Tone:

It’s important to establish your writing tone in the first chapter.

A brief definition of this is how you say what you say.

It’s also important to make sure your tone matches up with the genre you’re writing.

▪️Let’s take mystery-thrillerfor instance:

Example:

There was a knock at the door.

Danielle walked down the stairs to answer it.

But when she opened the door, she noticed that no one was there.

That was weird, she thought. 

Vs.

There was a knock at the door.

Danielle crept down the shadowed stairs and the floorboards creaked under her weight, spooking her.

When she made it to the bottom she put her hand on the cold knob and slowly opened the door.

No one was there.

This is scary, she thought.

Often times you can use“adjectives”to set your tones.

Example:

Use these adjectives to set a negative tone

▪️Angry

▪️Annoyed

▪️Hurt

▪️Sad

▪️Anxious

▪️Scary

▪️Sick

▪️Awful

▪️Insane

▪️Bad

▪️Black

▪️Embarrassed

▪️Envious

▪️Lazy

▪️Tense

▪️Blue

▪️Evil

▪️Lonely

▪️Fierce

▪️Mad

▪️Terrifying

▪️Foolish

▪️Mysterious

▪️Timid

▪️Tired

▪️Confused

▪️Frightened

▪️Troubled

▪️Crappy

▪️Nervous

▪️Upset

▪️Crazy

▪️Grieving

▪️Creepy

▪️Grumpy

▪️Weak

▪️Cruel

▪️Outrageous

▪️Weary

Show not tell “Happy”:

▪️Her cheeks glowed pink.

▪️He smiled, his brown eyes sparkling.

▪️She skipped across the room, humming a love song.

▪️He laid down with an amused smile on his face.

▪️Her hands clasped together and she squealed.

▪️She laughed, falling into the chair and holding her stomach.

▪️She jumped to her feet and cheered them on.

▪️She danced around her room, grinning wide.

▪️Her eyes teared with joy at the sight of her missing daughter.

▪️She wiggled her feet in the sheets, a soft sigh on her lips.

▪️Warm goosebumps broke out on her skin as she stared into his wonderful eyes.

▪️She waved her hands from side to side, twirling.

Notice that I’m not describing happy with “happy” synonyms: 

▪️She was ecstatic.

▪️She felt joyful.

▪️She looked cheery.

This is still telling and your readers won’t get the picture you’re trying to paint.

Example:

She felt so cheery and joyful. ✖️

Vs.

Her cheeks hurt from smiling as she skipped from the room, daydreaming and singing a love song. ✔️

Synonyms for “Looked”:

▪️Heglanced at the girl.

▪️Shegazed at the horizon, unaware of how much time had passed.

▪️Shespotted him in the crowded airport.

▪️Shepeeked through the curtain, giggling.

▪️He saw a glimpse of the cabin through the trees.

▪️Hewatched her car disappear down the road.

▪️Shesurveyed her child’s arm for any scratches.

▪️Shestudied the words on the page.

▪️Hespied the dog in the bushes.

▪️The girl eyed the boy, crossing her arms.

▪️Shechecked her purse to make sure nothing was missing.

▪️His eyes focused on hers, his heart fluttering.

▪️Heinspected her expression, seeing that she was upset.

▪️Hescanned the church building. It was empty.

▪️Sheogled the cake, licking her lips.

▪️Hepeered up at the balcony, seeing her there.

▪️The child squinted at the ocean against the sunlight.

▪️Heviewed the blood on the carpet.

For more, try this book with impactful synonyms that will bring your writing to life ☺️ link below:

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Synonyms for “Walk”:

▪️Theystrolled through the garden hand in hand.

▪️Shetramped through the mud, her legs aching.

▪️Hehiked up the hill.

▪️The cat awoke and moseyed to her food bowl.

▪️Heprowled around the corner as the girl neared.

▪️Hemarched around the school yard, feeling proud.

▪️Sheambled into the kitchen with a yawn.

▪️Hewandered through the hallways, staring down at th map.

▪️Shetrodslowlyacross the old bridge, watching her feet.

▪️Heproceeded on his way after stopping for a drink.

▪️The boys trooped into the locker room after a long game.

▪️The boy and girl sauntered down the road.

▪️Sheplodded toward the house, having finished her jog.

▪️Hepatrolled up and down the street.

▪️The dogs roamed the open meadows.

Describing Setting:

Don’t overload:

The bluebird was singing soft melodies and flapping its wings. The breeze was blowing sweet scents from the flowers that were red, blue, and purple. The sky was clear with only a few thin clouds. The tall dark trees were creaking and echoing against the woods. ✖️

Vs.

The rose-scented wind blew breezes against the forest. Bluebirds sprang into the air with songs of summer. ✔️

Clarity:

She went all the way to the store by the way of a car in which she had just purchased. ✖️

Vs.

She went to the store in a car she had just purchased. ✔️

He very much loved the sounds that the cars made as they made their way passed his house at a very fast pace.✖️

Vs.

