Writerly Ways
Aug. 25th, 2024 10:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessI, like most authors, want to pack in as much emotion (and emotional trauma) as I can in a story. However sometimes we manage it in inauthentic ways, not on purpose but because we're trying to be clever, deliver that 'big twist' or just don't have a great handle on some things because we're reaching (I mean I have no idea how to be a drug addicted sex worker but writing Angel Dust fan fic (and some of my own characters) I've had to at least try to think like one.
We often reach out and read 'how tos' all over the place (I mean I DO write this post every weekend chock full of links) but at the end of the day not all of them are helpful and many don't look at this in a way that makes sense to everyone. And let's be clear here, we ALL make mistakes and see things in different ways such as you'll see in my examples in a minute.
I just finished one YA horror that was pretty darned good. However, there were some emotional missteps. One could have been fixed with a little editing (the constant emo-ing about losing her friends 3 years ago that takes up every conscious minute) and the other was I think trying to be a twist but felt like at the 3/4s mark the protagonist suddenly wakes up and realizes she's gay. We've all seen things and wondered WHY would ANYONE act like the thing we just saw/read/heard. Sometimes the answer is as simple as we don't understand that psychology that would make it believable and so it wasn't present in the narrative.
To that end I'm sharing Georgia Dow's stuff. She's not a writer but a therapist who loves analyzing characters in fandoms I like (there are other therapists out there too and it's interesting to give them a listen, to learn how people think/react/adapt. I first found here via The Owl House but all of those have disappeared off YT so here are some (one I think I've shared before) others so you can get a taste of it.
Here's one looking at Husk's psychology and how some of us keep people at a distance. (also there is a fair amount of disagreement with one of her statements and I'm rather with them vs her when she takes Husk to task for being a bit harsh to Angel's constant sexual inneundos which are very unwanted)
This one is very spoilery if you are NOT fully caught up with Helluva Boss but it's a good look at a relationship self destructing and what happens when partners are at unequal status (which is a trope a lot of people enjoy)
A good one looking at depression which a lot of characters (and authors and readers) struggle with
And a look at Wednesday and bad therapy
OPEN CALLS
Solarpunk Magazine October 2024 Window
Heartlines Spec September 2024 Window Speculative stories that feature long-term relationships Note: Looking for writers who live or used to live in Canada
Reckoning 9 No set theme or genre as long, though they lean towards any aspect of environmental justice, from food sovereignty to ocean plastics to industrial cleanup to Indigenous rights
Space Cowboys 6 Cowboys… In Space!
The Garlic Press: Now Seeking Submissions
72 Manuscript Publishers With Geographic Limitations
From Around the web
How to create an elevator pitch: Novel pitches that sell
Writers With ADHD: Strategies for Navigating the Writing Process
Who Are You?
Ten Ways I Found Homes for My Work (And Became a Better Writer)
Writer Fuel: Living the Author Life
Remove Filters and Strengthen Your Fiction I now do a filter search on everything original and my writing is much better for it
Writing 101: What The Heck Is a Turning Point?
How to Actually Stay Focused On Your Writing in the Age of Distraction
Generate Greater Book Profits in 4 Easy Steps
How to Write a Chapter Outline in 7 Steps
How to Write Faster to Meet Your Writing Goals
From Betty
Five Places Writers Tell When They Should Show
Breaking Your Prose in the Right Places
Four Ways to Jump-Start a Slow Beginning
Spicing Up Your World’s Chemical Makeup
How to Avoid a False Ending
10 Self-Editing Tips for Fiction Writers
Where oh Where do I Publish my Books? Here are 8 Ways.
Understand Your Writing Process for Better Results
Pantsing Myself Out of A Corner
Write Tip: To Fix a Scene, Sniff Out the Tick
Creating Suspense in any Genre
What Characterization Detail Gives Your Protagonist More Depth?
Developing Story Ideas: Five Essential Sources of Inspiration
Five Ways to Stay Relevant as an Author
We often reach out and read 'how tos' all over the place (I mean I DO write this post every weekend chock full of links) but at the end of the day not all of them are helpful and many don't look at this in a way that makes sense to everyone. And let's be clear here, we ALL make mistakes and see things in different ways such as you'll see in my examples in a minute.
I just finished one YA horror that was pretty darned good. However, there were some emotional missteps. One could have been fixed with a little editing (the constant emo-ing about losing her friends 3 years ago that takes up every conscious minute) and the other was I think trying to be a twist but felt like at the 3/4s mark the protagonist suddenly wakes up and realizes she's gay. We've all seen things and wondered WHY would ANYONE act like the thing we just saw/read/heard. Sometimes the answer is as simple as we don't understand that psychology that would make it believable and so it wasn't present in the narrative.
To that end I'm sharing Georgia Dow's stuff. She's not a writer but a therapist who loves analyzing characters in fandoms I like (there are other therapists out there too and it's interesting to give them a listen, to learn how people think/react/adapt. I first found here via The Owl House but all of those have disappeared off YT so here are some (one I think I've shared before) others so you can get a taste of it.
Here's one looking at Husk's psychology and how some of us keep people at a distance. (also there is a fair amount of disagreement with one of her statements and I'm rather with them vs her when she takes Husk to task for being a bit harsh to Angel's constant sexual inneundos which are very unwanted)
This one is very spoilery if you are NOT fully caught up with Helluva Boss but it's a good look at a relationship self destructing and what happens when partners are at unequal status (which is a trope a lot of people enjoy)
A good one looking at depression which a lot of characters (and authors and readers) struggle with
And a look at Wednesday and bad therapy
OPEN CALLS
Solarpunk Magazine October 2024 Window
Heartlines Spec September 2024 Window Speculative stories that feature long-term relationships Note: Looking for writers who live or used to live in Canada
Reckoning 9 No set theme or genre as long, though they lean towards any aspect of environmental justice, from food sovereignty to ocean plastics to industrial cleanup to Indigenous rights
Space Cowboys 6 Cowboys… In Space!
The Garlic Press: Now Seeking Submissions
72 Manuscript Publishers With Geographic Limitations
From Around the web
How to create an elevator pitch: Novel pitches that sell
Writers With ADHD: Strategies for Navigating the Writing Process
Who Are You?
Ten Ways I Found Homes for My Work (And Became a Better Writer)
Writer Fuel: Living the Author Life
Remove Filters and Strengthen Your Fiction I now do a filter search on everything original and my writing is much better for it
Writing 101: What The Heck Is a Turning Point?
How to Actually Stay Focused On Your Writing in the Age of Distraction
Generate Greater Book Profits in 4 Easy Steps
How to Write a Chapter Outline in 7 Steps
How to Write Faster to Meet Your Writing Goals
From Betty
Five Places Writers Tell When They Should Show
Breaking Your Prose in the Right Places
Four Ways to Jump-Start a Slow Beginning
Spicing Up Your World’s Chemical Makeup
How to Avoid a False Ending
10 Self-Editing Tips for Fiction Writers
Where oh Where do I Publish my Books? Here are 8 Ways.
Understand Your Writing Process for Better Results
Pantsing Myself Out of A Corner
Write Tip: To Fix a Scene, Sniff Out the Tick
Creating Suspense in any Genre
What Characterization Detail Gives Your Protagonist More Depth?
Developing Story Ideas: Five Essential Sources of Inspiration
Five Ways to Stay Relevant as an Author
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Date: 2024-08-26 12:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-08-26 03:09 pm (UTC)Unfortunately I can write addiction from a lot of personal experiences as both being related to many addicts and watching the warning signs popping up within myself.