#pmsgs

[chaoticmango04]

Welcome back to another episode of

"Plagiarizing my Seventh Grade Self"

Today's episode:

Tip #7

Add Diversity. The world is not black and white and neither should your characters be. Add some representation of different groups. Add a disabled person, a person of color (not limited to black people), or even a person of a different body type. All of this will add flavor to your story and make it better.

We all know the typical y/n character with the long blonde hair in a messy bun and bright electric blue eyes. The thing is, not everyone in the world matches that description. (I know, shocking!) While it is true that some places are more diverse than others, if you are placing your story in a place that is usually diverse or even an imaginary place, add variation. Another common misconception that some writers have (and I'll even admit to doing this in the past) is that they think that adding diversity is just having that black friend for the main character. But it's more than that. It's having Asian, European, African, Latinx people. It's having thin, or thicc people. It's having people who aren't mentally stable or who don't have perfect lives or aren't happy all the time. Without differences like this, how can you really capture the essence of being human.

(Unless you're dealing with aliens, in which case, go crazy)

[chaoticmango04]

Welcome back to another episode of

Plagarizing My Seventh Grade Self

Today's episode:

Tip #9

Add consequences

Don't you hate it when you read a story and the characters do a bunch of legally and morally questionable things and they just live life as it were with no consequences? Your character is not perfect and should not get away scot-free with whatever adventure they just went through. Make there be stakes for going on with their adventure and your character accepts those stakes anyway. It gives depth to your story and helps your reader see what your character values.

WARNING: WARCROSS SPOILERS AHEAD

A great example of this was at the end of the Warcross series by Marie Lu. Now I may be remembering wrong because I did read it a while ago but to my understanding, the main characters did go through a lot of repercussions as, even though they saved the world, they still broke the law and some people made the technology that was capable of taking over people's brains in the first place. (cough cough Hideo cough cough)

So in conclusion, think of yourself as your character's parent. If they don't get home by curfew, they need punishment.

[chaoticmango04]

(wow haven't done this in a while)

Welcome back to another episode of

"Plagiarizing my Seventh Grade Self"

Today's episode:

Tip #8

Make your character lose

Wow, so apparently I started losing steam at this point because there wasn't anything else written after, so I'll just make up for it now! This is a tip that is actually so great in spicing up your writing and making it not sound so cliche. Like when you read a story, you expect the Main character to win no matter what, so twist it around and make them actually lose. This could be by making them lose a battle, having a character that was close to them die when they were trying to stop it, even having the character themself die. The beauty of this tip is that it can be applied at the beginning, middle, or end. You could have your character's loss be the catalyst for a journey of character development, or you could have your character train for a sports game that is really important but right at the buzzer they are down by 1 and lose. You could even have this loss at the end for a chilling ending that will leave your reader in shock (I've stumbled upon some stuff like this, it's only for the most sadistic of writers). However you make your character lose, make them lose good and hard. It's also great to make your audience root for the character and then have them lose if you want to add even more sadism to your writing.

All in all, you can't win everything and the same goes for your characters

[chaoticmango04]

PMSGS UPDATE

So looking at the advice that my younger self left for me unknowingly, there isn't much left. So I've come to the conclusion that once I do the last tip that I wrote, this will become a satire series where I make fun of my old writing. And that doesn't just include from seventh grade. This will be called "Plagiarizing my Younger Self" or PMYS. Yall this might be really fun actually because I have wild writing stuff from now to all the way back in preschool.

That's all for now

[chaoticmango04]

Welcome to another episode of

"Plagiarizing my Seventh Grade Self"

Today's episode:

Tip #6

Use a typical plotline and make an unexpected twist. Too many Cinderella stories? Write a story from the stepmother's point of view. Spice it up!

If you had a bit of trouble coming up with a story idea, why not go back to the basics. There have been so many stories that do a really good job at this tip. For example, you might have the Cinderella story, but want to put aliens from the moon and make Cinderella a cyborg, and bam! You get Cinder by Marissa Meyers.

So if you ever get hit by the dreaded writers' block, just think about your favorite classic story and change it up to make it more you.

[chaoticmango04]

Welcome back to another episode of

"Plagarizing my Seventh Grade Self"

Today's episode:

Tip #5

Add suspense. When you write, you should make your readers want to read more. Instead of outright telling what is happening, make your reader have to read more to figure things out.

Show don't tell is an overused saying that many people don't understand the meaning of. However, it is so helpful and important. One thing many writers tend to do is narrarate their writing and tell people what is happening. This was sort of addressed with tip #4 and basically this tip is a way to put that tip into action. Sure you can be told to pace your story, but one way to actually do it is suspense. Make your readers wait for something just long enough...

and they'll be on the edge of their seats ready for more. ;)

[chaoticmango04]

Welcome back to another episode of

"Plagarizing my Seventh Grade Self"

Wow, I have not this in a while. Let's just hop into it!

Tip #4

PACING PACING PACING!!!! When you write, you must pace your story so that it doesn't seem rushed. Even if you start to lose your motivation, you must pace your story so that it doesn't rush the reader or seem like you are just summarizing what is happening.

Oh.

My.

God.

Who knew that past me would help present me. I have such a huge problem with this. Like, I start off good, describing settings, getting proper dialogue, even sneaking in some character thoughts and feelings, but then I reach a point where I'm so frustrated with how long it is taking to write out what's in my brain that I just don't elaborate anymore. But your readers are not reading for a summary. They want to join the whole journey. So create that journey.

Special thank you to seventh grade me for reminding me of this important writing skill.

you da real mvp

[chaoticmango04]

Welcome back to another episode of

"Plagiarizing My Seventh Grade Self"

On today's episode:

Tip #3

If you write a story where it takes place in a different world or time period, make sure to write like you are in that time period. Books can be powerful enough to transport you into a different world, but in order to do that, you need to write like it. Create new phrases, slang, or technology. Maybe even add a couple of ironic jabs at current times.

When you write, make sure it makes sense. Whether it's the timelines, the setting, the language, everything needs to line up. If one thing is out of place, the whole illusion of a different world comes crumbling down.

Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic but you get the point. It wouldn't makes sense for your story to take place in 1645 and your main character is listening to WAP. (Again, the example is a little bit exaggerated but you never know.)

And a little satire jabbing at this time period never hurt anybody.