Latest Posts by m0th-b0nes - Page 15
A Guide to Making Up Diseases (as Explained by a Biologist)
So listen up y’all, nothing drives me crazier as both a writer and a scientist than seeing alien diseases that make no fuckin’ sense in a human body.
If you’re talking about alien diseases in a non-human character, you can ignore all this.
But as far as alien diseases in humans go, please remember:
DISEASE SYMPTOMS ARE AN IMMUNE RESPONSE.
Fever? A response to help your immune cells function faster and more efficiently to destroy invaders.
Sore/scratchy throat? An immune response. Diseases that latch onto the epithelium of the throat (the common cold, the flu) replicate there, and your body is like “uh no fuckin’ thanks” and starts to slough off those cells in order to stop the replication of new virus in its tracks. So when it feels like your throat is dying? guess what it literally is. And the white spots you see with more severe bacterial infections are pus accumulation, which is basically dead white blood cells, and the pus is a nice and disgusting way of getting that shit outta here.
(No one really knows why soreness and malaise happens, but some scientists guess that it’s a byproduct of immune response, and others suspect that it’s your body’s way of telling you to take it easy)
headache? usually sinus pressure (or dehydration, which isn’t an immune response but causes headaches by reducing blood volume and causing a general ruckus in your body, can be an unfortunate side effect of a fever) caused by mucous which is an immune response to flush that nasty viral shit outta your face.
Rashes? an inflammatory response. Your lymphocytes see a thing they don’t like and they’re like “hEY NOW” and release a bunch of chemicals that tell the cells that are supposed to kill it to come do that. Those chemicals cause inflammation, which causes redness, heat, and swelling. They itch because histamine is a bitch.
fatigue? your body is doing a lot–give it a break!
here is a fact:
during the Spanish 1918 Plague, a very strange age group succumbed to the illness. The very young and very old were fine, but people who were seemingly healthy and in the prime of life (young adults) did not survive. This is because that virus triggered an immune response called a cytokine storm, which basically killed everything in sight and caused horrific symptoms like tissue death, vasodilation and bleeding–basically a MASSIVE inflammatory response that lead to organ damage and death. Those with the strongest immune systems took the worst beating by their own immune responses, while those with weaker immune systems were fine.
So when you’re thinking of an alien disease, think through the immune response.
Where does this virus attack? Look up viruses that also attack there and understand what the immune system would do about it.
Understand symptoms that usually travel together–joint pain and fever, for example.
So please, please: no purple and green spotted diseases. No diseases that cause glamorous fainting spells and nothing else. No mystical eye-color/hair-color changing diseases. If you want these things to happen, use magic or some shit or alien physiology, but when it’s humans, it doesn’t make any fuckin’ sense.
This has been a rant and I apologize for that.
A Somewhat Useful Masterpost for Writers
Websites for Critique:
Authonomy It’s been a while since I used this website in particular, but it’s useful for helpful critique and to get your original works out there. If your book get on the top five list at the end of the month Harper Collins will read it for possible publication.
Teen Ink
Figment
Fiction Press
ReviewFuse
and of course… Tumblr
Other Websites:
Write or Die is great if you want to give yourself a certain amount of time to write a set amount of words.
Tip of my Tongue for when you can’t remember the exact word
Character Traits Form
Online Thesaurus where you just type in a word and you get a cluster of different words
Characters
Top 10 Questions for Creating Believable Characters
How to Create a Fictional Character
Describing Clothing and Appearance
The Difference between Ethnicity and Nationality
Describing a Voice
Characters (part 2)
How to write Funeral Directors I’ve read quite a few fanfics where they just have funeral directors slapping clothes on a body and calling it a day. As a former funeral services major I can tell you that’s not the only thing they do.
How to write Drug Dealers
How to write Gamblers
Interview with a Hitman
Terms for royalty
Naming Characters
Behind the Name
Top Baby Names
Looking for a name that means a certain thing?
