#askbox live

[nastynegan]

Hey kiddos, guess fucking who? 

That’s right, it’s your favorite guy!  And his favorite girl. 

If you’ve got some shit to say to the man himself, now’s your chance.  I’ll just be sitting here with my dick in my hand otherwise.

[nastynegan]

Admit it.  You missed me.

[nastynegan]

Surprise bitch!  I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me.

[ask-parker-and-wilson]

[characterandwritinghelp]

Recently you guys reblogged a post about words describing eyes and I was wondering what's the difference between cross-eyed and boss-eyed. For me, the definitions sound like pretty much the same.

From what I can find via google and the various dictionaries that brought up, boss-eyed can either mean cross-eyed or else ‘having a squint’. Urban Dictionary says that to be boss-eyed means being able to see in two directions at once, probably via some form of lazy eye. Apparently ‘boss’ is some form of British slang for ‘to miss’, as in a target, which may be where the phrase comes from.

I’d say you’d be better off using cross-eyed, or else more descriptive words like ‘squint’, since whatever it was originally coined to mean, it’s clearly a bit of slang that’s fallen far out of general usage.

- Hunter

[characterandwritinghelp]

Do you think it's totally impossible to have something published if you're under 18?

I am seizing this question as I walk out the door because yes, this is absolutely possible!

Publishing is a lot more accessible than it used to be, especially with things like Amazon’s direct publishing and self-publishing. It may be tougher to go the traditional route with an agent, but that’s assuredly not impossible either.

There are lots of resources for writers of all ages who want to look into publishing, but check out this list of 40 websites dedicated to young writers and pay special attention to the section near the bottom about getting published. Also consider getting involved in NaNoWriMo’s Young Writers Program to connect with other young writers, some of whom have been published and can tell you more about being published as a young writer.

Young writers are dear and important and I will protect each and every one of you to my grave. If you or any other young writer gets anything but words of encouragement when you ask these kinds of questions, tell me. Because I will eat them.

-Headless

[characterandwritinghelp]

What do you think about purely character-driven novels?

Headless: I love stories where plot takes a backseat to character development. Stories where it’s all about the decisions, inner conflict, and relationships are fantastic. Even if it’s a action-ish plot, I absolutely love stories where the real conflict and story-driving power comes from the characters rather than the action—I think those can turn out to be some of the most powerful stories.

Hunter: I personally need a healthy mix of both. I've read purely character-driven stories before, with no real direction to speak of, no overarching plot to sort of help mold the characters and their decisions and... it really doesn't appeal to me. At least the ones I've seen tend to be the 'slice of life' sort, and I don't care for that for much the same reason that 'real life' as a genre of fiction doesn't appeal to me. (With exceptions, of course--I love mysteries with or without a fantastical component. But mysteries do tend to be plot-driven, at least in part.) But I don't like books that go too far to the other end of the spectrum, either, because then you wind up with characters who are forced to act as the plot demands and you wind up with shoddy development and characters it's hard to really care about. So, like I said, a healthy mix of both--the characters drive the plot, but the plot also helps shape the characters.

[characterandwritinghelp]

My MC is Latina, and I have already found fitting names for her and her family members. Now, I've been researching Mexican last names, but the ones I have found are very common and ordinary. What websites/books should I use to find a good name, or do you have any recommendations? Is using an everyday last name something I shouldn't even worry about? Thank you!

Having an everyday last name is not a bad thing! If you find one you like and think will work, by all means feel free to use it.

The end of this post has a bunch of name sites and generators that work with both first and last names. See also this post of Hispanic names and surnames and this post of Hispanic naming customs.

-Headless