Hit Him Where It Hurts, Cassandra! (Apollo Is The WORST.)

To write a book is more than write your words on a sheet of paper. In every book you can find a story of a person. Don’t laugh about them, ‘cause one day it can be your own story.

In the Victorian era, hand-fans were used not only to cool oneself but also as a secret way to communicate the language of love. For example, by running one’s fingers through the fan’s ribs, one is trying to say, “I want to talk to you.” The enigmatic language of the fan was widely used by both men and women. I. A fan placed near the heart. “You have won my love.” II. A closed fan touching the right eye. “When may I be allowed to see you?” III. A closed fan moved threateningly. “Do not act so impudently!” IV. A half-opened fan pressed to the lips. “You may kiss me.” V. Covering the left ear with an open fan. “Do not betray my secret.” VI. Hiding the eyes behind an open fan. “I love you.” VII. Shutting a fully open fan slowly. “I promise to marry you.” VIII. Fanning oneself slowly. “I am married.” IX. Letting one’s fan rest on the right cheek or the left. “Yes” and “No”, interchangeably. X. Opening and closing the fan several times. “You are cruel.” XI. Fan in front of the face. “Follow me.” XII. Twirling the fan in the left hand. “We are being watched.” XIII. Fan held over left ear. “I wish to be rid of you.” XIV. Carrying an open fan in the left hand. “Come and talk to me.” XV. Opening a fan wide. “Wait for me.” XVI. Placing the fan behind the head with finger. “Goodbye.” [Artwork: Secret, by Lee Yun-hi.]

I Once Dated A Writer and

Writers are forgetful, but they remember everything. They forget appointments and anniversaries, but remember what you wore, how you smelled, on your first date… They remember every story you’ve ever told them - like ever, but forget what you’ve just said. They don’t remember to water the plants or take out the trash, but they don’t forget how to make you laugh. . Writers are forgetful because they’re busy remembering the important things.

A beautifully brewed black tea from this morning!

Character Development Questions for RPers

Inspired by 10 Steps To Creating Memorable Characters: Forms, Checklists and Exercises

What are your their priorities? 

At their best, they are:

At their worst, they are: 

How do they see themselves? 

How does it differ from the way others see them? 

How do they react to arguments? 

What do they do when they want to impress people?

What trait in others do they find admirable?

Are they more of an optimist or a pessimist? 

What is the worst thing someone could do to them?

What is something that would make them upset enough to cry? 

Are they more of a leader or a follower?

What are their responsibilities, or at least, what do they see as being their responsibilities? 

What frightens them most?

What sort of physical quirks do they have when they are bored or otherwise stationary (tapping fingers, shaking leg, biting lip, etc)? 

How do they react to social situations?

How have their parents influenced them?

What is their role in their social circle? What do they bring to the table?

How do they feel about the way they look?

Describe their living space, be it a bedroom, apartment, or entire house. 

What are their best and worst memories? 

What do they do when they’re upset? 

If their personality and disposition were a bit of scenery, describe it, from flora and fauna to weather. 

“If I didn’t think you’d hit me back, I’d slap you for that.” Use this somewhere in your writing.

The Writer’s Book of Matches

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On Twins

I’m a twin, and I’ve been angry about twin stereotypes for years now.

The most prominent ones being: the exactly alike twins, the exactly opposite twins, the creepy twins, or some combination thereof. Like, I nearly vomit whenever I read the line, ‘X and Y were twins, but they couldn’t be more different,’ because that is just lazy writing. It is. How much more lazy can you get than to create a character and then just make another one the exact opposite?

Answer: You can make them exactly alike. This one I hate more, because seriously, in real life, how likely is it that twins will be completely identical, not just in appearance, but in personalities and attitudes and intelligence? I will cut slack for twins raised apart, because that can happen and that’s been proven, but seriously? If you have two characters be exactly the same, you might as well have one character, and try to flesh them out a little more.

Let me explain something about twins: if we’re really close, we tend to adapt to fill in each other’s weaknesses. For instance, my sister and I had an interesting pattern for making friends; my sister, an incredibly outgoing social butterfly, would meet people and make them part of our group. Then, it was my job to keep us staying friends with them, by doing things like making sleepovers, remembering people had feelings, and remembering birthdays. However, while this obviously distinguishes between twins and makes it clear they’re unlikely to be exactly alike, it also doesn’t mean they’re exact opposites. For instance, my twin and I are both not good at communicating over the phone; we both tend to be bad at planning our time effectively. The important thing with writing twins is to remember that there is an intricate pattern of alike and not alike, determined both by upbringing and personality. It’s complex, like any relationship, and it should be treated with the same care as any relationship in a story. On the topic of creepy twins, just know that me and most twins like me will gladly leave a scathing review on any story with poorly explained twin incest. Just, ew, man. Ew.