Latest Posts by the-writer-muse - Page 9

who is your favorite male protagonist and why is it Percy Jackson?

How to Research for Diversity

Introduction

Inevitably, you’re going to be writing characters who have had much different experiences than you, whether that’s due to race, ethnicity, religion, and much more. The best way to understand and properly represent these characters is to do research--a lot of it. A few Google searches isn’t going to cut it. Yes, the research and reading process for writing minorities is long and tedious. But it’s worth it when someone can relate to that character, see themselves in that character, or look up to that character. Properly representing us is important because we want to see ourselves in the stories we read, and giving us that boosts our confidence in ourselves and our culture!

Make it matter

If you’re making a character diverse just for the sake of being diverse, stop and reconsider. Your representation needs to be genuine. You can’t just throw in an Asian character because you feel like your cast isn’t diverse enough. Diversity shouldn’t be forced. You don’t need to have a character of every race in your book. But you should research for what you do have.

You don’t always have tap into a character’s background if the plot doesn’t call for it. But knowing that background 1.) allows you to understand them better, and 2.) allows people to relate to them, both of which are very valuable. Your representation needs to feel natural. Bringing up diversity casually throughout the story is the best way to do that.

What you should never do is define a character by their minority or oppression. Above all else, your character should be just that--a character, and a well-rounded one at that.

Record your research

You’re never going to be able to remember everything that you look up. So, write it all down. That could mean doing it the old-school way, aka handwriting (kudos to anyone who does this) or dumping it all in a word processor (I recommend Google Docs because it has the “outline” feature that allows you to go to a specific place when you need it).

I would suggest categorizing your research, preferably into separate documents. Here are some ideas for how you can divide it:

Names

Language

Music

Normal/formal clothing

Stereotypes in literature and other media

Food for everyday and formal occasions

Holidays and special occasions

Restrictions and taboos

Researching on the Internet

It can be really tempting to just click the first link that pops up--most likely Wikipedia--on the Internet, do a 10-second fact check, and call it a day. But that’s not enough. Wikipedia is a good source if you’re looking for general information, but even better are the citations at the bottom. These lead you to trustworthy sites.

You should also look up organizations and official websites of minorities. These websites are more likely to be reliable. In the US, these websites commonly end in “.org” or “.gov.” Other countries have different website domains--there’s a list on Wikipedia here.

Read blogs and articles that people have written about themselves and others. Government-run websites may be important, but personal accounts are just as valuable. Look up online encyclopedias as well--for example, the Encyclopedia Britannica is a great resource, and it ends in “.com”. By contrast, paper encyclopedias are more likely to become outdated, and they can’t be edited.

Consume media by marginalized people--this one is pretty self-explanatory. Read books by marginalized authors, fiction or nonfiction. Watch TV shows and movies directed by marginalized people. Keep doing this until it's barely a conscious decision to choose marginalized media.

Include other people

This is one of the most effective research methods you can employ because it involves only primary sources, while researching on your own involves primary and secondary sources. First, prepare a list of questions that aren’t easily answerable by the Internet. It helps if you specifically relate them to your book. For example, you might ask someone their opinion on a certain character who has a certain arc. Interview as many people as possible. Even characters in a single minority are vastly diverse!

When you’re done with your book, you’ll want to enlist sensitivity readers. Sensitivity readers are different from beta readers because they specifically critique a book’s representation. Looking at their feedback, you’ll be able to see recurring mistakes and flaws in your characters.

Social media

Social media is extremely valuable for talking to a variety of people and seeing different perspectives.

First, follow people of the minorities you’re researching. I would suggest a mixture of “ordinary” people and celebrities. Observe how they might include facets of their culture in their day-to-day life, and how they might speak about issues concerning their culture. You can also (politely) ask if they can answer your questions.

Another thing you can do is look at memes--yes, you read that right! Memes made by marginalized people depict common struggles and relatable situations, which is extremely valuable (and entertaining!).

Media representation tests

You may have heard of the Bechdel test--2 or more female characters have a conversation that isn’t about guys. This is just one of the many media representation tests out there. Media representation tests check your work against stereotypes and misrepresentation, although they aren't comprehensive or completely accurate--sometimes, there are exceptions. Here are a handful of tests:

“Sexy lamp” test (women)

Ellen-Willis test (women)

Deggans rule (race in general)

Vito-Russo test (LGBTQ+)

Topside test (trans people)

Duvernay test (race in general)

Maisy test (sexism in children’s media)

Mako-Mori test (women)

Ris test (Muslims)

Villalobos test (Latina women)

Waithe test (Black women)

Imperfection

No matter how much you research, understand your representation will never be perfect because people have such vastly different experiences. And that’s okay! The best you can do is keep learning and listen when people point out your mistakes.

Toxic standards in the writing community

Sacrificing sleep for writing. I notice this joke a lot, and I know a good number of people do it. I would do it too, just for the sake of fitting the joke because I thought it would “make me a real writer.” Please value your health, words and your stories can wait until you’ve taken care of yourself!

We compare ourselves. A lot. Often, I see a lot of people say things such as “I wish I could write as well as ——!” Or “I wish I had your writing style, mine is so bad!” Loves, your words are your words. Find the beauty in what comes from your mind, not what you hope could come from your mind in the voice of somebody else. Your hands place words in a specific way because that is the unique language they were tailored to, and there is no need to replace it for somebody else’s. Be proud of what you create!

“Call out posts” aimed to writers that spend a lot of time making Pinterest boards/playlists etc, when really, it’s something that we should enjoy and appreciate just as much as the writing itself. Not everything has to be productive, we can create just for enjoyment. Spend hours figuring out which songs would fit that scene in your WIP, or which would be the best theme song if it ever became a show. Spend days scouring Pinterest for what reminds you of the fiction living in your head. Let it come to life in different forms of art than the words you build them from.

Writing everyday and completing books at a fast speed. No. Not everybody works at the same pace, and not everybody can manage to write every day. It isn’t a race to see who can write the most, which is what it feels like it’s become sometimes. Let’s slow down and just enjoy the ride :) whether it takes you 10 years or 10 weeks to write a book, it’s a masterpiece all the same.

Me: I'm going to be so productive today!

School, social media, and extracurriculars conspiring to screw up my life: HAHAHAHA oh wait you're serious-

Reflecting On My First Draft

Intro

On July 1, 2021 I started the first draft of my YA fantasy Of Souls and Swords. A little more than two months later, on September 3, 2021, I finished it. I made this post because writing one book makes me qualified to give people advice on how to write theirs.

Okay, no, actually, this is going to be a short overview of what I experienced, what I learned, and what I’m going to do next!

Outlining

I did not do enough of this before the drafting stage. I’m a plantser, so I don’t need to plot everything in great detail, but I should have given more thought to major scenes. Draft 2 will also have a bulletpoint outline, which gives me more freedom to do what I want, but also lets me know what comes next. I’m definitely going to spend more time on outlining this time! The storyline is going to be completely different, too, with much more action and stakes.

Characters

The pantser side of me really went off with this one. For example, I had a character who was initially planned to be a villain, but I impulsively ended up changing her arc and making her part of the found family. I also spontaneously created a bunch of minor characters to support the MC.

