Writing Resources
Dictionaries and thesauruses are great, but sometimes you're looking for something that's better off answered by a search engine, and even then that's hit and miss. How do you describe something as eagle-like? What are the different types of architecture? What genres are you best at writing? Answers for questions like these and more can be found on this page!
All Those -ines
Most people know of canine and feline, but what about other animals? What about pigs, cattle, bears or wolves? What about birds? I've had plenty of these questions myself in trying to describe my own creations. For your convenience, I've compiled my findings here for public use!
All the -ines:
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Other Descriptive Words:
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Aquiline = eagle-like
Bovine = cow-like Canine = dog-like Cervine = deer-like Equine = horse-like Feline = cat-like Leporine = hare-like Lupine = wolf-like Ovine = sheep-like Porcine = pig-like Serpentine = snake-like Ursine = bear-like Vulpine = fox-like |
Amphibian = animals that can live both in water and on land
Anuran = of or like tailless amphibians Apian = of or like bees Arachnid = any segmented animal with eight legs Avian = a creature or thing that naturally flies Chiropteran = of or like animals with membraned limbs serving as wings Fungoid = resembling a fungus in texture or growth Fungous = having the nature of a fungus; springing up like a mushroom, transitory Humanoid = resembling a human; a human-like body shape Insectile* = like an insect Lepidopterous = butterflies, moths, etc. *You may notice that I use the word "insectoid" instead of insect or insectile when describing my bug-like creatures. This is me combining insect and humanoid - "insectoid" is not actually a word in the dictionaries I reference. |
Marsupial = any mammal that rears its young in a pouch
Molluskan = of or like invertebrates with soft bodies and often a hard shell Mustilidae = the family weasels, badgers, skunks, etc. belong to Ornithic = of or relating to birds Pachyderm = thick-skinned mammals, like elephants Pescivian = of or like a fish Primatial = of or like monkeys, gorillas, orangutans, etc. Raptor = a bird of prey Raptorial = adapted to capturing or seizing prey Reptilian = a cold-blooded, scaly animal Rodent = any animal with enlarged incisors for gnawing and no canine teeth Squamitae = family that lizards belong to Talpidan = like a mole Testudinal = of or shaped like a tortoise |
A Group of...
It's usually not necessary to use the exact word to describe a group of something, and most of these words are archaic (my book says they're from 15th century lists of "proper terms"). They were developed specifically to sound poetic, humorous, or dark as if like a warning; but hey, if you have a dramatic bard character, maybe he needs some fun words to brighten up his songs!
The majority of these words are from the Reader's Digest Oxford Complete Wordfinder, a dictionary+thesaurus combination that I use for much of my research.
The majority of these words are from the Reader's Digest Oxford Complete Wordfinder, a dictionary+thesaurus combination that I use for much of my research.
-Current Terms-
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-Different Dialect Versions-
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-B-
A hive, swarm, drift, or bike of bees A flock or flight of birds A volary of birds in an aviary A sounder of wild boar A herd or gang of buffalo -C- A brood of chickens A herd or drove of cattle A mob of cattle (Austral.) A herd of cranes A litter of cubs A herd of curlew -D- A herd or mob of deer A pack or kennel of dogs A trip of dotterel A flight of doves A raft or bunch of ducks on water A team of wild ducks in flight A fling of dunlins -E- A herd of elephants A herd or gang of elk |
-F-
A charm of finches A shoal of fish A run of fish in motion A cloud of flies -G- A gaggle of geese A skein, team, or wedge of geese in flight A herd of giraffes A flock or herd of goats A pack or covey of grouse -H- A cast of hawks let fly A herd of horses A stud of breeding horses A string of racehorses A kennel, pack, or cry of hounds -I- A flight or swarm of insects -K- A mob or troop of kangaroos A kindle of kittens |
-L-
A bevy of ladies A bevy of larks A pride of lions -M- A troop of monkeys -P- A covey of partridges A rookery of penguins A head of pheasants A kit of pigeons flying together A herd of pigs A stand or wing of plovers A rush or flight of pochards A herd, pod, or school of porpoises A covey of ptarmigan A litter of pups -Q- A bevy or drift of quail -R- A bevy of roes A parliament of rooks A hill of ruffs |
-S-
A herd or rookery of seals A pod (small herd) of seals A flock or herd of sheep A mob of sheep (Austral.) A wisp of snipe A flight of swallows A game or herd of swans A wedge of swans in the air A herd of swine -W- A bunch or knob of waterfowl A school, herd, or gam of whales A pod (small school) of whales A grind of bottlenosed whales A company or trip of widgeon A bunch, trip, or plump of wildfowl A knob (<30) of wildfowl A pack of wolves A herd of wrens |
A parcel or pod (small flock) of birds
A drift of cattle A cletch or clutch of chickens A trip of goats A team of horses A nye of pheasants A drift or trip of sheep |
