list icon
  • Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider
jun 5 2015 ∞
jun 5 2015 +
list icon

Brunettes/Black Hair

may 7 2013 ∞
oct 23 2015 +
list icon
  • Go through the lists and pick out all the virtues and vices that, at a glance, apply to your character. It is suggested that you copy the list over to Word or a Google Doc and delete any that don’t make sense with your character. Once you have the final list of all attributes that apply to your character, come back for the rest of the steps.
  • Choose, for now, one peak virtue or vice to basically overwhelm all other aspects of the character. This will be the autopilot of your character and will help create drive. This peak virtue or vice is the way your character will handle all basic situations. Try not to pick one of the Seven Deadly Sins (definitely villainous) or the Seven High Virtues (definitely heroic), since those make up the Fourteen Major Attributes and could complicate things significantly for your character.
mar 24 2013 ∞
mar 24 2013 +
list icon
  • addiction - a state of physiological or psychological dependence on a potentially harmful drug
  • adultery - voluntary sexual relations between a married person and somebody other than his or her spouse
  • aggression - threatening behavior or actions
  • alcoholism - dependence on alcohol consumption to an extent that adversely affects social and work-related functioning and produces withdrawal symptoms when intake is stopped or greatly reduced
  • anger - a strong feeling of grievance and displeasure
  • antagonism - hostility or hatred causing opposition and ill will
  • arrogance - the act of feeling or showing self-importance and contempt or disregard for others
  • avarice - an unreasonably strong desire t...
mar 24 2013 ∞
mar 24 2013 +
list icon
  • confidante - someone in whom the central character confides, thus revealing the main character’s personality, thoughts, and intentions. The confidante does not need to be a person.
  • dynamic character - a character which changes during the course of a story or novel. The change in outlook or character is permanent. Sometimes a dynamic character is called a developing character.
  • flat character - a character who reveals only one, maybe two, personality traits in a story or novel, and the trait(s) do not change.
  • foil - a character that is used to enhance another character through contrast. Cinderella’s grace and beauty as opposed to her nasty, self-centered stepsisters is one clear illustration of a foil many may recall from childhood.
  • round character - a well developed charac...
mar 24 2013 ∞
mar 24 2013 +
list icon
  • rapture - ecstasy; felicity, state of sheer happiness; happiness to the point of delirium
  • rariora - pl. unusual collector’s items, outstanding items, prize pieces
  • ratatouille - a type of french dish, vegetable stew
  • realm - a region, kingdom, plane, domain, or territory
  • recherché - elegant; refined or tasteful; sophisticated
  • recidivism - act of repeating punished act; chronic tendency to repeat crimes
  • reciprocity - the quality or state of requiting; mutual dependence
  • redivivus - revived; come back to life; resurrected; resuscitated
  • redolent - piquant, aromatic, or memory-invoking
  • regalia - the emblems and symbols of royalty, such as the crown and scepter; jewel...
mar 17 2013 ∞
mar 24 2013 +
list icon
  • adamant - unyielding; a very hard substance
  • adroit - clever, resourceful
  • amatory - sexual
  • animistic - quality of recurrence or reversion to earlier form
  • antic - clownish, frolicsome
  • arcadian - serene
  • baleful - deadly, foreboding
  • bellicose - quarrelsome (its synonym belligerent can also be a noun)
  • bilious - unpleasant, peevish
  • boorish - crude, insensitive
  • calamitous - disastrous
  • caustic - corrosive, sarcastic; a corrosive substance
  • cerulean - sky blue
  • comely - attractive
  • concomitant - accompanying
  • contumacious - rebellious
  • corpulent - obese
mar 17 2013 ∞
mar 17 2013 +
list icon

A

  • Abigail ( f. )
  • Acacia ( f. )
  • Addison ( m. )
  • Aimee ( f. )
  • Ainsley ( f. )
  • Alec ( m. )
  • Alice ( f. )
  • Alistair ( m. )
  • Antonia ( f. )
  • Arizona ( f. )
  • Atlanta ( f. )
  • Aurora ( f. )
  • Avery ( u. )

B

  • Bailey ( u. )
  • Beckett ( .m )
  • Blake ( u. )

