cherry valley forever
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Doug Jones
Noah Kahan
roma★
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titsay
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ojovivo
Product Placement
Cookie Run:Kingdom Official!
todays bird
Misplaced Lens Cap
❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
oozey mess
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sheepfilms
ellievsbear
tannertan36
@theartofmadeline
seen from Malaysia
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@daze-dream
Includes:
200 male, 200 female, and 200 unisex names
Common and unusual names
Definitions and nationalities
Pronunciations for Irish/Scottish Gaelic names
English, Arabic, Japanese, Italian, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Greek, German, Latin, French, American, Spanish, Scandinavian, Hebrew, Turkish, Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Bulgarian, and Iranian/Persian names
** denotes a name heavily associated with a preexisting entity, fictional or real
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Lavender Town theme performed by full orchestra
I thought they couldn’t make it anymore terrifying. I was wrong.
important headcanons to consider:
can they use chopsticks
what do they do when they cant sleep
what would they impulse buy at the grocery store
what order do they wash things in the shower
what’s their coffee order
what sort of apps would they have on their smartphone
how do they act around children
what would they watch on tv when they’re bored and nothing they really like is on
SexIsBest1x1 compiles some information and passes it off as her own: Vol. 1 - Astrology.
Below you will find a quick reference guide to the astrological signs, including personality traits, strengths, weaknesses, Fears, etc… Astrology is great for getting a character started, especially when it comes to birth dates and basic characteristics but is not an exact science so not all traits have to apply.
All material has been taken from sources found through Google, namely Astrolocherry and What’s Your Sign. To learn more about Sister Signs and compatibility between signs, go here.
♈ Aries - The Ram Born between: March 21 - April 19
Archetypes: The Pioneer, The Explorer, The Combatant, The Freedom Fighter, The Defender, The Rescuer, The Worthy Opponent, The Dare Devil, The Adventurer, The New Born Positive: Passionate, bright, stimulating, ever-changing, loyal, intense, youthful, idealistic, positive, risk takers, straight forward, excitable, outgoing Negative: Argumentative, ego-centric, hyper competitive, self serving, impulsive, impatient, temperamental Fears: Others will see them emotional/vulnerable/in need of love/reassurance, That they do not feel fear When Mad: Volatile/impulsive/confrontational/aggressive/impatient/nervous/hyperactive, egocentric, temper tantrums, quickest to calm down When Sad: Angry/impulsive, oppositional but with less energy When Happy: Less controlling/impulsive/confrontational, more affectionate/idealistic/imaginative, reduced outburst, better sleeping patterns When Nervous: Hyperactive/impulsive/reckless/hostile, rapid speech, over thinking, displays vulnerability/need for reassurance, frustrated/confrontational, unable to multitask, headaches In Love: See the world through rose covered glasses, become romantics although are embarrassed of this, demand their freedom but are prone to jealousy With Money: Impulsive buyers, Spendthrifts, Often in debt Sister Sign: Libra
♉ Taurus - The Bull Born between: April 20 - May 20
Archetypes: The Nature Spirit, The Musician, The Silent One, The Object of Passion, The Owner, The Temptress, The Artist, The Creator, The Banker, The Designer Positive: Secure, warm, romantic, dependable, affectionate, established, assertive, durable, detail oriented, sensual, observant, realistic Negative: Materialistic, greedy, dominant, controlling, procrastinator Fears: A worst case scenario has happened to someone they care about, That they are boring When Mad: Confrontational/anxious, verbally aggressive, overwhelmed by feels of rage, vindictive thoughts, compulsive behavior, rake longest to calm down When Sad: Lethargic/isolated, binge eat, easily enraged When Happy: Less indulgent behavior , more