a long war, a town may be very short on men, and the men that survived may have trouble re-adjusting to life.

People complain a lot about the presence of too many strong male characters, but there are clear things that are done when writing strong male characters that don’t necessarily do them any good. There are a number of characteristics that appear a lot when having strong male characters. These appear more when he is the love interest than in fantasy novels where he is the MC, but many of them cross over between genres.

He is physically strong. There is very rarely a main male character who does not start or at least end as physically powerful. There is a feeling with men more than with women that they need to be physically strong to be considered powerful. Brains are less likely to play a part in whether the character is considered strong, and magical power—if it exists—often plays more of a role than intellect but still less of a role than physical prowess.

He is in the military/a military-like organization. This can include a governmental military, a military-like organization that isn’t directly attached to a government, a rebel group, or sometimes the police/FBI/an investigative service. He might be a bodyguard, but that’s usually after having military training. If he was part of the military and left it, it is usually because something bad happened to make him disillusioned to what was going on. There are a lot of male MCs that are part of groups of paranormal/magical warriors with the mission to save the world from whatever horrible demon/demon-like creature or set of creatures are trying to take it over. There are not as many scientists or doctors or engineers or accountants, and even if they are in one of those positions, they’re a soldier on the side.

He has few friends. He is probably described as being a loner. His friends are probably part of the organization he is part of (see above) or part of the military if he left it (see above). There are probably not many of them, but they are fiercely loyal to each other and often willing to sacrifice themselves for each other. All of his friends are probably similar to him in that they are soldiers, loners, physically strong, and have many other characteristics that he has.

He is immensely possessive. This is generally true when it comes to the woman he is dating/in love with (but only her, not the other women he dated (see below)), and it will often lead to him making stupid decisions. He will even be willing to lock her up or otherwise keep her from putting herself in danger, sometimes without seeing how this will make her angry. He may also be incredibly territorial, especially if he is some sort of were-animal or otherwise has animal characteristics. This generally extends to his house and his property, if he has any, but can also apply to his car or his other belongings.

He is very good at sex and/or knows a lot about it. This generally goes with sleeping with many women before finding THE ONE (see below) but can also be after being celibate, sometimes for long periods of time. Like years. This is sometimes due to the fact that he is empathic or telepathic and can tell what the person he is having sex with likes/responds to. There is almost never a strong male character who is bad at sex.

He has slept with many women. He probably was the model of promiscuity when he was younger (high school, probably), and it continued after he grew up. He probably has at least one ex-girlfriend panting after her, and she will probably show up in the book. She might show up in book two if there are multiple books, right when the relationship between him and THE ONE is becoming solidified but before it actually is.

He is attractive. There is never an unattractive strong male MC. He probably had muscles, thick dark hair, tan skin, and attractive eyes. Everyone thinks he’s attractive. Women give him their number. He would be mistaken for a model if he weren’t so rugged.

He has scars. See: was in the military. Also, just sort of in general. He always has scars. It adds to his rugged attractiveness.

He knows a lot, often including information that wouldn’t be part of his skill-set. He might be a poet, or a mathematician, or be really good at computers. He can do everything that he works at, often without actually working at it. Even if he screws up, he succeeds next time. If he doesn’t succeed the next time, it actually makes everything work out better in the end.

He has a secret from his past that affects his behavior. He might have been abused (see below) and then killed the person who abused him. He might have done something really good but either considered illegal or considered bad. He might have signed onto something bad or into some bad organization to protect someone or something he cared about. Whatever it is, he’s hiding it, and it ends up hurting THE ONE. Until it all gets better. If he was abused, he probably thinks that he has that same “abuse gene” and that he will abuse whoever he forms an attachment to. He probably sees his extreme possessiveness as a bad thing because he sees it as a sign that he is like his abusive parent.

