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@wholling73
Haven’t been active in over a month, still getting bots following me... Woo?
First they came for the scientists…
And the National Parks Services said, “lol, no” and went rogue and we were all like, “I was not expecting the park rangers to lead the resistance, none of the dystopian novels I read prepared me for this but cool.”
How People Watching Improves Your Writing
Sensory detail.
When I was fourteen or fifteen, I liked to draw. I’d look up internet tutorials on how to draw the human figure, and nearly all of them suggested going outside and sketching anyone who goes by. Not only was this relaxing, but I noticed my art style become more realistic over time. I think we can apply similar concepts as writers to improve sensory description.
How to practice: Try writing down specific details about the people you see. How is their walking gait? What does their voice sound like? What quirks about them stand out as you observe them? Write down descriptions using all of the senses (except maybe taste) and, over time, you’ll notice your words become more lively.
Observation.
You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to benefit from observation skills. Writing stories is all about noticing connections and seeing the extraordinary in ordinary life. People watching can boost your ability to notice little details and recognize them as important, and it can help you sense patterns more easily.
How to practice: In this case, remember once again that you are not Sherlock Holmes. Don’t assume that you know a person’s life story based on what socks they’re wearing (and definitely don’t try making such assumptions with friends or family).
Try to take in people who pass by and the small, unique details about them. Notice how they’re interacting with other people and the world around them. Think about why that might be and write down any thoughts or connections that interest you.
Freewriting.
Writing first drafts can paralyze anyone. We all know that getting the words out is the first, most important step, but that can feel like torture sometimes. If you’re a hesitant writer, freewriting can help you feel less self-conscious when writing and jot down thoughts or impressions as they come. Other exercises can help you with editing later on, but you can’t get there unless you freewrite.
How to practice: Write down anything that strikes you without worrying whether it’s important or you’ll use it later. I like to focus on one person per minute and during that time, write anything that I find interesting. Once the sixty seconds are up, I move onto another person and continue that cycle as long as I want to keep going. With time, you’ll get faster and may notice that words come more easily.
Creativity.
In the book Stargirl, one of my favorite parts is when Stargirl and Leo go to the park and play a game where they make up stories about the strangers they pass. As they connect together little observations, they create vivid backstories that may not necessarily be true, but that’s not the point. What matters is stretching their minds.
How to practice: Play this game for yourself. Pick a person at random and, piecing together little details you notice about them, give them a backstory. What are they doing, and where are they going (both right now and in the long-term)? Why are they hurrying so quickly to wherever they’re going or walking almost aimlessly along? Don’t worry about getting it “right” so much as creating an interesting story for this person.
Empathy.
Developing empathy as a writer is so important, though not often talked about. If you can put yourself in the shoes of another person and consider what complexities, challenges, and little joys life holds for them, you will create emotionally powerful pieces. People watching helps train your eye to notice those around you more and remember that yours is not the only voice in the world.
How to practice: Remember the definition of the word “sonder:” the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. Look for those complexities. Notice relationships. Notice facial expressions and emotions. Don’t just look at them but see them, and write down what strikes you about them.
I love people watching. My window looks over both a courtyard and a street, and it’s fun to see how groups of people are different from each other :)
My OC grew up as an orphan, pretty much taking care of herself. I've decided to go with this backstory since the beginning of my story but looking back at it now, I don't know how realistic would be for a kid that is, let's say, 10 years old (she was path of an orphanage and ran away at that age) grow up well, independent and healthy up until her 20's. She needs to be an ok adult by the time the story starts, which is at that age. Is it plausible? I'm sure she'd need some help at some point. Thx
Survival
Think about the three basic needs of survival: food, shelter, and clothing. Does she have the ability to get all three? Where does she sleep at night, especially during the colder months? How does she get money to buy food and clothes? If you’ve considered these three things, and you have solutions for all of them, then you’ve likely managed to prove that she could indeed survive without being provided for.
Where you might run into issues is when you think about the external factors. How trusting is she of strangers? How easy would it be for someone to take advantage of her, especially shortly after she’s run away and knows little about stranger danger?
