There’s a fic on fanfiction(.)net that I’ve kept tabs on for years to see if it’s been updated or not. While I’m no longer even in the fandom it’s written for, it just has one of the greatest storylines I’ve ever read. Last time it was updated was 2011.
The other day, I decided to reread the entire thing and leave a very in-depth review of what I thought of each chapter. I also mentioned how I started reading it when I was 13 and am now 21, but always came back to see if it was ever finished because I loved it so dearly.
Today, said author sent me a private message saying that her analytics showed that the story was still getting views even after all these years, but no one ever bothered to leave reviews other than “update soon!!!”, so she never felt motivated enough to finish it. She said that me reviewing every single chapter with lengthy paragraphs made her cry and meant the world to her. She also mentioned that she felt encouraged to write the two remaining chapters needed to complete the story and that she would send me a message the night before she updates the fic.
I’m literally sobbing. I’m so excited :’)
Please always remember to leave a review when reading fanfiction!!! It means a lot to a writer.
Hoist
Dart/Dash
Deflect
Shield
Sidestep
Snatch up
Stalk
Stamp/stomp
Stretch
Stride
Wagger
Oust
Leap
Lose ground
Mimick
Mirror
Negate
Overpower
Parry
Rear to full height
Resurgate
Suanter
Seize
Take cover
Throttle
Twirl
Unleash
Withdraw
Entwine
Flee
Gain ground
Grasp
Cling to
Breach
Duck
Dodge
Amputate
Bloody
Carbe
Castrate
Collision
Connect
Crush
Defenestrate
Destroy
Disfigure
Dismember
Dissever
Grind
Maul
Perforate
Rend
Riddle with holes
Saw
Smack
Splatter
Sunder
Torn Asunder
Traumatize
Whack
Writhe
Gut
Hammer
Maim
Mangle
Plow
Puncture
Assault
Attack
Barrage
Bash
Belebor
Bludgeon
Carve
Chop
Cleave
Clio
Club
Crosscut
Dice
DIg
Gore
Hack
Impale
Jab
Kick
Knock
Onsalught
Pierce
Plnt
Punch
Rive
Shove
Skewer
Slice
Smash
Stab
Strike
Sweep
Swipe
Swing
Transfix
Thrust
Agony
Asphyxiate
Chock
Cough up bile
Cut to ribbons
Flop limply
Fractue
Freckled with blood
Gouts of blood
Grimane
Hemorrhage
Hiccup blood
Imprint
Indent
Resounding
Retch
Rip
rupture
Shiny with gore
Spew
Splash
Slumped in despair
Splatter
Split
Tear
Topple
Void
Vomit
Wedge
With a fell gaze
With a fiendish grin
With blank surprise
Bang
Barking
Bong
Boom
Crack
Cackle
Clang
Clash
Crash
Cry
Echo
Elicit a curse
Frunt
Hiss
Howel
Hum
Moan
Muttering
Whoosh
Whistle
Whizz
With a keening cry
Thud
Thunk
Thawk
Splat
Snarl
Swoosh
Squeal
Sing
Sickening Pop
Silintly
Shriek
Shout
Snap
Thundering
Blind
Burn
Cause frostbite
Cauterize
Concussion
Combust
Daze
Dazzle
Deafen
Disintegrate
Electrocute
Freeze
Fuse flesh
Immobilze
Incinerate
Melt
Pralyse
Petrify
Purbind
Radiate
Reduced to
Shock
Sightless
Stun
Transiluminate
Annihilate
Behead
Decapitate
Disembowel
Eviscerate
Extirpate
Murder
Obliterate
Raze
Exterminate
i think we as a society need to use cell phones/laptops/cars/backpacks to flesh out characters
i have a little collection of websites i tend to use for coming up with ideas, naming people or places, keeping clear visuals or logistics, writing basics about places i've never been to, and so on. i tend to do a lot of research, but sometimes you just need quick references, right? so i thought i'd share some of them!
Behind the Name; good for name meanings but also just random name ideas, regardless of meanings.
Fantasy Name Generator; this link goes to the town name generator, which i use most, but there are lots of silly/fun/good inspo generators on there!
Age Calculator; for remembering how old characters are in Y month in Z year. i use this constantly.
Height Comparison; i love this for the height visuals; does character A come up to character B's shoulder? are they a head taller? what does that look like, height-wise? the chart feature is great!
