Old Updates
April 26, 2021: Added European Dragons: What You Might Not Know About Them.
April 8, 2021: Added Common Heroic Narrative Tropes We Should Question.
March 5, 2021: Added How To Get In Touch With Nature (It's Easier Than You Probably Think!).
February 5, 2021: Updated and revised the article on writing abused characters and abuse situations to On Writing Abusers, Abuse Victims, & Abuse Situations.
December 30, 2020: Updated and revised Basic Tips To Create Better Characters With Tragic & Traumatic Backstories.
November 29, 2020: The old article on mixing science and magic has been completely rewritten and retitled to On Mixing Science & Magic.
November 25, 2020: Added A Brief Primer On The Four Elements.
November 20, 2020: Revised and retitled the old article about writing good powerful characters - it's now How To Write Powerful & Extraordinary Characters Without Being Obnoxious Or Boring.
November 17, 2020: Revised Basic Tips To Write Better Chosen Ones.
November 15, 2020: Revised an old article: Things Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Should Know About Science.
November 10, 2020: Revised the old article Basic Tips To Write Better & More Despicable Villains.
November 5, 2020: Added Writing Historically Accurate European Magic & Witchcraft: A Starting Guide. Also removed a few old articles with outdated, oversimplistic, and sometimes honestly pretty badly-done advice regarding writing minorities. (The useful stuff has made it into other articles, don't worry.) And I do apologize for that lousy content, and I will do my best to write better going forward.
September 16, 2020: Added What Writers Need To Know About Liars & Manipulators.
July 17, 2020: Updated and upgraded the old symbolism article to Using Symbolism, Metaphor, Subtext, & Coding In Your Story - Where And How.
June 20, 2020: Added An Anti-Racism Primer For White Folks.
April 3, 2020: Added Textual ASMR: A Servant Prepares You For The Ball.
April 1, 2020: Added Textual ASMR: A Gentle Prince Nurses You To Health.
March 31, 2020: Added Textual ASMR: Heart-Mending Magic.
March 29, 2020: Added Textual ASMR: Magical Cleanse & Charge.
March 22, 2020: Added the SoulMettle story Searching For Magic.
January 15, 2020: Added Writing Fantastic People & Creatures Without Unfortunate Implications. Also, added Foxes In Love's sprite to the patron gallery!
December 10, 2019: The old article on writing masquerades has been completely rewritten! Check out the new How To Write Better & More Believable Masquerades here!
November 11, 2019: Added How Myths & Lore Don't Originate - And How They Do.
November 1, 2019: Added How To Challenge Toxic Masculinity As A Writer.
October 15, 2019: Added Common Beginner Writer Mistakes.
July 28, 2019: Added How To Become A Creative Writer & Figure Out What You Should Write.
June 24, 2019: Added the SoulMettle story That Time With The Vampires.
June 4, 2019: Added How To Evoke Audience Reaction & Keep Things Interesting Without Being Cheap Or Manipulative.
April 12, 2019: Added Explaining In Your Story: When You Should, When You Shouldn't, & How To Do It.
April 1, 2019: Added How To Bring A Character Back To Life.
March 5, 2019: Added "Does My Character Work Okay?" - How To Tell For Yourself!
February 27, 2019: Added Framing: What It Is And How To Use It.
February 8, 2019: Added Things To Know When Writing Historical Fiction & Fictional History.
January 31, 2019: Added How To Quit An RP Without Ghosting.
December 10, 2018: Added Canon Character Analysis Questions.
December 9, 2018: Added How To Increase Your Self-Awareness & Grow As A Person.
December 3, 2018: Added "Do My Dark Thoughts Mean I'm Bad?" - No! Here's What You Need To Know.
November 17, 2018: New SoulMettle content: Androids, Constructs, & Other AIs.
November 14, 2018: Added How To Plot, Outline, & Finish Your Story.
October 26, 2018: Added The Problem With Making The Universe Revolve Around The Main Characters.
October 11, 2018: Added How To Exercise & Strengthen Your Empathy.
October 10, 2018: Added the Ridiculously Awesome Character Idea Generator.
October 9, 2018: Added How To Write People On Large Scales.
October 6, 2018: Added How To Create And Write An Arch-Nemesis.
October 3, 2018: Added Ways Female Characters Are (Still) Badly Written.
September 29, 2018: Apologies - the article added today was essentially Highly Frustrating & Disappointing Things Writers Do To Plots, which I neglected to put into my finished drafts folder and so mistook it for something I hadn't uploaded yet.
September 8, 2018: Added What Writers Need To Know About Predatory People.
