#because i also like to read many different genres and tropes and varied structures

[theminecraftbee]

I’ve been seeing some writing advice that annoys me lately, and so, here’s some advice about writing advice from me:

“your teachers taught you wrong”, “unlearn the way your teachers taught you x”, and “you don’t learn in school” kinds of framings are often disingenuous. normally at the middle/high school level you aren’t learning creative writing, which is what most writing advice posts on tumblr, by contrast, are about. yes there ARE problems with the five paragraph essay and similar structures, but those are mostly to teach you how to structure an argument, not to teach you how to write a short story or novel. your teachers weren’t misleading you; your teachers were teaching you to do something totally different than what you’re trying to do now. cut them some slack and remember that you do have to know the basic principles to know when to break them.

gonna say that again: advice that says “throw out this basic convention/grammatical rule/formatting standard” is missing the point of throwing those things out. yes, in creative writing you can throw all of that out if you want to. however, you have to know the basic rules to understand when to break them. basic rules are there because they’re relatively easy to understand for the reader and largely invisible; breaking those rules becomes noticeable. just make sure you’re breaking them because you want it to be noticed, and in a way that makes it so your point is still legible. (similarly, advice saying “never throw this thing out” is probably also missing the point.)

advice suggesting to always structure sentences or paragraphs a certain length is typically wrong. the actual answer is typically that you should vary it. varied sentence structure and paragraph length is easier and more interesting to read than it all being the same, and the more extreme breaks of pattern become more noticeable and impactful if you don’t do them the whole time. so like, yeah, keep that in mind.

you do have to still read. sorry there really isn’t getting around it, if you want to write good you need to read the kinds of things you want to write.

the lines between “trope”, “cliche”, “beloved genre convention”, and “emotional and impactful twist” are super thin and depends on circumstance. unless the thing is like, actively racist, there aren’t many tropes/cliches/conventions that are universally bad. they’re tools for the circumstance. this is where knowing what tone you’re going for helps a lot and can help you figure out what tools are most useful.

genres are marketing tools and shouldn’t be the driver of what you write. however, genres have fans for a reason, and understanding the conventions of the genre you’re trying to write will help you a lot. yes this is contradictory I know but that’s just how life is. generally ignore advice about a genre that comes from someone who doesn’t like that genre, but also ignore advice that suggests that you can never do something in a specific genre (once again useless it’s actively bigoted or something you know the drill).

it’s actually perfectly okay to write for other people. you should know what audience you’re writing for. just don’t write entirely for other people, and if the numbers make you feel bad, find ways to cut the numbers out of your life. you should write what makes you happiest, after all. for most of us on tumblr this is a hobby and not a job. you just don’t have to feel guilty for imagining an imaginary audience while writing or even getting validation from a real audience, because those things are perfectly normal too.

you don’t have to write every day unless you want to. practice is important to write good, as is like, actually writing, but burnout will hurt you, so figure out a pace that works for you. as long as that pace makes sure you still write with somewhat regularity, it is between you and no one else how many words that is or how frequent it is.

you’re here to have fun. sometimes it won’t be fun; sometimes it’ll be emotional or a grind or frustrating or infuriating. that’s fine too, you don’t have to feel ecstatic glee every moment of the writing process. you’re allowed to have bad writing days. you also shouldn’t feel miserable the whole time. if you don’t have fun when you’re writing ever, not even the euphoria of having a completed final product, then take a step back.

you’re doing great, I promise. writing advice is bullshit. even this advice is probably bullshit. do what works for you. this is the literal definition of an art and not a science, after all.

#i. should know better than this but I’m in a mood so if you know what prompted this no you don’t #anyway most writing advice is bullshit that’s the point

[aquietwritingcorner]

What do you mean it was structured differently? What was it like?

You certainly have a lot of questions, Anon.

Ah, okay, so, since this was, like, almost 20 years ago for me, let me see what I can remember.

So these awards were focused specifically on fan fiction. Fan comics weren't really a part of it. If there were awards for that, I was not aware of them.

The fanfics also had to be published within a certain time frame. So, for exampled, if they were the 2023 Fanfic Awards, then only stories published/updated from January 1st 2023 through December 31st 2023 would qualify. If it was outside of that time frame, it wasn't eligible. From my understanding, this was so the same big stories wouldn't just keep winning over and over again, but new things would have attention brought to them as well.

There wasn't one big "winner" if I remember correctly either. There were multiple categories with 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mention awards in each of them. Categories ranged from "Best [version] depiction" to "Best [character] scene" to "Best [genre]" to "Best One-shot", "Best multi-chapter," "Best on-going story," to even "Best crossover." I'm sure there were more, but that's what I'm remembering atm ^^;

Honestly, you could make so many categories if someone wanted to do this now, that it would be a little overwhelming. You could not only have a category for each version, but you could also have a category for each version's character. Best 2k3 Don, Best 12 Don, Best 87 Don, Best Rise Don, etc. You could even get silly with it and do stuff like Best OOC (on purpose) story, Best use of [random object], best subverting of character trope. There's a ton that could be done.

The contest basically took two to three months. There was the gathering period, where people could submit stories. Authors weren't allowed to submit their own stories, but to be fair, back then, most of us fic authors knew each other and interacted, and our readers interacted, so things didn't slip through the cracks as easily as I could see it happening now. After the submission period was over, the mods would put together a list, showing what fics had been nominated for what categories, and a month long reading period began. After that, voting was opened up, and you emailed your ballot to a particular email address. After the voting was finished, the votes were tallied, and the winners were announced and given certificates made by fan artists.

I don't remember for sure, but at one point I think they might have had to cap the entries they listed for voting, simply because of how many submissions they were getting. Or maybe they capped how many stories someone could submit? I'm not sure. But I think they had to find a way to cap it as the awards and the fanfic community grew.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some things, especially as I never ran the contest, just participated in it a little, but to be honest, I really liked the way that it was set up. There were lots of winners, because there were lots of different categories, because the stories were so varied. And while, sure, the big names got attention and probably a lot of votes, there were a lot of smaller creators that got promo'd because of the time frame restriction, among other things. And it was nice!

But, as you can see, it was structured very differently from the comps we have going on today. Both have their merits. Both have their drawbacks. Maybe someone will find some sort of meeting in the middle that'll be the best of both worlds!

#anon ask #answered ask #author speaks

[terramythos]

TerraMythos' 2020 Reading Challenge - Book 27 of 26

Title: How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? (2018)

Author: N. K. Jemisin

Genre/Tags: Short Story Collection, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Dystopia, Magical Realism, Steampunk, Cyberpunk, Post-Apocalyptic, Female Protagonist(s), LGBT Protagonist(s).

Rating: 8/10 (Note: This is an average of all the stories -- see below the cut for individual story blurbs/ratings).

Date Began: 9/27/2020

Date Finished: 10/4/2020

I really liked this collection! Jemisin wrote my favorite fanstasy/scifi series ever with The Broken Earth trilogy, and I really enjoyed her recent novel The City We Became. I was in the mindset for shorter fiction so decided to read this collection of short stories. Of these 22 stories, my absolute favorites (9/10 or higher) were:

The City Born Great - 10/10

The Effluent Engine - 9/10

Cloud Dragon Skies - 9/10

The Trojan Girl -10/10

Valedictorian - 9/10

The Evaluators - 10/10

Stone Hunger - 9/10

The Narcomancer - 9/10

Too Many Yesterdays, Not Enough Tomorrows - 9/10

Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints, in the City Beneath the Still Waters - 9/10

A more detailed summary/reaction to each story under the cut. WARNING: IT’S LONG.

1. Those Who Stay and Fight - 8/10  

Describes a utopia called Um-Helat that exists solely because no one is seen as superior or inferior to anyone else. Over time we learn it's a future, or potential future, of America. But America today is pure anathema to it due to rampant structural inequality. In order to achieve its utopian ideal, Um-Helatians have to root out and destroy people corrupted by the past.

This story was apparently written as a tribute/response to the Ursula K. Le Guin story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”. I first read this without context, then went and read the Le Guin story. I definitely see the parallels. Both feature a narrator describing a wonderful utopia in the midst of festival, trying to convince the reader of the place's existence, before introducing something dark that is the price of the utopia. In the Le Guin story, the utopia exists at the price of the horrible misery and suffering of one child, and everyone is aware of it. Most live with it, but a few leave for the unknown rather than continue to live there (hence the title). In Jemisin's story, the price is instead the annihilation of those tainted by exposure to the evils of the past. The choice, instead of leaving, is for those tainted yet capable to become protectors of the new world, or die.

The thesis is pretty clear: that only by abandoning horrible ideologies and refusing to give them any ground or quarter can a utopian society truly exist. I will say that rings clear, especially when one considers Naziism and fascism. Not all ideologies deserve the light of day or debate, and even entertaining them as valid allows it to take hold. I liked this story, though it comes off as a social justice essay more than a story in and of itself.

2. The City Born Great - 10/10

This one is told from the perspective of a homeless young black man who feels a strange resonance with New York City. He meets a mysterious figure named Paulo, who tells him the city is about to be born as a full-fledged entity, and the man has been chosen to assist with its birth. However, there’s an eldritch force known simply as The Enemy that seeks to prevent this from happening.