Child Development Guide; what can a (neurotypical, average) 5-year-old do at that age? this is a super handy quickguide for that, with the obviously huge caveat that children develop at different paces and this is not comprehensive or accurate for every child ever. i like it as a starting point, though!
Weather Spark; good for average temperatures and weather checking!
Green's Dictionary of Slang; good for looking up "would x say this?" or "what does this phrase mean in this context?" i love the timeline because it shows when the phrase was historically in use. this is english only, though; i dig a little harder for resources like this in other languages.
25 hot traits for your character :
(feel free to use <3 yall gotta agree with me on the 10th, 11th, 12th and from 17th to 21st cus :) tag me yall )
they hold eye contact whenever you talk
they love when you wear their clothes. [hehe]
they get physically clingy whenever they're jealous [ holy god]
always pulls you into a random embrace.
they manspread alot with a sultry gaze >> [imagine that gaze and that fucking smirk]
likes to tease you a lott
or easily blushes when you teach them ♡
holding gazes while kissing your body [highway looks mad comfyy rn]
"look at me when I'm making you feel good, baby" *coughing violently*
vocally expressive, isn't afraid of moaning loud > <
loves keeping you close to them
"if you ask me to fucking kneel, then I would, my love."
clicking their tongue against their cheek when they're mad or jealous !!!!!
kissable lips. sultry gaze, seductive smirk. [weak in em knees fr]
"say that again, mi sol."
loves to showcase you.
always has the top button of their shirt open [banging my head aaaaa]
slightly biting their lower lip when they smile
rolls their tongue over their lips often
sexy fingers !!!!
baby face, raspy and deep voice > \\ <
knows the effects of their actions over you [ do yk my last name?? its *yours* ;) ]
smells good 24/7
multilingual. (now tell me yall dont find multilingual people hot af-)
skilled. an all-rounder irl. smart and skilled, can easily save the world singlehandedly fr
Choosing a noun well will allow you to cut adjectives. This tightens your sentences and clarifies the meaning:
a young tree -> sapling
a single-storey house -> a bungalow
a young female horse -> a filly
her long thick hair -> her mane
a prudish person -> a prude.
his bald scalp -> his pate
an unpleasant smell -> a stench
a small child -> a toddler
a brown-haired woman -> a brunette
Of course, the choice of noun depends on context, but if you can use one word, why use two?
Writing style. If you have a lush writing style, you would use more adjectives compared to a terse one. However, more than three adjectives in a sentence will slow down the story.
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* . ───
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With so much writing advice out there telling you what to do and not do, it can be easy to forget that writing is an art, and there are no rules in art.
Yes, learning about different writing techniques is great. Developing a language to talk and think about writing is important. Absorb everything you can. Reading, studying, and practicing are integral to improving your writing. Obviously, I run a writing blog, so I believe in the power of increasing your knowledge about writing and literature.
But don’t forget that, in the end, you can do whatever the hell you want to. Experiment. Have fun. Play. Follow your instincts. Break the “rules.” And don’t listen to anyone who says that no one wants to read weird, nontraditional writing. They do.
For most of my writing life, I’ve kept my crazy, experimental stories hidden away, because it seemed like anything I wrote that wasn’t a straightforward, traditionally-structured story with a main character and a plot wasn’t appreciated by readers. But guess what? One of my weird-as-fuck stories won second prize in a contest this fall, and when I asked the editors why they chose it, they said they liked it because it wasn’t like every other story in the submissions pile. It was different. It was weird. It took a risk. And for that reason it stood out from everything else they read.
It took me years to quiet the chorus of conformity and embrace my weird side. Don’t let that happen to you. Get wild. Write whatever you want. Do it now. We need freaks like you, or we’re all going to whither and die of boredom. Give us everything you’ve got. We need it. We need YOU.
I got pretty fed up with looking for words to replace said because they weren’t sorted in a way I could easily use/find them for the right time. So I did some myself.
