So Apparently Last Year The National Park Service In The US Dropped An Over 1200 Page Study Of LGBTQ

Important ideas to consider when creating characters who are black and indigenous people of color. (x)

Smile (writing references)

(So I was doing research for myself, but I thought that it might be useful.)

Adjectives for Smile

radiant; broad; beautiful; sexy; lovely; rustic; uneasy; gracious; seductive; warm; disarming; regretful; winning; surprised; bitter; reminiscent; whimsical; boyish; girlish; wreathed; metallic; faint; apologetic; affectionate; sweet; amiable; solitary; pitying; ridiculous; quizzical; spicy; special; contagious; fawning amused; icy; wistful; courteous; crafty withering; beaming; dazzling; ravished; enormous uncontrolled; sickly; sly; devilish; maternal; eager naked; frank; joyous; complacent; brilliant answering; forced; angry; sympathetic wanton; contemptuous; deadly; sad; simulated; audible; illumined; parting; approving; ironical; mocking; sudden; indulgent; welcoming; irradiating; agreeable; restrained; watery; rare; playful; superior; arch; perpetual; innocent; sparkling; big; somber; polished; responding; irrepressible; religious; peculiar; convenient; everlasting; tolerant; vapid; priceless; vague; racked; complicated; smart; polite; murderous; disdainful sunny; indomitable; sinister; diabolical; complaisant; dim; patient; haughty; endless; rapid; passing; benign; lurid; crooked; placid; hot; grave; malicious; incredulous; timid; bland; provocative peerless; vivacious; mellow; wan; new quiet; calm; abrupt; loving; sagacious; cautious; buoyant; greasy; sardonic; conciliatory; sidelong; nasty; dawning; grim; ironical; false; meaning; sustaining; saucy; atoning; cynical; prodigal; charming; natural indifferent; tolerant; wry; little; visible mournful; naughty; weary; patronizing; languid deprecating; fitful; humorous; sarcastic; mutual; idiotic; frigid; hospitable; doubtful; ingratiating counterfeit; curious; mischievous; childlike exultant; saturnine; speculative; pensive immutable; condescending; pert; impish roguish; ghastly; rueful; hollow; unctuous inane; joyless; wild; satirical; reassuring slow; hideous; flattering; listless; parting fleeting; engaging; severe; immortal; insipid; moonshine; fascinating; facile; beatific; restless; scornful; blossomed; wondering; moony; senile; ambrosial; covert; airy; incisive; faded; shy; social; angelic; envious; debonair; bashful; artificial; waking; antiseptic; mischievous; paternal; dubious; malevolent; roguish; hungry; pale ready; clear; thoughtless; gentle; infectious conscious; timorous; haughty; frequent backward; enamored; obnoxious; pallid derisive; beguiling; excited; brittle; smarmy; conceited; sneering; wide; rascally; timid; meek; reluctant; courageous; nervous; kind; involuntary; smothered; ardent; brave; beaming; glowing; incandescent; inviting; fake; phony; imploring; practiced; delightful; endearing; cheerful.

Verbs for Smile

achieve—; answer with—; bestow—; cloud—; conceal—; crinkle into—; extinguish—; extract—; flash—; grant—; illuminate with —; induce—; loosen—; manage—; mock— permit—; provoke—; quench—; repress— rouse—; share—; shed—; suppress— throw—; toss—; wear—; wreathe in— wrinkle into—; —abashes; —basks; — confronts; —contorts; —creases; —crinkles; —deludes; —departs; —disconcerts; —disparages; —fades; —flashes; —flickers; —hides; —hovers; —lightens; —lingers; — mantles; —plays; —reassures; —renders; —reveals; —twitches.

Adverbs for Smile

delightedly; approvingly; shrewdly; affectionately; reluctantly; ecstatically; whimsically; tolerantly; radiantly; indulgently; benevolently; tremulously;grimly; sympathetically; blandly; beamingly; wanly; auspiciously; impudently; disarmingly; mischievously; magnanimously; unctuously; contemptuously; lewdly, winsomely; wryly; languidly; artificially; automatically; apathetically; benignly; facetiously; superficially; demurely; guilelessly; angelically; affably; ambiguously; coyly; cynically; cunningly; exultantly; exaggeratedly; cryptically; ruefully; benevolently.