I've read this one before since it's the prologue to The City We Became. And honestly it was one of my favorite parts of that book. New York City is a phenomenal character. I love that the proto-avatar of NYC is a young homeless black man, one of the most denigrated groups out there. Cops being the harbingers of eldritch destruction is... yeah. It was fun to reread this. The ending is a little different, because in the novel, something goes terribly wrong that doesn't happen in this short story. There is also a flash forward where he is, apparently, about to awaken the avatar of Los Angeles. Makes me wonder if that is ultimately the endgame of the series. But otherwise it's the same thing with absolutely phenomenal character voice and creativity regarding cities as living creatures. I'm glad Jemisin expanded this idea into a full series.

3. Red Dirt Witch - 7/10

Takes place before the (1960s) Civil Rights Movement in Pratt City, AL. The main character is Emmaline, a witch with three kids. A creepy figure called The White Lady comes to visit and steal one of her children.

I love the little twist that The White Lady is a faerie. And the different take on rowan/ash/thorn instead being rosemary/sage/sycamore fig. There is a lot of touching bits about the horrible trials and human rights abuses during the Civil Rights marches (which are unfortunately all too relevant still), but ultimately a hopeful glimpse of the future of black people in America, though hard-won.

4. L'Alchimista - 6/10

Stars a Milanese master chef named Franca, who fell from glory for Reasons, who now works as head chef at a run-down inn. She feeds a mysterious stranger, who then challenges her to fix a seemingly impossible recipe.

This one was fun and charming. I thought the food (and magical food) descriptions were very vibrant and interesting, especially the last meal. I can tell this is an earlier story and it's pretty light hearted, but I enjoyed it. It felt like it needed a little more of.. something.  

5. The Effluent Engine - 9/10

In an interesting steampunk take, Haitian spy Jessaline comes to the city of New Orleans to meet one of its foremost scientists. Her goal is to find a viable, unique energy source to strengthen Haiti in a world that wants to see her nation dead.

I really liked this; it's one of the longer stories so there's more time for character development and worldbuilding. And it's gay. I'm not hugely into pure steampunk because a lot of it comes off as very... samey (hyper Eurocentric/Victorian, etc) but I thought this take was fresh.

Like much of Jemisin's work, there is a lot of racial under and overtones; this one specifically goes into the terrible atrocities committed against the Haitians during their Revolution, and the varied social classes of black/Creole people in New Orleans at the time. A lot of this is stuff I was unaware of or knew very little about. I thought it was interesting to bring all of these to the forefront in a steampunk story in addition to the dirigibles, clockwork, action, and subterfuge. Also, everything tries together in a very satisfying way by the end (the rum bottle!), which I love in short fiction.

6. Cloud Dragon Skies - 9/10

Takes place in a post-apoc future where some humans evacuated to space while others stayed behind and took on more indigenous traditions to heal the Earth. The sky has suddenly turned red on Earth, and some representatives from the "sky-people" come to study it and figure out why.

I really enjoyed this little story; fantasy/scifi fusions are my jam, but science fiction specifically told through a fantasy lens is just so cool to me. The cloud dragons were very interesting and imaginative. Also, I love how the opening statement's meaning isn't particularly clear until you read the whole thing.

7. The Trojan Girl - 10/10

This one is about sentient computer programs/viruses that struggle to survive in something called the Amorph, which is basically a more advanced, omnipresent version of the Internet.

Holy fucking shit was this a cool story. Probably the coolest take on cyberpunk I've ever read. The main character Moroe has formed a messed up little family of creatures like him who live and hunt in Amorph's code, but can upload to "the Static" (real life) if needed by hijacking human hosts. The way this is described is so damn creepy and unsettling. I love that while they're anthropomorphized, the characters are mostly feral and compared to a pack of wolves. Soooo much wolf pack imagery. And the ending is so fucking good and imaginative.

This was apparently a proof of concept story that Jemisin decided not to adapt to a longer series, which I'm kind of sad about, but it was REALLY cool nevertheless. The next story is apparently in the same universe and serves as the "conclusion".

8. Valedictorian - 9/10

This one is about a girl who is, well, top of her class in high school, and the stresses that mount as graduation approaches. But while it seems like a familiar setup, there is something decidedly Off about everything, which is revealed gradually over the course of the story.

I originally gave this an 8, but honestly I couldn't stop thinking about it so I boosted it to a 9. It doesn’t become clear how this connects to the previous story until the midpoint. I liked this one because it functions as a nice dystopian science fiction story but also biting social commentary on the modern American education system. I'm not going go say more on it because spoilers. While I personally like the first story more I think this is an interesting followup/conclusion with a more cerebral approach.  

9. The Storyteller's Replacement - 6/10

This one's presented as a traditional "once upon a time" fable told by a storyteller narrator, about a shitty despotic king named Paramenter. Desperate to prove his virility, he eats the heart of a dragon, which is said to be a cure-all for impotence. It's successful, but the six strange daughters that result seem to have plans of their own.

Not really my cup of tea-- it's pretty fucked up. But it's definitely cathartic by the end, which I appreciate, and I do like how creepy the daughters are.

10. The Brides of Heaven - 5/10

Framed as an interrogation in an offworld colony called Illiyin, in which a terrible accident occurred on the way that left all the adult men dead. Dihya, who lost her only son to an alien parasite, is caught trying to sabotage the colony's water supply for reasons unknown.

I like some things in this story. I love the trope of alien biology affecting human biology in unexpected ways. I'm not terribly familiar with Islam but thought it added an interesting faith vs practicality vs tradition element to the science fiction. However I found the sexual body horror REALLY squicky which turned me off the story as a whole.

11. The Evaluators - 10/10

Stylized as a collection of logs and excerpts from a First Contact team of humans visiting and studying a sapient alien species to potentially set up trade relations. There's a focus on one team member named Aihua and her conversations with one of the aliens, but there's miscellaneous important hints/excerpts from the survey that hint Something Creepy Is Going On.

This one was BIZARRE and took me two reads to fully appreciate, but it’s a great work of nontraditional science fiction horror. Just... the epitome of "*nervous laughter* 'what the fuck'". I can't say more without spoiling but dear lord. That whole Jesus bit hits different on a second read. Fucking hell.

12. Walking Awake - 7/10

Takes place in a dystopian society in which parasitic creatures known as Masters keep a small number of humans alive to be flesh suits for them, which they take over and trade around at will. The main character Sadie is a human "caretaker" responsible for propagandizing and raising well-bred human children that eventually become the Masters' hosts. She starts to have disturbing dreams when one takes over the body of a teenage boy she was particularly attached to.

This is apparently a response to Robert Heinlein's The Puppet Masters, which I have never read. It's a full damn novel so I probably won't. Google tells me it's about parasitic aliens, but was obviously also Red Scare paranoia about communist Russia. The argument in the Jemisin story is that the parasites are a result of human folly in an attempt to punish/control people their creators didn't like. This went poorly and resulted in the whole world being taken over.

The story itself is disturbing since the victims are innocent children, but it's ultimately about standing up and taking the first step toward revolution. I felt pretty neutral about the story itself; perhaps I would have liked it more if it was longer and I had more time with the world and protagonist. I wanted to connect to Sadie and her maternal relationship the boy who got killed more. Or maybe it's more impactful if you're familiar with the Heinlein novel and can see the nods/digs.

13. The Elevator Dancer - 7/10

A very short story that takes place in a Christian fundamentalist surveillance state. The protagonist is an unnamed security guard who occasionally sees a woman dancing alone in the elevator and obsesses over her.

I like this one but I'm not sure if I really get it. It's heavily implied the dancer is a hallucination, and the narrator gets "re-educated" but it's all a little ambiguous. I think it's about the struggle to find meaning and inspiration in an oppressive world.  

14. Cuisine des Mémoires - 8/10

This one's about a man named Harold who visits a strange restaurant that claims it can replicate any meal from any point in history. He orders a meal which his ex-wife, whom he still loves very much, fixed for him years ago.

This one was certainly different, but I really like the idea of food-as-memory, especially because that's an actual thing. This story just takes it to an extra level. Honestly this story made me feel things... the longing of memory and missed connections/opportunities. Jemisin did a great job with emotion on this one.

15. Stone Hunger - 9/10

Stars a girl in with the ability to manipulate the earth who's tracking down a man she senses in an unfamiliar city. It's heavily implied the world is in a perpetual post-apocalyptic state. When she's caught damaging the outer wall of the city to break in and injured/imprisoned, she's aided by a mysterious, humanoid statue creature with motives of its own.

I have to say it's really interesting to see an early beta concept of The Broken Earth. Orogeny is a little different (and not named)-- there's some kind of taste component to it? Though that's possibly unique to the main character? While hatred of orogenes exists I don't think it's a structural exploitation allegory at this point. Ykka + proto-Castrima existing this early is pretty funny to me. People also use metal, which is VERY funny if you’ve read the series. But I was thrilled to see stone eaters were Very Much A Thing this early and almost exactly how they appear in the series (a little more sinister I guess. At least the one in this story is. I think he basically gets integrated into the Steel/Gray character in the final version).

Anyway as a huge fan of The Broken Earth it's inspiring to see these early ideas and just how much got changed. It's hard for me to look at this as an independent story without the context of the series. I think I'd like it due to the creative setting and strange concepts, but I appreciate the final changes to narrative style and worldbuilding, which really made the series for me.

16. On The Banks of the River Lex - 8/10

Death explores a decaying, post-human version of New York City. He and various deities/ideas created by humans are all that survives in the future and they struggle to exist in the crumbling infrastructure of the city. But Death gradually observes new and different creatures developing amid the wreckage.

