cemo-writes

[cemo-writes]

BREAKING NEWS: Writer discovers for the millionth time that they can write whatever they want. Join us now to see if the lesson will stick.

[cemo-writes]

You know what? I believe that you can finish your writing project. I believe you can update your fic. I believe you can work on your WIP. I don't care if you think it's cringy or bad. I don't care if we've never met or interacted in our whole lives. I believe in you. Keep going - you've got this.

[cemo-writes]

Fail today, succeed tomorrow

Lately I’ve been struggling to work on my main project, Everything in Ashes. I had planned to finish it this summer, but then, well, COVID happened. My mental health took a huge hit, and I am still trying to climb out of a pit that I’ve been stuck in since early 2020. But hanging over my suffering health, has been an omnipresent sense of guilt for not writing. Will I never succeed if I can’t finish the book this year? How can I dream of publishing novels if I can’t even force myself to complete something? 

But that’s how learning works, isn’t it? My failures today will teach me how to succeed tomorrow. Just because I don’t finish my book this year, doesn’t mean I won’t learn from trying. Doesn’t mean I won’t eventually finish it, even if it’s not as soon as I would like. Furthermore, learning self care and stabilising my mental health is important. My health always has to come first. 

Life is a series of hills that you climb up and walk down. Even though this hill is particularly steep and my progress looks dismal, I have to trust that with steady, patient work, I will eventually reach the summit. 

[cemo-writes]

I need to read PJO again. Gosh the first series was so great

god percy jackson really was the perfect character. remember when he got to camp half blood and he discovered he could order food and just make it blue. i love that bitch idiot so much he just wanted blue food because it reminded him of his mom

[cemo-writes]

July Update #1

Camp NaNoWriMo is in full swing.

I set my goal for 25K and told myself I would write every single day this month.

Well, on July 10th, I hit 25K.

I hit 25K in 10 days, and there’s still 21 days left in July.

So I have now increased my goal to 60K for July but I’m hoping I’ll get more words than that.

Stay tuned for more updates!

[cemo-writes]

[cemo-writes]

Tips for people who like to write by hand

So you’re an old timey writer who enjoys the feeling of paper as you breathe life into a story? Or, like me, you can’t use your phone at school and just wants to get some writing done while math class bores the others? 

Well, me too and I’ve come to your aid! I’ve done some pretty stupid things that costed me hours and hours of searching for lost scenes and struggling to find ideas I knew I’d written down so you don’t have to! 

Find the right notebook for you

By experience, notebooks take a long time to be filled. In good nanowrimo times, I take from 6 to 8 months to finish one. So you’ll be stuck with this guy for a long time. Make sure to pick one that you like and is right for your needs. I, for example, prefer spiral notebooks. You can rip out pages if you need to (if you mess it up, if someone asks you for one, if you just need a page to write down a grocery list or something, etc) and you can put a pen on the spiral. I also like having a pocket to put pieces of ideas I have. 

Some spooky stories about having the wrong notebook: 

I got stuck with a brochure old planner for two years. My mom didn’t use it in the year it was meant for, so I thought oh, it’s free real estate. As it turns out, it had really small space between the lines, so the pages would take forever to fill, it had all those day and hour numbers and the paper was really thin. It was terrible and it made writing terrible. It would have been a thousand times better if I just spent a few bucks on a regular notebook. 

More recently, I started using just the kind of notebook I like, a spiral notebook with a pocket. But I bought it a couple of years ago at a fandom event I attended and the cover was a personalized Divergent cover. At the time, I thought if was pretty cool and everyone would know the reference. But now it has aged so very poorly. The cover has blood all over it and it says “Faction Before Blood”. So now I’m scared to pull it out to write at uni and people will think I’m in a gang or something. 

Number your pages

I know, it sounds like a lot of work. But you can get a notebook with pages already numbered, number it yourself or do it like I do and number it every 10 pages (just because it’s easier). If you don’t feel like doing all of this repetitive work,  date your writing. It’s cool to see how much you progressed, how long you have been writing this project, when you had this idea, etc. One thing doesn’t have to exclude the other, but both methods serve the same purpose. 

And this purpose is to help you get an idea of how much you write (and feel good about your progress) and to help you organize yourself on all you’ve been writing. Which takes us to the next tip. 

