writing-education-and-stuff

[writing-education-and-stuff]

writing: more memes

Continuation to my last post!

the two moods of reading your own writing:

ooh this part’s pretty good

oHOhooO this part’s so bAD

there is not enough time in the world for me to learn how to edit

much correct. so english. wow

I know the beginning. I know the end. I have no idea what goes between

getting stuck on literally one sentence or one word

when word or docs or whatever it is marks some random grammar thing as incorrect even though it’s fine

this entire page makes no fucking sense

I just thought of another story idea so this story is on hold while I write exactly half a page and then run out of motivation and inspiration

astral projecting and writing at the same time and then having no idea what I just wrote

having to get up and go to the bathroom/eat/drink/sleep/etc. and then thrOWING OFF MY GROOVE

sometimes when I’m really depressed I stare into the eyes of the stuffed elephant sitting on my desk and make it hold me accountable

is this offensive

trying to set up a routine like write write writ wriutwe weriute wrutre woerouanbasdgkjadsfjh

wanting to show someone but also being terrified of showing anyone

trying to make a reference to the date and suddenly realizing I have no idea what the date is

trying to somehow apply the writing advice I get to my actual writing

this one phrase gives me a really nice feeling

this part makes sense to exactly one person. me

#writeblr #writblr #writing memes #writing #writers of tumblr #part two #still don't know how to tag #how do i tag #shit #help me

[writing-education-and-stuff]

epistles: to my anxiety

Before I say anything else, I want to tell you something.

Thank you.

For not being heavily debilitating. For not being bad enough to be clinically diagnosed. Because I know you can be unforgiving and unrelenting and murderous. I know many of your kindred, the ones who lock their fingers around their hosts’ throats and refused to let go until they squeezed out the will to live.

And hey, I’ve met your sibling. For me, Depression is female, and so are you. I suppose that’s because I’m female too. But Depression has visited me, she has made her rounds in my house, but the lights were too bright for her. They’ve dimmed since you came, but they’re not dark enough. I will cling to my lightbulbs.

That being said, I have something else to tell you.

Fuck you.

This is a tribute to missed opportunities, an ode to young regrets. I am not old enough to be wise, but I feel as if I have accumulated enough regrets for a lifetime.

We have had our talks. I expect there will be more. There always are. Remember how we decided that my friends hate me? The shadows of it cling to my relationships. At least you must recall when you talked me out of going to the seventh-grade movie? I missed my chance to stop my friend.

She committed suicide the following Saturday. I can flip off survivor’s guilt all I like, but it still feels like my fault. Our fault.

Furthermore, I don’t mind contributing a few more sleepless nights to list your sins on the insides of my eyelids. You never seem to sleep, but insomnia will settle like a cat by my pillow as I scrawl your crimes, letter by letter.

You are the one who paints tears along my lashes every time the tiniest thing goes wrong. You insist that failure is a luxury I do not have, that I should feel ashamed for being human, with cracks etched into my skin. You insist that anything less than perfect is not a reason to live.

You are the one who hoards my sleep to yourself. Instead of rest and sweet dreams, my mind is stuffed with hypotheticals and disasters. You bring true your own paranoid visions of misperformance.

You are the one dragging hypercritical fingertips up and down every hint of fat, every unwanted wrinkle. You brought Anorexia to my door, and against everything you have taught, I did not let her in. I am losing weight, yes, but in a healthy and cheerful manner. Pride will weave me flower crowns to replace the concrete circlet you forced upon my head.

You are the one sending my brain into lockdown. I have felt words scrape to a halt in my throat, on my tongue, and regretted never saying them. I have felt the blaming prickles of ungiven hugs, hugs that, for all I know, would have made big differences. 

I hardly want to acknowledge you as a part of me. You are a parasite. Something to be rid of. Prudence is a wonderful friend, but you? You are the enemy, woven through neurons and panic attacks. I will get rid of you someday. I will.