7 Rules of Picking Names
Most Common Surnames
Medical/Crime/Legal
Coma: Types, Causes, etc
Tips for writing blood loss
Gunshot Wound Care
Examples of Hospital Forms
Common Legal Questions
The Writer’s Forensics Blog
Brain Injury Legal Guide
Types of Surgical Operations
Types of Mental Health Problems
A Day in the Life of a Mental Hospital Patient
Global Black Market Information Because where else would you find out how much money it takes to get a 16 year old girl to kill someone in Mexico?
Crime Scene Science
Examining Mob Mentality
How Street Gangs Work
Other Helpful Stuff
Poisonous Herbs and Plants
The Psychology of Color
The Meaning behind Rose color
Compare Character Heights - I personally love this site so much.
Types of Swords
Color Symbolism
How a handgun works
Blueprints for Houses
The Six Types of Haunting Activities
The Difference Between lay and lie
10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling
5 Easy Tips to Improve Your Writing
How to Write a Eulogy
Types of Crying
Career Masterpost
Avoiding LGBTQ Stereotypes
Tips for Writing Ghost Stories
A Spell to See Spirits
Make Graphics out of Quotes
Superstitions and More
The 12 Common Archetypes
Language of Flowers
Military Sign Language
A Visual Dictionary of Tops
Describing Tiaras
What author do you most write like? (I’ve gotten Stephenie Meyer)
12 Realistic Woman Body Shapes
Japanese honorifics
Dress Up Games I personally like to find games that I can make my OCs with.
Azalea’s Dolls
Doll Divine x
Dress Up Games
Shidabeeda Games
Free Writing Software
Google Docs (automatically saves as you write. 100% recommend)
EverNote
OpenOffice (a free version of Microsoft Office)
Articles
25 Steps To Edit the Unmerciful Suck out of Your Story
10 Rules for Writing First Drafts
10 Things Teenage Writers Should Know About Writing
Create a Plot Outline in 8 Easy Steps
Publishing Agencies to Stay Away From
5 Ways to Make Your Novel Helplessly Addictive
Books:
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Elmore Leonard’s 10 Rules of Writing
Chicken Soup for the Writer’s Soul
Writing Great Books for Young Adults
Inspirational Quotes: x x
And I couldn’t find the original post for these so (pictures under the cut)
Read More
hey, hi, hello! this is my first self help masterpost which i made bc i was supposed to me studying bc who cares if i fail my exams ur mental nd physical well being is worth more and if you see this then ur worth everything and i love you a lot and hope this masterpost helps you find your way <3
dealing with depression and feeling suicidal
imalive
mental health chat rooms
the thoughts room
the dawn room
the comfort spot
it will be okay
7 cups of tea [vent site]
make everything okay
blahtherapy
emergency compliment
tempted to quit antidepressants?
the best things in life that are free
reasons to stay alive
dealing with depression
steps for beating depression
reasons not to commit suicide
things to love about life
adjusting your life for recovery
crisischat
changing your life
gives me hope
kittencam
puppycam
omfgdogs
cat training
natural treatment for depression
dealing with self harm
basic care for open wounds and burns
self harm safety
caring for self harm wounds
caring for cuts
caring for burns
fading and covering scars
stopping self harm
20 reasons to give up self harm
more reasons to stop self harming [bottom of page]
deciding to stop self-injury
self harm information booklet
limiting the damage of self harm
fataltotheflesh *trigger warning: cutting*
alternatives to self harm
more alternatives
146 things to do besides self harm
25 alternatives to self harm
make a happy box
dealing with loneliness and break-ups
the nicest place on the internet
brownie in a mug recipe
comfort food recipes
movie masterposts
7 reasons why it’s okay if you’ve never been in a relationship
getting over a break up
6 healthy ways to get over a break up
when you’re the only one not in a relationship
perks of being single
scientifically proven perks of being single
more perks for singles
is your friend dating your ex?
