- How was the world or universe created?
- What happens to sentient beings before they are born?
- What happens to sentient beings after they die?
- If somebody wants help, are there unnatural ways they can get it?
- If somebody wants power, are there unnatural ways they can get it?
- What are the goals of the unnatural forces/gods/magical beings?
- Has death ever been reversed? Can it currently be reversed?
- Are some sentient beings more favored than others? Why?
- How many gods/unnatural forces/magical beings are there?
- How is the world/universe going to end?
do you know any sites or programs where i can map out character relationships?
Cacoo is awesome (it’s what I use now) for this sort of thing, but here is a list of a few Family Tree Makers as well. I find that the Family Tree Makers can be a bit limiting, so I use diagram software—that’s something like Cacoo—instead.
I’m sure our followers will have other suggestions for you!
Thank you for your question!
-C
READ THIS Novel Writing Pep Talk. Go on.
November 1-30. The world needs your novel.
This is the pep talk I wrote some years ago for week three. You are now entering week three. Welcome to hell. Read the talk.
How To Deal With Your Enemies
How To Deal With Your Enemies
We all have people that we don’t get along with or don’t see eye to eye with. Or maybe you have a more extreme case where you actually have someone who you consider to be an enemy or rival. Either way, these people can have a major negative influence on our lives if we allow them to. Here’s how to rise above it and deal with your enemies:
- Keep it classy. This is also known as taking the high road, or being the bigger person. Even if there is a lot of animosity between the two of you, you don’t ever need to resort to petty, immature or nasty behavior. You don’t have to like them, and you can’t control how they feel about you, but you can control your actions and behavior. Resist the urge to stoop to seeking revenge, humiliating them in public, talking trash about them behind their back, or just being nasty in general. It will quickly escalate from there and you won’t feel good about yourself. Even if they are being a jerk try to refrain from doing the same and keep your behavior classy and you’ll never regret it.
- Form an army of support. Instead of focusing on the one person who doesn’t like you, focus on all of the people who do love and support you. Create an imaginary army of all of those people. Imagine them marching behind you when you have to face your enemies and you’ll instantly feel stronger and more supported.
do you have any resources for writing seasonal affective disorder respectfully?
I have some experience with this, as I was born in #1 and currently reside in #32 out of this list of US cities.
So! Let’s begin.
SAD is a form of depression that hits people in the winter months, or, less often, in summer. People with bipolar disorder can also face seasonal changes in mood and mental health.
The exact causes of SAD are unknown and vary person to person, but most of the working theories involve the lack of sunlight that winter brings affecting your body and mental health negatively. (Here’s Wikipedia describing it more eloquently).
SAD is treated with light therapy, exercise, moving to a sunnier area, antidepressants, or melatonin, based on the individual and what works for them.As for the respectful part-
For starters, I’m pretty biased, if that’s the right word for it. Where I grew up, it’s very dark and dim and exhausting in the winter, and the people often have problems with anxiety and depression. However, we generally all treat our situation with a weird, resigned humor. We all know that our winters are awful and make us feel awful, so we joke about it. After all, it did bring us such inspired geographical names as Cape Disappointment, Mount Despair, Dismal Nitch, and Useless Bay, (I’m not kidding) because explorers like Lewis and Clark did not understand how Washington state winters are supposed to be spent (indoors, asleep, with snacks).
That said, we don’t really joke about depressed or anxious or SAD-affected people. I self-diagnosed my seasonal bouts of crying and winter-dread as SAD a few years ago. Mine’s on the mildish end, so between a light box, remembering to get outside, and spending my winters in sunny, sunny Portland, it’s gotten a good bit better. I did and do not find it very fun, so I know that people who’ve got it as bad and worse aren’t liking it either.
So, my advice to you is to
1) Research the disorder so that you understand it and can know what you’re talking about (start out with some of those links in this answer, and do more research from there on your own, find some people with SAD to talk to, etc.)
2) If you do joke about it or something (or your characters kid about it), I advise you to joke about the situation or the disorder itself, rather than the people who have it. Does that make sense? Like, a mountain that’s named Despair because the explorers were having such a shit time of it, that we still call Despair is pretty funny. A person who feels sick and tired because it’s dark and horrible out being the butt of a joke is not funny.Alright, that’s what I’ve got! Good luck.
-Evvythe most important thing is to make sure that the person who is suffering from it is not portrayed as weak or pathetic for having this problem. It’s also important not to minimize the issue, or have it go away conveniently for plot’s sake. When you have something like SAD (or depression) it’s there. And it stays there. And it’s oppressive – anonymous
– enlee
57 Tips For Writers, From Writers
by MARELISA
The entire writing process is fraught with perils. Many writers would argue that the hardest part of writing is beginning.
