I've collected them here as well so it's super easy for you to go through them - without my japping. Ha ha.
Here's the index:
1: The art of a varied language
2: Proofreading your own shit
3: The importane of beta readers, and more on how to proofread your own shit
4: I'm not in the mood to write
5: Fight scenes and sex scenes
6: Keeping track on previous and future chapters
7: Keeping track of tattoos, scars, or distinguising marks
8: The wonders of prewriting
9: Chapter length/book length
10: Said is dead
11: Character evolving/development with 100 character question sheet.
1. The art of a varied language:
Yes, believe it or not I actually have a document on my laptop named exactly that. English isn’t my mother tongue, Danish is. So of course I have a small obstacle that English-speaking people doesn’t have. But I think I weigh up for it in different ways. I know a lot of people whose first language isn’t English, but still write in English. Simply because English is more varied than Danish. Most of the times English have 10 synonyms for a word where Danish only have two. Or they have more, but then some of them aren’t really words you’d use in the 21st century. Anyway many Danish people feel it easier to express themselves passionately in English.
Anyway back to the point. Back in school I only had English for 5 years. That ain’t a lot. (5th-10th grade) now a days they start having English in 1st grade in the Danish schools. But luckily a lot of movies and series is in English, and the only way to get better at a language is to use it. Hear it, write it, talk it. Though I don’t talk it much, so I have this godawful Danish accent. And to be honest a Danish accent in English is the worst and least charming thing I’ve ever heard.
Over the years I’ve played some online games, been active in forums, and when I started to collect Evanescence (American gothic rock something band) I made a lot of international friendships, and that strengthen my English day by day.
My point was, that if English isn’t your native language and want it improved you could do some of those things I do.
- Watch movies and series without subtitles, or with English subtitles.
- Read English books.
What I do when I read English book is of course look up the words I’m just a tiny bit unsure of.
Second – I write down all the words that I don’t normally use in my daily English writing/speaking, and put them in my secret document (that is not so super-secret anymore, but the contents is still though.) and look at it daily simply to extend my vocabulary and get these words into my head so I use them. I suggest you all make your personal ‘The art of a varied language’, even English-speaking people could benefit from this.
- Interact with people from other countries. It can be a challenge to understand someone who doesn’t speak/write English properly, and it gives good experience. I at least found it a gainful experience to get a meaning out of sentences that aren’t spelled right (where, were, we’re. Then, than, there, they’re, etc.) And have wrong word order too.
- Use it! Use English in everyday conversations, make small quests for yourself like describing different things including the tiniest details. (Sunsets, the view from your window, your moms face, your pet, your hand, etc. be creative. So you ‘exercise’ different parts of your language.
- Thesaurus.com! It’s important that you don’t use the same words too often.
E.g. I quickly put on makeup, quickly got dressed, and quickly went out the door.
See that’s just freaking annoying. And if your brain feels inelastic with synonyms then Thesaurus is a great kick starter.
A quick (ha ha) look at thesaurus, and I was able to transform the example sentence into this:
I swiftly put on makeup, hastily threw on some clothes, and hurried out the door.
It doesn’t have to be more complicated than you make it. But if you feel like it’s interrupting your writing flow, then just write and don’t give a shit weather you’re using ‘quickly’ 17 times on a page or not. Write, write, write, and when you go back to edit you can find synonyms, and maybe rewrite some parts so you get that much-repeated word off your pages.
2. Proofreading your own shit:
It's a good thing to put your story away for a month or two so you can 'forget' it before going through it again. Makes you more prone to catch mistakes, and look slightly more objective on it. I know it can be hard to put it away for so long, and in those 11 months it took me to write the first book of The Hunt I didn't even put it away for a week. Another thing you can do is also to print it out and - hold on this is good - read it opside down. Yes you heard me. Print it and turn it upside down. Because when you read your own words your aren't reading the words, you're scanning the words. Turning it upside down forces you to actually read the words.3. The importance of beta readers and more on how to proofread your own shit:
First off it’s hard to find beta readers. My personal beta readers is to find within my family/friend base. (I have only found one from a writers group I didn’t know in advance) But let’s start with family/friend beta readers.If you ask friends/family to be beta readers make sure to make the ‘rules’ clear.
