The Skellingcorner (Posts tagged Writing)

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fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment

Anonymous asked:

So I'm having trouble writing an antagonist. I want him to suffer from a trauma when he's a kid so it would justify his actions (since I want him to be forgiven by the protagonists) but I can't find a backstory good enough for him. Any help?

fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment answered:

I would like to draw your attention, first of all, to this post here. A traumatic or tragic past really shouldn’t serve to justify the actions of an antagonist or otherwise morally-divergent character. All that information can really do is allow the reader/main character(s) to understand why this character has acted in such a way. It doesn’t make their actions okay though… 

As for coming up with backstories, the only thing I can suggest - as I suggest often - is to question your story. If you’re creating an antagonist, then I assume you have a world and story setting already. You probably have an protagonist, as well as other characters.

It’s a common misconception that a ‘story’ is made up of events or happenings (that would be plot). In truth, a story is created by a character and their actions, aka, the things they choose to do. You will be able to construct your antagonist’s backstory once you begin to look at how they are linked to the other characters you have in your cast, and look at what decisions that 1) these other characters have made, versus, 2) the decisions your antagonist has made, to get them all to where they are at the beginning of the story.

Your antagonist has to have a good reason for opposing the protagonist. It can’t just be, ‘because I need someone to oppose the protagonist’. In what way are these two involved, and what has occurred between them to pit them against each other in such a way?

If they haven’t met yet, or only meet during or at the beginning of the story, in what way does each one’s past make an impression on their future to put them at odds. By this I mean… is it political beliefs that divide them? Cultural experiences? Classism? Race? What bigger picture exists around them to make them against one another?

A person’s background is complicated after all. It is just the same for your characters. And it doesn’t have to be ‘tragic’ or ‘traumatic’ for a character’s antagonistic actions to be ‘understandable’.

Look at a character like Loki, for example, in the Marvel movies. Up until he learnt of his true origin, he was raised in a loving, caring environment. His adoptive mother especially loved him as much as she loved Thor, and Odin didn’t have to bring Loki in. There was a genuine affection there; Loki wasn’t emotionally or physically abused, he wasn’t isolated from everyone, and his parents didn’t a make a point of how ‘different’ he was to Thor in any obvious way.

It was Loki himself who took his origin to be a reason why his parents hadn’t pushed him to lead, etc. Because he couldn’t see his own flaws, he put it on them, to make it look like it was their fault, and that they were leaving him out in some way. As viewers though, we can understand why he might come to that conclusion. We can see how a younger Loki might have looked at his brother and his family, and felt isolated or different, even if they weren’t the ones to encourage those feelings in him.

So don’t restrict yourself to the ‘tragic’ antagonist’s backstory if you don’t feel like there’s any reason for one.

Anyway… since this is a question seen often around the writing tumblr community, I’ll point you in the direction of more detailed resources:

Resources

Otherwise, best of luck, Anon! I hope this helps.

- enlee

Writing
its-a-writer-thing

Why Good Characters Aren’t Always Good

fictionwritingtips

There’s a difference between writing a strong character and writing a morally strong character. There’s a difference between writing a good character and writing a character that sometimes does the wrong thing. It’s very rare that you will go through your life without upsetting people or choosing to do the wrong thing, so why should we expect our characters to? When we put restrictions on characters and what they should and shouldn’t be teaching readers, we end up with poorly developed and unrealistic characters.

Here are few things to remember when building your characters:

Your protagonist won’t always do the right thing.

Great character development is when your character grows in some way throughout the novel. It’s very important to remember that great character development for your protagonist DOES NOT mean that they will turn out perfect and wonderful in the end. Maybe they will learn to be more selfish. Maybe they will learn that doing the right thing all the time has only brought them misery. Maybe they will become hardened in some way. The protagonist does not only represent good things about human nature. They do not have to have perfect morals to be the protagonist. They also do not have to be a hero or role model. The protagonist is simply the main character of your story, the one we are told to focus on. They have the potential to represent all aspects of human nature, not just a “good” and “moral” perspective.

Characters that do “bad things” are not always brought to justice in the end.

The antagonist will not always pay for their actions at the end of the novel. This isn’t an injustice or something the writer screwed up. Not everyone who does awful things in this world will have to pay for it. It’s important that you tell your story how you want to tell it because it’s not your job to preach to your readers about good vs. evil. Sure, readers will hate it if there are no consequences for your characters’ actions, but not every character needs to be systematically punished for bad deeds. Maybe the antagonist learns something in the end, maybe they’re captured, maybe they get away, or maybe they work with the protagonist. This is really all up to you and the story you want to tell.

We do not have to preach to our readers through our characters.

Writing a novel never has to be about teaching your readers a lesson.  If you’re writing a novel about good vs. evil, good doesn’t always have to triumph in the end. If a writer decides to end their novel in a negative way, that doesn’t mean they believe the antagonist was right, that’s just how they felt the story should go. On the other hand, if you want to teach a lesson or talk about an issue—do it. It does not have to be your main focus, however.

Our characters really don’t owe our readers anything, except to be themselves.