There’s also the possibility that someone will see her at some point, all alone, and express concern. They may ask her questions about where her parents are, or who she’s there with, depending on where she is. Even if she’s a smooth liar, she may not be able to hide it if she’s malnourished, or dirty, or poorly clothed. There are plenty of good Samaritans in this world, thankfully, that would try to help a young child or adolescent that they suspect has been abandoned or neglected, and this will usually lead to the police being called. She might run, but it will likely happen more than once.
I don’t want to say that it’s completely implausible, but these are certainly factors you have to consider when devising her backstory. Readers will anticipate that she faced these problems, and how she dealt with them will reveal much about who she is as a character.
Leisure
Also, don’t ignore things like social interactions and leisure activities. How does she satisfy her need for conversation and human contact? Does she have friends? Are they in school, and do they ever ask her about her own school? What kinds of things does she do to occupy her time?
You also might use the library as a safe haven. Working in one myself, I can attest to the fact that kids/teens come in unaccompanied all the time, and if we suspect a child is alone, we’re only permitted to call the cops if they’re under 7 (unless it’s at closing time, in which case the child must be 13 or older for us to leave them outside the building alone). Libraries are often safe places to take shelter, where there might be a cafe/vending machines/drinking fountain, not to mention thousands of books, and computers, and sometimes even video games to occupy someone’s time at no cost.
I could see this being a frequent place where she might go to feel safe and comfortable during the day. But no matter where she goes, if she spends enough time with any adult on a regular basis, they may begin to suspect she’s on her own, and something will likely be done to get her into protective custody.
Orphanages and Foster Home Stigmas
Just as an aside, I’m not sure why your character felt it necessary to run away from the home she was living in, but be wary of portraying an abusive and/or neglectful foster home/orphanage. There are too many homes out there now that are actually providing children with safe, nurturing environments to grow up in, and it’s a stereotype that orphanages are dirty places with horrible caregivers, where all the kids are bitter and mean. So anon, I would caution you on portraying it this way. If she runs away, consider making the reason something personal for her, if it isn’t already. You might even make it a case where her foster parents or caregivers do something for her own good, and she rebels against it because it upsets her.
It’s obviously your story, so you’re free to write the events however you see fit, but I encourage you to destroy the stigma of evil people in orphanages and write a character that shows her kids love, affection, and kindness.
And if I’ve jumped the gun with my assumption, I apologize. But I thought it was worth pointing out. As long as you’re factoring in everything I’ve brought up here, you can likely get away with it. Just make sure you’re not minimizing the struggle this girl probably faced growing up on her own and having to hide it from just about every person she met.
-Rebekah
Dialogue Prompt
“I used to take personality tests all the time, a futile attempt at trying to figure who I was.”
“Why’d you stop?”
“I realized I didn’t want to know.”
“… I know that was supposed to sound all deep and dark, but all I can imagine is you clicking through a ‘What food are you?’ quiz.”
Do you have a masterpost on realistic sneaking and/or dagger fighting?
I don’t think I have anything on realistic sneaking, I’m afraid. But there’s a very involved D&D Stealth Handbook in the works (if you’ll all be patient with me, because I’m lazy and this is 3.5, a.k.a. ohgodwhysomanysplatbooks.)
I do have things on realistic dagger fighting, let’s make the masterpost right now!
Dagger Fighting Masterpost
1. How to fight with knives and daggers
2. Manuals (look for the Dagger sections)
Fiore Dei Liberi, Italy, 15th c.
Philippo di Vadi, Italy, 15th c.
Codex Guelf, Germany, 16th c. (PDF p.118- and p.164-)
Paulus Kal, Germany, 15th c. (dagger section here)
Peter Falkner, Germany, 15th c.
Nuremberg Group, Germany, 15th c.
Die Blume des Kampfes, Germany, 15th c.
Paulus Hector Mair, Germany, 16th c. (I’ve started posting the dagger section here bit by bit, but it’s incomplete)
List of fencing manuals with a dagger section
Manual of the Baratero: The Art of Handling the Navaja, the Knife, and the Scissors of the Gypsies, Spain, 19th c.
