Researching For WIPs : A Collection

“Maybe this world is another planet’s hell.”

— Aldous Huxley 

“Here’s the thing: The book that will most change your life is the book you write.”

— Seth Godin

A Brief Guide to Writing British Nobles

>>By @writerthreads on Instagram

*note that different eras have different rules. This post is quite general, so research more specific details if you’re focusing on a certain period of time!

The following titles are under a Peerage, where peers were people who would hold one or more title(s) of duke, marquess, earl, viscount and baron. They swore an oath as a servent of the monarch in exchange for land or money.

Sovereign

The Sovereign holds the most power in the country, although they do not have the power they used to in England as there is a now the Prime Minister. But if we’re talking about the olden ages, they would be the King or Queen. Typically, the Queen would be married into the royal family, and be beside the King, unless the King only had daughters, in which, (depending on the era for women were not allowed to rule for a time period a few hundred years ago) they would then be Queen.

Duke/Duchess

A duke outranks the other noble titles, namely the earl, marquess, viscount and baron. There are two types of dukedoms: royal and non-royal. Royal dukedoms can only be inherited if one is a member of the royal family and are hereditary.

Most princes become dukes when they’re married and their wife will be referred to as a duchess. (If you were not a member of the royal family but your parents were the duke and duchess you’d still inherit that title.) Non-royal dukedoms are titles given to a person by a king or queen. A duke is a ruler of a duchy, which is basically a large area of land, a territory. A duke is typically addressed as “Your Grace”.

Marquees/Marchioness

This title outranks the rest except for the duke and sovereign. This title is quite rare nowadays. The Marchioness is the wife of the Marquees. Marquees were the owners of a march which was on the border of the country, which meant that they were responsible for defending against anyone who tried to intrude or attack England. (FYI: a Count would typically be the owner of a county, which was more inland)

Marquees and Marchioness are addressed as “My Lord” or “My Lady” in speech, and “Lord/Dear Mannerisms” in social writing, where the atmosphere is less formal.

Earl/Countess

Earls are ranked below the Marquess and above the Viscounts. They were royal governors and had the authority to rule lands and judge courts in their provinces. Along with that they’d collect taxes, earning a third of the total. Over the years, their power decreased and increased depending on who was ruling England, and nowadays, they do not hold much power in their hands.

The Countess would be the Earl’s wife, and by the general population, be referred to as “My Lady” while the Earl would be addressed as “My Lord”. His eldest son would be called the Viscount.

Viscount/Viscountess

In Great Britain, people would use Viscount as a title for the heir of an Earl of Marquess as courtesy, but other than that, (depending on the time period) they were not hereditary in fear of a rebellion, and instead, titles were given by the Monarch. They would also collect taxes from people.

They’re also referred to as “My Lady” and “My Lord”.

Baron/Baroness

The baron was a land-holding nobleman and is one of the lowest ranks of nobility, and the lowest in a peerage. In the Middle Ages, they ruled over large areas of land (fiefs) and would report to the king. They’d also maintain the country’s army. “Baron” quite literally means “man”, so they were “men of the king”.

The rank of Baron is often hereditary although the first Barons were given the titles by the monarchy. In formal settings, they’d be addressed as “The Right Honourable The Lord/Lady”, but in social settings, “Lord/Lady”.

Knight/Dame

A knighthood is a title given to a man for his service to the country, and would be referred to as “Sir”. This would give them the status of the knight, in which they would be expected to learn how to fight and serve his liege lord in the Code of Chivalry. Being a knight came with great benefits: they were often given a piece of land to govern, and would collect taxes from the people. Only men were typically knights, though the title Dame is given to the wife or daughter of a lord, or a woman of knighthood.

Knighthood is not hereditary.

