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[sam-glade]

Three modes of feelings toward characters as the writer is writing them:

These fuckers (affectionate)

These fuckers (annoyed)

These fuckers (literal)

[sam-glade]

hi I'm from your pseudo-medieval fantasy city. yeah. you forgot to put farms around us. we have very impressive walls and stuff but everyone here is starving. the hero showed up here as part of his quest and we killed and ate him

[sam-glade]

That post that's like "stop writing characters who talk like they're trying to get a good grade in therapy" really blew the door wide open for me about how common it's become for a character's emotional intelligence to not be taken into consideration when writing conflict. I remember the first time I went to therapy I had such a hard time even identifying what I was feeling, let alone had the language to explain it to someone else. Of course there are plenty of people who've never been to therapy a day in their life who are in tune to their emotions. But even they would have some trouble expressing themselves sometimes. You have to take into account there are plenty of people who are uncomfortable expressing themselves and people who think they're not allowed to feel certain ways. It also makes for more interesting conflict to have characters with different levels of understanding.

[sam-glade]

"why can't they just be friends" not in the homophobic way but in the "their platonic relationship in the source material is far more dynamic and complex than the sanitized personalities they gain as a result of shipping" way

[sam-glade]

As someone who absolutely loves multi POV stories, I have some thoughts about it. I chose the '6 or more option', however there are stories where I wonder if all the POVs are necessary - sometimes, if it couldn't be a single POV.

I see two main reasons why stories have multiple POVs - looking primarily at epic fantasy, which is what I read most:

The characters are doing their own things in different places and it's impossible for a single POV to know everything that's happening that is necessary to make the plot clear to the reader.

For a similar reason an omniscient narrator is used - the reader needs to know what a given character knows or thinks of the situation, but the character isn't going to reveal them to the rest of the cast.

In both cases multiple POVs can enhance the story or detract from it, there can be too many and too few, and it heavily depends on the individual story and personal tastes of the reader.

For example, in the first case, I have to admit, I start asking why we need so many POVs at the point where each one of them is starting off doing their own thing, going about their lives, and the only thing that connects them is that they're included in the same book. I don't like having too many moments when I need to put a pin in something and switch to a different POV, because it becomes a stressful pressure to read and remember them all simultaneously, and I don't enjoy that.

However, as soon as there's an element in the story that clearly connects them, it works better for me. It can be something thematic, e.g. a bunch of people who roughly at the same time decide they're unhappy with their lives and want to join the resistance. It can also be a piece of news or a legend. A common example is the monarch being assassinated - we get a POV of the heir who's directly affected, of a servant who is more concerned about their work and people being on edge, and someone for whom it seemingly wouldn't make any difference who wears the crown, but by including all three POVs and mentioning the same event in each, the author makes a promise that actually, the consequences of the assassination will somehow connect these three people, and I'm now curious to know how.

One pit fall here is that throughout the story some more connections should be made between the POVs, e.g. they run into each other or the servant and the peasant from my example see the heir from a distance and have Opinions. Without a reminder that they're all going towards the same destination, stories sometimes give the impression of the opposite - that they'll end up in separate places with their own climaxes at the end - at which point I have to ask why these aren't two separate books.

The second case, with the reader needing to know what each character thinks even if they're working together, is a bit more tricky. I've seen it most often in political intrigue where characters scheme together AND against each other at the same time. In my opinion this requires a very fine balance between making the characters' plans clear and over explaining and again, your mileage may vary. If overdone, and too many POVs are used, it becomes tedious. My rule of thumb is that you start giving POV to characters with most agency and most influence over the events, go down the list, and stop when the plot becomes clear.

Tl;dr: It depends very much on execution of the particular story. Sometimes two is too many. Sometimes seven is not enough.

No "other" option. If you don't like multi POV books, please keep scrolling!

[sam-glade]

Words to Use Instead Of...

