Fantasy Guide to A Great House (19th-20th Century) - Anatomy of the House
When we think of the Victorians, the grand old Gilded Age or the Edwardians, we all think of those big mansions and manors where some of our favourite stories take place. But what did a great house look like?
All great houses are different and some, being built in different eras, may adhere to different styles. But the layout of certain rooms usually stayed somewhat the same.
The highest floors including the attic were reserved the children's rooms/nursery and the servants quarters.
The next floor would be reserved for bedrooms. On the first/ground floor, there will be the dining room, drawing room, library etc.
The basement/cellar would be where the kitchens and other food related rooms would be. Servants halls and boot rooms may also be down here too along scullery, where sometimes a maid would clean.
Boot Room: The Boot Room is where the valets, ladies maids, hallboys and sometimes footmen clean off shoes and certain items of clothing.
Kitchen: The Kitchen was usually either in the basement or the first floor of the house, connected to a garden where the house's vegetables were grown.
Butler's Pantry: A butler's pantry was where the serving items are stored. This is where the silver is cleaned, stored and counted. The butler would keep the wine log and other account books here. The butler and footmen would use this room.
Pantry: The Pantry would be connected to the kitchen. It is a room where the kitchens stock (food and beverages) would be kept.
Larder: The larder was cool area in the kitchen or a room connected to it where food is stored. Raw meat was often left here before cooking but pastry, milk, cooked meat, bread and butter can also be stored here.
Servants Hall: The Servant's Hall was where the staff ate their meals and spent their down time. They would write letters, take tea, sew and darn clothes. The servants Hall would usually have a fireplace, a large table for meals, be where the servant's cutlery and plates would be kept and where the bell board hung. (these bells were the way servants where summoned)
Wine Cellar: The wine cellar was where the wine was melt, usually in the basement. Only the butler would be permitted down there and everything would be catalogued by him too.
Butler's/Housekeeper's sitting rooms: In some houses, both the butler and the housekeeper had sitting rooms/offices downstairs. This was were they held meetings with staff, took their tea and dealt with accounts.
Scullery: The scullery was were the cleaning equipment was cleaned and stored. The scullery may even also double as a bedroom for the scullery maid.
Servery: The Servery connected to the dinning room. It was where the wine was left before the butler carried it out to be served. Some of the food would be delivered here to be carried out as well.
Servant's Sleeping Quarters: All servants excepting perhaps the kitchen maid and outside staff slept in the attics. Men and unmarried women would be kept at seperate sides of the house with the interconnecting doors locked and bolted every night by the butler and housekeeper. If the quarters were small, some servants may have to share rooms. Servants' bathrooms and washrooms would also be up there, supplied with hot water from the kitchens.
Dining room: The dining room was where the family ate their breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was also where the gentlemen took their after dinner drink before joking the ladies in the drawing room.
Drawing room: The Drawing Room was sort of a living/sitting room. It was mainly used in the evenings after dinner where the ladies would take their tea and coffee before being joined by the men. It could also be used for tea by the ladies during the day. The drawing room was seen as more of a women's room but any of the family could use it. The drawing room was a formal room but could also be used for more casual activities.
Library: The library is of course where the books are kept. The family would use this room for writing letters, reading, doing business with tenants and taking tea in the afternoons.
Bedrooms: The bedrooms would take up most of the upper floors. The unmarried women would sleep in one wing with bachelors at the furthest wing away. Married couples often had adjoining rooms with their own bedrooms in each and equipped with a boudoir or a sitting room.
Nursery: Was where the children slept, usually all together until old enough to move into bedrooms. They would be attended to be nannies and nursemaids round the clock.
Study: The study was a sort of home office where family could do paperwork, chill and write letters.
Dressing room: Dressing Rooms where usually attached to bedrooms where the family would be dressed and their clothes would be stored. The valets and ladies maids would have control of the room.
Hall: The hall was where large parties would gather for dancing or music or to be greeted before parties.
Most of these Great Houses were inherited which means, they came with a lot of other people's crap. Ornaments from anniversaries, paintings bought on holiday, furniture picked out by newly weds, all of it comes with the house. So most of the time everything seems rather cluttered.
As for Servant's Quarters, most of the furnishings may have been donated by the family as gifts. Most servants' halls would have a portrait of the sovereign or sometimes a religious figure to install a sense of morality into them.
