Latest Posts by the-writer-muse - Page 6

How Not to Fantasy Worldbuild

Intro

Yes, you read that title right. Today I’m going to be giving advice on how you should not fantasy worldbuild. I’ll be exploring the mistakes people frequently make when worldbuilding foreign fantasy peoples, countries, and cultures, and how to avoid those mistakes. Please note that this advice doesn't apply to books where foreign countries do not play a significant role. However, if you have a book like Six of Crows or Blood Heir where foreign countries are significant, then this post may be more immediately useful to you.

Disclaimer: Remember that these are my opinions, and you are fully entitled to your own!

Put the same level of effort in for all worldbuilding

As an example: don’t come up with an entire history, economy, government, culture, etc. for one country, and then completely neglect another country because its inspirations lie in a country you aren’t familiar with.

@joonmono​ puts this best in their Tumblr post: “i will never not be angry at white fantasy authors being like ‘this is fake russia and this is fake germany and this is fake scandinavia and this is fake netherlands and this is fake amsterdam' then turn around and be like ‘oh but there's only one fake collective african country and one fake collective asian country.’”

Many fantasy authors, not just white authors, make this mistake too, because it saves time and effort. However, this is lazy and shallow worldbuilding at best. It shows you don’t care enough to research other countries/cultures and honor them. Yet taking the time to research for your worldbuilding both improves the depth of your worldbuilding and opens up your own worldview. When you enrich your worldbuilding, you also enrich yourself. That should be incentive enough to not half-ass the worldbuilding. So just don’t do it. Trust me, your readers will notice and appreciate it.

Don’t mix and match cultures

Mixing and matching cultures is a surefire way to make them inaccurate. For example, don’t group a bunch of East Asian cultures together into Fantasy China or a bunch of South Asian cultures into Fantasy India. It’s lazy, inaccurate, and quite frankly, offensive. And unfortunately, it’s very common in modern fantasy books.

Even among common aspects of culture, there are huge differences as well.  For example, there’s no such thing as one Indian people: there are thousands of ethnic groups in India, however. So, to avoid mixing and matching ethnic groups, focus on one specific group for inspiration.

Whatever you do, don’t consolidate an entire country, with various different languages, cultures, and traditions into a single monolith. That’s ignorant and harmful to the people who are part of those cultures.

Avoid stereotypes and generalizations

I really, really dislike it when writers fill their only foreign cultures and countries with rife stereotypes and outdated misconceptions. As a result, the fictional country/culture/people becomes a caricature of whatever reality the writer is attempting to imitate. It has potential, but it remains undeveloped in favor of stacking stereotypes and/or generalizations on top of each other.

This all ties into the first point I made: readers can tell when you don’t put effort into building foreign countries and cultures. Stereotypes and generalizations is where perhaps the largest harm takes root. This may not seem important--isn’t it all just fiction? But fantasy frequently draws from reality, and that reality may be that of a narrow, ignorant lens.

Be careful and mindful about how you draw inspiration from foreign cultures and countries, because the people who belong to them can very much be affected today.

character i’m writing: is smart

me: *sighs* *opens wikipedia page*

can we as a community, no matter what writing software we use, all agree that google docs' spellcheck system is pretty screwy?

my toxic trait is saving a piece of writing advice for later and then completely forgetting about it when i actually need it

Rating First Lines of My WIPs

There once was a very young filly named Mirabelle who lived on a lovely farm. She had a kind owner, and the horses who lived with her were very nice.

5/10

Major horse girl vibes

This might make a good children’s book, so it gets a couple extra points for reaching its target audience

I used to have a thing for writing stories from the POVs of animals, I think it was because I was a big fan of Erin Hunter books at the time

Author’s Note: This font I am typing in is Happy Monkey, for the story, and this is Handlee, which is my friend’s font. Remember, this font is mine and this font is hers. In this story, I am Ivy Keid, and my friend is Hailyn Keid. (My friend wishes to remain anonymous.) Got it? Cool. Let’s get on with the story. (Oh, and this may not make sense in some parts. So what? It’s a story. It doesn’t HAVE to make sense.

