Anything and Everything

Hi, I'm Jenny and I like books, cooking, trees, ironic images (see above for an example), and anything else that might catch my fancy.

[astig]

Hey, I’m Reese and this is my art/writing/etc. blog that I’ve never used. I’m currently promoting my new novel, stargazer/trailblazer, for sale on Amazon, Apple iBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Play. 

This book is an urban fantasy featuring a trans female protagonist, an all-POC main cast, and focusing on a lesbian romance. I’ve put a lot of love and effort into this book, and there’s a side story/sequel on the way. It isn’t incredibly long (about 50, 000 words, while the average fantasy novel is around 100, 000).

I’ve only just published this book and it’s not out on all these platforms yet, so I’m also offering to personally send you the ebook if you pay the price directly to my paypal, [email protected]. Message me for details– I’ve sold a few copies this way.

Plot: In a world where Readers, those with the magical gift to see and understand the world around them, and mages who manipulate the elements, make up the population, the city of Norbourne stands as the royal capital. Astra Lang is just one measly celestial mage living on the edge of town and dealing a mysterious drug as  her only means of income. What happens when she and her best friend discover a nefarious plot to take the head of the King? And how is she supposed to protect this Princess along the way?

This book only costs $1, and I don’t collect all the profits. I’d really appreciate you giving it a read since I’m in some financial trouble. If you can’t afford it or you’re not interested, it would be incredible if you could reblog this or recommend to anyone who you think would be interested.

tl;dr? Urban fantasy with a trans protagonist and an all-POC main cast, and the book costs a dollar. 

[astig]

tagging some blogs who might be able to boost this? i’d be really grateful!  @writingwithcolor @writing-questions-answered @writersofcolor-blog @pocwritinggroup @reverseracism 

you can buy the book here! it’s now available on amazon, ibooks, barnes & noble, kobo, and google play books! more to come as well! 

[andhumanslovedstories]

Sarah HOW DO YOU BRAINSTORM PLOTS my mind is a mess of half-baked ideas that wouldn't work

Plots, I can’t help you with so much. Plotting isn’t my forte. But I can maybe help you get half-baked ideas to a fully baked souffle, and the way you do that is by fucking up a lot of souffles to be honest, but I’m here to offer my advise on how you gain quite a lot by fucking up those souffles for a while

SO: margotkim’s patented Idea Development Help Guide That Might Be Useful?™

aka COOL ID-BASED IDEA FLESHED OUT UNTIL IT MAKES SENSE

This is literally the only method I have for coming up with ideas solid enough that I can plot the out: I have one image I want to work towards, and then I work out all the things that I have to figure out for it to happen.

STEP ONE: HAVE COOL IMAGE OR SCENE, DON’T WORRY ABOUT LOGIC

and I mean really don’t worry about logic or reason or even if anyone else will think it’s cool, that’s just gonna get in the way at this point. This is working on the image of the kind of strange stories you tell yourself as you wait to fall asleep. 

So I have this image I’ve been thinking about of a magic fight that takes place in an old looking gothic church with no ceiling, shattered stain glass, ivy growing up. The columns that lead up to where the ceiling should be lead up into nothing but pure white, outside the windows are pure white, it is clear this place is outside the world we know. Up around the place where the ceiling should be, there’s a winged black shadow. Underneath there’s a man in hospital scrubs in a wheelchair with a shotgun. 

Or I have this other idea that I’ve been thinking about, where two characters face each other in a room, and all I know about them is that they are on the same side, they knew each other, but one of them is younger and a wunderkund who messed something up tremendously, and the other is older and their teacher and she has to figure out how to punish this other character who is simultaneous a good person and someone who did something very very wrong. 

This image is bookmarked with a line of dialogue from the Walking Dead video game where your character says, “You’re not a bad man, but what the fuck are we supposed to do now.” I bring this up because fiction often inspires other fiction in strange and indirect ways, and you should always pay attention to your influences to use them as scaffolds for your own ideas, which can often mean being inspired to veer off deliberately in the opposite direction. Never underestimate how inspiring it can be to have a model to work against. 

So that is some free association in two different ways there, but it’s super vivid to me. I know what these scenes looks like, and I understand and find interesting the emotions involved. I just don’t why they are happening. 

and actually hold on a sec.

STEP ZERO: BUT WHERE DO YOU GET THE IMAGE

I’m sure you have an image where you’re like “badass badass badass” or “SO EMOTIONAL OH GOSH” or “these two characters are culminating their love, also who are they”, but you might think that that isn’t the basis for a story. And listen. You gotta put yourself in the place where you trust your brain enough to follow the random bullshit it spits out. 

I used to draw this line in my head between “respectable story ideas” and “random terrible daydreams that make me very happy but no one else will understand”, and that was a bad call because the ideas that make you passionate and make you want to think about them all night are the ideas you should nurture

and look

the majority of these images start with things like: 

LOOK AT THIS COOL LADY ON A MOTORCYCLE WITH WINGS AND ALSO SHE HAS A SWORD AND THE SWORD IS POISONED. 

or maybe: WOULDN’T IT BE COOL IF THERE WAS A PLANET THAT WAS COVERED OCEANS BUT THERE WAS ONE CITY THAT WAS ALL METAL AND IT WAS SINKING INTO THE OCEAN EVERY DAY. 

or: I LIKE THE MONSTERS OF PRINCESS MONONOKE AND I JUST READ A BOOK ON GIANT SQUIDS, HOW CAN I COMBINE THESE

because the images that reach past your idea of what a good story is supposed to be to squeeze your heart are the images that drive you to create

the ideas that give you utter joy but you think are untranslatable to other people are the ideas that are worth the time to translate

writing is a long act of trying to get a reader to see something you are creating out of nothing. 

it’s an act of conjuring

it’s a pain in the ass 

regardless of whether it’s an academic paper or a twelve novel epic fantasy series

so it might as well be a pain in the ass you’re passionate about. 

for me, the best ideas are also embarrassing. if you don’t feel a little awkward about explaining it to someone, it isn’t intimate enough to you to be a story that no one but you could tell. 

okay? moving on.

STEP TWO: HAVING ESTABLISHED THE IMPORTANCE OF BELIEVING IN THE IDEAS YOU THINK ARE COOL BECAUSE THEY ARE COOL AND MORE THAN THAT THEY ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU ARE IMPORTANT, WE MUST KNOW ANSWER THE QUESTION OF HOW THE FUCK THAT IMAGE CAME TO BE, SO ASK YOURSELF QUESTION AFTER QUESTION

church fight scene image

for me, the man is the clear entry point into this image, which has almost too many elements to work out. the man is human

when working with genre work, a rule of thumb I find helpful: the genre elements should support the character and themes you want your characters to explore

if working with people is easier for you than working with genre elements (and genre btw can be romance, magic, mystery, anything, we’ll use genre as a shorthand for “the elements that determine where in the library a book gets shelved”), then build your characters and then build genre elements off that

if working with genre elements is easier for you, reverse engineer a character that thematically suits your genre elements that you want to work with

realistically you’ll develop both elements together, each organically pushing the other in new directions

but it’s easier to start somewhere

so let’s start with the man 

who is the man

why is he in the wheelchair?

