Verbalize.bsky.social

Generic Dialogue—Staaaahp Sometimes when I'm editing manuscripts, and usually this happens in very good manuscripts, I run into generic dialogue.

“Generic Dialogue—Staaaahp” by September C. Fawkes @SeptCFawkes #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

#28: Give Antagonists Redemptive Qualities - Katherine Cowley I spend a lot of time playing with dolls with my 5-year-old daughter. She likes to divide them up and make half of the dolls “good guys” and half of the dolls “bad guys.” The bad guys really like kidnapping other dolls and taking over the ice castle.

"Jane Austen Writing Lessons #28: Give Antagonists Redemptive Qualities" by Katherine Cowley @kathycowley #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

Six Rape Tropes and How to Replace Them Most depictions of rape normalize sexual assault and alienate survivors.

"Six Rape Tropes and How to Replace Them" by Chris Winkle via @mythcreants #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

“2020 Hindsight: 10 Years Worth of Grammar Advice" by Taylor Houston @writerscramp1 | @LitReactor #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

10 Writing Rules That Are Waiting For You To Break Grammar and writing rules are always worth knowing. However, breaking or bending some of the rules is often a sign of a skilled writer.

"10 Writing Rules That Are Waiting For You To Break" by @Derek_Haines via @justpublishing #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

#verbalize #activate #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

Writing Fight Scenes – What an Editor Wants to See As an editor, something I’ve discovered when I’m editing books for other people is I’m making the same comments over and over again in relation to action scenes. I thought I’d summarize them here in the hope that someone may find it useful for their writing. As always, this is just how I’d do it and what I’d like to see, and your mileage may vary wildly.

“Writing Fight Scenes – What an Editor Wants to See” by Joanne Hall @hierath77 #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips #amwritingfantasy

#DailyVerb

GAMBLE (→): challenge, face, lay, offer, spitball (≠ ensure, protect, warrant) #DailyVerb #verbalize #amwriting

Of Labyrinth and Forest: How to Write Dark Fantasy The temperature drops. The call of snow taps on your window. You’re inside at your desk, a steaming mug of lavender tea warming your hands. There’s a crocheted blanket draped across your lap and a half-burned candle near a plate of gingerbread crumbs.

"Of Labyrinth and Forest: How to Write Dark Fantasy" by Stephanie M. Wytovich @SWytovich via @Litreactor #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips litreactor.com/columns/how-...

7 reasons your characters feel flat Readers have to love your characters. Full stop. Characters who feel lifelike and relatable will compel your readers to turn the pages and breathlessly await the sequels. Characters who are dull or flat will send your readers scurrying for another book. And yet it’s so tricky to really nail a lifelike character and to translate […]

“7 reasons your characters feel flat” by @nathanbransford #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

Balancing Technical Jargon with Reader Engagement As someone who has spent their life in motorsports from the day I left school until I took the plunge and switched careers in 2019, I was constantly being asked when I would write a book about raci…

"Balancing Technical Jargon with Reader Engagement" by Nicholas Harvey via @CrimeReads #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips #WritingCrime

a set of black commas on a white background . ALT: a set of black commas on a white background .

“Punctuation Gotchas” via GrammarPhile Blog #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips #grammartalk www.proofreadnow.com/blog/bid/834...

#DailyVerb

SEAL (+): choke, cork, occlude, shut, tighten (≠ crack, prize, unseal) #DailyVerb #verbalize #amwriting

Basic Tips To Write Better (And More Likeable) Badasses - Springhole.net Yet another character type that is often poorly-written by amateurs, many badass characters end up becoming completely unlikeable or even despicable. Here are a few tips to keep these characters from going this route.

"Basic Tips To Write Better (And More Likeable) Badasses” by Lorenz Carst @SyeraMiktayee via Springhole.net #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

Breaking Writing Rules Right: "Don't Use 'Was'" Over my years editing, I've seen stories that were crippled from the author's quest to avoid using "was."

