Sometimes I Just Really Want To Just Take My Spine And Whip It Around Like A Lasso To Crack It

“feminine urge” this and “masculine urge” that, what about the urge to stop procrastinating writing your wips?

My take on controversy

Introduction

Do not send hate or harassment to any of the other creators who have made posts like these or to anyone involved in this issue. That makes everything worse.

Remember that this entire post is my opinion. You can disagree with it, but I do not tolerate hate and disrespect in my comments. I will delete it. I want this post to be a safe place for discussion, but I don’t want people to blatantly insult and demean others just to make a point.

I’m going to preface this post by saying I think this entire drama is ridiculous and harmful. Read on to see why.

Originality

One of the things I’ve seen pointed out most often is that people often take inspiration from each other to the point that “we are all the same.” I would like to twist this and say that this is precisely why our community is so endearing. (Note: I am not including copiers in this. Copying other people is not the same as inspiration.)

Yes, a lot of people post Twitter themes. Yes, a lot of people have Tumblr posts. Yes, a lot of people utilize the tip/textpost format. All of this and more is true. But instead of seeing it as repetitive, I see it as a cycle of inspiration and creativity. No one person uses their post-making strategies like you. Nobody words their posts quite like you do.

The things that make us the same are the things that make us different. 

And I, for one, think that’s beautiful.

Content

Perhaps the biggest controversial statement I’ve seen so far is that posting writing tips is “basic.” I agree with this to an extent; people frequently post similar tips and ideas. But everyone always has something to add from their own unique perspective. The bones of writing advice may remain the same, but its appearance depends on who gives it. 

The word “basic” has been thrown around a lot.  "Basic” has the demeaning connotation of you not being good enough. But people pour their passion into what they post. The content you’re calling “basic” is what people want to do and what they like to do. Don’t shame them for that.

Basic is not bad. If you are “basic,” then yes, there are absolutely others like you in the writing community. But that does not mean you are worth any less. Likewise, you’re not “special” for posting different types of content. People are different and they post different things. Don't shame people because they don't align with your standards. We are all creators. There is no such thing as being inferior or superior to someone else.

Maybe you don’t want to see writing tips all the time. That’s fine! There are accounts out there that don’t post only writing content. Just don’t pressure others to change what they post because you’re tired of it. In the same vein, you can absolutely encourage people to post their unpopular opinions. However, you risk implying that people who don’t are “boring,” or, again, “basic.”

Controversy

I am not a person who likes controversy. In fact, I usually avoid it at all costs because it usually creates chaos and disharmony. Case in point.

Remember that there’s a difference between being blunt and being harmful, even unintentionally. What you can tolerate may be a lot different from what others can tolerate, and what you read as critical may read as demeaning to someone else. Understand that not everyone thinks the same way.

I absolutely encourage you to post unpopular opinions. I want you to speak up for what you want to say. I want you to express yourself. I want you to do what makes you comfortable. I want you to be able to do all of these, but not at the cost of someone else’s freedom and comfort.

I agree that you shouldn’t have to tiptoe around on eggshells when you share your unpopular opinions. The point of unpopular opinions is to provoke discussion, not to prevent it. Yet this entire drama is making people go silent because they are afraid that they are not good enough, or that they are doing something wrong. Check yourself continuously to make sure that you don’t come across as implying that someone is “wrong” or on the “wrong side” for not agreeing with you. 

I’ve seen people say that the original posters of these controversial opinions are telling "the truth.” However, there is no such thing as “the truth,” which is a generic blanket statement that fails to consider nuances. There are many different, smaller truths, and all of them often contradict each other. Just take a look at this post.

Takeaway

This entire controversy is creating too much toxicity. People are being hurt. People are losing motivation. People are thinking they aren't a real writer/creator or that they're not good enough. Every single one of you, no matter what you believe, deserves to feel worthy and wanted, and you are.

The writing community is meant to be a safe place to do what you love. I want it to remain safe. I want it to stay supportive. And most of all, I want it to understand.

In case no one has told you today: People enjoy seeing what you post and what you create. People appreciate your presence. People love what you do. Do not believe anyone who says or implies otherwise.

Post what you want to post and consume the content you want to see. Do what you are comfortable with, and do what you can to make others comfortable. 

This shouldn’t be so hard to understand.

Writing double agents

masterlist. main navigation.

@bluebxlle_writer on Instagram

1. Motive

Before everything, you need to establish why they became a double agent. The most common reason is probably their leader commanding them to infiltrate the enemy, but there are other reasons why someone can be a double agent :

• They have something to do /someone to see in the enemy organization, but they're forbidden to associate with the enemy, so they volunteered to be a double agent as an excuse to enter the enemy's base.

• They only want to be on the winning side, so they became a double agent so they can switch sides whenever.

• Alternatively, they became a double agent voluntarily to prove their loyalty.