1. Bright, azure eyes: Referring to the brilliant, vivid shade of blue reminiscent of a clear sky.
2. Deep sapphire eyes: Comparing the color to the rich, dark blue of a sapphire gemstone.
3. Clear cerulean eyes: Describing a pure, bright blue hue akin to the color of a clear cerulean sky.
4. Sparkling turquoise eyes: Likening the color to the shimmering, greenish-blue tones found in turquoise gemstones.
5. Icy blue eyes: Describing a pale, cool blue shade reminiscent of ice or winter.
6. Piercing cobalt eyes: Suggesting a striking, intense blue color akin to cobalt metal.
7. Dreamy cornflower eyes: Comparing the color to the soft, delicate shade of cornflower petals.
8. Electric blue eyes: Referring to a vibrant, intense blue hue that appears to be charged with energy.
9. Oceanic blue eyes: Describing a deep, alluring blue color reminiscent of the vastness of the ocean.
10. Steel-blue eyes: Likening the color to the cool, steely hue of metal.
11. Aquamarine eyes: Comparing the color to the soft, bluish-green tones of the gemstone aquamarine.
12. Gentle baby blue eyes: Describing a light, soft blue color similar to the eyes of a newborn.
13. Enchanting cerulean eyes: Suggesting a captivating, magical shade of blue.
14. Cool periwinkle eyes: Referring to a soft, light blue hue with a touch of lavender.
Here are the top reasons why your character could be feeling flat or unreal. What every author aims for is to make palpable realistic characters who feel like someone we could actually know.
They have no internal conflict(!)
You haven’t got a clue about their backstory.
Or about what their struggle/internal conflict is rooted in.
You write them to fit the plot, instead of letting them react the way they should in the given moment (even if this leads to a huge change in the story!).
You fail to think about their dynamics & backstory with each important character in their narrative.
You don’t give them a motivation/goal going into each scene.
There are so many factors that go into making a character feel real - and you might hear advice that this is because they don’t have an interesting personality, or a unique character voice, but honestly? These are surface-level reasons. These are not going to make or break your character.
What IS going to make them interesting is internal conflict —> a struggle which we meet them in, a story of overcoming the struggle that we get invested in, and a root cause for the struggle in the character’s backstory.
Would you like to learn more about crafting realistic character who lead the plot FOR you? 🤯
You might want to give my 6-month group coaching program a go! It's designed specifically to help overcome this issue and teach you how to plot ANY story with ease. It uses a mix of writing their classes, with group coaching sessions to work specifically on YOUR project.
Find out more through [the link here] or below!
https://www.novlr.org/the-complete-novel-coach
1. Study Vampire Legends and Lore: Immerse yourself in vampire mythology and folklore from various cultures. Familiarize yourself with popular vampire tales, historical references, and the diverse interpretations of these immortal creatures.
2. Immortality and Eternal Life: Explore the themes of immortality, longevity, and the consequences that come with eternal life. Delve into the existential questions, moral dilemmas, and emotional complexities that arise from living through the ages.
3. Supernatural Abilities and Weaknesses: Define the unique set of supernatural abilities and weaknesses your vampires possess. Consider powers such as superhuman strength, speed, heightened senses, and the need for blood as sustenance. Establish the vulnerabilities, such as sunlight, garlic, holy symbols, or wooden stakes, that can be used against them.
4. Bloodlust and Temptation: Portray the powerful and primal urge vampires have for blood. Describe the inner struggle to maintain control, resist temptation, and reconcile their predatory nature with their humanity. Explore the psychological and moral conflicts that arise from their insatiable thirst.
5. Immortal Society and Clans: Create a complex social structure and hierarchy within the vampire community. Develop vampire clans or covens, each with their own traditions, rules, and relationships. Explore the dynamics between older, more influential vampires and newly turned ones.
6. Nighttime Environments and Atmosphere: Craft a vivid portrayal of the vampire's nocturnal world. Describe the allure of moonlit nights, mysterious gothic settings, and the ethereal beauty that accompanies their existence in the shadows.
7. Vampire Origins and Transformations: Establish the origins and methods of vampiric transformation in your story. Explore the lore behind their creation, whether through a bite, a curse, or a supernatural event. Consider the physical and emotional changes that occur during the transformation process.
8. Hunting and Feeding Rituals: Delve into the rituals and methods vampires employ when hunting for blood. Describe their seductive charm, mesmerizing allure, and the art of choosing and mesmerizing their prey. Showcase the duality of violence and sensuality that accompanies their feeding.
9. Humanity and Redemption: Allow your vampire characters to grapple with their lost humanity and the possibility of redemption. Explore their desires to reconnect with their past, form meaningful relationships, or find purpose beyond their existence as predators.
10. Vampire Hunters and Threats: Introduce conflicts and adversaries that challenge your vampires' existence. Include vampire hunters, rival factions, or other supernatural creatures that pose a threat to their secrecy and survival.