is he in a wheelchair because of something within the story you are telling or as something that happened seperate of the story you are telling

and as a corollary to think about: what about this man did he start this story with and what did he gain/lose over the course of this story

where did he get a shotgun?

if the man is in scrubs, does that mean he was in a hospital before?

was he a patient? doctor? nurse? tech? criminal? 

is he equipped in anyway to handle this problem?

is he going to be played by oscar isaac?

spoiler warning: yes. he is going to be played by oscar isaac

what does the man feel at this moment? 

what has the man done to get here?

how does the man’s external situation reflect his internal? 

what can the scuttling shadow thing reflect? why does it matter that he’s in a strange unworldly church? why is he handling this situation with a gun?

we sometimes talk about THEMES as this thing that just exists for english majors to write essays about, but THEMES are tremendously useful to writers as well. they ask you “what is this story about?” in a way that helps you construct a world that allows you to explore your answer

for example: this story will be about loneliness. the main character will suffer from loneliness. the antagonist will exacerbate their loneliness. the side characters will provide different views on loneliness. the solution to the problem will in some way address loneliness. 

which could be something like: a man who isolates himself because he doesn’t want to risk emotional connection with people suffers tremendously from loneliness which only causes him to isolate himself more as he feels less and less capable of approaching people. the monster is something that snatches people from the world without a trace. by the end, the man might very well be the last person on earth, in a place that’s the last place on earth, and now utter isolated, he has to fight the monster alone. 

this is a super loose construction, but it’s a beginning 

then reach outside the image

first, reach outside the image altogether, back into the world of your own head and ask questions like: what kind of plots do I find interesting? what kind of works does this image remind me of? what connections am I making that I don’t unerstand yet why I’m making them? 

most useful question for me, because I’m a character girl girst and foremost: what kind of characters do I always love? I’ve got like five stock characters I love in every situation, which one works the most interestingly here? The Reserved Good Man Who Is Punished For Doing The Right Thing? The Badass Character Who Is Secretly A Dork But Also Secretly Has A Super Dark Past? The Normal Person Who Does Their Best Amidst Forces Far More Powerful Than Them? 

I plug in different characters I like and see how the image changes

I see which one makes me immediately want to know more

second, reach outside the immediate image you have to explore what’s on either side of it

what happened one minute before this image? and one minute before that? and one minute before that?

what happened ten years before that? 

how do you link those two times?

if the man wins, what’s the next hour look like? 

what about if the monster wins?

what does it mean in this story to win? 

what characters that matter aren’t in this picture?

did someone give the man a shotgun?

did someone unleash the monster? 

is the man fighting for someone besides himself? 

who does the monster love, if the monster loves?

and literally keep going

just ask question after question after question after question after question, because one question will suggest the next, and each answer will create new questions, and the questions that you think to ask will be as informative as the answers you come up with

for example for this story, towards the end I started asking questions about the monster winning, who does the monster love, who unleashed the monster, and the wording made me realize that I’m interested in a monster that’s sympathetic

but my image is dependent on a horrific monster

the combination of horrific and sympathetic, combined with the desolate beauty of the church, is pointing me towards a specific theme and mood that will help me define my story 

two people at a table scene (I’ll do this one quicker, I promise) 

for human drama, I think instantly on two character types I both love, and how can I put them against each other

or what’s a dynamic that I’ve always wanted to see done a different way

in this case, I immediately think “the young viewpoint character of any action/genre show who is good at stuff without trying, and their rival/mentor who works really hard at stuff and puts effort in but doesn’t have the same natural talent” 

and this is a case of reaching outside the image to the box of things I know I like, because often times making a story is bringing together:

new inspiration, and 

old loves

and then when I think of the trope that interests me that works in this moment, I think of where I have seen that trope, and the ways I have wanted it to play out differently

then I think about the setting that would bring this trope out best

and this decision is influenced heavily by the things I like

the things I like are spies and bureaucracy (babe, I fucking LOVE stories about bureaucracy, which is weird, I know, but is also the thing that Me, Myself, and I bring to this story that most other people won’t)

and so this story is now about a younger rising star spy who disobeyed orders on a mission because she thought she knew the right thing to do better than anyone else, and the older more trained and experienced spy who has to deal with her

an important element of my story from the beginning is that both women are good people but the younger one has done something Wrong, and to avoid false drama, it has to be something genuinely bad 

so her breaking orders on a mission resulted in friendly fire where the younger one accidentally shot and killed her ally

and for the sake of drama, let’s say the person she shot and killed was the older woman’s good friend

and there’s the beginning of a plot

IT’S SO LONG, I hope this is helpful to you, and here’s the cliffnotes:

release yourself from your own judgment and explore the images, tropes, and ideas that make you truly excited

and make sure that you are really, really excited about the idea

because that excitement is what’s going to power the aggressive interrogation of your own idea that lets you create a truly thought-out, living world 

and once you have asked yourself all these questions about your image, you’ll find that your questioning leads you to the themes you find powerful and the actions you find exciting, and this will help you coalesce all these questions and answers into a plot that combines and drives themes, actions, genre, and character  

[twentythreetoffees-blog]

WOW.

[cheshirelibrary]

[twentythreetoffees-blog]

OMG

[wenchyfloozymoo]

[twentythreetoffees-blog]

All hail this fabulous grandma

[thewritershandbook]

123 Ideas for Character Flaws

Absent-minded - Preoccupied to the extent of being unaware of one’s immediate surroundings. Abstracted, daydreaming, inattentive, oblivious, forgetful.

Abusive - Characterized by improper infliction of physical or psychological maltreatment towards another.

Addict - One who is addicted to a compulsive activity. Examples: gambling, drugs, sex.

Aimless - Devoid of direction or purpose.

Alcoholic - A person who drinks alcoholic substances habitually and to excess.

Anxious - Full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous.

Arrogant - Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance. Inclined to social exclusiveness and who rebuff the advances of people considered inferior. Snobbish.

Audacious - Recklessly bold in defiance of convention, propriety, law, or the like; insolent; braze, disobedient.

Bad Habit - A revolting personal habit. Examples: picks nose, spits tobacco, drools, bad body odour.

Bigmouth - A loud-mouthed or gossipy person.

Bigot - One who is strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ.

Blunt - Characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. Frank, callous, insensitive, brusque.

Bold - In a bad sense, too forward; taking undue liberties; over assuming or confident; lacking proper modesty or restraint; rude; impudent. Abrupt, brazen, cheeky, brassy, audacious.

Callous - They are hardened to emotions, rarely showing any form of it in expression. Unfeeling. Cold.

Childish - Marked by or indicating a lack of maturity; puerile.

Complex - An exaggerated or obsessive concern or fear. (List specific complex.)

Cruel - Mean to anyone or anything, without care or regard to consequences and feelings.

Cursed - A person who has befallen a prayer for evil or misfortune, placed under a spell, or borne into an evil circumstance, and suffers for it. Damned.

Dependent - Unable to exist, sustain oneself, or act appropriately or normally without the assistance or direction of another.

Deranged - Mentally decayed. Insane. Crazy. Mad. Psychotic.

Dishonest – Given to or using fraud, cheating; deceitful, deceptive, crooked, underhanded.

Disloyal - Lacking loyalty. Unfaithful, perfidious, traitorous, treasonable

Disorder - An ailment that affects the function of mind or body. (List the disorders name if they have one.) See the Mental Disorder List.

