Writing Tips
Punctuating Dialogue
✧
➸ “This is a sentence.”
➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.
➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”
➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”
➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”
➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”
➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.
“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.
“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”
➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”
➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”
However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can also be “outside”!
➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.
If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)
➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations dashes typically express—“
“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.
➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.
➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”
➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.
“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”
➸ “If it’s the same speaker but different paragraph, keep the closing quotation off.
“This shows it’s the same character continuing to speak.”
Tell me why Tumblr keeps showing me the reblog/repost button and is trying to SEDUCE me into tapping on it like, "Tap for a little surprise~" LIKE NO? EXCUSE ME?
I do not come to Tumblr for quality content. I come here for chaos and fandom smut >:( And I ain't about to expose myself on my blog like that :/
"How do you have so much energy all the time ???"
I don't, I'm constantly tired but I'm also being the class clown because I have abandonment issues and adhd
Flowers have a long history of symbolism that you can incorporate into your writing to give subtext.
Symbolism varies between cultures and customs, and these particular examples come from Victorian Era Britain. You'll find examples of this symbolism in many well-known novels of the era!
Amaryllis: Pride
Black-eyed Susan: Justice
Bluebell: Humility
Calla Lily: Beauty
Pink Camellia: Longing
Carnations: Female love
Yellow Carnation: Rejection
Clematis: Mental beauty
Columbine: Foolishness
Cyclamen: Resignation
Daffodil: Unrivalled love
Daisy: Innocence, loyalty
Forget-me-not: True love
Gardenia: Secret love
Geranium: Folly, stupidity
Gladiolus: Integrity, strength
Hibiscus: Delicate beauty
Honeysuckle: Bonds of love
Blue Hyacinth: Constancy
Hydrangea: Frigid, heartless
Iris: Faith, trust, wisdom
White Jasmine: Amiability
Lavender: Distrust
Lilac: Joy of youth
White Lily: Purity
Orange Lily: Hatred
Tiger Lily: Wealth, pride
Lily-of-the-valley: Sweetness, humility
Lotus: Enlightenment, rebirth
Magnolia: Nobility
Marigold: Grief, jealousy
Morning Glory: Affection
Nasturtium: Patriotism, conquest
Pansy: Thoughtfulness
Peony: Bashfulness, shame
Poppy: Consolation
Red Rose: Love
Yellow Rose: Jealously, infidelity
Snapdragon: Deception, grace
Sunflower: Adoration
Sweet Willian: Gallantry
Red Tulip: Passion
Violet: Watchfulness, modesty
Yarrow: Everlasting love
Zinnia: Absent, affection
like to charge reblog to cast
🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️
🕯️🕯️ may all 🕯️🕯️
🕯️🕯️corrupt politicians🕯️🕯️
🕯️🕯️ meet their fate 🕯️🕯️
🕯️🕯️ ‧͙☆༓happy ides༓☆‧͙🕯️🕯️
🕯️🕯️ to all 🕯️🕯️
🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️
Okay so I just played through Here Lies the Abyss and now I have headcanons about what Lavellan sees in the nightmare realm because even though I completed it with my Trevelyan Inky, I am apparently in love with my Elf Mage
Angst below the line. Look at how enticing it is. You want to hurt dont you >:)
I don't think Lavellan sees spiders, that's absolutely ridiculous. They lived in the woods ffs. I think they see other Dalish.
Some of the Dalish are random elves, they scream and yell at Lavellan that they've betrayed their own kind and once Lavellan starts fighting back, they claim that Lavellan is no better than the shems -even though I know "shems" is city elf slang- that hunt and kill the Dalish.
Some of the fears stole the faces of Lavellan's clan members: these fears beg Inky to come home, to stop fighting, that all will be forgiven if Lavellan just puts down their weapon. Other's however scream at inky, calling them insane, a murderer, a betrayer. Either way, Inky Lavellan has to kill their own clan members, and you bet that these deaths are dramatic throwing Lavellan into a state of mental distress.
At the end, Lavellan doesn't immediately see the nightmare demon, they see the Keeper. The Nightmare Keeper does all she can to convince Lavellan to stay, convince Lavellan to give up their bad memories, that Lavellan is a disappointment to their clan, that Lavellan betrayed them and it is the party's job to bring Inky to reality and realize that as terrifying as their clan turning against them or hating them is, that this isn't real. Kind of like a reverse DAO mission.
In the end, the Nightmare reveals itself and all goes as normal: except now Inky Lavellan is sufficiently more traumatized <3
Foreshadowing is a literary element where the author hints at a future event without giving it away. However, if you're like me and struggle to actually include original, effective foreshadowing, then luckily for you, I completely racked my brain to find very specific types/examples of foreshadowing that you can include to your story!
Note: I specifically stated "very specific types," I'm not going to be detailing the separate types of this element that you learn in school, but more of prompts and ideas that are meant to spark your creativity!
>> Threats - Threats hint at future negative events that may occur to your character(s).
>> Warnings - Warnings and threats are not necessarily the same thing. While they both suggest negative things, a warning does not have to come from aggression, but rather helpfulness!
>> Promises - Promises foreshadow two things: said promise being kept, and said promise being broken. However, most readers will assume the former, since the latter is typically less likely.