Characters aren’t supposed to act a certain way or learn certain lessons to satisfy readers. IT’S IMPORTANT THAT YOUR CHARACTER’S ACTIONS MAKE SENSE TO YOUR CHARACTER AND THE WORLD THEY’RE LIVING IN, but they don’t need to be something in particular to be a good character. For example, I personally believe Daenerys from Game of Thrones is a great character. She doesn’t always do the right thing. She doesn’t always know what she’s doing. She might not be a good person. But she’s a skillfully developed, interesting character that I like seeing progress. Daenerys doesn’t owe it to us to be anything but herself, flaws and all. She’s not good and she’s not evil.  She doesn’t have perfect morals, but as we learned from Game of Thrones, that doesn’t really matter. The books don’t really make a statement on who’s right and who’s wrong—the author leaves that up to us.

This isn’t to say that the choices you make as a writer don’t have any consequences. You still need to do your research and be responsible for the choices you make. The choices of your characters might still reflect on your choices as a writer. You can’t get away with saying offensive things or excluding diverse characters by explaining that “this is just how my character is!”  I’m just saying that your characters don’t need to fall into a certain category to be a good character.

-Kris Noel

Writing
its-a-writer-thing
naity-sama

Some words to use when writing things:

  • winking
  • clenching
  • pulsing
  • fluttering
  • contracting
  • twitching
  • sucking
  • quivering
  • pulsating
  • throbbing
  • beating
  • thumping
  • thudding
  • pounding
  • humming
  • palpitate
  • vibrate
  • grinding
  • crushing
  • hammering
  • lashing
  • knocking
  • driving
  • thrusting
  • pushing
  • force
  • injecting
  • filling
  • dilate
  • stretching
  • lingering
  • expanding
  • bouncing
  • reaming
  • elongate
  • enlarge
  • unfolding
  • yielding
  • sternly
  • firmly
  • tightly 
  • harshly
  • thoroughly
  • consistently
  • precision
  • accuracy
  • carefully
  • demanding
  • strictly
  • restriction
  • meticulously
  • scrupulously
  • rigorously
  • rim
  • edge
  • lip
  • circle
  • band
  • encircling
  • enclosing
  • surrounding
  • piercing
  • curl
  • lock
  • twist
  • coil
  • spiral
  • whorl
  • dip
  • wet
  • soak
  • madly
  • wildly
  • noisily
  • rowdily
  • rambunctiously
  • decadent
  • degenerate
  • immoral
  • indulgent
  • accept
  • take
  • invite
  • nook
  • indentation
  • niche
  • depression
  • indent
  • depress
  • delay
  • tossing
  • writhing
  • flailing
  • squirming
  • rolling
  • wriggling
  • wiggling
  • thrashing
  • struggling
  • grappling
  • striving
  • straining
littlestsecret

Appetite - 

craving, demand, gluttony, greed, hunger, inclination, insatiable, longing, lust, passion, ravenousness, relish, taste, thirst, urge, voracity, weakness, willingness, yearning, ardor, dedication, desire, devotion, enthusiasm, excitement, fervor, horny, intensity, keenness, wholeheartedness, zeal


Arouse - 

agitate, awaken, electrify, enliven, excite, entice, foment, goad, incite, inflame, instigate, kindle, provoke, rally, rouse, spark, stimulate, stir, thrill, waken, warm, whet, attract, charm, coax, fire up, fuel, heat up, lure, produce, stir up, tantalize, tease, tempt, thrum, torment, wind up, work up


Assault - 

attack, advancing, aggressive, assailing, charging, incursion, inundated, invasion, offensive, onset, onslaught, overwhelmed, ruinous, tempestuous, strike, violation, ambush, assail, barrage, bombard, bombardment, crackdown, wound

Beautiful - 

admirable, alluring, angelic, appealing, bewitching, charming, dazzling, delicate, delightful, divine, elegant, enticing, exquisite, fascinating, gorgeous, graceful, grand, magnificent, marvelous, pleasing, radiant, ravishing, resplendent, splendid, stunning, sublime, attractive, beguiling, captivating, enchanting, engaging, enthralling, eye-catching, fetching, fine, fine-looking, good-looking, handsome, inviting, lovely, mesmeric, mesmerizing, pretty, rakish, refined, striking, tantalizing, tempting

Brutal - 

atrocious, barbarous, bloodthirsty, callous, cruel, feral, ferocious, hard, harsh, heartless, inhuman, merciless, murderous, pitiless, remorseless, rough, rude, ruthless, savage, severe, terrible, unmerciful, vicious, bestial, brute, brutish, cold-blooded, fierce, gory, nasty, rancorous, sadistic, uncompromising, unfeeling, unforgiving, unpitying, violent, wild

Burly –

able-bodied, athletic, beefy, big, brawny, broad-shouldered, bulky, dense, enormous, great, hard, hardy, hearty, heavily built, heavy, hefty, huge, husky, immense, large, massive, muscular, mighty, outsized, oversized, powerful, powerfully built, prodigious, robust, solid, stalwart, stocky, stout, strapping, strong, strongly built, sturdy, thick, thickset, tough, well-built, well-developed

Carnal - 

animalistic, bodily, impure, lascivious, lecherous, lewd, libidinous, licentious, lustful, physical, prurient, salacious, sensuous, voluptuous, vulgar, wanton, , coarse, crude, dirty, raunchy, rough, unclean

