I Finished Reading The Stranger The Other Day, And I Could Not Articulate How The Book Made Me Feel.

Repost so I can find later

Duolingo Sucks, Now What?: A Guide

Now that the quality of Duolingo has fallen (even more) due to AI and people are more willing to make the jump here are just some alternative apps and what languages they have:

"I just want an identical experience to DL"

Busuu (Languages: Spanish, Japanese, French, English, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Korean)

"I want a good audio-based app"

Language Transfer (Languages: French, Swahili, Italian, Greek, German, Turkish, Arabic, Spanish, English for Spanish Speakers)

"I want a good audio-based app and money's no object"

Pimsleur (Literally so many languages)

Glossika (Also a lot of languages, but minority languages are free)

*anecdote: I borrowed my brother's Japanese Pimsleur CD as a kid and I still remember how to say the weather is nice over a decade later. You can find the CDs at libraries and "other" places I'm sure.

"I have a pretty neat library card"

Mango (Languages: So many and the endangered/Indigenous courses are free even if you don't have a library that has a partnership with Mango)

Transparent Language: (Languages: THE MOST! Also the one that has the widest variety of African languages! Perhaps the most diverse in ESL and learning a foreign language not in English)

"I want SRS flashcards and have an android"

AnkiDroid: (Theoretically all languages, pre-made decks can be found easily)

"I want SRS flashcards and I have an iphone"

AnkiApp: It's almost as good as AnkiDroid and free compared to the official Anki app for iphone

"I don't mind ads and just want to learn Korean"

lingory

"I want an app made for Mandarin that's BETTER than DL and has multiple languages to learn Mandarin in"

ChineseSkill (You can use their older version of the course for free)

"I don't like any of these apps you mentioned already, give me one more"

Bunpo: (Languages: Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Korean, and Mandarin)

That line is from Solitaire??

10 Non-Lethal Injuries to Add Pain to Your Writing

New Part: 10 Lethal Injury Ideas

If you need a simple way to make your characters feel pain, here are some ideas: 

1. Sprained Ankle

A common injury that can severely limit mobility. This is useful because your characters will have to experience a mild struggle and adapt their plans to their new lack of mobiliy. Perfect to add tension to a chase scene.

2. Rib Contusion

A painful bruise on the ribs can make breathing difficult, helping you sneak in those ragged wheezes during a fight scene. Could also be used for something sport-related! It's impactful enough to leave a lingering pain but not enough to hinder their overall movement.

3. Concussions

This common brain injury can lead to confusion, dizziness, and mood swings, affecting a character’s judgment heavily. It can also cause mild amnesia.

I enjoy using concussions when you need another character to subtly take over the fight/scene, it's an easy way to switch POVs. You could also use it if you need a 'cute' recovery moment with A and B.

4. Fractured Finger

A broken finger can complicate tasks that require fine motor skills. This would be perfect for characters like artists, writers, etc. Or, a fighter who brushes it off as nothing till they try to throw a punch and are hit with pain.

5. Road Rash

Road rash is an abrasion caused by friction. Aka scraping skin. The raw, painful sting resulting from a fall can be a quick but effective way to add pain to your writing. Tip: it's great if you need a mild injury for a child.

6. Shoulder Dislocation

This injury can be excruciating and often leads to an inability to use one arm, forcing characters to confront their limitations while adding urgency to their situation. Good for torture scenes.

7. Deep Laceration

A deep laceration is a cut that requires stitches. As someone who got stitches as a kid, they really aren't that bad! A 2-3 inch wound (in length) provides just enough pain and blood to add that dramatic flair to your writing while not severely deterring your character.

This is also a great wound to look back on since it often scars. Note: the deeper and wider the cut the worse your character's condition. Don't give them a 5 inch deep gash and call that mild.

8. Burns

Whether from fire, chemicals, or hot surfaces, burns can cause intense suffering and lingering trauma. Like the previous injury, the lasting physical and emotional trauma of a burn is a great wound for characters to look back on.

If you want to explore writing burns, read here.

9. Pulled Muscle

This can create ongoing pain and restrict movement, offering a window to force your character to lean on another. Note: I personally use muscle related injuries when I want to focus more on the pain and sprains to focus on a lack of mobility.

10. Tendonitis

Inflammation of a tendon can cause chronic pain and limit a character's ability to perform tasks they usually take for granted. When exploring tendonitis make sure you research well as this can easily turn into a more severe injury.

This is a quick, brief list of ideas to provide writers inspiration. Since it is a shorter blog, I have not covered the injuries in detail. This is inspiration, not a thorough guide. Happy writing! :)

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!

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Just finished reading the nightmare before kissmas, wondering what happened between the brother and his interest in the princess, only to find out there a SECOND BOOK STARING THE BROTHER????? GO LUCK YOURSELF WHATTT????

Just heard somebody say that comparison is the theif of joy and I just snapped back to my senses.

positive habit ideas

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ wake up earlier

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ exercise regularly

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ drink more water

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ follow a budget

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ read at least 10 pages per day

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ plan your week every sunday

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ listen to something positive in the morning

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ journal

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ minimise digital clutter

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ get adequate sleep

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ build financial security (emergency fund)

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ take evening walks

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ practice a new skill

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ avoid multitasking

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ check in with your personal goals once a week

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ put your phone away during conversations

I hate being an academic procrastinator because I love being able to dive deep and spend hours on a project, or give my undividing attention to material and finish it to the best of my abilities.

But.

It just takes so long. The point of deep work is that it takes up time.

And from a standpoint, it's so easy to step back and say, I'm putting off that 4 hour session for later. But I'm not. Not until it's too late, that is. I like to believe that I'm getting better at it. But at this rate, im not too sure...

I feel like I'm on a spiral that's only going downwards. Many people feel this way, and I'm not exempt from them. I am not a new case, I am not the exception. But all the same, I feel like they have found solid ground to build off of, and I am close to falling off this rocky surface. I feel like they have found something to lean on, and I am scrambling to be a pillar for myself. I have to be the lighthouse because I don't trust myself to trust someone else. My ship isn't close to sinking. It doesn't even have any holes(I make sure of it), but the sea I have found myself in is tossing and turning, and I can't stable the boat. I can't bring myself to ask for passage in someone elses, for that would be cruel. And I'm too prideful to ask for directions because I know that I will find myself lost again. So I'm stuck on a boat. I can't bring myself to steer it, and it's no one's fault but my own.

If this continues, I fear I will go overboard.

Maybe I should have tried screaming instead...

Sometimes, I wonder if anyone will hear the words I speak towards the wall. Then again, can I really expect anyone to when I know no one will answer? Maybe I'm hoping for a spontaneous thought, an unexpected action that will lead me to a different room that's not filled with silence.

Emphasis on cannibalism