How To Write Successful Dialogue

Japanese learning mistakes… There are TONS. Should you be worried and give up? NO! Because making mistakes and SCREWING UP is a NECESSARY part of learning. Only after you make a mistake and get corrected is when you get better!

So here’s a big list of Japanese Mistakes lesson for you. So that you get better at Japanese. Hope you enjoy!

Source – Taken from

For Learners: Top 52 Japanese Mistakes That Beginners Make

http://www.linguajunkie.com/japanese/japanese-mistakes-by-learners

1. Mistaking Particles Wa & Ga

は・が

This is one of the most common Japanese mistakes that learners make.

It is really hard to suggest a solution for this  since even Japanese have moments where they doubt which one of these should be used. You really need to get used to it with time. But, let’s try anyway:

Solution: To put it simply:

は identifies the topic of the sentence

が identifies the subject of the sentence

2. Mistaking Particles Ni & De

に・で

Another common one. Both of these are connected with actions, but to make it a bit simpler let’s say that.

Solution…

に identifies and indicates “existence”, the location of the object.

で on the other hand indicates the location where the action is taking place.

3. Adjectives ending with い in the past tense

Yet another common mistake which pops up even if you’re not a beginner. Let’s take the word 寒い (cold). You see many learners who use 「寒いでした。」It’s wrong.

Solution:

The correct and polite way of saying  “It was cold” is 「寒かったです。」.

It is important to pay attention to what type of an adjective you are using な or い.

4. Saying “You” in Japanese

あなた・君

Unlike English, one doesn’t really use the word you while talking to Japanese people.

Solution:

Instead we use the name of the certain person instead of saying you.「今日太郎に会えて良かった。」 is one example. Or, don’t say “you” at all. It’s kind of confrontational.

5. Saying “I” in Japanese

俺 – Ore (masculine)

僕 – Boku (masculine)

私 – Watashi (m/f)

あたし – Atashi (feminine)

There is a large number of personal pronouns in Japanese and the usage also depends on the gender, age, context, and of course your relation and the position of the person you are talking to.

Just be careful to use the gender appropriate pronoun, otherwise you might be frowned at.

Solution:

Say watashi for now. It’s safe and polite. Later, once you understand the full nuances, use them as you wish.

6.The Little Tsu

っ・ッ

Stop! Another one of the common Japanese mistakes here!

Okay this tiny little thing changes the pronunciation of your word and along with it most likely even the meaning. It basically is used to double the sound of the consonant. If you pay attention to your pronunciation, this shouldn’t be a huge problem.

7. Long vowels

Yet another pronunciation mistake pretty similar to the one above. More often than not the meaning of the word will change depending on the length of the vowel, for example:

おばさん (aunt)

おばあさん (grandmother)

8. Iru & Aru in Japanese

いる・ある

Mixing these up is a very common Japanese mistake.

These are words indicating existence of living beings and things respectively. It is common to see learners use ある when talking about animals, but you should keep in your mind that with animals and birds, and everything else that can breathe you use いる.

Solution:

Living Beings: Use いる

Inanimate Objects: Use ある

9. Katakana – カタカナ

For some reason many learners find it harder to remember katakana compared to hiragana and kanji. A

And yet another issue is we never seem to understand what the katakana words mean since they often do not match their English pronunciations. Hence, we too pronounce English words wrongly when we try to change them into katakana.

This would go on the “understandable” Japanese mistakes list. If you make it, I can sympathize.

10. The excessive usage of と

と is pretty much the equivalent of “and” in English. However it cannot be used in every situation. For example when you are connecting adjectives you can’t use と.

Solution:

Instead you will have something like this: 「可愛くて、美しくて、素敵だった」. In other words the form of the word itself changes.

11. Apologizing in Japanese

There are a lot of words in Japanese that can be used for apologizing, and they vary from situation to situation. However let’s concentrate on 「ごめんなさい」 and 「すみません」. They are quite interchangeable but to make it easier for you:

Solution

Let’s say that:

ごめんなさい is equivalent to “sorry”

すみません is “excuse me”.

Keep it simple and use them like that.

12. Japanese Greeting Mistakes

The most common greeting in Japan is 「こんにちは」. However when meeting close friends it is better to avoid this phrase, since it is formal.

Solution

You’d have better chances of bonding with your friends if you use おっす/hello for bye orおつかれ/otsukare for bye.

13. Dakara and Kara

だから・から

And again, learners tend to use だから even when から is supposed to be used. A simple example of this will be 「美味しいだから」.

Solution

だから is usually used with nouns and な type of adjectives, not with verbs or い adjectives.

