Why? Why not!
And what are you supposed to do with this? I don't care! Use it as reference for writing fic, learn to live by Raphael's words, print it out and eat it, do whatever you want, as long as you have fun doing it!
Tone: Pale, Rosy, Olive, Dark, Tanned, Alabaster, Ebony, Bronze, Golden, Fair
Texture: Smooth, Rough, Silky, Coarse, Flaky, Supple, Wrinkled, Calloused, Bumpy
Condition: Moles, Acne, Dry, Greasy, Freckled, Scars, Birthmarks, Bruised, Sunburned, Flawless
Complexion: Clear, Ruddy, Sallow, Glowing, Dull, Even-toned, Blotchy
Size: Small, Large, Average, Tiny, Bulging, Narrow
Color: Grey, Brown, Blue, Violet, Pink, Green, Gold, Hazel, Crimson, Amber, Turquoise, Sapphire, Onyx
Shape: Doe-eyed, Almond, Close-set, Wide-set, Round, Oval, Hooded, Monolid
Expression: Deep-set, Squinty, Monolid, Heavy eyelids, Upturned, Downturned, Piercing, Gentle, Sparkling, Steely
Other: Glassy, Bloodshot, Tear-filled, Clear, Glinting, Shiny
Thickness: Thin, Thick, Fine, Normal
Texture: Greasy, Dry, Soft, Shiny, Curly, Frizzy, Wild, Unruly, Straight, Smooth, Wavy, Floppy
Length: Cropped, Pixie-cut, Afro, Shoulder length, Back length, Waist length, Past hip-length, Buzz cut, Bald
Styles: Weave, Hair extensions, Jaw length, Layered, Mohawk, Dreadlocks, Box braids, Faux locks, Braid, Ponytail, Bun, Updo
Color: White, Salt and pepper, Platinum blonde, Golden blonde, Dirty blonde, Blonde, Strawberry blonde, Ash brown, Mouse brown, Chestnut brown, Golden brown, Chocolate brown, Dark brown, Jet black, Ginger, Red, Auburn, Dyed, Highlights, Low-lights, Ombre
Eyebrows: Thin eyebrows, Average eyebrows, Thick eyebrows, Plucked eyebrows, Bushy eyebrows, Arched eyebrows, Straight eyebrows
Shape: Full, Thin, Heart-shaped, Bow-shaped, Wide, Small
Texture: Chapped, Smooth, Cracked, Soft, Rough
Color: Pale, Pink, Red, Crimson, Brown, Purple, Nude
Expression: Smiling, Frowning, Pursed, Pouting, Curved, Neutral, Tight-lipped, Parted
Shape: Button, Roman, Hooked, Aquiline, Flat, Pointed, Wide, Narrow, Crooked, Upturned, Snub
Size: Small, Large, Average, Long, Short
Condition: Freckled, Sunburned, Smooth, Bumpy
Frame: Petite, Slim, Athletic, Muscular, Average, Stocky, Large, Lean, Stout, Bony, Broad-shouldered, Narrow-shouldered
Height: Short, Tall, Average, Petite, Giant
Posture: Upright, Slouched, Rigid, Relaxed, Graceful, Awkward, Stiff, Hunched
Size: Small, Large, Average, Delicate, Strong
Texture: Smooth, Rough, Calloused, Soft, Firm
Condition: Clean, Dirty, Manicured, Scarred, Wrinkled
Nails: Short, Long, Polished, Chipped, Clean, Dirty, Painted, Natural
Tone: Deep, High, Soft, Loud, Raspy, Melodic, Monotonous, Hoarse, Clear, Gentle
Volume: Loud, Soft, Whispery, Booming, Muted
Pace: Fast, Slow, Steady, Hasty, Measured
Expression: Cheerful, Sad, Angry, Calm, Anxious, Confident, Nervous, Excited, Bored
Updated 9th September 2024 More writing tips, review tips & writing description notes
Facial Expressions
Masking Emotions
Smiles/Smirks/Grins
Eye Contact/Eye Movements
Blushing
Voice/Tone
Body Language/Idle Movement
Thoughts/Thinking/Focusing/Distracted
Silence
Memories
Happy/Content/Comforted
Love/Romance
Sadness/Crying/Hurt
Confidence/Determination/Hopeful
Surprised/Shocked
Guilt/Regret
Disgusted/Jealous
Uncertain/Doubtful/Worried
Anger/Rage
Laughter
Confused
Speechless/Tongue Tied
Fear/Terrified
Mental Pain
Physical Pain
Tired/Drowsy/Exhausted
Eating
Drinking
Warm/Hot
Apparently a lot of people get dialogue punctuation wrong despite having an otherwise solid grasp of grammar, possibly because they’re used to writing essays rather than prose. I don’t wanna be the asshole who complains about writing errors and then doesn’t offer to help, so here are the basics summarized as simply as I could manage on my phone (“dialogue tag” just refers to phrases like “he said,” “she whispered,” “they asked”):
“For most dialogue, use a comma after the sentence and don’t capitalize the next word after the quotation mark,” she said.
