she who entangles men

Gun Terms for Writers

As someone who writes fics with action sequences and the use of guns, I thought maybe it would be helpful to pass some things on. Even though I’ve done lots of research and talked with family members (I live in WI which is a big hunting state and we have lots of guns), I still catch myself making mistakes with specific terms and their usage. Reading more James Bond fics lately, I catch others making mistakes also. So here is a little guide to help writers.

A ‘clip’ is something that stores multiple rounds of ammunition. It is not what you would insert into a handgun to load it. Clips make loading into a magazine easier because they simply store the rounds. It helps with organization.

A magazine is what feeds the ammunition into the barrel. Magazines vary in capacity. They, unlike clips, are spring-loaded, which helps the ammunition move in the gun. So, when you want a character to reload, they would use a pre-loaded magazine, NOT a clip.

A silencer is really a suppressor. ‘Silencer’ is a word that’s used in media to refer to a suppressor that doesn’t exist in real life. Guns that are suppressed will still be loud and have a sound. This is because compressed air will still leak out of the end of the barrel, you can’t silence a bullet moving extremely fast through the air, and you can’t silence the mechanical parts on a gun. There will be a noise, but it just won’t be as loud or more importantly, alert people in a nearby area that a gun was just fired. SO suppressor is a much more accurate term technically speaking.

There are different kinds of suppressors. One important kind suppresses the muzzle flash. It’s likely a sniper would use this more than they would want to use a sound suppressor, as the muzzle flash more easily enables you to be spotted when you don’t want to be. These are simply referred to as flash suppressors.

After a handgun runs out of ammunition, the slide will lock back into place and you will know that it is out. There is no ‘click’ signifying an empty weapon that is so dramatized in movies and tv. A more likely scenario that would prevent a gun from firing would be a jam. Or programming the gun to recognize certain palm prints.

A great place for writers, in particular fanfic writers, who want information on guns is imfdb. You can find out what guns are used in movies and shows, and what guns characters use. You can also just search for guns.

If you want to get really specific, check out YouTube. There are users who will post reviews of guns on there, which can be really helpful if you want to see how a particular gun looks or how to shoot it.

So yeah! Here are just a few basic tips if you want to write a fic where a character uses guns.

@5 months ago with 11905 notes

#writing

#tips

The Basics of Creating a Likeable Character

Creating a Likeable Character from the Ground Up – The Basics

So maybe you have a character in your mind that you’ve been gestating, just waiting to give birth too. (Not the best metaphor in the book, Hannah. But then again, writing can be bloody, painful, and just kind of gross), but you’re worried that when you finally get around to shoving him/her out, you’re just not going to have something likeable. Likeable characters are key to any story – they are who the readers come to care about, and really, it is all about the readers. So here are some of my steps to creating what I hope will be a likeable character.

Name Choosing and Why it Is Important

I know the saying is ‘don’t judge a book by your cover’, but you totally do. A name needs to be pronounceable, straightforward, and make a good first impression. A unique name can do this, but so can a simple name. The point is, I know I personally judge a person in a book by their name. It’s wrong, because a character is not their name, just as a person is not their name. But there’s always names that, in real life and literary life, we assign certain traits to. Doris is going to like to read. Brittini is going to be a flake. Josh is going to be a jock. If your character name is Aethylyne Butterfly, people are going to judge that right off the bat. If you do choose an unusual, complicated name, the opening scene becomes even more crucial. Opening Scenes and First Impressions Your mom used to hark on you how important first impressions were. The same goes for characters. You want to establish things about your characters. They don’t even need to be established as a necessarily good character. Something bad could be happening. They could be in the process of committing a crime. Regardless, the first impression of your characters is crucial to impress and hook a reader. If your character comes off as a total dick, it can be off-putting to a large amount of readers. If Aethylyne Butterfly’s first appearance is her sitting beneath a giant oak, ruminating on some tragic event and crying because she accidentally squashed an ant when she sat down, it might make a reader just roll their eyes, close the book, and go outside. And as writers, we don’t want readers to leave whatever their reading for the outdoors. That’s bad writing. I’m going to use a movie example here, because movies are just stories with pictures, and while not everyone reads the same books, movies are pretty well known. In “A Walk to Remember” The opening scene introduces us to Landon, the male protagonist. First off, it’s a good name with a bad boy vibe to it. Second off, he’s seen harassing and essentially bullying someone. When something goes wrong and everyone else takes off, Landon hesitates running and instead helps, essentially indicating himself in a crime. Right from the beginning, we can see he’s a bit of an asshole, but that he has redeeming qualities. It makes his character complex, and that definitely piques a viewer’s curiousity and makes him more likeable, and we want to see him grow. Growth is key.