endurance/patience/driven/affectionate, comfortable with emotions, requires less materialism to be content, balanced enjoyment of work and pleasure, able to let go of the past When Nervous: Reserved/silent, compulsive behaviors, binge eating, inability to think, anxiety comes in waves and can be sustained for long periods of time, sore throats In Love: Mix of sentimentality and toughness, intense feelings of love that must be earned, they do not give away their hearts easily, although they remain composed they enjoy showing their love through physical evidence With Money: Frugal, Savers and Investors, More Money = More Security Sister Sign: Scorpio
♊ Gemini - The Twins Born between: May 21 - June 20
Archetypes: The Student, The Storyteller, The Gypsy, The Wander, The Journalist, The Trickster, The Comedian, The Child, The Writer, The Teacher, The Messenger Positive: Intellectual, adventurous, free, stimulating, communicative, excitable, enthusiastic, sociable, pleasure-seekers Negative: Dishonest, detached, amoral, lack of remorse, lack empathy, impulsive, undependable Fears: Needing someone else despite being independent, That the inappropriate personality will show up during the wrong occasion, When Mad: Violent/nervous/anxious/hyperactive/confused, physical tantrums (kicking doors), racing thoughts, followed by a sense of calm When Sad: Silent/nervous, over think, easily distracted, intolerant of sadness so they tend to detach. When Happy: Less nervous, More stable sense of self/curious/productive, talkative, able to retain and recall facts, casual demeanor, increased urgency to communicate, giggling When Nervous: Restless/talkative/hyperactive, easily distracted, racing thoughts, giggling, rapid speech, insomnia, loud and more talkative inner monologue, chest discomfort In Love: Looking for their true love, relationships usually grown from friendship to love, guard their freedom very strongly, love built on common interest and good conversation With Money: Impulsive, Spendthrifts, Lose track of balances, But feel restricted by debt Sister Sign: Sagittarius
♋ Cancer - The Crab Born between: June 21 - July 22
Archetypes: The Healer, The Psychic, The Mother, The Invisible Man, The Maiden, The Witch, The Counselor, The Seductress, The Psychologist Positive: Devoted, intuitive, instinctive, loyal, nurturing, focused, warm hearted, friendly, compassionate, creative, visual, decisive, considerate, protective Negative: Subjective, guilt trippers, live in the past, unimaginative, introverted, worrisome, anxious, melancholy Fears: A unstable home life/divorce, That their mood swings will negatively effect others and being unable to control them. When Mad: Anxious/isolated, verbal outbursts, trembling/sweating/shaking/tears, stomach pain/digestive discomfort, hard to express words When Sad: Tearful/needy, crying over little things, feel separated from others When Happy: Less co-dependent/indulgent, more stable sense of self/social, able to live in the present and control mood changes, increased feelings of love and contentment When Nervous: Tearful, catastrophic thinking, inability to stop distressing inner thoughts, drifts off/unable to focus, food cravings, self isolation while feeling needy/requiring reassurance, stomach cramps/nausea In Love: Take love seriously and are very sensitive to changes in relationships, enjoy planning for the future, intuitive to their partners feelings With Money: Thrifty, Coupon Clippers, But overspend when unhappy Sister Sign: Capricorn
♌ Leo - The Lion Born between: July 23 - August 22
Archetypes: The Protector, The Warrior, The Artist, The Actor, The Ruler, The King, The Performer, The Golden Child, The Healer, The Prophet, The Magician, The King, The Queen, The Guardian Positive: Confident, playful, energetic, seekers, warm, generous, leaders, receptive, sentimental, problem solvers, charismatic, confident, social, ambitious, compassionate, thoughtful Negative: Ego maniacal, vain, grandiose, narcissistic, dramatic, pleasure-seekers, assertive Fears: People will grow tired of their theatrics and be criticized/rejected, Asking for help. When Mad: Temperamental/theatrical, dramatic displays of emotions (sobbing/screaming/hysteria), hostile/confrontational, hurtful language When Sad: Wound up/needy, verge of a nervous breakdown, short tempered When Happy: Less need for attention/theatrics, more self assured/rational/creative, decreased inner criticism When Nervous: Frustrated/hostile/impulsive, thoughts of martyrdom, binge eating/drinking, go out of their way to help, like to keep busy, back pain/stomach trouble When in Love: Very proud and boastful, love to show off their partner but will play it cool when confronted by the partner, happiest when in love, very high standards in a partner With Money: Love to live large, Outgoing spending exceeds income, Often in debt Sister Sign: Aquarius