IN RESPONSE TO Acknowledged Answered Protested
INPUT/JOIN CONVERSATION/ASK Added Implored Inquired Insisted Proposed Queried Questioned Recommended Testified
GUILTY/RELUCTANCE/SORRY Admitted Apologized Conceded Confessed Professed
FOR SOMEONE ELSE Advised Criticized Suggested
JUST CHECKING Affirmed Agreed Alleged Confirmed
LOUD Announced Chanted Crowed
LEWD/CUTE/SECRET SPY FEEL Appealed Disclosed Moaned
ANGRY FUCK OFF MATE WANNA FIGHT Argued Barked Challenged Cursed Fumed Growled Hissed Roared Swore
SMARTASS Articulated Asserted Assured Avowed Claimed Commanded Cross-examined Demanded Digressed Directed Foretold Instructed Interrupted Predicted Proclaimed Quoted Theorized
ASSHOLE Bellowed Boasted Bragged
NERVOUS TRAINWRECK Babbled Bawled Mumbled Sputtered Stammered Stuttered
SUAVE MOTHERFUCKER Bargained Divulged Disclosed Exhorted
FIRST OFF Began
LASTLY Concluded Concurred
WEAK PUSY Begged Blurted Complained Cried Faltered Fretted
HAPPY/LOL Cajoled Exclaimed Gushed Jested Joked Laughed
WEIRDLY HAPPY/EXCITED Extolled Jabbered Raved
BRUH, CHILL Cautioned Warned
ACTUALLY, YOU’RE WRONG Chided Contended Corrected Countered Debated Elaborated Objected Ranted Retorted
CHILL SAVAGE Commented Continued Observed Surmised
LISTEN BUDDY Enunciated Explained Elaborated Hinted Implied Lectured Reiterated Recited Reminded Stressed
BRUH I NEED U AND U NEED ME Confided Offered Urged
FINE Consented Decided
TOO EMO FULL OF EMOTIONS Croaked Lamented Pledged Sobbed Sympathized Wailed Whimpered
JUST SAYING Declared Decreed Mentioned Noted Pointed out Postulated Speculated Stated Told Vouched
WASN’T ME Denied Lied
EVIL SMARTASS Dictated Equivocated Ordered Reprimanded Threatened
BORED Droned Sighed
SHHHH IT’S QUIET TIME Echoed Mumbled Murmured Muttered Uttered Whispered
DRAMA QUEEN Exaggerated Panted Pleaded Prayed Preached
OH SHIT Gasped Marveled Screamed Screeched Shouted Shrieked Yelped Yelled
ANNOYED Grumbled Grunted Jeered Quipped Scolded Snapped Snarled Sneered
ANNOYING Nagged
I DON’T REALLY CARE BUT WHATEVER Guessed Ventured
I’M DRUNK OR JUST BEING WEIRDLY EXPRESSIVE FOR A POINT/SARCASM Hooted Howled Yowled
I WONDER Pondered Voiced Wondered
OH, YEAH, WHOOPS Recalled Recited Remembered
SURPRISE BITCH Revealed
IT SEEMS FAKE BUT OKAY/HA ACTUALLY FUNNY BUT I DON’T WANT TO LAUGH OUT LOUD Scoffed Snickered Snorted
BITCHY Tattled Taunted Teased
Dream sequence/nightmare
Flashback/resurfaced memories
Revealed by psychic reading Whumpee’s mind
Found footage/pictures
Someone finally asks and they explain
As the reason behind a thought process/assumption/belief
Whumper shows up and taunts them
Scars
Through conditioned behaviour
Finding an old journal
Hints dropped in conversation
Have someone who knows tell someone who doesn’t
• • •
Feel free to add others!
Eyes wide with pupils dilated.
Hands trembling uncontrollably.
Heart pounding audibly in the chest.
Backing away slowly, seeking escape.
Holding breath or breathing shallowly.
Breaking out in a cold sweat.
Startling at the slightest sound.
Whispering or speaking in a hushed tone.
Looking over their shoulder repeatedly.
Clutching at clothing or objects for reassurance.
Voice quivering or stammering.
Legs feeling weak or buckling.
Feeling a chill run down the spine.
Hugging oneself protectively.
Trying to make themselves smaller.
Furtive glances around the room.
Feeling light-headed or dizzy.
Stiffening up and freezing in place.
Swallowing hard, throat dry.
Eyes darting around, unable to focus.
This also has an etymology feature, so if you’re like me and need to find if a word existed in the time era you’re writing, Merriam-Webster is also helpful for that.
i just found out merriam webster has a time traveler feature that tells you some of the words that were “born” the same year as you. it’s pretty neat yall should do this