misery-and-magic

[misery-and-magic]

Bad WIP Summary Tag

#writing #the apothecarys tower #between the stars #the berkshire ladys garland #lese majeste

[misery-and-magic]

So... I found this and now it keeps coming to mind. You hear about "life-changing writing advice" all the time and usually its really not—but honestly this is it man.

I'm going to try it.

#writing #how to write good #writing resources

[misery-and-magic]

I've seen posts saying that all the time, and it really discourages my from writing, because like! That's the whole point of my book! I'm trying to portray harmful actions in a real way because We! Are! Human! This shit happens! It doesn't mean I condone some of the stuff I write, because obviously not, but seeing people crying about how people shouldn't write 'sensitive material' is frustrating because they don't know how important it can be! For example, my book is centered around mental health issues and I can't help but feel like if I publish it, there will be a considerable number of people (probably parents) who are upset by it because they don't think depression and suicide are things kids should be taught about! But kids- especially teenagers- need to know that sometimes you have these feelings that aren't good but that's okay because you're not the only one and you still deserve love and care! Reading about this shit is important, because god knows some kids won't be learning about it from anywhere else!

People know that the whole "don't portray [harmful action] because viewers might recreate it" thing is a rule for children's shows right? It's supposed to be shit like "don't show peppa pig playing with fire so we don't get sued if a kid watches it and burns their house down." Not like, fanfiction for adults.

#writing #how to write good #rant #tw: mental health #tw: suicide #tw: depression #honestly it shocks me how many people would rather their kids be traumatized and suffering instead of letting them talk about their feeling #kids are people too

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"you have a responsibility to consider how your writing would affect other people" literally 50% of writing is manipulating the audience by setting tone and mood and drawing them in to fuck with their emotions. writers do NOTHING but consider how our writing is affecting other people and this is implying that our moral imperative is to make them feel warm and fuzzy which it is not

#I did consider how my writing will affect other people #and the intended effect is to make them cry #between the stars #if you want warm and fuzzy you'll get it #but the price is getting your heart ripped out

[misery-and-magic]

good traits gone bad

perfectionism - never being satisfied

honesty - coming off as rude and insensitive

devotion - can turn into obsession

generosity - being taken advantage of

loyalty - can make them blind for character faults in others

being dependable - always depending on them

ambitiousness - coming off as ruthless

optimism - not being realistic

diligence - not able to bend strict rules

protectiveness - being overprotective

cautiousness - never risking anything

being determined - too focussed on one thing

persuasiveness - coming off as manipulative

tidiness - can become an obsession

being realistic - being seen as pessimistic

assertiveness - coming off as bossy

pride - not accepting help from others

innocence - being seen as naive

selflessness - not thinking about themself enough

being forgiving - not holding others accountable

curiosity - asking too much questions

persistence - being seen as annoying

being charming - can seem manipulative

modesty - not reaching for more

confidence - coming off as arrogant

wit/humor - not taking things serious

patience - being left hanging

strategic - coming off as calculated

being caring - being overbearing

tolerance - being expected to tolerate a lot

eagerness - coming off as impatient

being observant - being seen as nosy

independence - not accepting help

being considerate - forgetting about themself

fearlessness - ignoring real danger

politeness - not telling what they really think

reliability - being taken advantage of

empathy - getting overwhelmed with feeling too much for other people

#tagging this for later use #how to write good

[misery-and-magic]

Tag your oc who has scars/marks that constantly remind them of horrible backstory you probably gave them.

You know the one.

#oc: sam #between the stars

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#this is why I love road trips so much

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#god if this isnt me every day #god if this isnt me right now

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I’m not canonically autistic but it’s strongly implied

[misery-and-magic]

For all my fellow Aussies remember, voting yes in the referendum quite literally means that Indigenous Australians will get a proper spot in parliament. If someone tells you to vote no they are racist, there is no reason why Indigenous Australians shouldn’t be allowed in parliament.

Vote Yes!

[misery-and-magic]

But that's the great thing! You don't have to do too much legwork. Somewhere around here there's a post circulating about lore that says you only need three layers to make it seem fleshed out. Which is code for Make Up Random Shit To Explain The Random Shit.

For example- "Ugh, why are you quoting Lord McKellan? His theories on the gods [or whatever pertains to the scene] are so pretentious, I can barely stomach reading them." "And you think Sir Lee is any better?! He was a drunk who couldn't find his way out of a paper bag!" "Puh-lease, the Chronicles of the Fifth Age are so full of continuity errors it's a wonder it got published!"

Or,

"I remember reading about this type of magic in Mortenson's Treatise on the Old Ways." "Oh, don't start that again. You know Bloom's Trilogy is the official text of the Council of Sorcerers, so why bring up that outdated nonsense?" "Because he's right! Bloom's Trilogy is half propoganda, that's why they use it!"

The great thing about this is, you don't have to be Tolkien. You don't have to invent a language [unless you want to] and you don't actually have to write these fantasy fantasy books [unless you want to]. No one's going to come to you and demand to read them, and if they ask for a specific detail, make something up! All you need is an author they can quote, a title they can reference, and some random facts about either that contribute to the scene- and that's as far as you have to go. Look at the world-building bricks that shook loose from these ten sentences I pulled out of my ass!

Sure, maybe they won't understand the nuance of the book or author specifically, but they'll understand the nuance as it contributes to the scene, and to the character dynamic. And that's never wasted effort.

if darius and laila were characters in this world i could ramp up their intellectual snobbery by having them poke at each other over their literary/media interests but we're set in a fantasy world and i'm not doing the legwork of inventing bodies of literature for the sake of crafting conversations that people wouldn't be able to understand the nuances of anyway. it's just wasted effort. 😔

#writing #writing resources #how to write good

[misery-and-magic]

I keep seeing people making fun of using growled, hissed, roared, snarled etc in writing and it’s like.

have you never heard someone speak with the gravel in their voice when they get angry? Because that’s what a growl is.

Have you never heard someone sharply whisper something through the thin space of their teeth? Or when your mother sharply told you to stop it in public as a kid when you were acting up/being too loud? Because that’s what a hiss is.

Have you never heard a man get so blackout angry that their voice BOOMS through the house? Because that’s what a roar is.

Have you never seen someone bare their teeth while talking to accentuate their frustration or anger while speaking with a vicious tone? Because that’s what snarling is.

It’s not meant to be a literal animal noise. For the love of god, not every description is literal. I get some people are genuinely confused, but also some of these people are genuinely unimaginative as fuck.

[misery-and-magic]

every time I see the words “Tolkien ripoff” in reference to fantasy I laugh, because while there’s a lot of Tolkien ripoff in worldbuilding it almost never crops up in plot or theme or characterization

like

where are my stories about the decay of the world from the glory of days gone by?

where’s the motif of limb loss?

where’s the longing for the return of something worth following?

where are the bloodthirsty oaths that tear sanity to shreds?

where are the evil spirits who try and destroy the gods with steampunk V-1 buzz bombs (looking at you, The Lost Road)?

where’s my continent-wide dialectical shift ending in massive arguments over the proper pronunciation of a name? where’s my family drama centered around sparkly rocks? where are my dragons the size of mountain ranges?

[misery-and-magic]

#this is me except they overlap #so it’s just a consistent ongoing struggle #like when one finishes its three years #I’ve got another one that’s only at two #one that’s at one and a half #and three more that are less than a year along

[misery-and-magic]

#illustration #artists on tumblr #cool art

[misery-and-magic]

Good morning everybody