Show & Tell
Noah Kahan
No title available
ojovivo
Product Placement
Monterey Bay Aquarium
YOU ARE THE REASON
official daine visual archive
Game of Thrones Daily
DEAR READER
Jules of Nature
RMH
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
Sade Olutola
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
oozey mess
⁂
tumblr dot com
Janaina Medeiros
seen from United States
seen from Honduras
seen from T1
seen from Morocco
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
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seen from United States
seen from Tunisia
seen from Brazil
seen from Brazil
@write-in-red
Did I daydream this, or was there a website for writers with like. A ridiculous quantity of descriptive aid. Like I remember clicking on " inside a cinema " or something like that. Then, BAM. Here's a list of smell and sounds. I can't remember it for the life of me, but if someone else can, help a bitch out <3
I FOUND IT BITCHES
This is going to save me so much trouble in the future.
any self-publishing authors around? what's the best place to sell an ebook these days?
I'm not too keen on amazon and having my own web shop isn't really an option at the moment..
Smashwords seems to be pretty popular for self-pub!
How to write a kiss
Rebloggable version, as requested by davrosbro. :)
Oooh! Yes! I love kisses. Kisses are where it all starts ;).
Okay, first, remember that a kiss is much, much more than just lips. It is lips, but also tongues, teeth, eyes, faces, hands, noses, bodies, heartbeats, breath, voice- and most importantly, a kiss is emotions. A kiss without emotion is just wet mushy lips stuck together. Ew. Gross. The most important part of a kiss isn’t the how, but the who- because of the emotions between the two people.
Okay so:
lips- Lips can slide, glide over each other smoothly, or they can be chapped and rough and dry and get stuck on each other. They can match, top-to-top and bottom-to-bottom, or they can overlap, with one person’s top or bottom lip captured between the other person’s lips (yummy). If there is lipstick or chapstick there is lipstick or chapstick flavor, otherwise, lips don’t have a taste (can you taste yours?). Lips also can smack- the sound of two of them coming together or pulling apart, because they’re wet and warm and soft.
tongue- Tongues are always wet, and always warm. They’re very versatile. They can trace over lips, teeth, or another tongue. They can be smooth and graceful or teasing and flicking. When tongues are involved, there is drool. It’s only sexy when you like the person you’re kissing, or else it’s kinda gross. :P
teeth- teeth can clack together awkwardly, or teeth can bite down sensually. A person biting their own lip is cute, a person biting another’s lips is sexy. A person biting gently is sensual, a person biting roughly is sexual.
eyes- Eyes can be wide open with surprise, half-lidded with desire, fully closed with pleasure. Eyes can gaze lovingly, lustfully, wistfully, hungrily, seductively- it all depends upon the emotions of your characters. Have them do whatever you like, but don’t leave them out- give them at least a mention!
faces- Faces are what the lips are attached to. Noses bump, cheeks flush, ears turn red, foreheads either wrinkle or relax. Kisses can leave lips, quite easily, and become kisses on chins, cheeks, noses, foreheads, ears, necks, throats. Kisses on noses or foreheads are cute and adorable, kisses on cheeks are sweet, kisses on chins, ears, and throats are very sexual. And a kiss on the lips can be all of those! <3
hands- Hands are super-important. In order to describe a kiss, usually you want to also describe the hands. Where are they? Does one character have their hand behind the other’s head or back, holding them close? Are they on someone’s shoulders pulling them near, or pushing them away? Fingers brushing someone’s cheek or palms grabbing someone’s ass convey two very different kinds of situations, even if the kiss itself is exactly the same.
noses- Noses are annoying. They easily get in the way, especially for first kisses! People have to tilt their head to one side or the other, and if they don’t, noses bump. I’d only mention noses if a kiss is supposed to be awkward or uncertain or nervous.
bodies- bodies are either close together, or far away. Someone can be surrounded comfortingly by someone’s arms, or terrifyingly trapped by them. Bodies are warm or hot, they are calm or nervous, relaxed or tense. Body language says a lot. Is your character pulling away, or moving closer?
heartbeat- Hearts can beat fast or slow, and that’s about all they can do- but there are lots of reasons why they do! A heart can beat fast with fear or excitement or nervousness; a heart can pound with lust or race with terror or sing with joy. Hearts can glow, cower, or shatter. When you really want to drive the emotions of a character home, mention the heart.
breath- To me, the most consuming part of a kiss is the breath. The air that someone else has just breathed going deep into your lungs is very intimate. Lips and tongues don’t have a taste, but breath does. Each person’s breath tastes different, smells different, and surrounds a person differently than anyone else’s breath. Breath can be warm and sweet, breath can be hot and sexy, breath can be hot and frightening. It is something that is very present and should not be left out. A lot of writers leave breath out. And it’s so important; it’s the most intimate part of a kiss. Someone else is breathing into your lungs, and it’s either heaven or it’s hell.
voice- Voice conveys much, even without words. A voice can groan, whimper, gasp, moan, catch, whine, scream, sigh. Voice can convey emotion powerfully, and while some kisses are silent, usually they’re not.
emotion- Emotion is the most important- and the thing you try not to say. You want to describe it, through all of the things above, so that it’s perfectly clear what your characters are feeling, without you ever using the “feelings words”. If they’re in love, their bodies will lean close, their eyes will smile, their voices will giggle softly. If they’re nervous, their palms will sweat, their noses will bump, their voices will shudder. If they’re afraid, their muscles will be tense, their faces will grimace, their lips will not open. Emotion is the color that you keep inside your mind as you write; it’s the base line that drives the description behind everything else you say.