14. Misusing Desu kara

～ですから

We often use this when we are explaining something, or pointing reasons for this or that. However to most Japanese this will sound like you are trying to find an excuse for your actions.

15. Calling someone “san”

～さん

Now 「さん」 is a suffix that we add when we are talking to somebody, but a lot of Japanese learners seem to add this even to their own names when talking about themselves. Just DO NOT ever do this.

16. Thanking someone in Japanese

ありがとう・ありがとうございます

Well the main difference here is informal/formal.

However you should be careful when using the informal version. If you are talking to somebody who is clearly above you, be it age-wise or position-wise, no matter how close you are there are situations when it’s better to use the formal version. For example, when you have asked them for a favor.

17. Keigo – 敬語 (formal speech)

Now, this is the opposite of the above above. Do not talk to your close friends in 敬語 (unless you have to ask them to do a big favor to you), because this will make them think you are trying to distance yourself from them and all of this can get in the way of your friendship.

18. Sorea, Are, Soko, Asoko

それ – Sore – That

あれ – Are – That (over there – further than sore)

そこ – Soko – Over there

あそこ – Asoko – Way Over there (further than asoko)

These mean that and there if you look for the English equivalents. However as in everything else with Japanese, the nuances matter. To put it simply それ indicates closeness to the person you are talking to, while あれ suggests that the thing is not close to either of you.

19. Gender appropriate

Japanese is a very gender specific language, like it or not. It’s not like you will become a social outcast but people will point out that you sound girly, or that you have a very dirty and boyish vocabulary for a young girl.

20. The Overall Mess of Kanji

We can turn this article into 1,000 Japanese mistakes if we expanded on this.

So!

If you have been learning Japanese for any period of time and do not have Chinese or Korean background, kanji has probably been a pain in the neck for you. You miss one tiny part and the meaning of the word changes. Not to mention there are hundreds and hundreds of them to memories.

21. Confusing words that have the exact same pronunciation

Okay, this might be a bit tricky, but you have to figure out the meaning out of the context or depending on the kanji and intonation. Not much else can be done.

Here are some examples:

地震・自身 – both are “jishin”

橋・箸・端 – all are “hashi”

22. ～してもいいですか・～してもよろしいでしょうか

They both basically mean “can i do this”, however the main difference is in the level of politeness. If you are talking to a senpai, teacher, professor, boss, somebody who is older than you, or somebody who is above you in any way, it is highly recommended to use the latter rather than the former.

23. Kawaiisou vs Kawaisou

可愛いそう – Kawaiisou

可哀そう – Kawaisou

When you try to describe something, you usually add ~そう at the end of your い adjective. To do this you cut the い and replace it with the ～そう. However, even though the difference is clear in written form thanks to kanji, a mistake in pronunciation will change the meaning from “cute” to “pitiful”.

24. Misusing Morau, Ageru, Kureru

もらう・あげる・くれる

I don’t know about you but learning the difference between these was a burning hell to me. もらう means to receive, while the other two mean to give.

However, depending on how you use these, the meaning can get pretty confusing, i.e. 「手伝ってくれてもいいですか。」 is offering your help to someone, so be sure to use もらう instead if you are looking for help!

This is one of those Japanese mistakes even the pros make at times.

25. The Particle No

の

A lot of people seem to misuse 「の」. For example, using a の in between an adjective and noun –「厳しいの先生」– Kibishii no sensei – strict teacher.

The 「の」here is redundant and there is no need to use it at all. Why? Because the adjective already modifies AND belongs to the noun.  That’s the job of an adjective, to modify a noun. There’s no need to use の.

http://www.linguajunkie.com/japanese/japanese-mistakes-by-learners

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Great descriptions to bounce off of. Helps brainstorming.

How do you write a fight scene without becoming repetitive? I feel like it just sounds like "she did this then this then this." Thanks so much!

I watch her as she fights. Her left leg flies through the air – a roundhouse – rolling into a spin. She misses, but I guess she’s supposed to. Her foot lands and launches her into a jump. Up she goes again, just as fast. The other leg pumps, high knee gaining altitude. The jumping leg tucks. Her body rolls midair, momentum carrying her sideways. She kicks. A tornado kick, they call it. The top of her foot slams into Rodrigo’s head, burying in his temple. Didn’t move back far enough, I guess.

His head, it snaps sideways like a ball knocked off a tee. Skull off the spine. His eyes roll back, and he slumps. Whole body limp. Legs just give out beneath him. He clatters to the sidewalk; wrist rolling off the curb.

