great article by Jordan Dane! Click the link to see more articles from thriller and mystery writers!
1.) Take the familiar and give it a twist. A reader can more easily imagine the world you are trying to convey if you make them believe they have seen elements of this world before.
2.) Add a Heavy Dose of Human Nature. Basic human nature can transcend time and reality.
3.) Take a look back to see ahead. If your world is in the near future, say in 2025, you might take a look back at the same span of years (13 years) to see how much has changed and in what areas.
4.) Paint a world by highlighting the elements that enhance your story most. As an author you might know every aspect of the world you want to portray, but are these details important to your story?
5.) Color Your World. Every world has its own dialect, slang, food, clothes, and customs. “Borrowing” from fables, myths, and history can be a starting point, but don’t be afraid to develop something on your own.
- What Will Your Character Do When Disaster Strikes?
by Carolyn Kaufman, PsyD- Characterization and Conflict: Using Psychological Tests to Improve Your Writing
by Carolyn Kaufman, PsyD- Gathering Information from Characters: Types of Questions
by JJ Cooper- Using Body Language in Writing
by JJ Cooper- Body Language Cheat Sheet
by Carolyn Kaufman, PsyD
USING ARCHETYPES IN YOUR STORIES
- A Primer on Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious
by Carolyn Kaufman, PsyD
Writing Better Romantic RelationshipsThis series looks at the Anima/Animus archetype, which is most often seen in romantic relationships, and how to use it to create more compelling romantic relationships, regardless of genre. Looks at what the anima and animus are, how they’re formed, and why fiction writers need to understand them. There’s also some and what makes love grow - and how happily ever afters really work.
- Creating Riveting Romances: The Anima/Animus Archetype Defined
by Carolyn Kaufman, PsyD- Writing Romance: Three Influences on the Anima/Animus Archetype
by Carolyn Kaufman, PsyD- The Perfect Hero and the Perfect Heroine: Dark and Light Sides of the Anima & Animus
by Carolyn Kaufman, PsyD- What Does it Really Take to Live Happily Ever After?
A look at the psychological research on what makes or breaks romantic relationships. - by Carolyn Kaufman, PsyD
Creating Better Antagonists
- Three-Dimensional Villains: Finding Your Character’s Shadow
Using Jungian archetypes and hands-on exercises, this article teaches fiction writers to tap their own dark sides to create realistic villains who will really challenge the hero/es and keep tension high. - by Carolyn Kaufman, PsyD
- The Other in Fiction: Creating Wonderfully Wicked Villains
The kinds of villains that keep us riveted to a story tap the darkest aspects of the human heart; learn about what those aspects are and how to use them in your fiction. - by Carolyn Kaufman, PsyD
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
- Basic Information on Forensic Science by Juan Salvo
- The Truth about Forensic Psychology by Lisa Featherston
Oh shit, reblogging for future use.
oh same
rad
dang
i don’t write but i am reblogging for later since i love psychology
I can’t write worth crap, but reblogging because psychology rocks.
i know some people are complete assholes who will think absolutely nothing of stalking and harassing a person to whatever lengths they choose. torment and abuse are nothing to this kind of person.
Mind Games:
a largely conscious struggle for psychological one-upmanship,…
1 Write.
2 Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down.
3 Finish what you’re writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.
4 Put it aside. Read it pretending you’ve never read it before. Show it to friends whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that this is.
5 Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.
6 Fix it. Remember that, sooner or later, before it ever reaches perfection, you will have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.
7 Laugh at your own jokes.
8 The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it’s definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I’m not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.
I dunno about you guys, but I hate cliches like ‘emerald green’, ‘obsidian’, or ‘sky blue’ when describing eye colors. Here are a couple of places I’d like to share to help prevent cliches in writing descriptive characters:
List of Colors (Wikipedia) - Goes into shades of colors in lower links
Top writing do’s and don’t’s from Elmore Leonard, Diana Athill, Margaret Atwood, Roddy Doyle, Helen Dunmore, Geoff Dyer, Anne Enright, Richard Ford, Jonathan Franzen, Esther Freud, Neil Gaiman, David Hare, PD James, and AL Kennedy.
I’ve posted this before but READ IT AGAIN.
This page only provides a list of transitional words; be certain you understand their meanings before you use them. Often, there exists a slight, but significant, difference between two apparently similar words. Also remember that while transitions describe relationships between ideas, they do not automatically create relationships between ideas for your reader. Use transitions with enough context in a sentence or paragraph to make the relationships clear.
Example of unclear transition:
The characters in Book A face a moral dilemma. In the same way, the characters in Book B face a similar problem.
Improved transition:
The characters in Book A face a moral dilemma, a contested inheritance. Although the inheritance in Book B consists of an old house and not a pile of money, the nature of the problem is quite similar.
Examples of Transitions:
Illustration
Thus, for example, for instance, namely, to illustrate, in other words, in particular, specifically, such as.
Contrast
On the contrary, contrarily, notwithstanding, but, however, nevertheless, in spite of, in contrast, yet, on one hand, on the other hand, rather, or, nor, conversely, at the same time, while this may be true.
Addition
And, in addition to, furthermore, moreover, besides, than, too, also, both-and, another, equally important, first, second, etc., again, further, last, finally, not only-but also, as well as, in the second place, next, likewise, similarly, in fact, as a result, consequently, in the same way, for example, for instance, however, thus, therefore, otherwise.
Time
After, afterward, before, then, once, next, last, at last, at length, first, second, etc., at first, formerly, rarely, usually, another, finally, soon, meanwhile, at the same time, for a minute, hour, day, etc., during the morning, day, week, etc., most important, later, ordinarily, to begin with, afterwards, generally, in order to, subsequently, previously, in the meantime, immediately, eventually, concurrently, simultaneously.
Space
At the left, at the right, in the center, on the side, along the edge, on top, below, beneath, under, around, above, over, straight ahead, at the top, at the bottom, surrounding, opposite, at the rear, at the front, in front of, beside, behind, next to, nearby, in the distance, beyond, in the forefront, in the foreground, within sight, out of sight, across, under, nearer, adjacent, in the background.
Concession
Although, at any rate, at least, still, thought, even though, granted that, while it may be true, in spite of, of course.
Similarity or Comparison
Similarly, likewise, in like fashion, in like manner, analogous to.
Emphasis
Above all, indeed, truly, of course, certainly, surely, in fact, really, in truth, again, besides, also, furthermore, in addition.
Details
Specifically, especially, in particular, to explain, to list, to enumerate, in detail, namely, including.
Examples
For example, for instance, to illustrate, thus, in other words, as an illustration, in particular.
Consequence or Result
So that, with the result that, thus, consequently, hence, accordingly, for this reason, therefore, so, because, since, due to, as a result, in other words, then.
Summary
Therefore, finally, consequently, thus, in short, in conclusion, in brief, as a result, accordingly.
Suggestion
For this purpose, to this end, with this in mind, with this purpose in mind, therefore.
Oh! We did one of these, too! Check out our Word List: Transitional Words for another list like this one!