Make the first page an index

Not only it will take the pressure off the first page, it will also help you so you don’t keep losing the awesome stuff you’re writing and forgetting it exists. Everytime you start a new scene or change projects, go to the index and write down the page or the date you started this new section. Since I number every ten pages, I find the first page with a number on it and start counting forward or back to the new page. But you can do it in any way that suits you. 

Make a random idea page 

It doesn’t have to be the second page (it usually isn’t for me), but it’s good to have one. Sometimes, in the middle of writing, you have that great idea for something you need to change on what you’ve already got, or you got a completely new insight. It’s good to have your idea page somewhere close you can just flip to, write it down and get right back to writing. And don’t go easy on that page! Write it diagonally, vertically, draw on it, anything. It’s just there to take out those ideas so you can take a look at it another time and not mess the flow you’re in right now. 

Keep your enemies close. And your pen even closer!

You know your favorite bic friend? It has a secret weapon just for you to use. That little flap of the cap? Use it to keep your pen always close. I normally put it on the spiral of my notebook. But if you have a brochure, you can put it on the cover. Sometimes it damages it a bit, but it’s a good trade for having it always ready for action. If you use moleskine, I saw that they normally have designated pen places. If they don’t, I have a tip for it just under this one! 

Take your time to find which kind of pen is your weapon of choice. Personally, I think nothing beats a black ballpoint pen. I know some people like fineliners for writing, but they make the other side of the paper all gross looking and I like to keep it clean. Plus, I write really small and fineliners often bleed in my handwriting. I took my time searching for my favorite brand and I settled on Molin ballpoint pens. 

I would recommend buying your favorite pens in bulk. Nothing is worse than pen hunting around when you have an urgent idea. I bought 50 pens for super cheap and I stack them EVERYWHERE. In all my bags, in my sketchbooks, in my bullet journal, in my writing notebook, in my drawers, anywhere I think it will be easy to find one when I need it ( also giving some to my friends who keep stealing my pens).

Crafting the perfect notebook

You don’t have to be a crafter to modify your notebook to better suit you! Find a ribbon anywhere in the house. Cut it to be a little longer than the book. Tape that bad boy to the inside of the back cover and everytime you stop writing, put that ribbon on the page you stopped. This helps you not to get lost in your previous writing and get right back to business when you resume.

Also, if you really like that moleskine vibe but don’t have the cash, just get a regular clothing elastic, make cut it just the size of the notebook and glue both ends to the inner part of the back cover. There you go! Now you can close it (and keep it closed).  

If you like post-its, you can take half of the block (or however many sheets you cant put in there and still close the notebook comfortably) and glue it to the inside part of the cover of your notebook so it will always be conveniently available for you.

If your notebook doesn’t have a place to put your pen on and you really don’t want to mess up the cover, you  take a small elastic (smaller than the pen) and tape (or preferably glue it) it to the back part of the notebook with both ends inside. There! Ready for the trip! Speaking of which…

Always carry your notebook with you

You never know when inspiration is going to strike. In class. At the bank. In a mall. Whenever you have a little time, you can write something. Or just take a look at what you’ve done and feel good about it. 

Not in the mood for writing? Edit. Reread what you’ve done and start finding what you want to change once you type it in.  When doing this, don’t be scared to cross out entire sentences and rewriting them on top. If it starts getting too messy, go to a blank page and rewrite the scene and you think it should have been done the first time. It seems counter-intuitive in a copy+paste kind of age, but I assure you it is worth it.

Typing your work

This is one of the biggest reasons I love writing in pen and paper. When you type, your first round of editing is done! 

Don’t zone out when typing. As I said, typing is your first round of editing. It is important to keep aware of all of the things you might have done wrong when writing. Some people say writing it on paper and then typing it is a waste of time. I say it saves time and lives. 

Keep it loose!

Just because you are writing in an actual physical book, it doesn’t mean you are writing a actual physical book. This is still your notebook and these are still your notes. So don’t be afraid to get messy. Write things out of order (seriously, it’s okay to not go chronological. i know it’s hard). Outline. Sketch. Tip-ex the whole thing. Get post-its on it. Take notes. Make genealogical trees. Draw maps. 