She lands, making the full turn and spins back around. Her eyes are on his body. One foot on his chest. I don’t know if he’s alive. I don’t know if she cares. Nah, she’s looking over her shoulder. Looking at me.

The truth twists my gut. I should’ve started running a long time ago.

The first key to writing a good fight scene is to tell a story. The second key is having a grasp of combat rules and technique. The third is to describe what happens when someone gets hit. The fourth is to remember physics. Then, roll it all together. And remember: be entertaining.

If you find yourself in the “and then” trap, it’s because you don’t have a firm grasp of what exactly it is your writing. “He punched” then “She blocked” then “a kick” only gets you so far.

You’ve got to get a sense for shape and feeling, and a sense of motion. Take a page from the comic artist’s playbook and make a static image feel like it’s moving. Try to remember that violence is active. Unless your character is working with a very specific sort of soft style, they’re attacks are going to come with force. So, you’ve got to make your sentences feel like your hitting something or someone.

“Ahhh!” Mary yelled, and slammed her fist into the pine’s trunk. A sickening crack followed, then a whimper not long after.

Angie winced. “Feel better?”

Shaking out her hand, Mary bit her lip. Blood dripped from her knuckles, uninjured fingers gripping her wrist. She sniffed, loudly. “I…” she paused, “…no.”

“You break your hand?”

“I think so. Yeah.”

“Good,” Angie said. “Think twice next time before challenging a tree.”

Let your characters own their mistakes. If they hit something stupid in anger, like a wall or a tree then let them have consequences.Injury is part of combat. In the same way, “I should be running now” is. When the small consequences of physical activity invade the page, they bring reality with them.

People don’t just slug back and forth unless they don’t know how to fight, or their only exposure to combat is mostly movies or bloodsport like boxing. Either way, when one character hits another there are consequences. It doesn’t matter if they blocked it or even deflected it, some part of the force is going to be transitioned into them and some rebounds back at the person who attacked.

Your character is going to get hurt, and it’ll be painful. Whether that’s just a couple of bruises, a broken bone, or their life depends on how the fight goes.

However, this is fantasy. It is all happening inside our heads. Our characters are never in danger unless we say they are. They’ll never be hurt unless we allow it. A thousand ghost punches can be thrown and mean absolutely, utterly nothing at all to the state of the character. This is why it is all important to internalize the risks involved.

The writer is in charge of bringing a dose of reality into their fictional world. It is much easier to sell an idea which on some level mimics human behavior and human reactions. The ghost feels physical because we’ve seen it happen on television or relate to it happening to us when we get injured.

You’ve got five senses, use them. You know what it feels like to get injured. To be bruised. To fall down. To be out of breath. Use that.

Here’s something to take with you: when we fight, every technique brings us closer together. Unless it specifically knocks someone back. You need specific distances to be able to use certain techniques. There’s the kicking zone, the punching zone, and the grappling zone. It’s the order of operation, the inevitable fight progression. Eventually, two combatants will transition through all three zones and end up on the ground.

So, keep the zones in mind. If you go, “she punched, and then threw a roundhouse kick” that’s wrong unless you explain more. Why? Because if the character is close enough to throw a punch, then they’re too close to throw most kicks. The roundhouse will just slap a knee or a thigh against the other character’s ribs, and probably get caught. If you go, “she punched, rammed an uppercut into his stomach, and seized him by the back of the head”, then that’s right. You feel the fighters getting progressively closer together, which is how its supposed to work.

Use action verbs, and change them up. Rolled, rotated, spun, punched, kicked, slammed, rammed, jammed, whipped, cracked, etc.

You’ve got to sell it. You need to remember a human’s bodily limits, and place artificial ones. You need to keep track of injuries, every injury comes with a cost. Make sure they aren’t just trading blows forever.

I’ve seen advice that says fights all by themselves aren’t interesting. I challenge that assertion. If you’re good at writing action, then the sequence itself is compelling. You know when you are because it feels real. Your reader will tune out if it isn’t connecting, and the fight scene is a make or break for selling your fantasy. It is difficult to write or create engaging, well choreographed violence that a reader can easily follow and imagine happening.

-Michi

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It's nice to know even the unbelievably attractive people have these moments

This made my day. 

One of the most important scenes in anime history

Writing Character Relationships

Character relationships are important to add dimension to the characters and can help make them and the plot more realistic. This isn’t just for romantic relationships because building the characters’ platonic and familial relationships are important as well. So here are a few tips on creating believable and endearing relationships your readers will love.