“But what if you’re using a question mark rather than a period?” they asked.
“When using a dialogue tag, you never capitalize the word after the quotation mark unless it’s a proper noun!” she snapped.
“When breaking up a single sentence with a dialogue tag,” she said, “use commas.”
“This is a single sentence,” she said. “Now, this is a second stand-alone sentence, so there’s no comma after ‘she said.’”
“There’s no dialogue tag after this sentence, so end it with a period rather than a comma.” She frowned, suddenly concerned that the entire post was as unasked for as it was sanctimonious.
More medieval dyes for y'all!
more words for characterization (pt. 4)
adolescent, afresh, ancient, antiquarian, antique, big, childish, crude, doddering, elderly, fresh, full-grown/full-fledged, green, hoary, immemorial, infant/infantile, junior, late, medieval, mint, modish, new, novel, older, old-fashioned, originally, outdated/out-of-date, passé, quaint, refreshing, secondhand, stale, state-of-the-art, undeveloped, up-to-date, well-preserved, youthful
adorable, aesthetic/esthetic, artistic, beautiful, comely, crisp, dapper, decorative, desirable, dressy, exquisite, eye-catching, fancy, fetching, flawless, glorious, good-looking, graceful, grungy, hideous, homely, irresistible, natty, ornate, plain, pretty, refreshing, resplendent, seductive, spiffy, striking, stylish, ugly, unbecoming, willowy, with-it
abstract, actually, alias, apocryphal, apparently, arty, authentic, baseless, beta, bona fide, circumstantial, concrete, contrived, credible, deceptive, delusive, dreamy, ecclesiastical, empirical/empiric, enigmatic/enigmatical, ersatz, ethereal, factual, fallacious, fantastic, far-fetched, fictitious, foolproof, fraudulent, good, hard, historical, honest-to-God, illusory/illusive, imitative, indisputable, invisible, just, lifelike, made-up, magic/magical, make-believe, matter-of-fact, metaphysical, monstrous, mystic/mystical, mythical/mythological, nonexistent, openhearted, ostensibly, paranormal, physical, positive, pretended, quack, quite, realistic, right, sincerely, specious, spurious, supernatural, synthetic, tangible, true, unearthly, unnatural, unthinkable, unvarnished, unworldly, valid, veritable, wholehearted/whole-hearted, wrong
ambulatory, brisk, clumsy, fleet, fluent, frozen, gawky, graceless, immobile, indolent, itinerant, leisurely, lifeless, liquid, lithe, maladroit, migrant/migratory, motionless, moving, nomadic, oafish, passive, pendulous/pendent, portable, restless, roundabout, sedentary, slow, speedy, static, vibrant, winding
adorable, baroque, becoming, black, bold, brassy, cheap, class, classy, contemporary, country, cultural, dashing, dowdy, eat high on the hog, exquisite, featureless, flamboyant, floral, flowery, formless, futuristic, garish, gay, glamorous, gorgeous, grand, graphic, hot, improvised, informal, innovative, kinky, loud, lush, luxurious, mean, meretricious, modish, neat, new, obsolete, old-fashioned, orderly, ornamental, ostentatious, outdated/out-of-date, palatial, picturesque, plush, posh, prevalent, quaint, refined, resplendent, rustic, scruffy, sharp, simple, sleazy, smart, snazzy, spiffy, spruce, stately, state-of-the-art, stylish, swank/swanky, tacky, tasteless, tousled, two-bit, unbecoming, unworldly, up-to-date, vogue
NOTE
The above are concepts classified according to subject and usage. It not only helps writers and thinkers to organize their ideas but leads them from those very ideas to the words that can best express them.