more ideas to help with loneliness
things to do when you feel lonely
things you can do when you’re lonely
dealing with loneliness
making friends
becoming a magnet for friends
how to cope when you feel left out by friends
dealing with anxiety and stress
more calming sounds
draw with sand
stress relievers
the quiet place
treatment and care for anxiety
dealing with panic attacks
overcoming panic attacks
progressive muscle relaxation
anxiety relief
overcoming ocd
calm pictures for anxiety gif masterpost
things you need to know to overcome ocd
stress relief games
rain sounds
nature sounds
effective anxiety breathing exercises
ocean soundscoffee sounds
90 seconds relaxation exercise
draw with silk
rainy day simulator
create a forest
dealing with bipolar disorder/ manic depression
helping your loved one through a manic episode
helping a loved one with bipolar disorder
dealing with bipolar mania: help for caregivers
7 ways to deal with a manic depressive person
dealing effectively with depression and manic depression
simple tricks to deal with anxiety and mania
5 tips for coping with mania
coping skills for bipolar disorder
50 natural ways to manage and cope with bipolar disorder
10 small steps you can take to improve bipolar disorder
dealing with hallucinations and schizophrenia
helping a person with schizophrenia
treatment and recovery for schizophrenia
60 methods for coping with hallucinations
helping someone cope with hallucinations
coping with schizophrenic hallucinations and delusions
5 ways to quiet auditory hallucinations
a practical guide to cope with hearing voices
helping people who hear voices
strategies for coping with distressing voices
dealing with eating disorders
dangers of diet pills and laxatives
dangers of laxative abuse
physical effects of an eating disorder
recovery toolbox
why do we need to eat?
why you should eat often & strategies
reality of anorexia and bulimia
recovering from an eating disorder
recovery and relapse prevention
dangers of purging
milestones in recovery
understanding recovery
making a recovery meal plan
what to do when you feel fat
dealing with anger
click rocks
bouncy balls
wobble *trigger warning: water*
play with pentagons
pixie dust!!
managing anger
controlling anger
dealing with anger and impulsivity
dealing with criticism
gruntle.me
dealing with insomnia/sleep deprivation
what time should i sleep?
calculating the perfect bedtime + sleep efficiency
42 simple tips to deal with insomnia
tips to beat insomnia
11 ways to get to sleep and stay asleep
trick yourself into dozing off
natural remedies to help sleep
natural remedies for sleep apnea
restoring restful sleep
how to make yourself so tired that you’ll fall asleep
steps to recovering from insomnia
recover after a sleepless night
fix snoring
how to pull an all nighter and do well in an exam
benefits of sleep
why sleep is important
lgbtq+
masterpost on just about everything about this
lgbtq+ everything masterpost
how to make a chest binder
how to wear a chest binder + faq
how to hide a pad if you wear boxers
pre-T trans men who want to deepen their voices
lgbtq+ novels
dealing with sexual assault and abuse
uk helplines for male survivors
uk male survivors
when a man is raped (includes how to help victims)
helping a friend or family member who was a victim
coping with the after-effects of sexual assault
coping with rape
coping with acquaintance rape
coping with rape-related ptsd
dealing with rape
understanding and helping male survivors
survivors chat
dealing with domestic violence and abuse
steps to take if you are a victim of family abuse
safe house
napless shelter for women and children
ywca women’s shelter
domestic violence and criminal harassment unit of the vancouver police department
canadian bar association- family violence
vancouver coastal health services
victims info
domestic violence help
ywca domestic violence help
domestic abuse services
domestic violence resources
hotlines
uk
women’s aid: 0808 2000 247
mankind: http://www.mankind.org.uk/
australia
women’s domestic violence helpline: telephone (08) 9223 1188 free call 1800 007 339
men’s domestic violence helpline: telephone (08) 9223 1199 free call 1800 000 599
1800respect: 1800 737 732
http://www.violencefreefamilies.org.au/help_lines
worldwide
http://www.hotpeachpages.net/
usa
crisis hotline: 1-888-7helpline
americans overseas domestic violence crisis center: 866-uswomen
childhelp national child abuse hotline: 1-800-4-a-child
http://www.thehotline.org/
canada
childhelp national child abuse hotline: 1-800-4-a-child
assaulted women’s helpline: gta 416.863.0511 toll free 1.866.863.0511 tty 416.364.8762 toll free tty 1.866.863.7868 mobile #safe(#7233)
http://www.hotpeachpages.net/canada/canada1.html
learning to love yourself and be happy
21 tips to release self-neglect
9 ways to love yourself
loving yourself
let yourself be happier than you think you deserve
who to fall in love with first
7 reasons to shamelessly love yourself
5 ways to love your body
17 reasons to love your body just the way it is
20 ways to love your body
learning to love your body in 4 steps
do i deserve to be happy?
