Hey! In your practical writing tips - post you said novels require lots of telling. I've noticed this too when I read, amazing books that tell a lot vs. showing but all advice gears to show and that's what I've been learning to do. Since I can't find anyone that teaches when to tell vs. show and how much tell vs. show is right and why telling is good etc. I was wondering if you could elaborate on this? Why some books that tell a lot are very engaging and others can't keep my attention? I'm so interested to see your thoughts! Thank you.
Like I said in that post, teaching people how to write isn't really my jam so this is less a teaching guide and more just my assorted thoughts on the subject based on my own opinions and the habits that I follow.
I guess what it boils down to is this. You can't really say that either showing or telling is more important in a novel, but the things that you show are perhaps more relevant.
For example, if you describe the morning routine of your character in great detail every single morning, readers are going to get bored. The story will grind to a halt. Yes you're showing us that, which most people would say is a good thing based on "show don't tell", but the information isn't relevant. If you're setting up a fantasy or sci-fi story it might be relevant once or even twice to show us how things work, but not every single time.
Similarly, if your character gets news telling them that someone they love has perished, you don't want to simply say that it made them sad. You want to show us their reaction. What do they do? What do they say? What physical sensations do they have? Are they lightheaded, do they feel out of breath, does their throat hurt because they're trying not to cry? That information is all relevant to the character, the scene, and the reader. If you simply say they're sad, then your story feels too shallow.
Many people might consider dialogue a kind of telling, but really it's both. What the characters say, how they say it, and also what they don't say can show us a lot about who they are as a person, which is relevant information to the audience even if they're simply explaining something that would be considered exposition. But what do your characters actually need to say or hear? And what can you relay to us through something happening in the background, for instance?
And what about the genre? I like to write road trip novels, which means I spend a lot of time showing the minutiae of the journey. That's relevant because the story is the journey that's being taken. But sometimes your characters just have to get from one place to another, and you don't need to get bogged down in it. You can just say that they took a bus or boat or horse or whatever.
Balancing it in any given story is the writing equivalent of "this meeting could have been email". What do you actually have to get together in a conference room to discuss (show the readers in detail) versus what can be summarized in a few sentences in an email? What will make you bored out of your mind if you see too much of it, versus what will leave you lost and confused without it?
And of course just because something is telling or summarized doesn't mean that the way that you write isn't important! Your writing should still be engaging even when you're telling. Pay attention to the words you use, the rhythm of your sentences, the variety of sentence lengths, things like that. If something is pleasant to read it will keep the reader's attention on the page. If the sentence rhythms or lengths are too similar, it becomes "monotone" and causes people's attention to wander.
Something I pay special attention to is that - unless the narrator is subjective or unreliable - I don't tell something about characters in the narration which is shown to be false. Nothing gets me riled up like supposedly objective narration which tells me a character is like so and I should feel like this about them, but then their dialogue and actions reveal that to be patently false and I feel some other way. Of course that is something that relies on the narrator being objective and having access to more information than we do. If it's a POV character who might just be unobservant, overly arrogant, biased, or kinda stupid, that's fine
When it comes to showing versus telling in regards to the background/description...well. I struggle a lot with description because I have almost complete aphantasia and can't visualize things easily. So I cheat! Anything that I describe in detail is something that my POV character is actually paying attention to. The level of detail varies from book to book based on what kind of person has the POV and what sorts of things they notice. And again, that's relevant to the audience because it's information which is relevant to the character. This is also really great way to start building up to any kind of romantic interest, because people do tend to pay a lot more attention to people they're interested in!
I feel like this has gotten really long, so if there's anything that you would like me to elaborate on more or I wasn't clear about, feel free to send another ask! I won't say I'm objectively right (usually lol) but I'm always happy to talk shop.
Hopefully some of it can be helpful to you or at least give you some things to start thinking about. And of course, it's always a good way to start by studying books that you read and seeing what you like and what you don't like and how it's been handled in both.
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I dont think Mob is naive as much as he's socially unaware, like the reason why he trusts Reigen so blindly is a bit more complex than just him being naive
Cause Mob reached out to Reigen because he was desperate to find someone like him, someone who understood his psychic specific issues, someone that could truly know what he's feeling and going through and give him guidance and support
Post incident Mob's thinking process was something along the lines of my powers hurt people -> my powers are bad -> my powers (my emotions, my instincts, myself) cannot be trusted
So he lost all confidence and trust in his own actions, resigning to being as passive as possible to avoid any further damage to anyone else, thus he started doubting his own perception of reality too
He's a kid already struggling with being ostracised for being socially inept, who just got traumatised and all of his insecurity increased by the tenfold, he doesn't know how to process what he's going through. He needs help.
