trans-man-named-marc

[trans-man-named-marc]

I know we mock Narinder's third eye betraying him for the lamb, but have we thought:

Two-four of Shamura's eyes betray them when they're around the goat?

[trans-man-named-marc]

Apparently, big spiders build hideouts with their silk to hunt Stuff for Pride Month

[trans-man-named-marc]

I fell off my bike at the skate park andmy arm is still hurting 10 hrs later, and these people are slamming themselves INTO THE GROUND holy shit

Watching bodycam vids and I just. I dont understand how someone can willingly hurt themselves in the back of a car at any age while I, at 21 yo, can't even jump without fear of hurting myself like holy shit. There's forty yos slamming their heads into passenger protectors and I'm scared of walking around large steps.

[trans-man-named-marc]

Reading my emails, saw some sort of article about gaining courage to get past my what if mentality and I began think back to about noon where I was at the skate park and my bike wanted nothing to do with me. The poor guy that watched me slide twenty feet on what was essentially wet polished metal was so fucking shocked.

Anyway my entire left side is turning urple from me getting past the what if mentality

[trans-man-named-marc]

[trans-man-named-marc]

Suddenly

[trans-man-named-marc]

The sch nooks gooe butter cake is so fucking sweet oh my god. It's pure sugar with a slight cookie texture. I can feel my body gaining cavities in my bones

[trans-man-named-marc]

Doodling storyboard stuff and trod lore (mic on deciding)

[trans-man-named-marc]

✏️ Writing Dialogue That Sounds Like Real People, Not Theater Kids on Red Bull

(a crash course in vibes, verbal economy, and making your characters shut up already)

Okay. We need to talk about dialogue. Specifically: why everyone in your draft sounds like they’re in a high school improv group doing a dramatic reading of Riverdale fanfiction.

Before you panic, this is normal. Early dialogue is almost always too much. Too polished. Too "scripted." So if yours feels off? You’re not failing. You’re just doing Draft Zero Dialogue, and it’s time to revise it like a boss.

Here’s how to fix it.

─────── ✦ ───────

🎭 STEP ONE: DETOX THEATER ENERGY I say this with love: your characters are not all quippy geniuses. They do not need to deliver emotional monologues at every plot beat. They can just say things. Weird, half-finished, awkward things.

Real people:

interrupt each other

trail off mid-thought

dodge questions

contradict themselves

repeat stuff

change the subject randomly

Let your characters sound messy. Not every line needs to sparkle. In fact, the more effort you put into making dialogue ✨perfect✨, the more fake it sounds. Cut 30% of your clever lines and see what happens.

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🎤 STEP TWO: GIVE EACH CHARACTER A VERBAL FINGERPRINT The fastest way to make dialogue feel alive? Make everyone speak differently. Think rhythm, grammar, vocabulary, tone.

Some dials you can twist:

Long-winded vs. clipped

Formal vs. casual

Emojis of speech: sarcasm, filler words, expletives, slang

Sentence structure: do they talk in fragments? Run-ons? Spirals?

Emotion control: are they blunt, diplomatic, avoidant, performative?

Here’s a shortcut: imagine what your character sounds like over text. Are they the “lol okay” type or the “okie dokie artichokie 🌈✨” one? Now translate that into speech.

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🧠 STEP THREE: FUNCTION > FILLER Every line of dialogue should do something. Reveal something. Move something. Change something.

Ask:

Does this line push the plot forward?

Does it show character motivation/conflict/dynamic?

Does it create tension, add context, or raise a question?

If it’s just noise? It’s dead air. Cut it. Replace it with a glance. A gesture. A silence that says more.

TIP: look at a dialogue scene and remove every third line. Does the scene still work? Probably better.

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💥 STEP FOUR: REACTIVITY IS THE GOLD STANDARD Characters don’t talk into a void. They respond. And how they respond = the real juice.

Don’t just write back-and-forth ping pong. Write conflict, dodge, misunderstanding. If one character says something vulnerable, the other might joke. Or ignore it. Or say something cruel. That’s tension.

Dialogue is not just information exchange. It’s emotional strategy.

Try this exercise: A says something revealing. B lies. A notices, but pretends they don’t. B changes the subject. Now you’ve got a real scene.

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🔍 STEP FIVE: PAY ATTENTION TO POWER Every convo has a power dynamic, even if it’s tiny. Who’s steering? Who’s withholding? Who’s deflecting, chasing, challenging?

Power can shift line to line. That shift = tension. And tension = narrative fuel.

Write conversations like chess matches, not ping pong.

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✂️ STEP SIX: SCISSORS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND The best dialogue is often the second draft. Or third. Or fourth. First drafts are just you figuring out what everyone wants to say. Later drafts figure out what they actually would say.

Things to cut:

Greetings/closings ("Hi!" "Bye!"--skip it unless it serves tone)

Exposition disguised as chat

Obvious thoughts spoken aloud

Explaining jokes

Repeating what we already know

Readers are smart. Let them fill in blanks.

