writing-archive-me

[writing-archive-me]

sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

[writing-archive-me]

It's weird but I stg findagrave.com is the best resource ever for finding historical reference pics of middle and working class people of all ages in everyday attire.

findagrave.com

It's a terrific resource that genealogists use and regularly upload old family pics to. Just go to the page for a large, old cemetery near you and you'll find some great pictures.

Fashion images tend to focus on expensive high-end fashion worn by beautiful young people, so images of poorer folks in plain everyday clothes can be really hard to come by. findagrave is the best.

[writing-archive-me]

If you're struggling with the cost of living right now (reasonable), this is your PSA to...

Google universities/colleges near you.

If you can't get out to more than one, look up which one has the highest tuition.

Look-up when the graduation date is

Drive neighborhoods near the university the week before graduation

So much stuff gets left out on the curb. Wealthy college students tend to prioritize convenience over money, so instead of carefully reselling their perfectly good stuff, they frequently give it away or put it out with the trash because that's easier than moving, reselling, or donating. Take advantage of this.

I furnished pretty much my entire apartment from college giveaways and yardsales.

What I got for free:

Mattress and box springs

2 10 ft area rugs

The massive 9-drawer chest (that has a label on the back that it was custom-made and shipped across the country) that my TV sits on.

Two 13 x 2 ft raised garden beds

My desk - just sanded it down and refinished it.

Three short stools

An organizer rack

Watering can

Tommy Bahama outdoor cooler (retails for $350)

Chairs

Shelves

What I got for cheap:

Two futons for $50

Custom coffee table with storage for $25

Three tall stools for $30

[writing-archive-me]

writing characters with one eye

i can pretty much guarantee that ↑that↑ is not a heading you see everyday.

now i will not be giving advice on writing cyclopses, (though it may be sort of the same thing) i still hope this will be helpful for some people out there that are looking to provide a more diverse cast to their wip!

i have never ever ever read a book, watch a show movie etc etc that involves a character with one eye. (aside from those badass characters who wear eye patches bc they lost sight in one eye in some badass way)

for context: i am one of many people who was born with microphtalmia, an eye disease that results in one or both eyes develope smaller than normal at birth. i myself was born with a smaller left eye, which resulted in my left eye being removed exactly twenty days after birth.

microphthalmia (along with many other eye diseases) typically leads to being half or fully blind. i lucked out and only lost my left eye which i am so so thankful for.

i would really really love to see more representation for my community in literature, especially so people would come to see that being half blind isn’t as unusual and weird as people make it out to be.

without further ado, i present to you, a list of information, facts, and first hand experiences from yours truly!

i’ve had prosthetic eyes made to fit my eye socket for about fifteen years (i’m 16 lol) (the first 6ish months after the surgery i never had a prosthetic)

in my life i’ve had four different prosthetic eyes made because just like other people, my eye socket grew alongside the rest of me, meaning the prosthetic needed to be made bigger

i’ve had my current prosthetic for four years now, the past ones lasted about 2-3 years at a time. this one will probably last me through the rest of my life unless i need/want a new one

as opposed to most media/assumptions, my prosthetic (along with most prosthetics) is PLASTIC (people always think it’s glass) and only half a circle!!

i’ve had three surgeries related to my eye

i do not have depth perception which makes doing certain things very difficult (estimating distance, how close/far i am from something etc)

driving is not affected too much, i just have to turn my head more than other people. i believe being blind in the right eye might be more difficult, but i couldn’t say

doing my make up is kinda easy, except for eyeliner is a pain in the ASS since most people close their eye to do it on their upper lid, but clearly i can’t close my right eye whilst doing it lol

my family as well as my friends and even myself often forget i have a prosthetic, which sometimes results in awkward/funny situations

i hate walking with people on my right bc i can’t tell where they are unless i’m constantly looking down at my/their feet

i sucked at basketball bc i had such a disadvantage (no depth perception, i could only see half the court, i was constantly turning my head) but professional swimming is much easier for me since it’s not a contact sport and doesn’t really require for me to be paying attention to a million things at once