♍ Virgo - The Virgin Born between: August 23 - September 22
Archetypes: The Healer, The Perfectionist, The Servant, The Analyst, The Alchemist, The Messenger, The Martyr, The Nature Spirit, The Naturopath Positive: Honest, kind, generous, orderly, nurturing, gentle, alert, reserved, rational, logical, moralistic, considerate Negative: Hypochondriac, guilt trippers, fussy, worrisome, perfectionism Fears: Will be judged and treated differently if they are not fulfilling some use or purpose to those around them When Mad: Tremors/shaking, racing thoughts, increased compulsions, hyperactivity, uncharacteristic violence (breaking things), holds onto anger for long periods of time When Sad: Isolated/unresponsive, heightened compulsions, at times blunt/more oppositional When Happy: Less nervous/anxious/compulsive, more focus/idealistic/self assured, increased analytical processing, intensified urge to help others/reach out When Nervous: Restless/withdrawn/compulsive, need to be of use, pacing, digestive upset In Love: Prefer serene relationships and are embarrassed by heavy emotionalism, fit their lives around their partners, very nervous on first dates With Money: Invest in the future, Not big on status symbols, Thrifty Sister Sign: Pisces
♎ Libra - The Scales Born between: September 23 - October 22
Archetypes: The Lawyer, The Counselor, The Socialite, The Lover, The Peacemaker, The Creator, The Seductress, The Lover, The Flirt, The Minx, The Designer, The Mediator Positive: Intellectual, carefree, uplifting, stimulating, serene, kind, sensitive, compassionate, thoughtful, charismatic, social Negative: Hypocritical, dominate, procrastinator, noncommittal, codependent Fears: Being alone forever/unloved, Others will see them emotional/vulnerable/in need of love/reassurance. When Mad: Nervous/detached/irrational/isolated, loss of emotional control, loud/verbally hostile, racing thoughts When Sad: Unstable/moody, reduced urge to socialize, feelings of hopelessness/being disliked, try to act happy/composed When Happy: Less anxious/irrational, more calm/decisive/social/charming/focused/creative/affectionate, reduced need for external validation/verbal outbursts, decreased urge for materialism When Nervous: Restless/distractable, inability to express emotions, unusually quiet, increased need for reassurance, insomnia, negative inner monologue, catastrophic thinking, stomach upset In Love: Feels incomplete without a mutually beneficial relationship, lives for love, looking for the right person With Money: Spend now/Worry later, Give into all their wants, Shop as stress relief Sister Sign: Aries
♏ Scorpio - The Scorpion Born between: October 23 - November 21
Archetypes: The Mystic, The Alchemist, The Detective, The Sorcerer, The Hypnotist, The Chemist, The Psychiatrist, The Witch, The Investigator, The Fortune Teller, The Guardian Positive: Intense, loyal, devoted, magnetic, planners, curious, knowledgeable, insightful, intuitive, charismatic, organized Negative: Self serving, exhausting, obsessive, retaliatory, jealous, dominant, moody, assertive Fears: Being rejected/betrayed by someone they opened up to/shared a secret with When Mad: Hostile/confrontational, overwhelming feelings of rage and violence, lose touch with reality, delusions of being persecuted When Sad: Isolated/oppositional/hostile, violent mood swings, intense melancholy with delusions/paranoia When Happy: Less cynical/isolated, more tolerant/generous/curious/affectionate/inquisitive, able to consider new ideas without immediately rejecting them When Nervous: Hostile/controlling/obsessive/irrational, violent frustrations, rejection of others, flashbacks, maniacal focus In Love: somewhat bipolar in relationships, either detached and mysterious or committed and generous, they either love you or hate you With Money: Either extremely frugal or huge spenders, Will not let money control them, Dominate over their finances Sister Sign: Taurus