3/10

Younger me, I hate to break it to you, but a story does have to make some kind of sense

If it isn’t clear, I was going through a qUiRkY phase when I wrote this

I wrote this with my best friend, so I remember having fun writing it despite cringing at it now!

Heart racing, feet pounding the ground, Alara ran for her life, the monsters that would soon snuff out her life like a candle pursuing her relentlessly. She leaped over a fallen branch, and heard a series of loud thumps. She didn’t stop to check whether they’d fallen. She zigzagged through the streets and ran on into the darkness, where her people were hiding, where they had been chased out by the creatures of the darkness.”

7/10

Younger me was really trying to be hardcore huh

Actually I like this first line, but why is it so wordy, and what’s up with the confusing writing style?

This entire story was literally plagiarized from inspired by The City of Ember and I have fond memories of writing it

“You still reading that science fiction crap?”

A voice interrupted Joseph. He looked up from his copy of The Cyber War. It was Arnie, the class bully. He was one of those kids who never was caught when breaking the rules. The kids all complained about him, but the teachers never did anything because they never caught him. Make fun of his name, and he’d have you in a headlock giving you his infamous Sandpaper Noogie. No one ever sat in front of him. Kids would rather pull a desk to the other side of the room than sit near Arnie Jones.

6/10

Oh, look, a main character who likes books :) it gets a point just for that

This is unironically funny now, but I don’t think I was trying to be funny while writing this

Arnie Jones may be one of the best bully names I’ve ever come up with (for some reason, bullies featured prominently in my early stories--I wasn’t even bullied, so I have no idea why that was)

There’s nothing more awkward than being with four complete strangers and knowing that you might die with them.

6.5/10

If I want to know what I was reading at a point in my life, all I have to do is open up a WIP from that time, and I’ll immediately know what books I was liking at the time. This is one of those WIPs. In this case, it’s from my YA dystopia phase (yeah I had a lot of phases, don’t @ me)

From this first line alone, I’m getting huge Divergent vibes with some Percy Jackson flavor (it gets half a point solely for that)

I ended up abandoning this WIP after 4 pages, so I’m not really attached to it

“Halt!”

The soldier’s voice easily cut through the bustling plaza, as did its owner. Aydin pretended not to have heard and hurried on.

8/10

Points for the en media res, a point off for the second line being confusing

I wrote this around 7th-8th grade, which was when I started to get more serious about writing (although I abandoned it after 10 pages...in the middle of a sentence)

I might return to this one someday, I had a lot of fun with it!

Everyone says that time heals all wounds, but no amount of time could have prepared me for seeing my sister in her casket.

9/10

The intrigue? The hook? The mystery? Amazing, immaculate, we love to see it

Maybe I’m a little bit biased, but I think this is the best first line I’ve ever come up with!

This is from my current WIP, Pawn, btw ;)

me: i hate cliches

the author: character a cleans and bandages character b's injuries

me: OMG CHARACTER A CLEANS AND BANDAGES CHARACTER B'S INJURIES

just so yall know

art block is your brain telling you to do studies.

draw a still life. practice some poses. sketch some naked people. do a color study. try out a different technique on a basic shape.

art block doesnt stop you from drawing, it stops you from making your drawings look the way you want them to. and thats because you need to push your skills to the next level so you can preform at that standard

think of it as level grinding for your next work.

you're a godsend

thank you anon!

How I Outline My Characters

Intro

Hey guys! Today I’m going to be talking about how I outline and build my characters. I used to be so uninspired when I was building characters, because to me it just felt like I was filling in blanks, and I couldn’t really connect to the character. So I just decided to take a bare-bones character profile (specifically Reedsy’s, which I highly recommend) and cut and add things as I saw fit. I want to stress that it’s in no way comprehensive--in fact, I’m always adding new things--but it does cover quite a bit, and so far, it’s worked well for me!

1. Identity and appearance

This section involves all the fundamental parts of a character. First, I begin with names: the character’s name in English (or in another language, if applicable) and their nickname(s). Then, I go through all the details of birth, location, age, etc. etc. Next, I dive into nationality and heritage, the languages the character understands, and their gender and pronouns (I know there's a difference between the two, I just group them together because it's easier to keep track of). Finally, I go into all the statistics of appearance and health, along with a description of what they look like in the text!