One mistake I made was focusing too much on my main character and neglecting the rest of my cast and their arcs. I’m planning on including dual POVs in draft 2, so I’ll definitely have to work on that. I need to improve on fleshing out my characters, but overall I’m pretty happy with my cast and their dynamics, and definitely their banter!

From draft 1 to draft 2, quite a bit is going to change in the characters’ relationships. For one, I’m replacing the friends to lovers trope with the rivals to lovers trope. I’m also going to pepper in some tropes I love (aka “hurt her and you die,” knife-to-throat, and “who did this to you”) because it’s my book and I pick my coping mechanisms (/hj, /lh).

Worldbuilding

I really regret not putting more effort into the worldbuilding stage. When I was writing, I didn’t know basic things about my fantasy world, like the climate, common building materials, and the sophistication of technology. I’ve learned my lesson this time! Plus, the worldbuilding is going to change drastically from draft 1 to draft 2.

Motivation

Writing daily or almost daily kept me accountable because I normally don't do that (of course, this doesn't work for everyone)! It also helped me get into a writing habit. Making playlists for my OCs also helped me get in the mood when I was about to write my book.

Goals also kept me motivated. When I reached my original word count goal, at 35,000 words, I was happy. When I surpassed it and ended at nearly 50,000 words, I was completely shocked! I’m not saying to underestimate yourself, but it helps to make a goal you know you can meet because it helps you to keep going.

The biggest motivator for me, though, was other people. I’m so thankful to every person who ever expressed interest in what I was doing and I can safely say that without you guys, I wouldn’t be here!

Takeaway

I know I criticized myself a lot in this post, but I’m really proud of myself for writing a book (!!). Maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but I didn’t know when I would get to this point, if I ever did. It’s the first novel I’ve ever written. Is it presentable? Definitely not. But can I make it better? Absolutely!

I’m already excited to start thinking about the changes that are going to happen in draft 2! This entire process has given me a lot of insight into my capabilities and I’m so grateful to have such a supportive community that has my back!

ID: The title is "the holy trinity of writer struggles:" and rests at the top of the image. Below is a triangle formed by dashed lines. On each point of the triangle are labels, which read "plot," "motivation," and "distractions" on the top, bottom right, and bottom left, respectively.

Tips for Finishing a First Draft

Credit: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-a-novel-rough-draft

Set a goal

You want to get the main points of your story down quickly, without getting hung up on word choice and sentence flow. By giving yourself deadlines to complete certain exercises or sections, you become more ambitious with your time and waste less of it lingering on minor details. Commit to completing a certain number of words, or a set number of pages, or writing for a fixed amount of time. A routine will keep your writing consistent so you do not lose momentum and fall behind on your writing. 

Meeting goals can give you the motivation you need to make and complete another one. For example, I set a minimum word count goal for 35,000 words for my WIP because I hadn’t written anything of that length before. I ended up surpassing it by a lot! 

Prewriting

Prewriting is helpful for getting started, and can include performing writing prompts or exercises. For example, freewriting allows a writer to write unencumbered—jotting down ideas fast without a strict form to follow—which is also useful for stimulating creativity when you’re suffering from writer’s block. Prewriting can also be outlining your next chapter, or plot point, etc...whatever you choose to do, it prepares you to write!

Invite all ideas

Let ideas flow free. A rough draft is where your wildest ideas come out. Don’t be shy about content or switching point of views, and don’t hold yourself back from ideas that might be worth exploring. This phase of your writing is for your eyes only, so there’s no need to feel self-conscious about what you put down on paper. The first draft is all about getting it out on the page--save insecurity for later!

Outline

I can’t express how important this is. Even if you’re a pure pantser, you need to have some idea of your major plot points and ending. This is where you start to form the initial structure of your scenes. Laying all the pieces out before you assemble them will give you the clearest picture on how to put together your novel, as well as figuring out which pieces you’re missing and which ones you don’t need.

Don’t edit as you write

This is a bad habit of mine, as I’m a perfectionist, and it becomes a problem, especially when I’m writing my longest project ever. I’ve always focused on making everything right, and it’s hard for me to realize that there is no possible way to do that in a novel.

When you’re writing your story, don’t worry about punctuation, writing complete sentences, or grammar like passive voice or inconsistent tenses—leave the whole editing process behind. As long as you get your ideas down in a way that’s understandable to you, what you write in your first draft is between you and your vision. You can worry about well-written sentences in your second or third drafts.

Start where you want

You want to begin where you’re most excited. Not every story needs to start at the beginning and go step-by-step. If you’re anticipating writing the climax of the story before you have a beginning or end, then write that down first! You don’t want to bog yourself down with story details you’re not ready to establish yet. Writing a novel is a long process, and you want to keep it enjoyable for yourself as long as possible.

Take breaks

The last thing you need is to experience burnout before getting through your first draft. Sometimes walking away from your writing and coming back later with a set of fresh eyes is exactly what your writing process needs. 

Writing every day can be unhealthy or lead to an unhealthy mindset. It can also make you tire of your story. 

Finish it

I know, this seems kind of weird when the post is giving advice on how to finish a first draft. But it actually means  You shouldn’t start the next draft until you finish the one you’re on, and the sooner you get it down, the better. Sticking to your goals and putting in the time will yield workable pages that you can eventually start sculpting into another draft of your novel!

must a story have “plot”

is it not enough that I just, like, care about the characters a whole bunch

I aspire to write a book that makes people stare at the cover and hold it reverently for a solid ten minutes after finishing it

these are so helpful thanks ! I feel more confident now :)

thank you so much! i’m glad i could help <3

"yo bro, who got you smiling like that?"

🥰✨people who express any kind of interest in my wip✨🥰

realistic expectations of book genres

— so you know how us writers want to have an accurate representation of the real world, right? well, I believe it’s important to include realistic aspects in our writing, even if it’s fantasy-based/fiction (this goes for authors who have published books lacking realism). I asked my community of writers what they want to start seeing and want they want to stop seeing less of in genres such as YA, fantasy, fiction, etc., and they’ve answered anonymously.

✎ an age specification on books (like cassandra clare’s books are specifically for 14+ and say that on the back of all books)

✎ realistic diversity! like, not every friend group has a person of every race, and I rarely ever see it

✎ I think writers should stop romanticizing toxic relationships since it’s unhealthy and ab*sive

✎ I feel like we need more main characters with disabilities

✎ please stop romanticizing toxic relationships in YA! it’s not a 100% matured audience and they may not be able to tell it’s a toxic relationship which can be very dangerous!

✎ more body types

✎ characters that are more relatable, less like supermodels and more like struggling/awkward teenagers

✎ include consent, talking about/mentioning menstruation, and giving male characters emotions

✎ female characters with negative traits other than “shy” and “clumsy”

✎ more female characters with really big life goals/dreams that they actually plan to stick to!

✎ stop including graphic s*xual content in YA!

✎ more BIPOC!

✎ more friendships that have the same tropes but don’t evolve into romance

✎ people with physical disabilities

✎ more accurate representation of grief and trauma!