♐ Sagittarius - The Centaur Born between: November 22 - December 21
Archetypes: The Wanderer, The Tourist, The Teacher, The Guide, The Philosopher, The Psychiatrist, The Student, The Benefactor, The Comedian, The Free Spirit Positive: Carefree, casual, enthusiastic, playful, respectful, charismatic, intelligent, social Negative: Tactless, unresponsive, irresponsible, patronizing, temperamental, pleasure-seeking, impulsive Fears: Committing to someone and giving up their independence, that they will love/need someone more than they are loved/needed When Mad: Violently impulsive, verbally aggressive, hurtful, become tongue tied, inappropriate laughter, tend to make life changing decisions when mad When Sad: Lethargic, attempt to escape through substance abuse, uncharacteristically serious/tense, less tolerant When Happy: Less cynical/isolated, more tolerant/generous/curious/inquisitive/affectionate, able to consider new ideas without immediate rejection When Nervous: Impulsive/hostile/hyperactive/distracted, increase in vocal volume, try to repress emotions through physical activity, substance abuse, rapid thinking, giggling, back pain In Love: Less skeptical, more focused/productive/tolerant/content, warm/friendly/humorous/casual, giggles With Money: Spend on experiences not things, Love novelty items that do not provide long lasting enjoyment, Avoid debt so as not to be tied down Sister Sign: Gemini
♑ Capricorn - The Goat Born between: December 22 - January 19
Archetypes: The Old Soul, The Administrator, The Judge, The Mentor, The Prime Minister, The Father, The Entrepreneur, The Banker, The Wizard Positive: Honest, devoted, generous, supportive, direct, meticulous, present, organized, methodical, responsible, considerate Negative: Dishonest, selfish, negligent, self-justifying, judgmental, worrisome, perfectionism, introverted Fears: They will destroy everything and have no one to ask for help from, Disappointing others, That others will see them emotional/vulnerable/in need of love/reassurance When Mad: Exhaustion/isolation/shaking, compulsive behavior, clear expressions of frustration, verbal outbursts, loss of emotional control, When Sad: Lethargic/demotivated, over thinking and feelings of hopelessness, tense/hyper alert When Happy: Less controlling/anxious/isolated, more affectionate/humorous/positive, equal work and personal life balance When Nervous: Tense/hostile/isolated, over thinking, hyper focused, externally composed, tend to take on more work/responsibility, butterflies in the stomach In Love: Very big on family, it is hard to break down their walls, frees them from their critical/stoic nature With Money: The sign of money, very adept with finances, Great negotiates, Know how to play the credit game Sister Sign: Cancer
♒ Aquarius - The Water Bearer Born between: January 20 - February 18
Archetypes: The Revolutionary, The Scientist, The Eccentric, The Visionary, The Rebel, The Genius, The Outlaw, The Free Spirit, The Activist, The Inventor, The Alchemist, The Exile Positive: Unconventional, free, insightful, intelligent, creative, eccentric, intuitive, rational, social, charismatic, revolutionary Negative: Erratic, delusional, arrogant, bombastic, impulsive, pleasure-seeking Fears: Isolation, that they will be unable to determine what is rational When Mad: Hyperactive, rapid thoughts and confusion with interpreting emotions, violent and volatile outbursts (both verbal and physical) followed by dissociation When Sad: Silent/isolated/uneasy/detached, harder to reach, try to appear happy When Happy: Less fixed in their way, more talkative/humorous/curious/insightful/affectionate/creative, increased malleability, able to sit with uncomfortable emotions, better sleep pattern When Nervous: Talkative/restless/confused, rapid speech, over thinking, insomnia, often feel anxious/nervous but do not know the cause as their minds and emotional responses are not connected, back pain In Love: Prefer friendship first, enjoy living apart, love is overwhelming and confusing, love being in love but need their freedom With Money: Spendthrift with Cash, No concern for regular bills, Disgusted by big corporations and banks Sister Sign: Leo