1. Don’t tell me it’s good just because you are my friend/sister/mom.
2. Ask for constructive criticism. Not just ‘it’s good/it’s bad’, but this part’s good because… this part’s bad because…
3. Let them know they can quit if the genre/story/plot isn’t in their taste. Don’t hang them up on reading through 500 pages of something that doesn’t interest them. Fantasy isn’t for everybody, thrillers isn’t for everybody, criminal stuff isn’t for everybody and praise the difference in people’s taste.
4. Tell them not to be afraid to point out mistakes (spelling/typos/info/the tattoo/birthmark/scar is suddenly on the left arm instead of the right arm), come with ideas, (either completely new ones, or ideas for changes).
Note to ‘rule’ 4. Just because your friends/family come with ideas or changes doesn’t mean you absolutely have to do it. Listen to their idea and take a standpoint. You love it? – Roll with it. You kinda like it? – Modify it until you love it. You hate it? – Don’t do it, but thank them for their input. It may spark another idea along the way.
Personally one of my best friends have spent God knows how long on reading through my crap (Yes, back then it was actually crappy!) She isn’t afraid of saying exactly what’s on her mind and I love her for that. She spits out ideas with every breath. Some of them I instantly loved, some we discussed and modified until they were perfect, and some of them I didn’t like, but that’s how it is with brainstorming/spit balling, you empty your brain for ideas. Some of them are gold and some of them are shit, but don’t be afraid to let them out.
The other thing is:
When you try to proofread your own story you aren’t actually R E A D I N G the words, because you already know what’s written, and what it’s supposed to say. That’s why it’s always good to get a new set of eyes on it to spot the spelling mistakes and typos and missing words. I read some place (Sorry I can’t remember where, if you know or is the person who wrote it, please let me know so I can credit the awesome idea) that reading your story upside down helps you to actually read the words instead of running through them like a well-known nursery rhyme. To be honest I haven’t tried this technique, yet. But I think this works best if you print out the pages and then read them upside down.
Another thing you can do it put your story away for a while. I’m not talking about a couple of days, I’m talking about months. Because then you ‘forget’ what every sentence is supposed to look like, and therefor get kinda new eyes on it. No, actually t more like fresher eyes. And you’ll have a greater chance to spot mistakes plus maybe see where some threads aren’t followed up on.
If you – like me – can’t put away your story for more than two days then you can read your story backwards. Then, like the upside down technique force your mind to read every word instead of ‘scanning’ the sentence.
I hope this helped you.
Praise the world for beta readers, and the work, and sometimes horrible written phrases they have to go through for us before its gold.
4. I’m not in the mood to write:
Well, boo-ho sunshine. Get your ass in that chair, and those fingers on the keyboard and TYPE! If we all waited until we were ‘in the mood’ for writing then it would take 10 years, or an eternity to finish a book. You don’t go ‘I’m not in the mood for…’:- Making dinner
- Go to work
- Go to a family event
- Cleaning
- Netflix and chill
- *Insert hobby or shit that’s relevant to you here*
But those things needs to be done. If you’re serious with your writing, even if it’s just a hobby, you need to put the name in the game. We can all sit with a fancy glass of wine, and a cigarette dangling from the corner of our mouth with the line ‘Creativity can’t be rushed. I’m not in the mood.’ In fact, yes it can. Simply write, and don’t care if it’s shit. Because you can always edit it. It’s not like you’re writing with your own blood on ancient papyrus. You have a laptop/computer (most of us do anyway) and it’s so goddamned easy to edit. Write like your life depends on it. We all have good days and bad days. On the good days we can perhaps use 90% of what we created that day. Other days you can only use 5%, that’s how life is, but at least you got something! Or maybe it sparked an idea for a completely different scene instead ;) anyhow, it’s good practice no matter what.
The secret to finishing a book is to make time for writing, and write.
But the ultimate tip for when you’ve had a sleepless night or a too heavy hangover:
Research. Yes, mostly we all have or can find some research we need to do.
-Your characters childhood home? Pet? Friends?
- Next travel destination?
- An area of expertise you know nothing about?
The other thing you can do is simply edit. Get those comma-bitches in line, evolve your language, make it varied, stuff like that. Or simply take a day off now and then (NOW AND THEN!)