HOW TO WRITE A SLOW BURN ROMANCE

//@writerthreads on Instagram

(Because these things get me slapping my pillow at 3 AM)

Slow burns are romance stories with a slower pace. They’re more realistic, because you need to build the relationship between the two people. This can either be a subplot or the main plot, and usually takes place through the whole book because time is a big factor in slow burn.

You’re showing the reader how their relationship changes from a friendship to a romantic couple, therefore you need to show the chemistry between the two people. Build the relationship stage by stage. Plan down “breakthroughs” that acsends them up the relationship ladder. Think of scenarios and reasons for them to become more close. (Ex. mutual friends, common interests) Reference real romantic relationships that you might’ve experienced for help!

Like any other relationship, consider how they met in the first place. With the method of “show, not tell”, show their initial, intermediate, and final feelings (at the end of the book) through actions or thoughts, instead of making them say it out loud all the time. If you need help with affectionate actions, scroll down on our feed!

If they’re already friends, you’re a step ahead— you don’t have to deal with formalities in introductions and such, but still, you might want to talk about initial feelings. A first person POV is much more intimate than a third person POV, which can be more casual, so it depends on what tone you want to build with the story.

Also, like any other plot, they’ll encounter difficulties. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a life-or-death scenario, but think about what makes it slow burn, what’s preventing from from making it official. A common problem is because both parties are afraid to make the first move either due to embarrassment, or inexperience. They might be scared to be rejected because they’re not sure whether or not the other person is causually flirting with them, or because the feelings are actually reciprocated. You’ll then have to find a solution to it.

Show the reader how they become more comfortable around each other and how they enjoy the other’s company. Simple ways could be long, easy conversations between them, or simply showing how they’re happy when they’re with the other person. Romantic feelings don’t just occur in two days, people don’t (usually) go saying “I love you” in a week.

In a way, you’re teasing readers with the question “will they, or will they not?”. They’ll be on the edge of their seats, waiting for the moment they finally become official. Therefore, even though slow burns are paced, you don’t want to make them too slow. Not baby steps, toddler steps. Throughout the story, you’re giving out romantic hints. If you want to speed things up, include more obvious ones where character go, “oh my god, they definitely like you!”, and if you want to slow them down, include less subtle ones, and create a small distance between the two people.

In the “talking” stage, there’ll be loads of flirting. This is basically the honeymoon phase. Other characters are going to tease them about it, but the two people will still be unsure. They’ll be texting on phones or sending letters, or talking loads in person. If you’re writing in first person, describe the character’s current feelings. If you’ve got bold characters, use pickup lines, with or without humourous intention. It’s all up to you, and as I always say, do what’s best for your story and the way you want it to go.

As an author writing a slow burn romance, you’d likely want readers to like the couple, and here’s the main way:

- show that they’re “perfect” for each other...

At least for the time being. You’re writing about the present, not the future (that’s for the end of the book where you decide whether or not they end up together). Make them “couple goals”, even though they’re not official yet, where their love is being shown, but not said (yet). This could be through heart-to-heart conversations where they deeply understand each other, or as simple as waiting for each other while the other person is tying their shoelace. All in all, make them happy together. Show that they’re happy with each other— big smiles, laughing at each other’s jokes because they have the same humour, etc.

I’m conflicted about whether or not on-and-off relationships are considered to be slow burn. If the process of it is rapid, I personally think it isn’t, but if it’s a series and there’s a long gap between each breakup and you properly build on it, it could be a slow burn.

Just remember, it’s like any other romantic relationship, except it’s being dragged out. Don’t forget about supporting/ other characters and the subplot/ main plot. You’re still writing a story, and all those aspects make your story ten times more interesting!

Writing Theory: Controlling the Pace

Pacing is basically the speed of which the action in your story unfolds. Pacing keeps the reader hooked, helps to regulate the flow of the story and sets the tone of the entire book. So how can we write it?

Genre & Tone

Really in any novel the reader has an expectation that the book will be fast paced or slow. Readers will go into an action novel, expecting it to be fast paced. Readers will pick up a romance novel and expect it to follow a steadying climb of pace as the story goes on.