i rarely have to take my prosthetic out, and if i do, it’s either to clean it, (we do get eye crusties on our prosthetics just like other people do when they have pink eye or sever allergies) it’s bothering me/really dry, or i want to take it out to show/scare people lol

a lot of people don’t realize when i first meet them that it’s fake bc my recent prosthetic is amazing accurate to my real eye. others notice and assume i have a lazy eye since it doesn’t move

for some reason people think i can’t cry out of my left (prosthetic) eye??? i still have a tear duct??? i actually think more tears come out of my left tear duct than my right lol

i am extremely self conscious about it, but i know there are other one-eyed beauties out there who aren’t which is amazing!! i try to live vicariously through them lol

i make sooo many jokes about my eye lol, and i’m usually ok w other people making jokes as long as they aren’t like overly rude/offensive, then i’ll feel a lil bad about my self

people never really made fun of it, but kids in middle school likes to wave things in front of my left eye/on my left side that i couldn’t see which got really annoying after a while

getting custom designed prosthetics are available, but they’re really expensive (so are normal lol) they costs thousands of dollars, just like other prosthetics do

i run into things that are on my left side ALL THE TIME it’s actually kinda funny lolol

i try to hide my left eye/turn more to my left side in photos bc my eyes aren’t always looking in the same direction, which really gets to me

i wear glasses for both protection and bc my right eye is -1.75 lmao but i did used to wear non-prescription glasses purely for safety

i do have contacts to wear during the summer, swim meets etc, for when i don’t want/can’t wear my glasses but need to see. bc of this, i have a second pair of glasses that have no prescription

if doctors/scientists managed to figure out a way to fix microphthalmia (a birth defect), or do a sort of eye transplant, i would not be able to have that done to me because all parts of my left eye have been removed from my body

microphthalmia is NOT the only disease that results in the haver losing sight in one or both eyes!! there are many others, but it is not my place to share any experiences for something i have not experienced!!!

for once i just want to see a clumsy character who has one eye that WASNT a result of some tragic event.

so please please please consider including a character with one working eye in your wip. it would mean the world to myself and all the other members of the community (there’s a lot of us, trust me) plus, i wouldn’t mind starting an acting debut playing a half-blind female protagonist, that would be so dope.

that’s about all i can think of for now! please send an ask or reply to this post if you have any questions, i’m willing to answer any!!! and if you happen to be a member of the one eye club, please add to this post!! that would mean the world to me:)

[writing-archive-me]

just had to take a fucking second and close my eyes because i remembered that on the night of november 5th tumblr had convinced me, an outsider, that this was an actual gif of Castiel Supernatural being sent to mega fruit hell

[writing-archive-me]

Fantasy Guide to Ambassadors

How do different kingdoms negotiate when there aren't any phones or Microsoft Teams available? How can one government let another government how they feel? How can one monarch deliver an insult or compliment to another? Ambassadors, of course.

The Role of Ambassadors

Ambassadors are representatives of a government or monarchy who live in another country and communicates with their host nation on behalf of their own country. Ambassadors are there to make sure that their country's needs are met and that their host nation remains a friend - or at least they are there to remind the host nation of why it's a good idea to be friends.

Ambassadors tend to act as eyes and ears of their government/monarch, reporting back on all the goings on in the country they have been assigned. They can tell their boss the local tea, what the political climate of their host nation, who meets with the head of state and who doesn't. The Ambassador is there to pass on messages from their master and receive messages directly from the opposing head of state.

How to Ambassador Successfully & Not Start a War

The Ambassador must at all times be respectful toward their host nation. They must abide by their customs, behave themselves, act always in a professional manner and guard the information they handle with care and their lives. Ambassadors are welcomed into the country with a private audience with the head of state, wherein their references are accepted and their role is formally acknowledged. After this, they may only approach the government or monarch by appointment or after being summoned. Their boss would communicate their wishes and words to them and it would be up to the Ambassador to pass these things along, albeit more skillfully and more diplomatically.

