#poverty tips

[wouldyoudoanythingforme]

Anyways, did you know you can add archive.is/ before the www in a web address and read news articles for free again?

[schizophrenic-klept-hoe-maniac]

Total: $2.2k

Haul from last month that didn’t upload for some reason

The fact that this amount of crap equals over $2k where I live is DISGUSTING.

.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hello

How can I write a story when the main idea is about a character and their internal conflict? I'm not sure what my problem is, but I can't get any ideas for this. It's hard for me to explain...

Like, the writing can't just be about the character's trauma. Of course, it's the core of the story and what I find most interesting, but other things need to be happening. I haven't even gotten any ideas for what exactly the trauma is. I just know how they're gonna struggle processing it. But, they still have a life to live, like studying/working, friends, family etc. Does there need to be external conflict too? Or am I just super indecisive and uninspired?

Struggling with Character-Driven Story

Stories can either be driven by an external conflict (plot-driven), an internal conflict (character-driven), or both. What you're talking about writing is a character-driven story, because it revolves around an internal conflict.

The type and level of external conflict in a character-driven story depends on the needs of the story. Quite often the external conflict in a character-driven story is a result of the internal conflict or tied to it in some way. For example, Jane Austen's Emma, features a "man vs self" internal conflict. She victimizes herself and others due to her own actions resulting from being vain, stubborn, being unable to confront her own feelings, and thinking she knows what's best for others. With the exception of the arrival of Jane Fairfax in Emma's village, most of the external conflict results from Emma's own foolish actions, many of which are influenced or affected by Jane's presence.

Today, it's not uncommon for stories to contain both internal and external conflict. Quite often, the external conflict simply provides a stage upon which the internal conflict can unfold. For example, you might have a story about four teenagers getting lost in the mountains and trying to survive mother nature (external conflict), but the story is really about who these teens are and exploring and resolving their internal conflicts.

I would suggest first trying to flesh out your character's trauma, as this could potentially inform your story's external conflict. For example, let's say your character's trauma was growing up in poverty. You could potentially find an external conflict that brings this trauma to the surface and forces your character to confront it. This external conflict then provides a framework through which the exploration and resolution of the internal conflict can play out. Alternatively, you could choose an unrelated (or mostly unrelated) external conflict, such as a big shake up at the company where your character works. In this case, the external conflict is more of a backdrop, but it still provides structure for the story as your character navigates the events of the company shake up while dealing with their internal conflict.

Happy writing!

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[ahb-writes]

The best line I wrote today:

Poverties of kindness are easy to inherit. Not because being angry is necessarily better, but because it protects one when left alone, scared, or in pain.

[solstheimtxt]

Absolute fucking braindead mfer who just ordered like 40 goddam items in my dt tonight: omg this is so expensive i bet its bc you guys are getting paid $20 huh

Us, who are not getting paid $20 yet as we watch prices soar in states where the min wage isnt going up while our ceo takes another fucking pay increase: yeah, its us, totally

[cleaningonfoodstamps]

Did you know you can deter ants from your home with cinnamon? Observe the ants in your home to find their entry points (likely to be by windows and doors). Once found, you can just sprinkle a little ground cinnamon down. The cinnamon messes with the ants' senses making it impossible for them to cross. You can also try bay leaves or even vinegar, both work the same way.

[goldenoyster]

I’m gonna share one of my “secret” struggle meals for when the money’s tight. Boxes of hamburger helper generally are pretty cheap (I buy them on sale for $1.50), and off brand’s usually even cheaper. “But hamburger is expensive!” you say, “and I have no milk!”

This is my secret:

1. You don’t need the milk; just sub in more hot water. (You can do this for boxed mac and cheese too. I literally only make mine with water, no butter or milk, and I can’t tell the difference.)

2. A pound of lentils are way cheaper than beef, and they increase in size. I cook half a pound of lentils (put in pot with about 2x as much water as there are lentils, I eyeball it. Then add beef bouillon, I do about 7 teaspoons or 7 cubes. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, cook for 25-30 min til it’s the texture you want.) This will make over a pound of cooked lentils. Now, you could reduce the amount so you have closer to what a pound of beef would be, but this way, the meal stretches more. The beef bouillon gets it close to that flavor that hamburger would have, but if you don’t have beef bouillon, you can omit, or add the seasonings you do have (salt, pepper, etc; coordinate your spices to the flavor Helper you have)

Then you just dump in the hamburger helper stuff and the water and cook according to the directions. Very easy, much cheaper, tastes just as good. The other nice thing is that this recipe doesn’t need monitoring, so you can set it and forget it (metaphorically). Make sure to serve with bread to make the meal stretch even further.

Hope this helps those of you who need it.

[Image Description: blue bowl with white speckles filled with noodles, lentils, and sauce. End ID]