And here comes Reigen, seemingly reliable, a responsible adult in a child's eyes, someone who claims he can understand him
Even tho Reigen doesnt. But it doesn't matter, because Mob finds comfort in his words and takes them to heart
Even if Reigen doesn't fully get it, even if he doesn't see the bigger picture, even if his advice isn't always the best
Eventually, Mob grows up, realises Reigen isn't as honest as he seemed through his 11 year old perspective, but like most things, he refuses to acknowledge it on a deeper level
Mob knows, but never tells Reigen, never thinks about what all those lies mean to him (ofc until he forces himself to face those doubts regarding Reigen, to properly acknowledge both of their flaws and accept them as they are, I should scream into the void about Confession Arc more God)
Due to his lack of trust in himself, Mob has relied on Reigen for years now to shape his moral compass, his thoughts, his decisions
Because well, Reigen lies, sure, but he isnt a bad person. When he hurts Mob, it isn't intentional or with ill intent, he still wants the best for him, what's the issue?
Except that it stunts Mob's growth. He doesn't develop as a person, doesn't have goals or wishes or ambitions, can't make choices on his own, he doesn't even let himself acknowledge his own emotions, he refuses to let himself exist
But Mob realises in time that he wants more than that, he wants to become better and be independent and feel again
Still, he puts the acknowledgement of the lies on hold for as long as he can, unwilling to question the way things are
This can make him feel a little naive, he constantly relies on Reigen and trusts his decisions and raises questions rarely until separation arc when he finally puts his foot down
And I do think that moment is the most resounding proof we have that Mob knows and allows himself to be used by Reigen, not wanting to shake the status quo, until he gets fed up
I mentioned the social ineptitude at the beggining but idk if I should even elaborate on that, you've watched the show, you know what I mean
He's blunt and can't read social cues or tonality that well and can't speak in front of crowds and is overall pretty awkward and I do think some people conflate that with naivety
Mob is still a child, he doesnt fully understand how the world works at the ripe age of 14 years old, but some folks take that as him being inherently naive/innocent/whatever which I don't find true
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Hey bestie sooooo lots of stuff happened and there was an opportunity I was really hoping I was gonna get, and I didn’t. On top of that it went to the same favorite people that get everything every time and I’ve just been feeling really upset and everything so if you’ve got any mingi comfort that would be great. I could just really use a lil virtual hug rn 😅. There’s a bunch of other stuff that led up to this but now im just feeling really hopeless and wanting to give up on my major even though it’s my dream. I think I kinda need to just sit and wallow for a bit and I’ll be fine but if you got any fluff I could use all of it 😅🩷
aw babes i'm sorry to hear that 😭🫂 you and me both honestly really need a virtual hug (nah a real hug actually) and well, i hope you get much better things than what you were aiming for! we never know where the flow of life is gonna take us so hoping for the best for you, always 🩷 and i hope you fight for your dream too! if you want to talk about it, i'm here for you 🩷
a mingi comfort fluff though, who am i to deny you? ;)
there are times in your life when all you want to do is lay down on a bed and sink through it into the void
or lay down on soft grass and hope the ground swallows you
you put a weight over yourself in the form of your blanket- the only physical thing weighing you down among a bunch of other invisible things
but that isn't enough
the warmth of it, the softness of it, it isn't enough
everything is silent. you can hear the static background noise- that's how quiet it is
could this go on forever while you gather your pieces together?
could time stand still for you?
no.
it never will
you're being swallowed by a bunch of thoughts
i'm alone in this world
no one will understand me
everything is over
there's no going back from here
and a bunch of other negative phrases that are murky in your head, but there in all their mighty presence
it feels like everything you've worked for is crumbling down in front of your eyes
everything is going wrong, wrong- where did it all start to go wrong?
you can't quite put a finger to it
all you know is that you are overwhelmingly sad.
the emotion 'sad' didn't make much sense to you- you always thought it was associated with some other emotion or feeling- such as when you lose someone dear and it's associated with grief
but now... you think you're starting to understand a little what's it like to be just sad. the plain old sad
it springs a little sarcastic laugh out of you and you have to purse your lips to keep another awful sound from bubbling out of you
but this time, your ears detect the familiar sound of footsteps in the house and you wonder just how deep in your thoughts you were to miss the sound of the door unlocking
you don't move. you don't make an effort to. you just hope that he goes to take a shower first or starts cooking. you hope he doesn't realise you're home already
you hope you get a little time to yourself so he doesn't have to see you in this state-
but a knock sounds on the door anyway and his voice calls your name, his eyes probably searching the darkness
you hope that he misses your curled figure in the blankets, but he's far too observant for that
he doesn't turn on the lights. you feel the edge of your bed dip as he sits there
"you're not hiding from me... are you?"