He loved the cars’ sounds as they quickly passed his house. ✔️

▪️Avoid run on sentences:

He bought a dog from the shelter because he wanted to give a homeless dog a nice new home and that made him feel like a good person. ✖️

Vs.

He bought a dog from the shelter because he wanted to give a homeless dog a nice new home. This made him feel like a good person.

▪️Cut out “was” when possible:

Courtney was smiling. ✖️

Vs.

Courtney smiled. ✔️

▪️Try using one sentace paragraphs:

She liked how the rain felt on her bare skin.

So, she chose to walk home, her feet crashing through puddles.

It took longer than it would have in a car.

But she didn’t regret it.

▪️Try shorter sentences:

Ann’s heart felt sad.

She didn’t know what had caused it.

All she knew was that she woke up one morning feeling sad.

▪️Be conside:

I like carrots. Carrots are better than broccoli.✖️

Vs.

I like carrots better than broccoli. ✔️

▪️Be Specific:

She ate a snack.✖️

Vs.

She ate peanut butter crackers. ✔️

She went out for entertainment.✖️

Vs.

She went to the theater.✔️

▪️Paint pictures:

The sun was yellow. The sky was blue.✖️

Vs.

The sky was a blanket of gold, fluttering through the pale blue. ✔️

▪️Express don’t impress:

Scintillating gold fulgrated across the sphere it was a quintessential evening.✖️

Vs.

Sparkling gold mixed through the navy sky. It was the perfect evening. ✔️

Best Writing Tip EVER:

• If it’s boring to you, it’s boring to your reader.

Otherbest writing Tips:

▪️Write what you love

▪️throw away guidelines (if you want to write about a character that passes out every five seconds for no reason, GO FOR IT)

▪️stop writing for other people

▪️stop worrying ☺️

▪️fall in love with your story, characters, and setting

▪️allow writing to be fun again

▪️don’t write for money, popularity, or anything other than YOU (you’re not an accountant, you’re a writer! But if money follows your passion, yay you!)

Questions to ask yourself:

If bores me, why am I writing it?

What do I love? Hobbies, places, food, subjects, events, eras, etc.

What do I not love? Don’t write it.

What do I know? Homeschooling, raising animals, career, art, cleaning houses. (You’d be surprised what others don’t know and how interested they would be to just read about a character that mops floors for a living )

Am I writing about a subject I’m unfamiliar with?

Do I love my book?

Does my book excite me?

Do I love my characters?

What books do I like to read?

Testimony:

Once upon a time, a writer that loved to write couldn’t write any more.

She tried everything in her power but ended up hating her book just as much as a runny nose and sore throat.

She wondered why this had happened to her.

She realized she had been writing for others, what she thought they wanted and liked.

But in reality, her stories were boring like watching rain out the window.

Especially to her.

So she decided to take a break from internet writing and wrote a private story for herself.

She quickly realized she had never lost her writing gift and she felt so happy that she finished an entire novel and published it.

Many people loved and commented on her book, telling her it was the best book she had ever written.

Now she realized that her own passions also interested others so she kept writing for herself. And others enjoyed it, too!

Now she writes for a living, it’s not boring, and she has fun everyday.

Theend.

Spice up your dialogue:

“I can’t,” she said.

Or you could say…

“I can’t,” she said, slowlyand moved away from him.

“Will you come?” He asked.

Or…(adj.)(Action)

“Will you come?” He asked, timidlywith his head down.

Balance your tags like this:

Tags: pink

Adjective: orange

Action: blue

“I’m tired,” Mia said with a yawnand crawled into bed.

Daniel lowered the book he was reading. “It’s too early for sleep.”

Two seconds later, Mia’s snores echoed through the room.

“Oh well.” Hechuckledand turned off the light.

Prompts:

She said, softly and looked down.

She said, timidly stepping away.

She said, robustly and met his eyes.

She said, angrily with a flushed face.

She said, quivering and fell to the ground.

He said, laughing and holding his stomach.

He said, stiffly and turned away.

He said, bitterly and his jaw flared.

Eye Color:

Baby blue

Cobolt blue

Slate blue

Blueberry colored

Sky blue

Misty blue

Ocean blue

Navy blue

Rich blue

Indigo blue

Electric blue

Powdery blue

Midnight blue

Royal blue

Diamond blue

✏️

Earth green

Sage green

Emerald green

Pine green

Jade green

Mint green

Meadow green

Grasshopper green

Basil green

Evergreen

Leaf green

Army green

Valley green

✏️

Oak brown

Chocolate brown

Charcoal colored

Beige

Caramel brown

Tan

Penny colored

Camel brown

Autumn colored

Desert brown

Acorn colored

Clay colored

Night colored

Leather brown

Dusty brown

Cocoa colored

Marble brown

Nut brown

Copper brown

Apple brown

Blazer brown

Cranberry brown

Rosy brown

Chestnut brown

✏️

Elephant gray

Fog gray

Metal gray

Silver

Ash colored

Slate gray

Charcoal gray

Dolphin gray

Cloud colored

Cinder gray

Smokey gray

Castle gray

Steel gray

Lilac gray

Tin gray

Whale gray

Ocean gray

Thundercloud gray

Shoreline gray

Rocky gray

Marble gray

Stone gray

Dialogue Tags:

▪️He explained. ✖️

▪️He advised. ✖️

▪️He warned. ✖️

▪️He confirmed. ✖️

▪️He accused. ✖️

▪️He babbled. ✖️

▪️He said.✔️

Although these tags aren’t always bad they can be overused and redundant to the reader.