Disturbed - Showing some or a few signs or symptoms of mental or emotional illness. Confused, disordered, neurotic, troubled.

Dubious - Fraught with uncertainty or doubt. Undecided, doubtful, unsure.

Dyslexic - Affected by dyslexia, a learning disorder marked by impairment of the ability to recognize and comprehend written words.

Egotistical - Characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance. Boastful, pompous.

Envious - Showing extreme cupidity; painfully desirous of another’s advantages; covetous, jealous.

Erratic - Deviating from the customary course in conduct or opinion; eccentric: erratic behaviour. Eccentric, bizarre, outlandish, strange.

Fanatical - Fanatic outlook or behaviour especially as exhibited by excessive enthusiasm, unreasoning zeal, or wild and extravagant notions on some subject.

Fickle – Erratic, changeable, unstable - especially with regard to affections or attachments; capricious.

Fierce - Marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; inclined to react violently; fervid.

Finicky - Excessively particular or fastidious; difficult to please; fussy. Too much concerned with detail. Meticulous, fastidious, choosy, critical, picky, prissy, pernickety.

Fixated - In psychoanalytic theory, a strong attachment to a person or thing, especially such an attachment formed in childhood or infancy and manifested in immature or neurotic behaviour that persists throughout life. Fetish, quirk, obsession, infatuation.

Flirt -To make playfully romantic or sexual overtures; behaviour intended to arouse sexual interest. Minx. Tease.

Gluttonous - Given to excess in consumption of especially food or drink. Voracious, ravenous, wolfish, piggish, insatiable.

Gruff - Brusque or stern in manner or appearance. Crusty, rough, surly.

Gullible - Will believe any information given, regardless of how valid or truthful it is, easily deceived or duped.

Hard - A person who is difficult to deal with, manage, control, overcome, or understand. Hard emotions, hard hearted.

Hedonistic - Pursuit of or devotion to pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses.

Hoity-toity- Given to flights of fancy; capricious; frivolous. Prone to giddy behaviour, flighty.

Humourless - The inability to find humour in things, and most certainly in themselves.

Hypocritical - One who is always contradicting their own beliefs, actions or sayings. A person who professes beliefs and opinions for others that he does not hold. Being a hypocrite.

Idealist - One whose conduct is influenced by ideals that often conflict with practical considerations. One who is unrealistic and impractical, guided more by ideals than by practical considerations.

Idiotic - Marked by a lack of intelligence or care; foolish or careless.

Ignorant - Lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact. Showing or arising from a lack of education or knowledge.

Illiterate - Unable to read and write.

Immature - Emotionally undeveloped; juvenile; childish.

Impatient - Unable to wait patiently or tolerate delay; restless. Unable to endure irritation or opposition; intolerant.

Impious - Lacking piety and reverence for a god/gods and their followers.

Impish - Naughtily or annoyingly playful.

Incompetent - Unable to execute tasks, no matter how the size or difficulty.

Indecisive - Characterized by lack of decision and firmness, especially under pressure.

Indifferent - The trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally, remaining calm and seeming not to care; a casual lack of concern. Having or showing little or no interest in anything; languid; spiritless.

Infamy - Having an extremely bad reputation, public reproach, or strong condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal, or outrageous act that affects how others view them.

Intolerant - Unwilling to tolerate difference of opinion and narrow-minded about cherished opinions.

Judgemental - Inclined to make and form judgements, especially moral or personal ones, based on one’s own opinions or impressions towards others/practices/groups/religions based on appearance, reputation, occupation, etc.

Klutz - Clumsy. Blunderer.

Lazy - Resistant to work or exertion; disposed to idleness.

Lewd - Inclined to, characterized by, or inciting to lust or lechery; lascivious. Obscene or indecent, as language or songs; salacious.

Liar - Compulsively and purposefully tells false truths more often than not. A person who has lied or who lies repeatedly.

Lustful - Driven by lust; preoccupied with or exhibiting lustful desires.

Masochist - The deriving of sexual gratification, or the tendency to derive sexual gratification, from being physically or emotionally abused. A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences.

Meddlesome - Intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner, given to meddling; interfering.

Meek - Evidencing little spirit or courage; overly submissive or compliant; humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness.

Megalomaniac - A psycho pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.

Naïve - Lacking worldly experience and understanding, simple and guileless; showing or characterized by a lack of sophistication and critical judgement.

Nervous - Easily agitated or distressed; high-strung or jumpy.

Non-violent - Abstaining from the use of violence.

Nosey - Given to prying into the affairs of others; snoopy. Offensively curious or inquisitive.

Obsessive - An unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone.

Oppressor - A person of authority who subjects others to undue pressures, to keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority.

Overambitious - Having a strong excessive desire for success or achievement.

Overconfident - Excessively confident; presumptuous.

Overemotional - Excessively or abnormally emotional. Sensitive about themselves and others, more so than the average person.

Overprotective - To protect too much; coddle.

Overzealous - Marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea.

Pacifist - Opposition to war or violence as a means of resolving disputes. (Can double as a merit in certain cases)

Paranoid - Exhibiting or characterized by extreme and irrational fear or distrust of others.

Peevish - Expressing fretfulness and discontent, or unjustifiable dissatisfaction. Cantankerous, cross, ill-tempered, testy, captious, discontented, crotchety, cranky, ornery.

Perfectionist - A propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.

Pessimist - A tendency to stress the negative or unfavourable or to take the gloomiest possible view.

Pest - One that pesters or annoys, with or without realizing it. Nuisance. Annoying. Nag.

Phobic – They have a severe form of fear when it comes to this one thing. Examples: Dark, Spiders, Cats

Practical - Level-headed, efficient, and unspeculative. No-nonsense.

Predictable - Easily seen through and assessable, where almost anyone can predict reactions and actions of said person by having met or known them even for a short time.

Proud - Filled with or showing excessive self-esteem and will often shirk help from others for the sake of pride.

Rebellious - Defying or resisting some established authority, government, or tradition; insubordinate; inclined to rebel.

Reckless - Heedless. Headstrong. Foolhardy. Unthinking boldness, wild carelessness and disregard for consequences.

Remorseless - Without remorse; merciless; pitiless; relentless.

Rigorous - Rigidly accurate; allowing no deviation from a standard; demanding strict attention to rules and procedures.

Sadist - The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. Deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty.

Sadomasochist - Both sadist and masochist combined.

Sarcastic - A subtle form of mockery in which an intended meaning is conveyed obliquely.

Sceptic - One who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.

Seducer - To lead others astray, as from duty, rectitude, or the like; corrupt. To attempt to lead or draw someone away, as from principles, faith, or allegiance.

Selfish - Concerned chiefly or only with oneself.

Self-Martyr - One who purposely makes a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy from others, as a form of manipulation, and always for a selfish cause or reason.

Self-righteous - Piously sure of one’s own righteousness; moralistic. Exhibiting pious self-assurance. Holier-than-thou, sanctimonious.

Senile - Showing a decline or deterioration of physical strength or mental functioning, esp. short-term memory and alertness, as a result of old age or disease.

Shallow - Lacking depth of intellect or knowledge; concerned only with what is obvious.