He either had a very good childhood or a very bad childhood. He might have two loving parents who care about him very deeply, and he probably has siblings that he gets along with very well. If there aren’t any siblings, there are close cousins or close friends. On the other hand, he might have been abused by a father or stepfather (or sometimes crazy mother), or his parents died when he was very young, possibly violently, and he was traumatized for life. Another choice is that one or more of his parents was on drugs or an alcoholic. He probably didn’t have a nice, “normal”, “ordinary” childhood with some ups and some downs.

He has a thing about control. He always likes to control the situation, and if he can’t, he gets angry. He might get violent, though never at THE ONE. This is true in bed, too. It usually works because the female character is submissive in bed, despite being “strong” not in bed.

He is an alpha-male. It might be literal, such as if he is some sort of were-animal, but otherwise, it is the sort of metaphorical “alpha male”. Also, see above about control. More literally, this means that he gets preferential treatment in terms of sex and food. This is in general more true regarding sex, where he could have a choice of virtually everyone (except for his friends’ wives/girlfriends, at least one of whom he might have slept with in the past).

He is willing to do bad things for the people he cares about. This can include killing or sometimes even torturing. He pretty much always draws the line at rape. He doesn’t like hurting women, though he can usually rationalize that away if she hurt THE ONE. Other than, he will do virtually anything. He generally doesn’t have an issue with killing, especially if it will protect people he cares about. This may be a product of the military past, but isn’t always.

He is very good at what he does. He is very good at everything, except for those specific things that he’s actually bad at. It might be computers, and then he is lightheartedly teased at being bad at modern technology. Otherwise, he’s good at killing, good at sex, and good at everything else he puts his mind to.

He is kinder than he lets on/than most people think. He is probably very good with children, despite having rarely dealt with them. He is likely also good at comforting crying/traumatized women. He likes helping people even when he claims not. He might do things to help people without letting anyone know, and then be annoyed when someone tells.

He has a high position in the organization/structure he is a part of. Unless he is the literal alpha male, he is probably second or third in command, but he is probably a close friend of the person in charge. He is important, and he is well respected. He might have fallen out of favor slightly due to something he did wrong, but he is still respected by the people who matter.

He was experimented on. This happens especially frequently in urban fantasy or sci-fi, where some crazy scientist (who might be the father or guardian of THE ONE) tried to turn him into a super-soldier by doing experiments that look more like torture. This might be the horrible thing in his past. It probably traumatized him, but it also made him stronger.

He is loyal, sometimes to a fault. He might end up doing things for people he shouldn’t or trusting people who end up betraying him.  He usually doesn’t kill for them, though sometimes he does and then feels horribly guilty for it. But it all works out in the end.

He has darkness within him. This is often how it is described, or some facsimile of this. It is probably due to his traumatic childhood, and he thinks that it will make him a bad husband/father. He gets over it, but it usually takes literally killing his demons or having THE ONE fix him to deal with it.

He finds THE ONE. THE ONE is the person he has been waiting for all along, even when he was dating other people. He might have been sleeping with other people to fill the hole that was there because he hadn’t met/slept with THE ONE yet.

He is white. Very rarely is he biracial, and even more rarely is he entirely non-white. There is a decent chance that he is Italian or Irish, but he might be generic white. Sometimes he’s Russian, especially if the author particularly likes Russia and the Russian language. Very rarely is he Asian, and then pretty much only if he is biracial.

He is heterosexual. THE ONE is pretty much always a woman, and he is pretty much always straight.

Disclaimer: I have no personal experience with lawyers/courts/the law so all information is based entirely on research. This research is mostly specific to the United States. With that being said, the law and courts tend to differ from state to state. This research is not extensive; I would recommend doing more research of your own before writing about lawyers and the law. 

General

What Does a Lawyer Do?

Attorney vs. Lawyer

Comparison of a Defense Lawyer and a Prosecutor

Should I Go With a Public Defender or a Lawyer of My Choice?

Getting an Attorney to Handle Your Criminal Case

Legal Dictionary

The 10 Challengers About a Career As a Lawyer

The Top 7 Benefits of Being a Lawyer

15 Biggest Pros and Cons of Being a Lawyer

Prosecutors

What Does a Prosecutor Do?