Avoiding the Extremes – Flaws and Conflicts

Character conflict is almost always a must. Conflict leads to growth, and growth in a character is something readers expressively look for. Without growth or lessons learned, it’s almost a waste of the reader’s time. If dickwad continues to be a dickwad, not so interesting. A dickward learns something the hard way a la Clockwork Orange, it’s satisfying. A likeable character needs to be complex. They cannot just be the way they are because that’s the way they are. They cannot be shallow. They cannot just ‘do’. In ‘doing’ however, you must avoid extremes. You must avoid the Mary Sue. Everyone hates Mary Sues, and for multiple reasons. In real life no one is perfect. Flaws are what makes people people. They are driving forces in the real world. Having Aethylyne Butterfly be an absolutely perfect and beautiful and wonderful person who poops sparkles and rainbows is not realistic. It’s off-putting. Those flaws are what makes them relatable. It’s what invokes sympathy and identification. Do we pity them, do we admire them? Hannibal Lector is an antagonist, but we still love him. He’s also not a boring character. Characters that are perfect are boring. And even if they are relatable, readers are still going to harbour a small grudge. Have you ever met a perfect person? Someone with absolutely no flaws, or someone in high school that acted as if they had no flaws other than “I care too much”? We all hated them just a little bit. We all held little jealous grudges. Your readers should NEVER feel that way about your characters. That being said, if you make an asshole of a protagonist in the opening few chapters, make sure there are at least a few redeeming qualities or explanations that the character is the way they are. Yes, everyone loves to hate a certain character, but complexity makes your characters more realistic, and thus more likeable.

Remember Your Characters are People

This is one of the biggest issues I see in books that I don’t enjoy. Characters that don’t seem like real people, or don’t react as real people would react. Did Aethylyne Rainbow’s family get brutally murdered, and she shrugs it off because forgiveness is magic? Well, she shouldn’t. If she does decide to forgive, it should arrive following a myriad of other emotions and actions that drive the story. She should develop. A good character, a likeable character, is always learning and developing. We’re all constantly changing. Characters that don’t change are hard for us to relate to, and above all a relatable character is a likeable one. Think of the people in your life. You love them because they are themselves, but you also love them regardless of flaws because of those flaws. The acknowledgement that they are flawed is a reassuring one, and if you’ve ever been in love with a person, either real or imaginary, you know that those flaws help make those people into the people you love. Remember that your characters are people like the people around you. Develop them as such. What are their fears? Their tics? Unconscious bodily motions? Develop them. All of these go into make a realistic and relatable character.

TL,DR;

A) A regular character is a likeable character

B) A character that makes a good first impression is a likeable character

C) A character who grows is a likeable character – we root for them.

D) A flawed character is a likeable character. Perfection is not.

E) A complex character is a likeable character

F) A realistic character is a likeable character

G) A well developed character is a likeable character

H) A relatable character is a likeable character

I’ll just add in my usual disclaimer down here. I am by no means an expert at character development. Really, I’m not. The above are my own personal views concerning character development and relatable and likeable characters. If yours are different and they work for you, that’s awesome, and you rock. Different strokes for different folks.

Happy Writing!

