Super Koala Bear

This is my writing blog. I also post random stuff so don't be surprised if you encounter something completely unrelated to writing.

[superkoalabear]

Choose a Cyrillic Letter

Б б

Д д

Ж ж

И и

Я я

Њњ

Ванилла екстракт

Voting ended onFeb 7, 2023

[superkoalabear]

What Should I Use Polls For?

Shoelaces

Goncharov

Out of Touch Thursday

Flat Fuck Friday

Vanilla Extract

Voting ended onFeb 12, 2023

[kny111]

Beauty Exists Above the Lights

From high altitude slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, a starry night is photographed over the lights of Moshi, a town situated on the lower southern slopes of Kilimanjaro.

[furry-and-feathered]

Japanese raccoon dog / tanuki (Nyctereutes procyonoides)

[superkoalabear]

Size isn't the issue, there's more to it than that.

Aidan Turner

(Totes taken out of context from here: [x]).

[nimblesnotebook-blog]

The Perks and Pits and Self-Insert Characters

The Perks:

Sharing your negative life experiences with characters can be therapeutic. If you don’t have anyone to talk to or if you have trouble explaining your difficulties, writing your negative experiences into the lives of your characters can help you find an outlet for your feelings and shed light on important problems in your life.

Sharing your positive life experiences with characters can be therapeutic. The reasons for this are the same as above, but are positive and more about sharing than informing.

Sharing your traits is inevitable. Whether it’s your vices, your virtues, your likes, your dislikes, your insecurities, or your fears, some of your characters are going to end up having commonalities with you. If you want to talk about how you don’t like your nose, give a character your nose and write about it. If you want to talk about your favorite hobby, give it to a character and write about it.

Semi-autobiographical fiction exists. There are countless published works that are semi-autobiographical featuring a character based on the author. These works are not frowned upon nor are they considered lazy writing. However, they are still fictionalized and while they may go through the same experiences as the author, they may have different personalities and differences in back story.

They can serve as a base. If you just started writing, you may have difficulties creating characters. You may not know where to start or you may get overwhelmed with giving your characters traits and back stories. Using yourself as a base can help get you started.

The Pits:

The biggest downfall of creating a self-insert character is making a perfect version or an idealized version of you, in which case the character becomes unbelievable, flat, static, and boring. To avoid this, your character should not be too much like you. There still needs to be variety and differences.

Another pit of creating these characters is reacting too negatively to criticism of these characters. Although you may have based a character on yourself, that character is not you. You should not see that character as you.

Creating too many self-inserts will make your characters too similar and you’ll have trouble developing them as separate characters. 

[superkoalabear]

[wednesdaydreams-deactivated2022]

Cinematography in Poldark (2015), episode 3 

[lizard-is-writing]

Quick Tips on Writing Powerful Female Characters

Alright, I’m not going to pretend I’m not a feminist. But regardless of your stance or whatever (and I’m really not going into personal opinions, motivations, or anything like that and I will act unbiased), here are some things to think about when you write female characters in positions of power: 

Consider the character’s opinion on her own status. A powerful woman will have an opinion on her gender, especially if she is filling a role traditionally held by a man, such as a ship captain, a political leader, or a business owner. (But if her opinions are too overbearing, even if it’s something the reader agrees with, it will be annoying - so don’t beat it over the reader’s head.)

What does she think of family life? Now, this is the complete opposite of my last point but really, you should know this for writing any character. Family life and living as a homemaker is often seen as the antithesis of what a powerful woman should want, but the truth is that, it doesn’t need to be that way. A character can want both. Consider that side of the character too. If she doesn’t want marriage and children, dig into why.

How does her personality play into her strength as a character? Strong women don’t need to be ice queens. Consider how their personality traits play into their strength. Perhaps her care for home and family wins support of her community. Or how her short-temper might make her just as frightening as any war-hungry king. 

"She is insane." I’ve noticed that there is a fear today to write female characters in power that fail at their jobs or prove to be insane, brutal, or too weak to succeed. It shouldn’t matter the character’s gender, but who she is as a character. If she would naturally move to make choices that would lead her to failure, let her fail. 

[jefflion]

[theoreocat]

Oreo tries to catch the shadow from Sunshine’s tail.

[writingwithcolor]

Any advice on how to write a(n alternate) world without racism? I have some sort of world that resembles ours, but their social categories and races are not the same as ours. Hence, no racism as we know it because there's no history of it, no white supremacy, no colonialism. So far so good, huh? The trouble is, I want later in the story to reveal that the people in this world originated from Earth so how to go about it? I really don't want to include racism, so my only idea is to (continued)

So, my idea is that people don’t know where they came from. I will have people of all races (as we know them) and many mixed people (as we understand them), but no cultural heritages as we know them. Which is kind of a sad point I want to make, that these categories are erased for them, yes (such as race or class or gender, etc.) but it also means erasing histories and numerous collective identities. I want to make this point, but I was wondering how to do it respectfully.