✎ some characters staying single throughout their whole story

✎ periods. do fantasy women not menstruate?

✎ not getting the guy/girl

✎ in YA contemporary I think that the characters should have less autonomy. I want to see less of adult life in YA. like no, teenagers have a lot of restrictions. show them more often

✎ in fantasy: periods and all the other things that come along with them!

Hi, I’ve been considering starting a book in the fantasy genre. I really wanted to give some Native American representation in it, since it's something that I rarely see. However, this story wouldn't take place in America, it would be in a completely different world (though one loosely based off of earth in the 14 hundreds ish?) This is similar to your mixing cultures post, but I wanted to know: is there a good way to give Native American representation in stories that aren’t historical fiction?

Representing PoC in Fantasy When Their Country/Continent Doesn’t Exist

The core of this question is something we’ve gotten across a few different ethnicities, and it basically boils down to: “how can I let my readers know these people are from a certain place without calling them by this certain place?” Aka, how can I let people know somebody is Chinese if I can’t call them Chinese, or, in your case, some Native American nation without having a North America.

Notes on Language

As I have said multiple times, there is no such thing as “Native American culture”. It’s an umbrella term. Even if you are doing fantasy you need to pick a nation and/or confederacy.

Step One

How do you code somebody as European?

This sounds like a very silly question, but consider it seriously.

How do you?

They probably live in huts or castles; there are lords and kings and knights; they eat stew and bread and drumsticks; they celebrate the winter solstice as a major holiday/new year; women wear dresses while men wear pants; there are pubs and farms and lots of wheat; the weather is snowy in winter and warm in summer.

Now swap all those components out for whatever people you’re thinking about.

Iroquois? They live in longhouses; there is a confederacy and democracy and lots of warriors from multiple nations; they eat corn, beans, and squash (those three considered sacred and grown together), with fish and wild game; they wear mostly leather garments with furs in winter; there are nights by the fire and cities and the rituals will change by the nation (remember the Iroquois were a confederacy made up of five or six tribes, depending on period); the weather is again snowy in winter and warm in summer.

Chinese? They harvest rice; there is an emperor appointed by the gods and scholars everywhere; they use a lunar calendar and have a New Year in spring; their trade ships are huge and their resources are plenty; they live in wood structures with paper walls or mud brick; they use jade and ivory for talismans; their culture is hugely varied depending on the province; their weather is mostly tropical, with monsoons instead of snow on lowlands, but their mountains do get chilly.

You get the gist.

Break down what it is that makes a world read as European (let’s be honest, usually English and Germanic) to you, then swap out the parts with the appropriate places in another culture.

Step Two

Research, research, research. Google is your friend. Ask it the questions for “what did the Cree eat” and “how did Ottoman government work.” These are your basics. This is what you’ll use to figure out the building blocks of culture.

You’ll also want to research their climate. As I say in How To Blend Cultures, culture comes from climate. If you don’t have the climate, animals, plants, and weather down, it’ll ring false.

You can see more at So You Want To Save The World From Bad Representation.

Step Three

Start to build the humans and how they interact with others. How are the trade relations? What are the internal attitudes about the culture— how do they see outsiders? How do outsiders see them? Are there power imbalances? How about greed and desire to take over?

This is where you need to do even more research on how different groups interacted with others. Native American stories are oftentimes painful to read, and I would strongly suggest to not take a colonizer route for a fantasy novel.

This does, however, mean you might not be researching how Natives saw Europeans— you’ll be researching how they saw neighbours. 

You’ll also want to look up the social rules to get a sense for how they interacted with each other, just for character building purposes.

Step Four

Sensitivity readers everywhere! You’ll really want to get somebody from the nation to read over the story to make sure you’ve gotten things right— it’s probably preferable to get somebody when you’re still in the concept stage, because a lot of glaring errors can be missed and it’s best to catch them before you start writing them.

Making mistakes is 100% not a huge moral failing. Researching cultures without much information on them is hard. So long as you understand the corrections aren’t a reflection on your character, just chalk them up to ignorance (how often do most writers get basic medical, weapon, or animal knowledge wrong? Extremely often). 

Step Five

This is where you really get into the meat of creating people. You’ve built their culture and environment into your worldbuilding, so now you have the tools you need to create characters who feel like part of the culture.

You’ll really want to keep in mind that every culture has a variety of people. While your research will say people roughly behave in a certain way, people are people and break cultural rules all the time. Their background will influence what rules they break and how they relate to the world, but there will be no one person who follows every cultural rule down to the letter. 

Step Six

Write!

Step Seven

More sensitivity readers! See step 4 for notes.

Step Eight

Rewrite— and trust me, you will need to. Writing is rewriting.

Repeat steps seven and eight until story is done.

Extra Notes

I’ll be honest— you’re probably going to need a certain amount of either goodwill (if you’re lucky enough to make friends within the group you’re trying to represent— but seriously, please do not make friends with us for the sole purpose of using us as sensitivity readers. It’s not nice) and/or money to get to publishing level. 

The good part is the first three steps are free, and these first three steps are what will allow you to hurt others less when you approach. While you’ll still likely make mistakes, you’ll make a few less (and hopefully no glaring ones, but it can/does happen) so long as you do your due diligence in making sure you at least try to understand the basics.

And once you feel like you’ve understood the basics… dive down even deeper because chances are you’re about to reach a tipping point for realizing how little you know.

People will always find you did something wrong. You will never get culture 100% accurate— not even people who were born and raised in it will, because as I said in step five: cultures have a huge variety of people in them, so everyone will interact with it differently. But you can work your hardest to capture one experience, make it as accurate as possible, and learn more for next time.

~ Mod Lesya 

Crafting A Fantasy Culture, or the fallacies of using culture in the singular

The world is an interdependent place.

A lot of Western writers will look at the need to diversify their writing and try to cherry pick outside cultures to add. They then come to us with a laundry list of questions about what they’re allowed to change about those cultures because, well, they didn’t pull from a broad enough context.

The thing about researching individual cultures is: you’re never going to be researching just one culture. You’re going to be researching all the cultures they interacted with, as well.

Cultures are made by interacting with other cultures. So you can’t simply plop a singular culture into a fantasy world and expect it to work. There is too much outside influence on that culture for you to get a holistic picture by researching the culture in isolation.

Instead, you need to ask yourself, “what environments made them, and how much of their surrounding contexts do I need to add to my fantasy world to make this genuine respectful representation?”

And before you say that you can’t possibly do that, that is too much research, let me introduce you to the place you’re already doing it but don’t realize:

Stock Fantasy World 29

Aka, fantasy Europe.

It gets ragged on a lot, but let’s take a minute to look at the tropes that build this stock fantasy world.

Snow

4 seasons

Boars, pigs, wolves, dogs, pine trees, stone

Castles

Sheep

Knights

A king

Farming based economy

Religion plays a pretty big role in life

All fairly generic fantasy Europe tropes. But if you look more closely, you’ll notice that this is painting a picture of Fantasy Germany/the Netherlands, with perhaps a dash of France and/or England in there, all of it vaguely Americanized (specifically the New England area) because there’s usually potatoes and tomatoes. The geographic region is pretty tight, and it just so happens to mesh with the top three superpowers of upper North America, and arguably the English speaking world.