Remember to infuse your writing with atmospheric descriptions, emotional depth, and explore the complexities of the vampire's existence. Let your imagination soar as you delve into the captivating world of vampires.
Different Ways to Describe Green Eyes
-> feel free to edit and adjust pronouns as you see fit.
He had eyes like the fields after a sweet summer rain.
Their eyes reminded her of the forests at night.
Her green eyes were like leaves with golden sunlight shining filtering through them.
Green eyes— usually a symbol of grace— had never held such a look of hatred.
She had eyes the same color as the bottle of poison tucked away safely in the inside pocket of her jacket.
He stared deep into her green eyes and saw forever reflected in them.
Their eyes were the same color as the moldy piece of bread he found under the couch a couple days ago.
She bit into the apple— the same color as her sour green eyes— and flashed him a wicked grin.
He stared at the green walls of his childhood bedroom, but it only made him think of [Name’s] eyes that always teased him.
Their eyes reeked of danger, the color of acid and a threat.
Her eyes were the color of the woods at twilight.
His green eyes kept a lifetime of secrets locked away behind them.
Their eyes reminded him of a cat’s: mischievous and quick to chase.
She had eyes like spring and the memory of a childhood summer.
His eyes matched the emerald ring he wore on his finger.
They had heard the saying “the grass is greener on the other side” their entire life, but after seeing her eyes? They finally thought it might have some truth to it.
Her eyes made him think of germs. It wasn’t the most colorful of metaphors, but he thought it went well with the way it made him feel. Sick.
His eyes were as green as the potions that lined the shelves in their glass bottles.
Almoners: ensured the poor received alms.
Atilliator: skilled castle worker who made crossbows.
Baliff: in charge of allotting jobs to the peasants, building repair, and repair of tools used by the peasants.
Barber: someone who cut hair. Also served as dentists, surgeons and blood-letters.
Blacksmith: forged and sharpened tools and weapons, beat out dents in armor, made hinges for doors, and window grills. Also referred to as Smiths.
Bottler: in charge of the buttery or bottlery.
Butler: cared for the cellar and was in charge of large butts and little butts (bottles) of wine and beer. Under him a staff of people might consist of brewers, tapsters, cellarers, dispensers, cupbearers and dapifer.
Carder: someone who brushed cloth during its manufacture.
Carpenter: built flooring, roofing, siege engines, furniture, panelling for rooms, and scaffoling for building.
Carters: workmen who brought wood and stone to the site of a castle under construction.
Castellan: resident owner or person in charge of a castle (custodian).
Chamberlain: responsible for the great chamber and for the personal finances of the castellan.
Chaplain: provided spirtual welfare for laborers and the castle garrison. The duties might also include supervising building operations, clerk, and keeping accounts. He also tended to the chapel.
Clerk: a person who checked material costs, wages, and kept accounts.
Constable: a person who took care (the governor or warden) of a castle in the absence of the owner. This was sometimes bestowed upon a great baron as an honor and some royal castles had hereditary constables.
Cook: roasted, broiled, and baked food in the fireplaces and ovens.
Cottars: the lowest of the peasantry. Worked as swine-herds, prison guards, and did odd jobs.
Ditcher: worker who dug moats, vaults, foundations and mines.
Dyer: someone who dyed cloth in huge heated vats during its manufacture.
Ewerer: worker who brought and heated water for the nobles.
Falconer: highly skilled expert responsible for the care and training of hawks for the sport of falconry.
Fuller: worker who shrinks & thickens cloth fibers through wetting & beating the material.
Glaziers: a person who cut and shaped glass.
Gong Farmer: a latrine pit emptier.
Hayward: someone who tended the hedges.
Herald: knights assistant and an expert advisor on heraldry.
Keeper of the Wardrobe: in charge of the tailors and laundress.
Knight: a professional soldier. This was achieved only after long and arduous training which began in infancy.
Laird: minor baron or small landlord.
Marshal: officer in charge of a household’s horses, carts, wagons, and containers. His staff included farriers, grooms, carters, smiths and clerks. He also oversaw the transporting of goods.
Master Mason: responsible for the designing and overseeing the building of a structure.
Messengers: servants of the lord who carried receipts, letters, and commodities.
Miner: skilled professional who dug tunnels for the purpose of undermining a castle.
Minstrels: part of of the castle staff who provided entertainment in the form of singing and playing musical instruments.
Porter: took care of the doors (janitor), particularly the main entrance. Responsible for the guardrooms. The person also insured that no one entered or left the castle withour permission. Also known as the door-ward.
