Why I Write by George Orwell - On egoism, a love of beauty, the quest for truth and the desire to change the world — Orwell’s ‘four great motive for writing’.
I’m a big fan of film scores, and every year or so I get a bee up my bonnet to share my favorite tracks from my collection. So! Here’s 2012’s list, conveniently categorized according to the mood you might want to evoke. Enjoy!
Benjamin Dreyer is the VP Executive Managing Editor & Copy Chief of Random House Publishing Group. Below is his list of the common stumbling blocks for authors, from A to X.
One buys antiques in an antiques store from an antiquesdealer; an antique store is a very old store.
He stayed awhile; he stayed for a while.
Besides is other than; beside is next to.
The singular of biceps is biceps; the singular of triceps is triceps. There’s no such thing as a bicep; there’s no such thing as a tricep.
A blond man, a blond woman; he’s a blond, she’s a blonde.
A capital is a city (or a letter, or part of a column); a capitol is a building.
Something centres on something else, not around it.
If you’re talking about a thrilling plot point, the word is climactic; if you’re discussing the weather, the word is climatic.
A cornet is an instrument; a coronet is a crown.
One emigrates from a place; one immigrates to a place.
The word is enmity, not emnity.
One goes to work every day, or nearly, but eating lunch is an everyday occurrence.
A flair is a talent; a flare is an emergency signal.
A flier is someone who flies planes; a flyer is a piece of paper.
Flower bed, not flowerbed.
Free rein, not free reign.
To garner is to accumulate, as a waiter garners tips; to garnish (in the non-parsley meaning) is to take away, as the government garnishes one’s wages; a garnishee is a person served with a garnishment; to garnishee is also to serve with a garnishment (that is, it’s a synonym for “to garnish”).
A gel is a jelly; it’s also a transparent sheet used in stage lighting. When Jell-O sets, or when one’s master plan takes final form, it either jells or gels (though I think the former is preferable).
Bears are grizzly; crimes are grisly. Cheap meat, of course, is gristly.
Coats go on hangers; planes go in hangars.
One’s sweetheart is “hon,” not “hun,” unless one’s sweetheart is Attila (not, by the way, Atilla) or perhaps Winnie-the-Pooh (note hyphens).
One insures cars; one ensures success; one assures people.
Lawn mower, not lawnmower.
The past tense of lead is led, not lead.
One loathes someone else but is loath to admit one’s distaste.
If you’re leeching, you’re either bleeding a patient with a leech or otherwise sucking someone’s or something’s lifeblood. If you’re leaching, you’re removing one substance from another by means of a percolating liquid (I have virtually no idea what that means; I trust that you do).
You wear a mantle; your fireplace has a mantel.
Masseurs are men; masseuses are women. Many otherwise extremely well educated people don’t seem to know this; I have no idea why. (These days they’re all called massage therapists anyway.)
The short version of microphone is still, so far as RH is concerned, mike. Not, ick, “mic.” [2009 update: I seem to be losing this battle. Badly. 2010 update: I’ve lost. Follow the author’s lead.]
There’s no such word as moreso.
Mucus is a noun; mucous is an adjective.
Nerve-racking, not -wracking; racked with guilt, not wracked with guilt.
One buys a newspaper at a newsstand, not a newstand.
An ordinance is a law; ordnance is ammo.
Palette has to do with colour; palate has to do with taste; a pallet is, among other things, something you sleep on. Eugene Pallette was a character actor; he’s particularly good in the 1943 film Heaven Can Wait.
Noun wise, a premier is a diplomat; a premiere is something one attends. “Premier” is also, of course, an adjective denoting quality.
That which the English call paraffin (as in “paraffin stove”), we Americans call kerosene. Copy editors should keep an eye open for this in mss. by British authors and query it. The term paraffin should generally be reserved for the waxy, oily stuff we associate with candles.
Prophecy is a noun; prophesy is a verb.
Per Web 11, it’s restroom.
The Sibyl is a seeress; Sybil is Basil Fawlty’s wife.