C

jul 1 2012 ∞
jun 10 2013 +
list icon

Jonathan Safran Foer

    • "Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living"
    • "I love you also means I love you more than anyone loves you, or has loved you, or will love you, and also, I love you in a way that no one loves you, or has loved you, or will love you, and also, I love you in a way that I love no one else, and never have loved anyone else, and never will love anyone else."
    • "If there is no love in the world, we will make a new world, and we will give it walls, and we will furnish it with soft, red interiors, from the inside out, and give it a knocker that resonates like a diamond falling to a jeweller's felt so that we should never hear it. Love me, because love doesn't exist, and I have tried ev...
jul 1 2012 ∞
mar 15 2015 +
list icon

2016

2015

7 || 12

  • Big Short
  • Carol
  • Danish Girl
  • Hot Pursuit ✔
  • Joy
  • Jurassic World ✔
  • Martian ✔
  • Mistress America ✔
  • Room ✔
  • The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 ✔
  • The Revenant
  • The Stanford Experiment
  • Trainwreck ✔

2014

15 || 17

  • American Sniper ✔
feb 20 2015 ∞
mar 6 2016 +
list icon

Brunettes

jun 10 2013 ∞
jun 19 2013 +
list icon

Physical Quirks refer to any physical feature that makes a character individualistic. The character might have been born with this trait, or acquired it over the course of his or her life. They are usually the ones other characters notice first. It can be argued that all physical attributes of a character, from the color of his hair to the size of her feet, are quirks.

  • always gets a sunburn
  • always stands with his or her hands behind their back, sometimes in an “at ease” position, though he/she was never in the military
  • can only hear out of one ear
  • can only see out of one eye
  • can’t stay clean; always dirty
  • cracks his/her neck all the time
  • drags his or her feet
  • drools when hungry/excited
  • foams at the mouth when excited/angry
mar 24 2013 ∞
mar 24 2013 +
list icon
  • ability - a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment
  • acceptance - a disposition to tolerate or accept people or situations
  • acuity - keenness of hearing, sight, or intellect
  • affability - good-natured, friendly, and easy to talk to
  • altruism - the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others
  • appreciation - understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something
  • assiduousness - showing persistent and hard-working effort in doing something
  • assertiveness - aggressive self-assurance; given to making bold assertions
  • attentiveness - the trait of being observant and paying attention
  • autonomy - immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority; political independence
mar 24 2013 ∞
mar 24 2013 +
list icon
  • Naturalist Intelligence (Nature Smart)

Designates the human ability to discriminate among living things (plants, animals) as well as sensitivity to other features of the natural world (clouds, rock configurations). This ability was clearly of value in our evolutionary past as hunters, gatherers, and farmers; it continues to be central in such roles as botanist or chef. It is also speculated that much of our consumer society exploits the naturalist intelligence, which can be mobilized in the discrimination among cars, sneakers, kinds of makeup, and the like.

  • Musical Intelligence (Musical Smart)

Musical intelligence is the capacity to discern pitch, rhythm, timbre, and tone. This intelligence enables us to recognize, create, reproduce, and reflect on music, as demonstrated by composers, conductor...

