Writing Descriptions - Tumblr Posts

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Hey! So I’m a fairly new ambulatory wheelchair user with EDS writing about a character who is also an ambulatory wheelchair user. I feel like I keep using the same words over and over to portray movement though (rolled, propelled, “pushed themself,” etc) so I would love to hear if you have any more ideas for alternatives! I’ll take as many as you’ve got!

Thank you!!!

Hello dearest asker!

This is the list that we have provided over time plus others:

Moved/Moves

Went

Wheeled

Rolled

Pushed

Sped/Spun

Propelled

Pulled (by a service animal etc)

Maneuvered

Turn/Turned

Scoot/scooted

Travel/traveled

Rock/rocked

Drove

Crossed

Cut

Stroll/Strolled

Navigated

Drift/Drifted

Swung/swinged

Popped ("Popped up their wheels/chair" to get over a surface etc)

Tip/tipped (Tipped themselves over something etc)

Advanced

Migrate/migrated

Inched

Zoomed

Rushed

Hurried

Raced

Skid

Ram/Rammed

Roamed

Shift/Shifted

Slid (In rainy or icy weather)

Followed

Circled

And a lot of many other verbs that would take me a long time to list! Consider what type of wheelchair the person has, as mention Here. And also how the person moves or places their hands can be another detail to include.

If the actual definition of the verb doesn't involve the specific actions of one or two lower extremities (ex. walk, run, stepped, trot, stride) then it's otherwise good to use! Other words like Moseyed, sauntered, paced, I think depends on the writer. A particularly mischievous character may saunter of a manner in their wheelchair. And a character who is nervous would pace—although possibly tiring—back and forth. And Moseyed, well, I just particularly like this word—but, a character could mosey on by in a certain fashion. Happy writing!

(last ask about verb terminology on wheelchairs per this post we made about it)

~ Mod Virus 🌸

Some tips for using a few words to describe voices

Tone Words, Use tone words to convey the emotional quality of a voice. For example, you can describe a voice as "melodic," "soothing," "sharp," "gentle," or "commanding" to give readers a sense of the tone.

Pitch and Range, Mention the pitch and range of the voice. Is it "deep," "high-pitched," "raspy," or "full-bodied"? This can provide insight into the character's age, gender, or emotional state.

Accent and Diction, Describe the character's accent or diction briefly to give a sense of their background or cultural influences. For instance, "British-accented," "Southern drawl," or "formal."

Volume, Mention the volume of the voice, whether it's "whispering," "booming," "murmuring," or "hushed."

Quality, Use terms like "velvet," "silken," "gravelly," "honeyed," or "crisp" to convey the texture or quality of the voice.

Rate of Speech, Describe how fast or slow the character speaks, using words like "rapid," "slurred," "measured," or "rambling."

Mood or Emotion, Indicate the mood or emotion carried by the voice. For example, a "quivering" voice may convey fear or anxiety, while a "warm" voice may express comfort and reassurance.

Resonance, Describe the resonance of the voice, such as "echoing," "nasal," "booming," or "tinny."

Timbre, Mention the timbre of the voice, using words like "rich," "thin," "clear," or "smoky."

Cadence, Highlight the rhythm or cadence of speech with descriptors like "staccato," "lilting," "rhythmic," or "halting."

Intonation, Convey the character's intonation by saying their voice is "sarcastic," "apologetic," "confident," or "questioning."

Characteristics, If applicable, mention unique vocal characteristics, like a "lisp," "stutter," "drawl," or "accented 'r'."

Describing the Feel of a Town

You’ve got your main character.  You’ve got your plot.  You’ve got a lot of things figured out.

But how the heck are you supposed to get the reader to understand the atmosphere of the town your character comes from?

It can take practice.  Consider your own hometown.  Plop yourself down in the middle of your hometown, watch for a second, and then start writing about it.  Talk about the buildings; how do they come across?  Are they austere and reflect the nature of the people?  Or are the people very friendly despite the buildings’ appearances?  Is it a busy street?  Are lawns well kept?  Make sure you mix it with the general attitude of the people living in the town. And add your perspective of the town.  If you like it, your description of the town is going to appear favorable.  If you dislike it, it will be portrayed in a negative light.