Pace is a good indicator of how the story is going to feel. If you want your readers to feel as if they are in a calm environment, you don't place the events immediately one after the other. If you want your readers to feel some adrenaline, you keep the curveball coming.

How to utilise Pacing successfully

1. Give your readers time to recover

When readers are reading a fast-paced novel, they need a breather and so do you and your characters. By peppering in a few moments between peaks of fast pace, you are allowing your readers to swallow down what they've just read and allows you to explore it further. Consider this like the bottle of water after a run. You need it or you'll collapse.

2. Track Events Carefully

When planning your book's outline or at least having a vague idea of it, you have a fair idea when things are going to happen. Usually books have an arc where pace gets faster and faster until you get to the climax where it generally slows down. If you're writing a larger book, you have to space out your pacing properly or else your reader will fall into a valley of boredom or find the book a bumpy ride. The climax should have the fastest pace - even if you start off at a high pace. Your story always should peak at the climax.

3. Localising Pace

If you want to put your reader into a certain state of mind throughout a chapter or even a paragraph, pay close attention to your sentence bulk. Long flowy sentences but the reader at ease, slowing the pace for them. Short, jabby sentences speed things up. An argument or a scene with action should be quick. A stroll through a meadow on a lazy summer's noon should be slow.

4. Information is Key

When writing pace in your overall novel, the reader should be given more information as you go through the story. You begin any story estentially with the who, what, where of everything. But peppering in all the whys, you broaden the story and keep the reader feeling more able to keep up with everything. For example, in any murder mystery your reader is given the body. As the story goes on, your reader should be given more and more information such as the weapon, the where until you get to the climax.

5. Off/On Stage

All events of the story do not need to be shown on stage. When you want to slow things down, allow things to happen away from the readers view. If you show event after event at your readers, everything is at a faster pace.

Hi there! I was curious for your advise on how to get back into writing after a long absence? I haven't written for at least 3 years and I can't seem to figure fire out a way to motivate myself and get excited about something to write. I'm incredibly out of practice and stories rarely come to me nowadays. It seems to be easier to just continue with life mindlessly, not trying to write since when I think about trying to write I immediately think about what a failure it would be.

Kate’s masterlist of motivational content...

Choosing Your Writing Path

Restarting Your Writing Passion

How To Motivate Yourself To Write

Reasons To Improve Your Lifestyle

Tips & Advice for Aspiring Authors, Writers, and Poets

On Getting Started As A Writer

On Hating Your Old Stuff

Depression As An Inhibitor

Healthy Forms of Motivation

How To Have A Productive Mindset

How To Fall In Love With Writing

How To Incorporate Health Into Your Writing Routine

So You Want To Start A Blog?

Writing Through Mental Health Struggles

How To Improve Your Life In Little Ways

 Dear Writers Who Are Hesitant To Start Writing

Insecure About Writing Without Formal Training?

“All First Drafts Are Crap” -- My Thoughts

Getting Back To Writing After A Long Hiatus

Why “Burnout” Is Oay - The Creative Cycle

For Writers Who Want To Become Popular

Wanting To Finish A Story You’ve Fallen Out of Love With

You Don’t Need To Be A Professional To Practice Advanced Writing

Getting Motivated To Write

“Does What I’m Writing Matter?”

Taking Writing Seriously For The First Time

Sharing Your Writing With Others

Getting Burnt Out Near The Finish Line

The Beginning of The Writing Process

Benefits of Low-Stakes Writing

Taking Risks With WIPs

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Masterlist | WIP Blog

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“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.”

— David Viscott 

“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn’t it? It makes you so vulnerable…It means that someone can get inside you and mess you up.”

— Neil Gaiman (via quotemadness)

“Maybe it won’t work out. But maybe seeing if it does will be the best adventure ever.”

— Unknown