mar 17 2013 ∞
mar 17 2013 +
list icon
  • abattoir - a slaughterhouse; massacre
  • absinthe - wormwood liquor of a bright-green color
  • acciaccatura - grace note, an embellishing note usually written in smaller size
  • acedia - ennui; state of torpor or listlessness; spiritual apathy
  • acervuline - aggregated, heaped up, bundled, collected or localized
  • acidulous - somewhat acidic or sour in taste or manner; somewhat sarcastic
  • acolyte - ranked clergy member; assistant in liturgical rites
  • acoustic - of or relating to sound, the sense of hearing, or the science of sound
  • acquiesce - to passively accept; to accept, comply, or submit passively
  • adroit - quick or skillful; adept in action or thought
  • adumbrate - to explain faintly or opaquely outline; describe
mar 17 2013 ∞
mar 24 2013 +
list icon
  • accusatory - charging of wrong doing
  • apathetic - indifferent due to lack of energy or concern
  • awe - solemn wonder
  • bitter - exhibiting strong animosity as a result of pain or grief
  • callous - unfeeling, insensitive to feelings of others
  • caustic - intense use of sarcasm; stinging, biting
  • choleric - hot-tempered, easily angered
  • condescension; condescending - a feeling of superiority
  • contemplative - studying, thinking, reflecting on an issue
  • contemptuous - showing or feeling that something is worthless or lacks respect
  • conventional - lacking spontaneity, originality, and individuality
  • critical - finding fault
  • cynical - questions the basic sincerity a...
mar 17 2013 ∞
mar 17 2013 +
list icon
  • absent-minded - preoccupied to the extent of being unaware of one’s immediate surroundings. abstracted, daydreaming, inattentive, oblivious, forgetful.
  • abusive - characterized by improper infliction of physical or psychological maltreatment towards another.
  • addict - one who is addicted to a compulsive activity. examples: gambling, drugs, sex.
  • aimless - devoid of direction or purpose.
  • alcoholic - a person who drinks alcoholic substances habitually and to excess.
  • anxious - full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous.
  • arrogant - having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance. inclined to social exclusiveness and who rebuff the advances of people conside...
mar 17 2013 ∞
mar 17 2013 +
list icon
  • Heroic Bravery

When we think of heroes these days, we generally think of those who qualify for heroic bravery.

What is it? This is the kind of bravery that makes a character do crazy dangerous stuff, either to protect others or to advance a cause in which he passionately believes. He’s not a fool. He knows what he’s risking, but he believes the danger is worth it.

  • Steadfast Bravery

Steadfast bravery isn’t as flashy as heroic bravery (although it exhibits bursts of heroism), but its patient doggedness challenges fate every single day.

What is it? This is the kind of bravery we see from someone who is enduring a bad or dangerous situation day in and day out. A POW, a soldier in the trenches, or an informant ...

