@ynnefers / ynnefers.tumblr.com
“This is a line of dialogue,” she said.
“This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a speech tag.”
“This is a full sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence.”
“This is a sentence followed by an action.” He smiled. “They’re separate sentences, because I didn’t speak by smiling.”
“You, mon petit amour, are officially on bed rest.”
Bonus:
Dragons. Reblog if you agree.
Sleepy candlelit Josephine.
R H A E G A R & L Y A N N A
1.01 / 7.07
Hey everyone, Abby here with another writing advice post! Today I want to talk about something more writing technique-related, and that’s the use of different voice types. The “active versus passive voice” debacle has been on the writing forefront for a while now, with a few debates on whether or not passive voice should be considered acceptable at all. Let’s break it down a bit:
“The book was thrown across the room by Nick.”
“Nick threw the book across the room.”
The first sentence is passive. You’ll notice that the subject of the sentence is also the object of the verb. The passive voice often goes unused because this is really just a roundabout way of saying, “Nick threw the book.” It also takes away from the general action of the statement, which is why many writers dislike the passive voice so strongly.
The second sentence — in active voice — is more like something you would read in everyday life. This keeps the action going and keeps the focus on Nick, the subject. The reader’s attention is kept on Nick. Why is he throwing the book? What are the preexisting circumstances? This feeling is harder to replicate in passive voice because the focus is kept on the book, the object of the verb, rather than the subject performing the action.
There are a few reasons that some authors feel so strongly against the passive voice:
These are the two most common reasons that writers dislike passive voice, but the passive voice isn’t always evil. Sometimes, it’s even preferred to the active voice!
If used correctly, the passive voice can enhance your writing in many different ways. Here are some examples of when passive voice may be helpful:
In essence, passive voice is extremely helpful when you need to avoid stating who performed the action. Passive is not your enemy!
Passive voice is formed by using some form of “to be” combined with a past participle. Some examples below:
All three of these are passive because they follow that formula and, more importantly, they omit the agent.
Tl;dr — Remember that passive voice is helpful in some circumstances but not all; an entire novel written in the passive voice may quickly become a headache to both read and write.
So, that’s all I’ve got for today! If you have any questions or if there’s another topic you want to see me write about in my next post, please don’t hesitate to leave a message in my ask. Until next time, much love! <333
Hi I am not so great at writing facial features. Like, describing faces in a story. I would love some tips about how to do it from you. :)
Oh boy, there’s so many things you can describe!
Think about your character’s appearance and if there’s anything distinctive about a certain trait. Maybe they have an unusually small nose. Maybe they have larger ears that stick out, maybe their eyebrows are incredibly thick. There’s so may different things to describe!
Looking at pictures of other people can really help because you can compare pictures and see how different their features are. Try looking for anything noticeable that sticks out to you as a defining feature. There’s also a number of charts on Facebook that depict the different types/shapes of eyes, eyebrows, noses, etc. I find those incredibly helpful to look at, so it might be worth checking some out!
Here’s a list of things to consider when describing facial features:
***If you have an Asian character and you’re trying to describe their eyes, please take the time to look into how to properly describe them and certain phrases and words that should be avoided. I’ve included a link below about describing “Asian eyes” and the history behind it:
One last thing is, you don’t have to spend a large amount of time describing your characters and every single detail on their face. Give your readers enough information to satisfy them, and then allow your readers’ imaginations to do the rest. So totally go ahead and describe your characters, but don’t feel obligated to include a description of every single facial feature of your character.
Here are some charts I found that may give you ideas (note that these don’t include the only types/shapes that are possible, these are just common ones)
Eyebrows
Eye shapes
Face shapes
Mod Carolyn @theories-fans-andwombats
Be mean to your characters.
What they take for granted? Take it away from them.
The one thing they know for certain? Make them doubt it.
Their worst fear? Throw it at their damn faces.
Make their plans fail. Make them cry. Make them question things and fuck up and then learn about them and the way they react in the process.
Be mean to your characters. Then be kind to them for a little while, because after all that stuff they may deserve it.
1. Have a goal
While it may sound like I’m stating the obvious here, your character needs to have something they want to accomplish. Maybe they want to be the best at something, see a place, fall in love, conquer the world, or something else. Whatever it is, they need to have something that they desire beyond all other things. Ideally, give them more than one goal. Make them have to sacrifice one to achieve the other, to add extra drama
2. Have a reputation
Maybe they’re the best artist in their class or they’re great at juggling. Perhaps they slipped on the stairs in front of their whole village. Either way, give something for the locals to remember about them. That way it can give you a starting point for the interactions with other characters
3. Have a friend
Whether a friend, a coworker, a sibling, an army buddy, or someone they saved, have someone close to your character whom they’re close to and wish well. Yeah, angsty “I have no friends” characters can be fun, but in small doses; eventually the reader gets fed up with them. At the very least the character needs someone to talk to or bounce ideas off of
4. Have a home
It may be a neighborhood they grew up in, their parents’ house, or a room they’ve been renting in a tavern. Hell, it could even be a person if you so choose. Everyone needs to feel secure at one time or another
5. Have a signature item
Now, recognize that this may not work for EVERY character, but it’s up to you to decide what will fit and what won’t. In many cases, it can work. A signature item is something that is recognizably YOUR CHARACTER’S, be it a weapon, a scarf, a toy, or a piece of jewelry. It’s something that makes them feel like themself
6. Have a problem
This should be something other than the problem addressed in the main plot line. Maybe a member of their family is sick, they are broke, or they’re failing their classes. This helps make your character seem more realistic because NO ONE has one problem at a time
7. Have a secret
This can affect the plot or not; either way, it helps make your character more well rounded. Maybe your character can’t read, left their crewmates to die when a kracken attacked their ship, or made their long lost sister run away. If you choose to have it affect the plot in any way, this secret should embarrass your character, make it so that other characters don’t trust your character, or somehow endanger them and the people they’re close to if found out
8. Have a reason to be brave and to fight
Maybe it’s because your character wants to be like their hero, maybe it’s so they can repay a debt (like if someone saved their life previously), maybe it’s for their child, but your character needs to have a reason to occasionally face their fears
Have fun!!!
I was lucky enough to get a commission from the incredibly talented @nipuni!
Here are Solas and Elizabeth Treveylan from my fic Under Good Regulation She did an AMAZING job!
Other medieval jobs included:
tanners, soap makers, cask makers, cloth makers, candle makers (chandlers), gold and silver smiths, laundresses, bakers, grooms, pages, huntsmen, doctors, painters, plasterers, and painters, potters, brick and tile makers, glass makers, shipwrights, sailors, butchers, fishmongers, farmers, herdsmen, millers, the clergy, parish priests, members of the monastic orders, innkeepers, roadmenders, woodwards (for the forests). slingers. Other Domestic jobs inside the castle or manor:
Personal atendants- ladies-in-waiting, chamber maids, doctor.
The myriad of people involved in the preparation and serving of meals- brewers, poulterer, fruiterers, slaughterers, dispensers, cooks and the cupbearers.
Some of our most useful posts on describing People of Color, all in one place.
–WWC
