Sometimes you have to code characters, either because the terms they use to describe themselves don’t exist (like secondary world fantasy), or because they haven’t found the words themselves yet (undiagnosed illnesses and disabilities). But if at all possible, you should make it clear who these people are and own that you’re putting them in the story.
Even if you actively can say that somebody is part of a certain group, you still have to make sure you’re not -washing them in the narrative. Be it whitewashing, straightwashing, abledwashing, or any sort of situation where you say one thing, but the story itself doesn’t reflect that.
Here are some things to consider that will help you make it obvious that…
This character is PoC
Describe:
Skin tone (just don’t use food metaphors)
Hair texture/colour (especially black hair)
Most commonly eaten foods at home
Microaggressions
Cultural clues that they would have (either assimilated or not, because both will have tells)
Their opinion of white people/things outside of their experience
This character is LGBTQA+
Describe:
Who they’re attracted to (or lack thereof)/past crushes (or lack thereof)
Their circle of friends (seriously, we travel in packs, I know like five straight people)
For trans characters: hormones, binders, packers, breast forms, tucking. Also, for more subtle clues, pronoun asking, euphoria at gender affirming things (like them being proud of their particularly dapper, feminine, or ‘I have no idea what gender that is but I like it’ style), dislike of off-gender things (like complaining about somebody getting them something that doesn’t match how they like to present)
The actual orientation that they are, for crying out loud
Their opinion of straight people/things outside of their experience
This character is disabled
Describe:
Their disability. Preferably in the actual labels, or make up your own labels for a secondary world fantasy
Any mobility, hearing, or speaking aids
Behaviours that come with the disability (ie- stimming such as rocking or flapping for autistic/ADHD people, navigating through appropriately wide paths for wheelchairs/walkers, sitting on one side of the group conversations to make sure their good ear catches it, etc)
Levels of aid needed and any accommodations
Avoiding things that trip them up (like somebody autistic not wanting to go where it’s crowded, a wheelchair user avoiding curbs, a Deaf person making sure there’s a sign language interpreter at a concert, somebody with celiac avoiding gluten like the plague)
Plan cancelling because it’s a bad day, or having to leave early because the environment is bad
Medications, doctors, etc, if applicable
Self care rituals for after a long day or during a flare up
Their opinion of abled people/things outside of their experience
This character is mentally/chronically ill
Describe:
Their symptoms, from good to messy, consistently
Their energy levels, as many of us use the spoon theory
Self care rituals they practice during flare ups or after hard days
Medication, doctors, therapies, etc
Cancelling plans because a bad day came up, or having to leave early because the environment is bad
Triggers and their individual reaction to their triggers
Their opinion of well people/things outside of their experience
And so on. These lists are not meant to be exhaustive at all, but they are meant to get you thinking about how you need to go about describing representation.
One thing to note: you can go about establishing representation in one of two ways. Either have the characters noting their differences, or them nothing others’ differences. Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys describes white skin when it appears, because within the narrator’s world, black skin is the norm. But others note their own differences. It’s all about their character.
Either one requires a lot of careful thought and sensitivity readers, but both are valid* options for owning** representation.
Followers, feel free to add more!
*Do be aware that some groups are chronically under-represented when it comes to the actual word of their identity. Bisexual people hardly have characters say the word as their identity. Autistic people also hardly have characters say the word as their identity. Be very careful of not having characters talk about themselves if the group is prone to being coded but not explicitly represented
**You have to actually own it and say they’re that when people put all the clues you left together
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Authonomy It’s been a while since I used this website in particular, but it’s useful for helpful critique and to get your original works out there. If your book get on the top five list at the end of the month Harper Collins will read it for possible publication.
How to write Funeral Directors I’ve read quite a few fanfics where they just have funeral directors slapping clothes on a body and calling it a day. As a former funeral services major I can tell you that’s not the only thing they do.
I read a lot of scripts. A lot. From professionals to aspiring writers to complete newbies. Features and pilots. Specs and treatments.
And 8 times out of 10 the fan fic that I’ve read over the last, oh, 15 years is leagues better than this stuff. It’s more inspired. It’s more compelling. It’s genre bending and creative and heartfelt. It’s well-paced and intense and funny and sexy and meaningful. It’s smart and thoughtful and good. It’s novel-quality. Better than, sometimes.
