Artie's Reblogs - Tumblr Posts
Want simple tips to heavily improve your skills with character voice??
(📝Note: character voice is the way you convey your character's personality though their pov or dialogue when you write. No two characters speak the same📝)
I speak from experience when I say character voice is hard to get right. Characters, like people, have lots of layers that affect the way they see the world around them and how they interact with other characters. That's why character voice is so important in stories, and why if you write it in a compelling and effective way it will hook people into your story. I hope you learn something new in this post!!
When writing character voice, there's a list of things that you should take into account:
Where are they from? Their past and what they've lived plays a huge part in character voice. Maybe your character grew by the ocean, and so they compare things from the present to the beach, the rocks or the sea itself. You will rarely read about a sailor that is an expert in pants and compares scents to flowers. They might, instead, talk about how a house smells like the wet wood of a ship.
Think about how their personality shapes their language. If they are insecure, they might end most of their sentences with "isn't it?" or "right?" and ask a lot of questions, whereas if you have a confident character, you might find them saying things like "we should do this" or "that will be fun" instead.
What their "lense" is. This is more of an ethic aspect of the character. What have they learn it's okay, and what do they find uncomfortable? Would they find it gross if their friend left laundry on the floor?
Give them special traits (both for dialogue and narration). Maybe character A quotes a lot when they narrate and uses long paragraphs, or maybe B speaks about their past a lot and uses popular sayings. Personally, one character of mine has the tendency to repeat himself when he speaks, as in "yeah, yeah, I'll do it" or "no, no, no. Never" because he is really enthusiastic, and it fits really well with his character.
Pay attention to how they would talk about themselves. Maybe your character doesn't like people to know they're sad because it makes them feel vulnerable, so they will just say they feel annoyed or don't want to talk in that moment. This also means that they will not tell the reader something they are not comfortable saying in the first place.
How is their education? Education is also very important in this context. Did they went to university and have a rich vocabulary and structured sentences, or where they rised in a little farm far from town? You can also play with both a bit: maybe your character did go to university, but maybe they also came from a low income family, and characteristic of both things merge when they talk. Example: long, structured, sentences but a simple and sight forward vocabulary.
That's all for now and happy writing!!
Other tips for writers: previous | next
Want quick tips to add instant chemistry to the relationships of your characters??
(🥳With examples🥳)
First of all, I want to say that you can also use most of them for platonic/ non-romantic relationships, so feel free to use this tips however you think they might work better in your story. So, without further adue, let's get to the tips!!!
Make your characters LISTEN to each other. Like, if A tells B they're not a morning person, B could make some coffee for A or lower the volume of their alarm.
This might sound quite obvious, but show that you characters care for each other. It might be as simple as one of them giving the other a glass of water when they feel a little dizzy, but it works wonders!
Make your characters physically close. When you are emotionally close to someone, you tend to be physically close too. But here is the thing. Make your characters react like it's second nature: "how would I not hug B when I haven't seen them in days?" or "Of course I'm gonna take A's hand when I feel afraid".
They don't have to be constantly thinking about each other, but when they do, MAKE IT MATTER!! For example, character A is out shopping, and they see B's favorite cookies. B didn't have a good day, and A knows that. But A also knows B is gonna fucking love the cookies, so they buy some.
Let them believe and trust each other. Also applies if one of them is a little distrustful: let your characters rely on one another, even if at the start they aren't as comfortable doing it. For a distrustful character, letting the other one help with chores might be a HUGE thing.
Other tips for writers: previous | next
Some tips for using a few words to describe voices
Tone Words, Use tone words to convey the emotional quality of a voice. For example, you can describe a voice as "melodic," "soothing," "sharp," "gentle," or "commanding" to give readers a sense of the tone.
Pitch and Range, Mention the pitch and range of the voice. Is it "deep," "high-pitched," "raspy," or "full-bodied"? This can provide insight into the character's age, gender, or emotional state.
Accent and Diction, Describe the character's accent or diction briefly to give a sense of their background or cultural influences. For instance, "British-accented," "Southern drawl," or "formal."
Volume, Mention the volume of the voice, whether it's "whispering," "booming," "murmuring," or "hushed."
Quality, Use terms like "velvet," "silken," "gravelly," "honeyed," or "crisp" to convey the texture or quality of the voice.
Rate of Speech, Describe how fast or slow the character speaks, using words like "rapid," "slurred," "measured," or "rambling."
Mood or Emotion, Indicate the mood or emotion carried by the voice. For example, a "quivering" voice may convey fear or anxiety, while a "warm" voice may express comfort and reassurance.
Resonance, Describe the resonance of the voice, such as "echoing," "nasal," "booming," or "tinny."
Timbre, Mention the timbre of the voice, using words like "rich," "thin," "clear," or "smoky."
