burntoutdaydreamer

[burntoutdaydreamer]

Going back to old writing is either just like:

1. “Who wrote this masterpiece?! It was ME?!”

2. “Who wrote this absolute shit? Oh fuck my life, that was me, wasn’t it?”

[burntoutdaydreamer]

[burntoutdaydreamer]

Stop Gaslighting Yourself

Hey Tumblerz, I wanted to open up a classic topic today that I find myself thinking about a lot: good old Self-Blame. Especially the kind that shows up after someone crosses a line.

To start off, I hope you have a couple minutes to check out this short sketch, a truly hilarious comedian's take on the subject: If A Robbery Report Was Treated Like A Rape Report.

I found Cynthia Kao's take here brilliantly cutting and hilarious (admittedly a bit disturbing, too). I think it nails the kind of absurdity that can send us into what I sometimes think of as 'self-gaslight' mode. Which is really, really, really common.

This state of mind makes sense because we do live in a world, a quietly coercive system, often designed to make the "blame game" of justice go flip mode on us.

If you're like me, you might find yourself thinking things like:

“Did I give the wrong impression?” “Maybe I shouldn’t have smiled.” “Was that... actually harassment?” “Am I just making a big deal out of nothing?”

If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And there’s a reason.

Blaming yourself can weirdly feel safer than facing how badly you were treated. The thinking goes: if it was your fault, then maybe you’re still in control after all - you can do better or fix it next time - and you aren't powerless to stop it from happening again.

That's comforting psychology. A mindset I've sunk into myself many times. But here’s the thing you have to remember: you simply were not the problem, you just weren't - you weren’t the one with the power in that situation.

Sadly, a lot of people who’ve been harassed don’t even recognize it as harassment at first. Work and pop culture train us to smooth things over, give the benefit of the doubt regardless of context, be chill, act “professional," on and on.

What I'm trying to say is, your reaction to self-gaslight makes sense. But that doesn’t mean you deserved what happened. And you don’t have to carry the guilt just because the system made it easier to blame yourself than to hold someone else accountable.

By the way, I have to say here that it’s okay if you’re still untangling how it made you feel. That’s not weakness, it’s actually your wisdom in progress.

Just know you’re not crazy or overreacting. You’re just living in a world that doesn’t always want to believe you. But some of us do. And we’re not going anywhere.

That went longer than I expected 🤓 ☺️. Thank you for reading.

Much love.

[burntoutdaydreamer]

[burntoutdaydreamer]

Hi Happy New Year! I was wondering if books that are set in the real world post 2020 Covid-19 should mention the virus and changes that happened in the world? Or could I choose not to mention it if it doesn't really affect my story or setting?

Okay so I’m totally answering this several months after you asked but wiejvhwjrgkf here goes

I’d say mention it wherever it naturally comes up. If your story isn’t based in 2020 or during the pandemic it’s not necessary to answer it per se but I wouldn’t pretend like it never happened either. Of course, if it’s not relevant to anything going on, or your characters, or anything like that then there’s no need to go out of your way to bring it in either. Go with your gut. If covid is something that would come up if this were a real story you were telling others, then mention it; if not, then don’t

[burntoutdaydreamer]

📍Church of the Gesù, Rome

The Church of the Gesù, constructed between 1568 and 1584, is considered one of the finest examples of Roman Baroque architecture.

[burntoutdaydreamer]

REBLOG IF THIS RELATES TO YOU:

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

[burntoutdaydreamer]

[burntoutdaydreamer]

I've already said that my number one piece of writing advice is to read.

But my number two piece of advice is this: be deliberate.

Honestly this would fix so many pieces of bad writing advice. Don't forbid people from doing something, tell them to be conscious and deliberate about it. This could help stop people from falling into common mistakes without limiting their creativity. Black and white imperatives may stop a few annoying beginner habits, but ultimately they will restrict artistic expression.

