Category Archives: Words and Phrases

WRITER RESOURCES: Forty-One Sounds of Laughter?!?

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Donna Maloy, Author

This website for writers provides an onomatopoeia dictionary, complete with nuanced definitions of the individual sounds and, where available, actual sound-bites. Continue reading →

Posted in Resources, Sounds, Words and Phrases, Words for sounds, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Backstory: Putting your world in context

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Donna Maloy, Author

Context = Clue Context gives us clues to the meaning of an unfamiliar word, the emotion behind a friend’s reaction, the point of a political slogan. The word “flag” can call several images to mind. But even if we’ve never … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Backstory, Backstory, Craft of Writing, Description, Differentiating Characters, Editing, Interaction with Setting, Interior life; interiority, Words and Phrases, world-building, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Well-Phrased Insult

Posted on July 28, 2012 by Donna Maloy, Author

The Master at Work When you were five, your mother told you not to call people names. She had in mind those innocent, angry words like Pig, and Stupid, and Dirtbag. As you got older, Mom’s influence diminished and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Insult Generator, Insults, Shakespeare, Words and Phrases | Tagged , , | 2 Comments