Smart Ass - Thinks they know it all, and in some ways they may, but they can be greatly annoying and difficult to deal with at times, especially in arguments.

Soft-hearted - Having softness or tenderness of heart that can lead them into trouble; susceptible of pity or other kindly affection. They cannot resist helping someone they see in trouble, suffering or in need, and often don’t think of the repercussions or situation before doing so.

Solemn - Deeply earnest, serious, and sober.

Spineless - Lacking courage. Cowardly, wimp, lily-livered, gutless.

Spiteful - Showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt; motivated by spite; vindictive person who will look for occasions for resentment. Vengeful.

Spoiled - Treated with excessive indulgence and pampering from earliest childhood, and has no notion of hard work, self-care or money management; coddled, pampered. Having the character or disposition harmed by pampering or over-solicitous attention.

Squeamish - Excessively fastidious and easily disgusted.

Stubborn - Unreasonably, often perversely unyielding; bull-headed. Firmly resolved or determined; resolute.

Superstitious - An irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear from an irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.

Tactless - Lacking or showing a lack of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others.

Temperamental - Moody, irritable, or sensitive. Excitable, volatile, emotional.

Theatrical - Having a flair for over dramatizing situations, doing things in a ‘big way’ and love to be ‘centre stage’.

Timid -Tends to be shy and/or quiet, shrinking away from offering opinions or from strangers and newcomers, fearing confrontations and violence.

Tongue-tied - Speechless or confused in expression, as from shyness, embarrassment, or astonishment.

Troublemaker - Someone who deliberately stirs up trouble, intentionally or unintentionally.

Unlucky - Marked by or causing misfortune; ill-fated. Destined for misfortune; doomed.

Unpredictable - Difficult to foretell or foresee, their actions are so chaotic it’s impossible to know what they are going to do next.

Untrustworthy - Not worthy of trust or belief. Backstabber.

Vain - Holding or characterized by an unduly high opinion of their physical appearance. Lovers of themselves. Conceited, egotistic, narcissistic.

Weak-willed - Lacking willpower, strength of will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans. Easily swayed.

Withdrawn - Not friendly or Sociable. Aloof.

Zealous - A fanatic.

[bibliotheca-sanctus]

Waldsassen Abbey Library in Bavaria, Germany

[youthbookreview]

OH MY GOD

[twentythreetoffees-blog]

I WANT TO GO THERE

[skysplitter]

Writing Dialogue in Stories: Some Tips and Advice

Writing dialogue can be tricky, but I found that I got better as I wrote more conversations. Here are some tips and advice I learned through practice: Disclaimer: Like I’ve said before, there are no absolute rules for writing. What works for me may not work for you. Feel free to experiment.

1. Condense

If your characters are going to say something, then it should be worth saying. Your dialogue will be smoother if you read it over and cut out the filler. Remove the redundant things and condense. Sometimes it’s better to remove a line entirely and replace it with an action or a description.

2. Listen to people, talk to people

One way to learn how to write great dialogue is to listen to people in real life. Sometimes we don’t realize that some phrases and lines that are often used in fiction might not actually be realistic(if you’re going for realism). Listening to people and talking to people help you understand the way conversations work. People can get distracted while they talk, they can let their emotions/state of mind affect their words, and they mix gestures and actions and expressions into their speech.

3. Read it out loud

This helps to fix the flow. Say the words, mouth the words. Judge whether or not a certain phrase would be a mouthful or if it would sound awkward.

4. Know that dialogue reveals character

The little details about people always manifest in their words. Sometimes people slip up or their wording hints at something without them realizing it. Let your characters take over. Know that even if they’re putting on a mask in front of other people, sometimes that mask can fall. While you can reveal character through words, don’t overdo it. Remember that the conversation should blend into the context. Sometimes using words that imply are more effective, and sometimes it’s better to have something dawn on the reader by using hints.

5. Know that dialogue reveals plot

Pick your words carefully. They can help you lead or mislead your reader. Again, don’t overdo it. There are some cases where it would be better to reveal plot in other ways. Dumping information on a reader’s head might make the scene dull or boring to read.

6.Try putting emphasis on actions instead of using fancy dialogue tags

I’m not going to be one of those people who says that all dialogue tags other than said are bad, but overusing different dialogue tags can slow down your reader if they have to consult a dictionary every few lines. 

Personally, I like to replace dialogue tags with actions. It helps ground the conversation and keep the scene in motion. The subtle things like our expressions and our actions are just as important as our words, and it builds layers on the scene when you add that to your writing. It’s likely that your characters aren’t just bodiless voices speaking in a void, so pay attention to the setting and the objects around them.

7. Plan what you can

I like to plan important conversations by writing down lines that should be said. Still, remember that if you’re forcing your character to say something, then it could come off as awkward. There have been points where I’ve had to omit details that I planned because I knew that they wouldn’t fit, and sometimes that happens because you have to accept that you can’t fully control your characters.

8. Keep the setting of your world in mind

Build the world of the story through dialogue by asking yourself questions like: What expressions were popular at this time? Do the people in this world have concepts of deities and/or heaven?(we often use swears having to do with the people we venerate/religion we practice) What words are considered inappropriate? What class of society does the character belong to and what is their educational background? There are many more, but these could be a jumping off point. Know the culture and history of the world you’re writing in. Then integrate that culture and history.

9. Have fun with it

Dialogue is one of my favorite things to write, so enjoy writing it and your readers will enjoy it too.

I hope this helped you guys. Happy writing!

[andrewmiyards]

things im tired of:

the evil stepmom trope

the im not like other girls because i don’t like skirts, makeup or fro-yo trope

any trope that makes girls who like fashion and make-up seem stuck up, stupid, slutty and mean

the popular girl wants to socially destroy anyone who tries to get in between her and popularity trope

the i hang out with guys because it’s less drama than girls trope

the we’re best friends but im the girl your boyfriend cheated on you with because i was jealous of you’re relationship trope

literally any trope that has girls hate each other for NO REASON other than to portray all girls as jealous, petty and catty instead of portraying girls having each others backs and protecting each other

[twentythreetoffees-blog]

Stuff I'm tired of:

● Girls only ever talking about boys ● Boys only ever talking about girls or sport ● When girls who like sports automatically hate dresses and makeup and shopping ● When the girl wants to be independent and strong but the guy goes 'I just want to protect you' and she goes all sappy and lets him take over her life ● When the guy is a hot rich sporty manwhore and a poor hot girl sorts out his life

[the-right-writing]

How to make a character's death sadder

 Don’t have them die of old age after a long, fulfilling life. Many people don’t even think of this as sad (note that this can still work if you have enough of the other factors).

 Leave one of their major goals unfinished. The more enthusiastic they are about completing the goal, the sadder.

 Give them strong relationships with other characters.

 Make them fight against whatever is causing their death. Their ultimate loss is sadder if they struggle.

 Kill them in the middle of their character arc.

 Don’t describe their funeral in detail. Maybe it’s just me, but I find that long descriptions of funerals kill the sadness.

[artistizzyrae]

That’s enough Satan’s publisher…

[iceb0x]

>B)

[theirisianprincess]

7. If possible, try to kill them off in the middle of the story, so we had time to like them and we will have time to let the loss settle in.