Alternative World Without Racism and Culture

No, I don’t think a premise with absolutely zero cultural heritage would work. There’s not much context from your post, so I’m not sure exactly how many years in the future your story takes place or how well (or poorly) Earth’s cultural history was preserved, but surely another culture would spring up in its place as a default. 

Besides, cultures can and have evolved, even in the smallest of ways, just from being passed down from one generation to the next. 

The idea of cultural erasure to eradicate racism is a hugely problematic one, even in a world with a large multiracial population—just because people intermarry between races and ethnicities doesn’t mean that they automatically lose their culture.

—Mod Jess

[superkoalabear]

Thanks for answering my question.

I guess I didn't word my question properly (though criticism still stands). There is culture (cultures, to be exact), of course, but stripped from historical and cultural context. There is no cultural continuity. It's part of an experiment gone wrong and people are kind of brainwashed into a new situation. There are no ethnic or racial groups we know. There is no history or heritage as we know. The new system kind of functions for a while, but it starts breaking in large part because it's built on artificial premises and almost out of context. That's when the story begins.

To be honest, the whole thing probably comes from my own disappointment. I do not honestly believe we'd be ever able to get rid of racism. I just don't. Not before a colossal change of power structures occurs that will redefine everything. Which will happen sooner or later and it's a more optimistic solution.

The other possibility - the one I wanted to explore in my story - is not a solution at all. It erases differences artificially by erasing people's culture and identities (not just in racial sense, but I focused on this in my question). People being brainwashed and not remembering their history. Not remembering their culture. If something is forgotten or erased from cultural memory it doesn't exist for people. This is what I was going for. It's obviously a dystopia.

Again, thank you for answering my question. I will definitely need to think more about this.

[theoreocat]

Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be. Besides, if everyone loved bacons there would be less of them for yourself.

[fandomsandfeminism]

Here’s the thing about Bisexual Howard Stark:

This is not a slam dunk for bisexual representation. Absolutely not. In our climate of overwhelming heteronormativity and blatant bisexual erasure, nothing short of the B word itself really CAN be. That much is fact. 

The simple fact is that nothing short of the B word it self is TRULY indisputable representation. Obstinate heteronormativity and biphobia will give leverage for people to deny the blatantly obvious and narratively clear.

And that’s very sad.

Because Agent Carter gave us some pretty damn clear narrative parallels here. No one denies that Peggy’s love for Steve is romantic. No one denies that Howard has romantic interest in women. Both Peggy and Howard draw direct, clear, and deliberate parallels between Peggy’s love for Steve and Howard’s love for Steve. In a culture and climate that was truly open and equal, Howard’s bisexuality would be accepted without question (except, maybe, with the caveat of perhaps pansexuality.) 

I will argue night and day that Bisexual Howard Stark is canon. If this were two women talking about their shared love for one man, there would be no question. If this were two men talking about their shared love for one woman, there would be no question. If these scenes played out in a way that maintained heteronormativity, it would be no question. 

Despite the problems with Agent Carter, I do hope it will get a second season. I hope that second season will see major PoC characters, and I hope it will see explicit and undeniable confirmation of Bisexual Howard Stark.  

[fandomsandfeminism]

#IF THESE SCENES PLAYED OUT IN A WAY THAT MAINTAINED HETERONORMATIVITY IT WOULD BE NO QUESTION#WHOA THAT’S SUCH A GOOD POINT #GOD I’M UNDERSTANDING SO MUCH RIGHT NOW #SO MUCH #LIKE #IF HOWARD WENT ‘I HAVE NEVER TOLD A LIVING SOUL BUT I …….. LOVED STEVE ROGERS’ THEY WOULD’VE TAKEN THE AUDIENCE’S HETERONORMATIVITY IN ACCOUNT #AND THE WORST PART ABOUT IT IS THAT I WASN’T BUYING IT #I TOTALLY WASN’T BUYING BISEXUAL HOWARD STARK PRECISELY B/C THEY DIDN’T PLAY INTO THE HETERONORMATIVE DRAMA OF A COMING OUT #GOD MY EYES HAVE BEEN OPENED #AGENT CARTER #AGENT CARTER SPOILERS

I keep thinking about these tags, because I think they make a REALLY good point that I sort of….alluded to, but didn’t really get to all the way.