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🎧 STEP SEVEN: READ IT OUT LOUD (YES, REALLY) If you hate this step: too bad. It works. Read it. Mumbling is fine. Cringe is part of the ritual.

Ask yourself:

Would someone actually say this?

Does this sound like one person speaking, or a puppet show with one hand?

Where does the rhythm trip? Where’s the breath?

If you can’t say it out loud without wincing, the reader won’t make it either. Respect the vibe.

─────── ✦ ───────

🏁 TL;DR: If you want your dialogue to sound like real people, let your characters be real. Messy. Annoying. Human. Let them interrupt and lie and joke badly and say the wrong thing at the worst time.

Cut the improv class energy. Kill the urge to be ✨brilliant✨. And listen to how people talk when they’re scared, tired, pissed off, in love, or trying not to say what they mean.

That’s where the good stuff is.

—rin t. // thewriteadviceforwriters // official advocate of awkward silences and one-word replies

P.S. I made a free mini eBook about the 5 biggest mistakes writers make in the first 10 pages 👀 you can grab it here for FREE:

[trans-man-named-marc]

My life is a joke and, evidently, I am the comedian.

[trans-man-named-marc]

@wix-wiwi checked that the polish is correct for me! Google translator gave me hilariously wrong stuff lol.

It says "I'm in love with you" (it's an intense way to say it) and then "Stupid cute kitten!" He told Morgan kotek means molusk he has to live with the consequences now.

A soft comic under the cut!

The size difference won. I'm beaten.

[trans-man-named-marc]

If all these taxes keep coming imma just end up shoplifting again. It's been a good fourteen years since, I don't want to do it, but honestly the taxes are killing my wallet. I've bought four things, none of them fast food OR that should have been expensive, and already I'm at 20-something dollars. I'm gonna fucking scream

[trans-man-named-marc]

(warning, may be loud 🔊)

x2 the torment!

[trans-man-named-marc]

Please, whatever you guys do, don't skip a med. Even if you think it's not doing anything. I accidentally skipped one due to a busy work day and I couldn't function. At all. I had never felt as bad as I did yesterday: I was extremely unfocused, I forgot how to do most of my job, I couldn't lift certain things anymore and instead of it taking 45~ minutes to get home it took me THREE HOURS. I was so weak and exhausted, and that was from simply forgetting to take one pill at noon. The effects took place pretty much an hour after.

I get not wanting to take meds. I've stopped taking meds due to them causing severe problems- the gain was less than the loss.

Stopping them because you feel like they don't work isn't a good idea. They're doing something you aren't aware you needed done sometimes, and you honestly need to let them do it. Only stop when a doctor approves, or if they're causing extreme problems and you KNOW which med it is. And only then stop that one med, don't stop them all.

I'm not a doctor,but please. Let the meds do their background tasks. You'll be happy they did.

[trans-man-named-marc]

PSA BECAUSE I DREW THIS COMIC

And I say BY THE WAY IT'S NOT NORMAL TO HAVE PAINFUL PERIODS !

And people are like WHAAAAAAT in the comments. So her's an answer I just gave to someone:

"Aw man. Ok, so, because fuck women and also judeo-christianism and Eve must suffer and shit, and hundreds of year of patriarchy, and also habit and poor representation, AFAB peeps dying of pain during their period is seen as normal

It is not.

I only have mild cramps during my periods and it's not because of luck, it's because I'm rather healthy. My pains diminished significantly after I understood I was allergic to dairies and it was inflammatory to my whole body.

There can be A LOT of reasons why your uterus is sending you those violent messages, like stress, kysts, endometriosis... So you have to see a gynecologist who will get you through a battery of exams and find the source of it. Not one who will dismiss it as normal.

There are treatments and solutions, you don't have to die every month. On the holistic side, I recommend the woman code by Alisa Vitii. Maybe trying various anti inflammatory diets until you find what your body needs. Take care of yourself!"

Note that I'm obviously not a doctor, and also that a journey to health can be a harsh one. Especially when doctors "can't find anything" or straight up dismiss you. But every little step is worth it! And there are actual cool, caring doctors out there! You can do it!

Reminder that on top of medicine and diet, chronic illnesses and pains have a heavy emotional origin too. I say that as someone who saw a big decision and life change make what was left of a chronic digestive issue disappear. The reproductive system is related to everything classically feminine, like shame or guilt, repression, taboos, need of rest, cycles etc. Louise Hay has a wonderful book about the emotional origin of illnesses. Get therapy!

Make yourself heard and take care of yourself as much as you can, despite the times being harsh. BECAUSE the times are harsh. We deserve it!

🌼💐🌸🌺🌷🌹 PSA over! 🌹🌷🌺🌸💐🌼

[trans-man-named-marc]

This is a stolen joke

[trans-man-named-marc]

are you gay

"Gender is not one of my biggest worries. But if that doesn't answer your question, yes, I like men. Just as much as i like women, and anything in between that."