The Perks of Being an Ambassador

Ambassadors can live at an official residence called an embassy like today or they can reside at court. They can take their families with them if they choose and are usually paid to establish a good sized household. Ambassadors are usually rewarded with honours and titles, if they are successful in their post or after a long posting. Ambassadors can also be awarded orders and honours by their host, along with places of honour for their family if they reside within them.

Ambassadors are usually welcomed and treated with great respect (if their country is an enemy, they are still treated well in hopes that things don't esculate). Ambassadors are invited to most important gatherings, included in the celebrations at court and spend much of their time at society events (i.e. intelligence gathering). Ambassadors can also get rich on their work, they could sell out their country's secrets to their host nation or even accept bribes to pass on false information to the boss.

The Downsides of Being an Ambassador

Ambassadors do have to leave their homeland for their job, this can mean a long posting away from family and from their own people. Ambassadors can be blamed for rifts or bungled international relations. They may even be accused of taking bribes or being corrupted. Ambassadors could also face being spied on, particularly in a nation that is hostile to their nation. Ambassadors can also be the target of violence from their country's enemies or the focus of emnity by the host nation itself. Very often in times of war of political turmoil, an Ambassador can be expelled from the country. When you're the symbol of a nation and you're in reach of enemies, you are in considerable danger (though it's not recommended to kill an ambassador, it's sort of against the rules).

Who can be an Ambassador?

Ambassadors are usually found amongst the nobility or within government. They are usually chosen by:

Pedigree: The better kind of person you send would mean a bigger compliment to the people the country want to make an ally. Sending a Duke would be a great compliment while sending a simple government official might be seen as an insult. To offer somebody high-ranking is to signal you trust the nation.

Skills: Communication skills are key. Knowledge of the languages and customs of the nation are required. Any ability for espionage, good social skills and a likeabilty would be recommended too.

Political Affiliation: Ambassadors are mouthpieces for their masters. It is generally smart to chose somebody who shares or endorses your view on politics. For example, you wouldn't send an Ambassador hungry for war to a nation you want to make peace with.

Loyalty and Uncorruptability: If you're picking somebody to speak for you and handle very sensitive information, you will chose somebody loyal to you and somebody you trust not to be led astray by the other nation or spies.

[writing-archive-me]

Endings

An ending in a story refers to the conclusion or final part of the narrative. It is the point where the events, conflicts, and character arcs reach a resolution or closure. The ending provides a sense of completion and brings the story to a satisfying or thought-provoking conclusion. The purpose of an ending in a story is to tie up loose ends, answer lingering questions, and bring a sense of resolution to the narrative. It can provide a finality to the conflicts and challenges faced by the characters, offer insights or revelations, or leave room for interpretation and reflection.

Here are some common types of endings:

Resolution: This type of ending provides a sense of closure and ties up loose ends. It offers a clear resolution to the conflicts and questions raised throughout the story.

Twist or Surprise Ending: A twist or surprise ending presents an unexpected turn of events that may challenge the reader's assumptions or provide a shocking revelation.

Open Ending: An open ending leaves some elements unresolved or ambiguous, allowing readers to interpret the conclusion or speculate about what might happen next.

Circular Ending: A circular ending brings the story back to its starting point or echoes the beginning, creating a sense of symmetry or completion.

Epilogue: An epilogue is a section that occurs after the main events of the story and provides additional information about the characters or their future.

Cliffhanger: A cliffhanger ending leaves the reader in suspense or anticipation, usually by ending the story at a critical or unresolved moment, enticing readers to continue to the next installment or chapter.

Bittersweet Ending: A bittersweet ending combines elements of both happiness and sadness, often leaving the reader with a mix of emotions.

Ambiguous Ending: An ambiguous ending leaves the reader with multiple interpretations or unanswered questions, allowing for personal reflection and contemplation.

Catastrophic Ending: A catastrophic ending involves a tragic or disastrous event that dramatically alters the course of the story or leads to significant consequences for the characters.

Reflective Ending: A reflective ending provides a moment of introspection or contemplation, allowing characters to reflect on their experiences and lessons learned.