♓ Pisces - The Fish Born between: February 19 - March 20
Archetypes: The Mystic, The Dreamer, The Artist, The Poet, The Guide, The Guru, The Medic, The Healer, The Worshiper, The Creator, The Dancer, The Psychotic, The Addict, The Visionary Positive: Devoted, intuitive, spontaneous, mysterious, sensitive, sympathetic, nurturing, idealistic, affectionate, kind, relaxed, receptive, concerned, considerate Negative: Impossible, unrealistic, frustrating, interferer, elusive, passive aggressive Fears: Loneliness, That people only pretend to like them, Rejection When Mad: Anxious/irrational/dramatic/self isolating, overwhelmed by uncomfortable emotions, crying/yelling, loss of emotional control When Sad: Anxious/isolated/tearful, obsessive thinking, remember everything bad that has ever happened, crying over little things When Happy: Less anxious/nervous, more tolerant/creative/affectionate, increased sense of self and empathy, positive thinking/escapism, not oversleeping When Nervous: Tearful/irrational/hysterical, unable to change thought patterns, increased need for reassurance, catastrophic thinking, distressing inner monologue, substance abuse, digestive upset/nausea In Love: Wear rose-colored glasses about their loved ones, prone to self destructive relationships, don’t realize they can do better With Money: Luxury buyers but stingy on the necessities, Worry about money a lot, Often very wealthy Sister Sign: Virgo
It’s hell writing and it’s hell not writing. The only tolerable state is having just written.
Robert Hass (via victoriousvocabulary)
What I love about opening sentences is the complete lack of rules, how each writer gets to decide how best to guide a reader into their narrative. A writer, after all, is the instructor for the experience of their own work, and the opening sentence––after the book design, title, and epigraph––is among the reader’s first impressions. Opening sentences are not to be written lightly.
Jonathan Russell Clark on “The Art of the Opening Sentence.” (via morgan-leigh)
"never use this word because it’s common, instead use all of these things that i’ll call synonyms even though they carry different connotations and will change the meaning of your dialogue if you use them" — very bad and unfortunately very common writing advice
Story time!
Once, when I was a (slightly) younger Pissy, I read Bad Advice. Don’t Use Adverbs! Epithets bad! Avoid “Said”! All sorts of things, little prescriptions for Good Writing. At the time, I didn’t realize this was Bad Advice. It seems like logical extensions of commonsense writing rules, when it’s explained to you. Visual descriptions make a story seem more alive—why use “she cheerfully jumped on board” when you can say “she jumped on board with a smile”? Epithets slow writing down. And “said” is repetitive; the quotation marks already indicate that it’s a vocalization.
So I, being a young Pissy, ruthlessly tried to cut all of these things out of my writing. I was so ruthless that I would break a paragraph in two to avoid the dreaded adverb, or I’d invent ridiculous actions to identify the speaker instead of “said” or an epithet.
Eventually someone called me out on it and I figured out the rule no one had ever bothered to teach me before: rules are made to be broken.
The reason these things are common is because they’re the basic tools in a writer’s toolbox. They’re the hammer and nails of language. Most people wouldn’t use a hammer and nails to, for example, carve a delicate wood sculpture. But no one is telling carpenters to avoid ever using a hammer on anything, ever, because that would be ridiculous.
Everything that’s bad in writing has a use. Adverbs are great for when you need to keep sentences short. Epithets are perfect when you don’t have a name. Said is a nice, common word that practically blends into the background. Repetition drives home a point or a concept. Telling (rather than showing) is a handy way to cover a lot of ground when nothing interesting happened. Contractions make a sentence flow, but if you want it to be more stilted and formal for a reason, yanking them works miracles.
