catanya-panda-writes

[catanya-panda-writes]

why yes, during the pandemic i’ve gone back to my wip and re-planned the entire thing, added tons of world-building, further ruined my character’s lives, and had multiple crises over whether this series i’ve had since the dawn of time is even worth working on anymore. why do you ask?

#mine #writing humour #writers on tumblr #writerblr #i'm at my limit #i'm at my fucking limit

[catanya-panda-writes]

I did that thing where I was checking out a wip I haven’t touched in a long while, and before I knew it I was really sucked in and just reading it and enjoying it, and then it just fucking ended abruptly during a good scene and I nearly started screaming, and then I remembered it’s my own fucking wip and that means I have to be the one to fix this and finish it and I really really nearly started screaming and just asdfghjkl

#writing humour #💀💀💀 #i feel personally attacked by this #but at least it means u enjoy ur own writing!

[catanya-panda-writes]

tf is dark academia? just turn on the light

#humour #i- #she got a point 👁👄👁

[catanya-panda-writes]

@chosuae 👀 Wholesome n supportive follower

Reblog and tag your very first follower.

Thank you @dowings for being with me right from the start!

#mutuals #^_^

[catanya-panda-writes]

Literally THE most useful thing you can learn as a writer is how to pitch a story

A good pitch can turn strangers into readers—who might then become fans

#writing advice #pitches

[catanya-panda-writes]

I find it kinda odd how people talk about writing “flawed” characters like the flaws are an afterthought

Like “cool cool we’ve got this perfect hero now to just sprinkle on some Irritability and Trust Issues then microwave for 6 minutes on high until Done”

But I’ve personally found it feels a lot more useful to just… think of the flaws as the Good Traits except bad this time

The protagonist is loyal? Maybe that means they have a hard time recognizing toxic relationships and are easily manipulated by those they want to trust

The hero is compassionate? Maybe they work too hard and overextend themselves trying to help people and then they refuse to ask for help when they need it themselves for fear of burdening others

They’re dedicated to their ideals? Maybe they’re also too stubborn to know when to quit and they have trouble apologizing for their mistakes

If they’re creative, they can also be flighty. If they’re confident, they can be arrogant. If they’re brave, they might be reckless. If they’re smart, they could be condescending. Protective can become controlling, and someone who’s carefree could very well also be emotionally distant

In my opinion, the best “flaws” aren’t just added on afterwards. The best flaws are baked in deep, ‘cause they’re really just virtues turned upside down

#writing advice #ooo

[catanya-panda-writes]

#writing humour #where the fic machine @ tho #👀

[catanya-panda-writes]

An aye-write guide to Showing vs. Telling

I’ll bet that if you’ve ever taken an English class or a creative writing class, you’ll have come across the phrase “Show, don’t tell.”  It’s pretty much a creative writing staple! Anton Chekov once said “ Don’t tell me the moon is shining. Show me the glint of light on broken glass.” In other words, showing should help you to create mental pictures in a reader’s head.

Showing helps readers bond with the characters, helps them experience the emotions and action more vividly, and helps immerse them in the world you have created. So “show, not tell” is definitely not bad advice - in certain circumstances. But it has its place. More on that later. 

So How do I Show? 

Dialogue

Thoughts/Feelings

Actions

Visual Details

So instead, of telling me “He was angry”, show me how his face face flushes red, how his throat tightens, how he slams his fist, how he raises his voice, how his jaw clenches, how he feels hot and prickly, how his breathing gets rapid, how his thoughts turn to static, etc.

Instead of telling me “The cafeteria was in chaos”, you could show me  someone covered in food and slowly turning crimson, children rampaging under the feet of helpless adults, frenzied shouting, etc. 

Handy Hint! Try to avoid phrases like “I heard”, “I felt”, “I smelled”, etc. These are still “telling words” (also known as filters) and may weaken your prose, as your readers could be taken out of the experience and you may lose their attention.

Is Showing Always The Right Thing to Do? 

No! Absolutely not! Showing is not always right and telling is not always wrong! It’s important to develop the skill and instinct to know when to use showing and when to use telling, as both can be appropriate in certain occasions. 

So, “Show, don’t tell” becomes “Show versus tell”. 