100 reasons to be happy
300 reasons to be happy
hard day?
tips to relax
learn how to relax and sleep like a baby
14 ways to live a more relaxing life
40 ways to relax in 5 minutes
virtual piano
spot the difference
internet explorer 6
falling falling
staggering beauty *epilepsy warning*
heeeeey
20 ways to relax and unwind
jukebox time machine
read any book
colour quiz
useless web
pointless sites
build a squid
mario sequencer
seaquence
dealing with substance abuse
11 ways to handle substance abuse
how to quit smoking
how to beat drug addiction
the best way to quit using drugs
ways to end drug addiction
how to help a friend quit drugs
caring for someone with a drug problem
alternatives to alcohol
alternatives to drinking
alcoholism-solutions
alcohol abuse treatment and self-help
how to stop drinking alcoholhealth effects of alcohol
alternatives to drugs and alcohol for solving our problems
healthy alternatives to smoking
10 tips to quitting smoking
10 unusual quit-smoking tips
tips to help you stop smoking
quitting methods and what to expect- smoking
overcoming drug addiction
helplines
us: national drug information treatment and referral hotline: 1-800-662-help (4357)
us: alcohol abuse and crisis intervention: 1-800-234-0246
us: national cocaine hotline: 1-800-cocaine (262-2463)
us: al-anon/alateen hotline (for friends and family) 1-800-344-2666
uk: drinkline: nat’l. alcoholism helpline: 0800 917 8282
nz: alcohol / drug helpline: 0800 787 797
aus: alcohol & other drugs information service (adis): freecall 1800 131 350
australian helplines
more helplines
World Building Master List
Now that we’re finished with the World Building Blog Series, I’ve assembled a master list of all the post for your convenience
Language
Technology
Taboos
Marriages and Relationships
Legalities
Geography and Weather - The Basics
Geography and Weather - Plot Relevance
Transportation and Travel
Architecture
City Planning
Medicine - The Basics
Medicine - Sex and Reproduction
Medicine - Mental Health and Disability
Magic - The Basics
Magic - Healing
Magic - Combat
Magic - Animals and Shapeshifters
Clothing
Food
Entertainment
Jobs and Education
Military and Law Enforcement
Crime
War
Religion - The Basics
Religion - Holidays and Sacred Sites
Religion - Worship
Children
Races and Species
History
Flora and Fauna
Government
Worldbuilding: Clothes and Beauty
Every society has a standard of beauty. Whether or not everyone meets that standard, it does normally affect fashion and clothes. While things such as climate also have a play on fashion, knowing the standards of beauty in your character’s culture can add a depth to that character and give perspective on what he or she calls “beautiful.” Also, it will give something of an image of what the character likes to wear. In this list, I have written a list of questions pertaining to fashion. It’s not an exhaustive list, however. The goal is to get you working on the fashion of your world.
Have fun, be creative and detailed, and answer questions not listed!
Because my computer crashed and lost the prepared list, the questions are not directly taken from the NaNoWriMo website. However, some of the questions are asked from memory. Others sounded like questions I had.
How does the weather affect clothing?
What kind of designs are common on clothing? Detailed embroidery? Different dyes? Logos? Beads? Sequins?
What would someone wear to a dance? Are there different kinds of dances that would require different kinds of clothes?
What would someone wear to a dinner party?
What is appropriate every day clothing?
What kind of clothes would the rich wear?
What kind of clothes would the poor wear?
What kind of clothes would those in between wear?
What clothing distinguishes someone as a noble or in a position of authority?
What is normally appropriate for children to wear?
What would one wear to a wedding or a funeral? Do the guests wear something different than the two getting married? Does the person marrying the couple wear something different from the rest of the people? Does the bride get all fancy? How is the dead body dressed?