July 25, 2018: Curatorial Fans, Transformative Fans, & How Both Can Be Obnoxious.
July 21, 2018: Added Representation: Why It Matters, & How To Do It Well.
July 12, 2018: Added The Four Aspects Of A Roleplay Campaign/Plot (Or, How To Make Designing RP Campaigns/Plots Easier!).
June 24, 2018: Added Things Writers Need To Know About Medieval Feudalism.
June 15, 2018: Added "How Should My Royalty/Nobility Behave?" - How To Answer This For Yourself!
June 2, 2018: Added Tips For Writing Sherlock Holmes-Style Detectives & Stories.
June 1, 2018: Added Harmful Myths YA Fiction Could Stand To Counter.
May 30, 2018: Added Villain Motives Made Easy.
May 27, 2018: Patron Kaedan's sprite has been added to the Patron Gallery!
May 26, 2018: Added Alternatives To Killing Your Characters.
May 16, 2018: SoulMettle: The mysteranium page has been split into two separate pages - one for mysteranium and one for mysteranium-enhanced people Additionally, some new information has been added to both!
May 12, 2018: Added No, Thanos Was Not Justified.
May 10, 2018: New SoulMettle content: Magic: How And Where It's Learned.
May 7, 2018: Added How To Write & Roleplay Characters Who Are Different From You (Or, How To Stop Writing Self-Inserts!).
May 3, 2018: IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL SPRINGHOLE.NET VISITORS. Everyone, I desperately need some help - this site is in the balance. Read the message for more information.
April 30, 2018: Added Highly Frustrating & Disappointing Things Writers Do To Plots.
April 24, 2018: New SoulMettle content: Techniques & Tools of Magic.
April 20, 2018: Added the Scar & Amputation Generator.
April 13, 2018: Added elves to the SoulMettle universe!
April 7, 2018: Added Social Tips For The Socially Awkward.
March 31, 2018: Above & Beyond has been given a new name - SoulMettle! Please update any links you need to!
April 1st, 2018: Who or what would you be in the SoulMettle universe? Find out with this quiz - What Is Your Metallum Animae?
February 10, 2018: Added How Good Story & Character Ideas Can Go Bad.
February 9, 2018: Added Bad-Spirited Roleplaying: The RP Sin That Needs To Be Against The Rules Already.
February 8, 2018: Added How To Keep People From Idealizing Your Villains.
February 7, 2018: Added How To Make People Like Your OCs.
January 25, 2018: Added a new character generation system sheet over here!
January 23, 2018: Added How To Be A Good Listener & Be Emotionally Supportive.
January 22, 2018: Added What People Need To Know About The Creative Process.
January 18, 2018: Added A Few Things Guys Need To Know About Writing Straight Romances.
January 17, 2018: Added Bad Assumptions Writers Make About Aliens.
January 16, 2018: Added Advice & Tips On Developing Fictional Timelines & Histories.
January 9, 2018: More Above & Beyond content - merpeople!
January 4, 2018: Added Writing Characters Who Work Behind The Scenes & From The Shadows.
January 3, 2018: Find out about the strange town of Alva, Oregon in the Above & Beyond universe.
January 2, 2018: A&B stuff - Genii Locorum! They can grant your characters magical power... but is it worth it?
January 1, 2018: Find out what vampires are up to in the Above & Beyond universe!
December 31, 2017: More Above & Beyond content: Magic: An Overview and Magical Tricks & Disciplines Of Note.
December 30, 2017: Added the Above & Beyond page The History & State of Civilization In Space (As Pertinent To Humans).
December 29, 2017: The original universe Above & Beyond begins its rollout today! See what's up over here!
December 20, 2017: Added Things About Training & Teaching Writers Need To Know.
December 19, 2017: Added How To Redeem A Villain.
December 18, 2017: Added Things Writers Need To Know About Skepticism & Disbelief.
November 22, 2017: Added Things To Think About & Consider When Writing About Tiny/Miniature People.
November 11, 2017: Added "Help! I Need Ideas For My Story/Setting/Character!" - How To Get Ideas Yourself!.
November 9, 2017: Added How To Convert Fanfiction To Original Fiction.
November 7, 2017: Added Tips To Be A Good Creative Collaborator/Partner.
October 29, 2017: Added How To Sharpen Your Intuition.
October 27, 2017: Added How To Generate Ideas With Playing Cards.
October 26, 2017: Added Tips To Create Fictional Philosophies & Value Systems.
October 24, 2017: Added How To Avoid Making Your Story And Characters Feel Contrived.
October 20, 2017: Added How To Write Well - A Quick Guide.
October 12, 2017: Added What More Characters Should Consider Before Turning, Transforming, Or Augmenting Someone.