Wow, that was a lot! Gosh I hope it wasn’t too much! Keep in mind not every kiss has all these things- this is just a list of things to consider when writing a kiss, and based on how long of a kiss you want to make. Keep in mind that typing “they kissed for a long time”…that’s six words, it takes half a second to read, so that’s a short kiss! If you want a long kiss, you need long sentences that make the reader linger.
So maybe to start off, pick three things on the list to describe in your first kiss. Don’t try to do it all- that would be too much for even the most epic kiss. Just pick what’s most important to this particular scene, to these particular characters, and describe those parts along with the lips, and you’ve got yourself an awesome, emotional kiss. <3
I committed the mistake of not rebloging this when it was first in my dash and I have found it again!
What people think why i became a bookbinder: Oh she wants to explore her artistic horizon with those pretty leather bound books of hers. She even gives them out as gifts to her friends. It most likely helps her with anxiety or maybe she just wanted a more special costume made notebook.
Why I actually became a bookbinder: I just illegally downloaded and printed out several of my favourite fanfics and books and started binding them into books cuz I love reading them but looking at screens for too long gives me headaches.
op youre fucking big brained oh my god
If you want to i can send you a link to some of the Tutorial videos i started binding my fanfic books.
PLEASE SEND ME THE LINK I WANT TO DO THIS SO BAD
PLEASE SEND LINKS OP PLEASE I BEG YOU
@laughuntilourribsgettough @starduststyx upon request: A tutorial playlist for my personal favourite bookbinding methods
Longstitch binding
https://youtu.be/a_LZ-BWhH_Q
2)Japanese Binding
https://youtu.be/j-r6c_trSxY
3) Belgian Binding
https://youtu.be/w-oct9Ttp1g
4) Coptic stitch binding
https://youtu.be/TdHo8NtDOXc
5) Case Bookbinding
https://youtu.be/Av_rU-yOPd4
The steps to traditional publishing
If you decide to pursue traditional publishing, what are the steps after you've written and self-edited your manuscript?
1. Querying
For traditional publishing, you'll need a literary agent 90% of the time.
In order to get a literary agent, you need to query a bunch of them. It is also possible to secure representation at in-person pitch events or on Twitter events like PitMad.
For querying, it is important to compile a list of agents who are reputable and who represent your genre and age category. Then, decide in how many rounds you will query these agents.
Follow their guidelines!
For most agents, you'll need a query letter - a one-page cover letter pitching your book. You'll also need a synopsis, which sets out the entire work in a few pages. Some agents may also request extracts from the manuscript.
2. Getting an agent
If an agent likes your submission they will contact you. Most likely, this will be to request part of your manuscript, or the entire work.
If they still want to represent you after reading the book, they will offer you representation.
You will then sign a contract of representation and the agent will get a percentage of the proceeds of your published books.
3. Agent edits
Not all agents are editors, but most are. If you get an editorial agent, the agent will work with you to polish your novel even more.
This will take as many rounds of edits as is necessary for both of you to be satisfied.
4. Going on submission
Once your book is ready, your agent will pitch the book to editors at publishing houses.
This will usually take multiple rounds and a lot of time.
This is like querying, only more excruciating.
Once an editor shows interest in your work, this process comes to an end.
This also means that the power is back in your hands. Your agent will now let the other editors know that you have an interested editor and that they will have to respond within a certain period if they still want to represent you.
5. Acquisitions
Even if an editor wants to publish your work, they need the go-ahead of the entire publishing house.
This is what acquisitions meetings are for.
The editor will pitch your book to the rest of the company. The marketing, financial etc teams will then decide whether they think the book can be profitable.
6. Offer and auction
If the publishing house wants to publish your book, you will receive an offer from the publisher.
If more than one publisher is interested, the book will go to auction, where the interested publishing houses will bid to publish the work. The best offer will then be accepted.
7. Contract
Once you've decided to publish with a certain house, contract negotiations will begin.
Your agent will be in charge of negotiating on your behalf. However, it is probably a good idea to educate yourself on the things to look out for and to consult with an Intellectual Property lawyer.
Once you and the publisher are satisfied with the contract, you will sign.
You will receive an advance, which is the amount the publisher predicts you will earn in royalties from the book. The first portion of the advance is usually paid upon signature of the contract.
8. More edits
Then, you will have various rounds of edits with your editor to ensure that the book is the best it can be.