And even if you aren’t a parasite, I can still get rid of you. I don’t care if you are a part of me. I will dig fingers into myself and carve you out, just as you have driven my nails into my forearms and made the closet my prison and my paradise.

When I get rid of you, it’s going to hurt, but I will hear the echoing screams of my crimes and mistakes, and it will strengthen my muscles with resolve, it will support my mind with desperate courage. I will fight you tooth and nail until you’re gone, and I will smile at the gaping hole where you used to reside.

Because guess what? I’m still whole without you. And I look forward to that day.

So be afraid of me. Be just as afraid of me as I am of you.

#anxiety #epistle #epistles #to my anxiety #dear anxiety #a letter to myself #a letter to my anxiety #personified anxiety #having anxiety

[writing-education-and-stuff]

writing: the wrong speaker

Look. Look, look, look, look, look, LOOK, I have no idea why this even happens. But it does. I have seen writers put dialogue with the wrong speaker. It looks like this:

“Oh, where’d you go?” John set down his book.

“I just came back from the grocery store. Why, what’s up?” Haley grabbed her milk off the table.

“Nothing much. I was just wondering where you went.”

“I thought you had a basketball game today?”

John tilted his head. “No, they canceled it.”

Now, what if I told you the italicized dialogue is Haley’s dialogue, not John’s? I gave you a mellow example too. It’s confusing, isn’t it? It messes up the reader’s perception of the events and associates characters with events incorrectly.

I don’t personally mind when it happens once or twice with two conditions. One, it can’t and shouldn’t continue for an extensive amount of writing. Two, there should be some form of clarification as to who’s saying what. For example, you can do this:

“Oh, where’d you go, John?” John set down his book.

Or, even better:

“Oh, where’d you go, John?” John set down his book at the question.

It’s the best alternative I have while keeping the sentence grouping the same. By tagging the character’s name, we know it’s Haley who’s asking the question. John would not ask himself where he went. (Not normally, anyway.)

Anyway, just wanted to share that. Bye.

#writing #pet peeves #writing pet peeves #dialogue with the wrong speaker #dialogue #dialogue tags #speaker #writing dialogue #writing conversation #writing problems

[writing-education-and-stuff]

what do you mean “did you come out of a pantry instead of a closet since you’re pan lol”

I

came out of a suitcase

I came out of a suitcase

you fucking cowards

#pansexual #fite me #hi i don't know what i'm doing anymore #slowly losing control #run while you can

[writing-education-and-stuff]

writing: memes

it’s kinda funny when my English teacher goes around pointing out secret meanings in everything but as a writer who knows other writers and how writing goes on I’m just like “heh nope that’s definitely a 4 am shit spiel”

forgetting a character’s name and sitting there going “king- no not king- sounds like- KEANE. IT’S KEANE”

wanting to write but also not wanting to write

who is editing and why is she so complicated

I’m sorry the technical term is what

I’m gonna research this for a sec- never mind I’m conducting an extensive study on antisocial personality disorder now

fuck sleep

fuck me

fuck you

fuck grammar

this makes no sense. like. at all

writing is a conversation between my last brain cell and Microsoft word’s spellcheck

I can’t even carry a conversation why do I expect to be able to write one

it’s 3 am and here I am imagining the continuation of my story, one that I am going to fuck up when I try to write it

WHY AM I ATTACHED TO MY CHARACTERS

it makes sense that way but it’s not...impossible...to do it...this way...

there’s probably a word for this I just don’t know it

writer or serial killer? at this point I am fully willing to be both

write drunk and edit sober?? nah man just do everything high

so I read my writing and I shall yeet myself into the sun. farewell

#writing memes #writing #being a writer #writing problems #writer problems #writer memes #i'm sorry #i just had milk #which makes me high #apparently #am i the only one who goes down rabbit holes for my writing #writer or serial killer? #nah it's writer AND serial killer #anyway #i'm cringy

[writing-education-and-stuff]

info: erik erikson’s stages of psychosocial development

I wrote myself a summary, for convenience. There’s no harm in sharing it with you guys, just in case anybody happens to need it.