I liked this! Despite a typically bleak premise the story is very optimistic and hopeful for the future of the world post-humanity. I like anthropomorphized concepts/deities/etc in general. I thought the imagery of decay and life was gorgeous. Also octopuses are cool.

17. The Narcomancer - 9/10

Told from the perspective of Cet, a priest known as a Gatherer, who can take the life of someone through their dreams in order to bring them peace. When a village petitions his order to investigate a series of raids conducted by brigands using forbidden magic, Cet joins the party. However, he is troubled by his growing attraction to a strong-willed woman of the village.

This apparently takes place in the Dreamblood universe, which I have not read and know nothing about. However, I really enjoyed this story. It's the longest in the collection so I felt I really got to know the characters. The dream-based religion and fantasy was captivating to learn about. It was also romantic as hell, but not in the typical way you’d expect. I thought the central conflict of a priest struggling between an oath of celibacy and his duty to do the right thing (bring peace to someone who needs it) was fascinating.

18. Henosis - 4/10

A short piece, told anachronistically, about a lauded, award winning author on the way to an award ceremony. He gets kidnapped, but there's Something Else going on.

Honestly I get the sense this one is personal, lol. I will say I like the disturbing play on expectations, but I didn't connect much with it otherwise.  

19. Too Many Yesterdays, Not Enough Tomorrows - 9/10

Follows a group of bloggers who have found themselves caught in isolated quantum loops. Their only human contact is through tenuous online conversations with each other. Styled as various chat logs and emails interspersed with the thoughts and perspectives of Helen, a young black woman who before the loop was teaching English in Japan.

This one is real depressing and definitely Social Commentary (TM). The central thesis about loneliness and disconnect at the end made me pretty dang sad. Good stuff in an ouch kind of way and made me think.

20. The You Train - 6/10

Told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator talking (presumably on the phone) to a friend about her struggles adjusting to life in New York City. She regularly mentions seeing train lines that either don't exist or retired a long time ago.

This is the kind of story I'd normally really like. I think trains are interesting and like vaguely supernatural, inexplicable shit. The one-sided phone call is also an interesting narrative device. But I'm not sure I really got this one. It comes off as vaguely horror-y but also optimistic? I couldn't really figure this one out, and it was too short to feel much investment on top of that.

21. Non-Zero Probabilities - 7/10

Luck has gone completely out of whack in New York City. Highly improbable events suddenly become way more likely, both good and bad. This story follows a woman named Adele and coming to grips with the new ways of life this brings.

I liked this one well enough but I don't have a lot to say about it. I liked how the story looks at how people would adapt to a life where probability doesn't mean anything anymore.  

22. Sinners, Saints, Dragons, and Haints, in the City Beneath the Still Waters - 9/10

A magical realism story about a man named Tookie struggling to survive in New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He meets a talking, winged lizard and the two help each other out. But it soon becomes clear there is something sinister lurking in the flooded ruins of the city.

This story was very imaginative and a great cap to the collection. I thought it was an intriguing time period to set a magical realism story in. I love the little details, especially those of omission -- the "lizard" is never called a dragon, for example. I can see echoes of this story in The City We Became, especially the themes of cities as powerful entities, vague eldritch fuckery centered around hatred, and certain people being guardians of the city.  

#2020 reading challenge #BONUS ROUND #taylor reads #8/10 #i am posting this Late but i was basically writing this review as i read so it's like. all done lol

[scripttorture]

This is probably too big a question but how do I reasonably do torture when fantasy elements are involved. What things can I say ok let's do this because it's fantasy and I can make up the rules, and what would still be wrong to do because whatever reason.

It’s not too big a question and it’s an important question.

The thing is I don’t believe there are many hard rules in writing and the advice I’d give for writing torture in a fantasy setting is broadly the same as the advice I’d give for writing torture generally.

There’s a post over here that covers the most common torture apologia tropes.

Whatever the genre and story I think we should avoid echoing torture apologia.

But what this essentially boils down to is not creating a story that shows torture as harmless, justified or ‘good’.

Once you’re familiar with the tropes and why they’re wrong avoiding torture apologia becomes a lot easier.

I’m keeping that short (and hoping/assuming you’ll read the Masterpost) because I think it’s worth talking about how this effects fantasy in particular. I’m also focusing on themes related to fantastic worlds or cultures rather then characters.

One of the biggest genre specific things to watch out for is whether you’ve built a justification for torture or abuse into the world itself.

As a common example let me take the truth spell. Torture does not work as a method of interrogation, you can read more about that here. But the idea that it does and that people ‘always talk’ under torture pervades fiction. And fantasy authors sometimes take these same ideas and end up creating a ‘truth spell’ that always works because it causes terrible pain.

Now I want to stress that most authors are not doing this because they personally support torture. They’re doing it because accurate information about torture is really hard to find and these tropes are so common in fiction that a lot of people assume they’re true.

And because those assumptions are so common it can be really easy to build torture apologia into a fantasy world.

This does not mean that I think you should avoid using dark magic, magic that causes pain, mind control or any of the other classic ‘bad’ magic in fantasy stories. It just means taking a bit more time to think about what it does and how it works.

So for instance one of my fantasy stories has magic that can be powered by the bodies of living creatures. One of the decisions I made when I thought about how it functions was that this magic was a lot more powerful when this use is consensual.

This means that there are powerful characters who got to the top by abusing and sacrificing other people. But their magic power is dwarfed by a woman who used consensual non-lethal ‘sacrifices’ to get her power. The world and the magic isn’t providing a ‘good reason’ for the bad guys to abuse people.

And I got to make the genocidal maniacs quake in fear because a middle aged housewife was in their general vicinity and did Not Approve of the mess they’d made.

Think about the way your magic system is structured. Think about the implications involved in it.

And think really carefully about whether any of those implications, those follow-throughs create a situation where torture becomes justified.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have villainous characters, or characters using magic for awful things. It means making sure you haven’t structured the world to encourage them to do so.

As an example; I read the online comic Freakangels several years ago. The titular group are a collection of teenagers who all have psychic powers to varying degrees. Most of them are living in a sort of post-apocalypse London with a small community they protect and help.

One of the characters sets herself up as the police-figure. Part way through the story the other Freakangels find that she’s built a pit where she tortures people. They call her out on this and they also point out it’s ‘unnecessary’ because she can read minds.

She responds by saying that taking specific information from a mind is complicated and it’s easier to ‘see’ the answer if you ask people questions. The torture provides a handy ‘excuse’ for how she inevitably comes to know the answer.

And that’s using a magic system to provide a rational, consistent in-world justification for torture. Even if torture wouldn’t ‘work’ ordinarily.

The other big thing I see in fantasy settings is structuring racial or cultural groups in such a way that makes violence and torture the inevitable and ‘right’ response.

I think there are… issues with the idea of writing groups of people as innately and irredeemably evil. Not all of those issues are to do with torture and I’m not an expert on racism. I know that from a personal perspective stories that characterise any group as automatically evil make me deeply uncomfortable.

From the point of view of this subject area- I accept that we’re stepping into territory where my personal biases are at play. Painting violence as the inevitable and ‘right’ response is a mainstay of a lot of popular fiction and as a pacifist I don’t believe violence is ever right. An enjoyable addition to fiction sometimes yes, but never right. An awful lot of people disagree with that opinion and I’m not here to demand you change that. Which makes it difficult for me to think of a way to express this point.

I suppose that once again it comes down to how the world is built up. It’s all very well to have a character say 'These people only understand violence!’ or 'War is our only option!’ it’s another thing to create a group of people for whom that is literally true.

I’m thinking of orcs, drow, gnolls, trollocs and the like. Creatures that we are told by the narrative behave in more or less human ways, think (although they are usually portrayed as stupid), use tools and language. But also, somehow, are only interested in fighting, take joy in killing or torturing others and…. don’t actually seem to have a culture around anything but violence.

They also don’t seem to devote any time to farming, herding, making shelters, healing each other or making the tools they use. Which raises the issue of how the hell they manage to march anywhere without starving to death, collapsing from exhaustion or having their trousers fall off.

I understand the imagery and at least some of where it comes from. It’s the Mongols appearing suddenly on the horizon. It’s the Vikings bringing their shallow bottomed ships further inland then people thought possible.

But people are not relentless killing machines. We’re pack animals that are geared to bond with each other, to cooperate. We are also, like any self respecting mammal, smart enough to bugger off when there isn’t any food on offer.

I feel like the way fantasy tries to tac on this drive to kill fundamentally can’t fit with a human-like mentality. I also don’t see how it can fit with a pack animal of any kind. Because this particular fictional structure puts the 'killer’ part first, to the detriment of cooperation and basic survival.

Essentially I see these sorts of fantasy races as the author trying to have their cake and eat it too: they want an armed monstrous threat but they can’t be bothered to make them behave in ways that are internally consistent.

They want long term societies and cultures of torturers, standing armies that are always fighting/abusing others. Which on a really basic level is unsustainable. The creatures they describe would not be a long term threat. Because they’d starve to death.

The fantasy stories surrounding these cultures generally use some form of torture apologia. Backstories explaining these creatures sometimes say they started off as people 'corrupted’ or 'broken’ by torture, which is essentially another way of saying that torture survivors are dangerous.