Once this is complete, you will probably receive the second portion of the advance.
9. Behind-the-scenes stuff
Your publisher is then in charge of certain procedures necessary for publication e.g. formatting and cover design.
The publishing house will also create a marketing plan, which you should supplement with your own marketing.
10. Publication
And, presto, your book is published.
The process from offer to publication can take anywhere between just under a year to 6+ years.
Should you earn out your advance, you will receive royalty cheques from your publisher.
So, those are the usual steps in broad terms. Some aspects may vary, but this is what you can expect when pursuing traditional publishing.
Reblog if you found this useful. Comment if you have further questions. Follow me for similar content.
“People can’t anticipate how much they’ll miss the natural world until they are deprived of it. I have read about submarine crewmen who haunt the sonar room, listening to whale songs and colonies of snapping shrimp. Submarine captains dispense “periscope liberty” - a chance to gaze at clouds and birds and coastlines - and remind themselves that the natural world still exists. I once met a man who told me that after landing in Christchurch, New Zealand, after a winter at the South Pole research station, he and his companions spent a couple of days just wandering around staring in awe at flowers and trees. At one point, one of them spotted a woman pushing a stroller. “A baby!” he shouted, and they all rushed across the street to see. The woman turned the stroller and ran. Nothing tops space as a barren, unnatural environment. Astronauts who had no prior interest in gardening spend hours tending experimental greenhouses. “They are our love,” said cosmonaut Vladislav Volkov of the tiny flax plants - with which they shared the confines of Salyut 1, the first Soviet space station. At least in orbit, you can look out the window and see the natural world below. On a Mars mission, once astronauts lose sight of Earth, they’ll be nothing to see outside the window. “You’ll be bathed in permanent sunlight, so you won’t eve see any stars,” astronaut Andy Thomas explained to me. “All you’ll see is black.””
— Mary Roach. Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. (via hummeline)
I heard an astronaut say he missed rain when he was in space. He missed weather
I am a(n):
⚪ Male
⚪ Female
🔘 Writer
Looking for
⚪ Boyfriend
⚪ Girlfriend
🔘 An incredibly specific word that I can't remember
*wakes up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat*
WAIT IT’S CALLED A THROW PILLOW
here is a super helpful website for this kinda thing!
the first result isn’t always the one you’re looking for but when you press enter it’ll give you a ton of words related to your query that’ll probably have what you’re wanting, or something better
here’s some examples:
Writing Research - Victorian Era
In historical fiction it is important to be accurate and the only way to do so is to research the era. What is highly recommended by many writers is to write your story first. While writing your story, mark the parts that you’re not sure are correct and then do the research after you are done. This is to prevent you from doing unnecessary research that may not be relevant to your work. You want to spend your time wisely! Or you can just research as you go, it’s really whatever works for you since there isn’t a “wrong” way to research.
To begin, the Victorian era of the British history (and that of the British Empire) formally begins in 1837, which was the year Victoria became Queen and ends in 1901 – the year of her death. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence for Britain. Some scholars date the beginning of the period in terms of sensibilities and political concerns to the passage of the Reform Act 1832. [1]
Names
1000 Most Popular Victorian Names
Victorian Era Names, A Writer’s Guide
Victorian Darlings - British Baby Names
Society & Life
Victorian Society
The Victorians: Life and Death
The Victorian Working Life
A Woman’s Place in 19th Century Victorian History
Victorian Occupations: Life and Labor in the Victorian Period
Flirting and Courting Rituals of The Victorian Era
Victorian Working Women
Victorian Life
Glimpses of Victorian Life
Victorian Rituals & Traditions
Victorian Etiquette
Etiquette, Manners and Morals
Almanac - Etiquette and Manners Victorian Era
Victorian Britain - Children at Work
Children in the Victorian Age
Collège Sainte-Barbe - Children in the Victorian Age
University of Victoria - Victorian Childhood
Museum of London - What Was Life Like for Children?
Victoria and Albert Museum - Victorian Children (PDF)
University of Strathclyde - Victorian Children
Daily Life in the Victorian Era
How the Mid-Victorians Worked, Ate and Died
How did the Victorians mourn?
The House of Mourning - Victorian Mourning & Funeral Customs in the 1890s
Ideals of Womanhood in Victorian Britain
Etiquette of a Victorian Lady
Going to School in Victorian Times
History of Working Class Mothers in Victorian England
Life of the Victorian Woman
The Working Class and The Poor
Victorian Women’s Work
Needlework, Knitting and Crohet
Victorian Etiquette - Births and Christenings
Victorian Ballroom Dancing Etiquette
Ballroom Manners and Etiquette
How Prudish were the Victorians really?
Gresham College - The Victorians: Gender and Sexuality
Victorian and Albert Museum - Sex & Sexuality in the 19th Century
Why were the Victorians so crazy about public spaces, like parks?