Prosecuting Attorney: Job Description, Duties and Requirements

How to Become a Prosecutor

Pros and cons of being a prosecutor?

This is a forum so take everything with a grain of salt but there is some personal experience stories

What are the pros and cons of becoming a federal prosecutor?

Another forum

Criminal Defense Attorneys

What Do Criminal Defense Attorneys Do?

18 Secrets of Criminal Defense Attorneys

Criminal Defense Lawyer: Job Description and Requirements

Pros and Cons in a Career as a Defense Attorney

Public Defenders

What is a Public Defender?

Are You Entitled to a Court-Appointed Attorney?

Do You Qualify for a Public Defender?

13 Big Pros and Cons of Public Defenders

Pros and Cons of Being a Public Defender

Should You Become A Public Defender? Maybe.

Conflict Attorneys/”Panel” Attorneys

What is a Conflict Attorney?

Court-Appointed “Panel” Attorneys

Courts and the Law

Types of Cases

The Differences Between Criminal Court and Civil Court

All About Court

The Players in the Courtroom

Juries

Role of the Jury

Learn About Jury Service

Criminal Cases

How Criminal Cases Work

How a Criminal Trial Works

The Trial

This website has descriptions of every step in a criminal case, starting with the investigation and ending with an appeal

Civil Cases

Civil Cases

What is a Civil Lawsuit?

Civil Lawsuit – The Civil Litigation Process Explained In Steps

This is an extensive list of resources for every problem you could come across while writing/planning/editing your novel. Use it well;)

{ *** } Indicate a Highly Reccommended Resource

Planning/outlining Your Work

How To Outline ***

Zigzag Method : Creating Plots

How to Plot a Romance Novel 

Seven Great Sources of Conflict for Romances 

Let’s talk about brainstorming

Writing Something With Meaning ***

Past Or Present Tense? : How To Decide

Writing Your Work

How To Write A Fabulous Chapter #1 ***

How to Build a Romance Thread in Your Story 

The Big Book Of Writing Sex ***

6 Ways to Get Your Readers Shipping Like Crazy 

Romance Writing Tips ***

20 Tips for Writing Lovable Romance Novel Heroes

7 Ways To Speed Up Your Writing *** 

80+ Barriers to Love: A List of Ideas to Keep Romantic Tension High 

9 Romance Writing Mistakes to Avoid 

Removing the Creeps From Romance

19 Ways to Write Better Dialogue ***

50 Things Your Characters Can Do WHILE They Talk ***

How To Write Action And Fight Scenes

10 Steps To Write Arguments

9 Ways To Write Body Language

Writing Good Kissing Scenes

Writing Murders

Create And Control Tone ***

Tips for Writing Ghost Stories

Incorporating Flashbacks

12 Tips To Avoid Overwriting ***

Characters

Behind the Name

Top Baby Names

Looking for a name that means a certain thing? ***

7 Rules of Picking Names

Most Common Surnames ***

Minor Character Development

Writing Antagonists, Antiheroes and Villains

Characters With Enhanced Senses

5 Tips to Help You Introduce Characters

How Do You Describe a Character?