If you’re feeling down or uninspired, try very basic writing exercises: write what you see, what you feel, something to try and make you laugh or something to make someone cry. It’s your place to express yourself. And once you got those creative juices flowing, happy writing :)

I hope you enjoyed my tips and please, feel free to reblog this with your own tips and tricks. I’d love to hear them! And follow me for some more writing content! 

[cemo-writes]

Yo! 73,000 words!

[cemo-writes]

The Easiest Explanation of Semicolons ;)

Semicolons are probably the most misused and misunderstood form of punctuation. Which is ironic. Because they are actually one of the easiest.

Easier than dashes, easier than commas, easier than ellipses, quotation marks, colons, and even the interrobang (?!)

Here is all you really need to know:

Semicolons replace a period between complete sentences.

That’s it.

If you know how to use a period, you know how to use a semicolon.

They make the complete sentences into one sentence.  

The problem isn’t that they are actually that difficult. The problem is most of us weren’t taught about them consistently in school and therefore they seem like this rare, elusive, convoluted punctuation symbol.

So when you are wondering if you can use a semicolon, do this simple test:

Can you put a period there?

If no, then you shouldn’t use a semicolon.

If yes, then you can use a semicolon.

Got it?

Let’s do a simple quiz. Below, some of the sentences use a semicolon properly and others improperly. Can you tell which are right and which are wrong?

1. I went to the store; she went to bed.

2. He hated turtle soup; because he found it barbaric.

3. Lucy closed her eyes; crying until she had no tears left.

4. Although Bart didn’t usually like action movies, this one was great; he could have watched it all night, eyes glued to the screen, popcorn halfway to his mouth.

5. The last thing she wanted to do; was go for a job interview.

6. Spring was almost here; the buds of blossoms were beginning to unfurl.

Now do the test by replacing the semicolons with periods.

1. I went to the store. She went to bed. (correct)

2. He hated turtle soup. Because he found it barbaric. (incorrect)

3. Lucy closed her eyes. Crying until she had no tears left. (incorrect)

4. Although Bart didn’t usually like action movies, this one was great. He could have watched it all night, eyes glued to the screen, popcorn halfway to his mouth. (correct)

5. The last thing she wanted to do. Was go for a job interview. (incorrect)

6. Spring was almost here. The buds of blossoms were beginning to unfurl. (correct)

You might be wondering, then what’s the point? Why not just use a period?

Valid question.

Two reasons:

1. A semicolon conveys that the content of these two sentences are related and connected in some way. Sure, you can convey that without a semicolon, but for that extra bit of visual emphasis, a semicolon can be nice to use. (Just don’t over use them. That’s annoying.)

“I went to the store; she went to bed” conveys that these two things are related in some way. We’d need the context of what came before, but perhaps these two characters got in an argument, and this sentence is conveying they each went their separate ways after. The two actions are related.

2. Semicolons have quicker pauses than periods. In the writing industry, we often don’t talk enough about beat and rhythm in sentences. Periods have longer pauses. Semicolons are shorter. When you are focused on beat, rhythm, or even pacing, a semicolon may be just what you need.

You can break this all down and get more technical, talking about independent clauses, but remember, the headline of this article is the easiest explanation. And the easiest explanation is that each side of the semicolon needs to be able to stand as a complete sentence. A semicolon implies they relate. That’s it.

… Okay, there actually is one other way you can use a semicolon in punctuation, but it’s less exciting and less used, so if you want to stop reading this article at this point, you probably can. There are also some opinions on whether or not a semicolon should be used in fiction at all, which I’m going to address after.

Still with me?

Great.

So the other time you can use a semicolon is when you are writing out lists in a sentence and one or more of the items in the list already includes a comma.

For example:

It’s my dream to go to Paris, France; Rome, Italy; Athens, Greece; and Tokyo, Japan.

Or

During the summer, they hiked down canyons, over fields, and up mountains; fished in lakes, ponds, and even the sea; and shared secrets.

Or

We were going to go swimming; watch the sunset, which was beautiful this time of year; and roast marshmallows.

This can help with clarity.

Should Semicolons be Axed from Fiction Completely?

Some people in the industry argue that you should never use semicolons in fiction because they draw attention to themselves and therefore pull the reader a little out of the story (as a distraction). Semicolons signal to the audience they are reading a story, not experiencing it.

