The Skellingcorner

foodffs

Sweet Chili Hoisin Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

Really nice recipes. Every hour.

Show me what you cooked!

salt sweet chili hoisin chicken drumsticks drumsticks chicken meat

writeworld-blog everything4writers

queenbeywritingresources.tumblr.com

No Plot, No Problem: How to Write Without A Clue Where it's Going

not-so-classicallytrainedwriter

Now, I’ve been talking a lot in the past few weeks about planning novels and I just want to remind everyone, novels don’t necessarily need to be planned! Not at all. In fact, a good number of writers hate planning. It’s completely understandable. I don’t blame…

Source: lizard-is-writing

planning plan plans no planning no plot pantsing

steven-gerrard

Taron Egerton acknowledging the greatness of Colin Firth

taron egerton colin firth kingsman kingsman: the secret service fn mine almost every interview he's done for kingsman has praise for colin its the worst

nimblesnotebook-blog

Suspense Through Teasing

While thinking about video games, as I so often do, I thought of a certain trait that some of the more suspenseful games share: teasing.

In video games, certain antagonists (often the more difficult ones) are shown to you once or several times until you actually have to fight them. This is different from foreshadowing. These teases are not hints that you’ll have to fight something or that something is coming. They are flat out warnings.

So how does this translate into writing?

More Than Once: In my experience, the games that show the antagonist more than once are better at creating suspense. The more you tease, the more the readers are going to wonder when something is finally going to happen. However, there is an art to this. Too much teasing can become repetitive and predictable.
Sensed: Sometimes you can see the antagonists but they can’t see you, sometimes you can see their shadow but not them, sometimes you can hear them and not see them, and sometimes you can see each other, but something is separating you. Use your character’s senses to your advantage.
Not Quite Yet: Sometimes you’ll finally get a chance to fight an antagonist, only to have this antagonist run away in the middle of the fight and then show up a few more times in teasers to keep you on edge. Your characters can have more than one fight (not strictly physical) and they can be used to show that something bigger will come.
Unexpected: When it’s finally time to fight the antagonist, some games make it look like a teaser, which catches the play off guard. Do this with your audience. Make threats look like teasers only to make them real. Give the readers a little bit of hope and then abruptly take it away.
We’re Going That Way: Don’t forget to describe what your characters can see from afar. Tease something that is upcoming. Let them see shadows, smoke, flames, running water, and more coming from wherever they have to go. Let them see an antagonist in the window of a mansion they need to explore soon. The reader won’t know when that antagonist will next show up, but they’ll know it’s in the house.

writing advice suspense tension

asatru-ingwaz

Female names from the Viking Age

Astrid: beautiful, loved
Bodil: penance and fight
Frida: peace
Gertrud: spear
Gro: to grow
Estrid: god and beautiful
Hilda: the fighter
Gudrun: god and rune
Gunhild: fight
Helga: sacred
Inga: of the god Inge
Liv: of life
Randi: shield or shrine
Signe: the one who is victorious
Sigrid: victorious horsewoman
Revna: raven
Sif: wife and bride
Tora: of the god Thor
Tove: dove
Thyra: helpful
Thurid: Thor and beautiful
Yrsa: wild or she bear
Ulfhild: wolf or battle
Åse: goddess

National Museum of Denmark norsepower viking heathen ancient times pagan

foodffs

Skillet Lasagna

Really nice recipes. Every hour.

salt skillet lasagna skillet lasagna

writer-rachelina

Things There Should be More of in Young Adult Fiction (imho)

1. Catholic characters who aren’t the bad guy/don’t need to be taught a lesson about tolerance.

2. Genuinely cheerful, happy, and well-adjusted characters.

3. Twins who aren’t exactly alike/‘as opposite as night and day.’

4. Big families!

5. Homeschoolers who aren’t total social rejects.

6. Native American/First Nation/Australian Aboriginals in modern day fiction.

7. Sibling platonic love conquering all.

8. The Amish. (Because seriously, what becomes of them in apocalyptic/post apocalyptic/dystopian futures?)

9. Eugenics as the evil doctrine. (Which is the 'science’/viewpoint that certain folks are less desirable than others, such as racial/ethnic minorities and disabled folks, and should be eliminated from the gene pool.)

10. People who turn into animals other than wolves.

11. Bratty younger siblings that turn out to have a good side.

12. Good reasons for odd hair colors.

13. Overweight characters who have goals/problems other than eating/overeating.

14. Mixed race characters that aren’t exotified.

15. Realistic computer searches.

writing personal opinion just a few off the top of my head :)

bellgriffins

au ideas

they captured you and put me in your room because i can suppress other people’s powers so you hate me but i’m lonely and bored and want to talk to you AU
esteemed rival chefs find each other shamefully buying ramen at 3 in the morning AU
i know it’s the apocalypse but please can we keep this stray dog AU
i’m posing naked in your art class please stop giggling what are you giggling at AU
we’re at a murder mystery party and i’m convinced you’re the killer AU
i’ve never actually talked to you but i had a dream we were in a relationship and now i have a crush on you AU
you thought i was the leader and you’re treating me like royalty and i’m just going to go with it AU
your grandma is really forward even though i swear we’re just friends AU
we’ve been dating for a while and i finally showed you my pet snake and you look sick do you need to lie down AU

AUs AU ideas please if someone writes one of these i would love them

its-a-writer-thing thewritershelpers

What To Do When You Hate Your Characters

fictionwritingtips

I get a lot of questions from writers who are worried about disliking their own characters. Usually there’s a problem with their main character or the whole thing didn’t turn out the way they wanted. Hating your own characters is not a good sign and will probably not help you write the best novel possible.

Here are a few ways to like your characters again:

Think about the story from their perspective

If you hate your character, you might not fully understand them. Try to figure out their mindset or take a walk in their shoes. A hated character might just be a misunderstood character. If your intention isn’t for them to be hated by your readers, maybe try to explain what they’re going through.

Revisit why you wanted to write that character in the first place

There’s a reason why you wanted to tell their specific character’s story. Figure out what you wanted to say and how you wanted to say it through that character. What did you find enticing about that character in the first place?

Consider your character’s motivation

One of the best ways to get a character back on track is to analyze what they want. What’s their purpose in the story? What do they need? What’s pushing them forward in your novel. Understanding a character’s motivation is so important when writing a story. Remember, readers want to be able to relate to a character emotionally.

Pinpoint what exactly you don’t like about them

If there’s something bugging you about a character, you can always change it. First you need to pinpoint what it is. A main character can have flaws, but they should grow and change in some way over the course of your novel. Readers relate to flawed characters, but it can be hard to like a protagonist that has no good in them. Figure out the difference!

Determine if that character is necessary to the story

If you really hate a character and don’t see their value in the story, don’t be afraid to cut them out. Is your character necessary? Do they add anything to the plot? If no, cut them loose! Don’t stick with a story you hate.

-Kris Noel

characters hating characters motivation character development