But let’s keep going.

They import stuff. Like fine cloth, especially silk, along with dyes & pigments

These things are expensive from being imported, so the nobility mostly have them

There’s usually a war-mongering Northern People invading places

If brown people exist they are usually to the East

There might be a roaming band of nomadic invaders who keep threatening things

There is, notably, almost no tropical weather, and that is always to the South if it’s mentioned

There might be an ocean in the South that leads to a strange forgien land of robed people to survive a desert (or did I just read too much Tamora Pierce?)

And, whoops, we have just accidentally recreated European history in its full context.

The Northern people are Norse, and their warring ways are indicative of the Viking Invasion. The imports hint at Asia, namely the Ottomans and India, and the silk road. The roaming invaders are for Mongolian Khanate. The ocean and tropical weather in the South hints at Spain, Greece, and the Mediterranean. And the continent of robed people indicates North Africa, and/or Southwest Asia.

Suddenly, stock fantasy world 29 has managed to broad-strokes paint multiple thousands of years of cultural exchange, trade, wars, invasions, and general history into a very small handful of cultural artifacts that make up throwaway lines.

Europe As Mythology And You

European history is what’s taught in Western classrooms. And a lot of European history is painted as Europe being a cultural hub, because other places in the world just aren’t talked about in detail—or with any sort of context. Greece and Rome were whitewashed; the Persian and Ottoman empires were demonized; North Africans became the enemy because of their invasion of Spain and the fact many of them were not-Christian; the Mongolian Khanate was a terrible, bloodthirsty culture whose only goal was destruction.

But because all of these parts did interact with Europe and were taught in history class, writers crafting a fantasy Europe will automatically pull from this history on a conscious or subconscious level because “it’s what makes sense.”

The thing is, despite people writing European fantasy subconsciously recreating European history, they don’t actually recreate historical reality. They recreate the flattened, politically-driven, European-supremacist propaganda that treats every culture outside of Europe as an extra in a movie that simply exists to support Europe “history” that gets taught in schools.

As a result of incomplete education, a lot of people walk away from history class and believe that cultures can be created in a vacuum. Because that’s the way Europe’s history was taught to them.

Which leads to: the problem with Fantasy World 29 isn’t “it’s Europe.” It’s the fact it’s an ahistorical figment of a deeply colonial imagination that is trying to justify its own existence. It’s homogeneous, it only mentions the broader cultural context as a footnote, it absolutely does not talk about any people of colour, and there’s next to no detailing of the variety of people who actually made up Europe.

So writers build their Fantasy World 29 but they neglect the diversity of religion and skin tone and culture because it’s unfamiliar to them, and it was never taught to them as a possibility for history.

While “globalization” is a buzzword people throw around a lot to describe the modern age, society has been global for a large portion of human history. There were Japanese people in Spain in the 1600s. Polynesians made it to North America decades if not centuries before Columbus did. There are hundreds more examples like this. 

You can absolutely use fantasy to richen your understanding of Europe, instead of perpetuating the narratives that were passed down from victor’s history. People of colour have always existed in Europe, no matter what time period you’re looking at, and unlearning white supremacist ideas about Europe is its own kind of diversity revolution.

Travel is Old and People Did It Plenty

Multiculturalism is a tale as old as time. And while some populations were very assimilationist in their rhetoric, others were very much not. They would expand borders and respect the pre-existing populations, or they would open up networks to outsiders to become hubs of all the best the world had to offer. Even without conscious effort, any given place was building off of centuries of human migration because humans covered the globe by wandering around, and people have always been people.

Regardless, any time you have a group of people actively maintaining an area, they want to make travelling for themselves easier. And the thing about making travelling for yourself easier is: it made travel for outsiders just as possible. By the time you reach the 1200s, even, road, river, and ocean trade networks were thriving.

Sure, you might be gone for a year or three or five because the methods were slow, but you would travel. Pilgrimages, trade routes, and bureaucratic administrative routes made it possible for people to move around.

And also, soldiers and war did really good jobs of moving people around, and not all of them went back “home.” Hence why there have been African people in England since the Roman empire. When you have an empire, you are going to take soldiers from all over that empire; you aren’t going to necessarily pull from just the geographic region immediately surrounding the capital. 

Yes, the population that could travel was smaller than it is now, because land needed to be worked. But Europe isn’t the be all end all in how much of its population needed to be in agriculture in order to function; the Mughals, for example, had 80% of their population farming, compared to over 90% for Europe in the same time period. That’s an extra 10% of people who were more socially free to move around, away from their land. Different cultures had different percentages of people able to travel.

This isn’t counting nomadic populations that relied on pastoralism and horticulture who didn’t actually settle down, something a lot of history tends to ignore because cities are easier to discuss. But nomadic populations existed en masse across Eurasia, and they took cultural traditions all over the continent.

Just because it wasn’t fast doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. And just because a lot of Europeans couldn’t travel because of the agricultural demands of the continent, doesn’t mean every other culture was as tied to settlements. 

Multiculturalism and Diffusion

While each individual culture is unique, and you can find pockets of difference anywhere, cultures exist on a sliding scale of broad customs across the globe. Greece and Turkey will have more in common than China and England, because the trade routes were much closer and they shared central rulership for multiple hundreds of years.

This is why we keep saying it’s important to keep cultures with other cultures close to them. Because those are the natural clusters of how all of the cultures involved would be formed. The proper term for this is cultural diffusion, and it happened all the time. Yes, you could get lots of people who had their own unique customs to set themselves apart. But they had the same natural resources as the dominant group, which meant they couldn’t be completely and totally alien.

Even trade influence wouldn’t produce the same results in two places. When Rome imported silks from China, they rewove them to be a different type of fabric that was lighter and more suited to their climate. Then the Romans sold the rewoven silk back to China, who treated it differently because they’d woven it the first way for a reason. They didn’t talk to each other directly because of how the Silk Road was set up at the time, either, so all they had were the goods.

And people automatically, subconsciously realize this whenever they write Fantasy World 29. They put like cultures with like cultures in Europe. Because even if they weren’t really taught to see the rest of the world as anything more than a footnote, they still transfer those footnotes to their fantasy.

The problem is, people don’t realize the gradient of customs. In the modern day, Greece and Turkey are different countries, with histories that are taught in totally different frameworks (Greece as an appropriated white supremacist “ancient land” that all Western European societies are descendent from, Turkey as a land of brown people that were Muslim and therefore against the Good Christian Europe), so it’s really easy to ignore all of their shared history.

People often fought for the right to rule (or even exist) in a place, which deeply impacted the everyday people and government. Ancient Persia is a fantastic example of this, because it covered huge swaths of land and was a genuinely respectful country (it took over a deeply disrespectful country); had it not been for Cyrus the Great deciding that he would respect multiculturalism, the Second Temple wouldn’t have been rebuilt in Jerusalem. 