Dangerous - 

alarming, critical, fatal, formidable, impending, malignant, menacing, mortal, nasty, perilous, precarious, pressing, serious, terrible, threatening, treacherous, urgent, vulnerable, wicked, acute, damaging, deadly, death-defying, deathly, destructive, detrimental, explosive, grave, harmful, hazardous, injurious, lethal, life-threatening, noxious, poisonous, risky, severe, terrifying, toxic, unsafe, unstable, venomous

Dark - 

atrocious, corrupt, forbidding, foul, infernal, midnight, morbid, ominous, sinful, sinister, somber, threatening, twilight, vile, wicked, abject, alarming, appalling, baleful, bizarre, bleak, bloodcurdling, boding evil, chilling, cold, condemned, creepy, damned, daunting, demented, desolate, dire, dismal, disturbing, doomed, dour, dread, dreary, dusk, eerie, fear, fearsome, frightening, ghastly, ghostly, ghoulish, gloom, gloomy, grave, grim, grisly, gruesome, hair-raising, haunted, hideous, hopeless, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrific, horrifying, horror, ill-fated, ill-omened, ill-starred, inauspicious, inhospitable, looming, lost, macabre, malice, malignant, menacing, murky, mysterious, night, panic, pessimistic, petrifying, scary, shadows, shadowy, shade, shady, shocking, soul-destroying, sour, spine-chilling, spine-tingling, strange, terrifying, uncanny, unearthly, unlucky, unnatural, unnerving, weird, wretched

Delicious -

enticing, exquisite, luscious, lush, rich, savory, sweet, tasty, tempting, appetizing, delectable, flavorsome, full of flavor, juicy, lip-smacking, mouth-watering, piquant, relish, ripe, salty, spicy, scrummy, scrumptious, succulent, tangy, tart, tasty, yummy, zesty

Ecstasy - 

delectation, delirium, elation, euphoria, fervor, frenzy, joy, rapture, transport, bliss, excitement, happiness, heaven, high, paradise, rhapsody, thrill, blissful, delighted, elated, extremely happy, in raptures (of delight), in seventh heaven, jubilant, on cloud nine, overexcited, overjoyed, rapturous, thrilled

Ecstatic - 

delirious, enraptured, euphoric, fervent, frenzied, joyous, transported, wild

Erotic - 

amatory, amorous, aphrodisiac, carnal, earthy, erogenous, fervid, filthy, hot, impassioned, lascivious, lecherous, lewd, raw, romantic, rousing, salacious, seductive, sensual, sexual, spicy, steamy, stimulating, suggestive, titillating, voluptuous, tantalizing

Gasp - 

catch of breath, choke, gulp, heave, inhale, pant, puff, snort, wheeze, huff, rasp, sharp intake of air, short of breath, struggle for breath, swallow, winded 

Heated -

ardent, avid, excited, fervent, fervid, fierce, fiery, frenzied, furious, impassioned, intense, passionate, raging, scalding, scorched, stormy, tempestuous, vehement, violent, ablaze, aflame, all-consuming, blazing, blistering, burning, crazed, explosive, febrile, feverish, fired up, flaming, flushed, frantic, hot, hot-blooded, impatient, incensed, maddening, obsessed, possessed, randy, searing, sizzling, smoldering, sweltering, torrid, turbulent, volatile, worked up, zealous

Hunger - 

appetite, ache, craving, gluttony, greed, longing, lust, mania, mouth-watering, ravenous, voracious, want, yearning, thirst

Hungry - 

avid, carnivorous, covetous, craving, eager, greedy, hungered, rapacious, ravenous, starved, unsatisfied, voracious, avaricious, desirous, famished, grasping, insatiable, keen, longing, predatory, ravening, starving, thirsty, wanting

Intense - 

forceful, severe, passionate, acute, agonizing, ardent, anxious, biting, bitter, burning, close, consuming, cutting, deep, eager, earnest, excessive, exquisite, extreme, fervent, fervid, fierce, forcible, great, harsh, impassioned, keen, marked, piercing, powerful, profound, severe, sharp, strong, vehement, violent, vivid, vigorous

Liquid - 

damp, cream, creamy, dripping, ichorous, juicy, moist, luscious, melted, moist, pulpy, sappy, soaking, solvent, sopping, succulent, viscous, wet / aqueous, broth, elixir, extract, flux, juice, liquor, nectar, sap, sauce, secretion, solution, vitae, awash, moisture, boggy, dewy, drenched, drip, drop, droplet, drowning, flood, flooded, flowing, fountain, jewel, leaky, milky, overflowing, saturated, slick, slippery, soaked, sodden, soggy, stream, swamp, tear, teardrop, torrent, waterlogged, watery, weeping

Lithe -

agile, lean, pliant, slight, spare, sinewy, slender, supple, deft, fit, flexible, lanky, leggy, limber, lissom, lissome, nimble, sinuous, skinny, sleek, slender, slim, svelte, trim, thin, willowy, wiry

Moan -

beef, cry, gripe, grouse, grumble, lament, lamentation, plaint, sob, wail, whine, bemoan, bewail, carp, deplore, grieve, gripe, grouse, grumble, keen, lament, sigh, sob, wail, whine, mewl