Psychosocial Development

Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development derive from Sigmund Freud’s psychosocial theory. These stages describe eight different crises in a person’s life. These turning points help develop their personality and sense of self. The ideal outcome is a balance of both ends of these conflicts (independence without overstepping boundaries, etc.). Failure results in negative qualities that impact adulthood.

Stage 1: Trust vs. Mistrust

Birth–18 months/1 year

Success: Hope (openness to new experiences while being wary of danger and knowing they have support)

Failure: Fear (being mistrusting toward a world that seems unpredictable)

The infant is reliant on its caretakers for everything. A predictable, reliable relationship and feedback encourages trust and self-assurance as opposed to fear and anxiety.

Stage 2: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

18 months/1 year–3 years

Success: Will (acting independently while respecting rules and limits)

Failure: Dependency (feeling inadequate and questioning their abilities)

Erikson believed that toilet training (i.e. gaining control of one’s bodily functions) is crucial to this stage. As independence begins to develop, children’s autonomy needs to be encouraged. An environment where failure is tolerated and independence is encouraged is ideal. Otherwise, they may become overly dependent and/or lack self-esteem. A sense of control is paramount.

Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt

3 years–5 years (Preschool)

Success: Purpose (good leadership and cooperativeness)

Failure: Self-doubt (lack of initiative and confidence)

This is when children begin to assert themselves and take initiative by engaging in play and asking questions. Caretakers should encourage their leadership and curiosity while also tempering their forcefulness. The important thing is to develop their sense of capability and self-control without destroying their self-confidence.

Stage 4: Industry vs. Inferiority

5 years–12 years (Elementary school)

Success: Competence (confidence in their abilities without being immodest)

Failure: Inferiority (questioning their abilities and developing an inferiority complex)

Children begin to develop abilities. They also gain the capacities to feel pride in their accomplishments and seek approval from those around them, especially peers and parents/caretakers. Encouragement reinforces a sense of competency. A lack of support (or a child’s sense that they cannot do what society expects) can cripple their self-esteem.

Stage 5: Identity vs. Role Confusion

12 years–18 years (Teenage years)

Success: Fidelity (integrated values, beliefs, and goals)

Failure: Lack of Identity (lacking direction in life and feeling confused)

Adolescence is the primary period during which teenagers secure a sense of self. They are defining their identity and their place in society as they transition from a child to an adult. They discover who they are and who they want to be. If this fails to happen, they may struggle to find direction in life as an adult.

Stage 6: Intimacy vs. Isolation

18 years–40 years (Young adulthood)

Success: Love (stable long-term relationships)

Failure: Loneliness (emotional isolation and lack of commitment outside of family)

During this stage, young adults develop vital, committed relationships with other people. However, failure in previous stages will hinder relationship development. If the adult is unable to form lasting relationships, they may then experience feelings of loneliness or emotional isolation.

Stage 7: Generativity vs. Stagnation

40 years–65 years (Middle adulthood)

Success: Care (feeling useful and contributing to their community)

Failure: Uninvolvement (shallow involvement and unproductivity)

This is when most people will secure their life’s work, whether that be raising a family, doing volunteer work, being a productive worker, or anything else. A sense of involvement in their home and community helps them leave a mark. Otherwise, they may feel unaccomplished or uninvolved.

Stage 8: Ego Integrity vs. Despair

65 years–death (Late adulthood/old age)

Success: Wisdom (self-acceptance and closure)

Failure: Bitterness (regret and despair)

This is when the elderly reflect on their lives. They will either feel satisfied or unsatisfied with what they have done so far, leading to different results of either wisdom and satisfaction or bitterness and depression.

