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natashacoco · 2 months
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Some of my writer’s block cures:
Handwrite. (If you already are, write in a different coloured pen.)
Write outside or at a different location.
Read.
Look up some writing prompts.
Take a break. Do something different. Comeback to it later.
Write something else. (A different WIP, a poem, a quick short story, etc.)
Find inspiring writing music playlists on YouTube. (Themed music, POV playlists, ambient music, etc.)
Do some character or story prompts/questions to get a better idea of who or what you’re writing.
Word sprints. Set a timer and write as much as you can. Not a lot of time to overthink things.
Set your own goals and deadlines.
Write another scene from your WIP. (You don’t have to write in order.) Write a scene you want to write, or the ending. (You can change it or scrap it if it doesn’t fit into your story later.)
Write a scene for your WIP that you will never post/add to your story. A prologue, a different P.O.V., how your characters would react in a situation that’s not in your story, a flashback, etc.
Write down a bunch of ideas. Things that could happen, thing that will never happen, good things, bad things.
Change the weather (in the story of course.)
Feel free to add your own.
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natashacoco · 4 months
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slow it down, down, down
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natashacoco · 4 months
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It wouldn’t be historically accurate for my story to include BIPOC!
This is an argument often made about European-style fantasy media like Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and Disney’s Frozen. Audiences, often white, assume that due to the majority-white setting, adding any visible number of BIPOC to the story would be unrealistic.
What these critics fail to realize is that BIPOC do in fact live, and have lived, in these settings, and records of BIPOC presence in places assumed to be majority-white have been buried, written out, or not taught due to white supremacist and/or colonial bias in the field of history. There are historical European settings that were far more diverse than is often portrayed. Consider:
The Moorish Empire exerted an extensive influence over life and culture in Southern Europe from Spain from 711 to 1492
The Ottomans were heavily involved in European affairs up until the treaty of Karlowitz in 1699, but still considered a part of Europe even through the 19th century
The sheer size of the Roman Empire ensured the continued movement of people from various backgrounds within the Mediterranean well until the end of the Byzantine Empire.
“Historical accuracy” should not be used as an excuse for media to be exclusively white in its casting. While there are places which are or were predominantly white, there will always be factors like global trade and immigration that bring multiculturalism to their doors.
And even if the presence of a certain demographic is unrealistic for a certain setting? Consider that we’ve accepted far worse inaccuracies in historical fiction in the name of artistic license. Consider that our understanding of human history is, and will always be, incomplete.
Further Reading:
Historically Diverse London, “Historical Accuracy,” and Creator Accountability
Making a Black Pride and Prejudice Resonate
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This Q&A is an excerpt from our General FAQ for Newcomers, which can be found in our new Masterpost of rules and FAQs. If you're new to Writing With Color and/or want more writing resources, check it out!
-Writing With Color
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natashacoco · 4 months
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I’m afraid my character has stereotypical traits. How do I avoid making them a caricature?
Is your character composed of several stereotypical traits, or is it just the one? Are they allowed to act and think in ways that are not confined to stereotypes? The more three-dimensional your character is, the less they are defined by the stereotypes.
One strategy that works in some cases is the “offset” character. This refers to weakening character A’s stereotype by including a character B of the same identity who isn’t stereotypical in that way. Say you have a selfless, “motherly” Black woman who looks after the cast. In addition to developing her own arc and her own desires, try adding a Black woman character with 0 maternal instinct who goes full steam ahead with her goals.
Trace your logic as to why you decided to give certain traits to a character of a certain identity. Our aptly named #trace your logic tag contains examples where we prompt the asker to interrogate their intentions behind certain ideas. Try to ask yourself the same questions.
Further reading:
Tropes and Stereotypes
Stereotyped vs Nuanced Characters and Audience Perception
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This Q&A is an excerpt from our General FAQ for Newcomers, which can be found in our new Masterpost of rules and FAQs. For more advice on writing with diversity, start there!
-Writing With Color
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natashacoco · 6 months
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“If you are ever feeling lonely look towards the moon, someone somewhere is looking at it too.”