8. Also, place surviving characters in a situation where having the deceased person there would help them get out. You can choose whether you will point this fact out or if you want the audience to make the connection themselves.

[thehellspawnhero-deactivated202]

[peachdoxie]

9. Make them die by sacrificing themselves to save someone they love from a danger created by the antagonist.

[socialjusticeprincesses]

based on a few deaths that made me blub like a baby…

10. have their loved one, broken hearted, tell the team to stop fighting because “its over.” 

11. have their pet come looking for them. 

12. have their loved one perform a popular song at their funeral so it makes the fans cry whenever it’s played.

13. family witnessing the death and/or blaming themselves.

~ Mulan

[asbehsam]

so… let’s add some frustration to your dear readers’ sadness, shall we?

14. kill the character in the middle of making a joke, smiling, or expressing/experiencing joy/happiness.

15. make the character’s death slow and painful, but make them unable to call out for help even though they can literally see the other characters nearby.

16. after killing the character, have others think the character had betrayed them so they’d always hate them and remember them as traitors and never say nice things about them… Give your readers no chance to have group-therapy with other characters by making them the only ones who know the truth.

17. right before their death, show a side of them nobody has seen. (someone who is always tough and brave being genuinely scared of dying alone; someone who is always laughing being in tears before dying, etc.)

18. make them the only person who knows a big important secret that would help other characters in the story.

19. have them being lied to before dying. (thinking they’ve been betrayed; thinking they weren’t loved; thinking they’ve lost their loved ones, etc)

20. make the character very enthusiastic/passionate about a certain goal, constantly put stress on their goal, have them die unexpectedly before they can reach their goal. 

and the best one…

21. have another beloved character kill them–better be a close friend to your character, one that absolutely nobody suspects, one that everyone can’t help but love, one who is always enthusiastic about things and encourages your character. THEN

reveal the truth only later when it’s too late and the a-hole character has already escaped.

have a cowardly character know the truth and never tell anyone else

have another character find out the truth and have them die before revealing it to others. 

have the said character ^ not actually die, but go through something so they’d forget the friend of the deceased character is actually an asshole. 

This way only your readers will know the truth, thus the frustration would be… most enjoyable for you.

Satan out.

[bobby-phantom-blog]

based off of the one character death that physically pains me to think about

23. Make the character a very loving and caring family person, whether it’s with their siblings or parents, their partner, or their children. Make them talk about how much their family means to them frequently. Kill them off before they could even say goodbye.

Bonus points if they have a very young child who means the world to them.

More bonus points if their family member kills them, or they believe their family member to have killed them.

[firebuug]

THIS MAKES ME SO INSPIRED TO FINALLY KILL THE SINNAMON ROLL IN CRITICAL SURVIVAL

[how-to-art]

24. After their death show characters who helped them and who the readers believed were their allies or friends celebrate their death and make jokes of it.

25. And another for not killing their body: Have them come close to death and lose their memory, and after have them work/with for those they were fighting against and find a family there. Their past allies/friends are completely aware of this, except for the person who cared for them most who is drowning in despair believing that they’re dead.

[fantasy-writing]

Have you all been playing a bit too much Darkest Dungeon?

Here’s some gruesome suggestions for your more deadly prose.

[twentythreetoffees-blog]

26. Give them a long slow death through which they gradually lose hope, until they just want to die and get it over with. Bonus points if before they were one of the happy optimistic characters that cheered everyone else up e.g. Leo in Percy Jackson

[fantasy-writing]

Hi. I need a little help with some kind of writer's block. What I mean is, whenever I get a story idea, I type it out. And then when I read what I've typed later, when I have time, and try to build up on the idea to make a proper story outline, I go blank. Either that, or I get the worst ideas that would never work or fit. Any tips on actually finishing the outline for a novel-length story?

Really great question, and something a lot of writers struggle with. In short, yes, there’s a way to do it. You need to have a process.

It can take anything from a couple of months to a year to flesh out everything that happens in a long form story. In all that time, you shouldn’t be overly worried about putting pen to paper. About writing your scenes. It’s a good idea to write some bits and bobs to get into the heads of your characters and flesh out the style you’re going for, but most of that time you want to spend working on structure.

If you haven’t read anything on story structure, google three act structure and eight sequence structure now. I won’t be able to go into the right amount of detail on this post alone, but if you want to hear more about it just pop in a specific question any time.

Three act structure is pretty simple. Beginning, middle, end. 

It’s very, very reductionist, and it’s easy to get lost in all the different guidelines. I prefer to use eight sequences when making outlines. They ultimately describe exactly the same system, but breaking it down into eight instead of three gives you a lot more structure to build around. 

Really, that’s the key to finishing your outline. Knowing your structure. You don’t need to know exactly what’s going to happen right in the middle of your story, but you do need to know that there’s probably going to be a major test of your main characters, and they’re going to come out of it with newfound knowledge or perspective. 

Here is a fantastic explanation of how the various story structure theories interact, by Stan Williams. Don’t feel constrained by it, but let it inspire you. If it suggests that the hero faces a crunch point at the end of act two, let that set you thinking about what that crunch point is.

Was the hero deceived? Is there a traitor in the party? Did the villain have a secret plan all along?

You know your story best. Whatever little nugget of gold you loved about it when you first thought it up, hold onto that, tightly, and work it through whichever method of story structure suits you best. 

Instead of doing an outline of ‘this happens, then this happens’, work out the eight sequences, or three acts, or fifteen or twenty beats of your story. The crucial moments. Find the moments in your story that match the requirements of the structure. If the story works better when you bend the structure, miss out beats, or add new ones, do that, but work to a structure even if it’s your own.

It takes time to make a story fit. I’ve spent days wracking my brain over how I can adjust my story. Sometimes you have to lose things you loved. Sometimes you have to close the door on ideas you really wanted. That’s the nature of the beast. Sometimes it’s tricky. Stick with it, hold onto that nugget of gold, and let it form around the structure you’ve given it. Some people swear on writing a little every day. When you’re wanting to make a novel, I’d say you should plan a little every day. Have an idea, put it in your structure, take it out, put it in somewhere else, swap events around, have a character turn evil to see what it does. Treat the whole thing as flexible. You’re a mechanic, not an artist. It’s all about finding the best way of making the cogs fit together.

Keep tinkering. You don’t need to be able to write it all down, start to finish. Just keep tinkering until you’re bursting to make it live on the page, tinker some more, then write it.

Hope that helps!

-Pilotfish

[twentythreetoffees-blog]

Thank you Pilotfish

[theunnovelist]

Writing: Active Voice

The word is Verb, and the Verb is god. —Victor Hugo

The active voice gathers a sentence and throws it like a punch. The passive voice crawls back into its shell. In fact, we find an abundance of the passive voice in sentences created by self-protective interests who use it to avoid responsibility.

       Cigarette ads were designed to appeal to children.

This sentence puts the onus of responsibility on the ads and can’t be rewritten in active voice without knowing who designed the ads. Blame is evaded. Philip Morris designed cigarette ads to appeal to children names the culprit.

Which would you prefer to read about—mistakes that were made or the people who made mistakes? Which do you think readers would find intriguing—an observation or an accusation, a confession? Active voice puts the action—and the actor—front and center. It’s the powerful choice, aside from the infrequent strategy that positions the passive voice for five minutes of fame, which I’ll get to.