How To Write Child Characters

36 Core Values For Building Character

Questions To Answer When Creating Characters ***

4 Ways to Make Readers Instantly Loathe Your Character Descriptions

5 Ways to Keep Characters Consistent

Character Archetypes

25 Ways To Fuck With Your Characters

Building Platonic Relationships Between Female Characters

9 Simple and Powerful Ways to Write Body Language 

33 Ways To Write Stronger Characters

Conveying Character Emotion 

How to Make Readers Love an Unlikable Character…  

How to Create Powerful Character Combos

How To Describe A Character’s Voice ***

Describing Clothing And Appearance ***

Career Masterpost ***

Creating Your Character’s Personality ***

Character Flaws ***

Editing

DON’T EDIT>>> REWRITE THE WHOLE THING FIRST

Ultimate Guide To Editing Each Aspect Of Your Work ***

Why You Would Read Your Novel Out Loud ***

Grammar and Punctuation ***

How To Write A Captivating First Sentence

10 Things Your Opening Chapter Should Do: A Check-List for Self-Editing ***

Saving Your Story: Finding Where It Went Wrong

How To Condense Without Losing Anything

The Stages Of Editing

Dialogue/Description Balance

3 Proofreading Tips

The Short Story Form

Chapter & Novel Lengths

Anatomy Of A Novel : Chapters and Parts ***

How To Write Chapter After Chapter Until You Have A Book ***

Where Chapter #2 Should Start

Step By Step Guide To Editing Your Draft

Writing Tool: CTRL-F (How And Why You Should Use It) ***

How To Kill A Character

25 Steps To Edit The Unmerciful Suck Out Of Your Story

5 Ways To Make Your Novel Helplessly Addictive ***

Setting

{Setting} How To Describe Setting In Your Stories ***

20 Questions To Enhance Setting

How To Bring Your Setting To Life

Miscellaneous Resources You Can Use In Between

How to Write from a Guy’s POV 

The Emotional Wounds Thesaurus

Text To Speech Reader

Compare Character Heights 

A Visual Dictionary of Tops

Writers Helping Writers

7 Tricks To Imrove Your Writing Overnight

Work Out/ Word Count : Exercise Between Writing ***

Most Important Writing Tips ***

Let’s talk about diversity in novels

Letting Go Of Your Story

Keeping A Healthy Writing Schedule And Avoiding Procrastination ***

How To Create A Good Book Cover

Write or Die

Tip of my Tongue

Character Traits Form

Online Thesaurus

Writing Sketchy/Medical/Law

Coma: Types, Causes, etc

Tips for writing blood loss

Gunshot Wound Care

Examples of Hospital Forms

Common Legal Questions

The Writer’s Forensics Blog

Brain Injury Legal Guide

Types of Surgical Operations

Types of Mental Health Problems

A Day in the Life of a Mental Hospital Patient

Global Black Market Information ***

Crime Scene Science

Examining Mob Mentality

How Street Gangs Work

Writers’ Block Help/ Productivity

Story Plot Generator

@aveeragemusings ‘ Cure To Writers’ Block ***

50 Romance Plot Ideas

Reading Like A Writer ***

Defeat Writers’ Block

Writing In A Bad Mood ***

Writers Block

When You’ve Lost Motivation To Write A Novel ***

What To Do When The Words Won’t Flow ***

9 Ways To Be A More Productive Writer

“I Cannot Write A Good Sentence Today” (How To Get Over It) ***

Real Writing Advice ***

Info You Need To Know & Words You Didn’t Think Of

A Writer’s Thesaurus ***

Words To Describe… ***

Words & Phrases To Use In Your Sex Scenes ***

Colors (An Extensive List Of Colors)

List Of Kinks & Fetishes ***

List Of Elemental Abilities

inkarnate.com : World Creator And Map Maker For Your Imaginary Setting

Body Language Phrases

List Of Legendary Creatures

How To Write Magic

Hairstyle References

Hemingway : Writing Checker

Body Types: Words To Describe Bodies and How They Move Around

Poisonous Herbs and Plants ***

The Psychology of Color

The Meaning behind Rose color

Types of Swords

Color Symbolism

How a handgun works

How to Write a Eulogy

Types of Crying

Avoiding LGBTQ Stereotypes ***

Superstitions and More

The 12 Common Archetypes

Language of Flowers

12 Realistic Woman Body Shapes

Using Feedback And Reviews

Turning Negative Reviews Into Positive Ones ***

Proofreading Marks : Easy Symbols To Make Reviewing/Feedback Easier ***

Authonomy Teen Ink Figment Fiction Press ReviewFuse

Medicine

A Study In Physical Injury

Comas

Medical Facts And Tips For Your Writing Needs

Broken Bones

Burns

Unconsciousness & Head Trauma

Blood Loss

Stab Wounds

Pain & Shock

All About Mechanical Injuries (Injuries Caused By Violence)

Writing Specific Characters

Portraying a kleptomaniac.

