agothamgirlatheart

[agothamgirlatheart]

[agothamgirlatheart]

[agothamgirlatheart]

How to write better descriptions

1. Avoid weak words

Compare these:

He ate the sandwich

She walked towards the lake.

to these: 

He devoured the sandwich 

She strolled towards the lake. 

Which sentences tells you more? The latter ones. Why? Because devoured and strolled are stronger words than ate and walked. They’re more specific, so they give you more information. To get across the same information with ate and walked, you’d have to add more words: ‘she walked slowly,’ ‘he ate quickly.’

Obviously this isn’t saying you can only ever use strong words–that would likely quickly devolve into purple prose–but If your descriptions only ever include general terms: ‘it smelled good’ ‘he walked over to greet her’ etc. you’re making it harder for your reader to get an accurate picture of whatever is happening in your scene. 

So how do you spot a weak word? The biggest problem with (and easiest way to spot) a weak word is that it needs support from other words to really get its meaning across. If you find yourself adding adverbs and adjectives to a term, question whether or not there’s a more concise way to get your point across instead. 

2. Be Specific Where Details Are Important

This isn’t to say you should describe everything in every scene in perfect detail, but being specific matters. 

Which is more engaging? 

He devoured the sandwich 

The book smelled magical.

or

He devoured the sandwich, stopping only to lick up the melted cheese that seeped through his fingers and ran down his palm. 

The book smelled like a sunlit afternoon. 

Again, the latter ones. They take you into the scene. They evoke the senses. It’s the difference between telling and showing. Devoured is a strong verb, but it doesn’t give us a clear image of what is happening. Showing the character licking away the cheese gives the reader a sense of the desperation and hunger of the action. Evoking a sunlit afternoon is evoking your reader’s memories of their own sunny afternoons.These examples are statements with evidence. They provide details. 

You want to invite your reader into the scene, not give them a summary of the events.

Additionally, specifics make the world feel real. They convince readers that the world actually exists. They keep the story in your readers’ minds once they’ve finished reading. 

This being said, don’t pull a GRRM and describe every meal your characters eat. Some things just aren’t that important. There are MANY occasions when it’s okay to tell instead of show. 

3. Remember the point of view.

Who is giving the description? 

If you’re writing in 1st person or 3rd person limited, remember how your character feels about what you’re describing. If you’re describing a strawberry field, a person who was raised on a strawberry farm is going to see it differently than someone who is deathly allergic to strawberries, who is going to see it differently from a Beatles fanatic. 

Maybe the Beatles fanatic is deathly allergic to strawberries and this field brings up a whole bucketful of conflicting emotions.

Which is all to say: 

Good descriptions reveal character as well as scene. 

If this description is coming from a character’s point of view: what is that point of view? What is this scene making your character feel? Don’t let your narrator slip away from the page. 

This connects to my last point. 

4. Remember why you’re including it. 

Novel writing is persuasive writing. It’s an exercise in persuading your reader that your story is true, that your characters are real people. It’s an exercise in persuading your readers to feel what you want them to feel. 

(There’s a well-known quote about this somewhere, but I can’t remember it exactly.)

Every description must add to the story. It should be doing something: working for some larger goal, advancing the plot, revealing character. 

Maybe you’re describing a house because you want your reader to see why your character doesn’t want to move.  

Maybe you’re describing this lovely-smelling book because you want the reader to know that it’s important to the character. That her favorite memories are of reading it in the attic of her grandmother’s house. 

When you’re writing out a description, identify its purpose and make sure it fulfils it. 

It’s okay if at first you don’t know how the house makes the character feel, or if she’s running or strolling towards the lake, or why the book is so important. Sometimes you just know it’s there. That something happened. Usually things become clearer as you write further and get to know the story and characters yourself. 

Once you do know what you’re trying to say with your story, make sure you say it with every chapter, every description, and every word. 

[agothamgirlatheart]

we are re-watching “The Princess and the Frog” and Tiana and Charlotte’s friendship still owns me

someone pushes Tiana at the party and she gets dirty and humiliated? boom, sorry Prince Naveen look alike, Charlotte needs to take her friend uptairs and dress her up like the Princess she should be

Charlottle has the money to buy the restaurant for Tiana but she knows that Tiana would never accept it, instead she makes her father hire Tiana and then her pay is enough to finish the amount of money she needs

Charlotte is the only friend Tiana has that doesn’t make fun of her for being always working, Charlotte wants to see Tiana happy 

The Prince is currently turned into a frog? Tiana doesn’t care how that happened she just wants to know who the impostor dancing with Lottie is and if he is dangerous to her friend

so Tiana and the real Prince are in love with each other? that’s perfectly fine!! Lottie wants Tia to be happy and if Naveen is her friend’s happiness then she will help them no matter what 

Lottie’s dream is to be a Princess, but she has no problem with Tiana becoming one first. 

Tia doesn’t make fun of Lottie wanting to be a Princess. So you wanna be royalty and have a good life with the love of your live?  go for it friend I support you!! just don’t marry douche ok? 

Charlotte and Tiana are 100% each other’s support through out the whole movie. Wherever their dreams are different or the same they truly just want each other happy.

[agothamgirlatheart]

me walking into the theaters to see the new batman movie while wearing a team edward shirt just to piss off men

[agothamgirlatheart]

Pre Blackout Follow Train 18+

Figured i’d try an start one so here we are. Few days before the blackout so yall reblog this and follow people in the notes.

Don’t reblog if u don’t follow back jus keep it movin. We tryna connect before the blackout so we can share love not jus gain followers

[agothamgirlatheart]

some memes I made to express my current frustrations with academia feel free to add your own

[agothamgirlatheart]

Proving a point to my boyfriend.