If your spine and self-discipline is equal to a shady cat, then say ‘I have to write 1 hour a day’ or something like that. I write Sunday-Thursday, Friday-Saturday is my days off. Of course this routine can be interrupted by life events, sickness, Christmas, you name it, but it’s important to get right back at your writing routine again after life happens.
Again if you’re serious with your writing you have to accept it’s not always a walk on roses. Some things you won’t be satisfied with, other times you’ll be stuck, but remember why you do it. Remember when it’s fun (and it has to be mostly fun, but there’s up and downs to everything.)
And another great motivator is to think of your poor characters there’ll have no conclusion to their story. They’ll just be stuck in an infinite black hole with no answers, and no moving back or forth. Only you can help them. Imagine their lost and confused voices, “Help us. What will become of us? Where’s our ending? Where’s our answers?” Can you hear them? Don’t they deserve it? Of course they do! So make it happen, even though you’re ‘not in the mood.’ In my opinion you’re not serious with your writing if you use that line. It takes work. Maybe some of you don’t agree, and that’s okay. That’s just my opinion. Get to the laptop/computer and do something about it.
5. Fight scenes and sex scenes:
These are some of the scenes people are having trouble writing. They can be wild, compassionate, confusing, you name it.
So let’s start off with fight scenes. I’ve never done karate, or actually been in a real fight in my life. (Bitch fight obviously, but no fist fight.) It’s kinda hard to describe exact actions when it’s all so messy and fast-happening, and try to not lose the reader halfway through. But don’t cut down on the details. As I know nothing about fighting I have studied fight scenes from movies, and series. Every time an awesome fight scene comes along I’ll write down what movie/series and where, and then later study it step by step, while I write it down to learn the hang of it as an exercise.
To slow down the ‘time’ to be able to get the details right you could use phrases like:
- Several things happened simultaneously (then description)
- he ____, at the same time I ____
- I ___, but it was too late, he had already ____
Sex scenes:
They can be dirty, passionate, kinky, fast or slow or everything mixed together. Here it’s always a good idea to have some ‘experience’ to go after. Or just watch a lot of porn. Anyway, some find it embarrassing to write dirty sex scenes, so the details come to a minimum, and the whole act is too short. Don’t be afraid to get wild and find your inner kinky side and bring it out to the light. Live in the moment, close your eyes and imagine how it feels. What are your characters ‘sweet spots’? What are their kinks? I always enjoy a beer or two to be honest when I write most of my sex scenes, but it isn’t a must. It’s more for the coziness of it. Some sex scenes just come naturally, others start as a less detailed run through of the events, and then later comes the dirty details.
There’s many ways to do it, find out how you’re most comfortable writing them. Here it can be an advantage to be ‘in the mood’ actually. Let yourself be carried away when he bites his lower lip in that special way, his tongue running hungrily over it too while he has that dirty gleam in his eyes, the way his hands runs over the others skin, that appreciative and slightly involuntary moan that leaks his lips when she let her lips brush over his sweet spot… got the point yet? I’ll say this much, if your panties/boxers ain’t partying when you write it, it isn’t good enough. If you don’t get turned on by creating this romantic or dirty environment, how’ll the reader be? Not everything is for everybody, but if you don’t put passion into it, the reader can feel it. But they can also feel if you pulled your panties down, and found the vibrator (boxers down, and found the lotion, for guys) while you’re at it. As simple as that. Don’t think how your mom or siblings will think or react when they read it, write it like no one in the world were supposed to see it.
A few tips to have in mind while you write sex scenes:
- Details, details, juicy details!
- Where are their hands? At all times.
- Looking at each other?
- Moans, cries, and grunts.
- Kisses – how are they? There’s lot of variations to kissing. I think we’ll take this in a separate section below.
- Position?
- Sweat, if you’re really going at it there’ll be sweat, and sweat is sexy as hell.
- Dirty talking. Yes, this isn’t for everybody, but just a few classic lines like “You’re so wet.”, “You’re so big.”, “Yes, right there.”, “Yes, like that.” will do fine.
The kissing:
It can be soft, wild, long, short, with or without tongue, including teeth, be all over the body.
The line ‘He kissed me.’ is actually just as boring as ‘He said.’ (Check my post ‘Said is dead’. You can also find it under ‘writing tips’)
Was it long, short, soft, harsh, blah, blah, blah. You know the drill. Be creative, feel it, let go and run along with it. To peek your creativity I’ll give you 10 examples from ‘The Hunt’. (Copyright, please do not use these exact phrases, they’re meant as an example and help. Be creative, use your own words, and gestures/behavior fitting your character.)
