SeaFoamWrites

Plural writer and artist, they/air pronouns

[anistarrose]

immortality is a disability. to me

[anistarrose]

the nature of your body has changed in a way you don't understand. there will always be a "before" and an "after." why did this happen? and why did this happen to you? you're searching for a reason. you're searching for a meaning. is this a punishment? is it a divine gift in disguise? is there a cure? do you want a cure? all your friendships seem to drift inevitably away from you. will people ever see you again as the age you actually are? will you ever be able to interact with the world again like how you used to?

[anistarrose]

but. and this is crucial. you should hit your immortal characters with normal disabilities too

[maramahan]

I see a lot of writing tips and I post a lot of writing tips but I feel like I’ve been forgetting the most important one: you’ve gotta learn to trust yourself.

And I don’t mean that in sort of “uwu have faith in yourself! You can do it!!” kind of way. I’m not here to repeat empty affirmations–I’m saying you’ve consumed a lot of media over the years. You know what you like and what you don’t like. You have good taste. 

But if you’re like me, all that certainty goes out the window when you’re writing your own stuff. “Will the readers like that?” you think. “This is too weird. It’s unrelatable. Nobody else’s story looks like this–I must be doing something wrong.”

“This is silly,” you tell yourself. “Why do I even bother?”

And when you start doubting yourself like that, that’s the moment you stop creating. You get blocked and stressed and it gets all too easy to fall back on cliches and stereotypes. You start stripping away the things that make the story uniquely yours in order to make it look more like everyone else’s. 

Which is infinitely sad. 

You’ve lived a life no one else has seen, and you have ideas that nobody else in the world could think of. Even if the story has been ‘done’ before, there’s nobody else who can tell it like you. You can start with the most ‘cliche’ idea ever, but if you come at it with any measure of emotional honesty, it’ll still be new–because it’s being told by you. 

I just finished a draft of a book that’s probably the most painful thing I’ve written so far. It’s way out of my comfort zone, and I had to explore aspects of myself I prefer not to think about. I did a lot of second guessing, and a good bit of whimpering facedown on the floor because writing is scary and hard. 

And rereading the draft now, the absolute best parts are the bits where I gave up on convention and I wrote what I wanted exactly the way I wanted to write it. Yeah, it’s kinda silly and kinda dumb and kinda just a big load on nonsense–but it’s MY nonsense. If people like it, great. Wonderful. If they don’t like it, well–reading is a subjective experience, and maybe my work just isn’t for them. That’s okay. 

Be you. Be honestly, genuinely you. It’s a scary, vulnerable position to put yourself in, but… Even if you’re one in a million, there are 7,000 people just like you–and that’s 7,000 people who will read your work and go “this writer gets me.”

Write it for them. Write it for you. Create shamelessly. Learning to write is only half learning the craft–the other half is learning to trust in the value of the things you have to say.

[luna-azzurra]

The two wolves inside every writer: "this is genuinely the best thing i have ever written. i am gifted. i am changed. this paragraph alone justifies my entire existence on this planet." and then five minutes later, same paragraph: "who wrote this. who allowed this. this reads like a golden retriever trying to describe grief. i need to lie down and reconsider everything." both wolves are always wrong. the paragraph is fine. you need a snack.

[daisywords]

not everything in a story has to or should be "realistic" but in my opinion there's a level of illusion that should be maintained, and I think that's the actual problem that many people try to pinpoint with the "unrealistic" criticism. Dialogue shouldn't be written like an actual transcript of human speech, but should contribute to the illusion of a real person speaking. A character is a tool of the story, not a narrative, but we're trying to maintain the illusion that they are a person. Worldbuilding should exist to serve the story, not to be a perfect simulacrum of how every aspect of nature/society etc. would actually play out for real. But there should be the illusion that it could be real, that organizations and systems would operate in such a way, that people might behave in such a way.

in conclusion: "Is this realistic?" <<wrong question. "Does this serve the illusion or disrupt it?" <<now we're talking

[pinnedwings]

one of the most difficult things about deciding you want to write a fictional doctor (of the non-who variety) is writing actual medical scenes. we all know that medical dramas are notoriously cliched, and i for one fully understand how unimportant factual accuracy can be to the emotional importance of a scene. sometimes you don’t have to get it write for your story to work. i have a disclaimer on my blog that i myself am just a layman, but i like to at least know what i’m writing about! in the interest of being as accurate as i can, i would like to spread that love around. here’s a list of medical fiction/fantasy writing resources i’ve found!

surgeonsblog

article i found this from^ (w/even more resources)

redwoods medical edge

^article where i found that

this article is short/basic/doesn’t link anywhere else, but i found it very helpful anyway

supposed to be good but to me, seemed difficult to navigate. (dp lyle)

this on the otherhand, is the jackpot (novelmalpractice)

tumblr blog centered around this topic

this is more about the common pitfalls/anachronisms of medical fiction but still helpful

writing medical scenes: useful links by paul anthony shortt

the last one im going to include is an article by a doctor about common mistakes in popular medical shows, i liked this one

tagging who liked the interest check on this @hesjustcarter @prodigiumamare @frankengeeks

[monsterblogging]

I think one important step in decolonizing fantasy is to recognize how wildly anti-environment Europeans became, and how this affects the way we look at the nonhuman world. Like, in England wolves were driven to extinction because they were perceived as threats to sheep. And white people absolutely carried this kind of mentality everywhere they colonized. We see it in people who think rattlesnakes should be killed on sight. And it comes out in fantasy when every kind of creature that's challenging to humans is degraded, unpersoned, and treated like something to kill or keep contained out in the deep wilds.