Consider the two sentences—

The intruder was confronted by Vince.

Vince confronted the intruder.

Both arrangements are written in past tense, and yet the second sentence (active voice) plays out immediately in our minds. It’s as if we’re there, voyeurs at a break-in. The first sentence (passive voice) comes across as if it occurred some time later, as if we’re reading a police report in the weeks following a break-in. Who’s Vince? A stranger, a statistic of crime. In the second sentence, we somehow know Vince. He’s one of us.

The active voice creates intimacy. The passive voice distances readers.

The passive voice tells information. It’s wordy, indirect, and vague. The telling of information, though, according to science, is its greatest drawback. Passive telling—The intruder was confronted by Vince—travels a different neural circuitry than the active showing of events—Vince confronted the intruder. Active showing communicates directly with the brain’s visual and emotional centers. Active showing invests readers and makes a strong cognitive imprint.

Instead of telling—

       The gazelle was surrounded by jackals. (passive-voice)

Show—

       Jackals surrounded the gazelle. (active-voice)

Instead of telling—

       The sky was almost dark. (passive-voice)

Show—

       The sky darkened. (active voice)

Mistakes were made. People made mistakes. These two statements, as book titles, represent different stories. The active voice changes everything.

There is a Preamble

When speaking, we have a habit of introducing a topic with there is,that is, it is, she is, etc. Instead of saying I know a man, we tend to say—and write—There is a man I know. The tag is passive and unnecessary.

It is an occasion we celebrate. → We celebrate the occasion.

She is a woman who always dots her i’s. → She always dots her i’s.

There was something that smelled bad. → Something smelled bad.

Somewhere there was a floorboard creaking. → A floorboard creaking somewhere.

There was a speech made by Henry. → Henry made a speech.

There were soda cans and sandwich wrappers littering the lunch area. → Soda cans and sandwich wrappers littered the lunch area.

The reason was… or Our expectations were… are similar preambles. Rather than announcing the reason or expectations, just state them.

The reason he left college was that his grades had slipped. → He left college because his grades slipped. Or: He failed out of school.

Our expectation was that we would be rewarded. → We expected a reward.

Review your work for passive constructions. You’ll find that setting the work aside for a while will refresh your eye. Keep practicing, and the active voice will become instinctive.

Passive Emphasis

       What is rare has value

Notice the preamble what is in the above sentence. Words earlier, I told you to avoid preambles. I could have written, Rarity has value, or better still, Rarity possesses value. I wanted to make a point, though. I chose to draw attention to what I was saying, and whether or not you understood the difference between passive and active voice, I would have caused you to pause on my statement. What is rare has value.

Patterns in writing enhance its pace. When a writer breaks the pattern, readers pause. When used infrequently, creating rarity, the passive voice interrupts the flow with dramatic effect. A little strategy and we dose the to be verb with steroids.

Imagine reading, for example, a paragraph that recounts in active detail a string of killings that has been terrorizing a coastal village. The passage ends with: Martha was his latest victim. The break in pattern brings us to a halt. This last killing hits harder than the immediate showing that preceded it.

What is rare has value. Remember, though—

       If it isn’t rare, it isn’t valuable.

In some circumstances, when the object rather than the subject is more important, the passive voice can focus attention on the object.

Record numbers of automatic firearms were sold hours after news of the Florida night club shooting broke.

News of the Florida shooting is known. The enormity of the public’s reaction isn’t. The passive structure emphasizes the sale of firearms.

The passive voice is the better choice when, and only when, it provides emphasis where emphasis serves the content. When and only when shouldn’t need clarifying, and yet I reiterate. Human nature, you see, tends to gravitate toward easy alternatives. We’ll rationalize weak decisions rather than put in the work–and writing in the active voice is work. It’s particularly tedious when acquiring the skill. Be patient. Know that good writing means rewriting. Know also that the active voice is the foundation of good writing. Reinforce the skill before you use the passive voice as a technique. And always—always—know the reasons for the writing decisions you make. Don’t excuse your choices. Justify your choices in solid prose.

When the To Be Verb Isn’t Passive

Ellis delivers the flowers is an active construction. Ellis, the subject, is performing the action. Ellis was delivering the flowers is also active. Ellis is still performing the action.

Some verb tenses incorporate a form of the to be verb. These indicate when the action occurs—and when is relevant to story. That said, a more economical phrasing that writes “around” verb tenses employing the to be verb is preferable.

Consider the following sentence.

       He was standing and the phone was ringing.

The verbs was standing and was ringing are both active. Each has a subject performing the action. Both verbs are also past continuous, meaning that their actions began prior to this point and are ongoing. Still, though indicative of tense, the to be verb is empty, and empty words take up time and space. Can you capture the ongoing action without specifying ongoing action in verb tense? Absolutely.

He stood by his desk when the phone rang.

He stood by his desk and the phone rang.

The past tense revisions lose the to be verbs without losing meaning. The subject remains standing, and the phone will ring until he picks it up. Maybe he’s standing in front of a mirror, maybe he startles when the phone rings… Myriad options to show when action starts and stops abound. Choosing an alternative serves the writing’s pace and vitality.

As with the passive voice, though, the writer might want to bring his readers to a halt, as John le Carre did in his opening of The Constant Gardener.

The news hit the British High Commission in Nairobi at nine-thirty on a Monday morning. Sandy Woodrow took it like a bullet, jaw rigid, chest out, smack through his divided English heart. He was standing. That much he afterwards remembered. He was standing and the internal phone was piping. He was reaching for something, he heard the piping so he checked himself in order to stretch down and fish the receiver off the desk and say, “Woodrow.” Or maybe, “Woodrow here.” And he certainly barked his name a bit, he had that memory for sure, of his voice sounding like someone else’s, and sounding stroppy: “Woodrow here,” his own perfectly decent name, but without the softening of his nickname Sandy, and snapped out as if he hated it, because the High Commissioner’s usual prayer meeting was slated to start in thirty minutes prompt, with Woodrow, as Head of Chancery, playing in-house moderator to a bunch of special-interest prima donnas, each of whom wanted sole possession of the High Commissioner’s heart and mind.

The novel opens with a lengthy paragraph, an unusual choice as far as novel openings go. Le Carre, nonetheless, plunges into the scene with bold confidence and defies another taboo—giving us an isolated character. But le Carre knows what he’s doing, and fifteen words into the story, when we learn the character’s name, we know—this is no ordinary day in the office for Sandy Woodrow.

Active verbs set the story’s tangent—news hit, Woodrow took it like a bullet—and we’re moving forward. Then,

        He was standing… He was standing and the internal phone was piping… He was reaching for something…

We slow, almost to a stop. Why? Because Woodrow slowed. Because time, for Woodrow, is bloated, warped. The news that struck like a bullet has dislodged an inner mechanism. Woodrow is outside of events, trying to get his mind around them. We don’t know the details of the news, but we know its impact. Everything works together to convey its ominus, momentus impact—the lengthy paragraph, the isolated character, and the four past continuous to be verbs. Life prior to 9:30 on Monday morning, as Sandy Woodrow knew it, is over.