Moving - 

(exciting,) affecting, effective  arousing, awakening, breathless, dynamic, eloquent, emotional, emotive, expressive, fecund, far-out, felt in gut, grabbed by, gripping, heartbreaking, heartrending, impelling, impressive, inspirational, meaningful, mind-bending, mind-blowing, motivating, persuasive, poignant, propelling, provoking, quickening, rallying, rousing, significant, stimulating, simulative, stirring, stunning, touching, awe-inspiring, energizing, exhilarating, fascinating, heart pounding, heart stopping, inspiring, riveting, thrilling

Need - 

compulsion, demand, desperate, devoir, extremity, impatient longing, must, urge, urgency / desire, appetite, avid, burn, craving, eagerness, fascination, greed, hunger, insatiable, longing, lust, taste, thirst, voracious, want, yearning, ache, addiction, aspiration, desire, fever, fixation, hankering, hope, impulse, inclination, infatuation, itch, obsession, passion, pining, wish, yen

Pain - 

ache, afflict, affliction, agony, agonize, anguish, bite, burn, chafe, distress, fever, grief, hurt, inflame, laceration, misery, pang, punish, sting, suffering, tenderness, throb, throe, torment, torture, smart

Painful - 

aching, agonizing, arduous, awful, biting, burning, caustic, dire, distressing, dreadful, excruciating, extreme, grievous, inflamed, piercing, raw, sensitive, severe, sharp, tender, terrible, throbbing, tormenting, angry, bleeding, bloody, bruised, cutting, hurting, injured, irritated, prickly, skinned, smarting, sore, stinging, unbearable, uncomfortable, upsetting, wounded

Perverted - 

aberrant, abnormal, corrupt, debased, debauched, defiling, depraved, deviant, monstrous, tainted, twisted, vicious, warped, wicked, abhorrent, base, decadent, degenerate, degrading, dirty, disgusting, dissipated, dissolute, distasteful, hedonistic, immodest, immoral, indecent, indulgent, licentious, nasty, profligate, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, shameful, shameless, sickening, sinful, smutty, sordid, unscrupulous, vile 

Pleasurable - 

charming, gratifying, luscious, satisfying, savory, agreeable, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, nice, pleasant, pleasing, soothing, succulent

Pleasure - 

bliss, delight, gluttony, gratification, relish, satisfaction, thrill, adventure, amusement, buzz, contentment, delight, desire, ecstasy, enjoyment, excitement, fun, happiness, harmony, heaven, joy, kick, liking, paradise, seventh heaven 

Rapacious- 

avaricious, ferocious, furious, greedy, predatory, ravening, ravenous, savage, voracious, aggressive, gluttonous, grasping, insatiable, marauding, plundering

Rapture - 

bliss, ecstasy, elation, exaltation, glory, gratification, passion, pleasure, floating, unbridled joy

Rigid - 

adamant, austere, definite, determined, exact, firm, hard, rigorous, solid, stern, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, concrete, fixed, harsh, immovable, inflexible, obstinate, resolute, resolved, severe, steadfast, steady, stiff, strong, strict, stubborn, taut, tense, tight, tough, unbending, unchangeable, unwavering

Sudden - 

abrupt, accelerated, acute, fast, flashing, fleeting, hasty, headlong, hurried, immediate, impetuous, impulsive, quick, quickening, rapid, rash, rushing, swift, brash, brisk, brusque, instant, instantaneous, out of the blue, reckless, rushed, sharp, spontaneous, urgent, without warning

Thrust - 

(forward) advance, drive, forge, impetus, impulsion, lunge, momentum, onslaught, poke, pressure, prod, propulsion, punch, push, shove, power, proceed, progress, propel

(push hard) assail, assault, attack, bear down, buck, drive, force, heave, impale, impel, jab, lunge, plunge, press, pound, prod, ram, shove, stab, transfix, urge, bang, burrow, cram, gouge, jam, pierce, punch, slam, spear, spike, stick

Thunder-struck -

amazed, astonished, aghast, astounded, awestruck, confounded, dazed, dazed, dismayed, overwhelmed, shocked, staggered, startled, stunned, gob-smacked, bewildered, dumbfounded, flabbergasted, horrified, incredulous, surprised, taken aback 

Torment -

agony, anguish, hurt, misery, pain, punishment, suffering, afflict, angst, conflict, distress, grief, heartache, misfortune, nightmare, persecute, plague, sorrow, strife, tease, test, trial, tribulation, torture, turmoil, vex, woe

Touch - 

(physical) - blow, brush, caress, collide, come together, contact, converge, crash, cuddle, embrace, feel, feel up, finger, fondle, frisk, glance, glide, graze, grope, handle, hit, hug, impact, join, junction, kiss, lick, line, manipulate, march, massage, meet, nudge, palm, partake, pat, paw, peck, pet, pinch, probe, push, reach, rub, scratch, skim, slide, smooth, strike, stroke, suck, sweep, tag, tap, taste, thumb, tickle, tip, touching, toy, bite, bump, burrow, buss, bury, circle, claw, clean, clutch, cover, creep, crush, cup, curl, delve, dig, drag, draw, ease, edge, fiddle with, flick, flit, fumble, grind, grip, grub, hold, huddle, knead, lap, lave, lay a hand on, maneuver, manhandle, mash, mold, muzzle, neck, nestle, nibble, nip, nuzzle, outline, play, polish, press, pull, rasp, ravish, ream, rim, run, scoop, scrabble, scrape, scrub, shave, shift, shunt, skate, slip, slither, smack, snake, snuggle, soothe, spank, splay, spread, squeeze, stretch, swipe, tangle, tease, thump, tongue, trace, trail, tunnel twiddle, twirl, twist, tug, work, wrap 