What is Showing and Telling? 

Showing is “The grass caressed his feet and a smile softened his eyes. A hot puff of air brushed past his wrinkled cheek as the sky paled yellow, then crimson, and within a breath, electric indigo”

Telling is “The old man stood in the grass and relaxed as the sun went down.”

Both of these excerpts are perfectly acceptable to use in your writing! But both do different things, although their meanings are pretty much the same. The first example is immersive, sweeping, visual, engaging. The second example is much more pared back and functional. But both have their places in prose! 

Telling is functional. Think about when you tell people things. You tell your children dinner is ready. The news reporter tells you there’s a drop in crime rates. Your best friend tells you she’ll be late because her car broke down on the way to yours. These are brief and mundane moments in everyday life. 

So, do these deserve multiple paragraphs with sensory detail and action/feeling/thought for every little thing? Do you need to spend an entire paragraph agonising over a minor detail when there’s a sword dangling (physically or metaphorically) over your MC’s head? No. And I’ll explain why. 

When To Use Telling

As before, telling is functional. It’s brief. It’s efficient. It gives a gist of a situation without getting bogged down in detail.

Showing is slow, rich, expansive, and most certainly not efficient! 

Here’s an example of some telling: 

“Years passed, and I thought of Emily less and less. I confined her to some dark dusty corner of my brain. I had to elbow my memories of her to the side. I was too busy with other things. Finishing school, then university a year later. Life was full and enjoyable. But then, one dark cold September night…”

You can’t show this example, unless you wanted to waste page after page of your MC waking up, going through everyday life, to get to the point your actual story started. If you do that, you will likely kill off any interest a reader would have in your novel and likely, your book itself.

Summing Up 

Showing: 

Should be used for anything dramatic

Uses thoughts, feelings, dialogue, action, and visual detail 

Will likely be used more than telling

Telling: 

Can be used for 

Delivering factual information

Glossing over unnecessary details 

Connecting scenes

Showing the passage of time 

Adding backstory (not all at once!) 

#writing advice #hmmm much to think about

[catanya-panda-writes]

Writing Websites

1. a website with a list of superpowers and what they are

2. a website that generates random au ideas

3. a website that generates names, basic info and futures in a bunch of languages

4. a website that checks your grammar

5. website that lists types of execution in the states

6. a website with info on death certificates

7. a website with info on the four manners of death

8. a website with info on the black plague

9. website with information on depression

10. a website with info on the four types of suicide

11. website that lists famous quotes

12. website with different kinds of quotes

13. a website with info on food in every country

14. a website with a list of different colors

15. website with a list of medieval jobs

16. website with a list of fabrics

17. website with a list of flowers and pictures

18. website with a list of flowers and no pictures

19. website with a list of poisonous plants

20. website with a list of poisonous and non-poisonous plants

21. website with a list of things not to feed your animals

22. website with a list of poisons that can be used to kill people

23. website with info on the international date line

24. website with a list of food allergies

25. website with a list of climates

26. website with info on allergic reactions

27. website with info on fahrenheit and celsius 

28. website with info on color blindness

29. website with a list of medical equipment

30. website with a list of bugs

31. website with an alphabetic list of bugs and their scientific name

32. website with a list of eye colors

33. website (wikipedia sorry) with list of drinks

34. website with a list of religions

35. website with a list of different types of doctors and what they do

36. website (wikipedia again sorry) with a list of hair colors

37. website that generates fantasy names

38. website with a list of body language

39. website with a list of disabilities

40. website with an alphabetic list of disabilities

#writing advice #useful stuff!

[catanya-panda-writes]

sketching a bunch of my ocs instead of writing :)))

#mine #writing humour #i can't get the colours right on one of my characters and it's lowkey killing me? #i haven't written a lot in a really long time #and exam season is coming up soon #s t r e s s

[catanya-panda-writes]

#writing humour #:))))))))))))))))

[catanya-panda-writes]

90% of my writing experience is doing this

#writing humour #my characters are suffering

[catanya-panda-writes]

let’s go more into detail about what misogynoir is so it will be a bit easier for you guys to notice it. on my youtube channel i talk about this subject a lot. if you guys are interested in learning more, please check it out.