What kind of shoes do the people wear? Do people have different shoes for different occasions?
What is the significance of tattoos? Are they taboo? Indicate a warrior? Indicate a married couple? Just another part of fashion?
What is the significance of piercings? Is it a status symbol? What places normally get pierced? What do they normally put in the piercings?
What kind of jewelry is worn? Earrings? Necklaces? Bracelets? Nose rings? Toe rings? Crowns?
What does jewelry signify?
What features are admired? Symmetrical faces? Slim bodies? Tall or short? Are certain kind of skin colors admired? Certain colors of hair? Long or short nails? Small feet?
How does it differ with gender?
What kind of hairstyles are in fashion?
Does hairstyle indicate status in society?
What kind of fabrics are worn?
What fabrics are consider luxurious? Silk? Satin? Velvet? Dragon hair?
What are some clothes that only certain people wear? Do priests have a certain uniform? The military?
What are some ways people beautify themselves?
What kind of perfumes and/or colognes are worn?
What kind of soaps do people put in their bathes?
How often do people bathe?
What kind of hair care is there?
What kind of makeup do people use?
What is makeup made of? Modern ingredients? Magic? Crushed up beetles? Powdered flower? Ink?
How has magic affected fashion?
Eyes, Skin, Face, Hair, Build: Character physical descriptions.
Eyes – General
large, small, narrow
sharp, squinty, round
wide-set, close-set, deep-set
sunken, bulging, protruding
wide, hooded, heavy-lidded
bright, sparkling, glittering
flecked, dull, bleary
rheumy, cloudy, red-rimmed
beady, birdlike cat-like
jewel-like, steely, hard
fringed with long lashes, with sweeping eyelashes, with thick eyelashes
Eyes – Color
chestnut, chocolate brown, cocoa brown
coffee brown, mocha, mahogany
sepia, sienna brown, mink brown
copper, amber, cognac
whiskey, brandy, honey
tawny, topaz, hazel, obsidian
onyx, coal, raven, midnight, sky blue, sunny blue
cornflower blue, steel blue, ice blue
Arctic blue, glacial blue, crystal blue
cerulean, electric blue, azure
lake blue, aquamarine, turquoise
denim blue, slate blue / slate gray, storm blue / storm gray
silver / silver gray, chrome, platinum, pewter
smoky gray, ash gray, concrete gray, dove gray
shark gray, fog gray, gunmetal gray, olive
emerald, leaf green, moss green
Eyebrows
arched, straight, plucked, sparse
trim, dark, faint, thin, thick, unruly
bushy, heavy
Skin – Color
amber, bronze, cinnamon
copper, dark brown, deep brown
ebony, honey, golden
pale, pallid, pasty
fair, light, cream / creamy
alabaster, ivory, bisque
milk, porcelain, chalky
sallow, olive, peach
rose / rosy, ruddy, florid
russet, tawny, fawn
Skin – General
lined, wrinkled, seamed
leathery, sagging, drooping
loose, clear, smooth
silken, satiny, dry
flaky, scaly, delicate
thin, translucent, luminescent
baby-soft, flawless, poreless
with large pores, glowing, dewy
dull, velvety, fuzzy
rough, uneven, mottled
dimpled, doughy, firm
freckled, pimply, pockmarked
blemished, pitted, scarred
bruised, veined, scratched
sunburned, weather-beaten, raw
tattooed
Face – Structure
square, round, oblong
oval, elongated, narrow
heart-shaped, catlike, wolfish
high forehead, broad forehea, prominent brow ridge
protruding brow bone, sharp cheekbones, high cheekbones
angular cheekbones, hollow cheeks, square jaw
chiseled, sculpted, craggy
soft, jowly, jutting chin
pointed chin, weak chin, receding chin
double chin, cleft chin, dimple in chin
visible Adam’s apple
Nose
snub, dainty, button
turned-up, long, broad
thin, straight, pointed
crooked, aquiline, Roman
bulbous, flared, hawk, strong
Mouth/Lips
thin, narrow, full
lush, Cupid’s bow, rosebud
dry, cracked, chapped
moist, glossy, straight teeth
gap between teeth, gleaming white teeth, overbite
underbite
Facial Hair
clean-shaven
smooth-shaven
beard
neckbeard
goatee
moustache
sideburns
mutton-chop sideburns
stubble
a few days’ growth of beard
five o’ clock shadow
Hair – General
I threw a few hairstyles in here, though not many.
