Where does the river go?
Tell where exactly does it flow?
Where does the river call its home?
Where does the river go?
I hope it can take me there someday.
I wish the river would carry me away.
A modern day Moses, carried from the fray.
I hope the river takes me there someday.
Hello, lovelies! I hope you are all doing well this fine day! Currently I am waiting between classes and I thought what better way to spend my time than writing a fun blog post about the various odd tips and facts I’ve found out while working on my precious baby of a novel. For those of you who have been lucky enough to not hear me ramble about my novel for minutes on end, I am writing a YA Fantasy Mystery centered around the attempted murder of Snow White. And boy has it been a project.
Now normally, I fall down many research rabbit holes on a pretty regular basis when writing. But this little problem has worsened as I’ve gotten into writing the genre of crime and mystery. Mostly because there’s just a lot to research in general. But let’s try and a narrow it down a bit in order to aid any future crime/mystery writers reading this.
1. Research guns
There is so much variety in the gun world. And you don’t have to know everything there is to know, but if you are having one of your characters pull out a pistol, you should know a little bit about how a pistol works and the basic parts of a gun. Again, it doesn’t have to be strangely specific. Just have a general knowledge.
2. Research poisons if you plan on using them.
Especially their potency, appearance, side effects, and the amount of time they take to cause death. Agatha Christie’s novels were so accurate describing poison and its effects that people could use her books as a poison reference manual. And while you don’t have to be that iconically precise, just like with guns, you should have a basic knowledge of how your choice of poison works and its effects on people.
3. Research signs of specific deaths.
This should go without saying but if your detective identifies your victim as having been strangled, there should be some physical signs of this. The same with drowning. Or suffocation.
Basically whatever means of death or weaponry you employ, research it. Just in case.
Now let’s get to some more general tips about writing crime or mystery stories all together.
1. Work backwards
Try your best to keep your story straight and have a clear timeline in your head. One way to develop this is work backwards from your crime. Start with the crime and then slowly work your way to the clues for your main character to pick up on. This also helps you from writing yourself into glaring plot holes concerning the functionality of your specific crime.
2. Don’t agonize
All that being said, don’t agonize too long over every single detail not being filled in concerning your story. It just has to generally make sense. If one wanted to get picky, I bet you could pick out plot holes in Sherlock Holmes and his deductions but at the end of the day, it’s not about being 10000000% accurate and precise. It’s about telling a story.
3. You get better with practice
It felt overwhelming at first trying to keep track of all my characters and clues when writing but over time, my story became clearer and clearer to me. And this was all done by actually writing it out and working through specific problems and scenes by getting them out on paper. So if you feel a little scatterbrained or find yourself agonizing over your crime story, don’t worry. Just like with everything, it gets easier with practice.
Alrighty! I think that’s it! Hope you found something useful in this little list of tips! Thanks for reading & Happy writing!
☀ Dragon Bones
You’re a struggling anthropologist who wishes to get your name out there in the scientific community. But you often find yourself assigned to odd and miserable expeditions. Finally, you manage to get signed onto an expedition taking place in Ireland. You’ve always wanted to visit so you’re excited to see the country and its rolling, snow capped hills.
The expedition takes a turn when you’re digging into a mound and unearth a rather odd looking skull. You work more and more and assemble this near perfect skeleton. Your stomach drops as you place the last bone in place. You’ve read enough fairytales to recognize the skull, the horns, the teeth, and the wings. You have unearthed a fully in tact dragon skeleton. They’ll never believe it.
☀Snap Dragon
You’re an avid plant mom who sets out to decorate your new apartment in a wide variety of plants. You visit every store in town, including a rather shady looking one on the outskirts. There you buy a single snap dragon plant that appears to have just barely sprouted. The cashier says something weird about how “The plant will give back if you tend it well” but you didn’t pay much attention…
At least until the plant grows fully and the petals of the large, red bloom peel back to reveal a tiny, sleeping dragon.
☀Treasure Hunter
The time is the age of great discovery, and while many people are flocking to the new world or to start a business in stock goods, you can’t help but scoff at them. You know you really have the best job in the world. You are labeled a treasure hunter but only your clients know your real specialty; finding dragon eggs.