Playing a character with cancer.

How to portray a power driven character.

Playing the manipulative character.

Portraying a character with borderline personality disorder.

Playing a character with Orthorexia Nervosa.

Writing a character who lost someone important.

Playing the bullies.

Portraying the drug dealer.

Playing a rebellious character.

How to portray a sociopath.

How to write characters with PTSD.

Playing characters with memory loss.

Playing a pyromaniac.

How to write a mute character.

How to write a character with an OCD.

How to play a stoner.

Playing a character with an eating disorder.

Portraying a character who is anti-social.

Portraying a character who is depressed.

How to portray someone with dyslexia.

How to portray a character with bipolar disorder.

Portraying a character with severe depression.

How to play a serial killer.

Writing insane characters.

Playing a character under the influence of marijuana.

Tips on writing a drug addict.

How to write a character with HPD.

Writing a character with Nymphomania.

Writing a character with schizophrenia.

Writing a character with Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Writing a character with depression.

Writing a character who suffers from night terrors.

Writing a character with paranoid personality disorder.

How to play a victim of rape.

How to play a mentally ill/insane character.

Writing a character who self-harms.

Writing a character who is high on amphetamines.

How to play the stalker.

How to portray a character high on cocaine.

Playing a character with ADHD.

How to play a sexual assault victim.

Writing a compulsive gambler.

Playing a character who is faking a disorder.

Playing a prisoner.

Portraying an emotionally detached character.

How to play a character with social anxiety.

Portraying a character who is high.

Portraying characters who have secrets.

Portraying a recovering alcoholic.

Portraying a sex addict.

How to play someone creepy.

Portraying sexually/emotionally abused characters.

Playing a character under the influence of drugs.

Playing a character who struggles with Bulimia.

Illegal Activity

Examining Mob Mentality

How Street Gangs Work

Domestic Abuse

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I personally think naming chapters beyond the standard “1”/ “I”/“One” is an art we lose after middle school chapter books. And while I do think the minimal numbering fits certain books, I also think detailed chapter names fit others. So how do you name a chapter (and how do you know if it fits your story)?

1. Chapter names can be much longer and break the more strict nature of book titles

Chapter names can be a single word all the way up to a full sentence while still being manageable. They also don’t have to be as catchy or marketable as a book title. This means you have tons more freedom in the name. Which is really fun. 

2. How to Name a Chapter

What kind of tone the chapter title evokes is important. It doesn’t have to match the overall tone, but it should mirror the one within the chapter. Just like the book title, you’re telling your readers what to expect. Here are some ways to find a chapter name (P.S. All the examples are made up):

Within the text

Ex. The sentence  “The morning was awash with simple pleasures.” can turn into the title “Awash with Simple Pleasures”

Name of a side character who gets their moment in the chapter

Ex. “About Emily”

A question the reader and/or MC may have about their circumstances

Ex. “What Do You Do When the World Ends?”

A chapter’s motif 

Ex. If the chapter revolves around a character getting the MC a pearl necklace, the title could be “Pearls”, “A Girl’s Best Friend”, etc.

An allusion

This could really be anything. Some of the most common allusions refer to Shakespeare, mythology, old songs, famous poems, and classic literary works. Of course, you could make an allusion to something niche (or otherwise unknown) that relates directly to the story.

Ex. “Et tu, Brute?” (referring to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar) could a title after the reveal of a betrayal

An utterance

Anything your MC would think or say, given the opportunity to break the 4th wall, bridges the gap between character and reader a little. It’s not something they’ve said to anyone in the story. And it has an air of self-awareness.

Ex. “So This is Where We Are Now”, “This Wasn’t Supposed to Happen”

Foreshadowing

Use this sparingly and carefully, but you can plant clues and things similar in nature in the title

Ex. The chapter ends with the abrupt murder of a character using a coffee pot that was previously inconspicuous. The tile is “Coffee Pot”.