When asked what was the most frightening thing he had ever encountered, novelist Ernest Hemingway said, “A blank sheet of paper.”
Other writers believe that ideas are easy, it’s in the execution of those ideas that the hard work really begins. You have to show up every day and slowly give shape to your ideas, trying to find just the right words, searching for the right turn of phrase, until it all morphs into something real.
Then comes the wait to discover how your writing will be received. Chilean author Isabel Allende once said that writing a book is like putting a message in a bottle and throwing it in the ocean. You never know if it will reach any shores.
So just how do you go about facing an empty page, coaxing your ideas into the world of form, and steering the end result toward shore? You can start by studying the tips and advice from writers presented below.
30 Luscious Lemon Desserts
- Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Bread {Hungry Couple}
- Lemony Huckleberry Crumb Bars {Hungry Cravings}
- Pink Lemonade Lavender Thyme Sorbet {Boulder Locavore}
- Pomegranate with Lemon Cake {The Little Epicurean}
- Lemon Lush Dessert {Herb on Herbs}
- Fudgy Lemon Curd Brownies {Coffee & Quinoa}
- Meyer Lemon Fennel Pots de Creme {Little Accidents in the Kitchen}
- Lemon Blackberry Cream Puffs with Dairy-Free Pastry Cream {The Craving Chronicles}
- 7-Up Pound Cake with Lemon-Lime Glaze {Nancy Creative}
- Blackberry Lemonade Cupcakes {One Sweet Appetite}
- Lemon Curd Cookies {Pick Fresh Food}
- Pink Lemonade Cupcakes {A Night Owl}
- Lemon Blueberry Trifle {In the Kitchen}
- Blondies Lemon Brownies {Cookwizme}
- Lemon Pie S’mores {Pick Fresh Foods}
- Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes {The Cake Blog}
- Lemon Layer Cake {Crumbs and Cookies}
- Coconut Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting {The Cupcake Ballroom}
- Lemon Cream Filled Cupcakes {Mix it Up}
- Lemon and Lavender Mini Cupcakes {Movita Beaucoup}
- Intensely Lemon Cake with Strawberries {K&L Food Blog}
- Lemon Cake with Vanilla Whipped Cream {This Heart of Mine}
- Lemon Coconut Bars {Spiced Blog}
- Whole Lemon Pistachio Cake {Desserts with Benefits}
- Lemon Meringue Pie in a Jar (gluten & dairy free) {Eat Life Whole}
- Frozen Lemon Dessert {No Biggie}
- Glazed Lemondrop Cookies {Red Brolly}
- Easy Lemon Sorbet {Grandbaby Cakes}
- Sour Cream Lemon Pie {I Wash You Dry}
- Lemon Tart with Candied Lemons {You Are My Fave}
CATERWAULING
Writing Research – Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology) with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh. The history of ancient Egypt occurred in a series of stable Kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods: the Old Kingdom of the Early Bronze Age, the Middle Kingdom of the Middle Bronze Age and the New Kingdom of the Late Bronze Age. [1]
Names
- Ancient Egyptian Culture; Names in Ancient Egypt
- Ancient Egyptian Names Revealed
- Behind the Names: Ancient Egyptian Names
- List of Egyptian God Names
- Egyptian Name Translator
Society & Life
- Egypt Weather and Climate
- Ancient Egyptian Life
- Egypt’s Golden Empire, New Kingdom, Egyptian Society
- The Social Classes in Ancient Egypt
- Ancient Egypt: Gender Roles
- Homes in Ancient Egypt
- Furniture
- Household Utensils and Materials
- Houses and Villages of Ancient Egypt
- Welcome to the Ancient Egyptian Home
- Ancient Egypt: House and Garden
- Dues and Duties in Ancient Egypt
- Priests in Ancient Egypt
- Workers in Ancient Egypt
- Soldiers in Ancient Egypt
- Writing
akinsman’s guide to: Hispanic naming customs
So often when RPing I see Hispanic characters of all kinds that are perfectly well crafted and interesting but fall down when it comes to the name. Hispanic naming customs are very different to English-speaking and other Western naming customs and whilst, as with those of other ethnicities that have different naming customs, there may be a variety of reasons that they use or adopt a name that does conform to a Western profile, it is important to understand the nature of names within their culture.
Reminder: Not all people from Latin America are ‘hispanic’, from Spain. The guide mentions this, but it’s good to point it out here as well before any possible future misinterpretation of this guide. As a starting point, it is great for understanding how naming often goes in some parts of Spanish speaking countries, but you should do your fair amount of research, yourself (which you should be doing already, if you’re going to write a character of a place you’re not from with a culture you’re not a part of).
Rambles & Rabble 