-Fanciful Terms-
A shrewdness of apes
A cete of badgers A sloth or sleuth of bears A fleet or dissimulation of (small) birds A blush of boys A clowder or glaring of cats A dowt or destruction of wild cats A peep of chickens A chattering or clattering or choughs A drunkship of cobblers A rag or rake of colts A hastiness of cooks |
A covert of coots
A cowardice of curs A pace of donkeys A dole or piteousness of doves A paddling of ducks A business of ferrets A chirm of finches A stalk of foresters A skulk of foxes A husk or down of hares An observance of hermits A siege of herons A haras of (breeding) horses A mute of hounds A desert of lapwing |
An exaltation of larks
A leap of leopards A tiding of magpies A sord or sute (suit) of mallard A richness of martens A faith of merchants A labor of moles A barren of mules A watch of nightingales A superfluity of nuns A muster of peacocks A malapertness (impertinence) of peddlers A congregation of plovers A pity of prisoners |
An unkindness of ravens
A building of rooks A dopping of sheldrake A walk of snipe A host of sparrows A murmuration of starlings A sounder of tame swine A drift of wild swine A glozing (fawning) of taverners A spring of teal A rout of wolves A fall of woodcock |
What It Eats
Just a list of interesting words relating specifically to one's diet.
Carnivore = eats meat
Detrivore = eats rotting things, like scavengers Fungivore = eats fungus and mold Geovore = eats inorganic matter, like rocks and minerals Glycovore = lives on sugar, like sap, nectar, honey, etc. Hematovore = lives on blood |
Herbivore = eats plants
Insectivore = eats insects Omnivore = has more than one diet Pescivore = eats fish Photovore = lives off sunlight, like plants Vampiric = lives off a host, especially for its blood |
Architecture
One of those things that's hard to understand without pictures; or maybe you're well-versed in architecture,who knows.
Note: all of this information and images have come from Wikipedia.org! I've included links to the articles if you're interested in doing further research.
Note: all of this information and images have come from Wikipedia.org! I've included links to the articles if you're interested in doing further research.
Ancient Roman:
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Armenian:
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Saint Hripsime Church, an Armenian building
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Chora Church, medieval Byzantine
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Byzantine:
While they look relatively simple on the outside, Byzantine buildings made up for it with the myriad of detailed mosaics, artwork, and mouldings on the interior, as well as the extreme height of the domed ceilings to emphasize light and space. |
Gothic:
Gothic comes in four prominent forms: Early, High, Rayonnant, and Late (Flamboyant).
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Laon Cathedral, Early Gothic
Amiens Cathedral, Rayonnant Gothic
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Reims Cathedral, High Gothic
Notre Dame l'Epine, Flamboyant Gothic
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Mohican:
m |
Norman:
Norman architecture can be confused with Early Gothic when it comes to more ornate buildings, though is often recognized in smaller, humbler buildings, which lack mouldings and excess archways, yet are recognizable by their stonework, roofs, steep rooflines, and windows, thanks to medieval fantasy. |
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Ottoman:
Ottoman architecture holds its identity most in its Classical form. The Westernized forms start with Classical features, then blend aspects of other architectural styles into it. |
Renaissance:
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Maria Laach Abbey, which has Romanesque features
The Natural History Museum in London is an example of Romanesque Revival, which has more simplified arches and windows
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Cerisy Abbey, a less ornate Romanesque structure
San Vittore alle Chiuse, a fortress-like monastery of undressed stone in Romanesque style
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Romanesque:
The most characteristic traits are associated with churches, abbeys, and castles. Romanesque buildings are often plain (known as "undressed stone"), with few details or mouldings, but make up for it in being large, solid structures that are easily repaired. Toward the end of the age the buildings became more ornate as they transitioned to Gothic architecture. Romanesque architecture would make a comeback in the middle of the 19th century as Romanesque Revival, which also erred on the ornate end. Because Romanesque architecture is a superclass, it is hard to pick any one building and say it epitomizes it; there are many different interpretations that fit Romanesque, and a number of more distinct styles, such as Gothic and Norman, are part of Romanesque architecture. |
Victorian:
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Other forms:
Seljuk architecture. Carried over from the Seljuq Dynasty when it ruled the Middle East and Anatolia, 11th-13th centuries. Influenced by Byzantine, Armenian, and Persian styles.