☀The Last Dragon
Dragons are going extinct. This of course doesn’t surprise you. One sip of dragon’s blood can cure a man or woman of any illness. Their scales make impenetrable armor. And their teeth when fashioned and placed upon the tip of a staff can conduct powerful magic.
You are dying.
You have a rare genetic disease that there is no known antidote for. But one sip of dragon’s blood could heal you of your illness. But everyone says the dragons are already gone… until one day a rumor circulates that there was one last dragon seen in the high mountains.
You set out with a Witch who desires a tooth, A Knight who wishes for the scales, and some weird beast studying librarian who is just along for the ride and the knowledge he might obtain.
And the race is on to find the last dragon.
☀Hidden
You have finally been hired as a government scientist after 20+ years of experience working in your field. You are ready to serve your country with your knowledge and skills- at least until they assign you to one of their latest and most secretive projects.
You are called to a secret test site where you are going to be briefed on your duties. You weren’t expecting what you saw next…
A dragon, chained in a warehouse with guards flanking the entrance. You’re an avid scientist and respect the pursuit of knowledge but this entire scenario just doesn’t sit right with you.
☀Dragon Princess
You know how this story goes. You’re a princess who it sent to find a dragon so you can be saved by a knight who comes along and find a husband. You want to argue with your father, The King, but of course it doesn’t work. Angry but resolved, you head towards the dragons cave.
But you find no dragon.
Instead you find a rag tag group of Princesses who take you in as their own. Turns out they have a kite-like contraption that looks like a dragon to keep the myth alive but the old dragon really died a long time ago. This group of princesses banded together to be each other’s new family seeing as how their own let them down by sending them on this ridiculous mission for marriage in the first place. And so, enticed by freedom and loyalty, you join the ranks of the Dragon Princesses.
Just a few Circus Related one sentence prompts for your story! I’m really into lists these days, can’t you tell?
★The Tent catches fire
★Training for the act
★Equipment is tampered with
★An animal act is sold or bought
★Two words- Circus Murder
★Someone buys out the circus
★Someone is injured during the act
★Escape the Circus
★Scathing critic review of the circus show
★The circus is a cover
★The Queen comes to visit
★Troupe member is left behind when they travel to another location
★Evil ringmaster
★Rabid animals
★Animals escape from their cages
★Sick circus animal
★Said animal must be put down.
★Popcorn machine mishap
★Found something in a circus member’s tent
★A magic act gone wrong
★A knife throwing act gone wrong
★Drama and friction between two circus members.
★Kidnapping an act.
★Quarantined/caged
★The act but with FIRE!
★That stupid circus monkey (fill in the blank)
★The circus is being sabotaged.
★Unwelcomed by the locals.
★A gypsy?
★Masked
Iced Coffee
Crumpets
Tartlets
Stew
Your name spelled in foods
That make me think of you.
Raindrops
Snowdrops
Thunder
Dew
Your name spelled in weather
That makes me think of you
Lilacs
Stardust
A charm
That’s blue
Your name spelled in trinkets
That make me think of you
Hello everyone! I’m resuming my MBTI writing prompt posts yet again! And today I’m doing the ISFP MBTI personality. They’re also known as “The Adventurer” so I’m hoping to inject that curios and adventurous spirit into these prompts! Please enjoy!
★Space Train
All aboard the space train! The next stop could be anywhere in the universe. Humanity, at this point in time, has advanced to living on multiple planets. Travel between their homes has been restricted by regular space craft until a rather looney inventor creates a most ingenious piece of machinery- The Space Train. The Train can travel speedily across the stars, able to reach the furthest edges of the universe in minutes. The only issue is, the train seems to have a mind of its own, seemingly sentient. Or perhaps this was no accident….
★Charmed
You find yourself wondering your small town when you noticed a shop that you didn’t recognize. Curios, you enter to find it is a jewelry shop. But not your average one of course. This shop is called “Charm”, and is run by a rather curios lady with a tall pointy hat (or perhaps it really is a witch’s hat?). The Charms displayed everywhere look normal at first, but upon closer inspection you find them moving and alive.