And anything can be a stylistic choice, if used consciously and with care.
If you want to be a better writer, here’s what you do:
1) Read other people’s stories. Read your favorite books and pick out when something works. Try and figure out why. Then pick out when something doesn’t and solve that mystery. Sometimes they’ll be big things that encompass entire plots or multiple series. Sometimes you’ll find your nose wrinkling at the sixth sentence in a row that starts with “the”. The important part is to learn why it works or fails, because then you’ll be able to find the same patterns in your own stories.
2) Read your own work, preferably after you’ve been away from them for a while and the glazed aura of accomplishment has worn off. (I know, ouch.) If something annoys you when you’re coming at your fics fresh, it probably annoys your readers. If you still love something, then keep doing it. Pick apart your own stories as thoroughly as you would someone else’s. Writing is, for many people, a labor of love. Key word: labor. You know, the word used when someone pushes eight pounds nine ounces of screaming infant out of their vagina. Just because you love that squirming bundle of poop and questionable grammar doesn’t mean bringing it into the world is always easy.
3) Take every bit of advice with a grain of salt. Or two. :P
Battling Clichés & Tired Tropes: 5 Ways to Let Out a Breath
It’s an age-old writers’ question: What do I do about clichés and well-worn tropes? This month, we’ve asked authors about the clichés and tropes they find themselves falling back on, and how they fix, invert, or embrace them. Today, Kelly Loy Gilbert, author of the forthcoming Conviction, offers five ways to rewrite a cliché:
CLICHÉ: Letting Out A Breath
Clichés in stories are fantastic placeholders as you’re writing—they serve as emotional shorthand—but, if overused, they can stunt your characters’ growth and development. Consider the following mini-scene:
He lifts his wand, and the floors curl away from the walls and towards me. He watches me.
“Are you afraid?” he says.
I can’t breathe. “No.”
“I can’t breathe” works double-time here: it’s a pause, a place for the reader to hold still a moment waiting in suspense for the answer, and it also gives us an emotional undercurrent that runs through the whole scene. As readers we recognize “I can’t breathe” to mean the narrator is afraid, and so we read the scene infused with the narrator’s fear.
Clichés are economical that way. But it’s in these small moments that we have the opportunity to bring our characters to life and make them specific and individual and unique, and there are richer, stronger ways to both provide that basic emotional information and also allow the reader a deeper glimpse into your characters’ hearts and thoughts.
Here are five other tools to set the emotion of a scene:
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Will we burn From the fire will we learn
There are only two important elements to a great novel. The first is an interesting character. A character that you thoroughly know and feel will go a long way toward attracting a readership. The second element is an interesting problem.
Walter Dean Myers, with advice for a young writer. (via lettersandlight)
Writing advice you're not going to like.
People sometimes send me Asks wanting writing advice. I suck at it. I don’t really know how I do the writing, or how one should do the writing, or what one should do to get better at the writing. All I can ever think to say is “write a lot of stuff and you will get better at the writing.” Which is true, but hardly a bolt from the sky.
Well, as it turns out, I do have one piece of Legit Writing Advice, and I am going to share it with you, right now. If you were in any of my writing workshop groups at a con, you’ve heard this advice already.
Warning: you’re going to fucking hate it. But if you do it, you will thank me.
If you have a piece of fiction you’re serious about, something you might want to actually shop around, or just something you really are into and want to make it as good as you can…do NOT edit it.
Repeat. DO NOT EDIT.
REWRITE.
As in, print out the whole fucking thing and re-enter it, every word (or use two screens). Retype the whole thing. Recreate it from the ground up using your first draft as a template. Start with a blank page and re-enter every. single. word.
I hear you screaming. OH MY GOD THAT’S INSANE.
Yes. Yes, it is.
It is also the most powerful thing you will ever do for a piece of fiction that you are serious about.