[to-the-tune-of-pinkponyclub]

I HAVE FELT THIS FOR SO LONG!!! Like I was always like "It's kinda fucked up that monstrous creatures/people in fantasy fiction are only approached in terms of being conquered or killed, right? Or in terms of only how they serve humans and that's IT." and it's fucked!

[monsterblogging]

Yep! That's literally the colonialist mentality at work. If you want to feel even more vindicated, I recommend checking out Robin Wall Kimmerer's books and/or watching her interviews and speeches on YouTube.

[writing-prompt-s]

You are a deity newly ascended. Your predecessor has perished, and their domain (now yours) is in shambles. Instead of repairing it first, you went down to the world and did the dirty practical work instead of the grandiose, aloof things other deities do.

[kvothes]

a good thread

[elumish]

I agree with all of this. But! I think it is also important to recognize that there are subgenres where it is significantly harder to find certain things, and it's actively unhelpful to readers to pretend that you can just find whatever type of book you want to read if you just know how to look for it, especially if you are sticking to trad publishing.

It is possible to find both sapphic SFF and M/M fantasy. It is significantly harder to find, say, aro urban fantasy. Or trans romantic suspense. Or intersex mystery.

A lot of the advice above only really works for trad published or popular books and for identities/subgenres/content that aren't too niche.

So here's some advice if the advice above isn't working for you (either because you can't find books with what you want or because the books you are finding don't end up being the vibe you want), from someone who reads a few hundred books a year:

Find websites or lists dedicated to the specific thing you are looking for. They will generally have more variety and will post you to examples that don't show up in regular rec lists. (ex: aro book recs, ace book recs, intersex #ownvoices database, sapphic books). Goodreads lists can (sometimes) also be your friend.

Get comfortable reading self-published and small press books. Trad publishing has its blind spots.

Check Reddit for recommendations

Start figuring out what it is specifically that you like and then start making your searches more specific. This can be subgenre (if you want urban fantasy, you're rarely going to find it just searching "fantasy"), tropes, plot devices, vibes, etc.

Look at the "readers also bought" on Goodreads/Amazon, similar books on Storygraph, etc. if you read a book you like. Even if you don't end up reading the one you click on, it can show you similar authors (similar to looking at the blurb on a cover), especially because far fewer books have blurbs now.

Check out the Literature Map for similar authors.

[luna-azzurra]

Fluff Starters

✮⋆˙ "I looked up your favorite meal and practiced it three times before I made it for you."

✮⋆˙"You mentioned it once, months ago. I remembered."

✮⋆˙"I turned the shower on early so it'd be warm when you got in."

✮⋆˙"I kept the porch light on. I always do when you're out late."

✮⋆˙"You seemed tired so I cancelled our plans. I hope that's okay."

✮⋆˙"I charged your phone while you were sleeping."

✮⋆˙"You don't have to explain yourself. I already understand."

✮⋆˙ "I know that smile. That's not your real one. What's wrong?"

✮⋆˙ "I know you hate asking for help. You don't have to ask. I'm already here."

✮⋆˙"I saved the window seat for you. I know you like to look outside."

✮⋆˙"I saw it and thought of you. I couldn't not get it."

✮⋆˙ "I knew you'd forget to eat. So I brought food."

✮⋆˙ "You were going to apologize just now, weren't you. Don't."

✮⋆ ˙"I don't know when it happened. I just looked up one day and it was you."

✮⋆˙ "I think I've been yours for a while now. I just didn't say it."

✮⋆˙ "You're the first person I want to tell things to."

✮⋆˙ "I used to hate mornings. Then you started being in them."

✮⋆ ˙"I'm not scared of a lot of things. Losing you is the exception."

✮⋆ ˙"I think about you in the most ordinary moments and it still surprises me."

✮⋆˙ "You have no idea how many times a day something makes me think of you."

✮⋆˙ "Can you just--hold me for a second. I don't need anything else."

✮⋆˙"Your heartbeat is really calming. Can I stay like this."

✮⋆˙ "You give the kind of hugs that make everything feel less heavy."

✮⋆˙ "I fit perfectly right here. I'm not moving."

✮⋆˙ "Stop, your hands are cold--here, give them to me."

✮⋆˙ "I didn't realize how much I needed that hug until you gave it to me."

✮⋆˙ "Will you play with my hair? You don't have to stop."

✮⋆˙ "I don't have to be anyone else around you and that's the rarest thing."

✮⋆˙ "Being with you feels like exhaling."

✮⋆˙ "I love how you don't rush me."

✮⋆˙ "You make the world feel smaller in the best way. Like it's just us."

✮⋆˙"I hope you know you're someone's favorite part of the day."