★Pennies
There is a fountain in the middle of town with a statue of lady holding a pot and pouring water. You think it is a rather striking piece of work but pay it little to no heed. But little do you know, this fountain is very special. The statue (also known as the lady of the fountain) records the wishes of those who toss a penny in her waters and chooses a few to grant. This, of course, is unbeknownst to you- at least until she grants your wish.
★Chosen One
Your family drags you on a camping trip. This doesn’t surprise you as your Dad has been doing this for years, driving the family to his favorite camping spot between a mountain and a large lake, trying to encourage you to “connect more with nature”. You begrudgingly go, as per usual.
One day, you decide to go swimming in the lake beside your campsite to pass the time. You swim around a bit only to stub your toe on something hard. Annoyed, you fish it out of the water from the depths of the lake, only to find a rather large and magical looking sword. A lady with a cloak made of water suddenly appears before you, informing you that you hold the legendary blade known as Excalibur and you have been, in fact, chosen.
★Portraits
You are a worker at a rather high end art museum. You like your job well enough though sometimes you’re not a fan of the late hours. So its no surprise that you found yourself a little annoyed when you were informed that you were going to need to stay extra late one evening to hang up a new shipment of paintings.
So at about midnight, you find yourself opening up crates of artwork in the basement of the museum. Then you come to one box that is comprise entirely of portraits. You admire them-they are of marvelous workmanship. But, as you hold the canvas in your hands, you see the man in the paint blink and then turn his head towards you. Screaming, you drop him him back in the box only to hear a few annoyed complaints from the other portraits.
What on earth is going on???
Yet another list for the sake of writing reference. I went with the more basic/well known mythological creatures so I didn’t really include some of the old and very obscure ones. I also want to specify that these a more European/American based mythological beasts. There is an enormous amount of mythological creatures special to every part of the world. Perhaps I’ll make more lists of fantasy creatures but more country/region specific?
Anyways! Take care & enjoy!
Angel
Centaur
Chimera
Cyclops
Dragon
Dryad
Dwarf
Fae
Fairy
Genie
Gnome
Griffon
Harpy
Hippocampus
Hippogryph
Hydra
Int
Jackalope
Ki-rin
Kraken
Leprechaun
Manticore
Medusa
Mermaid
Minotaur
Naga
Nine-tailed fox
Nymph
Orc
Pegasus
Peryton
Phoenix
Pixie
Satyr
Seraph
Sphinx
Three-headed Dog
Thunderbird
Troll
Unicorn
Uni-wolf (Wolf with one horn)
Vampire
Were-creature (ex. Werewolf, werefox, etc.)
Wyvern
“I did not fall in love. That makes it sound like a sort of accident. No, I did not fall. I descended a spiraling staircase, following it downwards, deeper and deeper. Sure, it was slower, but I was aware of every single step.
And the walk back up was so very, very slow.”
~ Excerpt from “Velvet Heart”, A story a began a year ago but never finished.
~*~
“I once met a fox who said, “lying is just another form of Story telling.”
“Yes,” I said. “That is true. But the intentions are never the same. A story is not built to manipulate.”
“Oh, but they are! Emotions and thoughts are twisted around the writer’s pen.”
“That is true. But the intention is to find beauty in manipulation. A means to an end. It is not a story woven to conceal and shadow. Fiction is called just that. ”
“Not all. Some are mislabeled and presented truthfully. Some are called history.”
“History is a story?”
“Indeed. Only ever told by the victors.” “
~Excerpt from “The Tales of Mr. Fox”, a short novel I started a year and a half ago. I hope to finish it eventually.
~*~
“Good can praise the Good, Evil can praise the Evil, but when Evil praises the good and Good understands the Evil is when it’s truly special.”
~Excerpt from a short story titled “Paper Girl”. Wrote it four years ago and never Finished it.
~*~
“I’ll tell you a secret:
You spot a romantic simply whether or not and how long they look at the sky.”
~Another Excerpt from “Paper Girl”
~*~
“I think I’d rather be an optimist than a pessimist- I don’t think I could take being wrong that often.”
~Excerpt from an unnamed short story.