Victorian Homes and Gardens
The Shops and Shopkeepers
Victorian Christmas
The History of British Winters
Top Ten Pet Peeves, or Horse-Related Mistakes to Avoid in your Story
Marriage in the Victorian Era
Victorian Wedding Guide
Husbands and Wives in the Victorian Era
Victorian Technology
History - Victorian Technology
Gresham College - The Victorians: Religion and Science
Household Management and Servants of the Victorian Era
BBC News - Servants: A Life below Stairs
Life as a Servant in Victorian England
What Servants would you find in a Victorian household?
The Servant’s Quarters in 19th Century Houses Like Downton Abbey
Victorian Domestic Servant Hierarchy and Wages
Australian National University - The Victorian Merchant-Elite and the Chinese Question (PDF)
Project MUSE - The Chinese in Britain, 1800-Present: Economy, Transnationalism, Identity
Untold London - The Chinese In Limehouse 1900 - 1940
JSTOR - The Journal of Negro History: Black Ideals of Womanhood in the Late Victorian Era
H‑Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online - Black Victorians
Wikipedia - Black British
History Today - Black People in Britain: The Eighteenth Century
University College London - Black Londoners 1800-1900
The Guardian - The Black Victorians: Astonishing Portraits Unseen for 120 Years
BBC News - Short History of Immigration: The 1800s
Commerce
British Money
Wages and Cost of Living in the Victorian Era
Pricing and Money
Victorian Money
Cost of Living in Victorian England
How Much Is That - Calculating Prices Throughout the Years
Entertainment & Food
Victorian Menu - Cooking and Recipes
A Time Traveler’s Guide to Victorian Era Tea Etiquette (PDF)
The Victorian Pantry
Victorian Era Food Recipes
Victorians Food Facts - Cookbook
Food, Recipes and Tea
Victorian Tea Time Recipes - Sandwich and Cheese Straws
Victorian Era Recipes
Victorian Food, Party & Recipes
Victorian Dinner Parties
19th Century Food and Drink
Victorian Cooking: Upperclass Dinner
eHow - Weekly Meals Eaten in the Victorian Era
Victorian Dinner Parties
What did the Victorians have for breakfast?
Victorian Ladies Who Lunch, Or: Luncheon Places and Tea Rooms for Ladies
History Magazine - What Time is Dinner?
What the Poor Ate
The Arts in Victorian Britain
Victorian Art, Literature and Music
Music, Theater, and Popular Entertainment in Victorian Britain
Victorian Entertainments - We Are Amused
19th Century Hobbies and Daily Activities
Victorian Pastimes and Sports
Victorian Fun and Games & Other Pastimes
19th Century British and Irish Authors
Gresham College - The Victorians: Art and Culture
What is up with the depictions of half naked Victorian era women fencing in artworks?
Hygiene, Health & Medicine
Health and Hygiene in the Nineteenth Century
Victorian Diseases and Medicine
Health & Medicine in the 19th Century
19th Century Diseases
Victorian Health
Five Horrible Diseases You Might Have Caught in Victorian England
Alcohol and Alcoholism in Victorian England
A Look Back at Old-Time Medicines
Victorian London’s Drug Culture
Victorian - Medical Breakthroughs
Victorian Hospitals
Victorian - Baths and Washhouses
Medicine and Health in Victorian Times
The Victorian Revolution in Surgery
Victorian Science and Medicine
Victorian Health and Medicine
Women’s Health
Questions about Victorian Women Menstruation
Victorian View on Menstruation
Reusable Menstrual Products
Childbirth and Birth Control in the 19th Century
British Maternal Mortality in the 19th and early 20th Centuries
The Historical Horror of Childbirth
Contraception: Past, Present and Future Factsheet
History of Contraception in America, 19th Century Artifacts
UCLA School of Public Health - Anesthesia and Queen Victoria
Science Museum - John Snow (1813-58)
Science Museum - Chloroform
University of Liverpool - The Demography of Victorian England and Wales (PDF)
Gresham College - The Victorians: Life and Death
Colton History Society - Village History in Staffordshire, England (Victorian Health)
fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment - Do you have anything about an asthmatic in the Victorian era?
Science Museum - Nerve Tonics
The Pennington Edition - Victorian Remedies
Fashion
Dressing the Victorian Woman
Victorian Hats
Victorian Jewelry
Victorian Hairstyles & Headdresses
Hair of the Nineteenth Century
How to Dress for Travel in 1852
Victorian Men’s Clothing
How to Dress Like a Victorian Man from the 1860s
How to Dress Victorian
Victorian Era Fashion
Royal Fashion
Victorian Fashion
Boy’s 1860s Fashions
Dressing the Victorian Girl of the 1890s
Victoria’s Real Secret – The Victorians Knew Underwear
How to Undress a Victorian Lady in Your Next Historical Romance
Early Victorian Undergarments; Part 1, luxurious silk hose, colorful stockings, & socks
Early Victorian Undergarments; Part 2, Chemises and camisoles
Early Victorian Undergarments; Part 3, Pantalettes, pantalets, drawers, and bloomers
Victorian Ladies Shoes & Boots
Victorian Swimwear
Victorian Men and Woman Swim Wear
Dialogue
Victorian Language
The Language of Flowers
Victorian London - Words and Expressions
A Dictionary of Victorian Slang (1909)
Victorian Slang
19th Century Swears
Victorian Slang - Lower Class and Underworld
Cliches and Saying of the Victorian Era
The Dictionary of Victorian London
Justice & Crimes
How Safe Was Victorian London?