- “Let’s get back.” He whispered, kissed me softly, and then his body left mine.
- He harshly and suddenly broke off the kiss.
- My surprised exclaim had given his tongue access, and firmly dominated the kiss.
- And then he fiercely kissed me. The sudden attack on my lips almost paralyzed me.
- His body shuddered against mine, and he moaned into the kiss with me.
- I lifted my head, and leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on his lips.
- She kissed and bit my neck, and the skin around my right ear, I couldn’t help but moan.
- Now where my hands were free I stared to caress her, and kissed her neck all the way up to her ear.
- His lips kissed me softly one more time.
- He felt my mood, his grip on me tightened, and suddenly his lips and tongue took over the steering, and kissed me back with such strength he would have made me take a step back if it wasn’t for his arm around my waist.
I hope these 10 juicy sneak peek kisses have peeked your creativity, but also your interest in my book series ‘The Hunt’ where we follow Val and Jakes journey through their abusive relationship, and their hunt for vampires. Especially Sinanima, who killed Val’s mom, and tried to kill Jake when he was only 10 years old. You can read an excerpt from the first book in ‘The Hunt’ series under the tab, obviously called ‘Excerpt from The Hunt 1’
6. Keeping track on previous and future chapters:
Though I have written every word myself, I simply can’t remember everything. I like to have a little ‘reference’ that mentions the key points in a chapter, along with date, day in the story, and place. It helps me a lot along with the plan for future chapters that hold the exact same information. The key points of what I have planned for the chapter, date, day in story, and place. It’s easy to work from, and allows for a certain amount of freedom. Sometimes I have to change, or move the key points, but it’s a great guideline. We all at first write senselessly because we have so many ideas spawning in our mind, but at some point you have to sit down and wonder where you want this to go. What obstacles will they be facing? How do they overcome them (and their fears)? Where will they end? So you have to sit down and plan like you were about to get on a 3 hour, with 4 shifts public transport journey. Remember this is a guideline, you are the master of your little messed up universe you’re creating. You’re basically your characters God! So start acting like it. What will you put them through, and what do you hope they’ll learn? And if you have a scenery or event planned, then you make sure you get your characters there.
The chapters isn’t the only think I keep track of. I also keep track of some utterly minor details as my characters whole wardrobe, so I don’t end up giving one of the characters a blue top/shirt without them having one. Also scratches, cuts and bruises along with distinguishing marks. But I’m addicted to making lists and stuff, so I might overdo it. But you get the point – keep track on the important stuff.
7. Keeping track of tattoos, scars, or distinguishing marks:
Short, but good. Writing a full physical of your character is always a help. But really it’s annoying to have to go back there now and then to check ‘was it his right or left arm the tattoo/scar/whatever were?’To give an example:
I’ve drawn a sketch of Jake, as he have five tattoos, it’s sometimes difficult to remember where they are, and what the motives are. “But I can’t draw.” You whine with a sad frown, while you read my post. Well, tip for you. Thin piece of paper (no lines, just blank) find a model (male or female matching the description of your character), put the paper on the computer screen and gently draw the figure with a pencil. And then add the tattoos, scars or other distinguishing marks your character has. To make you feel better I can absolutely not draw people. So I used this little tip as well. (I can only draw horses, and Donald Duck figures.)
Most of us have a lot of notes, lists, and stuff to go with our stories, what’s an extra piece of paper? Nothing to me to be honest (Check out my post ‘I need this shit (left) instead of this shit (right) posted March 8th 2016) I’m also so super lucky to have a friend who is absolutely awesome at drawing on computer, and she have made a proper sketch for me. And to be honest, it’s just as easy to open an image file as having a piece of paper instead of reading though a physical description of your character.
Nivi, thank you for providing me with your drawing skills!
