#writing curses

[tinyreviews]

Writing Tips: Curses!

Curses serve as narrative tools that externalize internal conflicts and explore themes.

Six Primary Types of Curses:

1. Karmic Justice Curses

Origin: Born from great injustices or imbalances

Breaking Method: Only broken by righting the original wrong

Examples: Bloodborne (desecration punishment), Lake Lanier folklore

Use: Explore humanity's relationship with past sins and forgotten injustices

2. Self-Perception Curses

Origin: Stem from how characters see themselves

Breaking Method: Requires self-realization and acceptance

Examples: Howl's Moving Castle (Sophie's aging curse), "Another Girl Under the Iron Bell"

Use: Mirror real struggles with identity, self-worth, and societal expectations

3. Explanatory Curses

Origin: Human attempts to make sense of inexplicable tragedies

Breaking Method: Healthy grieving and acceptance of life's complexity

Examples: What Remains of Edith Finch family curse

Use: Explore how people create meaning from suffering

4. Cyclical Violence Curses

Origin: Patterns of harm passed through generations

Breaking Method: Breaking cycles through understanding and restoration

Examples: Princess Mononoke's corruption curse

Use: Address intergenerational trauma and systemic violence

5. Cursed Object/Place Characters

Origin: Objects or locations with their own will and agency

Breaking Method: Contending with the curse's desires and temptations

Examples: Vox Machina's cursed sword, The One Ring

Use: Explore addiction, dependency, and moral corruption

6. Unbreakable/Transferable Curses

Origin: Designed as no-win scenarios

Breaking Method: Outsmarting through technicalities or learning acceptance

Examples: It Follows, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Shrek

Use: Test character ingenuity and moral choices

Key Storytelling Principles

Physical Manifestation: Consider how curse marks/effects on the body reflect deeper themes (vulnerability, mortality, identity)

Ritual and Symbolism: Breaking curses often requires symbolic acts that reflect the world's values and the character's growth

Post-Curse Life: Rarely explored territory - who are characters after defining curses end? What trauma remains?

Writing Considerations

Avoid Simple Solutions: Best curse stories require emotional reckoning, not just magical fixes

Focus on Character Agency: Curses work best when they force characters to confront who they are and who they can become

This is a summary of Hello Future Me’s latest video:

[evenknight1984]

Me 3/4ths of the way through any long piece of fiction writing: gods, I wish I wrote an outline for this.

Me looking at all of the beautiful, detailed outlines just sitting in my drafts, languishing, before beginning a brand-new fic from scratch: nahh, I don’t want to do any of these, they’re boring now.

Unfortunately, I will continue like this, I’m way too set in my ways.

[promptsforthestrugglingauthor]

Hello! Do you have any suggestions or advice on writing about curses?

Under the assumption you mean magical curses…

My main advice would be to lay out rules and limitations. Whether of not your the character inflicted with the curse is aware of these rules and limitations, they’re a good thing to be aware of as a writer. Can it be removed? How was it cast? Is it temporary? These things can become plot points or are simply just nice to have in mind for consistency’s sake.

[evenknight1984]

Me writing: Fuck yes, look at all these tangled webs, I'm so good at this

Me editing: What the fuck. Where does this even go? Who is this character? What have I *done*?

[sastielsfandom]

Who placed the wip curse on me? I can always start them, but can never finish them. :/