Part of what makes Howard’s representation of a bisexual man so challenging to heteronormativity if we accept that this is what he is, is that we must accept him as simply open and out without label or announcement. Howard does not “come out” in these moments. Howard is not “in the closet” in these moments. Both Howard and Peggy seem fully aware and accepting of Howard’s feelings without reservation or scandal. 

In fact, Howard’s love for Steve is treated SO equally to Peggy’s that, within a society imbued with Heteronormativity, it feels misplaced. We EXPECT Howard to feel shame for his feelings, when the only shame he feels is for failing Steve, not for loving him.

Being “in the closet” is a function of heteronormativity. Coming out if a function of heteronormativity. Agent Carter simply ignores Heteronormativity completely, which makes viewers who do have to deal with heteronormativity have to struggle more to recognize true queerness in its absence.  

[vands38]

#Howard’s love for Steve is never presented as anything other than parallel and equal to Peggy’s#but what terrifies me is that not only are viewers heteronormative and therefore unlikely to accept this at face value the way they SHOULD#but also Marvel is just shitty enough to deny it (tags via hauntedjaeger)

they really fucking are

[ineffable-raccoon]

I think the saddest thing honestly is that if Howard was shown as being SAD of ASHAMED of his FEELINGS for Steve, people would find this interpretation of his feelings as romantic as more believable. If Howard were ashamed and miserable because of his love for Steve, instead of comfortable with those feelings, people would find a bisexual non-heteronormative interpretation more compelling.

"I’ve never told anyone this Peggy….." "I never wanted anyone to know but….." "Can you believe what the papers would say…" with tears in his eyes? " But I felt the same way -I loved him too!" with hands clenched. If he seemed torn up and in pain about his feelings, would the romance seem more compelling? 

But instead, his only guilt is over FAILING Steve. He is perfectly comfortable in LOVING Steve. He says it so easily- “I know how much he means to me.” And Peggy reciprocates that sentiment without hesitation. “You loved him. I loved him too.” There is no angst over the closet, no self loathing over it. Which makes people doubt that it is romantic.

And in a heteronormative society, LGBTQIAP+ people are SUPPOSE to hate ourselves and hate our feelings. And if we DON’T feel ASHAMED of our feelings, are really real? If Howard Stark doesn’t feel ASHAMED of loving Steve Rogers? Can that love REALLY be romantic? If Howard Stark doesn’t HATE HIMSELF ENOUGH for being queer, then maybe he can’t be queer at all. 

If we love ourselves, then we are delegitimized. That’s what heteronormativity does to us. 

[schematism-moved-deactivated202]

shit you guys have stirred a lot of conflicting thoughts in my head

one of them, dare i say it, is that i know that today, in the 21st century, a lot of my male friends have had a lot of trouble being called gay (not necessarily as an insult) or bisexual — which, whether or not it’s the case, can make them feel kinda uncomfortable — just because they have a very comfortable friendship with their male friends. I’m not saying you’re all wrong. you can interpret it however you choose, but please be wary of what message you’re sending out to all men about how they are allowed to feel and act around friends.

[ineffable-raccoon]

Oh god. Won’t somebody think of the straight people? 

-heavy sigh- Straight people are so fucking worried about maintaining heteronormativity that not only can you not allow queer people to be only queer without shame, but you police your own friendships to the point of absurdity. 

It isn’t queer people’s fault that straight people feel emotionally constipated about their own friendships out of homophobic anxiety. That blame falls on heteronormativity too. 

[superkoalabear]

I find this whole discussion interesting but idk. On one hand, I am happy that Howard is not shown as being desperate & angsty over having romantic feelings for a man - it's a nice change (if this is really, truly what's depicted here). On the other, it's still not made explicit enough. We don't need another Dumbledore situation.

But yes, basically, stfu about male het friendships. They are everywhere.  Obviously they are valuable and should be cherished. Duh. But again, they are everywhere. Represented in every corner of every media. To the point of me getting sick over "no homo" "bromances" - even when they are not problematic, and they often are, they are everywhere. Let's have a bi man for a change. 