But instead of telling us the news was inconceivable, instead of telling us Woodrow is in shock or denial, instead of feeding us clichés—time seemed to stop, his world shattered—le Carre recreates Woodrow’s clock. We experience his slow motion attempt to piece together fragments, the futility of trying to recall what he had been doing.

Notice that every other verb beyond this effect is active past tense, aside from one passive verb.

       …the High Commissioner’s usual prayer meeting was slated to start in thirty minutes prompt…

An oversight? One passive verb in 172 words perhaps doesn’t matter. Think again. Writers of le Carre’s caliber choose every jot and tittle. He could have easily gone with a modifying phrase—

       …the High Commissioner’s usual prayer meeting, slated to start in thirty minutes prompt…

Look back at the opening paragraph, though. Of the 172 words, 91 belong to a single sentence, a convolution of phrases and clauses. Le Carre breaches his third taboo, made successful, in part, by the passive verb. We travel Woodrow’s tortured thoughts without becoming mired, and the passive verb was slated adds to the banality of his focus. We have the sense that Woodrow is locked-in, and yet the pace quickens, as one thought boomerangs into the next.

Nothing in writing, as you see in this example, is taboo. Rules illuminate what works. Learn the tools of the trade, master the active voice, and see your writing flourish. And once you’ve gained a working knowledge of writing’s basic tenets, by all means, break the bonds. Write something we haven’t read before.

If it serves the writing, it serves the reader.

Active Voice Part I

GOOGLEPlus I PINTEREST I WEBSITE

[twentythreetoffees-blog]

Best advice I've seen in years

[letthetruthlaugh-blog]

I wanted my first-year film students to understand what happens to a story when actual human beings inhabit your characters, and the way they can inspire storytelling. And I wanted to teach them how to look at headshots and what you might be able to tell from a headshot. So for the past few years I’ve done a small experiment with them.

Some troubling shit always occurs.

It works like this: I bring in my giant file of head shots, which include actors of all races, sizes, shapes, ages, and experience levels. Each student picks a head shot from the stack and gets a few minutes to sit with the person’s face and then make up a little story about them. 

Namely, for white men, they have no trouble coming up with an entire history, job, role, genre, time, place, and costume. They will often identify him without prompting as “the main character.” The only exception? “He would play the gay guy.” For white women, they mostly do not come up with a job (even though it was specifically asked for), and they will identify her by her relationships. “She would play the mom/wife/love interest/best friend.” I’ve heard “She would play the slut” or “She would play the hot girl.” A lot more than once.

For nonwhite men, it can be equally depressing. “He’s in a buddy cop movie, but he’s not the main guy, he’s the partner.” “He’d play a terrorist.” “He’d play a drug dealer.” “A thug.” “A hustler.” “Homeless guy.” One Asian actor was promoted to “villain.”

For nonwhite women (grab onto something sturdy, like a big glass of strong liquor), sometimes they are “lucky” enough to be classified as the girlfriend/love interest/mom, but I have also heard things like “Well, she’d be in a romantic comedy, but as the friend, you know?” “Maid.” “Prostitute.” “Drug addict.”

I should point out that the responses are similar whether the group is all or mostly-white or extremely racially mixed, and all the groups I’ve tried this with have been about equally balanced between men and women, though individual responses vary. Women do a little better with women, and people of color do a little better with people of color, but female students sometimes forget to come up with a job for female actors and black male students sometimes tell the class that their black male actor wouldn’t be the main guy.

Once the students have made their pitches, we interrogate their opinions. “You seem really sure that he’s not the main character – why? What made you automatically say that?” “You said she was a mom. Was she born a mom, or did she maybe do something else with her life before her magic womb opened up and gave her an identity? Who is she as a person?” In the case of the “thug“, it turns out that the student was just reading off his film resume. This brilliant African American actor who regularly brings houses down doing Shakespeare on the stage and more than once made me weep at the beauty and subtlety of his performances, had a list of film credits that just said “Thug #4.” “Gang member.” “Muscle.” Because that’s the film work he can get. Because it puts food on his table.

So, the first time I did this exercise, I didn’t know that it would turn into a lesson on racism, sexism, and every other kind of -ism. I thought it was just about casting. But now I know that casting is never just about casting, and this day is a real teachable opportunity. Because if we do this right, we get to the really awkward silence, where the (now mortified) students try to sink into their chairs. Because, hey, most of them are proud Obama voters! They have been raised by feminist moms! They don’t want to be or see themselves as being racist or sexist. But their own racism and sexism is running amok in the room, and it’s awkward.

[fozmeadows]

I will never not reblog this.

[twentythreetoffees-blog]

Agreed.

[thewordriven]

Friends don't let friends use "very." #DontUseVery

[hanginggardenstories]

Dear Readers,

Last winter, we celebrated our second full term as The Hanging Garden team by hosting a Winter Gala & Giveaway. We invited fourteen 2015 debut authors to contribute fiction for the affair and it was a beautiful thing. In fact, it was so amazing that we’ve added a new feature—the 2016 Summer Fling! It’s three whole weeks of fresh stories from some of your favorite authors! (And cheaper than an ice-cream sandwich.)

Beginning Tuesday, June 12th, you’ll get brand new stories from a hand-selected group of established* YA authors.

THE HANGING GARDEN 2016 SUMMER FLING 
(Presented in alphabetical order)

Zoraida Córdova, author of LABYRINTH LOST cc: @zlikeinzorro

Lamar Giles, author of ENDANGERED cc: @lrgiles

Rachel Hartman, author of SHADOW SCALE cc: @_rachelhartman

Kirsten Hubbard, author of LIKE MANDARIN cc: @kirstenhubbard

Justina Ireland, author of PROMISE OF SHADOWS cc: @justinaireland

Alethea Kontis, author of the BOOKS OF ARILLAND series cc: @aletheakontis

Mari Mancusi, author of the SCORCHED series cc: @marimancusi 

Myra McEntire, author of the HOURGLASS trilogy cc: @myramcentire 

Chris McKitterick, author of TRANSCENDENCE cc: @mckitterick 

Gretchen McNeil, author of RELIC cc: @gretchenmcneil 

Amy Plum, author of AFTER THE END cc: @amyplumohlala 

Sara Raasch, author of ICE LIKE FIRE cc: @seesarawrite 

Jessica Spotswood, author of WILD SWANS cc: @jessica_shea 

Shveta Thakrar, author of “Krishna Blue” in Kaleidoscope and “She Sleeps Beneath the Sea” in issue 31 of Faerie magazine cc: @shvetathakrar

We gave them a gif challenge as their prompt. They had to pick from the 6 gifs above, and we can’t wait to share what they came up with – poisoned apples, dojos of destruction, and angels you wouldn’t want to meet on the street.

But wait! It gets better!

To express our gratitude to all our loyal followers, one lucky follower will win all of this:

Books by 2 of the Summer Fling authors listed above – your choice!

And The Hanging Garden Collection including:

A signed HB copy of THE CHANCE YOU WON’T RETURN by Annie Cardi;

A signed HB copy of THE STAR-TOUCHED QUEEN by Roshani Chokshi;

A signed hardcover set of TINY PRETTY THINGS and SHINY BROKEN PIECES by Dhonielle Clayton;

A signed HB copy of LANDRY PARK by Bethany Hagen;

A signed ARC of BRIGHT SMOKE, COLD FIRE by Rosamund Hodge;

A hardcover copy of THE BLIND WISH by Amber Lough;

A signed HB copy of DUMPLIN’ by Julie Murphy;

A signed HB copy of BEHOLD THE BONES by Natalie C. Parker;

A signed HB copy of DREAMSTRIDER by Lindsay Smith!