Happy Ending: A happy ending concludes the story with a positive outcome, where conflicts are resolved, and the characters achieve their goals or find happiness and fulfillment.

Tragic Ending: A tragic ending involves a sorrowful or devastating conclusion, often characterized by the downfall of the protagonist or significant loss.

Moral or Lesson-Based Ending: This type of ending aims to convey a moral or lesson to the reader, providing a clear takeaway or message that aligns with the themes or values explored in the story.

Reconciliation Ending: A reconciliation ending involves the resolution of conflicts and the restoration of harmony between characters or within a community.

Transformational Ending: A transformational ending signifies a significant change or growth in the characters, where they undergo a personal transformation or achieve self-realization.

Metaphorical or Symbolic Ending: This type of ending employs metaphors or symbols to convey a deeper meaning or reinforce the themes of the story, leaving the reader to interpret the symbolism.

Poetic or Lyrical Ending: A poetic or lyrical ending uses language and imagery to create a sense of beauty or evoke emotions, often leaving a lasting impact on the reader.

Reflecting on the Future Ending: This ending provides a glimpse into the characters' future or hints at what may come next, leaving room for imagination and continuation beyond the story's conclusion.

Irony: An ending with irony involves a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens, often resulting in a surprising or unexpected outcome.

Circular Journey Ending: This type of ending brings the story full circle, with the characters returning to a similar situation or place but having undergone significant changes or growth.

These are just a few examples, and endings can often be a combination of different types or unique to each individual story. The choice of ending depends on the author's intention, the genre, and the desired impact on the reader. A well-crafted ending can leave a lasting impact on the reader, leaving them with a sense of fulfillment, emotional resonance, or a desire to contemplate the themes and ideas presented in the story. It may evoke a range of emotions, from satisfaction to surprise, depending on the type of ending and the journey the reader has taken with the characters.

If you want to read more posts about writing, please click here and give me a follow!

[writing-archive-me]

The Graveyard Book: "Leave no path untaken..." (288)

I chose The Graveyard Book for LCN617 because I find it both entertaining and fruitful. As an example of contemporary children’s literature which is well-written, imaginative, engaging to readers of all ages, and has received popular and critical success, it is useful for readers who may be new to the field.

However, this week’s lecture needed to introduce concepts of narration and focalisation in addition to considerations of narrative forms such as that which Campbell described as the “monomyth”. So, below are some (only a few) of the untaken paths through the graveyard…

Illustrations, and the Visual Culture of Novels

UK EDITION: Riddell has illustrated plates of characters or events with captions. These establish a point of expectation / readers’ focus for the forthcoming chapter.

US EDITION: McKean’s illustrations are integrated with the verbal text.

Separately or together, they invite us to consider the role of the visual in a novel.

Online / Digital cultures of and around Gaiman

In part, this is due to Gaiman’s much wider and longer career as a creator – he has a huge, diverse, and loyal fanbase. Nonetheless, his writing for young people has a specific online culture around it – from Gaiman’s official young folks’ website at http://mousecircus.com/ to a much wider arena. See, for only a handful of examples: http://lcn617.tumblr.com/tagged/gaiman

Metaphysics – literally asking questions about life and death

Apart from the obvious issues of life, death, afterlife, non-life, etc. etc. – which, depending on one’s spiritual outlook, will signify in various ways – there is an engagement with the metaphors we use to think about death. Example: “for each of us encounters the Lady of the Grey at the end of our days, and there is no forgetting her” (24).

There is an explicit valuing of life: “You’re alive, Bod. That means you have infinite potential” (165)

A reading of the novel through the lens of the epitaphs that are ‘quoted’ would likely produce a fascinating interpretation!

Book Awards

Book awards are a highly-visible yet complex means by which children’s literature is promoted, circulated, privileged, and managed.

The Graveyard Book won the 2009 Newbery Medal and the 2010 Carnegie Medal. Does this guarantee that the book is “great,” “best,” or anything else?