October 4, 2017: Added Moral & Ethical System Development Questions.
October 3, 2017: Added the Skelefolk Generator.
October 2, 2017: Added the Bugbear (Hairy Monster) Generator.
September 29, 2017: Added How To Make Your "Incomprehensible" Beings Comprehensible - And Why You Need To.
September 17, 2017: Added What To Do When You Have A Character, But No Plot.
September 14, 2017: Added Where & How Writers Need To Do The Math.
September 10, 2017: Added Copyable Year Lists (1-5999).
August 26, 2017: Added How To Avoid Elitist Overtones In Your Fiction.
August 25, 2017: Added Apologizing: Why & How To Do It.
August 24, 2017: Added Guilt Tripping: What It Is And Isn't, And How To Deal With It.
August 19, 2017: The Random Vampire Generator has been rehauled.
August 18, 2017: Added How To Make The Nameless, Faceless, & Minor Characters In Your Story Feel Human To You.
August 17, 2017: Added How To Write Sympathetic Antagonists Without Endorsing Or Excusing Their Actions, & Without Making Your Protagonists Seem Heartless.
July 21, 2017: Added Factors That Contribute To Abusive & Dysfunctional Systems/Institutions.
July 18, 2017: Added How To Spot Abusive & Manipulative People.
July 17, 2017: Added the Mer Tail Generator.
July 15, 2017: Added On Designing & Writing Oppressive Governments In Your Fiction.
July 12, 2017: Added the RPG Campaign Idea Generator.
July 9, 2017: Added Things To Think About & Consider When Writing Merpeople & Mer Fiction.
July 6, 2017: Added Things Writers Need To Know About Plants & Herbs.
July 3, 2017: Added more magic wand sprite bases.
July 1, 2017: Added magic wand sprite bases.
June 26, 2017: Added 5 More Ways To Make Yourself A Happier Person.
June 16, 2017: Added Making Your Characters' Lives Harder: Why You Need To Do This & How It Can Be Done.
June 13, 2017: Added "How Can/Should I Do This Thing With My Story/Setting/Character?" - How Figure It Out For Yourself!
June 9, 2017: Added Critical Details For Writers To Keep Track Of.
June 6, 2017: Added How To Avoid Being A Bad Game Master/Roleplay Admin.
June 5, 2017: Added Ways To Reduce & Avoid Stress As A Game Master/Roleplay Admin. (Broken link fixed!)
May 31, 2017: Added How To Increase Your Word Count (Without Resorting To Purple Prose And Gratuitous Introspection!).
May 30, 2017: Added Character Traits To Roll Your 2d6 For.
May 25, 2017: Added How To Make Your Roleplay Character Stand Out.
May 20, 2017: Added Ethical Considerations For Fantastic Situations - Are Your Sci-Fi & Fantasy Heroes Ethical People?
May 18, 2017: Added Character Morality & Ethics - What Separates Your Heroes From The Villains?
May 12, 2017: Added How To Build Up A Believable Romance.
May 11, 2017: Added A Few Things To Know When Writing Rebellions & Coups.
May 8, 2017: Added a basic character generation system sheet.
May 2, 2017: Added "Help! I'm Worried That My Idea Is Too Cliche!" - What To Do When This Happens.
April 30, 2017: Added A Few Things Writers Need To Know About Psychology & Psychotherapists.
April 23, 2017: Added A Few Things Writers Need To Know About The Medieval Period.
April 20, 2017: Added a character challenges and obstacles sheet.
April 19, 2017: Added a couple of printable character sheets.
April 17, 2017: Added Character Infatuation & Over-Identification - Do You Have These Problems?
April 15, 2017: Added The Voice of Reason vs. The Control Freak - The Difference.
April 14, 2017: Added On Writing Empowered & Empowering Characters.
April 12, 2017: Added On Writing & Roleplaying Older Characters.
April 7, 2017: Added How To Make A Decision When Choosing Is Hard.
April 5, 2017: Added On Writing & Roleplaying Smart Characters.
February 28, 2017: Added Tips To Create & Write Creepy Characters & Situations.
February 19, 2017: Added Tips To Create & Write More Interesting & Believable Villains.
February 14, 2017: The old What To Do When You Feel Like You're Fading Into The Background of a Roleplay article has been dusted off and freshened up with new and improved tips!
February 3, 2017: Added How To Create Fictional Structured Religions.
January 27, 2017: Added How To Cultivate A Strong Internal Identity.
January 15, 2017: Added Advice & Tips On Creating & Writing Bullies.
January 2, 2017: Added the Fantastic Realm Generator.