That’s it for today. Remember if you have any questions or have a problem you want me to help you with then swing by ‘Get in contact’ and write to me ;)
8. The wonders of prewriting:
At first I was utterly scared of this. I would be like ‘if I write the future scenes in my head I’ll pour all my creativity out.’ I was afraid my creativity would be satisfied by writing these future scenes in my story, and that I would never get to write the parts in between these scenes. But one day my head was too full of all these delicious future scenes that I simply had to write them down to get them out of my head. They were filling too much and taking up all my RAM. I couldn’t stop thinking about them, afraid I’d forget them. So I put the pen to the paper. Or actually my fingers to the keys and started typing. Now I have close to 100 pages of prewritten scenes.And back to my last post Keeping track on previous and future chapters. With all this material for future scenes I have to make a plan for when they happen, and how my characters reached those scenes. Simply to get it all braided together to one lovely braid instead of the day after a too wild party hair, with wild bobby pins and stiff leftover hairspray. It all have to fit together on a higher level, and that needs to be planned meticulously. Some scenes must be cast away, some needs to be edited, and some are just on the spot. But the better you know your characters the less are the chances of prewriting scenes that doesn’t fit the story, and needs to be deleted. I suggest you take a look on my post Character development/evolving: (And apparently my opinion on The Hunger Games. Don’t know where that came from?)
9. Chapter length/book length:Now I’m about halfway through the third book of
The Hunt series, and I have come across people who’re having difficulties
finding out what the proper length of a chapter is, and also a book.
First off, there’s a lot of people who’re trying to dictate what the proper
length of a chapter is. So I’ll get back to this one.
The ‘proper’ book length can’t really be discussed either, as people have
different preferences about what book sizes they want to read. Some wanna read
2-300 page books because they can finish them faster, others understand to
indulge in a 1000 page book. – The kind we call ‘a brick novel’ in Danish ;)
But there are some classifications based
on word count in fiction. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
have specified some word length for different categories:
Novel – over 40,000 words
Novella – 17,500 to 40,000 words
Novelette – 7,500 to 17,500 words
Short story – under 7,500 words
Personally The Hunt 1 is 131,201 words (equals to 432 book pages), and The Hunt
2 is 152,125 words (equals to 522 book pages).
Originally book 1 and 2 was one book. But as the first in a series I think it
would come off too intimidating starting a trilogy with a book that’s almost
1000 pages. If it was me I wouldn’t start on it if I hadn’t heard any reviews or
seen a movie/series based on it. And I think it’s safe to assume I’m probably
not one of those people who gets my book made into a movie or series. So that’s
why I have split the first book in two, and the two other books I have planned
will also be split into respectively two and tree, so The Hunt is not a trilogy
anymore, but a heptalogy – not to be confused with hepatology – heptalogy is
simply a series of seven books.
Now back to chapter lengths. As I said some people are trying to dictate the
‘proper’ length of a chapter, but my personal opinion is that you have
completely free hands. It is your story, it is your little personal messed up
universe and you’re the freaking master of it. If you have a chapter that needs
to be 40 pages then you just have to make sure to get some well-placed breaks
with paragraphs. And if you have a chapter that only needs to be 1 page then go
for it. It depends on how you’re building up your story. Personally the
shortest chapter I have so far is 1 ¼ pages. But I’ve seen other books have
chapters of under a page. But of course you don’t make every chapter that
short. But now and then there just isn’t more to say, and that’s just the way
it is. You don’t have to make it longer to please other people, or make a
chapter shorter for the same reason. You’re the master, but there also have to
be a balance in it, and it’s your job to find the balance in your universe
you’re creating.
So toss aside all the ‘rules’ of lengths and setups and just write. Because you
write because you love it, and it shouldn’t be prohibited by anything.
10. Said is dead:
You’ve probably heard it before, but I’ll say ‘said is dead to a certain extend’.
Using ‘said’ alone isn’t enough, using ‘said’ too much is also a no go. I can give you some examples, but first and foremost: be creative! Have a little fun throwing words around, set the mood, paint the expressions with words.
First off, I have a little secret list, well not so secret anymore I guess, for alternatives to ‘said’. (I’m sorry I can’t remember where I found it, but if you know where it’s from or are the genius person who made it, please contact me so I can credit.) I’ve also added a few words myself to the list.