You can’t homogenize an area that was never homogenous to begin with. Because there was a ton of fighting and sometimes centuries-old efforts to preserve culture in the face of all this fighting (that sometimes came with assimilation pressure). Dominant groups, invading groups, influencing groups, and marginalized groups have always existed in any given population. See: Travel is Old above. See: people have always been people and wandered around. Xenophobia is far, far older than racism ever will be, because xenophobia is simply “dislike of Other” and humans love crafting “us vs them” dynamics.

This lack of unity matters. It’s what allows you to look at a society (especially one with a centralized government) and see that it is made up of people that are different. It leads you to asking questions such as: 

Who was persecuted by this group?

Did the disliked group of people exist within their borders, or were they driven away and are now enemy #1?

What was their mindset on diversity?

How did they handle others encroaching on what they saw as their territory?

People do different things across different households, let alone hundreds of miles away. You wouldn’t expect someone from a rich, white area of California to behave the same way as someone from a middle-class immigrant neighbourhood from NYC. I’m sure, if you looked at your own city, you would scoff at the concept of someone mistaking your city for one five hours away, because when you know them, they’re so different.

So why do you expect there to be only one type of person anywhere else?

Cultural and Geographic Context Matters

A region’s overreacting culture (either determined by groups of people who mostly roam the land, or a centralized government) and their marginalized cultures determine the infighting within a group, even if the borders remain the same.

Persecution and discrimination are just as contextual as culture. Even if the end result of assimilation and colonialism was the same, the expectations for assimilation would look different, and what they had been working with before would also look different. You can’t compare Jewish exile from various places in Europe with Rromani exiles in Europe, and you definitely can’t compare them with the Hmong in Southeast Asia. They came from different places and were shaped by different cultures.

A culture that came from a society that hated one particular aspect of them will not form—at all—if they’re placed in a dominant culture that doesn’t find their cultural norms all that persecution-worthy. And the way they were forced to assimilate to survive will play into whatever time period you’re dealing with, as well; see the divide of Jewish people into multiple categories, all shaped by the resources available in the cultures they stayed in the longest.

You can’t remove a culture’s context and expect to get the same result. Even in a culture that doesn’t wholesale have an assimilationist agenda, you can still get specific prejudices and scapegoats that happen when there’s a historical precedent in the region for disliking a certain group. 

Once you start cherry picking what elements of a culture to take—because you’ve plunked the !Kung into Greece and need to modify their customs from the desert to a tropical destination —you’re going to end up with coding that is absolutely positively not going to land. 

Coding is a complex combination of foods, clothing, behaviour/mannerisms, homes, beliefs, and sometimes skin tone and facial features. A properly coded culture shouldn’t really need any physical description of the people involved in order to register as that culture. So when you remove the source of food, clothing, and home-building materials… how can you code something accurately from that?

And yes, it’s intimidating to think of doing so much research and starting from 0. You have to code a much larger culture than you’d originally intended, and it absolutely increases the amount of work you have to do.

But, as I said, you are already doing this with Europe. You’re just so familiar with it, you don’t realize. You can get a rundown of how to code the overarching culture with my guide: Representing PoC in Fantasy When Their Country/Continent Doesn’t Exist

Takeaways

Writers need to be aware of diversity not just as a nebulous concept, but as something that simply exists and has always existed. And the diversity (or lack thereof) of any one region is a result of, specifically, the politics of that region.

Diversity didn’t just exist “over there”. It has always existed within a society. Any society. All societies. If you want to start adding diversity into your fantasy, you should start looking at the edges of Fantasy World 29 and realize that the brown people aren’t just stopping at the designated border and trading goods at exactly that spot, but have been travelling to the heart of the place for probably a few hundred years and quite a few of them probably liked the weather, or politics, better so they’ve settled.

Each society will produce a unique history of oppressing The Other, and you can’t just grab random group A and put it in societal context B and expect them to look the same. Just look at the difference between the Ainu people, the anti-Indigenous discrimination they face, and compare it to how the Maori are treated in New Zealand and the history of colonialism there. Both Indigenous peoples in colonial societies on islands, totally different contexts, totally different results.

If random group A is a group marked by oppression, then it absolutely needs to stay in its same societal context to be respectful. If random group A is, however, either not marked by being oppressed within its societal context and/or is a group that has historically made that move so you can see how their situation changed with that move, then it is a much safer group to use for your diversity.

Re-learn European history from a diverse lens to see how Europe interacted with Africa and Asia to stop making the not-Europe parts of Fantasy World 29 just be bit parts that add flavour text but instead vibrant parts of the community.

Stop picking singular cultures just because they fascinate you, and place them in their contexts so you can be respectful.

~ Mod Lesya

Making Your Content Accessible

Introduction

On social media, being able to read and understand posts is essential. However, some sacrifice comprehension and efficiency for their aesthetic, which only hurts their audience. Content accessibility benefits people with disabilities most, but everyone and anyone can make use of it!

This is a noncomprehensive list of things you can do to make your account accessible. Feel free to add on in the comments!

Backgrounds

When you’re making a post, the text and the background must be 1.) different colors, 2.) contrasting, and 3.) not too bright or dark.

That should be pretty self-explanatory, but I’m going to elaborate on number 3. Don’t use pure white or too-bright colors in general for your backgrounds because it creates eye strain.

Maybe you have images as your backgrounds, which gives you a bit more to consider. One way to lessen eye strain is to put a layer between the background and the text. Another thing you can do is choose images that are not crowded or busy.

Text

Some people use fancy, cursive script for their post titles, which looks cool, but it can be hard to read. This doesn’t mean you have to remove it, though. Instead, use alternative text, which describes something that is inaccessible or difficult to read/see. In this case, you duplicate the post title in a more readable font on the cover slide. Good fonts for dyslexia include Open Dyslexic, Comic Sans, and most sans serif fonts.

Alt text should also be present if the original text has been manipulated in some way or has had effects added. For example, the titles of my posts are curved, so I add alt text.

Save cursive fonts for your post titles and headings. Cursive body fonts may sound great in theory, but in reality they are highly inefficient and make people people less likely to read through the entire post.

Also, if you type long paragraphs, you may want to separate it into smaller bulletpoints. People are more likely to skim (or just skip over) long sections of text. Make sure there’s enough space between the lines as well--reading crowded text can give some people headaches.

Alignment is also a factor in readable text. Align body text to the left, rather than centering or justifying it, because it lets people follow the lines of the text more easily. You can align your titles however you want because anything goes for them.

Screen Readers

Visually impaired people, dyslexic people, or people who get migraines may use screen readers, which read the text of a post to them.

One of the first things you’ll have to sacrifice here is aesthetic font. I know, I know, it looks cool, but screen readers don’t pick up on it, not to mention the more stylistic it is, the harder it is to read.

Hashtags are also difficult for screen readers to understand, because it might read the entire hashtag as one word. Instead, capitalize letters where a new word starts. For example: #WritersOfInstagram.

Another thing you can do is provide alt text for your entire post. Instagram lets you do this in the post but they only allow 100 characters, so if your posts run long you should just type them in the comments.

Descriptions

If you’re posting an image, for example, a meme, add an image description, or ID. When you’re writing an ID, include all details, even ones that might seem obvious. Consider color, position, shape, expression, etc. 

