In your SECOND DRAFT, do a search in your document for the words there was/there were/there is/there are.
Consider if rewriting the sentence to delete those words will make it stronger or more concise (often it will).
For example:
There was a dog sleeping in front of the fire.
A dog slept in front of the fire.
This tip goes double for the “there was… that” construction.
For example:
There was no reason that she couldn’t go.
She saw no reason she couldn’t go.
I think of it like this: in a first draft, “there was” is shorthand for “polish this later.” DO NOT overthink it in a first draft or you’ll get stuck. SECOND DRAFT PROBLEMS.
So You Want to Name a Sino: A Guide to Not Making a Fucking Fool of Yourself
Note: this will be long and very, very extensive because god I am so sick of this shit 2k16 I just want absolution and I don’t think that’s too much to ask, and even if it is I’m asking it, I’m not asking it emptyhanded I’m asking it with a WHOLE GUIDE FOR YOUR PERUSAL, because I’ve found that Wiki’s great if you want to know why and how we use names and not really great for when you actually want a name.
A theme of this blog seems to be my long suffering, and I want it known, recorded, carved in stone that as of almost 1:00AM on Thursday, December 22nd, 2016, I am officially Fed Up with the way Sino characters are named in fiction.
Let us be clear: this is first and foremost An Attack™* on all the white authors whose imaginations can only extend so far to provide us with a glut of Lings and Linglings and Ailings (not that those aren’t beautiful names) and Peonies and Pearls and, god forbid they start getting creative with their Sachas and their Wai-maes, but this is also for the Sino authors who can’t seem to do it either. And like, I get it. It’s not easy. Sinos are a disparate bunch with varying degrees of fluency in varying dialects of Chinese. Romanisation and naming customs are weird.
But also can we leave the idea of the inscrutable mysterious unknowable East in the 20th century please? There are resources. This is one of them. Let’s start before I steep for too long in my own bitterness and annoyance.
Oh hey– here’s a list ranked by Writing With Color’s most popular posts since opening in 2014 up till now, the start of 2017. Pulled together for the interest and usefulness for readers like you. Thank you.
Top 7 Popular Original Posts
Words for Skin Tone– This two part guide offers an array of words for describing skin color. Part I focuses on the problems with food descriptors. Part II provides alternatives. (68k+ Notes)
as requested. Feel free to change pronouns or anything else !
“Don’t you hurt a single hair on his/her/their head.”
“Hands off!”
“What do you think you’re doing to him/her/them?”
“I’ll never let you go.” / “Don’t ever let me go.”
“Don’t ever leave my sight again.”
“I got your back.”
“Where are you going? It’s not safe out there!”
“Do you trust me?”
“Be more careful next time. I don’t want to bandage you up again.”
“Hey, it’s cold outside. At least wear a jacket.”
“I’d die for you.”
“You’ll back off if you know what’s good for you.”
“Get behind me NOW.”
“Here, I have an extra weapon.”
“Duck, you idiot!”
“Go on without me.”
“Well what did you expect would happen while you’re walking alone at night? Come on, let’s get you away from that creep.”
“Hey. Pal. I’ve got a gun/knife/fist/weapon and I’m not afraid to use it.”
“You can stop hugging me now.”
“You scared the shit out of me. I’m never going to stop hugging you.”
“Quit babying me! I can protect myself.”
“I’ll always be there to save you.” / “I know you’ll always be there to save me.”
“If you even THINK about touching him/her/them, I’ll kill you.”
“[choked up] I thought I lost you.” / “[choked up] I never thought I’d see you again.”
Me, writing this: yes, good. i want people to have this idea in their minds from early on in the story. but shouta needs to take time to figure things out and i can use canon to try and create dramatic irony
also me: SHOUTA YOU IDIOT USE YOUR EYES
three guesses as to which professional hero this guy is
Finding the information you need as a writer shouldn’t be a chore. Luckily, there are plenty of search engines out there that are designed to help you at any stage of the process, from coming up with great ideas to finding a publisher to get your work into print. Both writers still in college and those on their way to professional success will appreciate this list of useful search applications that are great from making writing a little easier and more efficient.
Professional
Find other writers, publishers and ways to market your work through these searchable databases and search engines.
Litscene: Use this search engine to search through thousands of writers and literary projects, and add your own as well.
Thinkers.net: Get a boost in your creativity with some assistance from this site.
PoeWar: Whether you need help with your career or your writing, this site is full of great searchable articles.
Publisher’s Catalogues: Try out this site to search through the catalogs and names of thousands of publishers.
Edit Red: Through this site you can showcase your own work and search through work by others, as well as find helpful FAQ’s on writing.
Writersdock: Search through this site for help with your writing, find jobs and join other writers in discussions.
PoetrySoup: If you want to find some inspirational poetry, this site is a great resource.
Booksie.com: Here, you can search through a wide range of self-published books.
One Stop Write Shop: Use this tool to search through the writings of hundreds of other amateur writers.
Writer’s Cafe: Check out this online writer’s forum to find and share creative works.
Literary Marketplace: Need to know something about the publishing industry? Use this search tool to find the information you need now.
Writing
These helpful tools will help you along in the writing process.
WriteSearch: This search engine focuses exclusively on sites devoted to reading and writing to deliver its results.
Lesetoilesfous 