Crime and the Victorian Household
Danger inside the Train: Crime on Victorian Railways
Railway Mania
How Widespread Were Concerns About Prostitution?
Fallen Women
The Great Social Evil: Victorian Prostitution
University of Massachusetts at Boston - The Great Social Evil: Victorian Prostitution
BBC History - Child Prostitutes: How the age of consent was raised to 16
University of Minnesota - Victorian Era: There are Two Kinds of Women…
University of London - The Real Rippers Street: Pathology, Policing, and Prostitution in Victorian London
University of Brighton - The Fetishization and Objectification of the Female Body in Victorian Culture
University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law - Homosexuality and the Law in England
Sexual Violence in Nineteenth Century England
Victorian Poisoners
Crime and the Victorians
Victorian Crime
Victorian Crime & Punishment
Victorian Women Criminals’ Records Show Harsh Justice of 19th Century
Sentences and Punishments
Types of Punishments - Hanging
Types of Punishments - Imprisonment
Victorian Children in Trouble with the Law
Child Prisoners in Victorian Times
Victorian Crime
Victorian-era Serial Killers
The Development of a Police Force
The Metropolitan Police
A Work-Life History of Policemen in Victorian and Edwardian England (PDF)
How The Victorians Cracked Crime
Tracking a 19th-Century Serial Killer
Schaffer Library of Drug Policy - The Myth of the Opium Den in Late Victorian England
I'm doing some research for Camp and I'm pretty sure I'm reading the same book Andy Weir read when researching for Artemis.
the suffering never ends
This is the real process
Resources for you!
Character Ideas:
Character creation masterpost
Character Alignment Chart
More character alignment descriptions
Muslim Character questions
Characters with magical powers
Building a new character advice
How to create a character for an online or tabletop RPG (also a good guide on creating characters in general)
Royalty/nobility TV Tropes page
Basic character profile
OC masterpost
Random character generators - (1), (2), (3), (4)
D&D Character Building Tool
Character Design Ideas:
How clothing affects a character’s personality
Character Design Inspiration blog
Concept art, fan art, cool art to be inspired by
Character design references and inspiration
Sources for POC character design ideas and models
Create your own character model using HeroForge
For horned characters
Body and hair types guide
Random outfit generator
Naming Help:
Amazing site with an endless amount of naming resources
General advice on avoiding naming appropriation
Hispanic Surnames
Gothic Victorian names
Huge master list for character things in general
Masterlist of names of all types - including but not limited to ancient/old world names, Celtic, African, Northern European, Southern and Central American Native names, Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian, Polynesian, and more
Another name masterlist
How to pick a character name guide
Yet another names masterlist
Creating Background/backstory:
Character Sheet/Development Sheet
Another character development list
In-depth character personality, motivations and traits sheet
320 talents and passions for characters
On writing likes and dislikes that aren’t frivolous
Why you should write non-human characters non-conforming to the gender binary
Stereotypes, tropes, and archetypes
Random backstory generator
Assassin and thief character tropes to avoid
Character Interactions and putting your character into your world/story:
Comparing character height/height references
Characters who are scientists and writing about them doing science
Describing what different voices sound like
Describing skin tones
Writing friendship interactions that are platonic
Why having one character knock their friend unconscious to prevent them from doing something is a bad idea
Advice on shipping OCs with canon characters and what to avoid doing
Sweet Polly Oliver and Sweet on Polly Oliver situations (think of Disney’s Mulan for an example)
How to write multiple viewpoints/juggling a main cast of more than 4 to 6 characters
How to make readers care about your morally gray hero/anti-hero
On platonic OC and canon character relationships
How to avoid Godmodding in RPs
When it’s cheap to kill off a character
Writing dialogue
Things you shouldn’t do to canon characters
Avoiding purple prose in writing and RPs
Slang resources
Dialogue tips
Websites to chart your story/plot/character relationships
Bonus art masterlist!
BLESS EVERYONE IN THIS POST.
I needed this shit
I can’t not to reblog this….
“A writer is a world trapped in a person.”
— Victor Hugo
Writing Prompts
1. “We are robbing a bank not walking on a fashion runway!”
2. “I’m here to kill one of y’all! Guess which one of y’all I’m here to kill?”
3. “What am I doing? It’s called self care!”
4. “Which one of you set this on fire?”
5. “I sneezed and I swear I was in another dimension.”
6. “I’m here to eat all your chocolate and cheer you up. Wanna hear a pun?”
7. “Looks like we have a mystery on our hands. Who ate the last slice of pizza.”