Let me explain.

▪️“You stole my cookie, Linda!” Roger shouted.

(We already know Roger is accusing Linda and don’t need to say “Roger accused”.

It’s better to keep your tags basic.

▪️He said. ✔️

▪️She said. ✔️

▪️He asked. ✔️

▪️She asked. ✔️

▪️He yelled. ✔️

▪️She yelled. ✔️

But don’t overuse your tags.

“Hello,” Linda said.

“Hello,” Roger said.

“How are you?” Linda asked.

“I’m fine,” Roger replied.

Omit tags when readers can assume who is speaking.

Linda put her arm around Roger. “I love you.”

He smiled. “I love you, too.”

Use action instead of tags.

“I’ll miss you,” Roger cried. ✖️

Vs.

Hot tears swelled in Rogers eyes. “I’ll miss you.” ✔️

Rules to finding your writing style:(writing voice)

▪️don’t copy someone else

▪️stick with one POV (point of view)

▪️play with different styles

▪️keep it natural

▪️edit instead of changing your voice (your writing voice usually isn’t the problem)

▪️try adding more description to your writing

▪️stay consistent

▪️writeevery day

▪️write what you love

Describing Eyes

The eyes are often called the “windows to the soul”. They tell so much about a person. That’s why describing the eyes of your character will give passion and detail about them as well as paint a picture in your readers’ minds.

Here are some words to consider using when describing eyes:

• Dark

• Icy

• Piercing

• Cold

• Hard

• Deep

• Loving

• Passionate

• Severe

• Kind

• Scary

• Confused

• Intense

• Twinkling

Use these even when describing color like: Her deep parrot blue eyes.Or,His intense brown-eyed stare. These are words commonly used when describing eyes and give depth to your descriptions.

Eye Shape:

This is a very visual aspect for your readers to grasp on to. Does the character have squinty eyes or large round eyes? Here are some shapes to consider:

• Round

• Almond-shaped

• Protruding

• Wide

• Downturned

• Deep-set

• Hooded

• Thin

• Upturned

• Big

• Small

You could say: Her round blue eyes glistened.Or,his intense deep-set eyes were navy.

Frequently consider, color, description, and shape. This is a great start, and your readers will love it!

When describing eyes, don’t be afraid to let your creativity shine through. Think further than color and shape and consider attaching thoughts and emotions to your description. I’ll show you:

Instead of:

Her round blue eyes glistened.

Try:

Her round blue eyes glistened like they were afraid to cry.

Instead of:

His intense deep-set eyes were navy.

Try:

His intense deep-set eyes were navy. The kind of blue that screamed to be noticed.

Be careful not to get caught up describing one thing and one thing only. If all you ever do is pick a color off the color list then your description will be lacking. Instead, try to use a balance. Not every sentence has to be deep and crazy. Here and there, you can get by with “she had blue eyes” or “his hazel eyes teared up”. That’s fine. Just make sure there’s a balance.

Be unique! Be different! And don’t suppress your beautiful creativity. ❤️

-from my upcoming book “How to Write Charcters”.

(Hehe)

Describe Vs Explain

You’ve probably heard “show don’t tell”. This is another way of phrasing that. And a lot of writers have found that it clicks better. ☺️

Describe don’t explain!

Clarity

Writing clear sentences can be hard so follow this example and I’ll show you how to make it easier.

Vs.

It can be hard to write clear sentences. But I’ll show you how to make it easier. ✔️

Words to cut:

▪️Which

▪️By the way of

▪️Of

▪️Incidentally

▪️Because of

▪️Clearly

▪️Obviously

▪️felt

▪️heard

▪️smelled

▪️therefore

▪️was(to be verbs)

▪️words ending in “ing”

▪️words ending in “ly”

The car roared loudly down the street. ✖️

Vs.

The car roared down the street ✔️

(“Roared” already says the car was loud and we don’t need to add “loudly” so watch out for your adjectives ending in “ly”.)

▪️something (try to be more specific)

She felt something strange.

Vs.

Her stomach twisted in a knot.

▪️cut out unnecessary words.

Note:

Some of the words listed make your sentences clearer. If so, leave them be. Delete the words I listed when it makes sense.

Good luck!❤️

Lessons from a flower

A flower fulfills its purpose by simply existing, it sprouts to life, blossoms and withers when its time has come-so should you follow in his suit. You are born into this world and you grow, you exist until you can no longer do so. You exist and that’s more than enough… That is the only lesson that a flower should teach you.