Katherine Frances's Blog, page 9
September 19, 2018
brynwrites:
What not to write in fantasy.I’ve seen some posts going around on what not to write in...
What not to write in fantasy.I’ve seen some posts going around on what not to write in fantasy, many of which amount to:
Don’t write evil kings.
Don’t write people who are evil for the sake of evil.
Don’t write bullies.Don’t write villains at all actually.
Don’t write mentors.
Don’t let your characters learn how to do hard things on their own though.
Don’t write people on adventures.
Don’t write people fighting evil governments.Don’t write any fantasy species ever written before.
Don’t write any fantasy trope ever written before.
Don’t write any fantasy plot ever written before. Just… don’t fucking write fantasy I guess??And this is such utter bullshit, my friends.
We do need more originality and diversity in fantasy, but we don’t need to remove everything that fantasy is and has been in the process.(Especially, especially, when diversity is being included in traditionally cishet white male protagonist fantasy stories.)
Maybe the chosen one with special magic powers and a royal bloodline going on a quest with a group of friends to defeat the evil king has been done before with a white cis man a thousand times over, but how many times has a black trans woman got to go on that adventure?
Maybe elves and orcs have been written into the dust, but they still make great templates on which to tell stories with original twists, and there’s nothing about them that stops a good, emotional story from hitting you straight in the heart.
Maybe dragons have been done by every writer ever to write fantasy, but you know what? Dragons are fucking awesome, my dudes. Many readers are always gonna love them.
Maybe we have told the same fantasy stories over and over again, but every step you take away from the known template is a step you have to spend more and more exposition on before the reader will understand your original creation.
So don’t let anyone make you feel like that your (inclusive) fantasy story is too ‘traditional’ to be good. As long as you produce a well written story you’ve put your heart into, it’ll be a story many readers will love.
September 18, 2018
books-n-quotes:
“Some people are born with tornadoes in their lives, but constellations in their...
“Some people are born with tornadoes in their lives, but constellations in their eyes. Other people are born with stars at their feet, but their souls are lost at sea.”— Nikita Gill, Perspectives
September 10, 2018
sixpenceee:
New York-based artist and CollegeHumor head...
New York-based artist and CollegeHumor head illustrator Jacob Andrews has plucked some of the most spine-tingling two-sentence horror stories from the depths of Reddit, and turned them into a short series of chilling comics.
zwergis-spilledink:
leave-her-a-tome:
Brain: I think we have too many women in your wip
Me:...
Brain: I think we have too many women in your wip
Me: *flashbacks to dozens of books/movies where the vast majority of characters are male*
Brain: … add another.
reining-in-the-fire-writing:
How to Write a Character with Cerebral Palsy
As someone who lives with...
How to Write a Character with Cerebral PalsyAs someone who lives with mild CP, I figured I’d give offer some questions to consider when writing a character with CP.
Know Your Type
What type of CP does your character have?
There are four main types:
Hemiplegia or diplegia: this is when one arm and one leg on the same side of the body (hemiplegia-also what I have) or both legs (diplegia) are affected.
Monoplegia: only one arm or leg is affected
Quadriplegia: both arms and legs are affected. Normally the trunk and the muscles that control the mouth, tongue, and windpipe are affected too.
Triplegia: either both arms and one leg or both legs and one arm are affected.
Knowing which type will help you figure out how their life is affected.How Do They Live?
How is their life affected by cerebral palsy?
Can they do stuff on their own or do they depend on others more?
If they can do stuff independently, what can they do? How do they do it?
Are they able to go to school?
How much of their life is affected?
Do they need to go to doctor’s appointments? If so, what types?
Do they need any special equipment? If so, what types? Do they need any leg or hand braces? What about crutchies/walkers?
How Do They Interact With Other Characters?
When they are out in public, how do other’s treat them?
Do they stare? Are they rude? Do they give your character any special treatment?
Does your character have friends?
How do their friends treat them?
Are they inclusive? Do they treat your character like a normal human being?
Do other kids at school make fun of them?
How do the teachers treat them? Do they give them special treatment? Or are they mean and push their needs to the side?
How do their own family treat them? Are they over-protective? Do they let them do things on their own? Are the siblings understanding?
Are they underestimated?
How Do They Perform in School?
Do they have any learning disabilities? In what subject?
Can they get any extra help?
Can they participate in school full time? If not, what about part-time?
Can they be in the regular class or do they need to be in a special needs class?
What classes are they in? Can they keep up?
What types of grades do they get?
Do they have to work harder to achieve their goals?
How do they do with tests? Do they have test anxiety? If so, how does it hinder them?
How Do They Feel About Their Disability?
Do they understand why they have this disability?
Do they get frustrated easily?
What makes them want to give up?
Have they resigned to having this disability? Or do they hate it? If they hate it, what do they hate about it?
What kind of feelings do they have? Hopelessness? Sadness? Anger? Convey them in your writing.
Do they like to ask for help when they need it? Or do they refuse it and try to do everything on their own? If they do it on their own, does it lead to success or failure?
Do they get upset when they have to wear their required equipment or have to do their regular therapy?
Do They Need Any Therapy?
What type of therapy would they need? Are they just affected physically or are they affected both mentally and physically?
How do they feel about therapy? Are they willing or resistant?
Does it help them at all?
How does it help? Is there any positive progression?
What kind of therapy exercises do they participate in?
What Kind of Person Are They?
Your character’s disability does not define who they are.
Are they smart? Kind? Creative? Describe those characteristics.
Despite how they may be treated, can they still rise up and be a kind, caring person?
What kind of hobbies do they enjoy?
Are they in any school clubs? Do they volunteer in the community?
What interests do they have?This is what I can think of at the top of my head but if you have any other questions, I’d be happy to answer!
dancingdarklingwrites:
thevajunglebook:
slam that rb if you’re in disaster writeblr
yeah no I’m...
slam that rb if you’re in disaster writeblr
yeah no I’m working on this one (1) thing [trips] oh no [hundreds of ocs spill out of jacket] I’m not— shit l i s t e n I’m just holding them for a wip
no capitalization we ™ like men
….. or maybe Sometimes We Do what abt it
grammar is fake
oh u like exclamation points and being dramatique ?? ? ?? bitch me to tf!!!!
asfhjlgdjfalskldaij
^^ it’s ok if ur not gay tho, we’re all valid here
overusing the term ‘valid’
drift compatible mutuals or bust
a simple answer??? in this economy???? oh ho ho!! no no my good sir, you’re getting a whole three page document on why I named this character Naomi
update: Naomi is now Vanessa
memes memes the stuff of dreams!
owe back dues to the tumblr swear jar
aggressive softness & positivity for all.
posts anything personal;; immediately loses one or more followers
mild inconvenience: “_phobia”
reblog and meticulously tag advice you never follow
y i k e s on main
tragically does not come with an off button. sorry.
#mm yes u know i crave that validation
“i love u and will die for u but i may also Merdur® u if you don’t confirm this hc I have about ur character” ….. “yes i am aware it’s 1am where you are, I’m so sorry. sleep well, my sun and stars”
makes unnecessarily long posts ~meta~
yours truly,