It was, in part, created to turn an idea into a specific word. By linking together the main entries that share similar concepts, the index makes possible creative semantic connections between words in our language, stimulating thought and broadening vocabulary.
Source ⚜ Writing Basics & Refreshers ⚜ On Vocabulary
Alchemy ⚜ Antidote to Anxiety ⚜ Attachment ⚜ Autopsy
Art: Elements ⚜ Principles ⚜ Photographs ⚜ Watercolour
Children ⚜ Children's Dialogue ⚜ Childhood Bilingualism
Character Quirks ⚜ Cruise Ships ⚜ Dystopian World
Culture ⚜ Culture Shock ⚜ Ethnocentrism & Cultural Relativism
Emotions: Anger ⚜ Fear ⚜ Happiness ⚜ Sadness
Emotional Intelligence ⚜ Genius (Giftedness)
Facial Expressions ⚜ Laughter & Humour ⚜ Swearing & Taboo
Fantasy Creatures ⚜ Literary & Character Tropes
Fight Scenes Part 1 2 ⚜ Kill Adverbs
Food: Cooking Basics ⚜ Herbs & Spices ⚜ Sauces ⚜ Wine-tasting ⚜ Aphrodisiacs ⚜ List of Aphrodisiacs ⚜ Food History
Genre: Crime ⚜ Horror ⚜ Fantasy ⚜ Speculative Biology
Hate ⚜ Love ⚜ Kinds of Love ⚜ The Physiology of Love
How to Write: Food ⚜ Colours ⚜ Drunkenness
Jargon ⚜ Logical Fallacies ⚜ Memory
Magic: Magic System ⚜ 10 Uncommon ⚜ How to Choose
Moon: Part 1 2 ⚜ Related Words
Mystical Items & Objects ⚜ Talisman ⚜ Relics ⚜ Poison
Realistic Injuries ⚜ Rejection ⚜ Structural Issues ⚜ Villains
Symbolism: Colors ⚜ Food ⚜ Numbers ⚜ Storms
Thinking ⚜ Thinking Styles ⚜ Thought Distortions
Compilations: Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Worldbuilding ⚜ For Poets
all posts are queued. will update this every few weeks/months. send questions or requests here.
basics
name: meaning of name: nicknames/titles: age: gender: location: birthday: strengths + example where it's shown: weaknesses + example where it's shown: how it affects others:
emotional depth
attachment style + how it manifests in the story: physical fear: emotional/abstract fear: happy memory: sad memory: object of significance: philosophical outlook/belief: what characters are ignorant about themselves: how confident are they: goal: long-term dreams: what they're embarrassed/ashamed to tell others about: regrets: source of pride: source of misery: what they admire above all else: do they believe in fate:
personality
mbti: enneagram: big five: character archetype: star sign: who they pretend to be on the outside: who they actually are/how they feel towards the mask: mental health conditions: how it manifests for them: iq: eq: humour: reputation:
habits
bad habits: mannerisms when stressed: mannerisms when content: mannerisms when scared: mannerisms normally: verbal mannerisms/distinctive speaking style: how do they move across a room: what do they say and what remains unsaid: how they express love: hobbies:
appearance
defining features: eye shape + colour: hair texture + colour: skin texture + tone: vibe: height: build: clothing: any bodily disfigurement (scars, etc.): overall attractiveness: their opinion on their appearance: appeals to:
relationships
who they trust most: what they wish they could do for them: what's holding them back: who they hate most: what they wish they could do to them: what's holding them back: relationship with the protagonist: relationship with the antagonist: siblings: relationship with them: parents/step-parents: relationship with them: previous broken relationships: why did it break: what others expect of them: who believes in them: their mentor character/who they look up to: political/religious/other affiliations: what makes them different from every other character: non-human relationships + why: romantic "type" + why: relationship dynamics:
backstory/background
primary emotion towards their past: primary feelings while in their past: where did they grow up: defining incidents: earliest childhood memory: saddest memory: happiest memory: major accomplishments: their opinion on it: notable people in their backstory: effect on them today: trauma: what have they already lost: financial circumstance:
progression
why are they important (eg. why're they the only one able to do something?): what do they learn about themselves throughout the story: what do they learn about the world: how do they feel towards their newfound knowledge: character arc (positive, negative, neutral): how relationships change because of their actions: what mistakes do they make: what scene is their character highlighted: do they get what they want: why or why not: what happens to them after the story ends:
Describing aromas can add a whole new layer to your storytelling, immersing your readers in the atmosphere of your scenes. Here's a categorized list of different words to help you describe scents in your writing.