“Take it from me, darling. I’d rather be single and happy then committed to the wrong person and miserable. “
~Another “Paper Girl” Excerpt
~*~
“Do you know what all stories have in common? They end.
Such is the human life.
Since the beginning of time, no one has escaped the sad truth that our human lives will meet a conclusion someday. Many have tried to escape this, but none succeed. Nothing is new under the sun. We live and die-that is life.
But how do we as humans cope with this unrelenting cold truth? That all we know will pass in the blink of an eye? The same way we deal with all hardships:
Art.
We tell stories. We sing songs. And create.
Through art we find beauty and solace in the saddest of truths. Because sometimes the loveliest things in life are tragic, and there is beauty in caring- therefore there is beauty in hurt. This is why we can smile a little as we realize the bittersweet truth- we cannot take anything with us, but we always leave something behind.
I am choosing to leave this behind. “
~Excerpt from “Space, Soul, & Death” which was intended to be a short story collection. I started it three years ago. Perhaps I’ll write enough pieces to finish it someday.
~*~
Thanks for sticking around to read this hodge podge of a post. Perhaps you might draw some inspiration from these dusty words and snippets of dialogue!
And the reference lists keep coming! But if you’re anything like me, you have a bookmark folder primarily for writing references and lists such as these to perhaps you will find some use for these! Though don’t get too distracted with lists and references. Keep writing!
A
Arming Sword
B
Bastard Sword
Bat
Baton
Bazooka,
Bladed Baton
Bladed Boomerang
Bladed Chakram
Bladed Gauntlets
Bladed Mace
Bladed Staff
Bladed Tonfa
Bladed/Metal Boots
Bola
C
Calvary Sabre
Chakram
Claymore Sword
Club
Crossbow
Cutlass
D
DaDao Sword
Dao Sword
Darts
Dirk (Dagger)
Double Edged Axe
Double Ended- Single Bladed Axe
Double Ended-Double Bladed Axe
Dual Pistols
F
Fencing Sabre
Foil Rapier
G
Gladius Sword
Great Cleaver Sword
H
Halbred
Hammer
Hand Claws
Hatchet
Heater Shield
Hunting Knife
J
Javelin
K
Kal
Kama
Katana
Kine Shield
Kris Dagger
Kunai
L
Light Mace
Longbow
M
Machete
Machine Gun
Missiles
Morning Star
N
Net Launcher
Nunchucks
P
Pike
Pistol
Pitchfork
Q
Quarterstaff
R
Rapier
Rifle
S
Sal
Saptha Sword
Scimitar
Scythe
Shogel
Short Bow
Short Sword
Shuriken
Sickle
Single Bladed Axe
Slayer Sword
Sling & Metal Balls,
Slingshot
Spear
Spiked Mace
Staff
Stilletto Dagger
Stone Maul
T
Targe Shield
Throwing Chakram
Tonfa
Tower Shield
Trident
W
Warhammer
Whip
Another Alphabetized list for refence when creating your side characters in your medieval fantasy based story or your DnD campaign. Enjoy, writers!
A
Actor
Alchemist
B
Baker
Bartender
Blacksmith
Butcher
C
Candlemaker
Clerk
Calligrapher
Clockmaker
Cobbler
D
Diplomat
Doctor
Drunkard
Detective
F
Farmer
Farrier
Fisher
Fletcher
G
Gardener
Guard
H
Harold
Hatmaker
Healer
Herbalist
Hermit
I
Innkeeper
Inventor
J
Jailer
Jester
K
Knight
Knitter
L
Leatherworker
Librarian
Locksmith
M
Mail Carrier
Mason
Mayor
Midwife
Milk Maid
Miller
Mortician
Musician
N
Navigator
Nun
P
Painter
Perfumer
Pick-pocket
Playwright
Poet
Potter
Priest
R
Ranger
Roofer
S
Seamstress
Servant
Shepherd
Silversmith
Soldier
Stable boy
Storekeeper
T
Tailor
Tax Collector
Thief
Toymaker
V
Vendor
Vet
Vineyard Tender
W
Weaver
Woodcarver
Woodcutter
Woodseller
Writer
