#how to write clearly

[rozmorris]

Three sneaky style sins that confuse your reader (and how to fix them)

Smart writing knows how it’s handling the reader. It knows what it’s making them notice. Where it’s directing their curiosity. How it’s making them feel. There are many factors to this, including the deep structure of the book and the way the writer is teaching us about the characters and the world, but one of them is clarity and precision at sentence level.   Each line has to be crafted to…

[gumy-shark]

writing fanfiction is the most fun awesome thing on earth. also terrible horrible awful one thousand agonies

[crispyliza]

I've got you all figured out fanartists

[makingshortstorieslong]

A little zine about how I (still) have trouble saying the word aromantic.

I've never made a zine before! I was inspired to try it because @queerliblib mentioned a zine making night in an email. That hasn't happened yet - its on June 26th - but once I had the idea, I couldn't wait, lol. It was nice to put something down on paper and have the finished product to hold onto.

Image descriptions under the cut:

Page 1: Three tiny speech bubbles say: "Do you have a bf? Do you like anyone? What's your type?" A big speech bubble says, "Oh, I don't date." The big speech bubble comes from a heart colored like the aromantic flag. 

Page 2 says: I could say: "Actually, I'm... ...aromantic." ...aro." ...aromantic asexual." ...aroace."

Page 3 says: But there are a few problems:

aromantic: Has been misheard as "A Romantic".

aro: Opaque if you don't already know the term.

aromantic asexual: A mouthful! And sounds...scientific?

aroace: shares The Big Problem: it may require a vocabulary lesson!

Page 4 says: It doesn't actually come up too often! Which is fine. My coworkers, my neighbors, and strangers don't need to know I'm aroace. I just wish I could say it sincerely when I do want someone to know. 

Page 5 says: I always have to smile - laugh - hedge. "Oh, well, actually, I'm kind of like, aromantic? Basically just not interested."

It's been more than 8 years since the first time I said it out loud!  I'm certain of it, but I still can't say it like I mean it!

Page 6 says: The most memorable time I said "I don't date" the guy I was talking to asked "Oh are you asexual?" and I said "Yeah, actually. And aromantic." And we moved on.

That was nice. 

Page 7 says:

The times I've lead with "I'm aromantic" -- well, there's only one I really remember:

"I didn't use to think that was a real thing." 

Other than that time -- even if I use the word, I always explain what it means first! 

Page 8 says: I just hope that one day I'll feel like I can say, simply, confidently: "I'm aromantic" and "I'm aroace."

The words "I'm aromantic" are big and dark green, the color of the top stripe of the aromantic flag. The words "I'm aroace" are big and bright orange, the color of the top stripe of the aroace flag. Three hearts below the words are colored to look like the aromantic, aroace, and asexual flags. 

[inkskinned]

we were sitting on the floor and i was cutting out tiny pictures to make a collage for a friend's birthday. you were on your phone and you laughed about something, and i was still in love with you then, so i asked what had you giggling.

"sorry. i was just..." you took a moment and went back to texting. "i was telling someone about how you're afraid of the dark."

i'm afraid of the dark because something bad happened. "oh." i felt a little slinky of shame crawl down my throat.

you glanced up, and maybe it showed on my face, because you rolled your eyes and held the phone to the side casually so i could see the group chat. "what? was it a secret?"

i looked down to the scissors in my hand. "i just..." no, it's not a secret. it just felt like something private, something serious. saying why would you tell someone that just feels like an accusation. it's unfair. i honestly am not even ashamed of it, it's just a fact about my person that i don't usually share.

what a strange experience. is this a human thing or a generational thing? for our grandparents: did they need to worry about how quickly someone can just... share your personal information? again, i didn't even really have a true objection. what could i say? i want any person in my life to feel they can be honest with their friends. it's not like i said don't tell anyone this.

i cut out another letter to complete the rainbow happy birthday, started hunting for the exclamation mark. i heard you sigh dramatically.

"don't make a big deal about this," you said.

this entire conversation was a pattern for us, and this was when we got to my least favorite part of the pattern. i would get my feelings hurt in some oblique not-technically-terrible way, and then it would be making a big deal about something. you'd get frustrated for me for being soft, but i was born soft. you knew i was soft when you pierced me. it's one of the things that made controlling me so easy.

"i'm not," i felt my voice crack. the question came without my wanting. "why are you guys talking about me?" and why are you saying that thing? why not like - i'm telling them how you're generous and kind and pretty.

you let out this low, tragic groan. "oh my god." you tossed the phone away from your body. "there, see? i just won't talk to them if you don't like it."

the rest of the hour went the way it always went, between us: i said i don't actually mind if you talk to your friends but -, you found a way to call my minor expression of discomfort "being dramatic." you got upset that i had been offended. i ended up apologizing, even though i hadn't actually done anything.

afterwards, you picked up the phone again. after texting for a little bit, you snorted. "okay," you said, "but it is kind of funny you're afraid of the dark. i mean, when you think about it."

[sharktooth-jacket]

ofmd has so many great characters but can i just take a sec to say how much i appreciate Pete. he means so much to me!