3. Videos
Rondel daggers
Dagger fighting and the ice-pick grip, an argument
Three types of popular medieval dagger: baselard, rondel, bollock knife
Medieval dagger grips, defending against sword and blade length
The use of jambiya/khanjar daggers
Side-rings on daggers and swords
Kukri - The Gurkha knife of Nepal
The Pesh-Kabz and Khyber Knife
4. Other
Navaja (Spanish folding knife) 1 | 2
Throwing Knife
Cretan Knife
Scottish Dirk
Rondel Dagger
Bollock Knife
Italian traditions in knife-fighting
The final, brilliant word on passive voice.
“She was killed [by zombies.]” <—- passive
“Zombies killed [by zombies] her.” <—- active
The best learning tools for grammar inevitably involve zombies.
@emotionalmorphine
BRILLIANT
writers take note!!!!
If your character were to describe their ideal life in one word, what would that word be?
“Your name sits on the same tongue that was scorched by your lips and your words. The same tongue that will swallow whiskey to help forget the name you placed there.”
“Write drunk, edit sober.” Ernest Hemingway
If you're reading this...
go write three sentences on your current writing project.
A story that may have relevance for others, or then again, maybe not:
When I was in college, about ten or so years ago, I was a history major. I wanted to learn to dance, so I joined a swing dance club on campus. To my surprise, this club had about twice as many men as women (in high school, the last time I’d tried dancing, the ratio had gone the other way–lots of girls, and boys only that you could drag by their ears).
But apparently, there had been some kind of word spread specifically to the STEM guys that dance was a way that they could meet girls.
So anyway. I joined the swing dance club, and met a few guys. And at one point, when socializing with the guys outside of dance class, one of them asked me what my research was on. (I had already established that I was an honors history student doing a thesis, just as he had established that he was an honors… I’m not sure if he was CS or Math, but it was one of those.)
So I gave him the thumbnail sketch of my research. Now, to be clear, an honors senior thesis, while nothing like what a graduate student would do, was still fairly in-depth. I had to translate primary sources from the original late-Classical Latin. (My professor said, basically, that while there were plenty of translations of my source material, that I’d only be able to comfortably trust them if I had at least made a stab at a translation of my own. And he was right.) And there was so much secondary material, often contradictory, that I had been carefully sorting through.
But I was able to sift it into a three-sentence summary of my senior thesis work, you know, as one does.
So I gave him that summary, and then asked–since he was also an undergraduate senior doing an honors thesis–what his research was on.
“Oh,” he said, “you wouldn’t understand it.”
Reader, I went home in a frothing rage. Because I had thought we were playing one game–a game of ‘let’s talk about what we’re passionate about!’– and he had been playing another game, which was, one-upsmanship. I had done my best to give a basically understandable brief of my research–and he had used that against me. As if my research, my painstaking translation, my digging through archives and ILLs of esoteric works, my reading of ten thousand articles in Speculum (yes, the pre-eminent medievalist journal in North America is called Speculum, I’m sorry, it’s hilarious/sad but also true), and then my effort to sum it up for him, was nothing. Because his research into some kind of algorithm or other was just too complex for my tiny brain to conceive of. Because I just couldn’t possibly understand his work.
Now, the important note here is that the person I went home to was my senior year roommate. She was a graduate student–normally undergrads and graduate students couldn’t be roommates, but we’d been friends for years, and the tenured faculty-in-residence used his powers for good and permitted us to be roommates that year. Anyway. My senior year roommate was basically… in retrospect I think possibly an avatar of Athena. She was six feet tall, blonde, attractive in a muscular athletic way, a rock climber and racquetball player, sweet but sharp, extremely socially awkward, exceptionally kind even when it cost her to be kind, and an incredibly brilliant computer science major who spent most of her time working on extremely complicated mathematical algorithms. (Yes, I was a little in love with her, why do you ask? But she was as straight as a length of rope, and is now happily married, and so am I, so it worked out.)
(Still, yes, she is my mental image of Athena, to this day.)
Anyway, I came home in a frothing rage to my roommate, the Athena avatar. And I said, “He made me feel like such an idiot, that I could sum up my research to him but his research was just too smart for stupid little me.”