(mental) - communicate, examine, inspect, perception, scrutinize

Wet -

bathe, bleed, burst, cascade, course, cover, cream, damp, dampen, deluge, dip, douse, drench, dribble, drip, drizzle, drool, drop, drown, dunk, erupt, flood, flow, gush, immerse, issue, jet, leach, leak, moisten, ooze, overflow, permeate, plunge, pour, rain, rinse, run, salivate, saturate, secrete, seep, shower, shoot, slaver, slobber, slop, slosh, sluice, spill, soak, souse, spew, spit, splash, splatter, spout, spray, sprinkle, spurt, squirt, steep, stream, submerge, surge, swab, swamp, swill, swim, trickle, wash, water

Wicked - 

abominable, amoral, atrocious, awful, base, barbarous, dangerous, debased, depraved, distressing, dreadful, evil, fearful, fiendish, fierce, foul, heartless, hazardous, heinous, immoral, indecent, intense, mean, nasty, naughty, nefarious, offensive, profane, scandalous, severe, shameful, shameless, sinful, terrible, unholy, vicious, vile, villainous, wayward, bad, criminal, cruel, deplorable, despicable, devious, ill-intentioned, impious, impish, iniquitous, irreverent, loathsome, Machiavellian, mad, malevolent, malicious, merciless, mischievous, monstrous, perverse, ruthless, spiteful, uncaring, unkind, unscrupulous, vindictive, virulent, wretched

Writhe - 

agonize, bend, jerk, recoil, lurch, plunge, slither, squirm, struggle, suffer, thrash, thresh, twist, wiggle, wriggle, angle, arc, bow, buck, coil, contort, convulse, curl, curve, fidget, fight, flex, go into spasm, grind, heave, jiggle, jolt, kick, rear, reel, ripple, resist, roll, lash, lash out, screw up, shake, shift, slide, spasm, stir, strain, stretch, surge, swell, swivel, thrust, turn violently, tussle, twitch, undulate, warp, worm, wrench, wrestle, yank 

aghostnotaguardian

//MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS - HERE IS THE ANSWER TO THE PROBLEM OF FINDING THAT RIGHT WORD!!!!!

try-to-get-writing

I’ve reblogged it before, and I’ll reblog it again

Source: naity-sama
Writing
word-nerds-united

Character Flaws

word-nerds-united

Flaws are what makes or breaks a character. Here’s a list. 