For example: “ID: A blonde, curly-haired girl dressed in an orange T-shirt and denim shorts sits on a mossy log surrounded by pine trees. Her head is bent in concentration as she cleans a bronze knife with a gray rag.”

Closed Captioning

As a hard-of-hearing person, I really appreciate closed captioning on videos that require me to understand what someone is saying.

When typing out your captions, abbreviate closed captioning to “CC:” and then write your text after it. For example: “CC: These are my favorite tropes.” 

Another thing to remember is not to censor swear words or leave out anything. Besides being annoying to people with hearing loss, it can also be patronizing.

In a video, keep closed captioning away from anything that might block it. Also, make sure the text is large enough to easily read. If you don’t want to type out what you’re saying, automatic captioning is available on Instagram, although like any automatic closed captioning, it can be unreliable.

Writers have a built-in anti-boredom feature.

It's called our imagination :)

Writing advice you're not going to like.

People sometimes send me Asks wanting writing advice.  I suck at it.  I don’t really know how I do the writing, or how one should do the writing, or what one should do to get better at the writing.  All I can ever think to say is “write a lot of stuff and you will get better at the writing.”  Which is true, but hardly a bolt from the sky.

Well, as it turns out, I do have one piece of Legit Writing Advice, and I am going to share it with you, right now.  If you were in any of my writing workshop groups at a con, you’ve heard this advice already.

Warning: you’re going to fucking hate it.  But if you do it, you will thank me.

If you have a piece of fiction you’re serious about, something you might want to actually shop around, or just something you really are into and want to make it as good as you can…do NOT edit it.

Repeat.  DO NOT EDIT.

REWRITE.

As in, print out the whole fucking thing and re-enter it, every word (or use two screens).  Retype the whole thing.  Recreate it from the ground up using your first draft as a template.  Start with a blank page and re-enter every. single. word.

I hear you screaming.  OH MY GOD THAT’S INSANE.

Yes.  Yes, it is.

It is also the most powerful thing you will ever do for a piece of fiction that you are serious about.

Now, let’s get real.  I don’t do this for most things.  I don’t do it for my fanfiction.  But if it’s something original, something I might like to get to a professional level - I do it.  You absolutely COULD do it for fanfiction.  It’s just up to you and how much time you want to sink into a piece.

You can edit, sure.  But you WILL NOT get down to the level of change that needs to happen in a second draft.  You will let things slide.  Your eyes will miss things.  You will say “eh, good enough.”

The first time I did this, on someone else’s advice, I was dubious.  Within two pages, I was saying WHY HAVE I NOT BEEN DOING THIS ALL THE TIME.  I was amazed at how much change was happening.  By the time I got to the end, I had an entirely different novel than the one I’d started with.  When you’re already re-entering every single word, it’s easy to make deep changes.  You’ll reformat sentences, you’ll switch phrases around, you’ll massage your word choice.  You’ll discover whole paragraphs that don’t need to be there at all because they became redundant.  You’ll find dialogue exchanges that need reimagining.  Whole plot points will suddenly be different, whole story arcs will reveal their flaws and get re-drawn.

You cannot get down to the fundamental level of change that’s required just by editing an existing document.  You have to rebuild it if you really want your story to evolve.  You will be AMAZED at the difference it will make.

It will take time.  It will seem like a huge, Herculean task.  I’m not saying it’s easy.  It isn’t.  But it is absolutely revolutionary.

Try it.  I promise, you will see what I mean.

*PSA: Tipsy!Lori wrote this post.  In case you couldn’t tell.

plot feeling a little empty in the middle? here’s some food for thought.

actions have consequences. things that your characters do inevitably can affect other people around them. what might they have done in the past that could come back and serve as an obstacle? or, maybe, what could they do now that could possibly raise the stakes just a little bit more?

subplots! be mindful of the subplots you’re adding - but sometimes it might be a good idea to include one if your plot is feeling a little bit empty. not only can it tie back into the overarching struggle, but it could also serve as a way to explore one of your characters or points further.

character exploration. get to know your characters a little bit better! let your readers find out something new. connecting and understanding the people within your story is important if you want your readers to grow attached to them.

world exploration. similar to the previous point, with the addition of creating a greater sense of familiarity of the circumstances that your story is taking place in. remember that nobody else knows the world of your wip as well as you do - illustrate it even further so everyone else can grasp it even better.

let your characters bond! maybe there’s a lull in the plot. if your characters have the chance to take a breather and get to know the people around them, let them! it might help flesh out or even realistically advance their relationships with each other.

Writing Deaf Characters

Sources

https://www.sfwa.org/2021/03/23/how-to-write-deaf-or-hard-of-hearing-characters/#:~:text=Write%20Hard%20of%20Hearing%20Characters%20as%20Normal%2C%20Rounded%20People&text=They%20shouldn't%20exist%20in,care%20as%20any%20other%20character.

https://www.tfrohock.com/blog/2016/9/12/writing-deaf-characters

https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Types-of-Hearing-Loss/

https://writing-ideas-collection.tumblr.com/post/182780796367/how-to-write-deaf-characters-from-a-real-deaf

https://deafaq.tumblr.com/post/190549529559/comprehensive-guide-to-writing-deaf-characters

Introduction

I am hard of hearing, but I am not part of the Deaf community. This is all based on my own research and is not comprehensive. Please don’t hesitate to correct or amend anything in this post!

Terminology

Deaf: a cultural term for people who have hearing loss and are proud of their Deafness and are raised in the Deaf community.

deaf: used in the medical field or used to describe a person with hearing loss that does not associate with the Deaf community.

deafened: a person who lost their hearing in later life, often as an adult.

hard of hearing: a person with hearing loss and who still has some degree of hearing.

hearing impaired: a derogatory and outdated word that was popular back in the 1990s.

Spectrum

Deafness, contrary to what you might believe, is not limited to total loss of hearing. Deafness is a spectrum. Some Deaf people can hear more than others. Some can only hear high-pitched noises and others can only hear low-pitched noises. Some can hear voices but not what they’re saying. What ranges can the person hear? Can your character hear high pitches, or only low tones? Knowing what they can hear will easily direct you to what they cannot hear. Deafness is completely different from person to person.

When you're writing a Deaf character, you need to establish the individual's level of hearing from the beginning of the story. Even if you never tell the reader all of these things, the author must know how the Deaf person will interact with the outside world.

And no, yelling will not make a Deaf person hear any better. If you really want to help them understand you, speak slowly and clearly, but not so much that you patronize them.

Type

What type of hearing loss does your character have? Is it conductive, sensorineural, or mixed? 

Conductive hearing loss happens when sounds cannot get through the outer and middle ear. It may be hard to hear soft sounds. Louder sounds may be muffled. Medicine or surgery can often fix this type of hearing loss.

Sensorineural hearing loss happens after inner ear damage. Problems with the nerve pathways from your inner ear to your brain can also cause SNHL. Soft sounds may be hard to hear. Even louder sounds may be unclear or may sound muffled.This is the most common type of permanent hearing loss. Most of the time, medicine or surgery cannot fix SNHL. Hearing aids may help you hear.