And she shut her book, and smiled at me, with her dark eyes and her high cheekbones and her bright hair, and said, “If he can’t explain his research to you, then he’s not nearly as smart as he thinks he is.”
Now I hesitated, because I’d be in college long enough to have sort of bought into the ridiculous idea that if you couldn’t dazzle them with your brilliance, you should baffle them with your bullshit. But she said, “Look, I’ve been doing work on computer science algorithms that have significantly complicated mathematical underpinnings. What do I do?”
And I said, “Genetic algorithms–that is, self-optimizing algorithms–for prioritization, specifically for scheduling.”
“Right,” she said. “You couldn’t code them because you’re not a computer scientist or a mathematician. But you can understand what I do. If someone can’t explain it like that, it isn’t a problem with you as a person. It’s a problem with them. They either don’t understand it as well as they think they do–or they want to make you feel inferior. And neither is a positive thing.”
So. There.
If you are looking into something and have a question, and someone treats you like an idiot for not understanding right away… here is what I have to say: maybe it isn’t you who is the idiot.
ATTN: ALL COLLEGE STUDENTS EVERYWHERE PLS READ
HEED ATHENA AVATAR’S WORDS BBCAKES EVERYWHERE.
As an academic working in academia: this this this. Never buy into the elitist bullcrap of ‘oh, you wouldn’t understand.’ And never perpetuate that crap yourself, either out of pretension or even simple laziness. If you can’t explain it to a ten-year-old, go back and hit the books again cause you’re not there yet.
I’m going to add something to this. My brother does some super complicated computer science thing that I’m not particularly equipped to explain to you, and he struggled for like a year to figure out how to explain it because people kept asking him what he did. During one of the last times I saw him, he told us that he had figured out how to explain it. And then he spent twenty minutes giving us a coherent explanation of what he did involving mail and post offices and stuff. And, see, I understand some computer stuff, in large part because of him, but I’m to no degree an expert. But I understood his explanation. I couldn’t explain it to you now, because it’s been a month or two and I don’t remember it all, but he figured out a way to explain a complicated computer concept involving internet protocol stuff to me and my parents in a way that we could follow it. If someone can’t explain what they’re doing to you, it’s because they haven’t bothered to figure out how to, not because you’re not equipped to understand it.
Trump just banned National Park Services from tweeting until further notice because they made fun of the size of the inauguration turnout.
Which means his administration will likely be doing this for any government agency that spreads any news, information, or jokes they don’t like.
I’m Uncomfortable
actually, national park services didn’t even make fun of the inauguration turnout. this was the tweet they retweeted:
there’s no joke here, no fun-making, nothing even remotely derogatory. national park services retweeted a completely impartial tweet and two undoctored photographs of real events, without any commentary or editorializing, and they were banned from tweeting. literally just for acknowledging objective reality.
The Gizmodo article that this is originally sourced from has some additional info, including text of a notice sent out to NPS employees that reads:
And then yesterday morning, 1/21 at 10:41 AM, NPS tweets:
Did you just feel a chill run down your spine or is that just me?
Also, the Washington Post and NYT have a write-up about this as well, in case you doubt Gizmodo as a source.
There are a lot of comments in the notes on this post yelling about freedom of speech, etc., but just as a reminder, if you are a government employee acting in an official capacity, you can absolutely be fired and legally censored for the things that you say and do. You are acting as an agent and representative of the federal government and therefore the federal government gets to decide what you’re allowed to say. The thing that should scare you about this is that instead of firing a single employee for going a little off-script, the White House directed an entire agency to immediately cease Twitter communications, even in case of emergency notifications. That is the “not normal” part of this. It’s an extreme overreaction to two tweets that are defensibly on-topic for the NPS to have retweeted under any normal circumstances.
I work at a National Park unit and my Superintendent was so concerned about this he made the decision for us to completely not use Social Media platforms for the park for anything until further notice.
Usually, if something “bad” is posted we will get a nation-wide reminder email explaining the policy and procedure for Social Media use and posts. The NPS and the DOI already have extensive explanations in place.
