one of the most heartbreaking parts of this story is this quote from one of the students:
“It’s been happening everywhere,” Paige said. “I always felt like eventually it would happen here. I wasn’t surprised, I was just scared.”
I wasn’t surprised, I was just scared.
Wow, I can personally relate to just about every single example. I am so happy to know I am not alone.
• *someone says something* “what?” *repeats themselves* “sorry?” *repeats themselves again* “pardon?”
•"hey, y'see the red thing at the top of the shelf, will you get it?“ “Sorry, what?” “On the sh-” “oh yeah sure, I’ll get it.”
•*doesn’t hear teacher because someone’s pen is making a scratchy sound at the back of the room*
•*replays video 10 ten times to figure out what they’re saying*
•teachers asking, “why do you always stop writing in the middle of a sentence, just write down whatever I’m saying,” followed by the response, “I’m just processing it,” rebuked by, “we’ll stop processing it and just write.”
•*gets really focused on staring out the window and goes through four songs without hearing a single on*
Like the last one of these I did, this is a long list of resources for writers to use. Use them wisely:)
Find The First One Here
*** = Separate List Of Resources Pertaining To That Specific Subject
Ways To Unstick A Stuck Story
10 Outlining Methods For Writers
Things To Do When You Can’t Seem To Write
Ambient Sounds For Writers Masterpost
ZenPen
The Most Dangerous Writing App
Evernote
Writer, the Internet Typewriter
Wordcounter
Writing Types Of Characters *** Making An OC ***
Character With Social Anxiety
Female Characters To Avoid
Writing Healthy Relationships
List of 300 Possible Secrets To Give Your Character
Myths, Creatures, And Folklore
Helpful Things For Action Writers To Remember
Writing The Opening Scene
Fictional Kisses
Master List of Writer’s Questions Answered’s Posts
Writing Advice Masterlist
The Little Details
How bodies decompose
Wilderness survival skills
Mob mentality
Other cultures
What it takes for a human to die in a given situation
Common tropes for your genre
Average weather for your setting
Free Online Sources For Research
Japanese creatures
greek creatures
creatures organised by type
creatures listed by letter
humanoid creatures
filipino creatures
chinese creatures
cryptids
‘fearsome critters’
angels
beings referred to as fairies
creatures that pretend to be human
a page on therianthropic creatures
shapeshifters
hybrid creatures
extraterrestrial creatures
deities
a page of mythology page links
a section of folklore page links
flying creatures
theological demons
fictional species lists
mythology related lists
legendary creature related lists
Writing Emotional Scenes
Creating Story Structure
What You Need To Hear Before You Publish A Book
Words to Describe Someone’s Voice
An Article About Describing Voice
Voice Types
Vocal Qualities
Panix.com Character Chart
Vocal Impressions
Speech Patterns
Gender and Speech Patterns
Speech Accent Archive
Speech Impediment
What Makes A Man’s/Woman’s Voice Sexy
Synonyms-Antonyms.com
TheCaveOnline
550 Alternative Words for Said
Subplots
7 Ways to Add Great Subplots to your Novels
The 7 Shoulds of Writing a Subplot
Who Needs Subplots?
Subplots
Knowing Your terms: Subplots
Weave Subplots into your Novel
Understanding the Role of Subplots
Plot, Plot Layers, and Subplots
Plot and Subplot
Subplots - Chicken Soup for your Novel
How Many Subplots are Acceptable?
Subplots by Word Count
Too Many Subplots?
Appearance Generator
Archetypes Generator
Character Generator
Character Traits Generator
Family Generator
Job/Occupation Generator, (II)
Love Interest Generator
Motive Generator
Name Generator
Personality Generator, (II)
Quick Character Generator
Super Powers Generator
First Encounter Generator
First Line Generator, (II)
Plot Generator, (II), (III)
Plot Device Generator
Plot Twist Generator
Quick Plot Generator
Brand Name Generator
Medicine Title Generator
Name Generator
Quick Name Generator
Vehicle Generator
Town Name Generator
City Generator
Fantasy Race Generator
Laws Generator
Pet Generator
Setting Generator
Species Generator
Terrain Generator
Subject Generator
”Take Three Nouns” Generator
Word Prompt Generator
Color Generator
Decision Generator
Dialogue Generator
Journey Generator
Title Generator, (II), (III)
– Here are some ways you can develop your characters (in little ways as well as big ones) without info dumping on your reader. This includes detailing their backstory, revealing their values and motivations, their strengths, weaknesses, relationships with other characters, and growth throughout your story. I hope this helps those of you who have expressed having trouble with this, as I have as well and creating this guide for myself and you will be very useful for all of us, I hope. Happy writing!