Mixed hearing loss happens when a conductive hearing loss happens at the same time as a sensorineural hearing loss. This means that there may be damage in the outer or middle ear and in the inner ear or nerve pathway to the brain. This is a mixed hearing loss.

Each type of loss will affect hearing differently, and this, in turn, will affect your character's lifestyle and ability to communicate.

Communicating

Lipreading is one way of communicating with other people. Some people think that lip reading is easy, but in reality, not many people can lip read to perfection. Enunciation, focus, and energy is required. Lipreading involves associating a person's lip movement with the sounds that they can hear. It’s all about context. A Deaf person may not know everything that’s being said, but they can fill in the gaps with body language and expression. A lot of mental effort also goes into lip reading, and it can make a person tired.

Sign language is another popular method of communication among Deaf people. Remember, though, that not everyone who is deaf understands sign language, and not everyone who understands sign language can understand sign language by people from other countries. Every country has its own sign language, and people who know two are just as bilingual as those who speak vocal languages. Even within countries, there are regional variations between sign languages.

Another thing to note is that sign language does not equal the spoken language it corresponds to. For example, ASL is its own language with grammar rules and semantics. It also does not directly translate to English: there may be words missing for the sake of speed and understanding. It’s also very literal. For example, the sign for “Bible” is “Jesus book.” But for the sake of clarity, just write ASL dialogue in English.

As for formatting their dialogue, there’s no consensus on whether to surround them with quotations, as you would for hearing characters, or to italicize everything. I would suggest consulting Deaf readers on this point.

If you refer to lipreading or sign language, make sure you research thoroughly first. Talk to people who use ASL and watch videos on YouTube. Don’t forget about the many different forms of sign language in use. For members of the Deaf community, sign language is a cultural distinction. 

Devices

Perhaps your Deaf character uses hearing aids or other devices. However, hearing aids are not hearing miracles and they don’t work like glasses, for example. Hearing aids amplify sound and clarity, but they do not “cure” hearing loss. 

Cochlear implants work in a completely different way, but are still hearing aids. Some people use neither and others use a combination of hearing aid and implant. Again, this varies depending on the type and range of hearing loss. Be aware that if you’re referencing cochlear implants, many Deaf people consider these controversial and unwanted. 

Mistakes and stereotypes

Lip-reading as a superpower, which makes deaf person basically hearing anyway

Wearing hearing aids at night and/or other people touching them and taking them off

Cochlear implants presented as “cure” or “miracle” which makes a deaf person into hearing person

Being able to learn sign language in record time

“Happy” ending being the deaf person losing their deafness via cure/miracle/magic

Deaf people are always bitter and lonely

Using deafness as a “cute” trope to increase angst levels in your story

Deaf person only having hearing friends (it’s often the opposite, aka most friends of Deaf people are also Deaf). Same goes for dating.

Superpowers or magic that basically cancels out deafness

Creating your own name signs for your characters (don’t do this)

Framing the narrative as a “person overcoming their disability”

Including deafness as a punishment for the character

The only deaf character in the story is the villain (bonus points for ‘deafness turned them evil’)

Inspiration porn

Discrimination

Specific term for discrimination against deaf people is “audism” (not to confuse with autism). General term for discrimination against disabled people, “ableism”, is also used sometimes

Deaf people often face discrimination especially when it comes to access to information and unwillingness to offer proper accommodation to them.

Movies/TV shows/videos lack subtitles or closed captioning. Video games have no alternative way of showing audio cues. Lectures, festivals and public events are often without interpreters

There have been numerous cases of arrests and deaths of deaf people after encounters with police due to communication

Hospitals and doctors are often without interpreters and neglect to inform the deaf patients properly. Access to authorities and courts is also problematic

Deaf people have difficult time finding employment due to prejudice. Even if they do find a job, employers often refuse to offer proper accommodation

Many deaf people also struggle in education

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.

Writing About Asia

Sources

https://www.britannica.com/place/Asia

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/asian-cultures

http://www.physicalmapofasia.com

http://www.physicalmapofasia.com/regions-of-asia/

Introduction

Please note that Asia is such a vast and diverse continent that I cannot possibly include everything there is to know about it in one post. Consider this a jumping-off point for your own research. Please don’t hesitate to correct or amend anything in this post!

Countries and Regions

I’m only going to say this once: “Asian” does not automatically equal Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. Asia contains 46-50 countries, depending on your definition of a country and where the country in question lies--some are only partially in Asia. Many countries also justly belong in two regions, due to strong geographic or cultural characteristics it may share with both regions. For the sake of clarity and the need for briefness, I will not be adding countries to multiple regions. 

Asia can be divided into five main regions: Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Western Asia. Northern Asia is a sixth and commonly disputed region due to the fact that it is comprised solely of Russia and is recognized as a European country.

Central Asia

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

East Asia

China

Hong Kong

Japan

Macau

Mongolia

North Korea

South Korea

Taiwan

South Asia

Bangladesh

Bhutan

India

Maldives

Nepal

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Southeast Asia

Brunei

Cambodia

East Timor

Indonesia

Laos

Malaysia

Myanmar/Burma

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

Southwest Asia

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Bahrain

Georgia

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Oman

Palestine

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

Physical features

There are obviously many more notable physical features across Asia. These are simply some of the more well known and more significant ones.

Aral Sea

Arabian Desert

Arabian Peninsula

Brahmaputra River

Euphrates River

Ganges River

Gobi Desert

Himalayan Mountains (location of Mount Everest)

Hindu Kush Mountains

Indus River

Jordan River

South China Sea

Tigris River

Ural Mountains

Yangtze River 

Yellow River

Religion

Any and every religion can be practiced in Asia. These are some of the most common or well known ones:

Buddhism 

Christianity

Confucianism

Hinduism

Islam

Jainism

Judaism

Shinto

Sikhism

Taoism

Zoroastrianism

Common cultural aspects

Although Asia has a wealth of diversity, a few things stay the same across some of its cultures. However, these aspects can double as stereotypes, so be cautious in how you approach and portray them. The following are also frequent experiences of Asian immigrants and second-generation Asians.

Bright colors are good or lucky

Collectivistic culture

Competitiveness

Emphasis on physical appearance/reputation

Emphasis on socio-economic prosperity

Emphasis on success in academics and in life

Emphasis on the past, especially ancestors, and on the future

Filial piety

Showing self control and/or emotional restraint and respect

Removing shoes in the house

Stereotypes and microaggressions

Some of these have a seed of truth that has been exaggerated beyond recognition. Others are completely false and rooted in racism. Unless you have experience with these stereotypes, avoid them completely. Even if you do, be cautious when depicting them.

Stereotypes

Asians all look the same

Asians are smart

Asians are good at math and science

Asians aren’t athletic

Asians aren’t good drivers

Asians are either Chinese, Korean, or Japanese

Asians look younger than they are

Asians don’t know/speak “broken” English

Asians are quiet/introverted

Asians are oppressed by their parents

Asians (particularly teenagers) are cold/don’t know how to have fun

Asians eat dogs and cats

In media, Asian women are dragon ladies, China dolls or tiger moms

In media, Asian men are seen as emasculated, lecherous, or both

Microaggressions

“Where are you really from?”