However, I argue that the only reason semicolons do this is because we as a society don’t teach and use them correctly or regularly. If we did, they wouldn’t attract attention. I think it’s silly to completely ax a punctuation mark because other people are failing at it. Wouldn’t it be better to instead educate people? Because semicolons do have a function and purpose in writing. Obviously, it’s possible to overuse them, but ax them completely? Come on.

I’m already sad that the interrobang (?!) gets the red pen.

[cemo-writes]

Reader: “Oh my God! I can’t wait to see what happens next!”

Me, the author, who has been winging this plot since chapter one:

[cemo-writes]

i’m finally back with another name list! this time it’s beautiful uncommon names + their meanings, enjoy! Female: Adeena - Noble, gentle, delicate Agrafina - Wild Horse Ailith - Seasoned warrior Aislin - Vision Alaia - Beautiful shore Aloïsia - Famous warrior Amadrya - Tree Nymph Amara - Eternally beautiful Amaris - Child of the Moon; promised by God Ambrosine - Immortal Amice - Friend Anneliese - Favour; Grace; my God is a vow Annika - Sweet faced, God has favoured me Annistyn - Resurrection Aoife - Beauty, radiance Arianwyn - Woman of Silver Ariella - Lioness of God Asena - She-Wolf Asra - Travel at Night Asterin - Star Atalia - God is great Atarah - Crown Aurelia - Golden Aviva - Springlike and fresh Avyanna - Strong, powerful, beautiful Ayelet - Musical instrument; Gazelle Aziza - Precious Bathsheba - Daughter of an Oath Behtan - Strong beauty Bellona - War-like Betina - God’s promise Betla - A Woman who finds God in her oath Blyana - Strong Brina - Protector Briony - To grow; to sprout Briseis - One whom Achilles loved Cecily - Blind Cerelia - From the Springtime Ceren - Young Gazelle Charis - Grace and beauty Chaska - Star Goddess Chryseis - Golden Citlali - Star Goddess Clemenza - Merciful Corvina - Raven-haired Cynth - Moon Goddess Cyrilla - Lordly Czarina - A born Empress Cǽlestis - Heavenly Davina - Beloved Davrusha - Bee Desdemona - Ill starred Dhara - The Earth Dinah - God will judge Drusilla - Fruitful Dušana - Soul; spirit Edlynne - Princess Eira - Merciful Elara - Moon of Jupiter Eletta - Little Elf Elide - Battle Elizabella - Pledged to God Elowen - Elm Elska - To love Elspeth - My God is bountiful Enya - Fire Epona - Protectress of Horses Essie - Star Estefania - Crown Evolet - To breathe Farren - Wanderer Faustine - Fortunate Fenelle - White shouldered one Feyre - Human huntress Fiametta - Little flame Fifer - One who plays the Fife Filomena - Lover of strength Flanna - Red-haired Fleur - Flower Forsythia - Peaceful one Gadina - Flower garden Giséle - Noble offspring Hadassah - Myrtle tree, righteousness Hedda - Fighting a battle Hollis - One among Holly trees Imrie - Musical one Inerys - Literary inspired Ingemar - Of the Sea Ione - Violet coloured stone Iridessa - Resembling a Rainbow Iscah - She will look out Isolde - Ice-ruler Jenica - God’s gracious gift Kainda - Hunter’s daughter Kanani - The beauty Katalin - Pure Kathika - Bestower of courage Keelin - Slender; fair Kenna - Born of Fire Keturah - Incense Keziah - Cassia tree Kirsi - Frost Kova - Tough Ksenia - Wanderer, welcoming Leora - Light unto me Liusaidh - Warrior Loana - God is gracious Lovanna - Graceful warrior Luludja - Flower of life Mairéad - Pearl Makatza - Untamed; wild Malka - Queen Malle - Beloved Margita - Pearl Maris - Of the Sea Marzena - Dreamed one Mattea - Gift of God Maven - Brilliant; intelligent Mavi - Blue Meara - Sea Medha - Peacock Melantha - Dark Flower Melisande - Work; strength Merindah - Beautiful Miliana - Industrius; eager Minka - Resolute; strong Mirella - Admired; peace; wonderful Morgayne - Bright sea Muriel - Shining sea Nadalia - Born on Christmas Nadia - Delicate Narah - Queen of the Wolves Nascha - Owl Navya - Worthy of praise Nayadeth - Powerful Nayaya - The Apple of the eye Nereida - Sea Nymph Nesryn - Wild Rose Neysa - Pure Nila - Blue Nilsa - Defender Nimue - Lady of the lake Noelani - Heavenly mist Odelle - Harmonious Olene - Ancestor’s relic, heritage Opalina - Precious Gem Orlaith - Golden Orpah - Fawn Orsolya - Little She-Bear Penrose - Little Village Photine - Light Poloma - Bow Prisca - She who is ancient Renna - Little prosperous one Reumah - Exalted Reyna - Peaceful Queen Rhosyn - Rose Rieka - Protecter of the Wolf Rohana - One who travels a higher path Rohese - Fame; kind Ruthella - Friend Ríona - Pure Sabella - God is my oath Sadira - Lotus tree Salōmē - Peaceful Samaira - Enchanting Sansa - Charm; praise; invocation