Sources: writerswrite darkworldrpg and charactertherapist

  1. Absent-Minded–Preoccupied to the extent of being unaware of one’s immediate surroundings. Abstracted, daydreaming, inattentive, oblivious, forgetful.
  2. Abusive – Characterized by improper infliction of physical or psychological maltreatment towards another.
  3. Addict – One who is addicted to a compulsive activity. Examples: gambling, drugs, sex.
  4. Aimless – Devoid of direction or purpose.
  5. Alcoholic – A person who drinks alcoholic substances habitually and to excess.
  6. Anxious – Full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous.
  7. Arrogant – Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance. Inclined to social exclusiveness and who rebuff the advances of people considered inferior. Snobbish.
  8. Audacious – Recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like; insolent; braze, disobedient.
  9. Bad Habit – A revolting personal habit. Examples: picks nose, spits tobacco, drools, bad body odour.
  10. Bigmouth – A loud-mouthed or gossipy person.
  11. Bigot – One who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.
  12. Blunt – Characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. Frank, callous, insensitive, brusque.
  13. Bold – In a bad sense, too forward; taking undue liberties; over assuming or confident; lacking proper modesty or restraint; rude; impudent. Abrupt, brazen, cheeky, brassy, audacious.
  14. Callous – They are hardened to emotions, rarely showing any form of it in expression. Unfeeling. Cold.
  15. Childish – Marked by or indicating a lack of maturity; puerile.
  16. Complex – An exaggerated or obsessive concern or fear. (List specific complex.)
  17. Cruel – Mean to anyone or anything, without care or regard to consequences and feelings.
  18. Cursed – A person who has befallen a prayer for evil or misfortune, placed under a spell, or borne into an evil circumstance, and suffers for it. Damned.
  19. Dependent – Unable to exist, sustain oneself, or act appropriately or normally without the assistance or direction of another.
  20. Deranged – Mentally decayed. Insane. Crazy. Mad. Psychotic.
  21. Dishonest – Given to or using fraud, cheating; deceitful, deceptive, crooked, underhanded.
  22. Disloyal – Lacking loyalty. Unfaithful, perfidious, traitorous, treasonable
  23. Disorder – An ailment that affects the function of mind or body. (List the disorders name if they have one.) See the Mental Disorder List.
  24. Disturbed – Showing some or a few signs or symptoms of mental or emotional illness. Confused, disordered, neurotic, troubled.
  25. Dubious – Fraught with uncertainty or doubt. Undecided, doubtful, unsure.
  26. Dyslexic – Affected by dyslexia, a learning disorder marked by impairment of the ability to recognize and comprehend written words.
  27. Egotistical – Characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance. Boastful, pompous.
  28. Envious – Showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another’s advantages; covetous, jealous.
  29. Erratic – Deviating from the customary course in conduct or opinion; eccentric: erratic behaviour. Eccentric, bizarre, outlandish, strange.
  30. Fanatical – Fanatic outlook or behaviour especially as exhibited by excessive enthusiasm, unreasoning zeal, or wild and extravagant notions on some subject.
  31. Fickle – Erratic, changeable, unstable – especially with regard to affections or attachments; capricious.
  32. Fierce – Marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid.
  33. Finicky – Excessively particular or fastidious; difficult to please; fussy. Too much concerned with detail. Meticulous, fastidious, choosy, critical, picky, prissy, pernickety.
  34. Fixated – In psychoanalytic theory, a strong attachment to a person or thing, especially such an attachment formed in childhood or infancy and manifested in immature or neurotic behaviour that persists throughout life. Fetish, quirk, obsession, infatuation.
  35. Flirt -To make playfully romantic or sexual overtures; behaviour intended to arouse sexual interest. Minx. Tease.
  36. Gluttonous – Given to excess in consumption of especially food or drink. Voracious, ravenous, wolfish, piggish, insatiable.
  37. Gruff – Brusque or stern in manner or appearance. Crusty, rough, surly.
  38. Gullible – Will believe any information given, regardless of how valid or truthful it is, easily deceived or duped.
  39. Hard – A person who is difficult to deal with, manage, control, overcome, or understand. Hard emotions, hard hearted.
  40. Hedonistic – Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses.
  41. Hoity-toity- Given to flights of fancy; capricious; frivolous. Prone to giddy behaviour, flighty.
  42. Humorless – The inability to find humour in things, and most certainly in themselves.
  43. Hypocritical – One who is always contradicting their own beliefs, actions or sayings. A person who professes beliefs and opinions for others that he does not hold. Being a hypocrite.
  44. Idealist – One whose conduct is influenced by ideals that often conflict with practical considerations. One who is unrealistic and impractical, guided more by ideals than by practical considerations.
  45. Idiotic – Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless.
  46. Ignorant – Lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact. Showing or arising from a lack of education or knowledge.
  47. Illiterate – Unable to read and write.
  48. Immature – Emotionally undeveloped; juvenile; childish.
  49. Impatient – Unable to wait patiently or tolerate delay; restless. Unable to endure irritation or opposition; intolerant.
  50. Impious – Lacking piety and reverence for a god/gods and their followers.
  51. Impish – Naughtily or annoyingly playful.
  52. Incompetent – Unable to execute tasks, no matter how the size or difficulty.
  53. Indecisive – Characterized by lack of decision and firmness, especially under pressure.
  54. Indifferent – The trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally, remaining calm and seeming not to care; a casual lack of concern. Having or showing little or no interest in anything; languid; spiritless.
  55. Infamy – Having an extremely bad reputation, public reproach, or strong condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal, or outrageous act that affects how others view them.
  56. Intolerant – Unwilling to tolerate difference of opinion and narrow-minded about cherished opinions.
  57. Judgemental – Inclined to make and form judgements, especially moral or personal ones, based on one’s own opinions or impressions towards others/practices/groups/religions based on appearance, reputation, occupation, etc.
  58. Klutz – Clumsy. Blunderer.
  59. Lazy – Resistant to work or exertion; disposed to idleness.
  60. Lewd – Inclined to, characterized by, or inciting to lust or lechery; lascivious. Obscene or indecent, as language or songs; salacious.
  61. Liar – Compulsively and purposefully tells false truths more often than not. A person who has lied or who lies repeatedly.