2. Personality and psychology

In the second section of my character profile, I nail down the basic personality and psychology of the character. "General” includes their normal temperament, preferences, moral compass, and more. The second subsection delves into “plot-significant” elements of the character’s mind, such as the heart’s desire, weaknesses, insecurities, and fears. “Classifications,” the third subsection, is just about categorizations like zodiac signs and personality types. Last is a list of miscellaneous “favorites” of the character. I pay a lot of attention to the first two parts of this section, as they are essential for me to figure out the story!

3. Communication and mannerisms

Next, I delve into the communications and mannerisms of the character, whether that’s vocal, physical, or emotional. Most of this is pretty self-explanatory, so I’ll just elaborate on a few. A swear word can tell you a lot about a character, surprisingly enough--whether it’s religious or not, whether the character whispers it or yells it, etc.

Under the “physical” subsection, “gestures” refers to the level of gesturing that a character does, as well as what kind of gestures they make--e.g. big and sweeping gestures, or small and confined ones? In the “emotions” subsection, "humor” refers to what the character finds funny, e.g. dark humor. “Smile” refers to what the character’s smile looks like, which can be very telling. For example, do they have a close-lipped smile or a wide, toothy grin? Do they have both but show one of them more often, and if so, why?

4. Social media and related

Here, I decide what social media platforms the character would use if they had them, and if so, what type of content they would post. This is a fun character exercise and it can be taken further by actually creating social media profiles for your characters on certain websites!

I also make a miniature playlist of what songs I think they would listen to, specifically songs that would be on their all-time most played Spotify playlist. Making playlists is one of my favorite ways to flesh out characters!

5. Backstory

Probably the most important part of the profile plot-wise, “Backstory” covers the entire background of a character--their childhood, memories, aspirations, abstract details, and everything to do with the past and what their life and mind was like prior to the story. Under “Description,” I simply write out a longer summary of the character’s backstory.

6. Family

Here, I just build the character’s family, noting their names, ages, birth/death, history, their relationship with the character, etc. This is pretty self-explanatory. After going into immediate family, I mention extended family. Both can reveal insights into the character--are they closer to one side of their family than to the other? Why? Is there any conflict that may be shown between the character and their family in the story?

7. Relationships

This section is all about relationships; familial, platonic or romantic. This helps me figure out the dynamics between characters. I also include a “Perception” section, which allows me to view the character from multiple angles. If this character is involved in romance, I note what qualities they want in a relationship or in their ideal partner(s).

8. Story elements

Finally, I figure out the current situation of the character: where are they right now and where do they want to be? What’s their goal? What motivates them? These questions let me build a plot. Lastly, I plan out their character arc--how they change and develop during the course of the story.

f*ck personality tests, what font do you write in?

Color-Themed Names

Red/pink-themed names

Camellia, Carmine, Cerise, Cherry, Claret, Flynn, Fuchsia, Garance, Garnet, Holly, Jacinthe, Linnea, Phoenix, Pink, Poppy, Reed, Rosa, Rose, Roux, Rowan, Roy, Ruby, Russ, Russell, Scarlett, Sherry, Titian, Zinnia

Orange-themed names

Alani, Amber, Azahar, Cam, Coral, Ginger, Orenji, Sziéna, Topaz

Yellow-themed names

Blaine, Bowie, Boyd, Citron, Citrine, Maize, Marigold, Saffron, Xanthe, Xanthus

Green-themed names

Basil, Beryl, Celadon, Chartreuse, Chloris, Clover, Fern, Forest, Emerald, Esmeralda, Giada, Hunter, Ivy, Jade, Juniper, Kelly, Midori, Moss, Olive, Orrin, Sage, Viridienne, Viridis

Blue-themed names

Aqua, Azul, Azure, Blue, Cobalt, Hyacinth, Indigo, Mazarine, Nila, Ocean, River, Sapphire, Sky, Teal

Purple-themed names

Amethyst, Heather, Iolanthe, Ione, Iris, Lavender, Lilac, Mauve, Sigal, Violet, Wisteria, Yolanda

Brown-themed names

Anise, Auburn, Brindle, Bruno, Coco, Clove, Fawn, Hari, Hazel, Roan, Russet, Sienna, Tawny, Umber