Now, let’s get real. I don’t do this for most things. I don’t do it for my fanfiction. But if it’s something original, something I might like to get to a professional level - I do it. You absolutely COULD do it for fanfiction. It’s just up to you and how much time you want to sink into a piece.
You can edit, sure. But you WILL NOT get down to the level of change that needs to happen in a second draft. You will let things slide. Your eyes will miss things. You will say “eh, good enough.”
The first time I did this, on someone else’s advice, I was dubious. Within two pages, I was saying WHY HAVE I NOT BEEN DOING THIS ALL THE TIME. I was amazed at how much change was happening. By the time I got to the end, I had an entirely different novel than the one I’d started with. When you’re already re-entering every single word, it’s easy to make deep changes. You’ll reformat sentences, you’ll switch phrases around, you’ll massage your word choice. You’ll discover whole paragraphs that don’t need to be there at all because they became redundant. You’ll find dialogue exchanges that need reimagining. Whole plot points will suddenly be different, whole story arcs will reveal their flaws and get re-drawn.
You cannot get down to the fundamental level of change that’s required just by editing an existing document. You have to rebuild it if you really want your story to evolve. You will be AMAZED at the difference it will make.
It will take time. It will seem like a huge, Herculean task. I’m not saying it’s easy. It isn’t. But it is absolutely revolutionary.
Try it. I promise, you will see what I mean.
*PSA: Tipsy!Lori wrote this post. In case you couldn’t tell.
Creative Thinking
So. It’s a good idea for all fantasy writers to learn how to describe characters of color. And I think it’s a good idea to learn how to describe those characters in subtle ways, since they can’t always rely on Earth terminology. Now, doing subtle description increases the chance that the reader might misidentify the character racially — and to a degree, I think there’s nothing you can do about that. You’re working against a lifetime of baggage in the reader’s mind. But you can still insert enough cues so that when combined, they’ll get the idea across.
Describing Characters of Color, pt. 2 |
N.K. Jemisin on describing characters, esp. in sff contexts.
(via jacquez45)
Show vs. Tell
Great description of the difference.
A tool to use for find Synonyms: Synonym Finder.
This is a great, unique little tool I found by browsing for writing resources. It’s name speaks for itself: it’s a synonym finder.
The site is clean cut, has soothing colors, and to-the point results for any word you look up.
For example, when I look up the word “romance,” I get this:
Synonyms: romance, romanticism Definition: an exciting and mysterious quality (as of a heroic time or adventure)
Hypernyms: quality Definition: an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone Usage: the quality of mercy is not strained—Shakespeare”
I had no idea what a “hypernym” is. Apparently it’s a word with a more general meaning that a more specific word fall under. Like, color is a hypernym for green.
On the right corner there’s a button to make graphs! So you can trace each synonym from it’s root word, and see how far the other synonyms connect in comparison to others.
I really like it, so I’m going to definitely bookmark it on my writing tools list.
So I have a younger female character (written from childhood to young adult) and she suffers from abuse in the form of Stockholm Syndrome--mostly emotional and mental stuff--but at one point, she does suffer sexual abuse. I was thinking about making her a POC, but I don't know if it's okay for me to write about that, being white? Her race has nothing to do with the abuse, but I still want to check. Thanks in advance!
Right, we get a lot of questions asking if it’s okay to write a PoC character when you’re white. It’s a tricky question with no singular answer, so I’m going to have to explicate the issue over several different layers.
First of all, you can write a PoC character while being a white person yourself. This tumblr is — after all — dedicated to helping people develop characters whose experiences they do not share. We all want there to be greater diversity in media representation and literature.
But some things have to be kept in mind:
There is always the danger of you talking over the people actually in the community, or being seen as their voice. (I could spend hours deconstructing that “be the voice for the voiceless” crap) Now, I know you’re not writing these characters with the direct intention of being that identity’s representative. I know. We all know.