See Weinman: http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2009/jan/27/neil-gaiman-newbery-medal-controversy

You can read a part of Gaiman’s Newbery acceptance speech at: http://beth-shulman.livejournal.com/62598.html

You can see Gaiman receive the Carnegie here: http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/2010awards/media_ceremony.php?file=1  

Intertextualities

Of course, the most overt and sustained intertextual reference is to Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.

 Bod ‘borrows’ Robinson Crusoe from a graveyard citizen because he is lacking in reading materials. However, later in the narrative, Robinson Crusoe provides him with an imaginative vocabulary to describe a desired removal from the world he knows (182).

Such elements connect with thinking about The Graveyard Book as a literacy narrative and as a novel about education:

“The boy was a model pupil, forgettable and easily forgotten, and he spent much of his spare time in the back of the English class where there were shelves of old paperbacks, and in the old school library, a large room filled with books and old armchairs, where he read stories as enthusiastically as some children ate” (Gaiman 169)

There are other intertextual domains, such as those of children’s literature (Bod reads alphabet books and The Cat in the Hat) and of children’s culture (references to nursery rhymes of “chopper[s] to chop off your head” and games such as “Murder in the Dark”. These may remind some readers that childhood has never been exclusively a time of ‘lightness’ or innocence.

What do we make of the Honour Guard being made up of “classic” monsters such as a vampire, a wolf-person, a mummy, etc.?

Is The Graveyard Book a fairy tale? A fable? A Gothic fiction?

“Fairy tales are wish-fulfillment fantasies in which characters get what they want and are happy with it. Fables tend to be stories about how characters are wrong to want what they want and learn their error by getting the object of their desire. Fiction for children, rooted historically both in the tradition of fables and in the tradition of fairy tales, seems to represent an ambivalent combination of the two opposite tendencies.” (Nodelman 81)

“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

                                               – G. K. Chesterton [Gaiman used this as an epigraph to Coraline]

Karen Coats argues that: 

“sanitizations render fairy tales less able to do their work despite the fact that our unconscious is as murky and the outside world as dangerous as ever they were [… and] create the conditions for the Gothic in contemporary children’s literature to fill the gap that the loss of traditional fairy tale has created.” (79)

Never Underestimate the Value of a Good Scare!

“But children don’t only like to be frightened—they need it too, if their emotional development is to be complete. “Being scared is a rite of passage,” says [child psychologist] Nadin, “but a pleasurable one. I don’t see the gain in mollycoddling. A friend of mine dug out her old Ladybird fairytales from when she was young, to pass on to her own children, and was horrified to discover that some characters died—her mother had always invented more palatable endings. I’d be devastated to find out now that I had missed out on, say, the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood getting chopped open, and Granny being found inside.”” (Gilbey)

“Well-made Gothic can fill in these gaps, giving concrete expression to abstract psychic processes, keeping dark fascinations and haunting fears where children can see them, and mingling the horror with healthy doses of humour and hope.” (Coats 91)

References (beyond those from the Unit readings):

Coats, Karen. “Between Horror, Humour, and Hope: Neil Gaiman and the Psychic World of the Gothic.” The Gothic in Children’s Literature: Haunting the Borders. Eds. Anna Jackson, Karen Coats, and Roderick McGillis. London: Routledge, 2008. 77-92.

Gilbey, Ryan. “Welcome to Fright Club.” The Guardian. 1 May, 2009. Online.  Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/may/01/coraline-children-scary-movie

[writing-archive-me]

hello. jew here

dont write jewish characters if u know next to nothing about us or our culture/religion pls. if u want to write a jewish character (or any character outside the scope of your personal knowledge, honestly), you MUST take the time to read about us and our beliefs, customs, etc. im not saying u have to be an expert on the torah or the tanakh or the talmud, but u need to do at least the bare minimum. and google isnt always reliable, if u have questions u should carefully analyze which websites u use. or have a jew beta your fic/writing!

im just tired of seeing “this character is jewish :) u can tell because they celebrate hanukkah” and that is it for the jewish characterization. like i get that u ppl know nothing abt judaism except for hanukkah but u HAVE to do better than that. because ur essentially tokenizing the character as ur Jewish Representation and it shows.

again, im not saying ‘dont write that hanukkah scene’, or ‘dont try writing jews at all’.

what i AM saying is that u need to actually do ur part in understanding judaism a little bit more before u decide to write a jewish character. if ur not willing to do the research or ask the questions, dont bother writing us into ur stories.