Black-themed names

Coal, Ebony, Jet, Melanie, Onyx, Pepper, Raven, Sable

Gray/silver-themed names

Arian, Ash, Chamois, Ecru, Gin, Gray/Grey, Grayson, Isabelline, Silver, Slate, Sterling, Stone, Storm

White-themed names

Alaska, Alba, Albion, Bianca, Blaine, Dove, Everest, Fidda, Fiona, Ivory, Lily, Opal, Pearl, Snow

Rainbow/misc-themed names

Aya, Ayami, Ayane, Enfys, Hong, Iridiana, Iris, Itza, Itzel, Iro, Jalus, Kelemi, Keshet, Nanako, Ostadar, Raga, Solongo, Szinta, Tolbon, Tourmaline, Vaiva, Walken, Ziazan

Gold-themed names

Altin, Arta, Aurelia, Aurelius, Aurian, Aurum, Cressida, Dahab, Florin, Genji, Gilda, Golden, Goldie, Eurion, Hiran, Kanaka, Kanok, Loreal, Oriana, Orville, Sonali, Sui, Suvarna, Tala, Zahava

eldest daughter syndrome and gifted kid syndrome are some great examples of phrases used to talk about specific kinds of trauma that the internet has taken and turned into "boo hoo these people arent special anymore so theyre lashing out!!" it was never about that you fucking cunts

Returning to writing after a break is like having the old Windows startup sound playing on a loop in your head.

how to balance multiple wips

i never thought that i would be qualified to make a post on this since i’ve only ever had one wip i was working on at one time, but since finishing the first draft of my first novel, that has changed! having more than one wip can be stressful and chaotic, which is why i’m going to offer some of my tips on how to keep your stories straight.

one per day

a useful strategy i’ve found is to decide which wip you’ll be working on today and set your daily goal for it. i do this by using my google calendar to plan out my writing week in sessions. you don’t always have to plan ahead on what wip you’ll work on—on occasion i schedule open or free writing sessions where i can choose which wip i want to work on that particular day. you can ofc adapt this strategy how you need, but i do think it’s one of the best ones i have to offer.

work on projects you love

you should spend your writing time with a story and characters you adore. if something isn’t working for you in one of your wips, don’t be afraid to change it or to put that project aside for a little while to focus on other wips. you don’t have to keep going with every single wip you ever started—as writers, our stories will fluctuate and persist and if we really love one, it will stick around for as long as you want it. sometimes it’s hard to let go, and you never truly have to. your characters and their stories will always be a part of you, no matter if you’ve left them behind or they still stand by your side.

stuck on one, move to another

one of the great things about having multiple wips is that you will probably always have something you can bounce back to. say one of your plots gives you writer’s block and you just can’t get past it. turning to one of your other wips will keep your creative brain busy and pumping out ideas, which will eventually lead to your block breaking down. this is definitely one of the best things about having more than one wip at a time, but if you can always start a small writing project like a short story too to overcome writer’s block!

distinguish battle lines

it is important to draw distinct lines between your wips to help keep you organized and your plots tight. you want to avoid the voices of one wip bleeding into another, so this is another good reason to stick to one wip per day. before you start writing, go through your wip notes or outline or skim the last few paragraphs you wrote to ensure your mind re-grasps the style of your current wip. deciding and identifying the differences like point of view (first person or third?), the number of character perspectives, the pacing, and the base themes will help with this.

final word

it really is up to you to take initiative of your writing projects and prioritize your time between them. remember not to overwork or stress yourself and practice making reasonable and achievable goals. as always, you and your mental health come first so don’t forget to take care of yourself!! a bit of a shorter post today but i hope you still find it useful. that’s all from me :)

Rating the Books I Read in January

The Secret History by Donna Tartt - 3/5 stars

Technically I started this one in December, but I finished it in January, so I’m going to count it as a January read. I was a bit conflicted on how to feel about this book. On one hand, I love the prose, the twists, the exploration of morality, and the influence of literary classics.This book is a near-perfect blend of literary classic and thriller, and the best one that I've come across so far. However, I disliked the frequent, careless slurs, microaggressions, and stereotypes that were thrown around so casually in this book. On a related note, I would advise looking up trigger warnings before reading this book, for more reasons than just the ones mentioned. Finally, the ending seemed rushed and I wish I had been given more time to process the last chapter of the book before the epilogue.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson - 3/5 stars

