Writer Lingo

*This page is constantly under construction, as I think of more words that are normal to me but are foreign to normal humans*

You want to be a writer? Well you've got to talk the talk! No one will take you seriously if you don't sound like you've been immersed in a writerly lifestyle since birth. You've got to integrate words whose definitions are only known by writers into your everyday conversation. Only then, when people are scratching their heads wondering what you just said, will they think, "oh yes, I can hear it in her voice. She's undoubtedly a great writer."
So, to help you all along, here is a short list of writerly lingo to get you started on the path to sounding like a true, crazed writer.

Charries
noun. Abbreviation for "characters." Often used in an affectionate way and may be accompanied by words such as "rebellion," "poor," and "little."
Examples: "My poor little charries are rebelling. I may have pushed them over the edge this time."
"I'm taking your poor little charries away from you until you learn to treat them right!"

FMC
abbreviation, noun. Means "female main character." Can also be known as a love interest, heroine, or protagonist. Usually only used when a work has multiple main characters - most often a female and a male who inevitably end up falling in love, no matter the genre. Usually pretty and fashionable. The most common ordeal for an FMC to go through involves romantic torture and emotional ordeals, especially in YA and romance. Often oblivious to MMC's undying love for the majority of the plot.
Examples: "I hate making my FMC choose between these two love interests! Poor girl doesn't know who to choose and is crying on her bed! And she doesn't even know about the MMC!"
See also: MC, MMC

MC
abbreviation, noun. Means "main character." Also known as the lead character, the protagonist, or hero. Often the character tortured most during the course of the book. Often causes feelings of sympathy and remorse in the author, but not enough to convince said author to undo the pain the MC has been or will be forced to go through.
Examples: "I feel so sorry for my MC. I'm putting him through so much PAIN! Poor guy! Oh well, now back to torturing him."
See also: FMC, MMC

MMC
abbreviation, noun. Means "male main character." Also known as the love interest, protagonist, or hero. Usually only used when a work has multiple main character, usually two to be precise. One a male and one a female, and they inevitably fall in love no matter the genre. Usually chivalrous and is tasked with keeping an FMC safe while she deals with her emotional distress. Usually the character who takes the brunt of heartbreak and physical pain.
Examples: "Oh my gosh, my MMC and my FMC are SO CUTE TOGETHER. But she doesn't see that he loves her! It's so heartbreaking!"
See also: MC, FMC

Mary Sue
noun. A character, usually female, which is perfect in every concievable way. Super hot appearance, the uncanny knack to know everything necessary for any situation, the ability to defeat every enemy with no trouble, rare and powerful weapon, perfect manners, mature, and sassy - these characters are entirely skillful and not at all lacking. 
Readers have been known to be driven insane by Mary Sues, which appear most often in works such as fan fiction. This is because Mary Sues are so perfect that they are completely unrelatable and totally annoying. 
The best way to deal with Mary Sues, should you meet one, is to either kill him/her if the character in question appears in your own book, or burn the book containing said Mary Sue. 
Examples: "I had to stop reading that book because the MC was a Mary Sue. Ugh."
"This Mary Sue is driving me INSANE!"

Muse
noun. That elusive being which allows writers to continue writing full of blissful inspiration. If the Muse disappears, a writer may be at risk of writer's block and the symptoms which accompany it. Other names for the mysterious Muse include but are not limited to "inner voices" and "imaginary friends."
Examples: "Since my Muse deserted me I haven't been able to write a single word!" 
"My Muse is alive and well! It helped me write a whole chapter today!"
See also: Writer's Block

Plot Bunny
noun. A creature which exists in abundance to the point where they become hindrances to writer productivity. They can be found anywhere and are known for drawing poor writers' attention away from what they're supposed to be working on, to favor whatever little idea the plot bunny has delivered. Sometimes writers seize plot bunnies, scooping them up into their arms and building nice little nests for them; other times, writers shoo the plot bunnies away with vehement proclamations about how much they already have to do. Plot bunnies, however, are persistent, and often have the ability to sneak past a writer's defenses and build itself a home in the writer's menagerie of ideas. Often mentioned amidst expressions of helplessness in regards to resisting the plot bunny's power or pleas for the plot bunny to have mercy and leave.
Examples: "I'm being bombarded by plot bunnies and I don't have time for any of them! GO AWAY. I CAN'T DEAL WITH YOU NOW."
"I tried to ignore this plot bunny (I've got five other novels, two short stories, and a letter to my agent to write!) but this one just wouldn't let me leave it alone."

POV
abbreviation, noun. A stand in for "point of view," referring to the type of point of view or a certain character's point of view in a story. Can be a source of much pain and frustration depending on the specific POV. Has been known to drive writers to tears because of indecision.
Examples: "I can't figure out which POV to use! I know I want Kyra to be the narrator but should I use first person or third person limited? Someone help me decide!"
"I'm using third person omniscient and I can't figure out, because of that, which character is my main character! Anyone know how to figure this out? If not I'll have to change to second person . . ."