Emotional Manipulation Starters

Trigger warnings apply. Requested by anon. (Disclaimer: not all of these sentences are manipulative in a different context, and some can be used jokingly as well.)

“If you really cared about me, you’d do what I’m asking.” “Don’t you trust me?” “I wish I never met you, honestly.” “You’re the reason I’m upset.” “It’s all your fault.” “I guess you just don’t love me enough.” “You have to keep it a secret. I’ll find out if you tell anyone.” “Whatever. It’s not like I care.” “I could just leave, you know.” “Do you like them more than me?” “Who have you been talking to?” “I would do anything to make you happy, I just want you to do the same for me.” “You have to tell me. Not telling me is just as bad as lying.” “It would be so easy for me to find someone else.” “If you loved me, you’d tell me.” “It’s like you don’t even care about me.” “One day I’ll be dead and you’ll regret not being there when I needed it.” “Nobody really cares about me, not even you.” “No one will ever love you the way I do.” “If you leave me, I don’t want to even think about what I’ll do.” “I’ll just tell everyone you were abusing me.” “You have to. You owe me.” “I’ve made sacrifices for you, now you have to do the same.” “I’ll never forgive you.” “No, it’s fine. Just do whatever you want, I guess.” “Am I upset? Why, should I be?” “If you don’t come over tonight, I’m going to hurt myself.” “I never said that. You’re trying to confuse me.” “I think you hate me.” “I would do anything for you, so why wouldn’t you do the same?” “If you don’t do this, it’s because you don’t love me.” “You were there for them, but not me?” “Yes, if you love me, you would change for me.” “I’m wasting my time with you.” “Well, I guess I’m just useless, aren’t I?” “I know you didn’t say it, but you were thinking it.” “You hate me. I know you do.” “You can’t convince me I’m not just a burden to you.”

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

writers:

break up your paragraphs. big paragraphs are scary, your readers will get scared

fuuuuck epithets. “the other man got up” “the taller woman sat down” “the blonde walked away” nahhh. call them by their names or rework the sentence. you can do so much better than this (exception: if the reader doesn’t know the character(s) you’re referring to yet, it’s a-okay to refer to them by an identifying trait)

blunette is not a thing

new speaker, new paragraph. please.

“said” is such a great word. use it. make sweet love to it. but don’t kill it

use “said” more than you use synonyms for it. that way the use of synonyms gets more exciting. getting a sudden description of how a character is saying something (screaming, mumbling, sighing) is more interesting that way.

if your summary says “I suck at summaries” or “story better than summary” you’re turning off the reader, my dude. your summary is supposed to be your hook. you gotta own it, just like you’re gonna own the story they’re about to read

follow long sentences w short ones and short ones w long ones. same goes for paragraphs

your writing is always better than you think it is. you just think it’s bad because the story’s always gonna be predicable to the one who’s writing it

i love u guys keep on trucking

Can you give pointers on how to write smut properly?

The Ultimate Guide to Writing Smut Fic is a great resource! I’ll try giving some of my own, too, tho!

#1 Tip: The key to writing smut is be yourself & have fun!

OK, that’s a joke, but it’s true. Write smut that you enjoy. If you are turned on by what you’re writing, it’s good. Smut is tricky because everyone has different preferences. 

For example, some people will hate Dom/sub, while others go out of their way looking for it. Stuff like dubcon, noncon, omorashi, etc. will be more divisive, but even vanilla blowjobs will turn some readers off. So just accept that you can’t please everyone and write for yourself! 

Word Choice

Do you call a penis: a cock? shaft? manhood? member? What about lady parts? Some readers will click that back button the minute they see “pussy,” while others won’t read smut that uses any other term. 

Some word choices are safer than others. Generally speaking, no one enjoys clinical terms like “penis” or “vagina.” And no one objects to “him” or “her” (i.e. “He entered her”). 

If in doubt, the vaguer you are, the less likely it is to turn someone off. I am fond of overusing “warmth” and “heat” for everything (i.e. “He entered her warm depths”). Plus, what is a “heat” anyway? When I write gender-neutral smut, the POV character is always getting their heat or sex stroked, and their entrance penetrated. Vague terms are quite useful! 