long, short, shoulder-length
loose, limp, dull
shiny, glossy, sleek
smooth, luminous, lustrous, spiky
stringy, shaggy, tangled
messy, tousled, windblown
unkempt, bedhead, straggly
neatly combed, parted, slicked down / slicked back
cropped, clipped, buzzed / buzz cut
crewcut, bob, mullet
curly, bushy, frizzy
wavy, straight, lanky
dry, oily, greasy
layers, corkscrews, spirals
ringlets, braids, widow’s peak
bald, shaved, comb-over, afro
thick, luxuriant, voluminous
full, wild, untamed
bouncy, wispy, fine, thinning
Hair – Color
black, blue-black, jet black
raven, ebony, inky black
midnight, sable, salt and pepper
silver / silver gray, charcoal gray, steel gray
white, snow-white, brown
brunette, chocolate brown, coffee brown
ash brown, brown sugar, nut brown
caramel, tawny brown, toffee brown
red, ginger, auburn, Titian-haired
copper, strawberry blonde, butterscotch
honey, wheat, blonde
golden, sandy blond, flaxen
fair-haired, bleached, platinum
Body Type – General
tall, average height, short
petite, tiny, compact
big, large, burly
beefy, bulky, brawny
barrel-chested, heavy / heavy-set, fat
overweight, obese, flabby
chunky, chubby, pudgy
pot-bellied, portly thick
stout, lush, plush
full-figured, ample, rounded
generous, voluptuous, curvy
hourglass, plump, leggy / long-legged
gangling, lanky, coltish
lissome, willowy, lithe
lean, slim, slender
trim, thin, skinny
emaciated, gaunt, bony
spare, solid, stocky
wiry, rangy, sinewy
stringy, ropy
child handling for the childless nurse
My current job has me working with children, which is kind of a weird shock after years in environments where a “young” patient is 40 years old. Here’s my impressions so far:
Birth - 1 year: Essentially a small cute animal. Handle accordingly; gently and affectionately, but relying heavily on the caregivers and with no real expectation of cooperation.
Age 1 - 2: Hates you. Hates you so much. You can smile, you can coo, you can attempt to soothe; they hate you anyway, because you’re a stranger and you’re scary and you’re touching them. There’s no winning this so just get it over with as quickly and non-traumatically as possible.
Age 3 - 5: Nervous around medical things, but possible to soothe. Easily upset, but also easily distracted from the thing that upset them. Smartphone cartoons and “who wants a sticker?!!?!?” are key management techniques.
Age 6 - 10: Really cool, actually. I did not realize kids were this cool. Around this age they tend to be fairly outgoing, and super curious and eager to learn. Absolutely do not babytalk; instead, flatter them with how grown-up they are, teach them some Fun Gross Medical Facts, and introduce potentially frightening experiences with “hey, you want to see something really cool?”
Age 11 - 14: Extremely variable. Can be very childish or very mature, or rapidly switch from one mode to the other. At this point you can almost treat them as an adult, just… a really sensitive and unpredictable adult. Do not, under any circumstances, offer stickers. (But they might grab one out of the bin anyway.)
Age 15 - 18: Basically an adult with severely limited life experience. Treat as an adult who needs a little extra education with their care. Keep parents out of the room as much as possible, unless the kid wants them there. At this point you can go ahead and offer stickers again, because they’ll probably think it’s funny. And they’ll want one. Deep down, everyone wants a sticker.
Writing Deaf Characters | Speech is Speech
Before I get going, I’m 75% deaf, as some of you know, semi-reliant on hearing aids and lip reading. My first languages were Makaton sign and then BSL. I now use spoken English.