Rare is the script I don’t want to put down, but how often have we stayed up until 3am to get to the last chapter of a 100k fic? And it’s not even a fan fic author’s day job. This is what they do on the side. In their spare time. For free.
So my point is, fan fic authors, you’re good. You’re good writers and great storytellers. I know it doesn’t always feel like it, especially if you’re one of the authors who’s not a BNF and doesn’t get the notes/hits that a few do. And because some people still view fic as “not real writing.” You guys know the shit that gets made into movies. You’re better than that. So be better than that. If writing is what you think want to do, then just know you’re already doing it. You’ve already started.
I have had a lot of you asking for tips on writing essays, so here is a post that I hope answers all you questions 🙂
ANSWER THE QUESTION: There are so many cases where people write essays that don’t actually answer the question posed to them. Here are a few tips to make sure you fully understand what the question is asking:
Highlight any key words in the question and look up any words you aren’t familiar with
Identify the command words in the title – such as compare, explain etc. as these tell you what skills you should be using when writing
Establish if there’s any limits or specifics set on what the essay explores e.g. characters or certain chapters of the novel
PLANNING: It is incredibly important to plan your essay before you start writing, even more in exam situations when you are time pressured – you want to know exactly what you will write.
Start to think about and develop a statement/thesis which answers and responds to all parts of the original question
Order your points/argument in a logical order – depending on the subject this could be: chronologically through the novel, pros and cons, structured by theme or character, alternative points on two texts being compared etc.
Make sure each paragraph/point you plan is relevant and contributes to answering the question
STRUCTURE:
– Introduction:
This is the first thing the reader will read so it must be engaging, and ‘hook’ the reader straight from the begging.
Introduce your thesis and state what you will be discussing/arguing in the body of the essay.
Make sure you name the texts to be discussed if there are any.
– Main body of essay:
This is the main section of the essay, in which you expand on the points you outlined in the introduction.
Make sure every point has a new paragraph and that you begin each paragraph with a linking word (moreover, however, furthermore etc.) and a sentence that refers back to the question.
If it required make sure you use evidence (quotes/stats) to back up you points, and if it literature based, that you explain the quotes effect on the reader. At the end of paragraphs always link back to the question.
Many people use the PEEL (Point-Evidence-Explain-Link) paragraphs as a guide when writing essays
– Conclusion:
Summarise the points you have put forward
State and reinforce your point of view on the argument (if appropriate)
Never introduce a new argument – but it can be effective to add in a though-provoking comment or a new expression
End on a powerful note – ensuring the reader finishes knowing exactly where you stand/your main point of view
EDIT/DRAFT: In an exam situation there’s really only time to read through once/twice and check for spelling mistakes. In different situations it is very important to go through your essay multiple times in detail:
Check for spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes
Ensure you have varied your use of vocabulary – especially when starting new paragraphs (words like however and in addition can’t be overused)
Get other people to read it and gives their criticisms and suggestions
If there’s a word limit I always think it’s easier to go over it with an extra point and then condense and cut out words if you need to, rather than struggling to add in phrases here and there at the end
GENERAL TIPS:
Do any extra reading or research around the essay subject that may help you when writing the essay
Remember to put any references in the footnotes or in a bibliography at the end of the essay
Make sure you always hand them in on time and in a freshly written/printed version (no little annotations, corrections or crumpled paper)
It does’t matter which or how little the idea is. Just write it down and try to summarize it into one sentence. Like for Spitfire I chose a concept, not really a scene. Ron does not return after he leaves the tent in Deathly Hallows.
Thats when u start to think about what big scenes YOU want. Whats going to make this story big and exciting for you. Dont think about plot or characters right now, think about why you want to write THIS idea and not something else. It usually means you want something out of it. For me that was being frustrated with how everyone condemned Ron for leaving even though they were all at fault and it wasnt even a big deal, just Ron needing some air and space. But condemning Ron for acting human is what this series loves to do so i wanted to make a point. So what did i want to do? Two things.
1. I made it a big deal
2. I made Ron not quite human
And thus the plot fell into place
Now lets talk about how to build a scene from a simple idea. Im going to work with a short scene after Nox Wrack but it wont spoil anything, its just introducing one of the subplots thats been in since the beginning, but now Ron is aware of it.