8. “We got bamboozled! By our own cat!”
9. “For someone who is use to dying a lot, you sure are dramatic about it.”
10. “Is this your normal? Being absolutely insane?”
11. “You’re asking me if I want ice cream in the middle of the winter? You bet your ass I do! Let’s go!”
12. “I’m a vampire and you’re a vampire but we still have no idea who the other vampire is? We sure do suck at this.”
13. “We live in a small town filled with secrets of the unknown!”
14. “Where did you get a pumpkin this time of year? I want a pumpkin too!”
15. “My biggest problem right now? Your presence.”
Chuck Wendig puts it best when he says, “A story is not just a string of connected bits all lined up in a row. It’s not merely a sequence of events. It’s a series of *echoes*. Characters do things and say things, and this creates consequences.” The crisis is the consequence of accepting the call to adventure. The climax is the consequence of setting foot in the new world. “Elements and objects appear, and they have weight and meaning inside the story. Each [story element] is a rock thrown into the water, and the story is about the ripples–and how ripples reach the shore (where they crash). Find the moments that echo. If they don’t echo, you must either make them or you must silence them. No piece of your story is an island.” Everything matters. Everything ties together in mood, voice, and story movement. Ensure that each of your story elements either creates ripples or is an echo of something that previously occurred.
I wanted to write an indulgent story, where most of the characters were strong women. But as I was planning out a story, (a fantasy one where only women have magic) I realized that what a white woman wants to see in a strong woman might be different from anyone else, but I have no idea how to research that. Do you have any advice? (Sorry if this is worded awful! I hope you understand but it’s alright if you don’t.)
Writing Powerful Women of All Races
It’s great that you recognize that women’s representation is not one size fits all. What makes for good representation for white women is not the same for Women of Color.
Let’s consider how society handles women across the board:
White Women:
Traditionally, white women are treated as delicate beings, meant to be protected and romanced by men. White women are the standard of femininity and beauty. Women of Color can be attractive, too, but in a “different” way. Most positive roles for white women depict them breaking from these definitions, either embracing sexual labels or evading them by throwing out the need to be dolled-up, gentle, or in a relationship.
Even these problems come with privilege as there is this need to “dirty” oneself up and prove physical and emotional strength.
Anger in white women is seen as powerful. Anger in non-white women is either sexualized (see: the Spicy Latina) or seen as hostility and bitterness typical of their race (see: the Angry Black Woman).
White women embracing sexuality and the “Slut” role is groundbreaking. That doesn’t always translate well for WoC who are inherently seen as overly sexual and impure, and have the highest rates of sexual assault to show for it.
Black Women:
Black women are most often placed into the role of strong and independent, with an emotional and physical hardness that resists love and tenderness. They don’t need support, but they’ll be more than willing to use their backs to uplift others, no matter the gender, all and any races. Black women are rarely portrayed with classical softness or femininity. Note how Black women are so hard and impenetrable…except when it comes to helping everyone but themselves. Then they are your Mammy, warm and lovable and always there to support you, despite how much self-care they must neglect.
Asian Women:
Comparably, Asian women, especially East Asian women but other Asian women are affected too, are placed in juxtaposition to Black women. Asian women are fragile and need shielding, but that comes with a sinister dose of fetishization. They are often viewed as submissive, and are given gross comparisons to dolls as if items to place on display and control. They’re desirable, but in an “exotifc” way, and of course are not seen to have the same worth as white women.
This is often depicted in works, both old and modern: The white man falls in love with the Asian woman. After he’s had his fun, he abandons her to settle down with a white woman. The Asian woman ends her life as it is worth nothing without him.
On the flip side: Asian women are fragile and worth protecting…except when they’re not. The Dragon Lady stereotype features Asian women (Mainly East Asian) who manipulate and dominate others. This stereotype is often depicted by them dominating white men for Yellow Peril ends.
Native women:
Native women are seen as simple and animalistic, their “simpler” culture relating to “primal” needs. The narrative starts with Pocahontas, a scantily clad Disney princess who shows a white settler the wonders of the “natural” world, and continues all throughout Halloween costumes, Noble Savage, and Animalistic Natives. This very exact fetishization makes them prime targets for toxic masculinity’s view that women actively desire the more “beastly”/forcible sex, basically assuming Native women will behave like animals in heat— because that’s what society believes Natives are: a type of animal.
Women of Color:
Although this is grouping a number of women into one, they share a common thread of being exotified and fetishized. From the Spicy Latina to the brown-skinned temptress. They’re fun and sexy, and on the same hand promiscuous and impure. WoC are often portrayed as mistresses and homewreckers.
Women of Color are treated as Other, and are rarely the default. Notice in media that there’s a reluctance to call Women of Color beautiful. Words like “Striking” “Stunning” and “Exotic” are often used in its place, with an overemphasis on certain features more common to the ethnicity. And when they are more certainly called attractive, you’ll often find qualifiers such as the Dark Beauty or “Pretty for a Black Girl.”