@7 months ago with 876 notes

#wrting

#tips

writing resources

so awhile ago someone asked me to go through process/resources for what i do when i write. this isn’t for everybody, everybody has different motivators. but some of these links have been useful for me in the past.

typing speed test - warm up your hands
writing ergonomics - take care of yourself writing for long periods
music to write by - put on a soundtrack that won’t distract
writeroom - find a program that removes temptation to browse
write or die - if you have trouble staying motivated
word count meter - keep track of your progress
stayfocused - lock yourself out of distracting sites (chrome only)

generally speaking, i just try to make sure i’m sitting properly, take regular breaks, have plenty of water at hand, and good music. the rest varies on just how much i’m feeling it on a given day, and how badly i need motivation. hopefully this will help!

@10 months ago with 6593 notes

#writing

#tips

shakethecobwebs:

hollow-gram:

Alternatives for when you’re feeling angry or restless:

Scribble on photos of people in magazines

Viciously stab an orange

Throw an apple/pair of socks against the wall

Have a pillow fight with the wall

Scream very loudly

Tear apart newspapers, photos, or magazines

Go to the gym, dance, exercise

Listen to music and sing along loudly

Draw a picture of what is making you angry

Beat up a stuffed bear

Pop bubble wrap

Pop balloons

Splatter paint

Scribble on a piece of paper until the whole page is black

Filling a piece of paper with drawing cross hatches

Throw darts at a dartboard

Go for a run

Write your feelings on paper then rip it up

Use stress relievers

Build a fort of pillows and then destroy it

Throw ice cubes at the bathtub wall, at a tree, etc

Get out a fine tooth comb and vigorously brush the fur of a stuffed animal (but use gentle vigor)

Slash an empty plastic soda bottle or a piece of heavy cardboard or an old shirt or sock

Make a soft cloth doll to represent the things you are angry at; cut and tear it instead of yourself

Flatten aluminium cans for recycling, seeing how fast you can go

On a sketch or photo of yourself, mark in red ink what you want to do. Cut and tear the picture

Break sticks

Cut up fruits

Make yourself as comfortable as possible

Stomp around in heavy shoes

Play handball or tennis

Yell at what you are breaking and tell it why you are angry, hurt, upset, etc.

Buy a cheap plate and decorate it with markers, stickers, cut outs from magazines, words, images, what ever that expresses your pain and sadness and when you’re done, smash it. (Please be careful when doing this)

Alternatives that will give you a sensation (other than pain) without harming yourself:

Hold ice in your hands, against your arm, or in your mouth

Run your hands under freezing cold water

Wax your legs

Drink freezing cold water

Splash your face with cold water

Put PVA/Elmer’s glue on your hands then peel it off

Massage where you want to hurt yourself

Take a hot shower/bath

Put tiger balm on the places you want to cut. (Tiger balm is a muscle relaxant cream that induces a tingly sensation. You can find it in most health food stores and vitamin stores.)

Alternatives that will distract you or take up time:

Say “I’ll self harm in fifteen minutes if I still want to” and keep going for periods of fifteen minutes until the urge fades

Color your hair

Count up to ten getting louder until you are screaming

Sing on the karaoke machine

Complete something you’ve been putting off

Take up a new hobby

Make a cup of tea

Tell and laugh at jokes

Play solitaire

Count up to 500 or 1000

Surf the net

Make as many words out of your full name as possible

Count ceiling tiles or lights

Search ridiculous things on the web

Colour coordinate your wardrobe

Play with toys, such as a slinky

Go to the park and play on the swings

Call up an old friend

Go “people watching”

Carry safe, rather than sharp, things in your pockets

Do school work

Play a musical instrument

Watch TV or a movie

Paint your nails

Alphabetize your CDs or books

Cook

Make origami to occupy your hands

Doodle on sheets of paper

Dress up or try on old clothes

Play computer games or painting programs, such as photoshop

Write out lyrics to your favorite song

Play a sport

Read a book/magazine

Do a crossword

Draw a comic strip

Make a chain link out of paper counting the hours or days you’ve been self harm free using pretty colored paper