I won’t stand here and say that torturers are never torture survivors themselves but my instinct is that this is a lot lot rarer then fiction would have us believe. Survivors are no more or less dangerous then everybody else.

And I personally feel that using monsters as the only torturers in the story is a disappointing cop-out to many of the philosophical questions torture raises in a narrative.

We are all interesting in why people behave in monstrous ways. Answering this with ‘they’re just monsters’ feels dismissive and it sidesteps any attempt at genuine self examination.

Some of these fantasy races use slavery. But their slavery is 100% effective because captives 'break’ under torture and become absolutely obedient to their masters. Which is another false, problematic fiction surrounding torture.

The use of slavery in fantasy stories generally bears little resemblance to slavery in reality.

There’s no- fear of uprisings or attacks, which characterised slavery-based society in the New World. There’s no culture or comradery among the enslaved peoples. There are no small acts of resistance. These people wait patiently in suffering for someone to come and rescue them.

I feel like fantasy often treats enslaved people as if they lose their personhood. Their personalities, beliefs, hopes, fears no longer seem to effect their actions.

In much the same way that badly written female characters could be replaced by a ‘sexy lamp’ with little difference to a plot; enslaved characters in fantasy can often be replaced by- well anything that acts as a cheap sympathy grab.

They’re characters who are more defined by their over-the-top suffering in the story then by any sort of humanity.

I suppose if monstrous fantasy races are ‘torture survivors as dangerous threats’ then slaves in fantasy are ‘torture survivors as passive objects’.

Conversely fantasy is also one of the few genres where I still see the idea of ‘happy slaves’.

Fantasy has a tendency to present atrocities without having much real investment in the fallout or even an acknowledgement of what it’s describing.

The clearing of hundreds of villages is ethnic cleansing. The mass enslavement of a population is a war crime.

Perhaps one of the most ubiquitous mistakes in fantasy is presenting someone else’s lived reality as if it’s purely a fictional or historical thing.

Villages are being wiped out and cleared today in Myanmar.

Religious minorities are being subjected to mass incarceration in China.

Slavery is alive in every country in the world. And so is torture.

I think the most jarring thing I regularly see in fantasy stories is authors (especially Western authors) treating these topics as if they’re just fictional tropes.

There are probably more tropes and cliches particular to fantasy then I’ve listed here. These seem to me like the main ones.

In the end though, whatever the genre, it boils down to something simple: is the story set up in a way that respects survivors’ experiences or a way that belittles them?

Edit: To clarify I am not in any way against authors writing torture scenes. If a detailed description; fits your story, serves the narrative, treats victims as people and treats torture as a serious crime, then your story might benefit from that description. 

To paraphrase TV tropes: sometimes the anvil needs to be dropped.

But don’t think you are obliged to write these sorts of scenes. Instead consider whether they benefit your story or whether the story is more powerful without them. 

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#writing advice #tw torture #tw slavery #writing torture #torture survivors #torture apologia #fantasy #genre #fantasy ask #truth serums #torture survivors are not broken

[thefloatingstone]

The whole “they’re just evil” is ableist too though. It’s basically saying well, we thought they were mentally ill, but no, they’re just evil. Similar to how people will say “you’re not depressed, you’re just lazy.” And the whole “evil child” trope can be dangerous. Some child abusers “justify” their actions by framing their neurodivergent (mentally ill, mentally disabled, autistic, etc) child as being evil or unnatural. “creepy” behaviours in movies are common in ppl that are neurodivergent.1/2

I think what it comes down to is that the horror genre is about intent in its subject matter.

The reason I like horror is because when horror is done well, it represents very clearly the fears and paranoias of the era the movie was made in.

Early horror movies (before the hayes code) had a LOT of subtext where the big fear usually was caught up in sex in some way or another. And not in an exploitative way. Movies like Cat People and Dr. Jekyl and Mrs Hyde are to do with young people who are engaged and, because it’s the 30s, are not sexually active with each other yet, but they WANT to be. And a lot of early horror has to do with sexual repression.

And then you have zombie movies which came into their own after Night of the Living Dead in 1969 and became a genre in the 70s. Zombie movies being a cultural fear of losing control of yourself and getting assimilated into a group which is slowly devouring your way of life. This can be a metaphor for immigrants, other religions, a change in social climate and old societal structures no longer being embraced by the younger generation (Zombie movies became super popular in the 70s, after the Vietnam war which was extremely protested by the younger generation, as well as racial tensions in the US rising as African Americans were coming more freely in society following the abolishment of America’s segregation in the 60s)

But some horror movies deal with fears which are universal and not contained in one one era. The fear of death is a big one but rather vague in of itself. And when framed in a movie can be rather shallow (like a slasher movie) or very deep and complex (like Jacob’s ladder or Masque of the Red Death). Other universal fears are things like war, home invasion by a criminal, being hunted (either by an animal or another human), the unknown (this often taking the form of “evil” in terms of ghosts and demons and possession etc etc), one’s own body succumbing to disease (which is where body horror comes from) and the loss of control of oneself (this is where mind control and possession and other dehumanising tropes are used, although these can cross over into the trope of cultural tension. The Invasion of the Body Snatchers is all about loved ones being replaced with unknown enemy creatures and was made (twice) during the US’ cold war with Russia)

One of the great universal fears is the concept of not being in control of one’s own mind. It doesn’t matter if you’re neurotypical or have a form of mental illness, the core concept of losing yourself to your own mind is a horrific one (and I mean this in terms of the concept, not the reality) so I feel horror movies that deal with this trope WELL, understand how to channel that fear into an effective story that resonates with its audience, regardless of who they are. However, this is VERY different than the much easier and lazier method of just claiming a bad guy is “crazy”. Because the neurotypical audience will still nod and go “yes it is very scary to think of people being crazy like that or even of myself losing my mind. That is a scary thought.” but it does NOT use the trope with the complexity and depth it needs to properly express that dark fear.

The other great fear, and one used FAR less frequently in horror movies simply because it is disturbing, is the innate fear parents have that a baby who they wish to love could have “something wrong with it.” not out of stigmatism, but because (most often) parents wish for the best for their children, and the concept of a child having a problem the parents can’t fix is terrifying. This is where movies like Eraserhead come from, however it also ties into the fear of mental illness.

There is also the thing that having mental illness within the bad guy character gives to horror but which is not only reserved for mental illness, and this is where the “evil” explanation comes from; and that is the horror that comes from the idea that a bad person is not someone you can recognise in the street as a threat. That you cannot see someone and immediately go “oh well they have horns so I KNOW they’re dangerous!” but that threat and danger and harm can hide in the nicest, kindest, most ordinary looking people. In modern times we now know you don’t need mental illness to be a threat and look normal, but I feel this is why mental illness is often used.

This brand of horror is also very important because it asks the audience “what is the difference between the person in the movie doing terrible things, and you, the audience member, who probably assumes themselves to be a good person?” Mental illness is a good answer to this because it gives the audience the uncomfortable thought of “if I had the same mental struggles, would I be doing terrible things like this too? What makes me “a good person”? Am I any different than the bad guy at all?”

Horror is a good genre because it shines a light on fears and insecurities and paranoias of human beings. Either culturally, or psychologically. And I feel the problem is that so often complex ideas and reasons BEHIND the horror is lazily boiled down to “oh well they were just crazy. That’s all.” which makes the audience not have to worry about it because “oh of course. They’re just crazy. Not like me. I’m not crazy at all.”

But this is…. this is bad writing :/ and as the previous post said (if you are the same anon) it is the using of the trope in a lazy way which reinforces itself as harmful. And you often see this in cheap horror movies who are NOT trying to say something about humanity’s deep rooted fears, but just want some teenagers to scream in the theater for 90 minutes at some fake blood and a “scary bad guy”.

I agree that modern movies should not reinforce bad stereotypes of mental illness as we often see in badly written lazy horror films, but I don’t think it’s a topic that should be untoucheable in terms of story telling. Because I feel then we deny a huge part of the human psychology.

hmmm…. how do I put this…..

Ok maybe this’ll make more sense.

Silent Hill 2 is a game where the entire subtext and plot is about depression. Without it being a plot point in any way, the game feels like it is trying to EXPRESS depression. And it expresses depression in the form of horror visuals both in terms of monsters and scenery. Depression is never mentioned and nobody talks about the symptoms of depression (not counting Angela’s suicidal thoughts but that’s not really the point here). Silent Hill 2 is a story about depression and fatal illness and suicidal thoughts. It is a game about the horror of those feelings… And you could even easily say the game even features a character with depression who is a murderer… but the game is not presenting depression as an “explanation”. But it is a game ABOUT depression. Through its visuals, sound design, atmosphere, music, it all builds together to present itself AS depression.

And I feel we need stories like that. It presents mental illness in a horrific light… but it’s… it’s different, you know? And I feel having the ability to tell horror stories about mental illness is important because then we can have stories like Silent Hill 2, which in a weird way becomes comforting if you’ve ever experienced depression. It’s like you go back to Silent Hill 2 when you’re in a depressive state and you just feel…. a little better? like “yes…. this is the emotion I am feeling. This is what it’s like. Somebdy else understands it, and this story resonates with me. And I am not alone.”

I know that is a completely different thing than what we were talking about regarding “bad guy characters in a horror movie have mental illness” but I feel it’s an important point…. because Silent Hill 2 is literally about a guy who killed someone and has a mental illness…. the difference is he’s not framed as a bad guy, but as sympathetic. WITHOUT condoning his actions.