What do you have to do to win this package of 12 books? 

You must have a US mailing address. 

You must be a follower of this blog.  

Reblog this post. 

On Saturday, July 30th, we’ll select one name at random and make the announcement by 6pm, CST. And because we know the question will come up, new followers are also eligible and welcome!

In short, we are grateful to all of you for making this year a rewarding one. Because the joys of writing are only half formed without someone around to read. From the bottom of our 8 hearts, THANK YOU GRACIAS DANKE SCHÖN ARIGATO. 

Sincerely,

Annie, Roshani, Dhonielle, Bethany, Rosamund, Amber, Julie, Natalie, & Lindsay

* Amazing, experienced, and super hot

[peacefully-anxious]

Things people with Social Anxiety do

•go to the bathroom to escape

•feel very uncomfortable without a phone or some other crutch

•dwell on a small awkward moment for much longer than necessary

•never go to any social event without a person that makes you feel comfortable

•follow said person way too much

•worry about the person beginning to find you obnoxious

•faking an illness to get out of a social event

[twentythreetoffees-blog]

Wow. I think I have social anxiety. I never even realised...

[hanginggardenstories]

Items For Sale In The Enkanto’s Market

by Roshani Chokshi

I.                

Ah, the sea glass pendant.

It belonged to the daughter of a Mindanao sultan. It’s true, anak. I would not lie. She fell in love with a Spaniard. He left her in the family way. Put it around your neck, and it will pull you to the sea. You want to wear it? Then give me the tears of twelve lifetimes.

But don’t say I did not warn you.

You saw the sirenas first.

Remember?

Their tails knifed the seawater. Their bodies were the color of roots. Pale and flat. Not beautiful the way you wanted them to be. The way you thought they would be. Not at all like the illustrations in the books that your Lola read you.

You hear them next.

Their voice throws a lure around your heart, propping magic beneath your ribcage so that you can still breathe even when you step too far into the waves. You remembered when you couldn’t go back. You remember cold water pressing against your spine, fish bones scratching your neck, seawater kissing your teeth.

II.

Don’t touch that! Those arrhae coins are cursed, little one. One was held in the pocket of José Rizal. Yes! It’s true! Another belonged to Ferdinand Marcos. He kept it beneath his pillow. You want one? Ah, anak, that will cost you all your eloquence for seven years.

But you are not an orator, so why do you care?

Part with it.

One song later, and you cannot remember the house you shared in Ambrosia Village. Or the jeepney where you met him. The first time you met, you told me that he had spilled soda on your skirt. He told you it was an accident and offered to buy you halo-halo in apology.

Later, after you kissed, he whispered:

“I did it on purpose.”

The sirena song ended. You no longer remember that bite of halo-halo. But you remember the crushed ice in the tall glass. How it looked bloodstained from the red bean paste.

III.

Mangosteens grown in the garden of a mannangal. You will never find a fruit like this. The rind so fat and lush that it sweats crystals. The flesh so sweet and yielding — white as snow and just as pure. It is where the mannangal puts the stolen souls, you know. And the taste! Ah! It tastes like the beginning of a dream and the edge of a star.

But that will cost you.

How about the length of your hair to start?

And sweeten it with your first kiss?

I’ll throw in roasted jackfruit from the garden of a duwende.

A tikbilang flashed a grin and flourished a bow. He held back a curtain of pearls and you sighed. Here was the beauty you wanted. Your childhood memories draped over every sight:

A grove of palm trees tangled with stars. Sky maidens diving into obsidian pools. Their cobweb dresses hang from trees and you want to warn them not to be too carefree, or someone will steal their gowns and force them into marriage. A great eagle scores the earth, a glowing bulge at his throat hums and wheedles. And you know that he has swallowed the moon.

IV.

These are unhatched nightmares, anak. Stick them beneath the pillow of the one who left you. They will grow upon him, onyx vines and burnt flowers. He will smell you everywhere. Hear you constantly.

Don’t blush. You don’t think I can tell you have been left behind?

I can smell his absence on you.

No, anak, you could not have changed his mind.

The chicken adobo you made was not too dry. The beer was not too warm. The halo-halo icecream was not too watery. She could have burnt the roast, forgotten the beer and let the dessert go to rot.

He still would have wanted her.

You stopped by the first table.

My table.

I used your Lola’s voice, pulled my wings into my spine. I took your best friend’s hands and stroked your palms with borrowed callouses.

“What are you selling, ma’am?” you asked.

V.

I could sell you the feathers of an angel, and the bezoar found in the stomach of a giant who fed only upon sweet milk from a moon cow. I could sell you the desires of every heart, a harp that would string together shadows. I could sell you ghostly attendants and a dress of thorns.

I knew the moment I saw you that you would buy whatever I placed in your palms. There were so many other tables. Didn’t you see them? A ghost stalked the grounds, carrying tamarind paste that would numb any hurt. A sirena with sewn up lips had bottled her enchanting voice and auctioned it off to a tik-tik who hated the sound he made when he crawled into his lover’s bed. A mourning dove would have laid eggs of rice for every day you smiled.

But you were so impulsive.

You did not get very far. You were always so eager to take the first thing you saw, as if you were poor and starved and couldn’t imagine more options. That impulsiveness brought you here, didn’t it? He was the first one you loved. And so you assumed that it was for forever.

VI.

I could sell you.

I wanted to spare you.

You who could not be trusted with your purchase.

I wanted to spare you of buyers’ remorse.

And am I not kind? Am I not a thoughtful being?

I don’t place much stock in the making of wishes. But it is up to you. You have a pendant, a fruit, a snarl of nightmares, and even a cursed coin. You could drown him, bewitch him, kill him and haunt him.

But I am mad that you want him.

****

Step into the Enkanto’s Market…

Ah you! You there, with the glazed look in your eye and the hole in your heart! Oh, I have a thing for you. Yes. Yes.

VII.

A cautionary tale.

Here she is, a doll of bone and seaweed and roots.

She is magic and sea and earth. She will keep away false promises and impulsive dealings. Be gentle with her, for she is still a broken thing.

Kiss her on the lips.

She still tastes like jackfruit and cursed coins, of dry adobo and a reluctant kiss.

The cost?

Oh, I am glad you asked, shrewd buyer.

I will give her to you for a fair price.

Give me your last breath and your middle name.

Give me the memory of your favorite flavor and you can have her — bones and all.

[thepoliticalnoteboo1deac]

@vox takes on the trope of the hypercompetent female sidekick. You know her – the one who’s the smartest, toughest and most capable yet ends up being rescued by the less talented, but extremely straight, white, cisgender and male hero. 

This intersects well with discussions about the pay gap and obstacles women face in their careers. For those of us who aren’t straight white cisgender men – the persistence of being typecast as not-the-hero (or the boss, or the leader, or the expert commenter) despite qualifications, talents and capabilities is a lived reality. 

[twentythreetoffees-blog]

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