Reeve: supervised the work on lord’s property. He checked that everyone began and stopped work on time, and insured nothing was stolen. Senior officer of a borough.
Sapper: an unskilled person who dug a mine or approach tunnel.
Scullions: responsible for washing and cleaning in the kitchen.
Shearmen: a person who trimmed the cloth during its manufacture.
Shoemaker: a craftsman who made shoes. Known also as Cordwainers.
Spinster: a name given to a woman who earned her living spinning yarn. Later this was expanded and any unmarried woman was called a spinster.
Steward: took care of the estate and domestic administration. Supervised the household and events in the great hall. Also referred to as a Seneschal.
Squire: attained at the age of 14 while training as a knight. He would be assigned to a knight to carry and care for the weapons and horse.
Watchmen: an official at the castle responsible for security. Assited by lookouts (the garrison).
Weaver: someone who cleaned and compacted cloth, in association with the Walker and Fuller.
Woodworkers: tradesmen called Board-hewers who worked in the forest, producing joists and beams.
Other medieval jobs included:
tanners, soap makers, cask makers, cloth makers, candle makers (chandlers), gold and silver smiths, laundresses, bakers, grooms, pages, huntsmen, doctors, painters, plasterers, and painters, potters, brick and tile makers, glass makers, shipwrights, sailors, butchers, fishmongers, farmers, herdsmen, millers, the clergy, parish priests, members of the monastic orders, innkeepers, roadmenders, woodwards (for the forests). slingers. Other Domestic jobs inside the castle or manor:
Personal atendants- ladies-in-waiting, chamber maids, doctor.
The myriad of people involved in the preparation and serving of meals- brewers, poulterer, fruiterers, slaughterers, dispensers, cooks and the cupbearers.
By Lise Hull READ MORE
Sometimes, despite enjoying writing so much, something is not working for you. Maybe your well of ideas has run dry. Or your WIP has hit a corner and you can't find your way out to the end of the story. Or you need to go back to your finished draft and see if there are any kinks to clear up.
Fortunately, everyone at Writeblrcafé has experienced such, and to help you out, we have a bunch of links to helpful posts by fellow writers to help you along on your writing journey as well as some helpful links to other websites, resources and software.
WHY IS WRITING IS SO FUCKING HARD? (@writers-hq)
Writer Block First Aid Kit (@isabellestone)
Websites for writers (masterpost @2soulscollide)
Writing advice (masterpost @theliteraryarchitect)
Writing resources (masterpost @stinastar)
One look thesaurus (a reverse dictionary where you can enter words or concepts)
97 Character Motivations (@theplottery)
Character Flaws (@fantasyfillsmysoul)
Character Profile (@mistblossomdesigns)
Characters Unflawed (@emptymanuscript)
Why Theme is More Important than Plot (@theplottery)
Weekly writing prompts on Reedsy
3 of the worst story beginnings (and how to fix them) (@theplottery)
Cheat Sheet for Writing Emotion (@myhoniahaka)
Creative Writing for Writers (@writerscreed)
Describing Physical Things (@wordsnstuff)
How to Craft a Natural Plot (@theplottery)
How to Write a Story? (masterpost @creativepromptsforwriting)
How to write: ethnicity & skin colour (@youneedsomeprompts)
What the F is Show Not Tell (@theplottery)
Writing advice from my uni teachers (@thewritingumbrellas)
First Draft: story outlining template meant to help with planning your next big writing project (@fauxriot)
The wonder/ discovery arc (@evelynmlewis)
How to structure a chapter (@theplottery)
How to pace your storytelling (@charlesoberonn)
How to write and research mental illness (@hayatheauthor)
Seven Blogs You Need To Read As An Author (@hayatheauthor)
Eight steps in making the editing process of your book easier (@joaneunknown)
Kill Your Darlings (@tibodine)
Self editing tips (first pass) (@projecttreehouse)
Chill Subs: biggest database for literary magazines and small presses; track your submissions and get your writing published!
5 steps to get your novel ready to self-publish (by @nanowrimo)
Resources for finishing and publishing your novel (masterpost by @nanowrimo)
For self-publishing: this page gives you the exact pixel count of a book spine based on its page count, and/or a template you can use for the correct width/height ratio.
Scrivener: one time payment of $60 or 70€ (macOS/windows), $24 (iOS; no Euro listed for iOS); used by professionals, many tools to write and organize your novel
Bibisco: free and "pay what you want" version; multilingual, world building, character profiles, writing goals, story timeline, mind maps, notes and more templates to write a novel.
Manuskript: free open source-tool; outliner, novel assistant, distraction-free mode
Ghostwriter: a free and open alternative which has a decent interface with some interesting features, like Hemingway Mode, which disables one's backspace and delete keys, emulating a typewriter.