And as for “evil” like “oh he’s not crazy he’s just evil”, I understand what you mean but I think of it more regarding either tied to religious beliefs which is a more personal fear and varies depending on who the person watching the movie is…. or the evil which is like…. Ted Bundy…. and I don’t really want to talk about that because it legit makes me incredibly uncomfortable.

(also Horror is AMONG my favourite genres or sub genres. But it depends on the film. But it’s a genre I legit am fascinated by, enjoy depending on the film, and have watched and read and own WAY too many books about).

A big function of horror movies is to acknowledge the fears humans carry within us, as well as the darker sides of humanity as a whole, and horror movies gives us a way to confront that, and not simply try to ignore it while it festers away in the back of our minds.

So it’s difficult because you can’t say “you can’t make a horror movie about x” because it ends up being more harmful than good…. but at the same time reinforcing stigmas that hurt oppressed groups is also something which should NOT be done.

This is why I tend to judge horror movies on a case by case basis X’D and also consider context, era, country of origin etc etc.

And it’s why I’m talking about this topic in such long posts. Because I feel it’s a complex problem.

But I fully agree we need a public ed campaign in teaching people about the context in which older horror movies were made and to understand how to be critical of their themes while still being able to be entertained by them.

….I didn’t even go into how monster movies like King Kong and Creature from the Black Lagoon are about cultural paranoias about people from different ethnicities and cultures “coming to steal our women”, and why you are seeing a lot more “monster fuckers” these days as our culture is slowly learning to be more empathetic to “those who are other”. Like…. I didn’t even go INTO that part of it.

…..I like horror u guys.

#C-Puff answers #Horror tropes #Anonymous

[nomadicism]

Any tips or things to keep in mind while writing a original mecha story? What about for original mecha stories aimed at a female audience? (Like ones that are more character focused, but have some Real Robot elements like TLGG, Gunbuster, Eva or Macross)

Hi Anon! Thank you for the Ask!

I’m more of an analytical and academic writer, but hopefully I can be of help anyway.

General Tips

1. If you haven’t already, ask yourself these questions:

What kind of mecha story? For myself (and I think this is true of a lot of mecha fans), “mecha is a genre”—but—it’s not a genre that happens in a vacuum. Both Real Robot and Super Robot can take place in hard science fiction settings as well as fantasy settings with magic.

What kind of writing? Short story, long form novel, novel series (light and long form), poetry, experimental formats, sequential illustration formats (e.g. comics, manga), plays, television/film/animation, etc.

Have you read a mecha story that was not in sequential illustration format?

And now I really want to read/listen to a mecha story in Middle English with iambic pentameter. It could have a name like: “Overwalken Searshaft: Caunterbury Legendes.”

(yes English nerds, that title is some sloppy Anglish smooshed with Middle English but you get the idea)

2. Most people are introduced to mecha via anime, manga, or film; and so are likely to not have read mecha stories in a non-visual format. When a show is scripted, there is a lot of writing that goes into describing scenes that we don’t think about because we’re seeing/hearing the visual and audial representation of that writing.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is a single frame worth? Without any context, what do you think is happening in the gif above? How would you describe this less than 3 seconds of action if you were writing it?

I recommend that you read a few novels or short stories that involve mecha or giant robots of one kind or another. They might not be the type of story you’re planning on writing, but they should help with deciding on how much detail you want to go into when writing scenes with mecha (action or otherwise).

Here’s a few to try:

The Pacific Rim film novelization by Alexander Irvine.

The Del-Ray Robotech novels by Jack McKinney. Skip the ones that are about events in the Robotech cartoon—they are all good—but I recommend reading the ones that are fully original, (books #13-17).

“The Relic” by Jonathan Green is a short story within the “Legends of the Space Marines” series from Warhammer 40K. In Warhammer 40k, a “Space Marine Dreadnought” is a powerful Real Robot mecha. One doesn’t need to know the entire mythos of Warhammer 40k to understand the story.

“Mobile Suit Gundam: Awakening, Escalation, Confrontation” by Yoshiyuki Tomino. This book is the English translation and compilation of the three light novels that Tomino wrote. It covers the MS Gundam 0079 story, but with added detail (more about New Types, politics of the Zabi family, etc), and is much darker than the anime.

All of the above are Real Robot mecha under different levels of “science-fiction hardness" and settings. I cannot think of any novels or short stories that are about Super Robots, but they probably exist.

Two Specific Things

1. World-building will need lore and rules for the mecha. Even hand-wavey science-fiction or fantasy-with-magic settings have rules about who can pilot a mecha, how it’s done, what materials the mecha is constructed from, its power source, how it moves, how the pilot(s) perceive the world around them while piloting the mecha, its weapon and defense capabilities, etc. The harder the science-fiction, the more constraints are imposed, and will likely require real world research to help describe it.

For example: Gravity is a Thing. Some Super Robots can fly in such a way that they can easily leave Earth’s atmosphere at or above escape velocity and do battle in multiple types of different gravity environments (e.g. Godmars vs Getter Robo). It’s hand-waved and not really thought about. This happens in Real Robot too, but there are many Real Robot stories that use gravity limitations, while hand-waving other things (not all giant robots can fly).

As shown above—in Gundam 00—the Gundams can do battle in space and LOE (zero gravity and Low Earth Orbit), and also in mid-air (atmosphere) and on the ground. That’s the hand-wavy part, because if we think through the physics of this, a machine optimized for aerial combat at Earth gravity (1G) is probably not going to be optimized for combat in LOE, in space, or in gravity conditions that are less than Earth’s (e.g. the Moon, Mars, etc). The Gundams can fight in all these conditions, but one of their constraints is that they cannot accelerate to escape velocity or shield themselves from high temperature friction during re-entry (atmospheric re-entry is a constraint used throughout the franchise). In Gundam 00, the Gundams have to be transported between surface to space via the space elevators.

Above: One of the things that is a “game changer” for these Gundams within that setting, is that Dynames can use the Super Substratospheric Altitude Gun, capable of hitting an orbital target from a stationery position on Earth’s surface. Use of this weapon comes with additional constraints (power, connection to a network for calculations, etc).

Super Robots can also have constraints. Both the Evas in Evangelion, and the combined form of Dairugger/Vehicle Voltron have a timed operational power limit. Evangelion has a lot of Real Robot elements, so as far as Super Robots go, they’re not very powerful. The more powerful the Super Robot, the harder it is to define a constraint. This is typically where a story hits the “His power level is over 9000!” problem, or “unleashing the full power will destroy the robot, or kill the pilot.”

Which brings us to Specific Thing #2: Why mecha? What problems do the mecha solve for the protagonist? Especially if a story with a lot of character focus is what you’re going for. How much focus do you want to put on the mecha? The answers to those questions are going to help with the lore and rules for the mecha.

Aiming for a Female Audience

I’m probably the worst female-ish person to advise on this because I rarely identify with female characters, especially as a tomboy in the 80s (of course, most of them weren’t written very well to begin with back then). I identify as gender fluid, but the gender binary that I grew up with still shapes my life. My tastes in fiction are all over the place and are probably not representative of a “female audience.”

But I do know that there were a lot of women who liked Gundam from the start. (ʘ‿ʘ✿)

Above: Amuro and Char fight with fencing foils in mid-air.

Any audience can be widely diverse, and not everyone within a demographic (broad or narrow) is going to agree on what they want to see, but it’s safe to assume that a sizable part of a female audience that would be interested in a mecha story is probably going to be Done™ with something that is commonly found in either mecha stories or mainstream science-fiction and fantasy. As to what that specifically is, that can differ quite a bit.

For me, I’m Done™ with “Tits And Camel Toe Out For Mecha” in stories with teen characters that are really just ecchi content with a veneer of a serious story slapped on top with a Gainax Ending.

I’m saying that as someone who loves Go Nagai and Satoshi “Plastic Nipple” Urushihara, and thinks that the Heavy Metal movie (gif above) is a work of art, which probably makes me a hypocrite, but hey, I have standards for my T&A.

I recommend looking at stories that are known to be popular with women, and then look at stories that are known to be popular to specific demographics of women (intersectional identities). They may not be mecha stories, but if they are in the current zeitgeist, then there is something about the narrative, characters, format, etc that might be common between these stories and quantifiable in a way that can help you aim for a female audience. It might be hard to find out what these are beyond a broad female audience, so research will be necessary.

There are much better sources for advice on this than me, so if audience appeal is something that you want to dive into, then you’ve got your work cut out for you.

Character Focused (a grain of salt)

In my biased and totally not expert opinion: the smaller the main cast, the easier it is to have a character focused story (unless you meant “character driven plot”?), and the mecha itself usually gets a lot of attention as that’s more or less the point of the genre.

However, a larger main cast provides more varied opportunities for focusing on character interactions, and more material for plot hooks to support multiple plots that can be structured/threaded in a variety of ways. TV Tropes (not my favorite source, but it’s good enough for this) has a rabbit hole of entries about different types of concurrent plots: Soap Wheel; A-B-C-Plot; Two Lines, No Waiting; Four Lines, All Waiting; etc. These entries are useful for getting outside of one’s head and considering options for how-and-when to introduce and wrap up plots. If character focus is what you want to prioritize, then start with “Soap Wheel,” as soap opera plots are all about character focus and they are a good example of staggering plots in a way that keeps the story going for 20 years or more.