[mbrainspaz]

the manager asked me how to find more workers like me. I had reminded her (again) that we need another worker in order to be fully staffed for the summer. She said she can only ‘afford’ to hire someone part time. I told her good luck, basically. Hope you like hiring desperate angry men who have zero reasons not to do crimes, ‘cause in most cases you get what you pay for. No way you’re finding another guy who has over a decade of industry knowledge, a degree, management experience, is clean, is fit enough, is fluent in boomer etiquette as well as bilingual, and happens to be so catastrophically down on their luck that they’d take this job. Especially part time. That wouldn’t even cover most people’s grocery bills, much less housing costs. She better hope she finds a really eccentric teenage horse girl with rich parents or we’re screwed. Actually that’s my other coworker except he’s a 30 year old man. Nah, this company is never gonna stoop to paying a worker what they’re actually worth. Like beeeeesh I’m worth almost double what you’re paying me in this biz alone and instead you started me on Seattle’s minimum wage and gave me a 2% raise while prices at the grocery store went up 30%. If the company didn’t offer me a house to live in along with the sh*t pay I wouldn’t even be here. I’d rather live in my car than funnel 80-90% of my paycheck directly into another landlord’s pocket. I’ll probably leave in the summer if she doesn’t hire another person, because I’m trying to build my art business back up on the side (so that I have a reason to live or whatever) and I can’t do that while this stupid company is forcing me to work overtime every week and then whining about how they can’t afford to pay me overtime. I can’t do anything with zero sick days. I can’t use my alleged vacation time. And they always want ME—the guy they’re paying as if I’m a damn disposable peasant—to fix this for them. I dunno, Sharon, did you ask your CEO if he’d consider selling one or two of his mansions so you could buy another laborer on the free market? It’s called ‘budgeting.’

[wouldyoudoanythingforme]

Listen, it's very easy to negotiate the price of clothes. All you do is go to the clearance section, find something in a similar color for the price that you can afford that jacket or jeans or whatever and go to the fitting room, then you carefully loop the clear perpendicular to the paper plastic tip through the hole of the paper tag on both items and switch the tag. That 150 dollar coat that's going to be in clearance in 3 months for $20? That's $12 dollars now, just for you. There you go 🚶‍♀️

[transfaguette]

obviously people are not going to drop everything in their lives and wallow in suffering just because My life is hard and I don't expect them to but it is still wildly alienating to go to your friends being like "yeah I'm highly suicidal due to my financial situation and every day is a waking nightmare" and have them go ":( I'm sorry" and then the next day they're in the group chat talking about concert tickets and all the Fun Things they're going to do with their money.

[coockie8]

u give full chocy bars??? r u rich??????

Oh no lol I make less than $30,000 a year and usually owe on my taxes 'cause Quebec is trash. I just think forking out around $600 spread out over multiple pays is worth it to make a few kids happy :)

[deardragonbook]

Writing Reference - Perception of richness and poverty

If there’s one thing I’ve realised over the years, most people don’t see themselves as poor or rich. 

Most people assume they are just normal. No matter how much money they make or how they live. 

Even if they live in a large home with a large garden and have no trouble paying their bills, they see billionaires on the news and think, “they’re rich, I am not.”

Even if they struggle to pay their bills and don’t always know where their next meal comes from, they see people who are homeless and think, “I’m not poor, they are.” 

You’re probably no exception to this rule. I certainly am not. I remember a year ago explaining to my boyfriend that I was middle class. He laughed and looked it up... apparently my definition of rich is middle class. I was just refusing to admit I was poor. Still a bit upset by that, ignorance truly is bliss. 

Anyways, why is this relevant when writing? 

Well, if we’re writing a character we perceive as rich or poor, we may automatically assume they know this. 

But unless they are extremely rich or poor, or they’ve researched at some point, they probably won’t be that knowledgeable about their financial status, just seeing themselves as normal. 

And I know this might not seem like a big deal, but it actually is, it’s a huge part of the issues we face in society nowadays, the inability to distinguish class, causing us to assume everybody is capable of the same things when realistically, we aren’t. 

So if their class, their financial situation, is relevant to your writing, then the perception of such should also be relevant. 

As usual, check out my book, stories I’ve written plus other social medias: here.    

[lifepal]

Wealth, Health, and more...

[aro-throughyourchest]

Got some tips for writing characters/settings in poverty or situations low on funds. Not a catch all basis, everyone's experience can be different, but this is just from my rinky dink town. Anyone with tips or extra clarification they'd like to share, please do add on

You don't have to write your character into a bad neighborhood if they're low on money. Now this entirely depends on setting, just stating. If it's an incredibly gentrified area, then yes, your character has higher chances of ending up in one of the bad parts of the city while the housing market goes up. Could be an interesting aspect for your story, but you don't have to! Apartments can be nice, they don't have to be expensive. Or hell! Small houses! Maybe they just live in the woods.

Job searching. Lots of job searching. Second jobs, jobs they're trying to escape, or just straight up getting turned down for applications- Until or unless your salary starts matching your rent, and hell, even if it does!- you keep job searching or trying to find some way to balance food and bills. Especially if your character is stated to not have a lot!

If your character has friends, or just people in stable living situations, loans. Maybe a friend drops off a bag of groceries or you need an extra bounce- Maybe you get tired of sleeping in a car and someone offers to let you stay at their house, and it's probably better than getting towed. It can be really humiliating and degrading, and it can really make you wish you didn't have to. If you wanna isolate your character to avoid the loans and treats, completely understandable.

Trying to find food should only resort to trashcans as a last last resort god who fucking does that just for fun may as well steal at this point

however, genuinely this time, trying to find food anyway you can. Snack throughout the day on something buy some bread even after it grows old, still eat it because you're hungry and can't waste food. someone wants to take you out to lunch, you decline because you can't use your money too frivolously or an, only if you’re paying

Off the top of my head that's all I got. Again, everyone's experience is different, do research where you can!

[killerchickadee]

I went to the grocery store finally and got the basic basics (bread milk butter and soda) and now I'm home and I'm like. I'd murder someone for some choccy ice cream.

I could walk down to walgreens and grab some but I'm trying so hard not to spend money cause after I pay my bills I'm gonna have... idk maybe $200 to live on for the next 2 and 1/2 weeks.

So. No ice cream.