But in all likelihood, your privilege will make it easier for your work to be showcased on a broader platform and thus gain a wider audience. As a result, some readers and the media might hail you as a “wow divine revolutionary being who’s awesome enough to create a diverse cast etc”.
You may not ask for that adulation, but it’s part and parcel of privilege. You might receive criticism from others over how it’s problematic that you as a white person are being praised for writing PoC characters. At that point, you’re probably going to be all sad and thinking, “I’m sorry, I didn’t ask to be white but I still want to write diverse characters!”
You’re a human being, yes, and it’s only natural to feel bummed out about criticism and hostility. But let’s pause for a second. This is not about you. People criticizing you being worshipped for writing about a marginalization that you do not personally identify with? It’s still not about you.
It’s about the larger, pervasive culture at hand that feeds prejudice/discrimination. It may feel like a personal attack, but you need to take a step back and remind yourself that you are only a stray asteroid in a shitty solar system — not the sun.
What is a somewhat decent way to go about handling yourself in this situation? Publicly acknowledge that while you’re determined to bring greater diversity to the table, you are not representative of PoCs and are not the voice of their community. Use your privilege to highlight and showcase works by PoCs. Help open up wider channels for marginalized people to get the reception that your privilege afforded you. Don’t be a white savior about it.
Now, a lot of white folks take this to mean that they should be ashamed of their own constructed PoC characters, and of their privilege. White guilt isn’t particularly constructive to PoCs since it isn’t really making itself part of the solution. Frankly, it’s only more self-absorption.
Less time spent being ashamed and self-pitying, and more time spent being an ally without talking over the community or being a white savior is the way to go.
Some people come into the whole “yay diversity” thing expecting a pat on the back (or a thousand). Yeah, acknowledgment of your attempt to be a decent human being is always nice, but if you’re expecting the “reward” of everyone’s admiration for what you’re doing and give up when you don’t get this “reward”, you’ve missed the entire point. You should be doing it because it’s a reward in itself.
These may sound off-topic, but they all tie in to the larger question of “Can/Should I write about PoC when I’m white?” because these are the little nuggets of doubt that make white people hesitate to write PoC.
This goes for all areas of marginalization and the privileged groups that write about them. Basically: don’t be the spokesperson, don’t get all wounded about criticism, don’t feel entitled to praise just because you’re doing the right thing, and highlight voices from the actual community.
Resources: Writing a Novel - Masterlist of WQA Posts
Anonymous asked: Hi. This might be long. I’m writing a novel for the first time ever and I have so many questions. How to give my characters realistic backgrounds and futures, how to create a fantasy world, how to introduce my novel without sounding like a complete idiot. I don’t want to write, I want to create and I’ve got ideas I just can’t get a story. Have you got anything that might help me with creating characters, a world, and starting the novel? Thanks.
Congratulations on starting your first novel! Very exciting! Here are posts I’ve made with lots of tips and links to help you out! Getting Started: Plot: Brainstorming for Ideas Outlining and Planning a SeriesFinding Focus During a Storm of Ideas Beginning a Novel Creating the Perfect Writing Space Finding the Time to Write Turning Ideas into a Story Research Tips Plot and Story Structure: Figuring Out a Plot How to Develop a Plot Plot and Story Structure Character Development: Character Authenticity Fleshing Out a Flat Character Different Kinds of Antagonists Strong Female Protagonists Name Resources Fantasy World Building: Establishing a Non-Traditional Fantasy Setting Creating a Fictional Calendar Creating a Language Telling Time Without Clocks Going Too Far with Fantasy? Everything Else: Should I Cut My Prologue? Chapter Titles and Endings Foreshadowing To Kill or Not Kill a Character What to Do When Your Story Stalls How to Make Simple Writing More Vivid How to Avoid Forced Romantic Sub-Plot Cliffhanger Endings The Opening Line Writing Process: Drafts Suspense, Climax, and Ending If you have any further questions, you know where to find me! :)
