Writing Aides

So, I want to talk a little bit about writing in general, and part of this is because I often get requests to write stories - and on a rare occasion the idea genuinely interests me, but usually it doesn't, and even when it does, I don't normally have time. The other part is because I've helped a lot of people start out writing in the past. 

Now before we get to the links, I want to put my two cents in. If you have an idea, just start writing it. It may not be good, but that doesn't matter, an author's first fic is rarely good. Trust me, I ought to know. Secondly, no matter what the grammar nazzis out there (or even in yourself) say, grammar is not the most important thing when it comes to writing - if you think I'm lying go read your last text conversation. And finally, don't judge yourself too harshly.

So, below are some tools, some may seem obvious, others, not so much:

• name generator: https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/medieval-names.php 
• other name tools: https://www.babynames.com/ & https://surnames.behindthename.com/ 
•  word aid: http://chir.ag/projects/tip-of-my-tongue/ 
• different thesauruses: https://www.powerthesaurus.org/ & https://www.thesaurus.com/ 
• top 10 dialogue mistakes: https://marcykennedy.com/2015/09/top-10-dialogue-mistakes-that-kill-your-story/ 
• determining target audience: https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/marketing-your-work/does-your-target-audience-exist-use-this-simple-trick-to-figure-it-out 
• writing about anger: https://writerswrite.co.za/37-ways-to-write-about-anger/ 
• dialogue rules: https://blog.reedsy.com/punctuating-dialogue/ & https://firstmanuscript.com/format-dialogue/
• types of sentences: http://plato.algonquincollege.com/applications/guideToGrammar/?page_id=3243 
• sentence stucture: http://plato.algonquincollege.com/applications/guideToGrammar/?page_id=3194

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With writing there are always some homophone words that are more confusing than others, here's a few of the bigger ones.

• their/there/they’re: https://www.dictionary.com/e/their-there-theyre/ 
• then/than: https://writingexplained.org/then-vs-than-difference 
• affect/effect: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/affect-vs-effect/ 
• ie/eg: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/know-your-latin-i-e-vs-e-g/ 
• which/wich/witch: https://www.homophone.com/h/which-wich-witch

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And finally, for the historical fiction lovers.

• historical slang for penises: http://timeglider.com/timeline/194b572e19fd461b 
• historical slang for vaginas: http://timeglider.com/timeline/07f47d6b843da763 
• historical Shakespeare insults: https://writerswrite.co.za/shakespearean-insults/