Cadence, Highlight the rhythm or cadence of speech with descriptors like "staccato," "lilting," "rhythmic," or "halting."
Intonation, Convey the character's intonation by saying their voice is "sarcastic," "apologetic," "confident," or "questioning."
Characteristics, If applicable, mention unique vocal characteristics, like a "lisp," "stutter," "drawl," or "accented 'r'."
Get to Know Your Character
Here are some questions to consider for character development:
What parts of their childhood trigger them?
How do they treat themselves when they're feeling sad?
What parts of themselves do they tend to hide?
How do they punish themselves when they make mistakes?
Who are they loyal to? Why?
Who do they avoid? Why?
What emotions or situations do they try to avoid? Why?
What angers them?
What are their insecurities?
What are their emotional triggers?
How do they feel about love?
What are their fears?
What is their relationship with their family like?
What kind of people do they tend to gravitate towards?
What do they like/dislike about themselves?
Happy writing ❤
Previous | Next
Writing Tips Master Post
Character writing/development:
Character Arcs
Making Character Profiles
Character Development
Comic Relief Arc
Internal Conflict
Character Voices
Creating Distinct Characters
Suicidal Urges/Martyr Complex
Creating Likeable Characters
Writing Strong Female Characters
Writing POC Characters
Building Tension
Plot devices/development:
Intrigue in Storytelling
Enemies to Lovers
Alternatives to Killing Characters
Worldbuilding
Misdirection
Consider Before Killing Characters
Foreshadowing
Narrative:
Emphasising the Stakes
Avoid Info-Dumping
Writing Without Dialogue
1st vs. 2nd vs. 3rd Perspective
Fight Scenes (+ More)
Transitions
Pacing
Writing Prologues
Dialogue Tips
Writing War
Writing Cheating
Worldbuilding:
Worldbuilding: Questions to Consider
Creating Laws/Rules in Fantasy Worlds
Book writing:
Connected vs. Stand-Alone Series
A & B Stories
Writer resources:
Writing YouTube Channels, Podcasts, & Blogs
Online Writing Resources
Outlining/Writing/Editing Software
Writer help:
Losing Passion/Burnout
Overcoming Writer's Block
Fantasy terms:
How To Name Fantasy Races (Step-by-Step)
Naming Elemental Races
Naming Fire-Related Races
How To Name Fantasy Places
Ask games:
Character Ask Game #1
Character Ask Game #2
Character Ask Game #3
Miscellaneous:
1000 Follower Post
2000 Follower Poll
Writing Fantasy
List of 40 character flaws
Stubbornness, Unyielding in one's own views, even when wrong.
Impatience, Difficulty waiting for long-term results.
Self-doubt, Constant uncertainty despite evident abilities.
Quick temper, Excessive reactions to provocations.
Selfishness, Prioritizing one's own needs over others'.
Arrogance, Overestimating one's own abilities.
Trust issues, Difficulty trusting others.
Perfectionism, Setting unreachable high standards.
Fear of change, Avoiding changes.
Haunted by the past, Old mistakes or traumas influencing the present.
Jealousy, Envious of others' successes.
Laziness, Hesitant to exert effort.
Vindictiveness, Strong desire for revenge.
Prejudice, Unfair biases against others.
Shyness, Excessive timidity.
Indecisiveness, Difficulty making decisions.
Vulnerability, Overly sensitive to criticism.
Greed, Strong desire for more (money, power, etc.).
Dishonesty, Tendency to distort the truth.
Recklessness, Ignoring the consequences of one's actions.
Cynicism, Negative attitude and distrust.
Cowardice, Lack of courage in critical moments.
Hotheadedness, Quick, often thoughtless reactions.
Contentiousness, Tendency to provoke conflicts.
Forgetfulness, Difficulty remembering important details.
Kleptomania, Compulsion to steal things.
Hypochondria, Excessive concern about one's health.
Pessimism, Expecting the worst in every situation.
Narcissism, Excessive self-love.
Control freak, Inability to let go or trust others.
Tactlessness, Inability to address sensitive topics sensitively.
Hopelessness, Feeling that nothing will get better.
Dogmatism, Rigidity in one's own beliefs.
Unreliability, Inability to keep promises.
Closed-offness, Difficulty expressing emotions.
Impulsiveness, Acting without thinking.
Wounded pride, Overly sensitive to criticism of oneself.
Isolation, Tendency to withdraw from others.
Ideas to Show Secret Pining
"Why don't you join me?"
"I'll give you a ride, don't worry."
*does something they don't like* "What? I like it."
*immense staring at every chance they get*
*thinking of their crush while listening to songs*
"You said you liked it so I brought it for you."
*finds ways to spend more time with them*
*friendly bullying intensifies*
"I'm looking forward to seeing you there."
"Are you gonna be there?"
"How about we sneak off, just you and me?"