Knit, sew, or make a necklace

Make ‘scoobies’ - braid pieces of plastic or lace, to keep your hands busy

Buy a plant and take care of it

Hunt for things on eBay or Amazon

Browse the forums

Go shopping

Memorize a poem with meaning

Learn to swear in another language

Look up words in a dictionary

Play hide-and-seek with your siblings

Go outside and watch the clouds roll by

Plan a party

Find out if any concerts will be in your area

Make your own dance routine

Trace your hand on a piece of paper; on your thumb, write something you like to look at; on your index finger, write something you like to touch; on your middle finger, write your favorite scent; on your ring finger, write something you like the taste of; on your pinky finger, write something you like to listen to; on your palm, write something you like about yourself

Plan regular activities for your most difficult time of day

Finish homework before it’s due

Take a break from mental processing

Notice black and white thinking

Get out on your own, get away from the stress

Go on YouTube

Make a scrapbook

Colour in a picture or colouring book.

Make a phone list of people you can call for support. Allow yourself to use it.

Pay attention to your breathing (breath slowly, in through your nose and out through your mouth)

Pay attention to the rhythmic motions of your body (walking, stretching, etc.)

Learn HALT signals (hungry, angry, lonely, tired)

Choose a random object, like a paper clip, and try to list 30 different uses for it

Pick a subject and research it on the web - alternatively, pick something to research and then keep clicking on links, trying to get as far away from the original topic as you can.

Take a small step towards a goal you have.

Alternatives that are completely bizarre. At the least, you’ll have a laugh:

Crawl on all fours and bark like a dog or another animal

Run around outside screaming

Laugh for no reason whatsoever

Make funny faces in a mirror

Without turning orange, self tan

Pluck your eyebrows

Put faces on apples, oranges, or other sorts of food

Go to the zoo and name all of the animals

Color on the walls

Blow bubbles

Pull weeds in the garden

Alternatives for when you’re feeling guilty, sad, or lonely:

Congratulate yourself on each minute you go without self harming

Draw or paint

Look at the sky

Instead of punishing yourself by self harming, punish yourself by not self harming

Call a friend and ask for company

Buy a cuddly toy

Give someone a hug with a smile

Put a face mask on

Watch a favorite TV show or movie

Eat something ridiculously sweet

Remember a happy moment and relive it for a while in your head

Treat yourself to some chocolate

Try to imagine the future and plan things you want to do

Look at things that are special to you

Compliment someone else

Make sculptures

Watch fish

Let yourself cry

Play with a pet

Have or give a massage

Imagine yourself living in a perfect home and describe it in your mind

If you’re religious, read the bible or pray

Light a candle and watch the flame (but please be careful)

Go chat in the chat room

Allow yourself to cry; crying is a healthy release of emotion

Accept a gift from a friend

Carry tokens to remind you of peaceful comforting things/people

Take a hot bath with bath oil or bubbles

Curl up under a comforter with hot cocoa and a good book

Make affirmation tapes inside you that are good, kind, gentle (Sometimes you can do this by writing down the negative thoughts and then physically re-writing them into positive messages)

Make a tray of special treats and tuck yourself into bed with it and watch TV or read

Alternatives for when you’re feeling panicky or scared:

“See, hear and feel”-5 things, then 4, then 3 and countdown to one which will make you focus on your surroundings and will calm you down

Listen to soothing music; have a CD with motivational songs that you can listen to

Meditate or do yoga

Name all of your soft toys

Hug a pillow or soft toy

Hyper focus on something

Do a “reality check list” – write down all the things you can list about where you are now (e.g. It is the 9th November 2004, I’m a room and everything is going to be alright)

With permission, give someone a hug

Drink herbal tea

Crunch ice

Hug a tree

Go for a walk if it’s safe to do so

Feel your pulse to prove you’re alive

Go outside and attempt to catch butterflies or lizards

Put your feet firmly on the floor

Accept where you are in the process. Beating yourself up, only makes it worse

Touch something familiar/safeLeave the room

Lay on your back in bed comfortably (eyes closed), and breathe in for 4, hold for 2, out for 4, hold for 2. Make sure to fill your belly up with air, not your chest. If your shoulders are going up, keep working on it. When you’re comfortable breathing, put your hand on your belly and rub up and down in time with your breathing. If your mind wanders to other things, move it back to focusing ONLY on the synchronized movement of your hand and breathing.