[writing-archive-me]

PSA: bot comments are taking over ao3

The above examples have been provided with the authors' permission to demonstrate what these look like.

Basic rundown:

They are all 3 sentences long

Perfect grammar, capitalization, and punctuation

Like absolutely flawless English teacher-style writing with only a single exclamation mark, ever

No mentions whatsoever of character names, settings, situations, or anything that could be tied to the story

The usernames may be identical to people who exist on ao3, but the name is not clickable, and no profile is associated with it EXCEPT when you directly search for that name. What this means: the comments come from an unregistered (not logged in) reader, bots scrape the site for real usernames, attach that to the comment, and post

Please spread the word about this so authors can filter comments and report them accordingly

There has been some speculation about why this is happening at all, and the best guess is that this is a feature that AI-training story-scraping tools are implementing to try and make their browsing traffic look legitimate

[writing-archive-me]

Edited all her art to reflect that's she's a half-elf! Less ears for you, girly girl.

Carede, starcaller druid. She was once the caretaker of a very important area and artifact, but her greedy nature led her to steal their blessing for her own. Unfortunately for her, this unleashed something that will hunt her until she's dead. Uh-oh!

[writing-archive-me]

For reference: colors produced using dyes available in the Middle Ages. [source]

[writing-archive-me]

TYPES OF CLOTHES !!

use these for inspo in your character's outfits

[writing-archive-me]

Very happy to finally post my third tutorial! Thank you so much for your overwhelming support of my last tutorial, I am so happy it was useful for you guys 🙇‍♀️. I feel like this topic was harder to explain so feel free to ask me some questions if you want!

Like last time, I really hope this helps some of you in your art path 🙌

[writing-archive-me]

bookplots for the book i'm writing / pt.1

I don’t feel like I’m yours anymore.

"Is that your girl?" "Yeah, it was my girl."

Is it too late to apologize?

There’s no way we’ll end up together.

Keep me guessing if this is life or hell.

I don’t know how to hold you in my heart. I never did.

Enemies don’t look at each other like that.

Our love doesn’t make sense. We hate each other.

You don’t know who I am anymore. I see it in your eyes.

I see it in your eyes, you don’t believe a word I say…

Suddenly it’s hard to breathe…

If you only knew the truth…

Suddenly it’s hard to hate her.

You don’t even realize how much you mean to me.

I know I mean nothing to you.

Remember when we fell in love?

Will it be worth all this pain?

If you could only read my mind...

No one could ever get me like you did. I miss that.

My soul still misses you.

You took something from me.

I only wanted someone to treat me right.

You’d break my heart and I’d say thank you.

I’m done asking if you’re gonna love me or not.

Loving you took something from me.

You’re no longer what I need.

Love can consume you, turn you into someone else.

This love got me so high and now I’m lower than I’ve ever been.

You don’t need to mean it, I’ll believe it when you lie.

You won’t get another chance.

Your words cut like a knife.

You left me broken.

Everything and everyone can be broken. You just have to know where to apply the pressure.

She told me I’m not enough. Not for you.

I grew up overnight.

I’m gonna pretend it doesn’t  hurt anymore. That’s what I do best.

Yeah, just shut me out. That’s what you’re best at!

The day he left, he didn’t say goodbye.

I would’ve loved you, you know?

Why do we keep coming back for more pain?

I know you said that we’re not talking, but I just wanted to apologize.

I’m sick of reminding you to love me like you said you would.

I needed more than you.

Only you can fill this empty space.

I don’t think anyone else would understand.

He needed more than me.

Afraid I’ll lose myself again in loving you.

When did you lose yourself?

[writing-archive-me]

letting a traumatized character have their happy ending where they can recover from their trauma will always be a thousand times more powerful than killing them off for shock value