I had really high expectations for this book because I’d heard so much about it on social media, but unfortunately it just fell flat for me. It wasn't terrible, but it was definitely not great. I related to Pip in some ways, most of them academic. However, I never saw Pip's non-academic personality, and she didn't feel real enough to me. I liked Ravi but I couldn't really connect to him or any of the other characters for that matter. Also I know this book is just fiction, but some of the events just bothered me and/or were highly unrealistic. I ended up rounding the original review of two stars up to three stars because I truly liked the friend and family dynamics and banter throughout this book. I'm disappointed that it didn't live up to my high expectations, but I suppose it’s my fault for reading books solely for the hype.

In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens - 3/5 stars

If you like queer, romance-centric fantasy books, this is the book for you. I, however, being a high fantasy snob, found it slightly too shallow (sorry for the pun) for my taste: the politics, government, and magic system felt extremely underdeveloped. And yes, I understand that the romance is the main part of this book and it’s not fair to rate it like a high fantasy book. However, even if I’m just rating it according to my entertainment level, I don’t feel particularly strongly about it one way or the other. The romance was easily the best part of the book; it was both sweet and shippable. I really liked the main character, Tal, and his character arc. Other than that, I don’t have too much else to say except that it was a decent read.

Fable by Adrienne Young - 4/5 stars

The second pirate-y book I read this month! If there’s one word I would use to describe this book, it would be “atmospheric.” Adrienne Young excels at bringing settings to life, as I learned in Fable. The descriptions were absolutely amazing and the worldbuilding had genuine depth (get it? okay I’ll see myself out now-). I liked how Fable was tough and resourceful, but she also had a softer personality and wasn’t afraid to show her vulnerable side sometimes. I also feel as though the crew of the Marigold was genuinely a found family instead of a bunch of friends, unlike so many other YA novels. The romance was sweet, although I wish Young had delved into West’s character more. I was a little disappointed at the ending, which I think could’ve been foreshadowed better. However, I'm excited to read the sequel soon. Thanks to @queenie.the.writer and @twoscomplemented_ for bringing this book to my attention!

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao - 4.5/5 stars

I actually knew about the author before I knew about the book! I followed their YouTube channel and TikTok page (they’re hilarious and well-informed, so I highly recommend checking them out!). The book itself did not disappoint. Zetian’s internal monologue had me laughing out loud and I loved her depth as a character. Don’t even get me started on her arc, because I could go on about it all day! In contrast, however Shimin and Yizhi seemed slightly shallower and could have been fleshed out more. I really liked their collective relationship and dynamic, but I wish it had been given more time to develop. The uniqueness of the mecha/Chinese dynasty-inspired setting and worldbuilding really appealed to me as well--I only wish that I had learned more about the history of the world itself. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys female corruption arcs, feminism, and fast-paced action!

Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan - 5/5 stars

I was deliberating between 4.5 or 5 stars on this one, but I decided to just round up and rate it by how much I enjoyed it--which was a lot! It’s quite interesting seeing how Riordan’s writing matured from Percy Jackson. I also thought the entire main cast was fleshed out really well, which is a compliment coming from me--if you haven’t noticed from the previous reviews, I always pay close attention to the personalities of the characters I read. In this case, I found myself appreciating and relating to all of them in some way! The only fault I found with this book was the unrealistic ages of the characters. If they had been aged up a year or two, I think it would've been more realistic. Some of the worldbuilding also seemed like a large stretch. However, that didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. Reading this book reminded me of why I list Riordan as one of my inspirations. Humor, pacing, action scenes, worldbuilding--reading his books is like watching a master at work! I would recommend this to anyone who’s looking for a fun but high-stakes middle-grade sci-fi!