  62. Lustful – Driven by lust; preoccupied with or exhibiting lustful desires.
  63. Masochist – The deriving of sexual gratification, or the tendency to derive sexual gratification, from being physically or emotionally abused. A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences.
  64. Meddlesome – Intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner, given to meddling; interfering.
  65. Meek – Evidencing little spirit or courage; overly submissive or compliant; humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness.
  66. Megalomaniac – A psycho pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.
  67. Naïve – Lacking worldly experience and understanding, simple and guileless; showing or characterized by a lack of sophistication and critical judgement.
  68. Nervous – Easily agitated or distressed; high-strung or jumpy.
  69. Non-violent – Abstaining from the use of violence.
  70. Nosey – Given to prying into the affairs of others; snoopy. Offensively curious or inquisitive.
  71. Obsessive – An unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone.
  72. Oppressor – A person of authority who subjects others to undue pressures, to keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority.
  73. Overambitious – Having a strong excessive desire for success or achievement.
  74. Overconfident – Excessively confident; presumptuous.
  75. Overemotional – Excessively or abnormally emotional. Sensitive about themselves and others, more so than the average person.
  76. Overprotective – To protect too much; coddle.
  77. Overzealous – Marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea.
  78. Pacifist – Opposition to war or violence as a means of resolving disputes. (Can double as a merit in certain cases)
  79. Paranoid – Exhibiting or characterized by extreme and irrational fear or distrust of others.
  80. Peevish – Expressing fretfulness and discontent, or unjustifiable dissatisfaction. Cantankerous, cross, ill-tempered, testy, captious, discontented, crotchety, cranky, ornery.
  81. Perfectionist – A propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.
  82. Pessimist – A tendency to stress the negative or unfavourable or to take the gloomiest possible view.
  83. Pest – One that pesters or annoys, with or without realizing it. Nuisance. Annoying. Nag.
  84. Phobic – They have a severe form of fear when it comes to this one thing. Examples: Dark, Spiders, Cats
  85. Practical – Level-headed, efficient, and unspeculative. No-nonsense.
  86. Predictable – Easily seen through and assessable, where almost anyone can predict reactions and actions of said person by having met or known them even for a short time.
  87. Proud – Filled with or showing excessive self-esteem and will often shirk help from others for the sake of pride.
  88. Rebellious – Defying or resisting some established authority, government, or tradition; insubordinate; inclined to rebel.
  89. Reckless – Heedless. Headstrong. Foolhardy. Unthinking boldness, wild carelessness and disregard for consequences.
  90. Remorseless – Without remorse; merciless; pitiless; relentless.
  91. Rigorous – Rigidly accurate; allowing no deviation from a standard; demanding strict attention to rules and procedures.
  92. Sadist – The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. Deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty.
  93. Sadomasochist – Both sadist and masochist combined.
  94. Sarcastic – A subtle form of mockery in which an intended meaning is conveyed obliquely.
  95. Skeptic – One who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.
  96. Seducer – To lead others astray, as from duty, rectitude, or the like; corrupt. To attempt to lead or draw someone away, as from principles, faith, or allegiance.
  97. Selfish – Concerned chiefly or only with oneself.
  98. Self-Martyr – One who purposely makes a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy from others, as a form of manipulation, and always for a selfish cause or reason.
  99. Self-righteous – Piously sure of one’s own righteousness; moralistic. Exhibiting pious self-assurance. Holier-than-thou, sanctimonious.
  100. Senile – Showing a decline or deterioration of physical strength or mental functioning, esp. short-term memory and alertness, as a result of old age or disease.
  101. Shallow – Lacking depth of intellect or knowledge; concerned only with what is obvious.
  102. Smart Ass – Thinks they know it all, and in some ways they may, but they can be greatly annoying and difficult to deal with at times, especially in arguments.
  103. Soft-hearted – Having softness or tenderness of heart that can lead them into trouble; susceptible of pity or other kindly affection. They cannot resist helping someone they see in trouble, suffering or in need, and often don’t think of the repercussions or situation before doing so.
  104. Solemn – Deeply earnest, serious, and sober.
  105. Spineless – Lacking courage. Cowardly, wimp, lily-livered, gutless.
  106. Spiteful – Showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite; vindictive person who will look for occasions for resentment. Vengeful.
  107. Spoiled – Treated with excessive indulgence and pampering from earliest childhood, and has no notion of hard work, self-care or money management; coddled, pampered. Having the character or disposition harmed by pampering or over-solicitous attention.
  108. Squeamish – Excessively fastidious and easily disgusted.
  109. Stubborn – Unreasonably, often perversely unyielding; bull-headed. Firmly resolved or determined; resolute.
  110. Superstitious – An irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear from an irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.
  111. Tactless – Lacking or showing a lack of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others.
  112. Temperamental – Moody, irritable, or sensitive. Excitable, volatile, emotional.
  113. Theatrical – Having a flair for over dramatizing situations, doing things in a ‘big way’ and love to be ‘centre stage’.
  114. Timid -Tends to be shy and/or quiet, shrinking away from offering opinions or from strangers and newcomers, fearing confrontations and violence.
  115. Tongue-tied – Speechless or confused in expression, as from shyness, embarrassment, or astonishment.
  116. Troublemaker – Someone who deliberately stirs up trouble, intentionally or unintentionally.
  117. Unlucky – Marked by or causing misfortune; ill-fated. Destined for misfortune; doomed.
  118. Unpredictable – Difficult to foretell or foresee, their actions are so chaotic it’s impossible to know what they are going to do next.
  119. Untrustworthy – Not worthy of trust or belief. Backstabber.
  120. Vain – Holding or characterized by an unduly high opinion of their physical appearance. Lovers of themselves. Conceited, egotistic, narcissistic.
  121. Weak-willed – Lacking willpower, strength of will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans. Easily swayed.
  122. Withdrawn – Not friendly or Sociable. Aloof.
  123. Zealous – A fanatic.
portmanteau-bot