Beautiful

stunning

gorgeous

breath-taking

lovely

jaw-dropping

pretty

glowing

dazzling

exquisite

angelic

radiant

ravishing

excellent

ideal

slightly

wonderful

elegant

bewitching

captivating

mesmerizing

enthralling

magnetic

impressive

tasteful

charming

desirable

enchanting

Interesting

stricking

unusual

appealing

absorbing

srresting

gripping

riveting

alluring

amusing

exceptional

fascinating

impressive

provocative

prepossessing

exotic

readable

refreshing

entrancing

exceptional

Good

honest

upright

dutiful

enthical

pure

guiltless

lily-white

reputable

righteous

tractable

obedient

incorrupt

respectable

honorable

inculpable

irreprehensible

praiseworthy

well-behaved

uncorrupted

irreproachable

Awesome

wondrous

amazing

out-of-this-world

phenomenal

remarkable

stunning

fascinating

astounding

awe-inspiring

extraordinary

impressive

incredible

mind-blowing

mind-boggling

miraculous

stupendous

Cute

endeaing

adorable

lovable

sweet

lovely

appealing

engaging

delightful

darling charming

enchanting

attractive

bonny

cutesy

adorbs

dear

twee

Shy

modest

sel-effacing

sheepish

timid

way

reserved

unassured

skittish

chary

coy

hesitant

humble

introverted

unsocial

bashful

awkward

apprehensive

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[sam-glade]

FWIW, "mauve" was one of the coal-tar dyes developed in the mid-19th century that made eye-wateringly bright clothing fashionable for a few decades.

It was an eye-popping magenta purple

HOWEVER, like most aniline dyes, it faded badly, to a washed-out blue-grey ...

...which was the color ignorant youngsters in the 1920s associated with “mauve”.

(This dress is labeled "mauve" as it is the color the above becomes after fading).

They colored their vision of the past with washed-out pastels that were NOTHING like the eye-popping electric shades the mid-Victorians loved. This 1926 fashion history book by Paul di Giafferi paints a hugely distorted, I would say dishonest picture of the past.

Ever since then this faded bluish lavender and not the original electric eye-watering hot pink-purple is the color associated with the word “mauve”.

[sam-glade]

I think some people forget that some literature and some media is meant to be deeply uncomfortable and unsettling. It's meant to make you have a very visceral reaction to it. If you genuinely can't handle these stories then you are under no obligation to consume them but acting as if they have no purpose or as if people don't have a right to tell these stories, stories that often relate to the darkest or most disturbing parts of life, then you should do some introspection.

[sam-glade]

find the word

tagged by @bardic-tales, thank you! (im gonna do this on my writing blog, thespacelizard is my main) my words are sorrow, light, fear. Since one of the words is sorrow, i simply have to go back into Renegade Prince for this.

no-pressure tagging @talesfromaurea @kaylinalexanderbooks @sam-glade and @jmhwritesstuff with the words return, allow, flee and away

sorrow

(it’s a character name, so that’s what this is, which kinda feels like cheating, but also i do love him very much so…)

Arcanist Rivaanlehnim was, therefore, thoroughly awake when Sorrow and his trio of Vetusak K'zinla climbed in through the window of his fourth-floor study in the middle of the night. He did not look up from the crystals spread out on his desk at their arrival. “Someone should teach you how doors work, Prince Sorrow,” he said, flipping a stronger magnifying lens down over one eye. “I had very little desire to be transformed into a toad this evening,” Sorrow said. At his left shoulder, Excellence was scanning the room, taking note of the additions Rivaanlehnim had made to his protections since last they’d visited. “Skellin, actually,” the arcanist said. “Much like the one your lieutenant has for some reason tucked into her shirt. Are you aware they’re venomous?”

light

Her feet were light again on the stairs as she hurried back down. She needn’t have worried – there was so much noise from back room and taproom alike that no-one would have heard her if she’d danced a jig down the banister and sounded a fanfare to finish.

fear

(three guesses who’s saying this line)

“You need not fear. Our little ghost is the most mercenary man I have ever met – so long as his purse is full of my coin, his murderous intent will be turned elsewhere than you.”

Valloroth taglist: @cherrybombfangirlwrites @memento-morri-writes @foxboyclit @lawful-evil-novelist @at-thezenith @morganwriteblr @fayeiswriting @serenanymph @sam-glade (ask to be +/-)

[sam-glade]

the concept of “plot armor” has done irreparable damage to media analysis and literacy. “oh the only reason this character didn’t die is because they need to be alive later in the story” you don’t fucking say.

