A Massively Extended Version Of Ruthlesscalculus’ Post

Alternatives for: "Smile"

Okay, so, this turned up a lot like the “said” debate. Some of the alternatives for smile just happen to be for really specific situations, and/or are often misused.

Smile is a great word, and when you try and use an alternative, said alternative often ends up being: a) wrongly used or b) ridiculous sounding. Oftentimes it’s just okay to write “he smiled” or “they smiled at each other” rather than getting “creative” with it. 

a quick visual guide to the enemies to lovers trope because a lot of y’all are confused

Writing Exercises for Stretching Your Style Muscles

There’s a lot of writing advice on the internet, and a lot of writing prompts, but something I see relatively little of is an idea of how to actually practice. 

The thing about learning a skill is that it requires practice – but practicing will only get you so far if you’re just doing the same thing over and over. you might get better at doing that specific thing, but it can seem really difficult to get over a specific hurdle to accomplish some new thing you’ve never tried. I think a really common frustration is wanting to do a thing, and knowing what your end goal looks like, but not knowing actually how to accomplish it. 

So that’s where practicing specific skills can really help you to feel more comfortable with your abilities. 

Here are some skills exercises I recommend experimenting with to gain proficiency and comfort in writing things. 

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Write the Same Scene from Multiple POVs 

Write a scene in 3rd person POV. Then go back and rewrite it from scratch in 1st person. Repeat for a 3rd person omniscient. Go deeper than just swapping out pronouns. Think: How does this scene change if I’m writing through the eyes of a single character vs over their shoulder? How does this scene change if I’m narrating the events through Character B instead of Character A? 

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Write a Scene in Present Tense

Present tense bumps up the immediacy level of whatever you’re writing. I think it also helps to break you from more passive sentence constructions. Try taking a scene you’ve written and rewrite it in present tense. Combine it with the above – try switching a 3rd person past to 1st person present, or even try writing in 2nd person. 

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Try Mimicking Another Writer’s Style 

Sit down with a piece of writing from an author you enjoy, and pay attention to the writing itself. Ignore the plot and characters and story elements – look at just the nuts and bolts of vocabulary choices and sentence construction. Try to pick it apart. Is there a specific way the author tends to use commas? Certain words, or types of words, that they use more often? Longer sentences or shorter ones? Longer paragraphs or short? How is white space handled? 

Study that and make yourself a little cheat sheet if that’s helpful to you. Then try writing a short piece – just a couple paragraphs, even – in their writing style. 

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Describe an Entire Scene Without Using Visual Description 

Imagine you’re writing a blind character, if it helps, or someone who’s been blindfolded. Describe a whole scene built entirely around the way things sound, smell, taste, feel. Try to make it clear what’s happening through description alone. 

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Eliminate All Words like “Thought” or “Felt” 

Write in deep-3rd or 1st person without any filter words. Make a character’s opinions and emotions obvious through the way things are being described without explicitly saying what they’re thinking or feeling. If you struggle with this, it might be easier to start in first person – write as a diary entry or even a Tumblr post from that person’s perspective – and then try it in 3rd person after you’ve had a bit of practice. 

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Set Yourself a Specific Goal, and Write a Drabble to Achieve it 

When I wrote “Happy Ending,” my entire goal was to write something that was highly descriptive in the most viscerally gross way possible. When I wrote “Mothman,” it was an exercise in writing something sexualized without explicitly being sexual, in the most disturbing way possible. 

This is an exercise in word choice. It’s an excuse to bust out your thesaurus, not to sound fancy, but to nail a specific meaning. It’s also an exercise in choosing what details to focus on and which to exclude. 

One way to approach this exercise is to describe something common and mundane that you’ve experienced, and write it in several different ways. Let’s say, eating a sandwich. How can you make eating a sandwich sound sexy? How can you make it sound disgusting? Which details do you focus on, and which do you omit? What words do you use to evoke the meaning you’re looking for? 

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I hope these writing exercises give you some inspiration on things to try out to flex your creative wings a bit! 

Hi! I am stuck in my writing, in the romance scenes..if i could ask for your help, could you give me some examples for showing, not telling love in an already existing relationship?

Hi :)

Love Language - Showing, not telling love

smiling at each other without reason

listening to each other rant

caring about each other’s health

lots of innocent and not so innocent touches

writing each other notes

giving small gifts without special occasion

making sure to spend quality time together

showing interest in each other’s interests

supporting each other

caring about each others’ lives outside of the relationship

doing something nice for each other

trying to get to know each other's friends and families

taking their load off of them

remembering things they told them

holding hands in public

telling their friends about them

Have fun!