#erik erikson #psychosocial #eight stages of psychosocial development #psychosocial development #summary #info dump

[writing-education-and-stuff]

writing: my amateur tips (and opinions)

nine times out of ten, it’s never going to be good enough for you. that’s fine. it’ll be good enough for someone else, I promise

it’s probably best to have your plot backbone laid out before you start uploading

in fact, finish your story before you upload it. read over it. edit it. don’t upload it and then regret the mistakes you never fixed

I have a story in the works that’s stupid, stupid long but I’m going to finish the whole thing before I upload

that being said, your writing is more than the sum of your mistakes

know fundamental grammar. you do not have to have a degree in comma splicing, but at least know how basic language mechanics work. your readers are not stupid. good grammar will earn you brownie points

just like anything else, look at your favorite writers. what about them intrigues you? the style, the vocabulary, the eloquence, the plot—any of that and more is something that you can emulate

when editing, leave the writing for at least a week before you edit it. it helps you look at it with a fresh eye

changing the font size, type, etc. also helps you catch mistakes because you’re not so used to seeing it look like that

write important things down. you won’t remember all of it. write down character appearances, important information, etc.

“made” and “was” are best avoided. know when to use adverbs and when not to

I don’t really believe in avoiding dialogue tags. it’s more of a personal decision for me. synonyms for said are not the root of all evil; I mean, we have those words for a reason

during writing, get up and walk around for a while. clear your mind, destress, reevaluate things, reinforce your health, then continue. even five minutes every hour is better than nothing

if you’re aiming at a general audience, using terminology is fine, but if you’re centering something around it, you have two main options

one, provide some form of explanation for that terminology. give them a way to understand it

two, don’t make the terminology exceedingly important. make it so the reader can still enjoy reading without knowing what the terminology implies

at the end of the day, you’re the writer. it’s your call. enjoy yourself

#writing tips #writing #writer #amateur advice #i'm not an expert #i'm just trying to help

[writing-education-and-stuff]

writing: random dialogue

Trash dialogue off the top of my head. The pronouns are they/them because it’s gender-neutral (and plurality-neutral, if that’s a thing). It’s midnight and I’m spouting bad ideas, so here:

“What do you mean they’re dead?”

“I’M THE ONE WHO SHOT THEM, YOU IDIOT!”

“I don’t deny your right to express your opinion, so please do not deny my right to express mine. That being said, I hate you.”

“The only thing that ironically sustains my will to live is the knowledge that there is a parallel universe where none of you fuckers exist. And a parallel universe where I don’t exist.”

“Pardon me, but I have a Ph.D. in Judgmental Ranting, and you are my next topic, so if you’ll sit down, in this essay I will-”

“Ah, my worst enemy. Avocados.”

“I have successfully slept for two days straight. I went to college for this.”

“Of course we have a Plan B! It’s chucking Red Bull at their faces!”

“If they come within three feet of you, shatter their kneecaps and run.”

“If I don’t win a million, then I kill myself. If I do win a million, I kill myself and spend a million dollars on my funeral.”

“I felt that in my feet and my left ear, for some reason.”

“Cross my heart and hope to die! Emphasis on ‘hope to die.’”

“The secrets of the universe are hidden...inside this walnut.”

“Hi so I accidentally instigated an instigation-”

[writing-education-and-stuff]

every once in a while I have the urge to lay on the ground and die

[writing-education-and-stuff]

this might be weird to ask, but how do I critically look at another person's writing and implement what I like in their writing in my own writing? I've been having trouble improving in my writing, and frankly Im not sure how to go about doing that, even. It's easy to see what I like about another person's writing, but hard to pinpoint exactly why...

THIS IS NOT WEIRD TO ASK. It is, in fact, the most important question EVER.

How to Read Like a Writer

Re-read. If you get halfway into a chapter and think, Wow this chapter is super creepy–I wonder how they did that. Or get to the end of a book and think, I feel the poignancy of the fragility of human life in an inherently volatile economic system–I wonder how the writer made me feel that way… Go back and re-read that shit.

Read slowly. When you read like a reader, you read pretty fast. When you go in for your second, or third, or fourth re-read of a passage, chapter, or book that you want to know more about, read it slowly. Really. Slowly.