Persian (Iranian) architecture. Ancient architectural style making use of large scale forms and geometric and symmetrical accuracy. Is still in use today. Similar to Byzantine and Ottoman architecture with the usage of domes, large columns, towers, and archways, but classically lacked peaks such as spires. Classical domes are distinguished by reflective blue tiles.
Seljuk architecture. Carried over from the Seljuq Dynasty when it ruled the Middle East and Anatolia, 11th-13th centuries. Influenced by Byzantine, Armenian, and Persian styles.
Persian (Iranian) architecture. Ancient architectural style making use of large scale forms and geometric and symmetrical accuracy. Is still in use today. Similar to Byzantine and Ottoman architecture with the usage of domes, large columns, towers, and archways, but classically lacked peaks such as spires. Classical domes are distinguished by reflective blue tiles.
Architectural Terms
It's amazing how much of this the layman lost! Sure, your dragon is in a castle, but what is that castle like? Where is your hero standing in its epic confrontation with the dragon? Di the dragon fly in from a tower, or a spire? These terms may not be common, but they help!
Detailing:
Corbel: a projection of material jutting from a wall to support the weight of an above structure.
Cornice: ornamental moulding either around the wall of a room just below the ceiling, or crowning a building's entableture, above the frieze yet below the roofline. Crocket: a small carved ornament, usually of a bud or leaf, on the inclined side of a pinnacle, etc. Finial: a decorative, often rounded or pointed topper for a post or peak, or a similar shape in a moulding. Fleche: in French it simply refers to a spire. In English, it is defined more specifically as a spirelet. They are decorative spikes placed at peaks and corners of a building. Frieze: the part of the entablature between the architrave and the cornice, often filled with sculpture or decoration. Gargoyle/Grotesque: a decorative sculpture resembling a creature or person. Acts as a spout for rainwater when integrated into eves and gutters, and adds weight to supporting structures such as flying buttresses. Superstition claims that gargoyles also scare malevolent spirits away from the building, hence their use on churches and cathedrals. Lancet: a tall, narrow window with a pointed top, like a lance. Metope: a square space between triglyphs in a frieze. Ovigal Arch: where two walls curve at the top and meet at a relatively sharp angle, forming a pointed crown. Pinnacle: a small ornamental turret, usually ending in a pyaramid or cone, crowning a buttress, roof, etc. Rose Window: a large, circular window, sometimes with spokes (wheel window) or geometric tracery (like in the image). Similar to a mandala, they are symmetrical and often include stained glass. They were used to symbolize a rose, which symbolized the Virgin Mary, and as such are in many cathedrals dedicated to her. Spire: a tall, slender spike placed atop roofs and towers. Tracery: where large surfaces such as windows, screens, vaults, etc. are dissected with stone ribs or bars, often in a decorative, geometrically-accurate pattern, to reinforce it from the wind. Triglyph: a series of tablets with three vertical grooves, alternating with metopes in a frieze. Tympanum: a vertical triangular space, often carved, in the center of a pediment or over a door. |
Section of Reims Cathedral, a Gothic structure. Has a nave with two aisles, and flying buttresses, rib vaults, spires and fleches, and clerestory.