Don’t rush into it. This goes for platonic relationships as well as romantic ones. A big cliché complaint with romance stories is that the two characters tend to meet and fall head over heels in love with each other after two conversations or one loving glance across the room (sorry Romeo and Juliet). While romantic connections can begin on the first date, the characters probably shouldn’t be professing undying love and devotion to each other an hour after meeting. The problem isn’t so much the length of time that they’ve known each other as it is how well they know each other, which is why character friendships need time too. If your characters spend two full days together where they really get to know each other deeply and we can see the progression from strangers to people who understand each other, great. If their relationship spans a year but all they do is check each other out then you have a problem. Make them know each other and interact in meaningful ways to create the relationship and show how it came to be.

Show their history. Not every relationship your characters have is going to be created in the span of time in which the story takes place. Your character might have a best friend they’ve known for ten years or three older siblings. Just because these predate the beginning of the story doesn’t mean you don’t have to show what kind of relationship they have. You can say that so-and-so is the best friend but you have to make us believe it. Are they the kind of friends that tell each other everything, like even what they probably shouldn’t? Or are they more the kind that have fun and leave the drama when they go out? Show what kind of relationship the characters have rather than just telling.

Give the reader a sense of why the relationship fits. In some stories you read about the guy and the girl who are just so cute together and they’re falling in love but…why? Why does this pairing work? Having things in common is important, particularly in things that are important to the character, like values. But they can and should also have differences, some of which serve to make the other better. Together they should push each other and support each other. If you make them connect in this way it makes the connection much stronger to the reader and that makes them want to cheer them on more. If it’s all about the smooching it can get rather boring quite quickly.

Make them complete without the other(s). I know I just said that making the characters push each other is a good thing, but they still need to be complete characters on their own. If the only real thing you can say about the character is that they are X’s soulmate or best friend, then they’re not a character. It’s more interesting to see how people interact with each other than Love Interests™ following each other around.  

When Your Ship Isn’t Canon But You Remember There’s A Place Called Fanfiction

It’s kind of embarrassing how hard I laugh at my own memes.

jimin with pink hair for @perfectlikegold​ ♡

My best of winter 2017

Kuzu no honkai

Personally I was quite thrilled for this one since I was folowing the manga. The wait was worth it

Reasons to see it

Great story

Beatiful visuals and art

The ost is so onpoint like damn

The damn feels

I will give you a 5 cmx second vibe sometimes

GREAT CHARACHTER DEVOLPMENT

The human strugles about love are so real

The really hot nsfw scenes lol

Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon

Ok I was literally expecting nothing from this anime , moe appart ofc . And It actually turned to be one ot the most batiful slice of life/ comedy I’ve seen in a while

Reasons to see it:

Great charachters

I will make you laugh out loudly ad give you some hapiness

The osts and the gags

Some good lessons about life and stuggles

And the most important reason

Whatch it for this godess. Literally lol

Little Witch Academia

My dark horse of the season. I just love this anime and the vibe it gives so much. Expecially ako and her expressions. Precious child.

  Reasons to whatch it:

One of the best female leads

The great sucy ( we all know she is best girl)

The simple but yet great animation

The comedy that alys hides some deep messagge behind it

Whatch it you want to fall in love with magic and innocence

  Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen

The first season hooked me up. the second one made meworship and love it. Seriously what a magnificent anime

Reason to whatch it:

This is a little masterpiece, You don’t really need more than this lol

Great and unprecditable drama

Memorabe characters

Amazing animation

Best opening I’ve seen in a while. One of my all time favorite op

The feels are real and will et you alive

PLEASE DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND GO WHATCH THIS

3-gatsu no Lion

This anime once again proved me that underrated anime are the best. This anime strugges are so real that it just breaks your heart. Once again umino chika (Hachimitsu to clover) lived up to her name

Reason to whatch it:

Rei. One of the best devolved protagonist I’ve seen

His problems are so deep and real you can’t help to cheer for him

Great side characters and  charachter devolpment

Amazing art

Great balance betwen comedy/seriousness/sad scenes

Come for the charachters and stay for the feels

Gintama

Hands down to one of the most beatiful shonen’s ever made. You don’t need the sad past from the 1 episode to pity the charachters . Afer 400 episodes is more epic

As the precedent arc Gintama was the anime that made me laugh and cry more than everything. The  great balance between commedy and serious scenes is what makes gintama so special.

You don’t need reasons to go and whatch this. Just do it , you will thank me later. It’s probably better than any overated shonen anime like one piece ( yeah I said one piece) , Fairy tale, and even Naruto which I love with all my hear.

-My favorite part of the season was about zura’s bacstory and fight scene. I already loved him but the deepness sorachi added to him left me spechless.