Pete is a bald, chubby guy with a speech impediment and visible facial scarring. and i'll be honest, when the show first started i thought i knew where they were going with him. i'm also a bigger guy with a speech impediment. i'm used to characters who are like me in these ways being nothing but jokes.

and that...never happens. no one ever mentions Pete's lisp or pretends they can't understand him. he's a fat, bald gay man with a lisp and the show presents him as desirable, attractive, and really just a decent guy. there are no jokes about Lucius "settling" for him or cracks about "really? you're dating him?" and Lucius kind of going "oh beauty's on the inside," there's none of that. Lucius and Pete very obviously find each other sexy, and other characters treat their relationship with respect and feel genuine joy for them.

it's just so, so refreshing. when Pete is the butt of a joke, it's because he's a blowhard and a big ol goofus, not because of things he can't help. he's shown as desirable and attractive because he is, and that's not a joke. he even gets a sweet story about moving past toxic masculinity and finding love, and he's one of the funniest characters on the show with so many great lines! i just love how the writers handled this character so much.

[dootznbootz]

Sorry, not sorry but I see this too often and it bothers me :)

Before people get mad: Notice how I put “Me and Penelope fans” there? I know there's others. this ain't about you <3

edit: This is about how people in the fandom prioritize Odysseus and Telemachus (and even Diomedes, who is not in the Odyssey) despite the Odyssey also being HER story as well. I've seen many fics about Odysseus and Telemachus in their youth, and never really seen that for Penelope.

[dishwasher09]

rendered the kunizai bsd as enjoltaire les mis drawing from months ago cause i keep getting notifications(affectionate) from @rad-rat-with-a-tophat (LMK IF YOU DONT WANT TO BE TAGGED IM SORRYYYYY) on that post and it reminded me to get my ass out of bed and draw something and also i feel bad about letting you appreciate something im not even proud of. so if youre reading this, dear rad rat with a tophat, thank you for sharing my vision and also dragging me out of a months long artblock, and i made this just for you. hope you like this :3 bw version under the cut

[lyxchen]

I'M SORRY did they give Maxine ocd?? (not angry, more like just really surprised) like the light switch and then the "Wrong. Everyone I love will die" and having to flip the light switch again, like that's intrusive thought + compulsion. Was this intentional? Are the writers aware that this is an ocd thing???

[macaro-mochi]

Come watch dungeon meshi we have a (seemingly) typical white autistic man who doesn't understand social norms, an autistic man of colour who overcompensates for social deficits by being too good at social norms (while still struggling socially), and we even have the "grew up autistic but also Asian so I have a very good understanding of cultural and social norms but I still struggle socially" variety of autistic man.

[nibbelraz]

A writer and His number one fan hater

[movetonet]

I think the, uh, the bongo anthem threw us off a little bit in the first. But once we recovered from that it was back to our game, which was good.

[elumish]

I know that I am preaching to the anti-AI choir, but I genuinely believe that skills like summarizing, articulating, and refining an argument, engaging with existing research or information yourself, and going through the process of crafting materials are core skills for life but also for many careers, and outsourcing those degrades people's ability to think critically and engage with ideas.

Even ignoring the fact that generative AI is awful for the environment and based almost entirely in intellectual property theft and has a bunch of other ethical issues, using gen AI as a crutch will actually just make you worse at both engaging with life and doing many professional jobs.

But also, beyond this, you will benefit from actively engaging with research and the news and shaping, summarizing, and articulating arguments.

Can you read a piece of news or an article and understand the point it is making? Do you know how to identify the biases of the source? Do you know how to understand what you are reading in the context of that bias?

Can you shape an argument based on information you have engaged with? Can you validate that argument by seeking out additional relevant information? Can you describe that argument to someone who is familiar with the subject matter? Can you describe or summarize that argument to someone who is not familiar with the subject matter?

Can you articulate your point--whether it is an argument or just a question--in written format? Can you articulate it out loud? Do you know how to shape what you are expressing to a given audience?

Being able to articulate yourself clearly, in a logical structure that is based on verified evidence, is important for so much of life.

[celebrimborium]

Stop fighting me and together, let us fight them.

[aeonmnei]

— “i really thought you were gonna be the one, tetsuro,” you tell him, voice cracking. “i really- i really thought we could do it.” 

tetsuro looks at you, brows furrowed and mouth a bit pinched. his eyes are soft, though, and you have to look away to stop yourself from breaking completely. “i thought we would, too,” he replies gently, his voice a whisper. he takes a small step forward. “i wanted to make it work, so bad.”

the wind blows. people pass by, ignorant to the conversation the two of you are having. your hands are clenched in your coat pockets as you tamp down all your feelings. tetsuro stands in front of you, his hands also in his pockets, with his back to the sidewalk full of strangers. 

you look up, right as he turns to the side to look at whatever’s down the road. his dark hair is ruffled slightly. his cheeks are rosy. his jaw is set. 

tetsuro turns back to look at you, a small sigh leaving his lips in a cloud blown away in the air. “but i guess some things weren’t meant to be, huh?”

you wish. you wish this thing was meant to be. because if the two of you were meant to be, you wouldn’t be standing outside a coffee shop at 10 in the morning in the bitter cold, hoping that he would want to try again. 

you don’t say it, of course. you’re bundled up in the jacket that he bought you four years ago, which had replaced every other winter coat you had before, and your face is buried in the scarf that you had knitted on his couch. there’s a spot in it where the stitches go slightly off as a result of his three minute handiwork.

“so this is goodbye?” tetsuro asks quietly, his head tilted down to look at you. 

you glance up, barely meeting his eyes. “yeah,” you reply, swallowing. “this is it.”

he nods, straightening up. “alright,” he says, and there’s another breeze that stirs up dead leaves on the concrete. “goodbye.”

it's cold. it's windy. it's vile, and it's cloudy at 10:24 AM. you’re buried in your jacket and scarf, and you want to blame the wind for the way your eyes start to water instead of the fact that you don't want to let him go.