sources + writerswritedarkworldrpgandcharactertherapist = sourcerswritedarkworldrpgandcharactertherapist.

Beep-boop. Portmanteau^bot^1

Being aware that you are true is what makes you a failure. | PayPal | Patreon
word-nerds-united

Thank you portmanteau bot. Just, thank you.

 We have a new word in the English dictionary, everyone. I don’t know what it means, but here it is. 

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writerswritecompany
writerswrite.co.za

The Top 10 Writing Posts From November 2018 - Writers Write

These were your 10 favourite Writers Write posts in November 2018.
amandaonwriting

The Top 10 Writing Posts From November 2018

  1. 6 Superhero Writing Tips From Stan Lee
  2. C. S. Lewis’s 5 Rules For Writers
  3. Kurt Vonnegut On Making Your Soul Grow
  4. Harnessing The Power Of Time In Your Storytelling
  5. How To Define Your Character’s Narrative
  6. 11 Steps To Writing A Bestselling Novel
  7. 12 Short Stories Announces 2018 Short Story Competition Winner
  8. Janet Fitch’s Top 10 Writing Tips
  9. 5 Questions On Self-Publishing Answered
  10. 7 Things You Need In A Writing Partner
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joannechocolat

On Woman’s Weekly, and why we should all care about their new contract policy

joannechocolat

Anyone who has ever written for Woman’s Weekly will already be aware of the fact that the magazine group, which also includes a huge raft of other magazines, has been taken over by a giant firm called TI Media. What the rest of the reading and writing world may not yet be aware of is what that firm is doing with rights.

Rights are what an author sells to a publisher, be it a book or a magazine publisher, that allows them to publish the author’s work. There are also film rights, stage rights, media rights, foreign rights, which are sometimes bundled into a contract as part of a publishing deal, or negotiated separately, depending on the author. It is generally accepted that if you sell the rights to a short story to a magazine, you’re only selling them the magazine rights. You shouldn’t also be giving them the right to republish elsewhere without paying you, or to adapt your story for TV, or make it into a movie, or recreate it as a game, or translate it into different languages, without paying anything to the author. 

And yet, that’s what TI Media are doing with the short story writers at Woman’s Weekly. 

Here’s a bit of background from one of the womag writers concerned. 

https://womagwriter.blogspot.com/2018/06/bad-news-from-womans-weekly-guest-post.html 

As you’ll see, Woman’s Weekly writers were originally paid £150 for a 2000-word short story (which is already a very low rate of pay for original fiction). Most writers, barring a few bestselling novelists, are already very poorly paid. The average professional writer, according to figures from the Society of Authors, earn less than £11,000 a year. That’s a drop of 40% over the past ten years, even though the publishing trade is doing better than ever.

And now, here’s a giant media corporation offering only £100 per story, and demanding all rights, including moral copyright. That means that if they then sell the story to someone else, the author doesn’t even have the right to have their own name shown on the piece. 

This is a completely unfair and exploitative deal, and in most other EU countries, wouldn’t even be allowed. But as we prepare to leave the EU, companies like TI Media are starting to circle the wagon train, hoping to snaffle whatever they can from authors already facing a dramatic cut in earnings. 

In real terms, it means that, as an author, you’d be giving up all the valuable rights to your work, forever, including the right to have your name on the project, for no more than the initial sum of £100 (or whatever you’re left with after income tax). That means:

If TI Media ever decided to sell those rights to make a multi-million-pound grossing movie, you’d get nothing. Not even your name on the credits.

If TI Media ever decided to syndicate your piece to all its other magazines (and it has many, including Marie Claire, NME and Country Life), you’d get nothing. 

If you ever wanted to use your story in a collection of your short stories, you wouldn’t be allowed to. It would belong to TI Media.

Forever.

So if you care about justice, you should be watching what ‘s going on here. If you care about reading, whether or not you’re not you’ve ever read a TI Media magazine, you should be watching what’s going in here. If you’re a writer of any kind, you should be watching what’s going on here. Because this isn’t just an attack on a handful of womag writers. It’s an attack on all writers, and on the very concept of authors having rights at all. 

I’ve been trying to raise awareness of this situation through my various social media platforms, and I’m afraid that some authors (especially male authors of literary fiction) haven’t been what you’d call quick to react on behalf of these women’s magazine authors. But here’s the thing. Womag writers are the canary in a very deep literary mine. If we, the more influential and better-protected folk of the literary world, allow their rights to be exploited, then sooner or later companies like TI Media will come for the rest of us. Tomorrow it could be your publishers they’re taking over. And when that happens, you’ll be glad you stood up for the rights of those Woman’s Weekly writers. 

So please, all of you: make some noise. Whether or not you’ve ever written for Woman’s Weekly (and I haven’t) make some noise. Protest. Resist.  Don’t write for them. Don’t sign their exploitative contracts. If you’re a new writer, be forewarned. Don’t let them scoop you up, easy prey, in the place of more seasoned writers standing up for their rights. There are other, better magazines than Woman’s Weekly out there. Don’t be lured by false promises. Keep control of your moral rights.Don’t sign away your future.

Readers, don’t buy their magazines - and there’s a full list of all of them here on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TI_Media - until they agree to better terms for their short story writers. 

Writers; talk to your trade union - be that the Society of Authors, the Writers’ Guild, or any other. Call out @TI_Media_UK on Twitter. So far they’ve ignored every attempt to communicate or negotiate - and that’s because they think our voices can safely be ignored.

Let’s show them they’s wrong. 

Because, fellow-authors (and I’m looking especially at you, white, middle-aged male writers of litfic), this isn’t just about the rights of womag writers. Their rights are your rights. Their business is your business. And what unites us makes us stronger in the face of those giants who think they can bully us. 

We’re writers, for fuck’s sake. We know how to use words. So let’s use them to make this right. Because there’s no place for “I’m all right, Jack” in the writing community. Bestseller or not, woman’s writer or not, we all know the difference between right and  wrong. And this is a wrong that we can right, together, and for all of us. 

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