- Jana

Color Synonyms

White

also: pale; blanched; sallow; pallid; waxen; spectral; translucent; albino; 

Grey

also: dust; stone; pepper;  

Black

also:  coal; slate; dusky; ebon; shadow; murky; 

Tan

also: flesh; khaki; cream; tawny; 

Brown

also:  henna; russet; sepia; chestnut; cocoa; drab; bronze; 

Red

also: terracotta ; rouge; carmine;  fire-engine; ruddy

Orange

also:  pumpkin ; rust ; 

Yellow

also: sunny; amber; saffron; hay; straw; platinum; 

Green

also: viridescent; grass; jade; forest; 

Blue

also: turquoise; cyan; ultramarine; royal; aqua; aquamarine;

Purple

also: berry;  amaranthine;

Pink

also: flushed; candy; cherry blossom; petal pink ; 

—– source: http://ingridsundberg.com/

—–additional synonyms added by me

Hello :) Just to say that I am loving your writers page, it's helping me out so much with my character profiling! I wondered; do you have any posts on how to describe someone's gait / walk ?

Here is a list of some that I found in a quick search. If anyone would like to add on, please send in a message or reply to this post!

·         amble: to walk leisurely

·         careen: pitching dangerously to one side

·         falter: move hesitatingly, as if about to give way

·         flounder: walk with great difficulty

·         footing (n): a firm position for your feet on a surface, especially one that is difficult to stand on or walk across

·         in/into step: if people walk in step, each person moves their feet at exactly the same time as the others

·         limp (n): a way of walking that is affected by an injured leg or foot

·         lumbering (adj): walking slowly because of being large and heavy (or sometimes even just drunk); moving heavily or clumsily

·         lurch: walk as if unable to control one’s movements

·         meander: to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course

·         on foot: walking

·         out of step: if people walk out of step, they do not keep their feet moving at the same time as the rest of a group

·         pace (n): a step that you take when you walk or run (fast-paced or slow-paced can be used with this term)

·         parade: march in a procession; to walk around with an air of over-confidence

·         prowl: move about in or as if in a predatory manner

·         ramble: move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment

·         rolling (adj): someone who has a rolling walk moves their body from side to side as they walk

·         saunter: walk leisurely and with no apparent aim

·         shuffle (n): a slow, noisy way of walking

·         skulk: move stealthily

·         somnambulate: walk in one’s sleep

·         springy (adj): if you walk with a springy step, you walk quickly and with a lot of energy

·         stagger (n): a way of walking in which you stagger

·         stalk: walk stiffly

·         stride (n): a long, confident step

·         stroll: walk with no apparent aim; walk calm and relaxed

·         strut (n): a proud and confident way of walking

·         stumble (n): often when someone trips over something, including their own feet; can occur when nervous

·         sure-footed (adj): good at walking or climbing and unlikely to fall

·         totter: move without being stable, as if threatening to fall

·         trudge: walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud

·         waddle: walk unsteadily

·         wade: walk through relatively shallow water

Dear writers

You’re not a bad person for:

Saying no to requests that make you uncomfortable/you get no inspiration for

Taking a small break every now and then

Changing up your writing style to better suit you

Not posting as often or posting more than other writers

I can’t be the only one that needs a reminder of these things sometimes.

I am a(n):

⚪ Male

⚪ Female

🔘 Writer

Looking for

⚪ Boyfriend

⚪ Girlfriend

🔘 An incredibly specific word that I can't remember

Romance Masterpost

How to write it

How to write romance

Love Language - Showing, not telling love

Honeymoon

Slow burn

Forbidden Romance (+ prompts)

Reasons for a break-up while still loving each other

How to create quick chemistry

How to write enemies to lovers (+ prompts)

How to write lovers to enemies to lovers

Arranged matrimony for royalty (+ prompts)

Date gone wrong

Academic rivals to lovers

Romantic Fall Date Ideas

How to write a polyamorous relationship

Prompt Lists

Romance Part I

Romance Part II

Bad ones, unrequited, break-up Part I

Bad ones, unrequited, break-up Part II

Two smart and also stupid people in love

Push and pull romantic prompts

Co-workers - Hate to love

Lovers to enemies

Jealousy + Things said during sex prompts

Moving in together