Give yourself permission to…. (Keep it safe)

Alternatives that will hopefully make you think twice about harming yourself:

Think about how you don’t want scars

Treat yourself nicely

Remember that you don’t have to hurt yourself just because you’re thinking about self harm

Create a safe place to go

Acknowledge that self harm is harmful behavior: say “I want to hurt myself” rather than “I want to cut”

Repeat to yourself “I don’t deserve to be hurt” even if you don’t believe it

Remember that you always have the choice not to cut: it’s up to you what you do

Think about how you may feel guilty after self harming

Remind yourself that the urge to self harm is impulsive: you will only feel like cutting for short bursts of time

Avoid temptation

Get your friends to make you friendship bracelets: wear them around your wrists to remind you of them when you want to cut

Be with other people

Make your own list of things to do instead of self harm

Make a list of your positive character traits

Be nice to your family, who in return, will hopefully be nice to you

Put a band-aid on the area where you’d like to self harm

Recognize and acknowledge the choices you have NOW

Pay attention to the changes needed to make you feel safe

Notice “choices” versus “dilemmas”

Lose the “should-could-have to” words. Try… “What if”

Kiss the places you want to SH or kiss the places you have healing wounds. It can be a reminder that you care about myself and that you don’t want this

Choose your way of thinking, try to resist following old thinking patterns

The Butterfly project- draw a butterfly on the place(s) that you would self harm and if the butterfly fades without self-harming, it means it has lived and flown away, giving a sense of achievement. Whereas if you do self-harm with the butterfly there; you will have to wash it off. If that does happen, you can start again by drawing a new one on. You can name the butterfly after someone you love.

Write the name of a loved one [a friend, family member, or anyone else who cares about you] and write their name where you want to self harm. When you go to self harm remember how much they care and wouldn’t want you to harm yourself.

think about what you would say to a friend who was struggling with the same things you are and try to be a good friend to yourself.

Make a bracelet out duct tape, and put a line on it every day (Or any period of time) you go without self harm. When it’s full of lines, take it off and make a chain out of all the bracelets and hang it up somewhere where you can be reminded of your great progress.

Alternatives that give the illusion of seeing something similar to blood:

Draw on yourself with a red pen or body paint, or go to a site such as this, where you ‘cut’ the screen (be aware that some users may find this triggering, so view with caution)

Cover yourself with plasters where you want to cut

Give yourself a henna or fake tattoo

Make “wounds” with makeup, like lipstick

Take a small bottle of liquid red food coloring and warm it slightly by dropping it into a cup of hot water for a few minutes. Uncap the bottle and press its tip against the place you want to cut. Draw the bottle in a cutting motion while squeezing it slightly to let the food color trickle out.

Draw on the areas you want to cut using ice that you’ve made by dropping six or seven drops of red food color into each of the ice-cube tray wells.

Paint yourself with red tempera paint.

‘Cut’ your skin with nail polish (it feels cold, but it’s hard to get off)

Alternatives to help you sort through your feelings:

Phone a friend and talk to them

Make a collage of how you feel

Negotiate with yourself

Identify what is hurting so bad that you need to express it in this way

Write your feelings in a diary

Free write (Write down whatever you’re thinking at that moment, even if it doesn’t make sense)

Make lists of everything such as blessings in your life

Make a notebook of song lyrics that you relate to

Call a hotline

Write a letter to someone telling them how you feel (but you don’t have to send it if you decide not to)

Start a grateful journal where everyday you write down three: good things that happened/ things that you accomplished/ are grateful for/ made you smile. Make sure the journal is strictly for positive things. Then when you feel down you can go back and look at it.

Thank you for this.

(via catchycliche)

@4 months ago with 122654 notes
#tips #tips and tricks #relaxation #self-care