Normally:
Stated
Spoke
Remarked
Reported
Added
As a question:
Asked
Inquired
Requested
Begged
Pleaded
As an answer:
Answered
Replied
Responded
Acknowledged
Explained
Elaborated
Happily:
Rejoiced
Laughed
Joked
Giggled
Sang
Cheered
Smirked
Marveled
Chimed
Beamed
Grinned
Smiled
Loudly:
Shouted
Belted
Yelled
Screamed
Exclaimed
Boomed
Called
Full of worry:
Quaked
Trembled
Stammered
Stuttered
Gulped
Angrily:
Demanded
Hissed
Fumed
Thundered
Snapped
Sneered
Barked
Ranted
Grunted
Roared
Bellowed
Bossily:
Commanded
Ordered
Dictated
Insisted
Sadly:
Cried
Sobbed
Groaned
Bawled
Whined
Quietly:
Mumbled
Muttered
Whispered
Silently:
Thought
Wondered
Pondered
And now how to use said.
Here’s 10 examples from ‘The Hunt’. (Copyright, please do not use these exact phrases, they’re meant as an example and help. Be creative, use your own words, and gestures fitting your character.)
- He said quietly, but not less harsh after a few minutes.
- I finally said, nodding, but I couldn't hold a frown back from my face.
- She said stubbornly and crossed her arms in front of her, making her look like a stubborn child, but she was right.
- Jake said to the receptionist, a chubby lady dressed in a too flowery yellow dress, and with curly blond hair that needed a coloring very badly.
- He said it in a caring voice, his fingers laid under my chin, his thumb stroking beneath my lower lip.
- I said in the least hostile tone I could, but it still sounded off.
- She said, and kicked off her boots.
- He said, grabbed my ass and lifted me up with my legs around his waist, and my arms around his neck.
- He said superiorly with a raised eyebrow while he lightly shook his head.
- I said automatically.
We got gestures, facial expression, tone of voice used, actions or surroundings. (Actions and/or surroundings can also give a clue to how it’s said.)
Sometimes you just can’t find a replacement for ‘said’, but when you finally use it, avoid making it boring. Of course if you have a character that doesn’t pays attention to details you can now and then just use ‘he/she said.’ Especially when the scenery/words gives a clue to how it’s actually said.
11. Character evolving/development with 100 character question sheet:
When I found a 100 question sheet for my character I realized that there are things about my characters I need to work into the story. Not because it’s relevant for the story, but because it makes the characters more alive/real. It’s important to remember. Here’s the golden ‘100 question sheet’ I found out was the most helpful tool for my character development. Try your best to answer EVERY question on your characters behalf, do research, put yourself in their place, be creative, and really spend time on this because it’ll be really rewarding for the story.100 Character question sheet:
-Part 1: The Basics
1. What is your full name?
2. Where and when were you born?
3. Who are/were your parents? (Know their names, occupations, personalities, etc.)
4. Do you have any siblings? What are/were they like?
5. Where do you live now, and with whom? Describe the place and the person/people.
6. What is your occupation?
7. Write a full physical description of yourself. You might want to consider factors such as: height, weight, race, hair and eye color, style of dress, and any tattoos, scars, or distinguishing marks.
8. To which social class do you belong?
9. Do you have any allergies, diseases, or other physical weaknesses?
10. Are you right- or left-handed?
11. What does your voice sound like?
12. What words and/or phrases do you use very frequently?
13. What do you have in your pockets?
14. Do you have any quirks, strange mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics?
-Part 2: Growing Up
15. How would you describe your childhood in general?
16. What is your earliest memory?
17. How much schooling have you had?
18. Did you enjoy school?
19. Where did you learn most of your skills and other abilities?
20. While growing up, did you have any role models? If so, describe them.
21. While growing up, how did you get along with the other members of your family?
22. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
23. As a child, what were your favorite activities?
24. As a child, what kinds of personality traits did you display?
25. As a child, were you popular? Who were your friends, and what were they like?
26. When and with whom was your first kiss?
27. Are you a virgin? If not, when and with whom did you lose your virginity?
28. Describe any influences in your past that led you to do the things you do today.
-Part 3: Past Influences
29. What do you consider the most important event of your life so far?
30. Who has had the most influence on you?
31. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
32. What is your greatest regret?
33. What is the most evil thing you have ever done?
34. Do you have a criminal record of any kind?
35. When was the time you were the most frightened?
36. What is the most embarrassing thing ever to happen to you?
37. If you could change one thing from your past, what would it be, and why?
38. What is your best memory?
39. What is your worst memory?
-Part 4: Beliefs and Opinions
40. Are you basically optimistic or pessimistic?
41. What is your greatest fear?
42. What are your religious views?
43. What are your political views?
44. What are your views on sex?
45. Are you able to kill? Under what circumstances do you find killing to be acceptable or unacceptable?
46. In your opinion, what is the most evil thing any human being could do?
47. Do you believe in the existence of soul mates and/or true love?
48. What do you believe makes a successful life?
49. How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings (i.e. do you hide your true self from others, and in what way)?