Scythe by Neal Shusterman - 5/5 stars

I was initially reluctant to read this book because I thought the premise was outlandish, but I decided to suspend my expectations, and I’m so glad I did! This book explores the best--and worst--of human nature. The worldbuilding is intricate, imaginative, and best of all, interesting! Usually in books I see worldbuilding as a good backdrop. Scythe, however, puts its worldbuilding at the forefront of the book, and that makes it so much stronger! The format of this book is engaging, with both journal entries and present-tense narratives, and the pacing flows quite well. Rowan and Citra were so intriguing and I thoroughly enjoyed following their journeys throughout the book. Thanks to @the-demi-jedi for recommending this book to me!

people are really out here saying "yeah, i could survive in a fantasy world" when they can't even k*ll a spider without help

shoutout to all the people who write contemporary, romance, mystery, crime, thriller, horror, paranormal, dystopia, nonfiction, and any other genres I’m forgetting! i know you guys don't get as much attention as fantasy or sci-fi in the writing community, but you're just as valuable and talented, and i appreciate all of you!

How to Write Accents

Credit: https://www.nownovel.com/blog/how-to-write-accents-dialects/

1. Use accent and dialect for the right reasons

There are many things to consider when you’re writing a person’s accent or dialect. A stereotypical rendering of regional accent or dialect based on racial, cultural or ethnic “difference" can be offensive and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. When you use dialect, make sure you're using it for the right reasons! Ask yourself:

Is it essential to the story (e.g., is it used to reinforce the main character’s insider/outsider status in a close-knit regional community)?

Are there stereotypical expressions associated with the accent or dialect you should take care to contextualize, use sparingly, or avoid?

Make sure when you describe the speech of a character whose mother tongue isn’t your own that your efforts don’t come across as superior or mocking. Giving each character believable speech will make your characters more three-dimensional.

2. Don’t overexaggerate

Obviously you want to show that your character has an accent. But if you emphasize it too much, it begins to sound exaggerated and inauthentic, and can be offensive. The accent should sound natural, not forced. Reread your dialogue--out loud--and watch for awkward moments and lulls in the flow of the conversation.

3. “Eye dialect”

This ties into the previous point.  “Eye dialect” is the term for representing deviations from "standard" pronunciation in a certain language using alternate spellings (for example, writing "fella" instead of “fellow"). Writing about non-mother-tongue speakers can seem bigoted or prejudiced because a writer can try too hard to mimic a “foreign” character’s speech. To represent eye dialect as respectfully and accurately as you can, try:

Making the minimum changes necessary to show the effect of an accent (e.g., “I’m tellin’ ya” instead of “Ahm tellin’ ya”)

Avoiding over-relying on single, overused words to create the impression of an accent (e.g. using ‘y’all’ for conveying southern accents)--variety is key

Finding more ways to show regionalism

4. Transliteration

Transliteration is the way people often insert the grammatical structure of sentences in one language directly into another, even if the second language has its own, different rules of grammar. This “transplanted” grammatical structure creates a sense of a character’s situation and relationship between languages, places, cultures, etc.

As an example, in Spanish, plural nouns take plural adjectives, but the same thing doesn’t happen in English (e.g. “blues cars” in Spanish and “blue cars”  in English). When describing a character who is not fully fluent in the primary language of your story, find grammatical particulars of their first language. Then, use these to create sentences that use transliteration to show imperfect translation.

5. Language errors

One way you can see this is when characters of later generations interact with first-generation immigrant parents or grandparents. The ways different generations of immigrants speak the same language frequently vary. To capture the speech of characters who are in an unfamiliar place or speaking an unfamiliar language, learn the most common errors that people from your characters’ home country make. Use language errors consistently but sparingly to avoid creating a national, ethnic, or cultural caricature.

6. Regional colloquialisms and slang

In all languages slang differs by location. If you plan to set a story in a real-world place, make a list of local colloquialisms/slang. Look at local news websites and social medias, listening for the inflections of local speech. Learn how regional accents sound but also write down any expressions that show up often.

Also, keep in mind that slang considered outdated in one country or city is often still popular in another! To make your characters’ dialect typical of a place and time, make sure any words you’ve included are current---slang goes in and out of fashion.

7. Idioms and sayings

Idioms breathe life and color into fiction. To create a sense of local particularity, find popular region-specific phrases you can use. If a character from your novel is from a distinctive place, give them exclamations or expressions that demonstrate this background.