PLEASE REBLOG if you (male or female) believe it is perfectly okay and natural for a guy of any age to cry

[agothamgirlatheart]

[agothamgirlatheart]

[agothamgirlatheart]

Hmm, so obviously I’m can’t just go following random LIS blogs in order to submerge my dash in the hype for LIS 2, since there’s so many fucking problematic bitches in the LIS fandom, thus…

Reblog/like this if you’re in the LIS fandom and you:

Are actually hyped for LIS 2

Weren’t one of those weird fuckers who shipped Max and Nathan or some shit

Are appreciative of the brown (HISPANICS AS MAINS IN VIDEO GAMES, FINALLY, OH MY LORD) representation we’re getting

Would, like me, protect the Diaz boys with all you’ve got

Aren’t one of those creepy, older motherfuckers willing to sexualize the older brother

[agothamgirlatheart]

Light Skin People: I don't have any privilege!

30 Light skin Privileges Light Skin Blacks Have

Having the ability to deny or not acknowledge that colorism exists.

Be recognized as a symbol of post racism.

It is assumed that you are race neutral when issues of race are raised.

Being standard of beauty in the Black and Latino community.

Being called Black based on the antebellum era one drop rule.

Being racially ambiguous.

People automatically assuming you are mixed and it is seen as a positive attribute.

It is automatically assumed that you are more intelligent than the darker members of your racial group.

Not being seen as angry unlike the darker members of your racial group.

Being considered less threatening by the Eurocentric mainstream based on the color of your skin.

People not making the assumption that you grew up poor unlike your dark skin counterparts.

Being allowed to recognize the variety of your racial/ethnic heritage without ridicule.

Within African American culture being called a “redbone” is regarded as a compliment while being called “darkskin” is considered derogatory.

Having someone tell you that your light skin is better than dark skin.

Can color, dye, relax, or weave your hair without it being seen as an act of self-hate.

The assumption that your relaxed hair and chemically processed curls are your natural texture.

Not being told that, “You are pretty for a dark skin girl.”

Your skin color being valued by some who purposely wants to erase their ethnicity and hates their own skin color.

Taking advantage of skin color privilege depending upon the situation. For example, applying for scholarships for African Americans and Latinos and later passing for other than a minority.

You have a better chance of landing a job than a darker person with the same credentials.

You have better opportunities for education and jobs prospects.

Because of your light skin your relatives may of have had access to Black sororities, fraternities, and other organizations that promoted intraracism.

Your images are reflected in all forms of the Black and Latino owned media.

People who look like you rarely portray the stereotypical maid, downtrodden, Sapphire, and dysfunctional Black women roles on television.

You always play the Black and Latino wife on television.

Being able to be biracial, multiracial, or light skin and still play a Black, Asian, Latino and White person on television when people of a darker hue cannot.

Not having people in entertainment making songs or comments disrespecting your skin color.

If you are light skin Latino you don’t have to prove it.

If you are a light skin Latino it is automatically assumed that you speak Spanish.

You or your family have much more likely have immigrated to America leaving your darker skin counterparts behind.

Brown Paper Bag Test

J. Cole: I Might Not Be as Successful If I Had Dark Skin

us light skinned redbones look way better than them dark skinned girls

Study Claims People Remember Educated Black Men As Lighter-Skinned “You’re Pretty for a Dark-Skinned Girl”: The Continuing Significance of Skin Tone in “the Black Community” We are all Black but you as a light skin person are benefiting from light skin privilege.

CNN’s Don Lemon: “Anchors of Color on Television Are Light-Skinned”

AfricaSpeaks.com – Dialogue on Colorism - Part 1

I can keep going…

[agothamgirlatheart]

Hot take: Chloe Price was a bad friend, bad daughter, and completely unlikable. The only reason people gave her a pass was because she was Max’s “love interest”.

[agothamgirlatheart]

PLEASE HELP REUNITE US

Hi there! My name is Nolls and my girlfriend is Ali. We met each other about a year ago when she arrived as a new student at my school. Back then I was invested in a relationship with a guy, but it wasn’t until Ali came into my life that I realized how unhappy I felt with him. She slowly showed me how I was deserving of much more love than what I had been receiving. And what started out as a beautiful friendship soon became something more. We decided to make it official while watching the movie Love, Simon on April 13, 2018. Our happiness was short-lived, however. At the beginning of May, we got the devastating news that she would be moving away before the month was over. All due to the fact that Ali’s family is homophobic and thought that sending her to another country to live with her grandmother would solve the problem. That hit us pretty hard since our relationship was only starting out, we hadn’t even had our first date before she left. We’ve had to get used to the distance, especially me since this is my first long distance relationship. Nonetheless, the need for physical affection is ever growing and increasingly excruciating. We are both very mushy and kissing the screen is just not doing it for us anymore. Our wish is that she can come to visit me and spend the whole Fall break together. For that, we need money which her family nor mine will provide. For this reason, we created a GoFundMe campaign, to help us raise money for the plane ticket. It would mean a lot to us if you could spare any amount for the cause. Even if you don’t, just by linking or reposting, you would be a great help. Thank you so much for reading and supporting❤

If you have any more questions about our love story or need any advice, feel free to ask!

[agothamgirlatheart]

[agothamgirlatheart]

Yeah I'm the person you blocked over my starfire post first I wanna say I never hated on the darkskon woman sorry that your okay with a shitty wig trash clothes and horrible effects that makes her look ridiculous I never said to recast or it was her fault just change her look and she would look like a good starfire she looks bad THATS IT now get your wanna be sjw bitch ass out now MANE BLOCKEDDDD

ok

[agothamgirlatheart]

Mellow Frames: The Diamonds! My God!

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