Saoirse - Freedom Sarai - Princess Savea - The Swedish nation Seallie - A Princess Selah - To pause and reflect on God’s word, to praise Sereia - Mermaid Shaye - Hawk-like Shivani - Flower Sidra - Like a star Sigrún - Secret victory Sitara - Star Solandis - Delicate flower Sorcha - Radient Svenja - Swan battle maiden Sybella - Prophetess, Oracle Tamar - Date Palm tree Taysa - Bound together Tova - Good Vaia - Purple Flower Valda - Spirited Warrioress Valeriana - Strong Vanadey - Forest Goddess Vanya - Butterfly Vela - Constellation in the Southern Sky Venelia - Of the Sea and Wind Verity - Truth Verna - Born in the Spring Victoriana - Victorious, grace Vigdís - War Goddess Viorica - Bluebell Viveca - Life Winola - Fair one Xiomara - Welcoming Zemira - A song Zephaniah - God has concealed; protected Zerenity - Calm Zilla - Shadow Zina - Shining, going back Zisel - Blinded Zoraida - Enchanting Woman Male: Aksel - Father of peace Alarik - Noble leader Alasdair - Defender of Men Alaster - Defending men; help Alec - Defender of Mankind Alejo - Helper; defender Aleks - Helper and defender Alesandro - Mankind’s protector Alessio - Defender Amadeus - Love of God Amory - Brave; powerful Andrik - Manly Andronicus - Man of Victory Anik - Soldier Arden - Great Forest Ashby - From the Ash tree farm Aytac - Moon crown Beauregard - Beautiful gaze Belen - Arrow Bemus - Platform Braddock - Broad Oak Bram - Raven Calix - Handsome Carsten - Follower of Christ Casimir - Polish, peace Caspian - Place name Cephas - Rock Cicero - Historian Cillian - Church Col - Victory of the people Connell - Strong Wolf Constantine - Constant Cy - Proud Dake - Dragon Demitrius - Lover of the Earth Deo - God-like Destan - By the still waters Drayce - Dragon Dru - Vision Egan - Little fire Einri - Home ruler Eliezer - God is my help Elis - Jehovah is God Embry - Flat-topped Hill Emeric - Leader Emir - Commander; Prince Emlen - Rival; eager Ender - Biblical Village Enoch - Dedicated Ephraim - Fruitful Erastus - Beloved Errol - Leader Erzsebet - Pledged to God Estevan - Crown Evander - Strong Man Ezekiel - God strengthens Ezio - Eagle Fallon - In charge Faustus - Lucky Felipe - Loves Horses Ferran - Journey; daring; brave Finnian - White Flavian - Blond Gideon - Having a stump for a hand Gwaine - Little Falcon Hagan - Strong desire Hayes - Hedged Valley Hester - Star Icarus - Legendary figure Isandro - Liberator Issachar - Reward Jaxith - Kind-hearted Jedidiah - Beloved of Jehovah Josephus - God will add Kahlo - Spanish Artist Kaius - Rejoice Kal - Most beautiful Karan - Pure Kase - Vigilant; wakeful Kato - Second of twins Keelan - Lean Keir - Dark; Black Kellan - Powerful Kenaz - This possession Keros - The reed of a Weaver’s beam Kosmos - Order Kristo - Christ-bearer Kyrell - The dark Kyril - Lordly Landis - From the grassy plain Layland - Protector of Men Leander - Lion Man Leopold - As brave as a Lion Leven - Life Lucian - Man of light Ludovica - Renowned Warrior Lyle - From the Island Magus - Magician Malkiel - God is my King Manasses - Causing forgetfulness Marcellus - Little Warrior Mattenai - Gift of God Matteo - Gift of God Mattias - Gift of God Maverick - Independent; Nonconformist Mordecai - Warrior Nathair - Snake Nehemiah - Comforted by God Neo - New Nero - The strong one Nicodemus - Vcitory of the people Nicos - Poeple’s victory Obadiah - Servant of God Odysseus - Full of wrath Olin - To inherit Omer - Sheaf of Grain Oren - Strength; fine; tree Orien - The Hunter Orrin - Mountain Othello - Acute Othniel - Strength of God Pancras - All powerful Quintavius - Wisdom; reason; intelligence; eighth Rand - Wolf’s shield Renny - Prosperous Reuel - Friend of God Reuven - Behold, a Son Richter - Judge Ryker - Rich Salvatore - Saviour Sansone - Sun Santos - Saint Silas - Woods; Forest Silvius - Wood; Forest Sirius - Sparkling Solomon - Peace Soren - Thunder Spiro - Spiral Stayros - Crowned Stefan - Crowned Stefano - Crown Sterling - Highest quality Tassos - Harvester Thaddeus - Gift of God Thane - Attendent Warrior Thorin - Thunder Torben - God of Thunder Torren - Swift; strong Trefor - Large settlement Ulric - Power of the Wolf; might Urion - From Heaven Uzziah - Strength of the Lord Vale - From the Valley Valor - Great bravery Vasilios - With royal blood Vaughn - Small Viggo - War Vitalis - Life Ward - Guardian Warlon - English house Warner - Guard; protector Warrick - Strong leader; defender Wendolen - White circle Wolfgang - Journey of the Wolf Wulfric - Wolf power Wylan - Polish Village Wystan - Battle stone Zaire - The River Zaire Zelek - A shadow