Friday was already surreal enough and then my boss came to me with this. It just shows the willingness of this administration to shut down communication between a public service agency and the public. Which is certainly a bad sign for the next four years. Especially when you consider the stance of the National Park Service on climate change, diversity, and education.
What is the sourest food your character has ever consumed?
Hello! Sorry for my unclear question about my blind character. I was wanting to know how to write a blind person, even though he can't see anything. I find it incredibly hard to write from his view point since I can't describe any scenery and what's going on around him.
As I’m neither blind nor have ever written a blind POV character, I don’t feel qualified to answer this. Anyone know any resources for writing blind characters?
Pre-relationship things for your ships (Based off of real experiences)
Finding excuses to touch each other in little ways {Example: “whoa your hands look so little let’s compare” / “you had something in your hair” / “my hands are so cold feel them”}
Singing with each other when their favorite songs come on the radio and laughing awkwardly when their friends say they sound great together.
One noticing that the other has been having a bad day and giving them a hug to try comforting them.
Throwing stuff (grass, paper, etc.) at each other and laughing until their friends yell “get a room already!”
One slowly becoming more comfortable with physical affection - but only if it’s coming from the other. Anyone else will get slapped.
Sitting a little too close to each other and trying to act casual about it while their friends silently wink at them.
Person A finding out that Person B has a crush on them when A’s best friend tells them that B has been talking to them about their feelings for A on Facebook/email/whatever.
One tracking the other down at lunch and making them accept food that they personally made because they know the other person doesn’t have a lunch that day.
One noticing the other looks sore and offering to work on their shoulders for them.
Constantly insulting each other as a form of affection. When their friends finally ask why they hate each other so much, they immediately laugh, put their arms around each other’s shoulders, and say that they actually don’t hate each other and that they’re actually “offensive soulmates.”
Having a playful flirty argument about the rules of the board game they’re playing. {Example: ”You rigged the dice. You’re such a cheater.” “Why would I rig the dice? That’s your job.”}
One singing karaoke and purposefully choosing a song that they know is meaningful to the other person.
Sitting next to each other on a long bus/car ride and one realizing that they’re actually getting very tired, but it’ll be a cold day in hell before they fall asleep on- oops.
‘Platonically’ and ‘sarcastically’ saying “wow, rude. Love you too, (Name),” after the other teases/insults them.
shoutout to people with ocs
that are either for fandom or purely original projects. you just spend so many hours constructing them from essentially dirt.
shoutout to people with ocs who have them go through a million changed names and a million changed backstories, and still don’t feel like they’re up to the developmental standards that they should be…but they’re still loved by you regardless. shout out to people with ocs who want to share them with others, but are too anxious to tell information about them out of fear of judgment or laughter. And shout out to these same people who’re obviously adoring their creations but feel scared as shit to express the love out of your friend’s potential annoyance. shout out to people who make their ocs align with themselves in surname or quirks or just giving them those softer, hidden traits that also make you, you. to the peeps who feel so disappointed with their creations because again, they don’t feel good enough or accurate enough compared to other ocs. Nothing is perfect on the first draft, but they’re getting closer to perfected imperfection. to the creators who will write paragraphs about those brain children, paragraphs and concepts that have been building up for months only to be greeted with no response or simple replies such as, ‘oh.’ or to people who actually pay attention to them, and ask the BIG QUESTIONS and you’re just internally screaming and have to put on this cool act. shout out to people who spend hours thinking about how they sound like. (listening to voice clips for HOURS just thinking about your characters) What songs can apply to their personality and lifestyle…how they apply to them specifically. shout out to big-brained creators who have a hundred and one characters and are greeted with, ‘isn’t that enough?’ when you talk about the concept of making a new one. If shows can have a vast cast of more than a ten to twenty characters, you can have your own vast cast too. this post is just for people who feel so uneasy being so deeply involved and enthused in their creations. as if, there should be a limit on this type of love. fandom ocs get stepped over and judged on sight, non-fandom ocs really get stepped over. But all that work and construction is valid and shows in your explanatory essay of their favorite genre.
1k notes. this post got 1k notes. I am so happy and thankful that it managed to spread out of my small dashboard corner and touch people.