Above: Wolfgang Mittermeyer and Oskar von Reuenthal from Legend of the Galactic Heroes enjoy a drink while scheming. LotGH makes the most of its hundreds of characters with scenes like this. It’s character focus of a different kind. Like Gundam, LotGH has a lot of female fans, but it’s not a show that one would immediately think of that would appeal to a female audience.

Returning to this thing about “character-driven plots”, that’s a concept that I’ve found to be generalized and abstracted to the point where it doesn’t mean anything anymore. A plot-driven story can have a lot of character focus, and most mecha stories are inherently plot-driven (b/c genre), as the mecha is the vehicle for the protagonist to get from Event A to Event B. Mystery and romance genres are an example of plot-driven stories, and in both (but especially romance), there can be a lot of character focus to the point where B and C plots could be “character-driven” if they are about the specific character’s internal change, conflict, growth, some essential part of themselves that demands action, etc.

A mecha story can be structured with a plot-driven long-running A Plot which requires the mecha (so not monster of the week as those are episodic and not long-running), and certain main characters are focused on in such a way that their own internal struggles, conflict, and growth drive B and C plots. It’s up to you if those plots are concurrent, cyclical, or rotate in-and-out of focus.

For example: Aoki Ryūsei SPT Layzner (shown in the gif above) is a Real Robot anime has two sequential long-running A Plots that are plot-driven and focused on the mecha and its pilot (the protagonist). The first A Plot drives the first half of the series, and the second A Plot drives the second half of the series (which was sadly cut short so technically it wasn’t the full second half). There is a time-skip between the A Plots. The protagonist, Eiji, has an internal struggle that is threaded throughout, the focus on him creates the “character-driven” B Plot (who he is, the mystery behind the strange things that happen to him as he pilots the prototype, his conflicting loyalties between both halves of his heritage, how he reconciles his extreme pacifism with being forced to fight and possibly kill, etc). The small main/supporting cast is used effectively as each supporting character interacts with Eiji in such a way that they are integrated into the B Plot for his growth and resolving his internal conflict. The other main/supporting characters have their own struggles and character growth as well, but not quite enough to constitute a “character-driven” plot. The story’s minor C Plot is external and puts pressure upon the A Plot.

For what it’s worth: A truly “character-driven” plot—or story that is fully character focused—is going to yield a story like Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis,” which would be interesting to explore within the mecha genre, but I have a feeling that you’re probably not interested in that much internalized character struggle.

Finally Anon, thanks to your Ask, I’ll have to add “Write a Canterbury Tales parody mecha story in Middle English” to my bucket list. I don’t know why my brain went there but it did. Please enjoy one of the best videos I ever found on YouTube:

(yes English nerds, the guy in the opening says “Old English” when it’s not OE, it’s ME)

#writing #mecha #probably awful writing advice #ask me anything #anonymous

[cbk1000]

So You Want To Read Literature In a Foreign Language

I’ve had a few language asks here and there and thought I would do a write-up specifically on reading in a second language, as that is A. My specialty and B. Most language courses are going to focus on speaking and listening comprehension. Which certainly isn’t a bad thing, but the vocabulary necessary to carry on a competent conversation in a second tongue is much smaller than what you’ll need to read even popular fiction, let alone books of more serious literary aspirations. I’ve arranged this list in order of approximate difficulty, but of course it will always depend upon the exact book/article/comic you’re reading and whether or not its vocabulary coincides with your own.

I’ll put this under a cut, as it will be quite long.

A few tips, however, before I get on with the list: the more you read, the faster you’ll improve, as with anything. If you have the time and drive to read an hour or more a day in your target language, you’ll be knocking out books in no time. In my first year of Russian I was reading for 2+ hours a day, and by the end of that year I was reading fluently with no help from English translations (as I used in my earlier months) and I could pick up just about any genre I liked. My Russian vocabulary, of course, was still not as advanced as my English, but I was able to read fairly complex literature and to understand the majority of the text.

If a piece is too hard, put it down. I can’t emphasize this enough. Trying to read something massively beyond your reading level is frustrating and will only put you off. There were books I had to set aside in my first year and even beyond just because, stylistically speaking, they were over my head. I could follow the main story, but I was missing enough details/subtleties in the author’s style that I knew I needed to set it aside and try again later when I could fully appreciate it. There is absolutely no shame in this; get a few more books under your belt, and try again in a few months. I have now gone back and read several books I had to set aside; you’ll get there eventually. Some pieces are very difficult; I didn’t attempt Solzhenitsyn’s ‘Red Wheel’ series (which was the series that prompted me to learn Russian in the first place, since later volumes hadn’t been translated) until I had been reading prolifically for over two years. My dude is dense, and also wants to go over every minutiae of the fucking Duma’s every meeting with you. It was also around this time that I started reading poetry; it was just too difficult for me prior to that.

Most of all: have fun! Reading not only improves your vocabulary, it expands your understanding of a culture tremendously, and allows you an access to it that you can’t get through translation. Think of all the history you can read!! The primary sources!!

Anyway, away with this rambling introduction, and onward to the actual useful part of this post.

Adapted Classics: I found a series of these in Russian very early on in my studies, and you’d do well to see whether or not you can find something similar in your target language, especially if you’re a beginner. These are essentially long-winded summaries of well-known classics with simplified grammar, so that you can expand your vocabulary without breaking your head over more complex sentence structure that you can’t yet comprehend. I read a simplified version of ‘Anna Karenina’, ‘Jane Eyre’, one of the Sherlock stories, ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’, and ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ this way. They were extremely useful in growing my vocabulary while not overwhelming me with long, meandering sentences that would utterly lose me in the beginning of my studies (Tolstoy, I love you, but this is aimed directly at you. I REMEMBER THE CITIZENS FLEEING MOSCOW. 200+ WORDS BEFORE YOU THOUGHT TO PUT IN A FUCKING PERIOD). 

Comics: Comics are great. I read some Star Wars graphic novels in Russian, a few manga, part of ‘The Walking Dead’ series, and also some Archie comics, which I used to read all the time as a kid. Not only do you have pictures to help with context, but you don’t usually have challenging descriptive passages to contend with. It turns out that Russians pirate just about everything, so I was able to find lots of sites with huge selections of comics available to read free online. Do a bit of googling and see if you can find something similar in your own target language.

Fanfiction: If you’ve followed this blog long enough, then you know that actually I got my start reading gay Captain American porn in Russian, and it was brilliant, thank you very much, and I bet you I was just about the only beginner Russian student on this planet who could barely introduce themselves but definitely could have had gay phone sex. Fanfiction is not generally written in a highly literary style, so it’s easier to follow. Moreover, you’re dealing with characters, tropes, and plotlines you’re already familiar with, and that familiarity helps enormously. While English is of course the most widely-used language on AO3, you have many language options to choose from, and in a large fandom like Marvel or Harry Potter, you’re bound to find something in your target language. You might check as well to see if any massively popular fics in a fandom you follow have been translated into your target language; I’ve noticed that quite a lot with Russian.

News Articles: News articles are generally written in a simplified language designed to be accessible by the average reader, who’s actually not very good at reading at all. I’m sure this varies somewhat by country and language, but here in the States most clock in at something like a 7th or 8th grade reading level, as that, depressingly, appears to be the average reading level of the majority of the reading public. They’re short and will introduce some new words into your vocabulary in an easily digestible way. Also: most big magazine publications such as Cosmopolitan and People have several  different versions of their websites. The Russian version, for instance, is cosmo.ru instead of cosmo.com. The French edition is cosmopolitan.fr. Figure out what designation your target language uses in place of .com and you’re in business (unless you accidentally get a porn site). Do I like Cosmopolitan magazine? Not particularly. Did it teach me new sex terms in Russian? Absolutely. And that’s what we’re all looking for, right? 

Dual Language: At around 4-5 months into my studies, I started reading dual language texts. I did this first with short stories, and later with full novels. This is not for everyone as it requires you to constantly switch back and forth between your native and target language, and especially if you’re farther on in your studies, this might muddle you more than help you. I found at about 8 months or so I had to take off the training wheels, as my vocabulary and grasp of grammar was good enough that looking over at the English text was actually confusing me, because I had gone from laboriously, awkwardly translating everything in my head to just reading it naturally. But in the beginning, it was a much faster way to check vocabulary, and it also helped me to sort out grammar by comparing it to my native language. All languages are trying to accomplish the same thing, which is to communicate; they just do it in different ways. But you can find a common ground even between languages that are vastly different, as English and Russian are. You can find some dual language texts, or you can do what I did, which is to put the English translation on an e-reader, and get hold of a hard copy of the Russian. I would always read the Russian first, and only if I was confused/missing a lot of words would I look over at the English text. Make sure you compare a couple of translations and pick the one that is most literally faithful, even if it’s not a great translation in and of itself. I used some English translations that I actually didn’t care for as a translation, but they were very literal and therefore very helpful in sussing the original text.  