Please don’t mix somewhat and something into one murky modifier. A thing is somewhat rare, or it’s something of a rarity.
A tick bites; a tic is a twitch.
Tortuous is twisty, circuitous, or tricky; torturous is painful, or painfully slow.
Transsexual, not transexual.
Troops are military; troupes are theatrical.
A vice is depraved; a vise squeezes.
Vocal cords; strikes a chord.
A smart aleck is a wise guy; a mobster is a wiseguy.
There are all from the amazing tumblr ancientpeoples which I’m fangirling over. I figured it was easier to link them all like this since the posts are long and then I - and other people - can find them later :)
A lot of ero writers these days are young, and therefore virgins. It’s difficult to write about something you don’t have personal experience with (that’s why none of my characters are smokers, for example). As such, a lot of the same errors keep cropping up in a lot…
Note how small a distance the bullet goes before it loses all momentum. Shooting bullets underwater, or into the water, is useless as the water immediately steals the momentum by absorbing the force and dissipating it. Hiding from a shooter underwater is actually a very good way to keep yourself safe. Even large caliber long-distance rifles like a sniper’s have very limited efficiency against people underwater.
Also that handgun will probably not shoot another round for some time XD
Also if you shoot into water the bullets may just shatter and become ineffective.
Does your character have a particular voice type in mind? Do they have an accent? Are they monotonous? Does their voice grate? Is it silky? Sultry? Low? High-pitched? Do they slur? Stutter? What in the world is the difference between some of these? Here are some links below to help further identify your character:
Voice Types ~ Describes and gives examples of types like soprano, alto, etc.
Panix.com Character Chart ~ An extremely in-depth character chart; scroll down to the Voice Quality category for examples of some of the many types of voices, ranging from aphonic to glottalized to yawny.
Vocal Qualities ~ Directly from the above link, for those who want to head straight for the quality types.
Vocal Impressions ~ Lists listener comparisons with examples from celebrities, such as Morgan Freeman and Marilyn Monroe. (example: “She sounds like… diamonds dipped in caramel.”)
Speech Patterns ~ With examples from different well-known folks
Gender and Speech Patterns ~ An interesting article about the observation of speech between men and women
Speech Accent Archive ~ A very broad archive that includes different audio samples of accents ranging from Afrikaans to Ancient Greek to Korean to Zulu. Can search by geography as well.
Speech Impediment (Wikipedia) ~ Includes links to different pages such as stuttering, cluttering, muteness, and the social effects.
Writers can use these 12 Archetypes to create characters
The 12 Common Archetypes by Carl Golden
The twelve archetypes are divided into ego types, self types, and soul types.
1) The Four Ego Types
1. The Innocent Motto: Free to be you and me Core desire: to get to paradise Goal: to be happy Greatest fear: to be punished for doing something bad or wrong Strategy: to do things right Weakness: boring for all their naive innocence Talent: faith and optimism The Innocent is also known as: Utopian, traditionalist, naive, mystic, saint, romantic, dreamer.
2. The Orphan/Regular Guy or Gal Motto: All men and women are created equal Core Desire: connecting with others Goal: to belong Greatest fear: to be left out or to stand out from the crowd Strategy: develop ordinary solid virtues, be down to earth, the common touch Weakness: losing one’s own self in an effort to blend in or for the sake of superficial relationships Talent: realism, empathy, lack of pretence The Regular Person is also known as: The good old boy, everyman, the person next door, the realist, the working stiff, the solid citizen, the good neighbour, the silent majority.
3. The Hero Motto: Where there’s a will, there’s a way Core desire: to prove one’s worth through courageous acts Goal: expert mastery in a way that improves the world Greatest fear: weakness, vulnerability, being a “chicken” Strategy: to be as strong and competent as possible Weakness: arrogance, always needing another battle to fight Talent: competence and courage The Hero is also known as: The warrior, crusader, rescuer, superhero, the soldier, dragon slayer, the winner and the team player.