50. Do you have any biases or prejudices?
51. Is there anything you absolutely refuse to do under any circumstances? Why do you refuse to do it?
52. Who or what, if anything, would you die for (or otherwise go to extremes for)?
-Part 5: Relationships with Others
53. In general, how do you treat others (politely, rudely, by keeping them at a distance, etc.)? Does your treatment of them change depending on how well you know them, and if so, how?
54. Who is the most important person in your life, and why?
55. Who is the person you respect the most, and why?
56. Who are your friends? Do you have a best friend? Describe these people.
57. Do you have a spouse or significant other? If so, describe this person.
58. Have you ever been in love? If so, describe what happened.
59. What do you look for in a potential lover?
60. How close are you to your family?
61. Have you started your own family? If so, describe them. If not, do you want to? Why or why not?
62. Who would you turn to if you were in desperate need of help?
63. Do you trust anyone to protect you? Who, and why?
64. If you died or went missing, who would miss you?
65. Who is the person you despise the most, and why?
66. Do you tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict?
67. Do you tend to take on leadership roles in social situations?
68. Do you like interacting with large groups of people? Why or why not?
69. Do you care what others think of you?
-Part 6: Likes and Dislikes
70. What is/are your favorite hobbies and pastimes?
71. What is your most treasured possession?
72. What is your favorite color?
73. What is your favorite food?
74. What, if anything, do you like to read?
75. What is your idea of good entertainment (consider music, dance, art, etc.)?
76. Do you smoke, drink, or use drugs? If so, why? Do you want to quit?
77. How do you spend a typical Darkening (night) off?
78. What makes you laugh?
79. What, if anything, shocks or offends you?
80. What would you do if you had insomnia and had to find something to do to amuse yourself?
81. How do you deal with stress?
82. Are you spontaneous, or do you always need to have a plan?
83. What are your pet peeves?
-Part 7: Self Images and Etc.
84. Describe the routine of a normal day for you. How do you feel when this routine is disrupted?
85. What is your greatest strength as a person?
86. What is your greatest weakness?
87. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
88. Are you generally introverted or extroverted?
89. Are you generally organized or messy?
90. Name three things you consider yourself to be very good at, and three things you consider yourself to be very bad at.
91. Do you like yourself?
92. What are your reasons for being an adventurer (or doing the strange and heroic things that RPG characters do)? Are your real reasons for doing this different than the ones you tell people in public? (If so, detail both sets of reasons...)
93. What goal do you most want to accomplish in your lifetime?
94. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
95. If you could choose, how would you want to die?
96. If you knew you were going to die in 24 hours, name three things you would do in the time you had left.
97. What is the one thing for which you would most like to be remembered after your death?
98. What three words best describe your personality?
99. What three words would others probably use to describe you?
100. If you could, what advice would you, the player, give to your character? (You might even want to speak as if he or she were sitting right here in front of you, and use proper tone so he or she might heed your advice...
1. What is your full name?
2. Where and when were you born?
3. Who are/were your parents? (Know their names, occupations, personalities, etc.)
4. Do you have any siblings? What are/were they like?
5. Where do you live now, and with whom? Describe the place and the person/people.
6. What is your occupation?
7. Write a full physical description of yourself. You might want to consider factors such as: height, weight, race, hair and eye color, style of dress, and any tattoos, scars, or distinguishing marks.