There are a lot of issues I find with how deaf people are represented in books, when represented at all. I would love to see more deaf and hard of hearing characters in the books I read- without having to read books specifically about deaf/HoH people- but when I find them, they’re grossly undercharacterized or stereotyped. Authors write them in a way that sets signing language characters apart from speaking characters as if they are inferior, and this makes my blood boil.
Some technicalties
I’ll keep this brief.
You may have heard that “deaf” is a slur and you should use “hearing impaired”. Don’t. I’ve never met a deaf or hard of hearing person who believed that. Use deaf for people who are deaf, and Hard of Hearing (HoH) for people who lack hearing. These can be interchangeable depending on the person. This is why sensitivity readers are a useful part of the beta process.
Sign language is incredibly varied. It developes in the same way as spoken language. Fun fact: in BSL there are at least half a dozen ways to say bullshit, my favourite of which is laying your arms across one another with one hand making a bull’s head sign and the other hand going flat, like a cowpat. It’s beautifully crude, and the face makes the exclamation mark. Wonderful.
There are different sign languages. Knowing more than one would make a character multi or bi-lingual, even if they are non-speaking.
Makaton is basic sign language used by children, and it mirrors the very simple language used by toddlers.
Yes, we swear and talk shit about people around us in sign language sometimes, and no, it isn’t disrespectful to have signing characters do this. Just remember that we also say nice things, and random things, and talk about fandoms and TV shows and what we’re having for dinner, too.
Each signed language is different from another. ASL and BSL? Nothing alike. Just google the two different signs for horse.
Remember that sign language is a language, equal to the spoken word
Therefore, treat it as such. Use quotation speech marks and dialogue tags. You only need to explicitly state that this character uses signed language once, and then let your modifiers and description do the rest. It isn’t a form of “sub-speech" or “making hand actions”- sign language is a language all on its own: it has its own grammar rules, syntactical structures, punctuation, patterns, idioms and colloquialisms. For example, “what is your name?” becomes “Your name what?” with the facial expression forming punctuation in the same way that spoken English uses alterations of prosodic tone (inflections). There is even pidgin sign; a language phenomenon usually associated with spoken language.
In the same way that you would describe a spoken-English character’s tone of voice, you would describe a signed-English speaker’s facial expressions and the way that they sign- keeping in mind that these things are our language’s equivalent of verbal inflection.
So please, none of that use of “special speech marks” or italicised speech for sign. If your viewpoint character doesn’t understand signed speech, then you take the same approach that would be used for any other language they don’t understand, like French or Thai. E.g “He said something in rapid sign language, face wrinkling in obvious disgust.” is a good way of conveying this. The proof that you’ve done this well is in whether or not you can switch “sign language” for French or something else, and it would read the same.
Don’t be afraid to describe how things are said, either. Sign language is such a beautiful and expressive way of talking, and to see a writer do it justice would be truly fabulous. Putting this into practise:
“Oh, I love maths!” She said, fingers sharp and wide with sarcasm. She raised her eyebrows.
“I’m sorry.” He replied and made his face small, but could not keep the grin forming. She was starting to laugh, too.
This is part one of two, for the sake of readability and keeping the information simple as I can. Part two- writing the deaf characters themselves- is coming up over the weekend. See you then and best luck with your writing until that point :D
This is part of my weekly advice theme. Each week I look at what you’ve asked me to help with, and write a post or series of posts for it. Next week: settings and character development (including heroes, anti-heroes, villains, and every other kind of character).
Further Notes on Writing Signed Language
So I had a good think about this, based off of what I have written lately. As I go further into my novel, do even more research into different types of sign, and start on the arc that is written solely from the POV of my deaf character, I’ve begun to realize some other differences between signed and spoken dialogue.
For one thing, punctuation doesn’t apply in the same way. There is punctuation in sign language, but as I’ve talked about before, it is mostly facial; therefore, you describe it as a part of the dialogue tags. So then, what do about the commas, colons and semi-colons? In this case, the n-dash is your friend! The aforementioned punctuation marks indicate changes in tone, alterations of pace and pauses. Therefore, they can be replaced with an n-dash, like so
“You and I – I don’t think we can continue.”
