Writerly Ways

[cornerofmadness]

I have been thinking about this for a while but not really sure how to approach it. Telling the story from the wrong point of view. If you're lucky maybe it's only one scene you're mucking about and not your whole story. Sometimes we need to step back and ask ourselves, is this the right character for this?

For example, the Hazbin Hotel pilot was done years before the actual show. There were online comics (only been able to find a few) from nearly a decade before the show. Angel Dust was definitely with Valentino in the old stuff. However, in the pilot, in order to clue the viewers in on a key part of Alastor's character, she has Vaggie telling Angel about him with a 'how do you not know this? You've been in hell longer than me?' Angel responds with I don't like/pay attention to politics.

I think in some ways this was done to establish Vaggie as the competent smart one. And maybe Alastor wasn't meant to be entwined with Vox and Valentino. Maybe the fans are wrong and Angel wasn't with Val for decades (but I doubt it). With the current storyline, it just seems unbelievable he couldn't know who Alastor was when Alastor tangled with Vox/Valentino and Vox has had a hard on about it ever since and Angel lived in Vee Towers until the series opener so now he just looks dumb AF for not knowing this.

A change of character would have benefited this so much. Have Angel tell Vaggie who has only been in hell for a decade and Alastor has been missing for seven years.

I had something similar in my own novel. I was telling the scene from Grace's pov when it really needed to be in Howell's or Dan's. It felt awkward and an alpha reader called me on it. A simple change made the whole scene better.

Have you run across this in your reading? your writing? how did you handle it?


OPEN CALLS

Ten Manuscript Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in September

Wit Tea Stories of any genre that are Wit Tea… erm.. witty… eh? EH? (weird sliding scale of pay)

Trollbreath Magazine Speculative fiction, poetry, and non-fiction of all kinds with a particular fondness for slipstream and fabulism in all their delightful form

Last Girls Club Winter October 2025 Window Secret Police, ICE, and Desperate Times (way too topical for me)

parABnormal Magazine 2025. Paranormal – this includes ghosts, spectres, haunts, various whisperers, and so forth. It also includes shapeshifters and creatures from various folklores.

The Orange & Bee October 2025 Window Original and contemporary short stories, poems, and essays that explore, expand on, and subvert the rich traditions of international folklore, with a strong focus on fairy tales (though we also sometimes dabble in other forms of folklore, such as fables, myths, and legends)

Folklore & Horror Short Stories. The dark side of gothic fantasy and folklore stories

Solar Punk Magazine October 2025 Window Solar Punk with stories that stir readers with themes of defiance, change, and achievement

41 Themed Submission Calls and Contests for September 2025.



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James Patterson offers new writers up to $50,000 to finish their books (will his name be on it too)




From Betty

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Ride the Lightning

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Sometimes writing feels like dropping a pebble in the ocean

Editing for Self-Published Authors: Types of Edits and How to Find the Right Editor.

How to Write Scenes That Drive Plot and Deepen Character

Struggling with a Weak Chapter? Try Rewriting from Another POV HA! Pure coincidence that I found this in Betty's pile of links. Check it out if you want something more coherent than my babble.

Comments

[kitarella_imagines]

Great thoughts about POV! It is a good idea to check which character has the POV and are they the correct one.

[cornerofmadness]

thanks

[spikedluv]

Good point about pov.

[cornerofmadness]

thanks

[suzume]

I found a good place to submit one of my manuscripts to via your first link! Thank you. ^^

[cornerofmadness]

glad to hear it. There's two in there for me.

[suzume]

Yay!

[tellshannon815]

I have changed the POV in a fic before now because it just wasn't coming together with the first character I had in mind - it made more sense with the other character.

[cornerofmadness]

very cool. I think some of writer's block is maybe from us using the wrong character