✮⋆˙ "I watch you when you don't notice. You're just--really something."

✮⋆˙ "I never want to stop knowing you."

✮⋆˙ "You called me at 2am just to say goodnight. I'm still smiling about it."

✮⋆ ˙"I don't care that it's late. Your voice is worth it."

✮⋆ ˙"Tell me something. Anything. I just want to hear you talk."

✮⋆ ˙"I'll stay on the phone until you fall asleep. I don't mind."

✮⋆ ˙"I always sleep better when I know you're okay."

✮⋆ ˙"The whole day felt too long without you in it."

[luna-azzurra]

The writer pipeline is: (1) i have an idea (2) i am the only person who has ever had this idea (3) i google the idea (4) seventeen people have already written this idea (5) mine is different though (6) is mine different though (7) mine is different because of the FEELING (8) i cannot explain the feeling (9) i write it anyway (10) it comes out completely different from the idea (11) the new thing is better (12) i have a new idea. we begin again. this is the whole job.

[luna-azzurra]

Things to consider when writing a character!! --1

⊹ What do they want vs what do they need. these should not be the same thing. what they want is the surface goal ( the job, the person, the revenge, the answer.) What they need is the thing underneath that they can't name yet. The story is what happens in the gap between those two things. if they're identical your character has nowhere to go.

⊹ What are they wrong about. Not morally wrong necessarily. just. what belief do they hold that the story is going to test. What assumption do they make about themselves or the world that turns out to be incomplete? A character without a wrong belief is already finished. They have no arc, give them something to learn even if learning it hurts them.

⊹ How do they talk when they're nervous. Do they go quiet or do they talk too much? do they deflect with jokes? do they get weirdly formal? do they ask questions instead of answering them? the way a person behaves under pressure is who they actually are. And it should be different from how they behave when they're comfortable.

⊹ What do they find funny. this one sounds small and it is not small at all. Humour is worldview. What makes someone laugh tells you what they value, what they're afraid of, how they handle pain. A character with no sense of humour is just flat. even the gravest person finds something absurd. find the thing.

⊹ What are they ashamed of? not their tragic backstory. their actual shame. The small ugly thing they would never say out loud. The time they were a coward. The feeling they pretend not to have. The desire they think disqualifies them from being a good person. Shame is where the most interesting character work lives and most writers skip straight over it :(

⊹ What do they do when no one is watching? how do they move through a space alone. What do they reach for when they're sad. What do they do with their hands??? Public behaviour IS performance. Private behaviour is truth. you don't have to show all of it but you have to know it or the character will feel hollow in a way the reader notices without being able to name.

[viaalterego]

[trishacollins]

Actually, my therapist has told me this is a healthy way of processing things. Because you can get the trauma out of your head And you can write the ending you wish it had. The trusted person rescue, the catharsis of getting to kill the one who hurt you.

It's good for your brain. It's healthier than bottling it up. Fiction is where we go for emotional release. That can be true with trauma too.

[erelierraceala]

so what you're saying is

character: NO

therapist: YES

[vmures]

Adding @dear-massacre's tags because they are so true:

#this is why it's important to remember that fictional characters are fake #they have no agency. they're made up #it hurts no one to make any character go through the horrors #it is healthy and cathartic

[yeahokayillreblogthat]

yeah okay ill reblog that

[gailynovelry]

On one hand, we agree that fanfiction writing and original fiction instills somewhat different writing skills and fundamentals in their practitioners, particularly regarding character and setting introduction.

On the other hand, some people talk about this as if original fiction should be unacquainted with the concept of in medias res.

[writingwithrxd]

I love other writers so much because every writer I've ever met is genuinely and utterly deranged on a level only writers can achieve

[gailynovelry]

We do like that the “if you’re writing a marginalized character and you’re afraid of doing a sterotype, add another contrasting person of the same demographic to the story!” is finally being presented as a way to reduce tokenism! But I’d also like to point out that, like any writing advice, whether or not it works for a given scenario is situational. For example;

A marginalized identity can have more than one associated stereotype. If you aren’t paying attention, you invoke dueling stereotypes.

You cannot keep adding characters to a work forever. Some works are genuinely better with smaller casts.

There are themes out there that benefit from having only a singular character as representation, like some stories exploring feelings of isolation.

Which isn’t to say that the original advice is wrong. Just that you need more tools in your pocket too, in case the one doesn’t work. Like;

Being willing to do some digging to find new or underappreciated angles to approach a trait from.

Making sure that a given character expresses interiority outside of their marginalized trait(s).

Remembering that a given character can have multiple marginalities, and also that those marginalities might interact.

Just some food for thought.

[quietwingsinthesky]

the Relationship Ambiguity Zone™️ is a beautiful place to be. safe place to put your characters. put all characters into Relationship Ambiguity Zone. is that guy your mentor or your dad? Ambiguous!!! are you friends or enemies? Ambiguous!!! is it romantic? is it platonic? is it sexual? Ambiguous!!!!!!! never categorize anything ever in the Relationship Ambiguity Zone. just make them fucking weird about each other.

[unalivejournal]

Nobody knows if writing a story is possible