This also applies for creating dialect differences between fictional groups in an invented world. If you write fantasy or sci-fi, invent regional idioms and sayings that draw on local myths or practices to give each place in your novel its own character and modes of speech!

ma'am those are my 15 emotional support wip research tabs

“we were lovers in a past life” trope but the current incarnations are enemy-to-lovers trope. when. 

How to Write a Chorister

Intro

Singing has always been one of my passions--I’ve been in choirs since I was ten years old, so I have a pretty good knowledge of music and music theory! I haven’t seen many posts on how to write a chorister (aka a fancy word for a member of a choir), so I decided to make one myself. Yes, it’s a very self-indulgent post, but hopefully someone finds this somewhat helpful!

Warm up

You know how in movies and other media, people will start singing out of the blue and they're perfectly on pitch and flawless? Yeah, well that’s kind of misleading. A singer will never perform at their best without warming up. They can sing despite that, but their voice will most likely sound strained or weaker than usual, and their vocal range won’t be as wide. Singing warm ups are omitted in most media because it’s inconvenient to show, and I understand that, although I think it would be fun if the process was shown!

Choir warm ups are frequently both vocal and physical. I’ll give you my choir’s as an example. First we loosen up by stretching, paying particular attention to the neck and spine. Other physical exercises are clapping along to a rhythm that the choir director sets, practicing good posture, and doing breathing exercises. 

Next comes the fun part: vocal warm up. We usually start with lip trills, “sirens,” and repeated words or vowels/diphthongs. After that, we typically do ascending and descending solfege scales, stretching into the highest parts of our range and down into the lowest parts of our range. And then we’re ready to sing!

Vocal parts

There are four main parts to a choir, which I’ll define as simply as possible:

Soprano: The highest range of voices in a choir

Alto: The second highest range of voices in a choir

Tenors: The second lowest range of voices in a choir

Bass/Baritones: The lowest range of voices in a choir

Some people fall in between these ranges or span more than one, which is normal. Also, the average singer’s vocal range is 2-3 octaves on a piano.

Characteristics of a chorister

Choristers typically have or should have the following traits:

A keen sense of pitch, rhythm, and hearing

Strength in sight reading and in reading musical score

The ability to sing as a group and blend well with other voices

Leadership! Being a leader helps you as well as everyone else

Types of choirs

Choirs usually organize and limit themselves according to voicing and/or age of the singers as well as by the size of group or the type of music they sing. Here are some types:

Mixed choir: A group with changed (usually male) and unchanged voices (usually female or children); the voicing for this group is typically expressed as SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass). This is the type of choir I currently sing in!

Equal voice choir: A group for either changed (usually male) voices or unchanged (usually female) voices. Sometimes these choirs are called men's choirs and women's/ladies' choirs. Sometimes they are referred to by their voicing: a TB or TTBB choir and an SA or SSAA choir

A youth choir varies widely in its voicing since adolescence is the time when most male voices transition from the soprano or alto vocal range to the tenor or bass vocal range. For this reason, youth choirs can have any combination of voice parts, including SA, SAB, and SATB

A children’s choir is most typically an equal voice group for pre-pubertal singers. Some children's choirs also include youth and may include changed voices (tenor and bass)

Choirs can also organize themselves by size or repertoire type:

Chorus/choral society/large ensemble: Usually a choir of 40 or more singers and often includes 100+ people. These groups typically sing large works, including operas or oratorios or similar pieces

A chamber choir will never include more than 40 singers and will often be considerably smaller (For example, the chamber choir I’m in has 17 singers.)

Small vocal ensemble/group: Ranges in size from 3 to 12 singers

A cappella choir: Sings only music that has no pitched instrumental accompaniment. A great example is the group Pentatonix (which many choir directors absolutely adore)

Choirs that organize themselves around specific cultural or religious music traditions

How singing in a choir can affect you

You can learn many useful talents from choir, such as:

Learning to work with other people and form bonds with them. The better the members of a choir know each other, the better they will sing together!