it's mingi. you could cry just hearing his voice
"no... just tired. i'll be out in a few minutes."
he doesn't miss the crack in your voice either
"do you want me to give you some space, or do you want me to stay?"
there's one thing you love about mingi. he always asks you what you need
and he always gives you what you ask for
if it's space you need, he will gladly give you it because he realises the importance of personal space and just sorting your own mess yourself
he won't question you until you talk yourself but he will keep reminding you that he's here
he's perfect in that way
but if it's him you need... he'll drop everything to be with you too
he'll either just hold you in silence or mutter affirmations
and for the first time in a while, you don't know what you need
so you tell him exactly that
mingi sighs deeply and gets up. you wonder if he's going to leave so you check through the little gap in the blanket, your heart beating anxiously
but he only draws the curtains apart just a fraction so he can see better
and then he's back, crawling in the bed next to you and asking if he can get in the blanket with you
you allow it. you scoot a bit to give him some space and he positions the blankets so he can hold you in his arms as he lies down next to you
you're slower this time as you make way to him and he notices that too. so he simply just holds you for a while
and you let the tears flow and wet his sweatshirt. you will apologise later, but for now, you can't stop it
his hand caresses your back repeatedly in soft, circular motions. his other hand is holding yours and squeezing it affectionately
you don't know how long you stay like this but at some point, the tears stop flowing and you move a little to wipe your face
"sorry for being a mess," you laugh and he lets out a short chuckle himself
"you know it's perfectly fine with me," he assures you, planting a kiss on the top of your head. "feeling better?"
"a bit, yeah," you tell him. you take a few deep breaths
"what's wrong, love?"
"everything," you sigh. "everything's going wrong at the same time and it's too much, mingi."
mingi brings you back in a hug, this time stronger and a reminder that you're not alone
and you realise that yes- you may have been a little selfish when thinking that you were truly alone in this world
you have him
your constant source of strength, a pillar to lean on
someone who always nudges you in the right direction when you're lost
someone whose words of wisdom heal you
and someone who makes you laugh, especially when he's being goofy like now
"shall we take that little trip now? drop everything and run away?"
"oh, how i wish i could, but i can't run away from this," you sigh.
and just like that, you start talking. slowly, but gradually, you tell him the sequence of events
and he gives you the validation you need- that everything you're feeling right now... it's okay to feel that
he makes you sit in front of him and he holds your hands as you work everything out
he gives objective answers- he knows your strengths and weaknesses, and he suggests the best course
he also plans every possible direction things could go from here on out- something he's really good at
"and like i always say... it can only get better from here, right?"
"sure feels like an all time low, so... yeah?" you say.
"every time i think i'm at an all time low, life throws another one at me"
you laugh at that- he's relatable like this
"well... it can't get worse than this, maybe, yeah?"
"and even if something bad happens," mingi addresses the anxiety in your heart. "even if things don't go as planned and you have to give up something important, you should remember that you're a strong person who can get through this."
you nod, letting his words sink in
"i'm here for you, yes," he says, "but i'm only a guide and emotional support, yeah? whatever you do, it's all you. and you're incredible and amazing. you will get through this. i'm proud of every decision you will make moving forwards. i believe in you, love."
it's all you need to hear and a few tears spill again, but you smile through them as you look at mingi, the dark strands falling over his forehead, his eyes warm
mingi, the person who makes you stand on your own two feet time and time again
mingi, who makes you realise that you can face anything in this world on your own
and mingi, who'll be there when you return from your battles. who'll patch you up, kiss your head and hug you
just like he hugs you now, all warmth and love
he brings you outside so you can eat dinner and it gets better
you don't feel like you're drowning anymore
you're not out of that surface, no, but it's a whole lot better for sure
he talks to you and you address other things in between jokes and kisses exchanged
and when it's time for bed, he holds you, preparing you for tomorrow
it will be okay
you will be okay.
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I've been writing my own sci-fi universe on and off after new Trek disappointed me, and has continued to disappoint me. If I had to sum it up it would be Star Trek but more overtly communist and also military sci-fi.