Books You’ve Already Read In Your Native Language: It doesn’t have to be a book you have practically memorised (though that will certainly help). Anything you’ve read at least once in your life will do. You’d be surprised how much will come back to you, and how much context will help you figure out any unfamiliar words. I picked up the Russian translation of Ken Follett’s giant-ass ‘Winter of the World’ about a year into my studies. His style is neither particularly difficult nor...impressive, but as it’s the second in a trilogy that follows three generations of multiple families from WWI all the way into the Cold War, it has a lot of military and political terminology that you don’t encounter in everyday speech. It’s also over 1,000 pages, so it’s rather daunting in a second language regardless. I had read it once before in English, probably some five years before I read the translation, and going into it I really didn’t remember that much. However, while reading, I found that certain plotlines would start coming back to me, and helped a lot in piecing together unfamiliar terminology, in addition to the words I already knew. Don’t focus overly much on every single word and trying to remember what it is in your native language; trust me, you will absorb a lot from context. Just let go and let it wash over you.

Translations: Translations are almost always going to be easier than a book originally written in your target language, if the texts are of comparable difficulty. For instance: ‘Les Miserables’ is easier for me in Russian than Solzhenitsyn’s ‘The Gulag Archipelago’. Both are massive, rambling texts with long asides on history and politics, and in English I’d say they’re pretty equally difficult reads. Certainly neither is what I would classify as light reading. So why is ‘Les Miserables’ easier? Because in a translation I’m not dealing with uniquely Russian slang and turns of phrase. Yes, some of it has to be Russified in order for the target audience to better comprehend it in their native tongue, but generally speaking it doesn’t feel Russian, if that makes sense. I can tell pretty much as soon as I pick up a book if it’s a translation. Now, French isn’t my native language, but I’ve used it as an example because I’ve read quite a bit of French literature in Russian translation, and fairly difficult authors/texts at that: Hugo, Stendahl, Zola, etc. etc. None of these authors are light beach reads, but they’re also not difficult for me to follow in Russian. And anything translated from English is even more accessible; most texts translated from English into Russian I can follow very nearly as well as I can read the original English. When you’re dealing with a heavy-hitter that’s writing in your target language, they can get up to all kinds of shenanigans and word play; a translation, generally speaking, is not going to be nearly so experimental. 

Dumas: Why does Dumas get his own section? Because you should read him, dammit. HISTORY. SWASHBUCKLING. REVENGE. Dumas is fucking fun. He also has a huge oeuvre to choose from. Additionally, while he does have a lot of plotlines to follow (and this is the difficulty of Dumas when reading him in a second language) and you definitely need to get your historical vocabulary up to snuff, he is not an overly philosophical author. His novels are fun, action-oriented, and someone’s always eavesdropping on a Secret Political Conversation of the Utmost Importance. I’ve read quite a lot of Dumas in Russian (actually more than I’ve read in English) and they are easy, entertaining reads. You might get a little lost in the politics of the era, but unless you’re already familiar with them, you’d probably be a little lost in your native language as well. Don’t worry; people will start dramatically challenging one another to duels again very soon. Also: READ ‘THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO’ SERIOUSLY FOR FUCK’S SAKE DO IT.

#language #reading #books

[goodbadanduglybooks]

Review: The Winner’s Curse

Book Review: The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Overall Rating: 8.6/10 (4/5 stars) Plot: 9/10 Characters: 8/10 Writing: 9.5/10 Originality: 8/10

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Number of Pages: 355 | Ebook edition Published: 2014 by Farrar Straus Giroux

Summary: As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Review: This series had been sitting on my shelf for a long time, because they looked like good fantasy but nothing too serious. Honestly the plot sounds like something a much younger version of myself would have enjoyed, but like something an older version of myself would not be able to find any depth in. I was proven wrong. Not only is there depth in this novel and topics that I found myself wanting to discuss with those around me, but it moves extremely fast and is incredibly entertaining. I had a hard time deciding even what to call this book. It’s not really fantasy because nothing happens in this book that could not happen in a slightly different world, or even that is similar to things that have already happened. It’s political, it’s romantic, and it’s thrilling. I read this in only a handful of sittings and the ending left me wanting more of the characters and the plot.

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The premise of this book is bizarre and possibly even a bit offensive. I was worried it was going to be a Stockholm syndrome story where Arin, the enslaved man, falls in love with Kestrel as some sort of savior. Thankfully the book took a different and much more realistic direction. The plot moves quickly enough to keep the reader entertained but is not so rushed that the romance becomes confusing or insane. There are plenty of subplots to be had in terms of life as a colonizer, and plenty issues that are addressed to leave the reader satisfied by the end. However, the book also contains quite a bit of mystery and room for growth and development, which I appreciated. Sometimes I did find that characters did not act how I would have expected them to given their development throughout the story. This was both a strength and a weakness. It allowed for unexpected turns and complexity, but also left me wondering if a certain action was done only to advance the plot, coming out of left field. Nevertheless, the complex but soldiering plot made this an incredibly entertaining read.

The characters sometimes left more to be desired. The point of view of this novel is not consistent, making it difficult for the reader to switch into different mindsets. I often didn’t think that Kestrel and Arin spent enough time together to justify the strength of their romance, particularly as it was portrayed at the end. I also wish more depth had been given to the other characters who were enslaved. It seems that characters on both extremes of the spectrum of this story were often reduced to stereotypes. The enslaved characters were either portrayed as extremely submissive or sleazy, and the colonizer characters were often extremely vapid. Nevertheless, I appreciate that Kestrel and Arin were not reduced to just “good” or “bad”. Rutkoski did an excellent job in developing them slowly but also forcing them to live with and confront their mistakes. I didn’t necessarily fall in love with the main characters, but I am still interested by them.

Rutkoski’s writing is one of the main strengths of this series. The sentence structure varies so effortlessly so that each page was incredibly smooth. There is enough description and dialogue to advance the plot, and a good balance between the two. The book always seems to move in a consistent direction while allowing for moments of peace and quiet, which is essential in fantasy novels that often move much too quickly for the average reader. 

I would say this is a fantasy book for those who hate fantasy, or a pseudo-historical fiction novel for those looking for an alternate universe. That’s what makes this novel original, not necessarily the plot. If I had to describe a book that is just like this one, I can describe many that have certain elements of this novel, but I cannot think of one that possesses all of them. That is true uniqueness, in my book. However, there are many tropes used to make this novel stand out, somehow also making it less organic and original.

Overall: The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a perfect read for those who want to briefly step into another world without having to do much work to put themselves there. Immersive and thrilling, this novel appeals to a wide variety of book lovers and allows for a quick but satisfying read.

Purchase here!

#books #book blogs #reading #the winner's curse #marie rutkoski

[head-and-heart]

Hi! Do you have any tips for someone who is interested in writing fan fiction for the first time?

Okay, wow, so first off I just want to say that receiving this ask is a really pleasant surprise because I’ve always thought of myself as being a kind of insignificant fic writer in this fandom so the fact that someone sent this in and actually wants to hear my advice is a huge compliment.

So thanks nonny!

Tbh this is a difficult question to answer for me for a couple reasons. The first of which I sort of alluded to already being that I don’t write a whole lot of fic compared to other writers and find I’m still testing the ropes in many areas myself! The second being that one of the most wonderful things about fic is that there are no rules. You can write whatever the fuck you want and if anyone doesn’t like that then that’s their problem - certainly not a problem with the writer. There’s essentially no limit to what you can write.

Anyway, I’ll try to give some tips below!

1. Read lots of fic!

This is honestly a huge one. I don’t think I ever would have started writing fanfic if I didn’t start reading it first. It just has a very different tone to it than published novels or other works do, in terms of both plot structure and the actual style of the writing. It’s very unique. The way I write fic is very different from how I write orginal works.

I’m sure if you’re interested in writing fic, you’ve probably already read fic, but I think that reading lots of other people’s fic can do a lot to help you set the tone of your writing and find your style. This isn’t to say you should steal other people’s ideas or anything, but reading fanfic can give you inspiration and help you discover fanfic tropes that you like or certain aspects of writing that work well for the genre.

2. Find inspiration in media/situations around you

One great thing about fic is that you don’t have to worry about copyright in the same way that a publishing author would. That doesn’t mean it’s cool to plagiarize, but you can take inspiration from media around you - that’s the wonderful thing about AU’s. A lot of fanfic ideas come from other sources of literature and putting your favourite characters into a universe or situation that otherwise would be completely unrelated to them is not just enjoyable to read, but super engaging to write as well!

This part is how I eventually decided to try out writing modern AU’s instead of canonverse, because I felt inspired after watching Christmas Inheritance.

3. Have a crazy idea? A weird as fuck idea? Who cares - go for it! 

Need I say more?

There are no limits to writing in fic. You can write the weirdest shit ever and there are few who will judge you for it. So if you feel like it, go for it. Don’t hesitate.

4. Don’t limit yourself! Test your boundaries.

Kind of jumping off the last point, I think this is something that’s really important. As I talked about a bit before, for a long time I only ever wrote canonverse because I didn’t think I would be able to write other AU’s. Which turned out to be completely ridiculous. Don’t be afraid to try something new!

5. Write the story you want to read

To be perfectly honest, most of the fic I’ve written I wrote because I got this idea into my head and I couldn’t shake it and the only thing to do was write it down because no one else could. I also have MADD so I’m super susceptible to getting these crazy vivid daydreams when I have a creative idea in my head that literally don’t leave me alone … ever. So fanfic for me is a way of trying to turn it into something I can share (even though a lot of the time it ends up sitting in my brain anyway). 

So think about the kind of story that you want to read, not anyone else. 