— thehopefulquotes
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natashacoco · 7 months
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Did I daydream this, or was there a website for writers with like. A ridiculous quantity of descriptive aid. Like I remember clicking on " inside a cinema " or something like that. Then, BAM. Here's a list of smell and sounds. I can't remember it for the life of me, but if someone else can, help a bitch out <3
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natashacoco · 7 months
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Black sexuality representation we want to see
@sapphosigns asked:
Greetings =) I was wondering if any Black mods and followers would be up to sharing your thoughts/feelings on portrayals of Black characters sexuality- given that a lot of portrayals hypersexualise or fetishize. What would you want to see/feel is more balanced given the way black people are treated in media at large? (thank you for doing what you do with this blog)
Here is my opinion on things that should be more represented in relationships involving Black characters, concerning their sexuality:
More queer relationships.
Black gay men or women
Bisexual characters
Aromantic or asexual characters too
Even though we tend to be more closeted depending on how theses identities are viewed in our communities (generally for religious motives), Black people aren’t “more straight” than White people for example.
Healthy and light-hearted relationships
Relationship not rooted in trauma or violence.
Going with that, more tenderness and romanticism too, with the funny-awkward moments that go with it.
Weird love declarations, embarrassing but lovingly awkward sexual situations.
Healthy family dynamics
I also want to add that it extends to family dynamics.
Black characters having a present partner for their children or having both their parents together (to be careful with the Absent Black Father trope).
More relationships involving two Black characters
More relationships involving two Black characters!! Lots of relationships involving a Black character involve a White lover. While this is okay, Black love could be a bit more depicted outside the romance genre (I’m thinking fantasy and science-fiction, or Young Adult).
More interracial relationships not involving a white partner.
These relationships can be harder to find in literature, due to the prevalence of the White lover.
There’s an amazing french graphic novel titled Amours croisées by Laura Nsafou and Camélia Blandeau which depicts Yari, a Black girl living in Paris, falling in love with Hide, who has East-Asian origins and mostly… is polyamourous. The graphic novel is about discovering different ways to love, including inside your own relationship. The drawing style and the plot are really soft. That’s an example of what can be done to depict our relationships in a caring way.
-Mod Lydie
Black followers, please add the BIPOC queer representation you want to see!
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natashacoco · 7 months
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subtle ways to include foreshadowing
one character knowing something offhandedly that they shouldn't, isn't addressed until later
the crow rhyme
colours!! esp if like, blue is evil in your world and the mc's best friend is always noted to wear blue...betrayal?
write with the ending in mind
use patterns from tragic past events to warn of the future
keep the characters distracted! run it in the background until the grand reveal
WEATHER.
do some research into Chekhov's gun
mention something that the mc dismisses over and over
KEEP TRACK OF WHAT YOU PUT. don't leave things hanging.
unreliable characters giving information that turn out to be true
flowers and names with meanings
anything with meanings actually
metaphors. if one character describes another as "a real demon" and the other turns out to be the bad guy, you're kind of like...ohhh yeahhh
anyways add anything else in the tags
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natashacoco · 8 months
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natashacoco · 8 months
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Callum Turner as Theseus Scamander Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) dir. David Yates
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natashacoco · 10 months
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dpr ian // zach sang show
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natashacoco · 10 months
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dpr ian // viu1 hk interview
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natashacoco · 10 months
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Spirited Away (2001) dir. Hayao Miyazaki
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natashacoco · 10 months
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Howl and Sophie 🌸
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natashacoco · 10 months
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I’m Kiki, a witch, and this black cat is Jiji.
KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE ‘魔女の宅急便’ (1989) dir. Hayao Miyazaki
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natashacoco · 10 months
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I think something’s wrong with me. I make friends, then suddenly I can’t bear to be with any of them. The other me, the cheerful and honest one… went away somewhere.
Kiki’s Delivery Service 1989 • dir. Hayao Miyazaki
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natashacoco · 10 months
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A heart’s a heavy burden.
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