#writing advice #black lives matter #i've noticed this too in media #where black women are either villains or stereotyped? #and it's so annoying

[catanya-panda-writes]

seduce me with your book collection

#writing humour #do it i dare u

[catanya-panda-writes]

#mine #(as in i edited this) #writing humour #aaaaa i have ideas but ??? #also i love cat crumb their drawings are adorable jus sayin

[catanya-panda-writes]

CW: abusive relationships, sexual assault/rape (I’m sorry for writing this I know this was supposed to be a cute prompt but it reminded me of stuff and I had to get it out of me aaa)

I bristle at his familiar words. Stupid. Idiot. Dumb. Why am I suddenly so angry at him? Am I tired of him treating me like I’m not smart?

Not that I am smart...he just happens to be brutally honest sometimes. It’s from a place of love, I know that. I should be more grateful, so I swallow my irritation. Yes, I said I’d be less sensitive about these things. More accepting of who he is.

He sighs and resumes chopping onions at the kitchen counter. “Look, I want you to have friends. But I think Kelly...well, she’s not letting you be yourself.”

“All she said was that I deserve better than you.” As soon as the words tumble out, I feel like I’ve made a mistake. I want to take them back almost immediately.

He stares at the knife in his hands for a while, contemplative. “Kelly doesn’t know what she’s talking about. You have the freedom to choose who you want to be with. Not her. We all know you deserve the world, and I’m just honoured that you chose me.” He playfully bows and I smile at his antics and kind words.

“Ah, you’re right. I’m sorry for making such a big deal out of it. Um...do you want any help with dinner?”

He smiles. “You’re so cute. Don’t worry, I’ll treat you tonight. Why don’t you take a nice shower instead?”

Under the steam and hot water, I remember Kelly’s words. He’s controlling. Possessive. He gets angry with you over the smallest things. He calls you crazy and says you’re overreacting. You deserve better.

And then my response: I just mess up sometimes. Maybe we’re a little broken, but that’s okay. We’re in love, after all.

Besides, I get mad at him too. Like when he came home smelling of booze and another girl. At first he was angry with me too, but broke down crying and said he was really just angry at himself. He looked torn and helpless, and my heart went out to him. I forgave him because of that. It was just a drunken mistake.

Another time I blew up at him was when he insisted on fucking me after I told him I wanted to sleep. Eventually I gave in to his pleas, but then he kept going when I was in pain and started sobbing and begging for him to stop. Something shattered inside me at the awful sensation. I felt like I’d been turned inside out. Like a gutted creature lying on the sidewalk, trembling and twitching before it dies. He tried to hold me after he finished, but I couldn’t stop myself from shaking. With a huff of irritation, he turned over and ignored me for the rest of the night.

I lay there in the stillness of the bedroom, trying to quiet my frantic breaths. For a brief moment, an intense hatred burned inside me. I just wanted to sleep, but you forced me. You did this.

The next morning, he apologized with breakfast in bed. He admitted he was a bit of a sadist, embarrassed by the words. We laughed it off. He joked that I was just as sensitive down there as my personality was, and booked an appointment with a doctor to make sure I was okay. He said he felt awful about it, and pampered me for a whole day.

He stayed by my side, even though we both knew I’d overreacted. Even though I’d been horrible to him. I hadn’t let him pursue his desires, had pushed him away. I cried a lot when I realized it was my fault, the guilt eating away at my mind. But he comforted me and said he forgave me.

We’re in love, after all.

Prompt #630

“You really are dumb. I love you, but you’re an idiot.”

#mine #writing prompts #writers on tumblr #short story #contemporary #trauma #i'm sorry for writing this #i wanted this to be cute but my brain was like no #write about some trauma instead #i lowkey hate this story and hate that i wrote it alksfaslkfsld aaaaa

[catanya-panda-writes]

People really out there thinking (in general, not calling anyone out) that authors can’t have similar writing projects while I’m just sitting over here with two stories that are superhero-based because I’ve been inspired by Marvel [for the first one] and the X-Men [for the other]

I also really like superheroes, if anyone can tell

#addison cain: #me: 👁👄👁 #i'm calling her out sry op but it had to be done #she is the karen of omegaverse #and i can't believe i'm saying that