[sam-glade]

My new favourite thing is when I reread my own writing and realise I accidentally foreshadowed something important

Wait sorry “accidentally” was a typo it should have been “geniusly and with considerable forethought knowing exactly what was going to happen and all of my intentions being very clear”

[sam-glade]

heads up everybody who uses taglists: tumblr's made a change where you can only tag 5 people per line of text. so if you have a taglist like this:

@persononeee @persontwoo @personthreee @personfourr @personfivee @personsixx @personsevenn

the last two people won't be tagged at all! in order to make sure everybody gets a notification, you can do it like this:

@persononeee @persontwoo @personthreee @personfourr @personfivee

@personsixx @personsevenn

remember to check your taglist after posting, preferably on the mobile app, where the difference between tagged and untagged users will be visually obvious.

[sam-glade]

it's immensely tragic and fucked up but also a little funny when someone is so incapable of accepting that they're worthy of love and affection without any kind of justification or ulterior motive that you have to wrap it up in some kind of practical reasoning like hiding a pill in ham and peanut butter to make your dog think they're getting a tasty treat. come closer, sharing body heat will help us both keep warm [waits until you're settled comfortably in my arms] and i like spending time with you and just being near you. lmao. get loved idiot.

[sam-glade]

I've got some examples of worst-case scenarios, which published authors wish to avoid.

Neil Gaiman wrote a concise summary here.

There was also this mildly ridiculous case: Copyright claim against Tolkien estate backfires on Lord of the Rings fanfiction author

Wait, why are tradpub authors not encouraged to read fanfiction of their works for legal reasons?

So I'm certainly no expert and I don't know how hard and fast of a rule this is (I feel like it probably depends on the agent/publishing house/etc. to an extent, but I might be mistaken on that), but I've heard from multiple traditionally published authors and agented writers that they're discouraged from reading it mainly for issues around idea theft - basically, if a fanfiction writer knows you read their fic and you later end up putting something similar to something in the fic in your own work, they have grounds to sue you. This probably depends on jurisdiction, but I know that's how it works in the U.S. and Canada.

But also, imo - and again, I could be mistaken - this isn't really that enforceable in most cases? I feel like it's more a matter of not directly interacting with fanfic of your work or going around publicly saying you've read fanfic of your work if you're a tradpub author. Honestly this might be applicable to small presses as well - not as familiar with how that process works as of now.

Anyone with more direct experience around this pls feel free to chime in.

[sam-glade]

Hi verdance

I'm hugging you! Which of your blorbos needs a hug the most, and will you give it to them?

Hi Sleepy💜

Ianim, my precious anxious cinnamon roll always needs a hug. Objectively, he doesn't have it as bad as the others, but anxiety doesn't exactly make people objective. And yes, he'll accept any and all hugs. He considers the fact that hugs are often inappropriate one of the major drawbacks of being a prince.

I also want to give Lissan a hug before @i-can-even-burn-salad bites my head off for the dark, whumpy AU I put him through, which they've read. It's an alternative ending to Gifts of Fate, about 40k words, where a character making a different decision sends the plot tumbling in a very different direction.

[sam-glade]

What No One Tells You About Writing Fantasy

Every author has their preferred genres. I love fantasy and sci-fi, but began with historical fiction. I hated all the research that historical fiction demands and thought, if I build my own world, no research required.

Boy, was I wrong.

So to anyone dipping their toe into fantasy/sci-fi, here’s seven things I wish I knew about the genres before I committed to writing for them.

1. You still have to research. Everything.

If you want any of your fantasy battle sequences, or your space ships, or your droids and robots, or your fictional government and fictional politics to read at all believable.

In sci-fi, you research astronomy, robotics, politics, political science, history, engineering, anthropology. In fantasy, you have to research historical battle tactics, geography, real-world mythology, folklore, and fairytales, and much of it overlaps with science fiction.

I say you *have to* assuming you want your work to be original and unique and stand out from the crowd. Fanfic writers put in the research for a 30k word smut fic, you can and will have to research for your original work.

2. Naming everything gets exhausting

I hate coming up with new names, especially when I write worlds and places divorced from Earthly customs and can’t rely on Earthly naming conventions. You have to name all your characters, all your towns, villages, cities, realms, kingdoms, planets, galaxies, star systems.

You have to name your rebel faction, your imperial government, significant battles. Your spaceships, your fantasy companies and organizations, your magic system, made-up MacGuffins, androids, computer programs. The list goes on and on and on.