Here’s a little “smut thesaurus” I made of terms I use or at least don’t find objectionable. Again, you never know what someone might find cringey, and some of them I consider borderline, but there’s nothing on the list that’s universally seen as bad. Like “orbs” for eyes. 

Filthiness level

Not all porn is as porny as other porn! Take for example, the same blowjob:

She took him in her mouth, bobbing up and down in his lap. 

Or... 

Her lips parted around his thick, veiny cock, tasting the salt of his precum on her tongue. Sliding down his shaft until her nose was buried in his dark hairs and his crown struck the back of her throat, she... etc!! 

If you’re not sure how to start, it’s OK to do lighter smut that doesn’t get quite so explicit! A lot of people prefer smut that’s more focused on the emotions and less on the graphic details. I definitely started out writing cleaner smut.  

Your word choices will also affect the filthiness/tone of a fic. Not everyone wants cocks and cunts everywhere! I’d recommend saving your naughtiest words for your naughtiest, most graphic fics, and fluffier language for fluffier, cleaner fics. 

Inspiration!

If you can’t just churn out sexy scenarios on demand...

Read other smutfics/romance novels. I have a whole “smut thesaurus” google doc that I add to every time I see some phrasing that I like. Do not plagiarize entire sentences word for word. But when I see my favorite author use “laving” I’m like... yes. That is a good word for licking. Let me add that to my list of licking words. 

Fantasize. Not to get TMI but if you’re stuck on a smut scene... you know. Consider getting the ol’ vibrator out. Or have sex with someone if that’s an option. Cuddle a pillow. Stop stressing over the keyboard and just imagine what would feel good. THEN WRITE IT DOWN SUPER QUICK BEFORE YOU FORGET. I’m always taking notes on my phone. 

Porn. Just. Straight-up watch some porn. You’re still responsible for the emotional component, but you’re allowed to steal all of the physical acts from a porn video if you want. 

Don’t forget the emotions!!! 

Character development and a strong emotional basis are what separates smut fic from porn. The physical act of two people mashing their body parts together in different configurations loses its interest after awhile. For me anyway. I need a STORY! 

Why are they having sex? How do they feel about the sex they’re having? Tell me how the sex is an expression of how much they care about each other! Or show me how their sexual connection is what makes them start to fall in love! Show me they’re afraid they’re not good enough, but the way their lover moans their name fills them with such a warm, trembling feeling! Tell me how reassured they are when their partner holds their hand! Or how safe they feel with their solid weight pressing them down into the mattress. Or how wild and arousing it is to be with such a fiendish villain! How powerful it feels to have an arrogant, wealthy man begging for you on his knees! How all your insecurity slips away when you give up all control to a trusted partner. How amazing it feels to be that partner, and be trusted. Slow, comforting “you had a bad day and I’m taking care of you” sex where they comb their fingers through your hair. Awkward first times! 

There are so many different feelings to be explored with sex! 

(Ex. Trope-and-Tales devastated me with a smut scene where the arrogant jerk guy desperately wanted affection and kept trying to have sensual, loving sex, but she was angry at him and wanted rough hate-sex, and it was disappointing for both of them and heartbreaking. I’m still not over it. I’ll never be over it. So, you know. Kudos to what you can convey with sex.)

So really, if you put the emotions front and center, you can’t go wrong. Smut is like any other part of writing... just with more body parts mashing together.

Not all character development is positive. Characters can, and in my opinion, should, develop both negative and positive traits throughout the course of their story. As the story goes, they shouldn’t be perfected, they’re people, not artpieces, and so there shouldn’t be a stage where they’ve improved/changed exclusively for the better, to the point where they have no negative traits at all. 

US SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE IS CHANGING ITS NUMBER

Taking effect July 2022, the US Suicide Prevention Hotline will change from 800-273-8255 to the three digit code of 988. Especially with families and communities reeling from back to back tragedies, it is super important to share this information!

Repeat: Starting July 2022, the US Suicide Prevention Hotline will be 988

also seriously if a character isn’t white, i promise your only descriptive options aren’t food words and varying degrees of tan. it’s okay to say brown. pale brown! light brown! golden brown! medium brown! dark brown! deep brown! so many kinds of brown!

BROWN BROWN BROWN BROWN BROWN