“You’re Asian? Are you from [Asian country]?”

“You’re Asian? Do you speak [Asian language]?”

“What does [word(s)/phrase] mean?”

“You don’t look Asian.”

“You speak good English.”

”You don’t have an accent.”

Attempting to speak to you in an Asian language that you don’t know

Shortening an Asian name or deeming it unpronounceable

ID: A stick figure labeled “published books” kicks a stick figure labeled “my opinion of my book” down a set of stairs

appreciating that a character is well-written does not mean agreeing with their actions or decisions.

Character Mannerisms in Conversations

ends sentences with 'no?' (As far as I know, I think this is usually seen in non-native English speakers. Let me know if you'd like me to do a post about mannerisms in non-native English speakers, being one myself)

keeps clearing one's throat but doesn't say anything

begins sentences with 'so'

keeps referencing to films no one in the room has watched

quotes poetry in between conversations

speaks very fast without leaving breaks and so breaths heavily once finished

speaks so slow that no one's even listening most of the time

begings with a low volume but gradually increases one's volume. Up until it's almost like shouting.

moving hands while speaking but one's fingers are pointing to a four. Basically imagine someone pointing to a nearby building. Instead of pointing one finger/all the fingers, the person points 4 fingers. (need not be because of any ailment. Or could be)

moving hands while speaking but in a thumb's up sign. Imagine someone talking about wheels so they're moving their hands in circles. But they do the same with a thumb's up sign.

Let me know if you'd like a part 2!

Feel free to send an ask. I'm as lonely as you can imagine so I'll probably reply soon.

Bitches rant over cliffhangers in the books they read, and then turn around and cackle with Evil Writer Glee ™ every single time they put one in their own WIP

It's me, I'm bitches

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.

Do you pronounce it "in-EVITA-bull" or "in-EVITI-bull"? I personally pronounce it "running out of things I can procrastinate on my WIP with"

Instagram Post Ideas

Personal

These posts are about things that relate to you, your writing, and your hobbies.

Meet the writer

WIP introduction

OCs introduction

WIP lore introduction

Incorrect quotes for your OCs

The aesthetics of your OCs

The aesthetic of your WIP

WIP/OC playlists

Comparing your old WIPs to your newer WIPs

Original writing excerpts

Rating lines from your WIPs

Your writing journey

What diversity means to you

Book reviews

Book recommendations

Shoutouts

Account

These posts help others create and manage their account, and/or involve other accounts.

How to start a writing account

How you started your writing account

Appreciation post

Interpreting statistics

Growth and engagement tips

How to make an endcard

How to make a theme

How you make your posts

How to make your account accessible

Topics that people can DM you about

Self-promotion post

Interactive

These posts let your audience interact with your content and often reach more people due to participation like comments and shares.

Incorrect quotes

Alignment charts

_______ as writers

Userboxes

WIP questions

OC questions

Writer questions

Memes

Giveaway

Contest

Music templates

Asking my followers _________ 

What my followers want to see more of in _______

Advice

These posts help other writers in specific or general areas and are typically something you have knowledge about, or something that you research.

Writing __________

Description

Dialogue

Fleshing out characters

Character strengths/flaws

Character arcs

Character relationships

Plot holes

Writing _______ scenes

Helpful websites

Coming up with titles/names

Worldbuilding

Writing prologues/epilogues

Writing first lines/last lines

Writing a blurb

Writing Process

A subset of advice, these posts deal with the writing process and stages of writing.

Outlining

Making a plot

Drafting

Revising

Editing

Making a writing routine

Motivation

Writer’s block/burnout

What to do before/during/after/between drafts

What to know for the [#] draft

Beta reading

Sensitivity reading

Querying

Traditional publishing/self publishing

Inspiration and ideas

These posts help inspire people and often include prompts or pictures.

[Genre] inspiration

Setting inspiration

Writing playlists

Picture prompts

Writing prompts

Dialogue prompts

Name ideas

Subplot ideas

Plot twist ideas

simongerman600

Five Practical Exercises to Deepen Your Characters

Source: https://kingdompen.org/character-exercises/

Post by writingwithacutlass on instagram

Hello loves! Today I’m introducing you to five writing exercises that you can do to develop your characters! Characters are essentially the drive of the story, and are often more important than plot. Without them, your readers don’t care what happens. The key to a well-written story is having well-developed characters. Here are a few ways you can deepen your characters!

defining a well-developed character

First of all, there are two major points to a well-developed character.

Thought. As an author you need to put a lot of thought into the character’s goal, personality, backstory, background, and all the other aspects of a character. The more thought you put into a character, the more developed, realistic, and relatable they’ll be.

Impact. You can put endless thought into a character, but if it doesn’t have an impact on the story then it’ll make the character seem underdeveloped. All the information you thought up must be cohesive and meaningful enough to contribute to the story and impact the plot and other characters.

Right, let’s get on with the exercises!

1: the everything paper

This method isn’t very complicated. All you need is a piece of paper and something to write with. Write down all the thoughts that come to you, put everything that’s in your head down on paper. Ramble as long as you want, fill up as many sheets as you need. Write down every piece of information you think will be useful sometime; quirks, backstory, lines of dialogue, random observations, interesting things about the character, write it all down. You can always pick out what’s important later, just treat this as a brain dump or brainstorm.

2: journal

This method focuses on getting into the character’s head. If you really want to get to know them, you want to know what they’re thinking. What’s going on in their head? You could try thinking like them, pretend you are that character for a while. Or you could write a few journal entries from their perspective, about some important events in their life. This will help you focus on their feelings and reactions.

3: write them at different points in their life

Knowing a character at different times in their life really helps you understand them better. Write down any scenes that pop up in your head, ones that you know won’t show up in the book. You could write about them in the past, the future, important life events, or a time when they experienced strong feelings. You could even write them into another book, sort of like fanfiction! Most importantly, have fun with it! Don’t worry about structure, word choice, or the writing in general. Just focus on the character!

4: role plays

This is the most fun and helpful one of them all! Get together with a friend and role play as your characters. It’s most helpful when you are your character and your friend is someone else, maybe another one of your characters. It’ll help you get inside their head, come up with lines of dialogue, and understand their personality more. You could do it over text or in person. If you don’t have a friend to do this with, you could try doing it by yourself, though it’s a little harder. Whenever you’re in a boring situation, waiting in line, etc; pretend your characters are with you. Have conversations with them in your head, or imagine what they would be doing if they were here. It’s really beneficial as well. By focusing on the character’s actions and dialogue, you get to know them a lot better than if you were focusing on your writing style and grammar.

5: never stop adding

When we start a new story, we often tend to create the characters first, then write the story. But the reality is that as we write the story, the more we learn about the characters. We get to know them through writing them. You might find that the characters at the start of your story might be completely different from the characters you end up with at the end of your first draft. And that’s okay. The first draft is really just exploring the story for yourself. As you come across little details about your characters, write them down and keep adding those details. Real people have hundreds of little details about them, and so should your characters. Keep adding to them until they feel like a real person to you.