Crisp
Clean
Pure
Refreshing
Invigorating
Bright
Zesty
Airy
Dewy
Herbal
Minty
Oceanic
Morning breeze
Green grass
Rain-kissed
Fragrant
Sweet
Floral
Delicate
Perfumed
Lush
Blooming
Petaled
Jasmine
Rose-scented
Lavender
Hibiscus
Gardenia
Lilac
Wildflower
Juicy
Tangy
Sweet
Citrusy
Tropical
Ripe
Pungent
Tart
Berry-like
Melon-scented
Apple-blossom
Peachy
Grape-like
Banana-esque
Citrus burst
Musky
Earthy
Woody
Grounded
Rich
Smoky
Resinous
Pine-scented
Oak-like
Cedarwood
Amber
Mossy
Soil-rich
Sandalwood
Forest floor
Spiced
Warm
Cozy
Inviting
Cinnamon-like
Clove-scented
Nutmeg
Ginger
Cardamom
Coffee-infused
Chocolatey
Vanilla-sweet
Toasted
Roasted
Hearth-like
Metallic
Oily
Chemical
Synthetic
Acrid
Pungent
Foul
Musty
Smoky
Rubber-like
Diesel-scented
Gasoline
Paint-thinner
Industrial
Sharp
Herbal
Aromatic
Earthy
Leafy
Grass-like
Sage-scented
Basil-like
Thyme-infused
Rosemary
Chamomile
Green tea
Wild mint
Eucalyptus
Cinnamon-bark
Clary sage
Antique
Nostalgic
Ethereal
Enigmatic
Exotic
Haunted
Mysterious
Eerie
Poignant
Dreamlike
Surreal
Enveloping
Mesmerizing
Captivating
Transcendent
I hope this list can help you with your writing. 🌷✨
Feel free to share your favorite scent descriptions in the replies below! What scents do you love to incorporate into your stories?
Happy Writing! - Rin T.
Violence: A Writer’s Guide: This is not about writing technique. It is an introduction to the world of violence. To the parts that people don’t understand. The parts that books and movies get wrong. Not just the mechanics, but how people who live in a violent world think and feel about what they do and what they see done.
Hurting Your Characters: HURTING YOUR CHARACTERS discusses the immediate effect of trauma on the body, its physiologic response, including the types of nerve fibers and the sensations they convey, and how injuries feel to the character. This book also presents a simplified overview of the expected recovery times for the injuries discussed in young, otherwise healthy individuals.
Body Trauma: A writer’s guide to wounds and injuries. Body Trauma explains what happens to body organs and bones maimed by accident or intent and the small window of opportunity for emergency treatment. Research what happens in a hospital operating room and the personnel who initiate treatment. Use these facts to bring added realism to your stories and novels.
10 B.S. Medical Tropes that Need to Die TODAY…and What to Do Instead: Written by a paramedic and writer with a decade of experience, 10 BS Medical Tropes covers exactly that: clichéd and inaccurate tropes that not only ruin books, they have the potential to hurt real people in the real world.
Maim Your Characters: How Injuries Work in Fiction: Increase Realism. Raise the Stakes. Tell Better Stories. Maim Your Characters is the definitive guide to using wounds and injuries to their greatest effect in your story. Learn not only the six critical parts of an injury plot, but more importantly, how to make sure that the injury you’re inflicting matters.
Blood on the Page: This handy resource is a must-have guide for writers whose characters live on the edge of danger. If you like easy-to-follow tools, expert opinions from someone with firsthand knowledge, and you don’t mind a bit of fictional bodily harm, then you’ll love Samantha Keel’s invaluable handbook
forget's resource bank, writing stuff. i have no order back at main so this had to be created. you probably know me as @forget-me-maybe sometimes i reblog things that should be on main here and pls just ignore that.
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