Sound confusing?  Don’t worry.  I’ll give some of my own examples.

From one point of view:

“Miles from the closest city, A— town sat out in the middle of nowhere.  The nearest neighbor was always on the other side of a line trees, leading to quiet evenings without a care for what the neighbor was up to.  Lawns were kept only half mown; only businesses near the center of town made sure they looked presentable.  The general store on the corner of the town’s one busy road served as the local haunt for the entire town. If there was a story to be told, it would first be told there.“

Same town, different view:

“A—- was miles from civilization.  Even the closest neighbor was so far away that a battle with eighteenth century canons could take place on the front lawn and no one would hear the racket.  People let their yards become so overgrown that children could easily get lost among the grass.  Only the center of town where the businesses were kept up any semblance of a good appearance, but it said nothing of the treatment strangers would get inside.  The general store in particular was the worst of the culprits.  It certainly had that unique, old town feel, and if you were from the area, you were greeted like an old friend.  But if the people didn’t know your name, it was clear they didn’t want much to do with you.”

When you’ve written your description of your town, take that description and try writing it from a different perspective.  Don’t like your town?  Write about it through the eyes of someone who likes it.  Like your town?  Write about it through the eyes of someone wanting to leave.  And try to make it sound genuine; not as though you were mocking someone with an opposing viewpoint.

Try this with nearby towns too.  Towns and cities where you’re familiar with, and you know the culture of, or the general attitude of the people living there.

Also, carefully read how other authors describe their characters’ hometowns.  One example that comes to mind is how Rowling describes Privet Drive in Harry Potter.  She describes it as being pristine and orderly, but paints it in a way to make it obvious to the reader that most, if not all, of the residences have an air of being stuck up.

Now, I have been using towns and cities as the example, but like in the Harry Potter example, sometimes a street holds a different attitude than the rest of the town.  My examples are drawn from smaller town experience, where the community is a little more connected beyond just a street or drive.  However, this is not always the case, and you should take this into consideration as you create your character’s hometown.  Maybe your character’s side of town is drastically different than the other side of town.

Remember, this is something that might take you some practice.  But have fun with it.  Give your description some personality.

Writing Descriptions

I was just musing recently about this, so thought I’d share some bits about how I try to build compelling descriptions of scenes/environments. Normally I just post fan art but eh, diversifying lol.

Having an agenda

I found both reading and writing descriptions that if I don’t have an objective for them they end up feeling aimless and sometimes forgettable. I am always trying to build a narrative. It can be as simple as “this building is old/unused” or as complex as ‘contrasting a bright atmosphere with an underlying coldness as an allegory to a character’s crushing isolation in the face of their personal grief/pain’. What does every line and descriptive word contribute to what you’re trying to do? What emotions or vibes are you trying to evoke? How does every part of it tie together into a cohesive picture instead of a bunch of disparate parts?

2. Utilizing descriptions as a tool

descriptions inherently tend to center a story in a specific setting, or serve as our senses to experience the story alongside the characters — but I try to use it as more than that when possible. How you can use it may vary with what person you’re using, but even third person (what I typically use) descriptions can give you a glimpse into the headspace of your character. This can be really helpful when writing a character who isn’t very emotionally self aware, or a character who is stoic. I typically use this one of two ways.

First one is seeing through the eyes of the character. How do they see this other character? How does their emotions, history, etc affect their impressions about different settings? For example, a characters with religious trauma might have a more negative/emotionally loaded perspective when walking into a church which can manifest at different levels of subtlety within the description of the environment.

second one way is just to get the reader on the same page emotionally as a character. If the character is desperate, incorporate that emotions/vibe into your description of the setting or even of them. If they’re lonely invoke that, etc. Note that this can also be used for plot beats and not just character moments.

Also total side note, but I’d reccomend not taking any writing advice too seriously. Explore how people write their stuff, take little tidbits here and there when it speaks to you and your style, and toss aside anything that doesn’t work for you.