Read for technique, not content. Readers read for content (”In this paragraph, Damien gave Harold a classified envelope.”). Writers read for technique. (”In this paragraph, the writer made me feel curious about the contents of the envelope by giving sensory details about its appearance and weight.”)

Ask the right questions. They usually start with HOW: How did the writer make me feel? How did they accomplish that?

Read small. Did a chapter make you feel sad? Find out WHERE EXACTLY. What paragraph, sentence, or WORD did it for you? Was it a physical detail? A line of dialogue? A well-placed piece of punctuation? Stories are made of words and sentences. Narrow it down.

Practice. Reading like a writer is a skill that takes time to develop. Over time, you’ll get better at it!

How about y’all? Anything to add to this list? I made it off the top of my head so I’m sure I’m forgetting something. What have been your experiences with learning to read like a writer?

Hope this helps!

//////////////

The Literary Architect is a writing advice blog run by me, Bucket Siler. For more writing help, check out my Free Resource Library or get The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. xoxo

[writing-education-and-stuff]

little things: back to school

I’m starting school next week and the registration is in two days. Perfect time to rant about my problems. The fuckery is about to begin.

as a gen z child, I type more than I write, so every time I get back to school it’s this struggle of getting my hand reacquainted to actually using a pencil

half of the school supplies I’m required to buy are never used

and I go to a private school so it ain’t coming around to them

but on that note, my school is always underfunded

why does it fucking matter how wide my binders are—

summer reading can burn

why do you need to know who I live with you’re teaching me not invading my house

wait—

I’m suddenly cast into an environment where no one understands my jokes because no one’s in the fandom

legit I have held in so many good jokes because no one gets them

my summer sleep schedule will not cooperate with me

fall??? what do you mean it’s fall??? we live in Texas all there is is winter trying to be relevant

at least one of the preppy kids decided they’re gay/lesbian/bi/pan/ace/aro/*insert obscure sexuality here* and will proceed to keep up the facade for three months before dropping it

somebody always has a broken arm

new kids??? nah, we’re a private school. we don’t get new kids

look, so the girls have to wear skirts every Thursday as part of our dress-up day, but either they’re a decent length but are too loose on the waist or fit the waist and look really short

like really I don’t understand you dress code someone as soon as they breathe on a dress-down day and yet the skirts are dysfunctional???

also, the HS and MS girls’ volleyball teams have shorts that end literally at their buttcheeks what is WRONG with you

the teacher who the older students claim is nice but really their only degree is a PhD in systematic favoritism

#back to school #private school #school supplies #dress code #summer is dying help me #why uniforms #seriously what even #asdfjkl

[writing-education-and-stuff]

more incorrect thorki because who needs sleep

Thor: I need someone to be my brother, someone who won't run away

Thor: Maybe send me an angel, the nicest angel you have

Loki, probably: *maniacal laughter*

#incorrect thorki #incorrect marvel #fuck sleep

[writing-education-and-stuff]

virgil's nihilism

Patton: We gotta get to the hospital and we gotta get there fast.

Virgil: Then I should drive.

Roman: Why you?

Virgil: I have nothing to live for and I drive like it.

Roman: Okay, let's do it.

[In the car]

Everyone: *SCREAMS*

#incorrect sander sides #virgil no #virgil being a nihilist #i'm imagining logan being injured because that's the only way virgil would ever get to drive #but also just thomas driving down the road while screaming at the top of his lungs #because when anxiety takes the wheel #you should be ready to die #despite the fact that you're going to a hospital #send help

[writing-education-and-stuff]

a conversation between thor and loki, probably

Loki: So, I saw someone get murdered.

Thor: What? Have they caught the murderer?

Loki: Just kidding, I didn't see someone get murdered.

Thor: Loki, you can't scare me like th-

Loki: I committed the murder.

Thor: What?

Loki: I committed the murder, pussy.

#incorrect thorki #a loose parody to it's vinegar pussy #incorrect marvel #it's 3 am what am i doing

[writing-education-and-stuff]

Apprehensive, but okay...