“Breaking Writing Rules Right: "Don't Use 'Was'"” by September C. Fawkes @SeptCFawkes #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

#DailyVerb

TROUBLESHOOT (+): crack, fit, quarantine, restore, square (≠ break, hamstring, scupper) #DailyVerb #verbalize #amwriting

#61: How to Convey Emotion: Planting Clues to What Characters Feel - Katherine Cowley It took me several years of writing fiction to really learn how to convey emotions. As a writer, you often know what your characters are feeling, but how do you convey that to the reader in a way that helps them to believe it, and sometimes even to feel it with the characters?

"Jane Austen Writing Lessons #61: How to Convey Emotion: Planting Clues to What Characters Feel" by Katherine Cowley @kathycowley #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

5 Questions to Ask Before Adding a Subplot Janice Hardy offers 5 key questions you can ask to determine whether your subplot is helping your story or hurting it.

“5 Questions to Ask Before Adding a Subplot” by Janice Hardy via Writers in the Storm #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips writersinthestormblog.com/2025/02/5-qu...

#DailyVerb

MUZZLE (/): constrict, dominate, inhibit, restrain, subdue (≠ boost, intensify, show) #DailyVerb #verbalize #amwriting

#DailyVerb

BUFFER (+): coddle, gentle, modulate, soundproof, upholster (≠expose, savage, target) #DailyVerb #verbalize #amwriting

Analogy vs. Metaphor vs. Simile (Grammar Rules) Learn when you're using an analogy vs. metaphor vs. simile with Grammar Rules from the Writer's Digest editors, including a few examples of correct usages.

"Analogy vs. Metaphor vs. Simile (Grammar Rules)" by @RobertLeeBrewer via @WritersDigest #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

Judging What Information Your Story Needs If you focus on the wrong details, your story will lose its power.

"Judging What Information Your Story Needs" by Chris Winkle via @mythcreants #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

#DailyVerb

RUMPLE (/): crinkle, disorder, muss, pleat, ruffle (≠ groom, organize, straighten) #DailyVerb #verbalize #amwriting

When to Wax Strong on Interiority WRITE BETTER WITH AN EDITOR - writing tips and editing services. "Sometimes I scare people with my enthusiasm for writing."

“When to Wax Strong on Interiority” by September C. Fawkes #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips www.septembercfawkes.com/2025/01/when...

Happy Birthday To Agatha Christie, Inventor Of The Slasher Our free writing app lets you set writing goals and track your progress, so you can finally write that book!

"Happy Birthday To Agatha Christie, Inventor Of The Slasher" by Christopher Shultz via @Litreactor #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips litreactor.com/columns/happ...

How To Describe The Sea Or Ocean In Writing If you need to describe the sea or ocean in your writing, think about the five senses. It's an easy way to improve your descriptions.

"How To Describe The Sea Or Ocean In Writing” by @Derek_Haines via @justpublishing #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

#DailyVerb

AUDIT (←): comb, double-check, observe, research, verify (≠ cheat, -disregard, mislead) #DailyVerb #verbalize #amwriting

#verbalize #activate #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips

Worldbuilding Through Characterization When somebody mentions worldbuilding the first thing you’ll think of is probably a lavishly detailed map, something filled with interesting geography, the locations of important cities, and maybe a dragon in the far corner. Or perhaps what springs to mind is a family tree of noble houses that lists their connections and feuds. Maybe you’ll conjure up a table of runic symbols and sets of laws governing a magic system? Something that probably won’t be at the top of your mental list is characterisation.

"Worldbuilding Through Characterization" by Aaron Miles via @FantasyFaction #amwriting #writerslife #WritingCommunity #writingadvice #writingtips #amwritingfantasy

#DailyVerb

RENEW (+): jump-start, reclaim, rehabilitate, restock, transform (≠ cut, harm, snuff) #DailyVerb #verbalize #amwriting