[cemo-writes]

🏳️‍🌈 MY PRIDE LIST IS COMPLETE! 🏳️‍🌈

i am so happy i managed to get it all done, thank you guys for your suggestions and words of encouragment, and yay to the creators for their canonically queer characters!

you can view the separate arts by browsing this tag, or on my twitter!

and if you wanna support a queer artist and view all of these in their bigger, original size, you can buy them on gumroad!

💕 happy pride month! 💕

[cemo-writes]

How to: write pain

Don't make paragraphs about it - battles are supposed to be fast-paced

Describe:

- the object used to harm the character

-where the injury is

-how long the character had had the injury

-how deep the cut is (for blades)

-whether or not the wound triggers other things (dizziness, bleeding)

There are different kinds of pain

punch/blunt force trauma:

-how it feels: aching, a single spike of pain before it fades into an ache, throbbing, numbness

-effects: swelling, bruising, broken bones, unconsciousness, dizziness, concussion, internal bleeding.

stab wound/cut

-how it feels: stinging (shallow wounds), burning

-effects: bleeding (the blood from arteries is a brighter red, like vermilion, the blood from veins is dark crimson), dizziness from the blood loss, unconsciousness, infection (if left unattended), death

gunshot

-how it feels: depends on the caliber bullet, from how far away they were shot and in what place

-effects: same as stab wounds

Things that an injured character may have/do

-heavy, harsh, ragged breathing

-panting, gasping, crying, grunting, hissing, groaning, whimpering, screaming, shrieking, clenching their teeth

-ears ringing, unable to speak

-pressing their hands on the injury to try and stop the bleeding, trembling, eyes rolling up into their head

-vision blurring, room spinning

Where to hit in a fight

temple and jaw - good for a knockout punch, but are near the skull so it will be dangerous if you miss (it can broke/dislocate your fingers)

nose/eyes - messes up the senses and distracts the opponent

neck: can mess up breathing, talking and the spinal cord

inner elbow: can disable the opponent's arm

solar plexus: hard to hit but very effective

liver: causes immediate pain, dizziness and loss of breath

kidneys

groin

outer/inner thighs

knees

-----------------

But not getting into a fight stops the injury for both the opponents :)

[cemo-writes]

new writerblr intro ☀

I’m mads, 25, chaotic bi disaster, and have been writing for years but just recently getting confident enough to where I might be published (some day). I’m still new to the writerblr community and blown away by the new works, characters, and worlds I’ve been able to read!