First of all, only include events from a character’s past that has shaped them and will enlighten the reader on the current situation. Once you decide that this particular event is important enough to include, show it instead of tell it. Elude to backstory instead of literally plucking it out of the past and placing it in the reader’s lap.
Instead of telling the reader that your character was in an abusive relationship, show them the aftermath where your character now has their abuser’s rules engraved into their routines and the scars, physical and metaphorical, that the character has from that experience. Yes, there will be instances where you will have to come out and say it, but do it once and lightly, then let the subtext do the rest.
Character development is meant to be shown, not told, and therefore, your character’s values, beliefs, and motivations should reveal themselves though the character’s actions. If your character thinks that harming any living creature is the worst crime anyone can commit, then show their struggle when they’re put in a situation where they must ignore their own conscience. These moments are not only pivotal in the reader’s experience with your character, but humanize your character more than any other story element. It is the moments in which we must fight our own nature that show what our nature truly is, and it’s the same with the fictional characters you’re writing about.
In a story, the conflict will do a lot to show where your character thrives and struggles, but you cannot rely solely on the main conflict. Maybe your character is incredibly smart, but not physically strong, and is put in a situation where they must rely on an area they’re weak in and must struggle in front of the reader. It’s the same with strengths. Your character should have moments of glorious triumph phenomenal failure throughout your story. This makes them more alive, and therefore more relatable, which is important in any story.
Relationships with characters should be shown through the manner in which they communicate and interact in your story. If they don’t like each other, there will most likely be some tension when they’re forced to work together and rely on one another. If they love each other, they’ll show it through affectionate gestures and sometimes their words.
The beginning and ending of your story doesn’t have to be a miraculous before and after, but your character should go through some sort of a personal evolution between the start and finish line. Whether that be in their self-concept, their relationship with someone else, or their views on something, they should transform, at least a little. This is just a characteristic of a rounded character, and that’s what you want.
Show their development in ways such as putting them in a similar situation they’ve been in before and have them react in a way that highlights the change that has occurred. Show them realizing themselves that they have changed and now see through a different lens. Show them interacting differently as time progresses and imparting new words of wisdom, whether they’re correct or completely misguided.
If you enjoy my blog and wish for it to continue being updated frequently and for me to continue putting my energy toward answering your questions, please consider Buying Me A Coffee.
Request Resources, Tips, Playlists, or Prompt Lists
Instagram // Twitter //Facebook //#wordsnstuff
FAQ //monthly writing challenges // Masterlist
Indeed it is. However I believe it would be worth it to take the time to catch up. It is a pretty fun story.
Sent by anonymous
POST/CONFESSIONS DO NOT REFLECT THE MOD’S PERSONAL OPINIONS!
Whoa! whoa! I would never! Jbzxls is too cool! 😂
Pssst, since you're a writer, watch out for Sofia 🙄.
Fortunately I know I wouldn’t taste good :D
I wanna know haha😂😂
writing tip: don’t tell us your character’s backstory. don’t tell us what your character is thinking. don’t tell us what your character is doing. don’t tell us anything. the reader should simply look at a blank page and be suddenly overcome with emotion.
Literally no one who follows me is going to know what this means, but HBomberguy, a Youtuber known for Video Essays about pop culture and gaming made a promise that he would live stream himself playing Donkey Kong 64, in its entirety (including picking up every single banana) and all money would go to a UK charity for trans youth (Mermaids) and his initial goal was $3,000 and now it’s been 26 hours into the stream and he’s already over $51k. I just need people to know about this https://m.twitch.tv/hbomberguy
Sofia. She/her. Writer, thinker, listener, trans woman, and supporter of the Oxford Comma.
172 posts