I've mainly been inspired by things I've read/played/watched, which has mainly been made by white or western creators, so I wanted to ask if you had any recommendations for sci-fi made by POC creators to broaden my horizons.
omg of course!!! (with the caveat that unfortunately non-Western scifi specifically is a bit of a blindspot for me, so most of these will be Western authors of colour)
Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany
Dawn by Octavia E. Butler
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (& i recommend reading the complete trilogy - imo it works best read together as one whole)
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color ed. by Nisi Shawl
How Long 'til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin
I'm Waiting for You and Other Stories by Kim Bo-Young
And 2 that i personally haven't read yet but i think NEED to be mentioned, especially if we're talking space stories:
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee (also military scifi!)
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
also, short story anthologies!!! if you're looking for new authors or want to explore works from a specific culture/place, they're a great way to do that. here's a couple from my own reading list for this year:
Palestine + 100: Stories from a Century after the Nakba
Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction
Readymade Bodhisattva: The Kaya Anthology of South Korean Science Fiction
Sinopticon: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction
& finally, i don't really watch a lot of tv/movies, but i do wanna wholeheartedly recommend:
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Janelle Monáe's Dirty Computer (free on youtube and an absolutely top tier example of afrofuturism)
Nope
They Cloned Tyrone
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I'm curious. I've seen your art and something that's come to my mind is what actually got you attached with the Subway brothers. Your narrative on their different AU forms is so unique which is what brought me to that question
Alright, rat history time.
So basically back in 2021-2022, I was working on an old OC storyline (about 3 years old by then) and I was in grade 9 so I was like “A new Pokémon game? Pfft, like I care” and just didn’t watch any of the stuff related to PLA when it dropped. I still got recommended Twitter posts about it on Instagram and I ended up seeing this one.
I tried looking up Ingo cause I was like "oh, funky design, looks like a captain or something" but I didn't end up finding anything so I didn't press further. Anyways in March break of 2022, I got bored and decided to put some game streams on in the background while I drew. I saw Alpharad's PLA video and decided to watch it for a bit when I saw Ingo.
I was like "Hey you're the guy from Twitter!" and since I knew his name now, I looked him up and found his Bulbapedia article. I found him much more interesting than the rest of the PLA cast since he had history outside PLA, and I ended up reading up whatever I could find on him. I also by extension discovered Emmet this way, which only served to suck me deeper down the rabbit hole. By the end of March break I had a fan OC and 2 AUs made with more on the way, as well as a YouTube recommended page with nothing but theory videos on Ingo and decade old Submas content.
Around May I decided to decommission my OC storyline for personal reasons, and by this point Submas was starting to occupy more of my creative work anyways. Since I didn't have my storyline to put my energy into, I started funnelling literally any story ideas into Submas. This led to nonstop content for a shockingly long time, and ofc I'm still coming up with stuff now.
Long story short, I got attached to them by accident! It was a "right place, right time" sort of thing since they came in as I was starting to get sluggish with my original content and I ended up being more interested in writing for them.
As for narratives, I am effectively playing dolls with these guys. Usually the kind of stuff that I write for them is meant for OCs, but I dumped the 60+ person cast so I put that energy into them instead.
Most AUs will either have a core theme, an out of pocket idea, or both to make things interesting. Usually I just come up with a dumbass idea like "what if we brought ReBURST back for a rerun" or "what if Emmet signed a contract with an eldritch space spider" or "what if Submas could see into the future" and stuff like that, then it picks up themes as I keep writing. For some silly examples:
Burst is based on Pokémon ReBURST and the idea of human-Pokémon fusion, but there's focus on skill, how characters misperceive it, and resentment as a result. There's also a spotlight on inferiority complexes, bottled up guilt, and blind confidence depending on which main character you look at
Journal is about a diary that helps Ingo to regain his memories, and it focuses on remembrance and regret as a result of him reading it. Spotlight on lacking awareness vs hyper awareness and the monotony of living as people around you leave
Oracle is exactly what it sounds like, with the twins being able to see into the future. It focuses on cooperation and the importance of working together, but also learning how to work alone. The spotlight's on jealousy and gratitude for this one, though the latter greatly outweighs the former in this case
I also just have AUs I made to try deranged shit for funsies, like Sapioflora, Cybernetic/Z-Λ, Team Supernova, and Idol. Those are mostly for exploring goofy ideas that may or may not go anywhere.
Right anyways basically I just saw Submas after watching PLA gameplay and found the twins more interesting to write about than the project I'd exhausted by then. The narratives are like that because the AU ideas I make are actually OC concepts that I modify to fit Pokémon specifically for these two or ideas about the two that I'd like to explore. Hope that answers the question ^^*
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