Subplot
noun. A tiny or miniature plot arc within a fictional work, of lesser importance to the story than the main plot arc. Often features emotional tension and drama and/or romance. When no subplots exist, readers sob from boredom. When too many exist within a single book, you will find readers clutching their heads and tearing at their hair from confusion. Some may be taking notes in an effort to deal with all the information of secondary importance. Writers, on the other hand, love subplots but are sometimes left searching their devious brains for them. Other times they know that they are searching for something but don't know what, in a sort of writer's existential crisis.
Examples: "There are so many subplots in that book that my head was spinning! It wasn't good for my mental health so I had to put it down."
"My WIP needs something to make it more exciting. It's flat and boring and there doesn't seem like there's a lot going on. But I've rewritten my plot so many times that I don't think I could make it any better, and my characters are so developed that I sometimes hallucinate and think they're there talking to me! I don't know what the problem is! Does anyone know or am I just being stupid?"

Research
noun. Though this word is very mundane in the normal world, in the world of writing it takes on a meaning filled with strangeness and fear. Due to the strange minds of writers and their predilections to violence against their charries, a writer's research looks very different from a normal human being's. Research topics may include but are not limited to: "ways to injure someone badly but not kill them," "deadliest natural poisons," "ways to break in to a bank vault," "real life vampires," "fastest way to knock someone out," "weird phobias," "deadly fashions," and "most effective battle strategies." Whenever a writer admits to doing research, he/she will often also express a desire to keep said research a secret from the normal world for fear of being arrested or put on the potential terrorist list. Obviously, this fear is not groundless.
Examples: "Look at what I had to research today . . . [Search: how long do humans last in the desert without water]."
"I always delete my browsing history. Don't want my mom borrowing my laptop and seeing my research into assassination methods of the middle ages."

Work-in-Progress (WIP)
noun. The writing project that is currently your main focus or is still under construction. Also known as "the project that is my current source of insanity and psychopathic research topics" and "the bane of my existence." Often accompanied by sentiments such as "This is driving me insane!" or "My friends think I'm a psychopath."
Examples: "My WIP is making me cry. THE FEELS. WHY DID I DECIDE TO DO THIS. *goes off to weep dramatically in a field during a thunderstorm*"
"So I'm pretty sure that all the research I've been doing for my WIP has put me on the FBI's watch list. I'm hoping that my non-writer friends never see my browser history."

Writer's Block
noun. An illness only contracted by writers. Symptoms include: wailing in a corner; face-planting on a keyboard; staring into space at the computer for hours at a time; typing a sentence, erasing, retyping it, and then erasing it again, and so on; scribbling doodles in a writing notebook instead of words; a developed aversion to computers, pens, and notebooks; excessive chocolate consumption. This illness is often associated with the legendary Muse abandoning the afflicted, but the cause is not completely known.
Examples: "She can't write because her Muse abandoned her. It's called writer's block."
"I've got the worst bout of writer's block I've ever felt! It's never lasted three months before! Does anyone know how to break it?"
See also: Muse

Writer Fuel
noun. Known to the rest of the world as "coffee," this is the stuff that allows writers to stay up until ridiculous times in the morning trying to meet their deadlines. Most often used before a deadline or during National Novel Writing Month. Sometimes consumed in gallons at a time. Oftentimes referred to among complaints of lethargy or stress. May be referred to as a form of salvation.
Examples: "Thank goodness for writer fuel or I would never have made it through NaNoWriMo."
"Ugh, I'm so tired. I stayed up until four last night trying to meet my word goal. Writer fuel was the only thing keeping me from falling asleep."

14 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Too Much! So entertaining, I love the intro, the piece on writers block and the plot bunnies bit! Keep adding, really nice job!

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  3. If this list is any indication, I'm a true, crazed writer for sure. *laughing snort*
    I tagged you for the 'Sisterhood of the World Bloggers award' here: https://ascatteringoflight.wordpress.com/2015/01/12/sisterhood-of-the-world-bloggers-award/

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  4. I couldn't help but laugh at the Writer's Block definition. :D

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  5. Oh my! I love this so much! I'm new to your blog, by the way :) I have definitely used a lot of these before, but I actually had never heard the it was called 'muse'! So I am super content that I know it now :)

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    1. Hello and welcome to my small portion of the internet. :) I'm glad you enjoyed reading this and I look forward to seeing more of you around!

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  6. Oh, one more thing. I decided to make a page like this on my own blog because it is an awesome, helpful idea. I wanted to ask your permission if I can use one of your definitions on it. I would acknowledge your blog and have a link to it. :)

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    1. Yes, that's alright! But please be specific about which definitions are mine.

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    2. Thank you! And of course! I just used one. You can look at it if you want to see if I should change something :)

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    3. Yes, that's fine! Thanks for asking.

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  7. Hey you forgot Gary Stu - the male version of a Mary Sue.

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