Instead of "don't use epithets": "Know the effect epithets have and be deliberate about using them." Because yes, beginners often misuse them, but they can be useful when a character's name isn't known or when you want to reduce them to a particular trait they have.

Instead of "don't use 'said'" or "just use 'said'": "Be deliberate about your use of dialogue tags." Because sometimes you'll want "said" which fades into the background nicely, but sometimes you will need a more descriptive alternative to convey what a character is doing.

Instead of "don't use passive voice": "Be deliberate about when you use passive voice." Because using it when it's not needed can detract from your writing, but sometimes it can be useful to change the emphasis of a sentence or to portray a particular state of mind.

Instead of blindly following or ignorantly neglecting the rules of writing, familiarize yourself with them and their consequences so you can choose when and if breaking them would serve what you're trying to get across.

Your writing is yours. Take control of it.

It probably sounds like I'm preaching to the choir here because most of my mutuals are already great writers. But I'm hoping this will make it to the right people.

[burntoutdaydreamer]

Well fucks? Get to it!

[burntoutdaydreamer]

floral constellations ⋆✿˖

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my shop | mobile wallpapers

[burntoutdaydreamer]

[burntoutdaydreamer]

“It is said that, during the fantasy book in the late eighties, publishers would maybe get a box containing two or three runic alphabets, four maps of the major areas covered by the sweep of the narrative, a pronunciation guide to the names of the main characters and, at the bottom of the box, the manuscript. Please… there is no need to go that far. There is a term that readers have been known to apply to fantasy that is sometimes an unquestioning echo of better work gone before, with a static society, conveniently ugly ‘bad’ races, magic that works like electricity and horses that work like cars. It’s EFP, or Extruded Fantasy Product. It can be recognized by the fact that you can’t tell it apart form all the other EFP. Do not write it, and try not to read it. Read widely outside the genre. Read about the Old West (a fantasy in itself) or Georgian London or how Nelson’s navy was victualled or the history of alchemy or clock-making or the mail coach system. Read with the mindset of a carpenter looking at trees. Apply logic in places where it wasn’t intended to exist. If assured that the Queen of the Fairies has a necklace made of broken promises, ask yourself what it looks like. If there is magic, where does it come from? Why isn’t everyone using it? What rules will you have to give it to allow some tension in your story? How does society operate? Where does the food come from? You need to know how your world works. I can’t stress that last point enough. Fantasy works best when you take it seriously (it can also become a lot funnier, but that’s another story). Taking it seriously means that there must be rules. If anything can happen, then there is no real suspense. You are allowed to make pigs fly, but you must take into account the depredations on the local bird life and the need for people in heavily over-flown areas to carry stout umbrellas at all times. Joking aside, that sort of thinking is the motor that has kept the Discworld series moving for twenty-two years.”

— “Notes from a Successful Fantasy Author: Keep It Real” (2007), Terry Pratchett. (via the-library-and-step-on-it)

[burntoutdaydreamer]

[burntoutdaydreamer]

Edit Note: I'm really amazed by how much love this post got. Guess it just shows we're all in the same boat. I do have other humorous writing memes on this tumblr under the same tag, if you're interested. Never give up writing! ❤️

Edit Note 2: I can't believe this has reached 5000 notes. Been on tumblr for almost ten years (different account) and nothing like this has ever happened before. Thank you! 😊

[burntoutdaydreamer]

here’s a little meme I made

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[burntoutdaydreamer]

a thing that i particularly love about the hunger games prequels is how it shows that people have been fighting against the games since their inception

when i was younger and read the original trilogy for the first time i was so bothered how it was 74 years of games, i remember thinking how could it have gone on so long without anyone doing anything

these prequels highlight that people have been fighting from the get-go: lucy gray's defiance, reaper ripping down panem's flags to cover the fallen tributes, haymitch's games and how many others shared his ideologies - the capitol just drowns them out, they rewrite their stories so their efforts are forgotten

liberation takes time and it's built upon the actions of those in the past