4. The Caregiver Motto: Love your neighbour as yourself Core desire: to protect and care for others Goal: to help others Greatest fear: selfishness and ingratitude Strategy: doing things for others Weakness: martyrdom and being exploited Talent: compassion, generosity The Caregiver is also known as: The saint, altruist, parent, helper, supporter.
2) The Four Soul Types
5. The Explorer Motto: Don’t fence me in Core desire: the freedom to find out who you are through exploring the world Goal: to experience a better, more authentic, more fulfilling life Biggest fear: getting trapped, conformity, and inner emptiness Strategy: journey, seeking out and experiencing new things, escape from boredom Weakness: aimless wandering, becoming a misfit Talent: autonomy, ambition, being true to one’s soul The explorer is also known as: The seeker, iconoclast, wanderer, individualist, pilgrim.
6. The Rebel Motto: Rules are made to be broken Core desire: revenge or revolution Goal: to overturn what isn’t working Greatest fear: to be powerless or ineffectual Strategy: disrupt, destroy, or shock Weakness: crossing over to the dark side, crime Talent: outrageousness, radical freedom The Outlaw is also known as: The rebel, revolutionary, wild man, the misfit, or iconoclast.
7. The Lover Motto: You’re the only one Core desire: intimacy and experience Goal: being in a relationship with the people, work and surroundings they love Greatest fear: being alone, a wallflower, unwanted, unloved Strategy: to become more and more physically and emotionally attractive Weakness: outward-directed desire to please others at risk of losing own identity Talent: passion, gratitude, appreciation, and commitment The Lover is also known as: The partner, friend, intimate, enthusiast, sensualist, spouse, team-builder.
8. The Creator Motto: If you can imagine it, it can be done Core desire: to create things of enduring value Goal: to realize a vision Greatest fear: mediocre vision or execution Strategy: develop artistic control and skill Task: to create culture, express own vision Weakness: perfectionism, bad solutions Talent: creativity and imagination The Creator is also known as: The artist, inventor, innovator, musician, writer or dreamer.
3) The Four Self Types
9. The Jester Motto: You only live once Core desire: to live in the moment with full enjoyment Goal: to have a great time and lighten up the world Greatest fear: being bored or boring others Strategy: play, make jokes, be funny Weakness: frivolity, wasting time Talent: joy The Jester is also known as: The fool, trickster, joker, practical joker or comedian.
10. The Sage Motto: The truth will set you free Core desire: to find the truth. Goal: to use intelligence and analysis to understand the world. Biggest fear: being duped, misled—or ignorance. Strategy: seeking out information and knowledge; self-reflection and understanding thought processes. Weakness: can study details forever and never act. Talent: wisdom, intelligence. The Sage is also known as: The expert, scholar, detective, advisor, thinker, philosopher, academic, researcher, thinker, planner, professional, mentor, teacher, contemplative.
11. The Magician Motto: I make things happen. Core desire: understanding the fundamental laws of the universe Goal: to make dreams come true Greatest fear: unintended negative consequences Strategy: develop a vision and live by it Weakness: becoming manipulative Talent: finding win-win solutions The Magician is also known as: The visionary, catalyst, inventor, charismatic leader, shaman, healer, medicine man.
12. The Ruler Motto: Power isn’t everything, it’s the only thing. Core desire: control Goal: create a prosperous, successful family or community Strategy: exercise power Greatest fear: chaos, being overthrown Weakness: being authoritarian, unable to delegate Talent: responsibility, leadership The Ruler is also known as: The boss, leader, aristocrat, king, queen, politician, role model, manager or administrator.
Note: There are four cardinal orientations: freedom, social, ego, order. The types have a place on these orientations.
This is very good stuff. And it’s especially interesting when your protagonist isn’t one of the typical “main character” types like HERO and OUTLAW. Always consider fleshing out another archetype that you’ve been interested in but didn’t think would make a good focus of the story. Chances are, you’d be surprised at what you come up with!
I have been doing some research on sex and disability, and thought I would share some of the links I have found. This will be useful for me in the future as a resource, and hopefully to others…
I wish there was more porn featuring Charles’s disability. Hell, more Charles/Erik fics that are AU and his disability was kept intact.
