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[writingtildawn]

Too cold Only love for my Addikins will get me up to attend a 7 am ice hockey game in Philly on daylight savings time. #deadtired #daylightsavingtime #sundayvibes #myniece❤️ #chosenfamily (at Northeast Skate Zone) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpsJAyNOpYJ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[writingtildawn]

And I’m back’ and grateful to return to one of my fav cities, in almost 3 years, after breast cancer. Soaking in the energy and sending out light💕 #blessedlife #beyondgrateful #sunkissed #glowup #positivevibesonly #endofsummer #blessedandgrateful #fridaynightvibes #aftermastectomy #lightworker #godsplan #fridaymood #fridayselfie #batteryparkcity #magichour #goldenhour (at Battery Park City) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cim2AX7up9c/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[writingtildawn]

#nationalgriefawarenessday I am sending up prayers for all in sadness, heart broken, in pain or grieving a loved one(s). Sending warm light and peaceful vibes to surround you, your colleague, co-worker, friends, family and your hearts. This may not be acknowledge in work places or culture, however many are affected by loss and are grieving and have to show up to work fully presence. This could be a time of support, education and inclusion for culture creators. This evening I will be learning about overdose and grief. #belonging #InclusiveHealth #mentalwellness #mentalhealthsupport #deib (at Asbury Park, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch4-UZCuHJV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[writingtildawn]

Afternoon delight. #vodkadrinks Amsterdam vodka is becoming one of my favs. Only $12.99 at your local @wegmans #beachlifestyle Beach life at great price. In case you spill some. No headaches. No hangovers. #amsterdamvodka #afternooncocktails #asburyparknj #asburyparkbeach (at Asbury Park, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChfiNwPJcGS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[writingtildawn]

#goldendoodlelove Grandmama and Pierre. @aja.pierre.95 #PierreInAsbury #PierreTravels #asburyparkbeach #asburyparknj #goldendoodlesofinstagram #goldendoodle #goldendoodlepuppy (at Asbury Park, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChfcRthuE4k/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[writingtildawn]

What do you see? If you see what I see, you can find the good in numerous situations. I use this blessed method of thinking to manifest a good life. Leave some ❤️💛❤️💛❤️💛 if you dig this. Tag a positive vibes only friend. Spread the love y’all. #positivevibes #positivethinking #manifestation #manifesting #wayoflife #spreadlove #speadkindness #spreadthelove💞💫💞 #spreadthelove #spreadpositivity #spreadmorelove #saturdayvibes😎 #saturdayvibes #goodmorning (at Asbury Park, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChfDyNHugku/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[writingtildawn]

How is a good way to use psychic characters without giving too much of the plot?

By remembering that they’re psychic and not omniscient.

At a the most basic level, writing is about conveying, and withholding, information from the reader. In abstract, you can apply this to any written communication, but what we’re interested in at the moment is the implications for fiction.

When you’re setting up a story, regardless of if you have psychics or not, you need to present information to the reader, to convey your story, while withholding just enough to keep it interesting, without shutting the reader out and holding critical pieces of the narrative out of reach.

Including telepaths in your story… doesn’t really change that. The same basic setup applies. You’re giving the reader information. What has changed is the tools you can use to pass information around. The kinds of puzzles and obstacles you can put in front of your characters change.

Having a necromancer or medium doesn’t mean you can’t tell a murder mystery. The victim may be able to tell them things they wouldn’t get without one, but still not be able to identify the killer. The victim could lie and implicate a rival, be deceived about who killed them, have misleading recollections, or just be a classic red herring.

Having a telepath doesn’t mean they know everything. They may be able to know what someone is thinking, or what they know, but that doesn’t mean they know what someone else is planning. It also doesn’t mean they know the truth. They could still be deceived. By a foe who feeds his own minions false information, or by other means.

Having characters who are prescient are the easiest to deal with. In your setting, either the future is predetermined, and can’t be altered, or it can. If it’s the latter, then as your characters act, based on that information, the predictions will become less accurate. If it’s the former, then you need to be more creative, but it is something you can work with. One good way of handling it is by denying specific context, so your characters (and audience) are presented with a clear moment somewhere in the future, but when the actual event happens, fundamental things about the state of the world have changed, so the actual event is what you saw, but it means something completely different.

J. Michael Straczynski loves engaging in this, describing it as putting all his cards on the table. Yes, you saw what’s going to happen, but not why it would happen, or what it would actually mean in context.

For writing telepaths and for messing with future predictions, I’m actually going to recommend Babylon 5. In an odd moment, I’m actually linking the first season. Most B5 fans, myself included, will tell you to start with the second. The first season is very rough, and it doesn’t quite come together until about half way through the season. Thing is, a lot of really well executed false context future snippets presented. The other part of that is a lot of these take, literally, years, to pay off.

The stuff in B5 with Telepaths is also really useful. There’s fewer episodes to dig up there, though, again, it’s scattered through the entire series.

Another thing to take a look at is Alfred Bester’s The Demolished Man. Straczynski lifted some of his terminology from Bester, along with naming a character after him. So, writing this recommendation immediately after B5 is a little weird.

Finally, if you’ve got a fondness for Warhammer 40k, then Dan Abnett’s Eisenhorn trilogy is far better than I’d expect from tie-in fiction. It’s less mind reading and viewing the future, and more the ability to manipulate people. Still, it’s a very good presentation of a psychic investigator to look at.

-Starke

[writingtildawn]

New writer of a memoir and short stories.  Reviving @prettytildawn beauty blog.