Growing more confident in your abilities and improving your musical talents

Singing with like-minded people

Harmonizing to pop songs on the radio

Impressing people in karaoke

when you discover you share a birthday with a fictional character

me: * hYpErVeNtiLaTiNg*

soft asks to get to know people

what song makes you feel better?

what’s your feel-good movie?

what’s your favorite candle scent?

what flower would you like to be given?

who do you feel most you around?

say three nice things about yourself (three physical and three non-physical).

what color brings you peace?

tag someone (or multiple people) who make you feel good. 

what calms you down?

what’s something you’re excited for?

what’s your ideal date?

how are you?

what’s your comfort food?

favorite feel-good show?

for every emoji you get, tag someone and describe them in one word.

compliment the person who sent you this number.

fairy lights or LED lights?

do you still love stuffed animals?

most important thing in your life?

what do you want most in the world right now?

if you could tell your past self one thing, what would it be?

what would you say to your future self?

favorite piece of clothing?

what’s something you do to de-stress?

what’s the best personal gift someone could give you (playlist, homemade card, etc.)

what movie would you want to live in?

which character would you want to be?

hugs or hand-holding?

morning, afternoon or night?

what reminds you of home (doesn’t have to mean house… just things that remind you of the feeling of home)?

How to put “wrote fan-fiction” on your résumé:

Leveraged an inventory of established fictional character and setting elements to generate a disruptive custom-curated narrative entertainment asset.

J. R. R. Tolkien, undisputedly a most fluent speaker of this language, was criticized in his day for indulging his juvenile whim of writing fantasy, which was then considered—as it still is in many quarters— an inferior form of literature and disdained as mere “escapism.” “Of course it is escapist,” he cried. “That is its glory! When a soldier is a prisoner of war it is his duty to escape—and take as many with him as he can.” He went on to explain, “The moneylenders, the knownothings, the authoritarians have us all in prison; if we value the freedom of the mind and soul, if we’re partisans of liberty, then it’s our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as possible."

Stephen R. Lawhead

ty for the tag, i love this <3

parts of a story as aesthetics-

characters: ivy creeping up a building wall, jasmine perfume, chipped nail polish, white satin pillows, laughing with your friends while walking down the block, that smirk when you figure out a secret, jeweled masks for masquerades, looking up to see the rain fall on you, earbuds falling out on the bus, listening to podcasts

plot: heated philosophical debates at midnight, poetry of different cultures, the bridge of every song forever on loop in your head, the fire in you that makes you crave, listening to lord huron, acoustic guitars, leather-bound diaries, analog clocks, that realizing moment when everything makes sense, flannel clothing

romance: pastel candy hearts, ruffled skirts, holding a warm hand in the middle of the night, soft hair, sunlight streaming through the curtains, reblogging fanart, oversized sweaters, calligraphy, listening to the songs your parents did, that pining look across the room, faux fur, pastel purple, bright eyes

development: plot twists, redemption, seeing the good in everyone, auto tuned voices, quoting the most obscure people of the century, pursed lips, bubblegum pink hair, dangling earrings, combat boots, starry skies, soft voices, mullets, tapping out songs, marbled countertops, falling out pom-poms

world-building: seeing more than what is in front of you, warm brown eyes, braiding your friend’s hair, replying to everything with finger guns, playing the piano, the smell of bread in the air, watercolors, hair in front of your eyes, craning your neck to look, the only raised hand in the room

some people think writers are so eloquent and good with words, but the reality is that we can sit there with our fingers on the keyboard going, “what’s the word for non-sunlight lighting? Like, fake lighting?” and for ten minutes, all our brain will supply is “unofficial”, and we know that’s not the right word, but it’s the only word we can come up with…until finally it’s like our face got smashed into a brick wall and we remember the word we want is “artificial”.

Hi! Sorry for the spam, but I've seen your blog for like 10 minutes and I already love it. Wishing you a great day, lots of writing inspiration & claim the stars ^^

oh my gosh thank you so much, this ask honestly made my day! wishing the same to you <3

Superior writing advice:

Make your characters FREAKS. Make them DERANGED. Make people think ‘surely this one guy towards the back is normal’ only to reveal FUCK NO. The guy in the back exclusively collects clown paintings (paintings done by professional clowns) and has an irrational hatred of second floors.

dystopias are getting too real and utopias feel too improbable. i propose a third kind of escape: a world that’s just okay