NaNoWriMo: an international contest to encourage writers to finish writing their novel with many events, groups for exchange with fellow writers, helpful writing advice and help for self-publishing and publishing traditionally.
Campfire Writing: website, desktop app, and mobile app, with tools built in to help manage characters, magic systems, research, etc. It has a great free option, plus monthly, annual, and lifetime purchase options. It also has built-in NaNoWriMo compatibility and a catalogue of tutorials and writing advice videos (suggestion by @harfblarf)
Websites And Writing Apps Every Author Needs In 2023 (@hayatheauthor)
Support our work by buying a cup of coffee on KoFi.
1. Smiling: The character's lips curl upwards at the corners, indicating happiness, friendliness, or amusement.
2. Frowning: The character's lips turn downwards, indicating sadness, displeasure, or concern.
3. Pouting: The character pushes their lower lip forward, often conveying disappointment, sulking, or a desire for attention.
4. Biting lip: The character lightly bites or presses their lips together, suggesting nervousness, anticipation, or hesitation.
5. Licking lips: The character's tongue briefly touches or moves across their lips, indicating desire, anticipation, or hunger.
6. Pressing lips together: The character's lips are firmly pressed together, indicating determination, frustration, or holding back emotions.
7. Parting lips: The character's lips slightly separate, often indicating surprise, shock, or readiness to speak.
8. Trembling lips: The character's lips quiver or shake, suggesting fear, anxiety, or suppressed emotions.
9. Whispering: The character's lips move closer together, and their voice becomes softer, indicating secrecy, confidentiality, or intimacy.
10. Mouthing words: The character moves their lips without making any sound, often used to convey silent communication or frustration.
hello! can you make some marriage of convenience prompts?
One of my favorite tropes :) hope you enjoy!
By @me-writes-prompts
"This is only, and only for the business deal. No more, no less."
"You know I'll never love you, right? I'm doing this just so my parents don't disown me."
Person A and Person B have always been enemies, so what's with their parents being friends and forcing them to get married?
Getting married to settle political matters.
They're both celebrities and people want to see them as a couple off-screen too. There is money involved with popularity, so why not? Until it becomes not about the money but the damn feelings. (Ok, this is very specific, but go with it)
"I never even dreamed that I'd marry you, of all people." "Me neither, but here we are."
Holding hands and kissing in front of their friends and family, but slowly, it's becoming more genuine and there are feelings being poured into it.
Getting protective over the other without meaning to.
Starting to feel *butterflies* when they get too close to each other.
"Omg, they thought we were a couple." "Because we are, we're literally married." "We are not a couple." "Yet." (Ikykwk;)
Big no-no’s for story openers!
Now, don’t get me wrong - every type of story beginning can come out really well if you write it well, a skilled writer can make your typical wake-up-morning-routine-with-the-hero sound super interesting, but 9 times out of 10, this is not the case.
Especially if you are JUST starting out on your writing journey, I’d highly recommend to test out an unexpected opener for your story instead. Think of what makes your hero different, and HOW their normal is different than someone else’s.
Your protagonist wakes up to their alarm, tries to turn it off and drops the clock or breaks it. They get up and get ready for their day, typically while describing themselves in the mirror and telling us about their daily routine. Yawn. Pun intended.
✔️ The fix: If you’re going to start with a character’s wake-up routine, show us why it’s interesting. What’s different about their routine that could take your readers off-guard? Do they get up in the middle of the night? Inside a bunker? A submarine? If their routine is just like everyone else’s, there’s no reason to show it.
As soon as we open the book, we’re thrown into some kind of important and emotional moment of your protagonist’s life that happened years ago. The problem? We aren’t familiar with the protagonist yet, so we’re not going to care what happened to them.
✔️ The fix: Save the big important flashbacks for later. If you immediately hit with the biggest punch, then what is there to work up to? If you’re starting with a flashback, make sure it’s one that paints the character’s internal conflict well and makes us root for them.
Commonly found in prologues and first chapters, when we learn all about the story world, its history, the relationships between the characters in this scene, and their backstories. Also known as a surefire way to bore your readers before they’ve even started reading.
✔️ The fix: Subtext. Train yourself to think through subtext, and trust that your readers are smart enough to pick up on it. When we start the story we don’t care about the fascinating things of your world and complex backstories. We want to get to know who the characters are, and let them slowly reveal all the puzzle pieces through the book.
Did you hear I’ve got a Youtube channel? Subscribe through [the link here] or below, and watch my latest video about Creating Complex Characters!