And fingerspelled words would be written as single letters, hyphenated into a word:
”You and I - going to L-O-N-D-O-N.”
For another, the syntax of your translated signed dialogue is subtly different. One sign can ususally mean several different words and filler words are absent. If someone were to say “really big.” in sign, they might just make the sign for “big” and super over-exaggerate.
So, verbal dialogue version:
“It was really, really big!” Lottie jumped and down in excitement, her eyes shining.
And the signed dialogue version:
“The dog was huge!” Lottie flung out her hands into the word, making it larger than it needed to be, bouncing on her heels.
Keeping in mind that large, big, huge, bountiful (and other connected synonyms) are all the same sign.
I don’t like to write signed language in the syntax that it would be signed in (Name, yours, what instead of “what is your name”). Not only is this confusing for non-signing readers, but it also reads as childish or overly-simplistic for readers who don’t understand sign, which reinforces the harmful stereotype of deaf people being stupid/infantilisation of deaf people. It is impossible to truly do signed language justice in writing, because it’s a language made for hands, bodies and faces.
This all comes together to mean that the sentence structure of dialogue in sign will be different. You would use less contractions (isn’t, you’re, might’ve etc), fewer modifiers and shorter chunks of dialogue with the description of the sign in between.
If it reads differently or feels strange, that’s okay: signed language is different to verbal language and so they won’t sound the same as one another in writing. They’re more like cousins or step-siblings than part of the same direct family group. You’re utilizing different descriptors and tools.
Hopefully, this also answers the repeated issue of differentiation, which has come up time and time again from various people. Best of luck to you all with your writing x
Build a fantasy religion
i didn’t see around a lot of indications about this, so i decide of making some short, direct and usefull indication based even on my experience. (feel free to add tips)
Why create a religion for my world?:
Religion is a big part of every culture that can influence the daylife of larg group of people so it’s important to define it if present in your world. The other thing is that is a good way for worldbuild, you can define the life of people, the way cities are built and the way of think of the population.
Where to start:
- Polytheist or monotheist: choose the type of religion that fit better your world, it’s important because polytheist and monotheist religions have some differencesthat have relevance when you write. (not only the number of gods but for example how gods are workship or how are build temples)
-Read about real religions: this is a good base and you are going to see a lot of aspect that you have to take count of. Reinterpret is a way of creating a new one, so you can take prinples for example.
-Decide the characteristics of the God/s: After have a clear idea of what you want to do (example: religion similar to Romans’ one or a mix between Egyptians and Greeks gods) you have to put cleare some poits:
Is you god/s good or bad? : so how is see by humans, what is famous for, which is their temper, is revengeful or their forgive, if it is feared or loved or both. If you create more gods then you can decide to make them represent somenthing.
Did your god/s in contact with humans?: The relationship with humans; so if they are between humans and if humans know about it. In this case when and how they do so. If they don’t meet humans you have to decide if they communicate with them and how.
Physical appearance: if they had a physical appearance describe it or describe characteristics that the god have when in physical form.
- Worship: While the poits before where about the poit of wiew of the God/s, you have always to define how humans venerate God/s. Some points:
Is all the population religious?: This is important because there you can determine the relationship between who belive and who not or between different religions. Or say if is imposed.
What role have religion in the State: So if religion have a political power, how much power have and if is used for good or for bad.
What are the religion institutions: There is a leader of the cult, what are the offices and how they are built, how much the istitutions influence the population.
Where: where is workshiop God/s (temples or churches or at home)
HOW: this is probably the most important aspect but the more compless too. Here you need to define how people practice their own religion so if they only pray or do make sacrifices, if there are rules that influence the daily life, if there are festivity or particular ritual, if there are simbols that are workship.
The Name: The name can be 1 word or more but it’s better if not more than 4 because it have to be somenthing that affect. It can be a word or a period that describe a foundamental principe of your new religion, or somenting like “The believe of X” .
A thing that is always good to keep in mind is that religions tend to give a sense of belonging to the believers. This can be use in a lot of way and is a important specially if your new religion have political power or a big influence on population.
I hope it help someone. (feel free to add tips)
Here’s an invaluable writing resource for you.