While there is a lot of desexualizing in association with Black women (e.g. mammy), there’s another side where a Black woman’s body (see: curves and full lips) are inherently sexual to the point where even teenagers are labeled as “ho’s” and “Thots” who seek to tempt men for simply wearing shorts.
It’s no wonder Women of Color are assaulted at the highest numbers. Native American women lead in those statistics, and are at risk for sexual assault at twice the rate of others. For more stats, follow the link: (X)
A shared thread between all of these Women of Color is that, more often in not, people will not be content with these women being anything but their expected stereotypes. Also, there’s often a grumble by racist audiences when WoC are presented in relationships outside of their own race, particularly if they go anywhere near beloved white characters.
It’s time to break free of limited, dated molds and make society uncomfortable.
How do I represent these women, respectively?
I love your story concept, with all of these women having powers. Just keep in mind: what will work as positive representation for your white women may not work for Women of Color. We all have different histories that inform the struggles we have in society and what counts as proper representation.
Develop characters without applying what works for white women to all women. That is White Feminism. Intersectional feminism exists to consider Women of Color + other marginalizations and their needs as well.
Create customized representation that uplifts each women.
Develop personalities that don’t play into stereotypes. Choose powers that reflect individuality for each woman, not what is assumed about Black women, Mexican women, etc. What we hear and see in media informs our creative thought process, so your first idea may not be the most fitting one. Brainstorm! As a starting point, do opposite of the stereotypes and go from there. At the same time, find a balance to avoid extremes.
For example, the fragile Asian woman’s opposing extreme is Dragon Lady. The Strong Black Woman’s opposing extreme leads to infantilization aka making her utterly helpless.
And even then! Consider that sometimes people do have traits that may seem stereotypical. If that’s the case, it’s your job as the author to show that there’s more to them. They are human and not a label.
You can be physically strong, and still bubble with kindness, emotional softness and femininity.
Pink nail polish does not weaken a punch, or define someone as too girly or weak. It means you like pink.
You can show emotional vulnerability, fall in love and be loved in return, and still remain powerful and whole without becoming the Strong Black Women.
You can be gentle and worthy of protection while having self-worth and confidence.
You can be sensual and desirable without becoming an exotic commodity, but instead someone who is more than sexual, is in control, and 100% deserving of respect.
You can also just not be sexual, but that shouldn’t mean void of love to give and receive in return.
More reading: Stereotyped vs Nuanced Characters and Audience Perception
Research
There’s many places for you to start your research, and tons of it has been written right here on this page as well as all across the web in articles, blogs, vlogs, books etc. Seek topics on representation and intersectional feminism for the races you wish to portray. The best sources are written by the same people you’re reading about. Check out our Stereotypes & Tropes Navigation and the TVTropes List so you can recognize the displeasing ways WoC have been represented so you can avoid or amend it, and showcase people the way they want to be represented.
I also recommend you check out POC Profiles for the types of representation people who have submitted here are asking for. The WWC mods have also written on the topic in the Mod Wishlist post.
–WWC
that last post made me start thinking abt what my Types™ for characters are and I’m absolutely furious bc I’ve realized that one of them is just “sad trashy man in a big coat who is probably either a wizard or a detective” god damn it why do I have such bad taste
me looking at my own WIPs and realizing how fucking many shitty wizards and detectives there are: shit. shit goddamn it
I cannot emphasize enough how much you need to read thoroughly through the terms of any publication before you send your writing to them. It is mandatory that you know and understand what rights you’re giving away when you’re trying to get published.
Just the other day I was emailed by a relatively new indie journal looking for writers. They made it very clear that they did not pay writers for their work, so I figured I’d probably be passing, but I took a look at their Copyright policy out of curiosity and it was a nightmare. They wanted “non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide license and right to use, display, reproduce, distribute, and publish the Work on the internet and on or in any medium” (that’s copy and pasted btw) and that was the first of 10 sections on their Copyright agreement page. Yikes. That’s exactly the type of publishing nightmare you don’t want to be trapped in.
Most journals will ask for “First North American Rights” or a variation on “First Rights” which operate under the assumption that all right revert back to you and they only have the right to be the first publishers of the work. That is what you need to be looking for because you do want to retain all the rights to your work.
You want all rights to revert back to you upon publication in case you, say, want to publish it again in the future or use it for a bookmark or post it on your blog, or anything else you might want to do with the writing you worked hard on. Any time a publisher wants more than that, be very suspicious. Anyone who wants to own your work forever and be able to do whatever they want with it without your permission is not to be trusted. Anyone who wants all that and wants you to sign away your right to ever be paid for your work is running a scam.
Protect your writing. It’s not just your intellectual property, it’s also your baby. You worked hard on it. You need to do the extra research to protect yourself so that a scammer (or even a well meaning start up) doesn’t steal you work right from under you nose and make money off of it.
Exclusive publishing rights have to have a set time frame! Do not agree to anything that doesn’t clearly state “up to five years from signature” or something like that.