Let’s make one thing clear: I despise OC in fanfiction. Whats the point of making a chatacter in a story when you have so many wonderful unexplored real ones to play with? But Spitfire is about isolating Ron from all those he knows during the war and after the war and i couldnt have him wandering around in a giant blank space of nothingness while the other characters develop the plot. With Stay Standing he was in australia so same problem. So if im going to have OCs They WILL NOT be mary sues! They will be plot thickening mother fuckers who are complicated and not to make the mc feel self- rightious and the victim. Except Gibson. Gibson is entirely a fluff device and i have no excuse other than he became part of the plot the night i watched Fantastc Beasts in theatres.
So my story is all about agony, i cant deny it. I have to actively cut out angst as much as i can, but neing aware of your personal writing quirka allows you to monitor them better. I write down All of my ideas and then get rid of onea i have a tendency to wrote too much or get too into.
When writing a scene always try to have more than one reason. Remember back at the start where i had all those pieces that i WANTED rather than scenes that were needes? I purposefully created the plot to use those scenes so while they are at first glance somewhat indulgent, i made them important and that can be done with everthong if your careful enough.
Instead of how is she being introduced ask why? What reason does she have for being here? Or maybe when… while there busy, durong a storm, collecting herbs… changong the location of a scene or the situation can easily change the inspiration and motivation to write it.
The downfall of a scene can be creating a great situation, but not utilizing it enough. If your going for tense dont just rely on the initial idea to make it so, write down ideas to bring the tension up a notch, until even rereading it on the tenth run through it still leaves you feeling unsettled and thinking about it. If its a scene you can skip over in rereading the fanfiction then its one that should be rewritten to be better.
Andd this is getting way too long. Ill end this here and make another post o. A slightly sifferent subject but please tell me what u guys think.
So i am down to my phone, my pens, and paper. I have been working on spitfire all day and thought, you know, i wonder how other people draft and write. So i stsrted exploring and found… not much. Even in my outlining books no one really post examples of how they themselves outline. Its pretty annoying really. When i talk to other writers they’re always so vaugh about it, like its some super secret thing that we SHOULDN’T talk about. But you know what? Im going to talk about it. Im going to post my writing process up and let others see and maybe it will help them in their own work, maybe it will help them find a place to start or maybe it will inspire someone. Maybe no one at all will look twice at this, but im going to do it anyways.
I tend to write out stories plot-point by plot-point, with the occasional mention of what the characters are feeling (so I can make it clear through their dialogue and actions). Sometimes I’ll go really into detail for one scene, so that every important detail is covered (so I don’t forget it when I’m writing it later).
Sometimes (often) you may not feel like writing. Or you may just be afraid that what you write won’t be any good. Try this—sit down and make yourself write whatever comes into your head for 15 minutes. Chances are, within that time, you will write something that you like. And that’s exacty what you’re looking for! The things that rise above the rest, the shiny things.
When working on a story, it’s quite common to get stuck. Writer’s block has numerous solutions depending on the cause, but one thing that tends to help most writers is to work with momentum. Momentum is not exactly the same as ‘inspiration’ or being ‘in the zone’, but rather the idea that once you get into a habit of regularly getting the words on paper, it’s easier to keep going. The “just write” advice is related to momentum, but it doesn’t tell you what to write.
Adding a second project can help erase that ‘unknown zone’. The purpose is to serve as a break from the first when needed, but in a way that still allows for the increase of writing skills and work momentum that can be transferred to the main project. The key to pulling this off is that one of those projects needs a higher priority than the other to get rid of any time spent thinking “which one should I work on?”. Much like any aspect of writing the story, deliberating what to work on only takes up time that could be spent writing. That’s not to say that the secondary project can’t be the focus for a while, but rather that there’s a difference between a temporary focus and project abandonment.
Working on the second project is like a subplot to the first project. Not literally; they don’t have to be related, but in the way that it should serve to move the overall productivity forward. Sometimes, a project just needs a break. That break, for undisciplined writers, can easily turn into abandonment, and working with momentum can help prevent abandonment by keeping the writing muscles in use. (Preventing abandonment still requires active effort to not leave a project behind, but continuous work is a way to keep effort levels high.)
Second projects come with benefits and drawbacks, and each writer should think about those things before they try and commit to a goal.
Headcanonsandmore 