Hello Tumblr 👋

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We couldn’t be more excited to be joining a team that has a similar mission. Many of you know WordPress.com, Automattic’s flagship product. WordPress.com and Tumblr were both early pioneers among blogging platforms.

Automattic shares our vision to build passionate communities around shared interests and to democratize publishing so that anyone with a story can tell it, especially when they come from under-heard voices and marginalized communities.

We look forward to continuing to create products that empower your self-expression and sense of community and that build a better, more inclusive internet. 

We’re excited for our future together!

<3 Tumblr

[writing-education-and-stuff]

little things: teachers

A compilation of my weird teachers to follow-up on my schoolmates.

the sixth- and seventh-grade shithead of a math teacher is still teaching because her husband is the principal and everybody knows it

the life science teacher will deduct points inconsistently and get mad if you write in the margins of your journal

the sixth-grade geography teacher was an FBI agent and is now also in charge of yelling at whoever dared to fuck shit up under his watch

the new computer science teacher who needs student help to load a powerpoint

the old computer science teacher (who now teaches robotics) has a lazy blind eye that lolls in the outer corner of his eye and stares into your soul

the English teacher, drama teacher, art teacher, earth science teacher, life science teacher, math teacher, Texas history teacher, and choir teacher all play favorites

the speech teacher is an awesome man who spends the last Friday of every month and the last day of school playing student feud (which is exactly like family feud) and throwing candy at whichever team wins

the mathcounts teacher who is either sharing memes or ready to throw hands

the American history teacher who can finish any vine you say, but he’ll censor it with a president’s name

the choir teacher listens to K-pop, and he knows all the references. all of them. literally, someone went “dibidibidis” real quietly and without batting an eye, this six-foot-four Jewish man goes “my name is Minho”

the middle-school Latin teacher has lived through all the shit anyone could live through and is still the world’s sweetest teacher-grandma

#private school #teachers #weird shit #student life #academy

[writing-education-and-stuff]

little things: classmates

A list of weird things my schoolmates do.

Good for writing character quirks, maybe??

every Thursday, we have a dress-up day where we wear dress uniforms, and I have one classmate who always wears combat boots. I don’t know if it’s a passive-aggressive fuck you to the system or whatever, but I never knew skirts and combat boots could go together

all the cross-country boys take off their shirts, so you just glance over to see this mostly sheet-white group of boys jogging around the track

one kid who’s had facial hair since sixth grade

another kid who either curls into the fetal position or squats on his chair instead of sitting normally

that same kid puts everything in his huge rolling backpack. his locker is literally empty

one girl who somehow knows everybody. EVERYBODY

another girl refuses to hug anybody because she always has a thick layer of foundation on her face and neck (the powder type that comes off really easily, you can see it on her collar) and doesn’t want it to come off on someone else’s shirt

one kid who doesn’t have a backpack and resolves to carry three textbooks, a full sheaf of notebook paper, homework, two folders, and a tiny pencil in his hands

our school is fairly small and announces birthdays over the announcements, so a high school junior stores little gifts in their (yes, they’re openly non-binary) locker and gives them to the birthday child

an eight-grade dude who hides under the bleachers and screeches at people. he’s pretty chill otherwise

a high school senior who has the avatar fire symbol shaved in his hair

one girl who has literally 640 pens. she counted them during study hall. she uses all of them

one of my bffs can write you a word for word transcript of a class session. she shorthands them in class, goes home, and writes the full version. I admire and fear her

there’s one kid with a complex joint condition that no one’s heard of that’s kind of similar to eds who has to type everything on a computer because holding a pencil hurts his fingers. one time we were doing a latin review two days before semester finals. he jumps up in the middle of class, yells “SHIT I DELETED IT” and kicked his chair. he broke his ankle

one eighth-grader who brings a cup of Jif to-go peanut butter with two painkillers hidden in it and eats it like pudding every day

#classmate #private school #academy #weird shit #cussing #school #class #teachers #schoolmates