What if the publisher goes defunct? What if they get bought by another publisher who doesn’t care to promote or publish your work? You still can’t to anything with it, you don’t own it anymore!
For a thorough overview of what you should be aware of regarding your intellectual property and publishing rights, please read through this collection of post [https://kriswrites.com/business-musings/contracts-and-dealbreakers/] by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
Protect your IP. Do not give away your stories.
Every writer needs to read this before signing that contract:
Writer Beware!
Formatting your Manuscript
If you’re planning on one day turning your manuscript in to literary agents and publishing houses, you need to make sure it’s formatted correctly. In many cases, your manuscript will be skipped over if it isn’t done to industry standard, so here’s the basics that you’ll need if you don’t want to be ignored. Before I get started, please know that this is aimed specifically at fiction manuscripts. If you’re writing non-fiction or a memoir, the expectations will be different, so it would be wise to Google what you need.
The Basics
Make sure your font is 12 point Times New Roman, Courier New, or Arial. These are the only three fonts you are allowed to pick from.
Your spacing should be 1 inch on all sides of the text. This is the default on most word processors, but double check your settings just to be sure.
Your text should be double spaced.
All of your indentations must be a half inch. Do not press indent. Instead, drag over the top arrow on the ruler to have every new paragraph automatically indent.
The Title Page
The top left-hand corner of your title page will have all your personal information. They want to see your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, the novel’s genre, and word count.
Your novel’s title is allowed to be between 20-24 point font if you want. Bold is also an option, but not necessary.
The title will appear halfway down the title page.
“A novel by [your name]” will be about three quarters of the way down the page.
The Next Pages
If you have a dedication, it will be on its own page.
If you have some sort of verse or quote, those will also need their own pages.
Do not include a page for acknowledgements.
The Chapters
Chapter titles will be 12 point font. No bolding or italics.
Chapters will start from one quarter to halfway down the page.
An easy way to format chapter headings is to press enter five or six times
Make sure you always start your chapters the same way every time.
When you start a new chapter, make sure you use a page break to bump the new chapter onto a new page. This will keep it in place so that it will never budge, no matter how much you cut out or add to the previous chapter.
Page Numbers
Page numbers will start with 1 on Chapter 1 of your manuscript. Page numbers will not appear on the title page or dedication page.
Page 1 will be labeled in the footer of Chapter 1. It should be centered.
Page 2 will be in the header of the next page.
From page 2 onward, your headers will be labeled like this:
If you insert a section break after the title and dedication pages, it will make it easier to insert the page numbers.
For the most part, this is the most important of what you’ll need to know for formatting your manuscript. I used this video as reference, so I’m trusting everything it says is true because it was made by an author who has several novels published, and because it was uploaded this year, it should be up to date.
But just remember, whenever you go to turn in a manuscript, make sure you check the website of the agent or publisher you’re trying to contact. They might have specifications that differ with the ones stated in this video, and you should always do whatever you can to abide by what they want.
Reblogging aggressively. Some publishers will throw your manuscript into the slush pile or, worse, the trash if you don’t follow their desired format. Spec fic publishers are especially strict about manuscript formatting.
Also reblogging aggressively.
These accounts are deactivated and the linked video is from 2012. Does anyone have any updates on this information and/or recent (from 2016, 2017, at the earliest 2015?) sources confirming any of this? It sounds like good advice but publishing/manuscript standards and requirements change over time.
This is a fairly good basic rundown of how to format a manuscript, you can find other examples online such as this one: https://www.shunn.net/format/story.html the standard manuscript format hasn’t changed much at all since typewriters became widely available, and it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with it to make sure that your piece looks neat and professional.
But more importantly, if you’re going to be sending a piece to a publisher, you must read the publisher’s specific requirements which most have listed on their websites. Some publishers will request different fonts, line spacings, or font sizes, for various reasons, some will want you to list the length of the story by page count, or by word count.
I noticed in the tags someone was under the impression that you should just copy and paste your story into the body of the email–some publishers do want that, but it is much less common than publishers that want stories sent as an attachment. Again. Read the specific instructions given by the publishers. There is no one-size-fits-all.
By looking up and following the specific instructions given by the publishers, you show that you are someone who pays attention to detail, who is able to work cooperatively and follow instruction when necessary, and most importantly, that you respect the time and work that the publishers are trying to do. I’ve been on the other end of the slush pile, and when you’re faced with 500 stories, it becomes very easy to toss out the ones that don’t care what they’re sending out because they clearly can’t be bothered to do the most basic formatting.
I also want to correct a misconception by the late wrote-miss-ibis a couple of reblogs above here: the slush pile is good. It isn’t somewhere that stories get put. The slush pile is the pile from which all stories come. When you send a story (unless it has been specifically requested by an editor) that story goes directly into the slush pile, and the editors then go through the slush pile to find the things they want to keep.
As long as you follow the manuscript formatting, and pay attention to publisher requirements, you should be able to start submitting stories to publishers with confidence.