>> Flower language - Different flowers have different meanings, and while most readers will skip over that, it's a fun addition! You can use those meanings to hint at what might happen later. For example: Purple hyacinth represents a desire for forgiveness! With the idea of foreshadowing in mind, if a character gives the flower to someone they're close to, it suggests that they might do something they'll regret in the future.
>> A broken item - This is an example used to foreshadow future struggles, pain, and separation. To get the most effective result, choose an item that has value to your character and is connected to the future event. For example: A crack in a glass picture frame holding a picture of a character and their closest friends should hint at the idea that the group of friends will split up.
>> History - You know what they say! History always repeats itself! Use this to your advantage! What people did a long time ago can still influence the current generation, and what happened in the past could most definitely happen again in the future. This could involve family, ancestors, wars, diseases, deaths, friendships, etc.
>> Weather and seasons - This is a pretty simple idea, different types of weather and seasons symbolize different things! Summer and sunny weather typically demonstrate joy and blitheness! Fall and similar weather exhibits a change or shift in things, and even nostalgia! Winter and cold/stormy weather can symbolize an ending, numbness, apathy, and darkness. However, winter can also symbolize beauty, comfort, and festivity! Lastly, we have spring! Spring represents a fresh start and change!
Alright! That's it for now, so here you go! Hopefully, these examples are able to give you some new ideas! There will be a part two, but in the form of dialogue prompts! So if that's what you're looking for, keep an eye out for that!
Happy writing~
3hks :]
(Characters crying edition!)
So... You can't write characters crying? (Or you just want to read this for some reason) Well, neither do I so let's get right into it! I should be packing for a trip but oh well who cares? Not me!
Yeah. Your character is crying and you want to know...
How to not make it cringe af
How to make the Readers relate to it
How to make the readers not only relate to it, but feel DEPRESSED
Step 1 - Do NOT over describe it I've tried to write this so many times and failed that I've realized it's just like good horror. If anything, don't describe the tears, describe their impact, describe the horror of why they're happening, what they're doing to your character. (Example at the end)
Step 2 - Make it at a time when we've had time to connect to the character Put it in the middle of the 1st or only book at the earliest. Other than that, put it later. The more time you spend with the characters, the more their breaking down will emotionally scar you. And that's what we want
Step 3 - Describe other actions for the character Deep breaths, falling to their knees, screaming, choking, cradling the body of a loved one, sad dialogue, other concerned characters, ect. Actions speak louder than words and that is sooooo true in writing. This one of those rare cases where show don't tell is a must.
Ex. (I'm using A and B for the character names cause I'm lazy)
The world seemed to slow as everything came crashing down around her as his body hit the ground, a soft thud the only sound she heard as the grass slowly turned from the light lively emerald of life, to the deep crimson red of death. He was gone. She ran over to him, his quickly fading labored breaths and her crunching footsteps the only sound as the sun shone into her eyes, blinding her. She dropped to her knees beside him, the tears already beginning to fall as she began to choke on her own words, unable to speak as she grabbed his hand. It felt warm in her palm as she clutched his hand close to her chest as the world came crashing back. The burning light of the sun in her eyes, the heat of it and the adrenaline on her skin, her brother's cooling hand, his raspy breaths, her sobbing gasps, the clash of metal against metal, the falling bodies, the raining blood. Then the screams. "A! A! What are you doing?! We're in the middle of a fight! Don't you remember what I taught you?" B nearly screamed at her, causing A to cry out in a mix of anguish and agony, panic finally reaching her as the impact of what had just happened finally hit her.
(Side note: If you liked the example, it will be part of my Fantasy Book series Coming out soon! More in my profile if you're at all interested)
That wasn't as sad as it could of been because you didn't know the characters, but it's definitely better than just an extended description of crying.
Anyway, thank you lovelies and I hope this helps you even a little bit! Love you, continue being awesome!
Love how tumblr has its own folk stories. Yeah the God of Arepo we’ve all heard the story and we all still cry about it. Yeah that one about the woman locked up for centuries finally getting free. That one about the witch who would marry anyone who could get her house key from her cat and it’s revealed she IS the cat after the narrator befriends the cat.
Okay, idea. Well, question.
Humans are known for repetitive behavior. Throughout history we see themes that persist to modern day. But my question has to do with objects that look like they glow, like.
A light hits something and it looks like it glows and we think "Oh this is a quest object" or "This guys gonna send me on a quest to get exactly 342 radishes" and shi like that but, like, what did people think in the olden days?
Were they walking around thinking "Yeah thats how lighteth w'rks" or were they like "Ah yes, this guys gonna sendeth me on a quest to collecteth exactly 342 radishes! ha! what excit'ment!" and they chortle along their way.
How did video game logic work without video games?
When someone is...
Face/Body:
Avoidant/reduced eye contact
Drooping eyelids
Downcast eyes
Frowning
Raised inner ends of eyebrows
Dropped or furrowed eyebrows
Quivering lip/biting lip
Wrinkled nose
Voice:
Soft pitch
Low lone
Pauses/hesitant speech
Quiet/breathy
Slow speech
Voice cracks/breaking voice
Gestures/Posture:
Slouching/lowered head
Rigid/tense posture
Half formed/slow movement
Fidgeting or clasped hands
Sniffing or heavy swallows
Self soothing gestures (running hands over the arms, hand over heart, holding face in palms, etc)
Storylust: noun Characterized by a need to read or create stories || 20 || They/She || Probably Autistic || Wrote so many essays in school idk what else to write anymore
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