2. Mannerism in enemy organization

How does your character act in the enemy organization? Do they act like their true selves? Or do they mask their true nature and act calmer and kinder in order to avoid suspicion? This point will help with the characterization of your double agent.

3. Relationships in enemy organization

Another way to emphasize your double agent's character is by establishing their relationships with the members of the enemy organization. Do they act cold, not wanting to get attached to anybody there because they view attachment as a weakness and a distraction to their infiltration mission? Or do they try to make lots of friends to build trust among the members of the organization?

4. Loyalty

This is also a very important aspect to consider, because being a double agent can either mean that the character has a strong loyalty to one side, has no loyalty at all, or has a shifting loyalty.

Strong loyalty - self explanatory! It means they will always remain loyal to one side and one side only.

No loyalty - Like emphasized in the previous number, a double agent with no loyalty tends to switch sides easily. A good example of this is Double Trouble from SPOP - they betrayed the Horde and joined the princesses the second they sensed that the princesses had a winning advantage.

5. Writing shifting loyalty

Shifting loyalty is much more complex to write about rather than simply being loyal or unloyal, so I'll have to explain it in another point. There are a few reasons why a double agent can be loyal to one side at first, but then have their loyalty gradually shift to the other side :

They realized that the enemy organization is working for a better cause, and after much battle with their morality, they decided to shift their loyalty from the "bad" side to the "good" side.

Alternatively, they were loyal to the "good side" and had a better moral compass at first, but they underwent a corruption arc and decided to shift to the "bad" side out of selfish means.

They were influenced by friends they made in the enemy organization and decided to change sides.

The leader of the enemy organization treats them better than anyone in their organization did, and they grew to respect the enemy's leader.

Ways to indicate shifting loyalty :

They begin to report to their leader less and less, hiding more info from them.

They start questioning their moral compass, often having an inner struggle on their decisions.

They begin to let their guard down in the enemy organization, establishing more relationships with the people there.

They begin to wonder where they truly belong.

6. The betrayal

When your character is revealed as a double agent to their friends in the other side, there are 2 things to consider :

How the character acts :

Do they feel guilt, apologizing and saying that they had no choice? Or do they act condescending, grinning cruelly and saying "you shouldn't have trusted me"?

How their friends act :

Do their friends look genuinely shocked and hurt, still denying their betrayal? Or do they immediately frown, saying "We knew it was you, you filthy traitor"?

This stage will say a lot about your double agent's character and morality, and their relationship with the people from the enemy organization.

Returning to writing after a break is like having the old Windows startup sound playing on a loop in your head.

my toxic trait is saving a piece of writing advice for later and then completely forgetting about it when i actually need it

im not joking when i say that my friends are everything to me

how did this silly little post get 1,000 notes?? thank you guys so much! now i can say i’m officially tumblr viral /j

“feminine urge” this and “masculine urge” that, what about the urge to stop procrastinating writing your wips?

Forget the search history, if you really want to know a writer you should check their notes app...a writer's unhibited mind can be a frightening place.

Worldbuilding stuff:

If your story has an idle nobility class, their culture shouldn't just be different from the general population, it should be an over-the-top caricature of the common folks' culture. Whatever the population generally agrees is ideal, fair, admirable, or good, the nobility will take into stupid extremes.

Contrary to the beliefs of many, people are actually not at all happy when they're idle - a person with no assigned task or duty will go out of their way to come up with one. And all around the world, whenever there's been an upper class with nothing to do, they've started to compete with each other over stupid shit, but always stupid shit that the culture they live in considers positive qualities.

From the noblemen in Europe challenging each other to a possibly lethal duel over insulting someone's hat, to a Chinese noblewoman being moved to tears by the beauty of someone's calligraphy, bored elites everywhere have always wanted to outdo each other in their expressions of possessing all the noble traits that this culture in particular holds in value.

You can, and should, use this as a way to highlight what the actual values of this society is. In a setting where being religious is held as an admirable trait, there is nobility coming up with new ways to one-up each other in their expressions of worship. Society that values art and music will have them competing over who hires the most artists, and who employs the most talented musicians. Aggressive, war-like people will have fuels to the fucking death over a stupid hat.

Literally anything can be competed in, and bored people with far too much time and money in their hands will become competitive over the most ridiculous things. This isn't just an useful tool in worldbuilding, but also a fun one.

J. R. R. Tolkien, undisputedly a most fluent speaker of this language, was criticized in his day for indulging his juvenile whim of writing fantasy, which was then considered—as it still is in many quarters— an inferior form of literature and disdained as mere “escapism.” “Of course it is escapist,” he cried. “That is its glory! When a soldier is a prisoner of war it is his duty to escape—and take as many with him as he can.” He went on to explain, “The moneylenders, the knownothings, the authoritarians have us all in prison; if we value the freedom of the mind and soul, if we’re partisans of liberty, then it’s our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as possible."

Stephen R. Lawhead