3. The “Other” Kind of Chapter (AKA The Part)

There are two main ways to split up a novel. The chapter and the part. Chapters are usually a given and can work concurrently with the story also being split into parts. If you read The Hunger Games, among many others, you’ve seen this in practice.

The parts of a novel are usually in 3s. This can (indirectly or inexplicitly) mark beginning/middle/end or childhood/adulthood/elderhood. Or it can mark more story-specific events, like The Hunger Games and its sequels. You mostly see this in sci-fi/fantasy novels, but they can go anywhere. 

The titles of these parts are usually short and correlate with each other (similarly to how book titles in series can correlate). 

Ex. “The Dawn”, “The Day”, “The Dusk”

Ex.  “Spark”, “Flame”, “Wildfire”

Ex. “The Test”, “The Proof”, “The Job” 

Ex. “4″, “16″, “25″

Where you place these divisions is up to you. It works best if it feels natural and fits in well with the pacing. You can plot your story around these parts, or add them in later. Either way, whether they work or not is going to be subjective and you might need beta readers/a critique partner to help you out. 

4. So, is it right for my story?

That’s totally up to you and all I can really give you for an answer is my opinion. I think chapter titles are a given for stories with a comedic tone. There’s an easy sense of irreverence or goofiness that comes with it when used right.

Other stories can be tricky, though. I think unless your story is super serious (like a thriller), you can effectively use chapter titling. With serious stories, it might be a bit more tricky to maintain the stricter tone with title, but it’s accomplishable.

And of course, you don’t have to add titling. Sometimes the minimalistic nature of  “One”/”I”/”1” fits a story better than any other title could.

(I’m proud of the graphic, too.)

Mood: The immediate (and temporary) emotions of your character. A feeling of joy after kissing the girl they like; frustration after a busy day working a summer job at the fair; despair after somebody eats the last Oreo.

Situation: The plot and relationship contexts of your character. The apprehension they feel with a friend in the weeks following a nasty fight; the nerves felt in the week leading up to their big championship game; the frustration and boredom of being grounded after crashing the family car into the county creek.

Struggle: The core, deepfelt pain of your character, which often emerges from their background. The fear of failure from overly demanding parents; a deep longing for a family they never knew; a desperate need to be accepted after spending years as an outcast.

How these 3 motives influence your character

The above emotional motives all play an important role in driving your character’s actions, muddying or even overriding their more logical intentions — just as it happens to the rest of us. (We’re all human, after all.)

That being said, while your character’s mood and situation will shift throughout the story, their struggle will remain constant: their true north, emotionally speaking. This struggle will always be at the root of their actions, even as you swap in new situations and moods.

Take Bethany as an example

Let’s say your character’s name is Bethany, and her struggle is this: a deep fear of failure, stemming from her parents’ impossible academic expectations, which conflicts with her own desire to finally experience the life she sees passing her by.

Her actions, while primarily driven by that struggle, are going to vary quite a bit depending on her situation and mood. For example, if it’s the night before a big test, she might blow off a friend’s invitation to a party so she can study.

But if the party is a week before the big test, and she finds a handwritten invitation in her notebook from Emma (the girl on the lacrosse team she has a crush on), Bethany might act differently. Maybe she feels a lightness and warmth in her cheeks as she reads Emma’s note. Maybe she puts those textbooks away, and maybe, just maybe, she sneaks out the window and goes to the party.

But if Bethany finds the note after her parents just chewed her out for being ungrateful and not studying hard enough? Maybe Bethany doesn’t go to the party. Instead, maybe she reads Emma’s note, trembles, then rips it in two, knowing she can’t disappoint her parents like that. Then she spends the rest of the evening studying. Alone.

Mood. Situation. Struggle.

All three kinds of emotional motives are important. Your character’s struggle is the anchor, but their mood and situation are the ever-shifting masks you use to express their struggle in fresh ways. 