Structure of an Early Gothic 6-rib vault
Drawing of Strasbourg Cathedral's rose window
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Writing Genres
What are you writing? It can be hard to define a genre, as there are so many, and part of that is because supergenres simply aren't definitive enough to keep picky readers happy. Here, I've defined three supergenres (fiction, fantasy, and science fiction) to hopefully give you an idea of what sort of content you like.
First, some general rules:
-Comedy versus Tragedy-
These terms aren't quite literal.
A comedy is a story that tends to be uplifting or ends on a high note (i.e. they lived happily ever after; thus, the kingdom was safe for years to come; Little Timmy's wish finally came true, etc.). Comedies don't have to make you laugh, but they'll make you feel good by the end.
A tragedy is a story that tends to be somber or end on a low note (i.e. even in death, she resides in the house to this day; the great beast was vanquished, but the hero will never come home again; so great was his greed, he was outcast from the community, and they never saw him again, etc.). Tragedies will make you feel bad by the end, or perhaps scared.
More often than not, comedies are designed to be entertaining and to brighten the reader's day. Tragedies are designed to scare or teach the reader about consequences.
-The Second Meaning of "Romantic"-
Romance doesn't just mean smooching and flowers and dances in a ball. It can also more broadly refer to fanciful and unrealistic scenarios. In fact, what most people consider romance is actually romanticised courting. Whether that's a dream of being Cinderella or something more dark and twisted, it doesn't matter.
It can be confusing to see something that's platonic refered to as a romance of something. While in the modern age it's more restricted to works that swoon over whatever's being romanticised, you may have still heard it before; as a common example, "romanticised Medieval Ages". This jsut means that the content is an unrealistic, dramatic interpretation of something; in this case, the idea of grand castles, princesses with floor-length dresses, noble knights on horses and dragons terrorizing villages, peasants who love their rulers instead of despising them, and both good and bad wizards and witches, revered for their skills in magic.
This traditional idea of fantasy is romanticized Medieval fantasy, with splashes of pure fantasy (the dragons and the magic). This is because the actual Medieval Ages were grungy, dark, frought with sickness and war, depressed and tyrannical, and lacked dragons and evil witches - probably for the better, honestly. The castles were also less grand like palaces, as they were primarily fortifications, and are quite grim and bland-looking. Sadly, the danger of royalty being kidnapped was still pretty real.
-Comedy versus Tragedy-
These terms aren't quite literal.
A comedy is a story that tends to be uplifting or ends on a high note (i.e. they lived happily ever after; thus, the kingdom was safe for years to come; Little Timmy's wish finally came true, etc.). Comedies don't have to make you laugh, but they'll make you feel good by the end.
A tragedy is a story that tends to be somber or end on a low note (i.e. even in death, she resides in the house to this day; the great beast was vanquished, but the hero will never come home again; so great was his greed, he was outcast from the community, and they never saw him again, etc.). Tragedies will make you feel bad by the end, or perhaps scared.
More often than not, comedies are designed to be entertaining and to brighten the reader's day. Tragedies are designed to scare or teach the reader about consequences.
-The Second Meaning of "Romantic"-
Romance doesn't just mean smooching and flowers and dances in a ball. It can also more broadly refer to fanciful and unrealistic scenarios. In fact, what most people consider romance is actually romanticised courting. Whether that's a dream of being Cinderella or something more dark and twisted, it doesn't matter.
It can be confusing to see something that's platonic refered to as a romance of something. While in the modern age it's more restricted to works that swoon over whatever's being romanticised, you may have still heard it before; as a common example, "romanticised Medieval Ages". This jsut means that the content is an unrealistic, dramatic interpretation of something; in this case, the idea of grand castles, princesses with floor-length dresses, noble knights on horses and dragons terrorizing villages, peasants who love their rulers instead of despising them, and both good and bad wizards and witches, revered for their skills in magic.
This traditional idea of fantasy is romanticized Medieval fantasy, with splashes of pure fantasy (the dragons and the magic). This is because the actual Medieval Ages were grungy, dark, frought with sickness and war, depressed and tyrannical, and lacked dragons and evil witches - probably for the better, honestly. The castles were also less grand like palaces, as they were primarily fortifications, and are quite grim and bland-looking. Sadly, the danger of royalty being kidnapped was still pretty real.
Fiction:
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Fantasy:
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Science Fiction:
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