[superkoalabear]

jenniferrpovey: I had a thought today about bisexual representation. We know it’s a problem (asexuals have it worse). Representation means the character has to be explicitly bisexual. Here’s the problem. Young writers are taught that a cardinal rule is “show not tell.” We’re told we as the writer should not say “this character is bisexual.” We’re even told it’s ‘bad’ to have the character say “I’m bisexual.” The problem then, especially for monosexual writers, comes in how to show the character is bisexual. There’s the easy route of having them date both sexes over the course of the show or book. In Gotham, Barbara’s bisexuality is revealed when we find out Renee Montoya is her ex. That’s one way to do it. Unfortunately, when a lot of writers do it this way, they drift towards the bislutty stereotype. And that’s reasonable for some characters (Jack Harkness comes to mind - he’s a very cool character who is as bislutty as they come). It doesn’t lend itself to representing the entire spectrum of bisexual characters. If you’re writing in first person, it’s easier. The MC of Making Fate, Jane, is bisexual, but the word has yet to be used in the series. Instead, she narrates about her attraction to both sexes, her rejection because of it by the asshole chairman of the gay and lesbian club (He insists she has to pick a side), her difficulties coming to terms with it. But those kinds of inner narratives only work if the bisexual character is the protagonist and you are writing prose in first person or close third. It doesn’t help scriptwriters, it doesn’t help for more distant points of view. It doesn’t help if the bisexual character is not the main character. Of course, there are other ways to do it. Have a guy casually mention having slept with a character who’s currently dating a girl. Show a character’s hesitation about dating a bisexual person (a lot of people get nervous about the extra competition). Have somebody wear a piece of clothing with the bisexual flag, a T-shirt with a suitable slogan - if it’s something that char would do. But I think as writers we need to be a little bit less afraid of actually using the word. I count myself in this. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with telling something if it needs to be told. And there is nothing wrong with having your bisexual character be out and proud…if they would be. It does depend on the character. But if we’re going to have more explicit bisexual representation, we need to be less afraid to tell it. By being less afraid to tell it, we don’t drift into problematic ways of showing it such as pulling out the bislutty stereotype (unless it fits! People like that do exist, after all), or thinking we’re showing it clearly when our readers are actually glossing right over it. So, tell your reader your bisexual characters are bi. AND show it. Show the confusion many of us experienced as teenagers. Show your bisexual characters appreciating eye candy. Write bisexual characters who are so out they’ll walk down the street with a T-shirt declaring their “status” and ones so in the closet they hope everyone thinks they’re straight (or even gay). But, above all, don’t let the “rules” of writing get between you and explicit representation.

Well said.

Here's the thing: "show, don't tell" is not an absolute rule and can't be applied to everything. There are things you should show, demonstrate and describe through an example. There are, however, things you should communicate through, well, telling. There is nothing wrong about it, and this one is a good example where telling is often better than showing. 

(Not always, but it can definitely save you from doing sloppy mistakes or going for stereotypes). Not to mention that it's still so rare to have a character being explicitly described as bisexual. 

[fictionwritingtips]

Developing Your Style

Most famous writers have their own style, so it becomes easy to pinpoint one of their books. Authors like Stephen King and Chuck Palahniuk are instantly recognizable, but sometimes it could be hard to understand why. How did they develop their style? What makes them different from other writers? It’s not normally something writers strive to do, it usually just happens without them realizing it.

Your style generally develops naturally over time and can come from what you read, what inspires you, your personality, and certain decisions you make when it comes to your writing. Obviously, there’s a way you prefer to write. Whatever your most comfortable doing, that’s usually how you write. If you think about it too much, your writing might become unnatural and too conscious.

When you write every day it becomes easier to understand what your style is. You’ll figure out what type of sentence structure you prefer, what POV you like to write in, or what your “voice” is. Voice is the way you tell a story, which varies from author to author. It’s what makes your writing recognizable, much like how you almost immediately know if Stephen King wrote a book without looking at the title. It can be hard to develop a distinct voice and can take years, but the more you write the easier it will become.

I came up with a few things to avoid when developing your own style. Like I said, it usually comes naturally and can’t necessarily be forced. It also might happen more easily for some writers than others.

-If your writing is forced into a particular style (if you attempt to emulate your favorite author, for example) your writing won’t flow like it should. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Work with your own strengths and don’t feel bad about certain weaknesses you might have.

-If your writing becomes less about story and more about displaying your writing talent, your readers most likely won’t stay interested. Avoid using “big” words in order to impress people. This won’t help you develop style and just alienates your readers. Don’t write to show off.

-Try to avoid redundancy. If you’re using the same ideas over and over again, that’s not style. You can still be different and speak in the same voice as your previous novels. Style has nothing to do with being redundant.

Style can be just as important as plot because it can be what draws the reader in. If a publisher or agent feels like your story is too bland or lacks an interesting “voice” that might be something you have to discover within your own writing. Something like that might be harder to fix than grammar or plot, so they might be less likely to accept your manuscript. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through.

-Kris Noel

My book: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15764908-lionhead

My page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6447379.Kris_Noel

[southafricasmostfashionable]

[superkoalabear]

18° 15’ N, 77° 30’ W