"Why don't I cook for them? What's their favourite dish again?"
*aggressive google searches about how to propose to your crush*
"I'll join those dance lessons, maybe then she'll notice me."
*hopeless around them*
*failed flirting attempts*
*increased compliments*
"My problem is that I like them a little too much for my sanity."
*gets jealous* "So, are you seeing them or something?"
"Are you okay?" // "Completely okay!" (definitely not okay)
*tries to sabotage their crush's date*
*gets into trouble so they can be scolded by their crush*
"I want you to come with me, please?"
-ashlee
subtle ways to include foreshadowing
one character knowing something offhandedly that they shouldn't, isn't addressed until later
the crow rhyme
colours!! esp if like, blue is evil in your world and the mc's best friend is always noted to wear blue...betrayal?
write with the ending in mind
use patterns from tragic past events to warn of the future
keep the characters distracted! run it in the background until the grand reveal
WEATHER.
do some research into Chekhov's gun
mention something that the mc dismisses over and over
KEEP TRACK OF WHAT YOU PUT. don't leave things hanging.
unreliable characters giving information that turn out to be true
flowers and names with meanings
anything with meanings actually
metaphors. if one character describes another as "a real demon" and the other turns out to be the bad guy, you're kind of like...ohhh yeahhh
anyways add anything else in the tags
The 100% Good Twine SugarCube Guide!
The 100% Good Twine SugarCube Guide is a coding guide for the SugarCube format of Twine. It is meant as an alternative to the SugarCube documentation, with further explanations, interactive examples, and organised by difficulty. The goal of this guide is to make the learning curve for new SugarCube user less steep, and provide a comprehensive and wide look over the format.
VIEW / DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE!!!!
The Guide is compartmentalised in (currently) four categories:
THE BASICS or the absolute basics to start with SugarCube. No need for extra knowledge. Just the base needed to make something.
THE BASICS + adding interactivity, and creating a fully rounded IF game May require a bit of CSS knowledge (formatting rules)
INTERMEDIATE MODE adding more customisation and complex code Will probably require some CSS knowledge, and maybe some JavaScript
ADVANCE USE the most complex macros and APIs Will surely require some JavaScript/jQuery knowledge
Note: The Advanced Use includes all the APIs, macros, and methods not covered by the previous categories. This includes code requiring very advance knowledge of JavaScript/jQuery to be used properly.
Each category explains many aspects of the format, tailored to a specific level of the user. More simpler explanations and examples are available in earlier chapters, compared to the later ones.
If something is unclear, you found a mistake, you would like more examples in the guide, or would like a feature covered, let me know!
The Guide currently covers all macros (as of SugarCube v.2.37.3), all functions and methods, and APIs. It touches upon the use of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery, when relevant. It also discusses aspects of accessibility.
The Guides also provides a list of further resources, for the different coding languages.
The Guide is available in a downloadable form for offline view:
HTML file that can be opened in Twine
.tw file that can be opened in Twine
source code, separating the chapters, .js and .css files
GITHUB REPO | RAISE AN ISSUE | TWINE RESOURCES TWEEGO | TEMPLATES | CSCRIPT 2 SG GUIDE
Twine® is an “an open-source tool for telling interactive, non-linear stories” originally created by Chris Klimas maintained in several different repositories (Twinery.org). Twine is also a registered trademark of the Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation.
SugarCube is a free (gratis and libre) coding format for Twine/Twee created and maintained by TME.
VIEW / DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE!!!!
As of this release (v2.0.0), it is up to date with the version 2.37.3. If you are looking for the guide covering SugarCube 2.36.1, you can find it on my GitHub.
Note: the Guide is now complete. There won't be further substantial updates.
"light is what we create"- when the romantic tension is high
a prompt list by @novelbear ᵔᴥᵔ
unconsciously leaning in towards each other
^ or gradually gravitating towards one another in a room in general
laughing at every joke they make, even if they're not that funny
eyes checking out their entire outfit when you first see them
^ then having to ask their giggling friends what their problem is after they've been caught
the triangle method ??? duh
inside jokes seem to accumulate and pile up as they start to spend more time alone together
eye contact being so strong, even in smaller conversations
voices changing around each other (whether it deepens or their tone in which they speak changes)
smiling and giggling throughout the entire conversation
"you always look good, what do you mean?"
always finding a way to have physical contact
^ having hands brush against eachother, being so close that they're shoulder-to-shoulder, touching their forearm briefly, etc.
compliments on top of compliments
noticing or remembering the little things
"am i too close?" "no! no, you're fine."
brushing hair out of their face or behind their ear :(
the look of absolute admiration and love one gives when the other isn't looking
^ cue their other friends gagging and telling them to "stand up"
when they lean in to get something off of their face and the other literally stops breathing for a second
goofy smiles
always being able to joke around together