And you have to do it all without it sounding and reading ridiculous and unpronounceable, or racist. Your fantasy realms have to have believable naming patterns. It. Gets. Exhausting.

3. It will never read like you’re watching a movie

Do you know how fast movies can cut between scenes? Movies can balance five plotlines at once all converging with rapid edits, without losing their audience. Sometimes single lines of dialogue, or single wordless shots are all a scene gets before it cuts. If you try to replicate that by head-hopping around, you will make a mess.

It’s perfectly fine to write like you’re watching a movie, but you can’t rely on visual tricks to get your point across when all you have is text on a page – like slow mo, lens flares, epically lit cinematic shots, or the aforementioned rapid edits.

It doesn’t have to, nor should it, look like a movie. Books existed long before film, so don’t let yourself get caught up in how ~cinematic~ it may or may not look.

4. Your space opera will be compared to Star Wars and Star Trek

And your fairy epic will be compared to Tinkerbell, your vampires to Twilight, your zombies to The Walking Dead, Shaun of the Dead, World War Z. Your wizards and witches and any whisper of a fantasy school for fantasy children will be compared to Harry Potter. Your high fantasy adventure will be compared to Lord of the Rings.

You can’t avoid it, but you can avoid doing it to yourself. When people ask about your book, let them say “oh, you mean like Star Wars” to which you then can say, kind of, except XYZ happens in my book. These IPs will never fade from the public consciousness, not while you exist to read this post, at least, but Harry Potter isn’t the only urban fantasy out there. Lord of the Rings isn’t the only high fantasy. Star Wars isn’t the only space opera.

Yours will be on the shelves right next to them, soon enough, and who knows? You might dethrone them.

5. Your world-building is an iceberg, and your book is the tip

I don’t pay for any of those programs that help you organize your book and mythos. I write exclusively on Apple Notes, MS Word, and Google Suite (and all are free to me). I have folders on Apple Notes with more words inside them than the books they’re written for.

If you try to cram an entire college textbook’s worth of content into your novel, you will have left zero room for actual story. The same goes for all the research you did, all the hours slaving away for just a few details and strings of dialogue.

There’s a balance, no matter how dense your story is. If you really want to include all those extra details, slap some appendices at the end. Commission some maps.

6. The gatekeeping for fantasy and sci-fi is still very real

Pen names and pseudonyms exist for a reason. A female author writing fantasy that isn’t just a backdrop for romance? You have a harder battle ahead of you than your male counterparts, at least in the US. And even then, your female protagonist will be scrutinized and torn apart.

She’ll either be too girly or not girly enough, too sexy, or not sexy enough. She’ll be called a Mary Sue, a radical feminist mouthpiece, some woke propaganda. Every action she takes will be criticized as unrealistic and if she has fans who are girls, they will be mocked, too.

If you have queer characters, characters of color, they won’t be good enough, they won’t please everyone, and someone will still call you a bigot. A lot of someones will still call you a bigot.

Do your due diligence and hire your army of sensitivity readers and listen to them, but you cannot please everyone, so might as well write to please yourself. You’re the one who will have to read it a thousand times until it’s published.

7. Your “original” idea has been done before, and that’s okay

Stories have been told since before language evolved. The sum of the parts of your novel may be original, but even then, it’s colored by the media you’ve consumed. And that’s okay!

How many Cinderella stories are there? How many high fantasies? How many books about werewolves and witches and vampires? Gods and goddesses and celestial beings? Fairies and dragons and trolls? Aliens, robots, alien robots? Romeo and Juliette? Superheroes and mutants?

Zombies may be the avenue through which you tell your story, but it’s not *just* about zombies, is it? It’s about the characters who battle them, the endurance of the human spirit, or the end of an era, the death of a nation. So don’t get discouraged, everyone before you and everyone after will have written someone on the backs of what came before and it still feels new.

[sam-glade]

Hey, writers, you know that voice that pushes you to write more even when you're burnt out and just need to take a step back and take a break?

You know that voice that says "wow, that's all you did today?"

Do me a favor. Block that voice out for a second and listen to mine.

You did enough. What you've gotten done is absolutely enough. You are enough. Your work is enough. You're doing great. Take that break, take a rest. You're all good.

Love you guys. Take care of your minds so it can sustain your creativity the rest of your life and doesn't burn out <3