8. To which social class do you belong?
9. Do you have any allergies, diseases, or other physical weaknesses?
10. Are you right- or left-handed?
11. What does your voice sound like?
12. What words and/or phrases do you use very frequently?
13. What do you have in your pockets?
14. Do you have any quirks, strange mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics?
-Part 2: Growing Up
15. How would you describe your childhood in general?
16. What is your earliest memory?
17. How much schooling have you had?
18. Did you enjoy school?
19. Where did you learn most of your skills and other abilities?
20. While growing up, did you have any role models? If so, describe them.
21. While growing up, how did you get along with the other members of your family?
22. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
23. As a child, what were your favorite activities?
24. As a child, what kinds of personality traits did you display?
25. As a child, were you popular? Who were your friends, and what were they like?
26. When and with whom was your first kiss?
27. Are you a virgin? If not, when and with whom did you lose your virginity?
28. Describe any influences in your past that led you to do the things you do today.
-Part 3: Past Influences
29. What do you consider the most important event of your life so far?
30. Who has had the most influence on you?
31. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
32. What is your greatest regret?
33. What is the most evil thing you have ever done?
34. Do you have a criminal record of any kind?
35. When was the time you were the most frightened?
36. What is the most embarrassing thing ever to happen to you?
37. If you could change one thing from your past, what would it be, and why?
38. What is your best memory?
39. What is your worst memory?
-Part 4: Beliefs and Opinions
40. Are you basically optimistic or pessimistic?
41. What is your greatest fear?
42. What are your religious views?
43. What are your political views?
44. What are your views on sex?
45. Are you able to kill? Under what circumstances do you find killing to be acceptable or unacceptable?
46. In your opinion, what is the most evil thing any human being could do?
47. Do you believe in the existence of soul mates and/or true love?
48. What do you believe makes a successful life?
49. How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings (i.e. do you hide your true self from others, and in what way)?
50. Do you have any biases or prejudices?
51. Is there anything you absolutely refuse to do under any circumstances? Why do you refuse to do it?
52. Who or what, if anything, would you die for (or otherwise go to extremes for)?
-Part 5: Relationships with Others
53. In general, how do you treat others (politely, rudely, by keeping them at a distance, etc.)? Does your treatment of them change depending on how well you know them, and if so, how?
54. Who is the most important person in your life, and why?
55. Who is the person you respect the most, and why?
56. Who are your friends? Do you have a best friend? Describe these people.
57. Do you have a spouse or significant other? If so, describe this person.
58. Have you ever been in love? If so, describe what happened.
59. What do you look for in a potential lover?
60. How close are you to your family?
61. Have you started your own family? If so, describe them. If not, do you want to? Why or why not?
62. Who would you turn to if you were in desperate need of help?
63. Do you trust anyone to protect you? Who, and why?
64. If you died or went missing, who would miss you?
65. Who is the person you despise the most, and why?
66. Do you tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict?
67. Do you tend to take on leadership roles in social situations?
68. Do you like interacting with large groups of people? Why or why not?
69. Do you care what others think of you?
-Part 6: Likes and Dislikes
70. What is/are your favorite hobbies and pastimes?
71. What is your most treasured possession?
72. What is your favorite color?
73. What is your favorite food?
74. What, if anything, do you like to read?
75. What is your idea of good entertainment (consider music, dance, art, etc.)?
76. Do you smoke, drink, or use drugs? If so, why? Do you want to quit?
77. How do you spend a typical Darkening (night) off?
78. What makes you laugh?
79. What, if anything, shocks or offends you?
80. What would you do if you had insomnia and had to find something to do to amuse yourself?
81. How do you deal with stress?
82. Are you spontaneous, or do you always need to have a plan?
83. What are your pet peeves?
-Part 7: Self Images and Etc.
84. Describe the routine of a normal day for you. How do you feel when this routine is disrupted?
85. What is your greatest strength as a person?
86. What is your greatest weakness?
87. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
88. Are you generally introverted or extroverted?
89. Are you generally organized or messy?
90. Name three things you consider yourself to be very good at, and three things you consider yourself to be very bad at.
91. Do you like yourself?
92. What are your reasons for being an adventurer (or doing the strange and heroic things that RPG characters do)? Are your real reasons for doing this different than the ones you tell people in public? (If so, detail both sets of reasons...)
93. What goal do you most want to accomplish in your lifetime?
94. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
95. If you could choose, how would you want to die?
96. If you knew you were going to die in 24 hours, name three things you would do in the time you had left.
97. What is the one thing for which you would most like to be remembered after your death?
98. What three words best describe your personality?
99. What three words would others probably use to describe you?
100. If you could, what advice would you, the player, give to your character? (You might even want to speak as if he or she were sitting right here in front of you, and use proper tone so he or she might heed your advice...
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