mar 17 2013 ∞
mar 17 2013 +
list icon

list is ongoing, and is still being compiled

  • A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
  • Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
  • Amelia O'Donohue Is So Not a Virgin by Helen Fitzgerald
  • Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
  • Around the World in 80 Days by Deanna McFadden
  • By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters
  • Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood
  • Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech
  • Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah
  • Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
  • Deadly Little Games by Laurie Stolarz
  • Deadly Little Lies by Laurie Stolarz
  • Deadly Little Secrets by Laurie Stolarz
  • Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
  • Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
  • Evernight by Claudia Gray
mar 16 2013 ∞
jun 9 2013 +
list icon
  • a mari usque ad mare: from sea to sea
  • acta non verba: deeds not words
  • ad astra per aspera: to the stars through difficulty
  • ad astra: to the stars
  • alis volat propriis: she flies with her own wings
  • amor et melle et felle est fecundissimus: love is rich with both honey and venom
  • amor et melle et felle est fecundissmismus: love is rich with both honey and venom
  • amor fati: love of fate
  • annus mirabilis: wonderful year
  • ante bellum: before the war
  • au contraire: on the contrary
  • audax at fidelis: bold but faithful
  • audentes fortuna iuva: fortune favours the bold
  • avant-garde: first to attack
  • bellum omnium contra omnes: the war of all against all
  • carpe diem: seize the day
  • c'est la vie: such is life
  • circulus vitiosus: vicious circle
  • disce aut discede: learn or leave
jul 1 2012 ∞
jul 1 2012 +
list icon
  • Charles Bukowski
  • Earnest Hemingway
  • Friedrich Nietzsche
  • Jack Kerouac
  • John Fante
  • Richard Siken
apr 17 2015 ∞
apr 17 2015 +
list icon
  • adenoidal (adj): if someone’s voice is adenoidal, some of the sound seems to come through their nose
  • appealing (adj): an appealing look/voice shows that you want help, approval, or agreement
  • breathy (adj): with loud breathing noises
  • brittle (adj): if you speak in a brittle voice, you sound as if you are about to cry
  • croaky (adj): if someone’s voice sounds croaky, they speak in a low, rough voice that sounds as if they have a sore throat
  • dead (adj): if someone’s eyes or voice are dead, they feel or show no emotion
  • disembodied (adj): a disembodied voice comes from someone who you cannot see
  • flat (adj): spoken in a voice that does not go up and down; this word is often use...
jun 24 2013 ∞
jun 24 2013 +
list icon
  • Get your expectations firmly in check.
  • Find your own personal “give-a-fuck” factor.
  • Draw the map for the journey ahead.
  • Become wild west scrivening inkslinger, “Quick-Note McGoat.”
  • Know thy characters.
  • Build an (incomplete) world.
  • Test drive those imaginary motherfuckers.
  • Dig up all the glittery conflict diamonds.
  • Identify the major rules.
  • Find your way into the tale.
  • Also: Identify the Great Egress.
  • Learn all the appropriate things.
  • Suss out the fiddly bits.
  • The 13-Second Closing-Window-Of-Opportunity Pitch
  • Hell, write the whole goddamn query.
  • Know your word processor intimately.
mar 24 2013 ∞
mar 24 2013 +
list icon
  • Aileen Wuornos - “I’d just like to say I’m sailing with the rock, and I’ll be back like Independence Day, with Jesus June 6. Like the movie, big mother ship and all, I’ll be back.”
  • Carl Panzram - “Hurry up, you Hoosier bastard, I could kill ten men while you’re fooling around!”
  • Edward Abbey - "No comment."
  • Francois Rabelais - "I am off in search of the great perhaps."
  • Georges Clemenceau - "This time it will be a long one."
  • J. M. Barrie - "I can’t sleep."
  • James French - “Hey fellas! How about this for a headline for tomorrow’s paper? ‘French fries’!”
  • Jeffrey Dahmer - “I don’t care if I live or die. Go ahead and kill me.”
  • John Wayne Gacy -“Kiss my ass.”
  • Joseph ben Akiba - "The paper burns, but the words fly free."
mar 18 2013 ∞
mar 18 2013 +
list icon
  • absent - preoccupied
  • agonized - as if in pain or tormented
  • alluring - attractive, in the sense of arousing desire
  • appealing - attractive, in the sense of encouraging goodwill and/or interest
  • beatific - see blissful
  • bilious - ill-natured
  • black - angry or sad, or see hostile
  • bleak - see grim and hopeless
  • blinking - surprise, or lack of concern
  • blissful - showing a state of happiness or divine contentment
  • blithe - carefree, lighthearted, or heedlessly indifferent
  • brooding - see anxious and gloomy
  • bug eyed - frightened or surprised
  • chagrined - humiliated or disappointed
  • cheeky - cocky, insolent
  • cheerless - sad
  • choleric - hot-tempered, irate
mar 17 2013 ∞
mar 24 2013 +
mar 17 2013 ∞
jun 24 2013 +
list icon
  • acoustic - relating to sound or the sense of hearing.
  • alcove - a recess, typically in the wall of a room or of a garden.
  • alpenglow - the rosy light of the setting or rising sun seen on high mountains.
  • anagapesis - the feeling when one no longer loves someone they once did.
  • aorta - the main artery of the body, supplying oxygenated blood to the circulatory system.
  • arabesque - an ornamental design of intertwined flowing lines, originally found in Arabic or Moorish decoration.
  • aubade - a love song which is sung at dawn.
  • ayurnamat - the philosophy that there is no point in worrying about events that cannot be changed.
  • baisemain - a kiss on the hand.
  • baroque - relating to or denoting a style...
jul 1 2012 ∞
jun 18 2013 +
list icon
  • How Do I Love Thee?, Elizabeth Barret Browing [here]
  • She Walks In Beauty, George Gordon Byron [here]
  • I Am Much Too Alone in This World, Yet Not Alone , Rainer Maria Rilke [here]
  • A Dream Within a Dream, Edgar Allen Poe [here]
  • Dream Variations, Langston Hughes [here]
  • Dreams, Langston Hughes [here]
  • Dust of Snow, Robert Frost [here]
  • Life is Fine, Langston Hughes [here]
  • My Last Duchess, Robert Browning [here]
  • Road Not Taken, Robert Frost [here]
  • Sonnet 130, William Shakespeare [here]
  • Wind and Window Flower, Robert Frost [here]
jul 1 2012 ∞
nov 23 2012 +