And by the end of the story, hopefully your character will overcome their struggle — putting away the textbooks, sneaking out the window, and meeting their crush at a party. Maybe even having their first kiss.

Whatever the character, and whatever their struggle, I’m sure you’ll do great. 

So good luck! And good writing.

— — —

to show sadness (grief, sorrow):

- sharply sucking in a breath

- hiccuping from crying so hard

- uncontrollable sobbing

- slumped shoulders, head down

- weather can be used to show emotions — not just rain, but a shining sun and birds chirping contrasts well with a grieving character

- depending on the person, sadness can result in lashing out at others for no reason or shutting everyone out

to show anger (rage, frustration)

- red face, fists clenched

- narrow eyes

- sharp comebacks, gritting teeth

- the air around them is tense

- others may be silent, ignoring whoever they’re angry at

- inhales

- angry. tears.

- kicking, punching, slapping

to show shock (hurt, confusion)

- wide, confused eyes

- freezing in place

- collapsing to their knees

- silent and blank-faced

- ignoring everything else happening around them

to show happiness (joy, delight)

- bright eyes

- crinkles around their eyes from smiling so much

- laughter!

- optimism

- playful, laid back nature

- the weight being lifted off their shoulders

- relaxed sigh

Don't make paragraphs about it - battles are supposed to be fast-paced

Describe:

- the object used to harm the character

-where the injury is

-how long the character had had the injury

-how deep the cut is (for blades)

-whether or not the wound triggers other things (dizziness, bleeding)

There are different kinds of pain

punch/blunt force trauma:

-how it feels: aching, a single spike of pain before it fades into an ache, throbbing, numbness

-effects: swelling, bruising, broken bones, unconsciousness, dizziness, concussion, internal bleeding.

stab wound/cut

-how it feels: stinging (shallow wounds), burning

-effects: bleeding (the blood from arteries is a brighter red, like vermilion, the blood from veins is dark crimson), dizziness from the blood loss, unconsciousness, infection (if left unattended), death

gunshot

-how it feels: depends on the caliber bullet, from how far away they were shot and in what place

-effects: same as stab wounds

Things that an injured character may have/do

-heavy, harsh, ragged breathing

-panting, gasping, crying, grunting, hissing, groaning, whimpering, screaming, shrieking, clenching their teeth

-ears ringing, unable to speak

-pressing their hands on the injury to try and stop the bleeding, trembling, eyes rolling up into their head

-vision blurring, room spinning

Where to hit in a fight

temple and jaw - good for a knockout punch, but are near the skull so it will be dangerous if you miss (it can broke/dislocate your fingers)

nose/eyes - messes up the senses and distracts the opponent

neck: can mess up breathing, talking and the spinal cord

inner elbow: can disable the opponent's arm

solar plexus: hard to hit but very effective

liver: causes immediate pain, dizziness and loss of breath

kidneys

groin

outer/inner thighs

knees

-----------------

But not getting into a fight stops the injury for both the opponents :)

Do you ever find yourself over-using the word “beautiful” to describe things/people/etc in your writing? Try using these words instead:

stunning

gorgeous

breathtaking

mesmerizing

lovely

beauteous

cute

alluring

charming

dashing

pretty

majestic

ravishing

dazzling

striking

adorable

enticing

captivating

dreamy

It took me forever to get the hang of starting scenes. Save yourself some time.

This is not the most comprehensive BDSM reference, it’s just a basic guide to serve as a starting point for other, more extensive references so you aren’t diving in without any idea what’s going on.

Table of Contents: (ctrl+f to search for the headings)

I – What Is BDSM?

II – Safe, Sane, Consensual and Risk Aware Consensual Kink

III – Terms

IV – Consent

V – Safewords

VI – Types of D/s Dynamics

VII – The Importance of Aftercare

VIII – Resources

IX – Notes

General Note: If you came here because you want 50 Shades of Gray style BDSM, then please just go read the Wikipedia article for ‘abuse’ instead. They are much more similar.