I currently have two wips–  Both have queer women/women of color leads/relationships and heavy religious elements from my own studies of theology and world history.

 The Umbra and The Abha is a high fantasy standalone i’m experimenting with and devoting most of my time to. About two women on opposite sides, bad blood, and knowing each other inside and out. 

Thunderfell is on a back burner in the meantime while I work on my style and structure so I can do the story justice over a four book series. It has shifted a lot since I began working on it originally as a graphic novel at age 16, but the characters have always stuck with me.  (this wip page is incomplete but I love yelling about it!)

Now that I’m home I’ll be posting snippets, edits, character sketches, and playlists for both as well as sharing writing tips and inspiration! The rest of my page is a bit of a mess until I settle on a tag system, etc.

my main is @jardani-jovanovic and twitter is @madsaialik​ !

Thank you so much to @mvcreates and her #violetvineyard for inspiring me to make my own writerblr!!! 

[cemo-writes]

me while writing: ah yes, this character should do this, it feels so natural with what they’re saying

me while editing: why the FUCK does she lean on a doorway SEVENTEEN TIMES IN THIS CHAPTER

[cemo-writes]

Considering the Irrationality of Your Characters

In honor of The Hunger Games movies finishing up this last year, I re-read the trilogy (again), and realized (again) that when it comes to Katniss Everdeen, Suzanne Collins doesn’t forget to consider Katniss’s irrational side.

Often when we deal with characters, we spend a lot of time building their rational side. We look at their rational motives and try to make sure they are thinking logically for the story line. I know I have spent hours trying to brainstorm and pin down the logical thoughts in some of my characters’ heads. But considering how your character can be irrational can provide plenty of ideas for you to play with.

Throughout the series, Collins lets us in on Katniss’s irrational thoughts and feelings. Katniss sometimes even realizes they are irrational herself. As vital as logical thoughts and feelings are, sometimes it’s the irrational that can kick our story up a notch and escalate the suspense.

One of the examples that leapse to mind is in the first book, The Hunger Games, when Katniss first gets into the arena. Haymitch specifically tells her not to run to the cornucopia, but when Katniss sees the bow and arrows, she’s extremely tempted to go for them. Peeta sees this and shakes his head at her, which leads Katniss to hesitate. She misses her chance to get the bow and arrows and is angry at Peeta.

We get how she’s angry at Peeta, but from a strictly logical point of view, it’s irrational. Peeta was just trying to discourage Katniss, in order to keep her alive. Katniss wasn’t supposed to go for the bow anyway. And Katniss is mad at him?

That’s a simple example, but there are plenty of others. Sometimes it’s Katniss’s irrational emotions and decisions (especially coupled with her impulsiveness and borderline hysteria) that really amplify the tension in the story. It keeps the story and Katniss interesting. And at least for me, it make Katniss feel more real.

Now a bit of warning, usually (not always) the reader needs to understand where the irrationality is coming from, on some level. If it’s out of the blue and out of character, this can hurt rather than help your scene. Katniss being mad at Peeta might not be the most logical thing, but we understand her on a human level. She’s really upset about not getting the bow, and the secondary emotion–anger–is being directed at him.

Like in my post about the emotional range of your character, how irrational your character is and in what why he is, depends on his personality. Katniss tends to be very angry or in breakdown mode when she becomes irrational. Other people get irrational when they are extremely happy (irrationally optimistic, for example) or when they are jealous. Some characters are irrational more often than others.

Powerful emotions are a great path to irrational behavior, but flawed reasoning can lead your character there as well.

So don’t forget to consider irrationality in your story.

[cemo-writes]

me age 11: i need a tragic backstory for my OC 🤔🤔🤔

me: i got it,