6. EDIT. 

And tbh I should take my own advice because a lot of the time I’ll finish writing something and I’m so happy that I’ve finally finished it that I just go ahead and post it after barely skimming over it. But a fic can be improved drastically by revising it, just like any story. And grammatical/punctuation errors can be a huge turn-off for readers so its good to go over the story and polish it up a bit.

Which is something I definitely need to do better … lol.

7. Don’t get too hung up on the small details if they’re holding you back. 

At the end of the day, fic is about the characters and the relationships. Most fic readers will provide suspension of disbelief for most of your plotholes, anyway. Not saying you should aim for plot holes, but if you don’t know the correct medical procedure for treating a collapsed lung its okay to settle for a short “i dunno what i’m doing” disclaimer and move on, lol. It’s not like we’re publishing our fanfic or anything. 

Unless you happen to be a twilight or Harry Styles fan. In which case you might just have a shot.

8. WRITE FOR YOURSELF!

I can’t stress this enough! Everyone wants to be validated and receive kudos/likes and praise for their work but the reality is - as much as people may enjoy your writing and while you’re bound to get varying levels of activity on your works - writing fanfic will never be satisfying for you unless you do it for yourself. 

So write the story you want to write, and write what you want to read, and try to enjoy it. A lot of the time writing can end up feeling more like a chore than a hobby, so try to hold onto the moments of joy it gives you that you can, and don’t get down on yourself.

Those are some of my tips! Hope this is useful to you

#kate's ask box #fanfiction #writing

[mitmediarepid-blog]

Love Stories in Western Culture: Duplicating Desire

The inclusion of desire in narratives within Western media has played an integral role in captivating audiences for centuries. The concept of desire depicted in Western culture has gradually taken on a rather hyperbolic identity, with the symptoms of desire becoming synonymous with the symptoms of insanity. The intimate, personal, and unique phenom that regularly occurs in the world has been bastardized, partly due to the consistent representation of desire in mainstream television and films. Most notably, romantic works of literature can be credited as the main culprit behind the reputation that desire has gained in modern times. Upon analyzing works of romantic fiction, it becomes clear why desire has turned taboo, and lost much of its integrity as a natural human emotion and expression.

Vampires and Emily Brontë? Despite the difference in decades, the leading man in Twilight is very similar to the original dark and mysterious antihero from Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff (L), played by Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights (1939), beside Edward Cullen (R), played by Robert Pattison in Twilight (2008). 

When analyzing works of fiction, author Catherine Belsey states in her 1994 novel, Desire, that the presence of desire promises “satisfaction, pleasure, and fulfillment” for readers (Belsey, 22). Here, Belsey alludes to the level of expectation that consumers familiar with the genre of romance hold when beginning to read a new novel; despite variety in characters and settings, readers can expect romance novels to follow a formulaic and structural approach. There is a tangible feeling of comfort that comes with knowing exactly what is going to happen next, and it is that feeling that the readers themselves desire. Belsey points out common tropes used in romance plots to prove the power that similarity holds over readers. For example, the “beautiful, sensuous, and witty” young heroine is often in pursuit of the “dark [and] striking” hero, who is usually identifiable by his high social standing or economic power (21). 

Belsey states that readers are not necessarily deterred by the sameness present in romances, as they buy romantic novels for the purpose of entertainment. Writers understand that audiences do not want to be challenged. As such, romances are certainly dynamic, but never chaotic to the point where there is no sound resolution. While the chance to live happily ever after is a luxury enjoyed solely by characters existing between the pages of romantic literature, a “satisfactory resolution” is accepted by audiences, as it has become “synonymous for love” (22).

Yet, if romantic narratives have become so predictable, why are they still so prominent in Western media? Love stories are important because they are written in a language that is has been universally understood for many years. As Belsey states, “the source of our knowledge [about romance] is intertextual” (31). Past forms of literature have formulated our understanding of the world, dating back to traditions of oral storytelling shared amongst early humans. One could argue that there are no new ideas found in mainstream entertainment in Western culture. Books, television shows, and films successful today gain attention because they are built upon the foundations that have been set by past popular pieces. Belsey references various examples of nineteenth-century gothic romances, such as Gone With the Wind, Pride and Prejudice, and Jane Eyre, as classical literature that has been recycled and reproduced throughout the years. Belsey even goes as far as to dissect how the 1939 film adaption of Gone With the Wind became known as one of the most recognizable modern love stories to ever appear on screen.

Surprisingly, Belsey does not really reference many of the plays written by William Shakespeare, despite him being one of the most highly regarded and studied authors in Western culture. Western society has an infatuation with Shakespeare’s works. This infatuation is warranted, as the plots in Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies have become the framework for creative narrative writing in the West. While Shakespeare’s theatrical works varied in content, they shared an abundance of similarities which audiences became familiar with. For example, all of Shakespeare’s comedies rely on complicated romantic plots that involves confusion between lovers, but ultimately can be identified as a comedy if a wedding occurs in the end. The consistent appearance of a wedding scene allowed for Shakespeare’s audiences to identify the genre, and learn to expect similar scenes in future productions. Shakespeare’s plays have become staple educational tools in Western schooling. However, Shakespeare’s writing is not studied because it is revolutionary by today’s standards, but rather because it provided clear cut formulas for other authors to follow. In this way, romance novels mimic Shakespeare’s use of patterns and structure. 

Much like romantic novels, Shakespeare’s work is not wholly original either; there are many elements of Shakespeare’s writing that can be traced back to ancient entertainment. Greek epics are comparable, as their narratives are also consistent and recognizable to audiences. Heroes were expected to embark on journeys and encounter unfathomable tragedies.

The aspect that has allowed for the work of the Greeks, Shakespeare, and romance authors of the nineteenth-century alike to remain relevant today is that their work revolved around emotions that are innately human and universally understood. That is the reason why stories from the past are able to be reworked into modern-day adaptions that maintain relatability with new audiences. For romantic narratives, the sheer presence of desire, as expressed by characters, encourages audiences to engage in the story. Every person has experienced the feeling of wanting before, even if it was not a romantic or erotic desire. People can then identify that same feeling of desire in someone else and empathize, whether it be in ink, on stage, or onscreen.

There is hope for the genre to evolve as of yet. Certain archetypes, such as the brooding, mysterious, and reclusive male lover has not evolved greatly from the likes of Heathcliff in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights to Edward Cullen of Twilight. Still, many modern examples of re-vamped romance give hope to the future of romances. Screenwriting duo Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith are credited with creating some of the most popular teenage romantic comedy films from the 2000’s, by using well-know tropes, characters, and clichés as tools to counter outdated discourses. Lutz and Smith are best known for expertly reworking Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew into the 1999 hit 10 Things I Hate About You. Lutz and Smith recognized how strongly the wills of characters from The Taming of the Shrew could resonate with audiences if presented in a more modern time. They also adapted Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night into the romantic comedy She’s The Man (2006). The success of their adaptions of William Shakespeare into popular romantic films aimed to please audiences in the 21stcentury alone proves that there is success to be found in regurgitating romantic narratives in the past. 

Amanda Bynes pictured as Viola Hastings (R) in the She’s The Man (2006), a modern adaption of Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. In the film, Viola dresses up as her brother Sebastian (L) to continue her dream of playing soccer, which differs from the original text greatly. 

Belsey is correct in saying that romance is “widely held in contempt in Western culture”, and due to the plethora of clichés that plagues the genre today, it will likely remain as such for years to come (32). However, desire acting as driving force in romance narratives has allowed the genre to continue thriving as “harmless escape” for audiences over many generations (31). Romantic pieces of fiction have survived by presenting real human emotions and human issues in easily digestible formats. Western society should care about love stories, because regardless of being subjected to mass production, stories about desire will always resonate with human audiences. 

If it isn’t broken, there is no need to fix it. 

[never-sated]

I prefer to avoid public negative discourse on art.  How one feels about art of any breed is often subjective.  What I want from a piece of literature or a film may be quite different from what someone else wants.  I try to respect that.

When I do speak critically about art, I couch the discussion in the personal: Why it didn't work for me, what was frustrating for me about it.  I appreciate that my feelings may vary significantly from others.

With that said, I've just finished a book that received quite a bit of critical praise.  I was intrigued by the theme: micro-democracy powered by information.  When I started the book, I didn't fall in love, but it can take a story time to get going.  As the story continued though, not only did I not fall in love, I began to actively dislike the characters who felt more and more like painfully stereotypical tropes.  Little time was devoted to the systems introduced in the book, with much more time spent on blunt intrigue and romantic entanglement. Perhaps my expectations for the book were inaccurate.  That's entirely possible.  I was expecting political discourse with a dose of conflict.  What I got was a thriller that brought little new to the table and a whole lot of the same.

The systems in the book are fascinating.  I love the idea of micro-democracies where much smaller groups of people vote for their governments, and people are able to move freely between (most of) them.  It's an idea used to phenomenal effect in Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota series.  But we spend little time with the systems introduced in this book, and much more time on the intrigue between governments and the "impartial" information system that manages elections.  Also, the interpersonal relationships, which are largely premised on the same patterns we've seen play out time and again in fiction.

Then there is the writing itself.  I am the first to admit that my standards are high.  Even with fanfiction, lackluster writing is enough to stop me reading an otherwise interesting story.  I struggle to understand how this particular book was published as written though.  There were tense issues, point of view issues, grammar and sentence structure seemed advisements to be ignored.  Language choices were baffling.

I have read critically acclaimed books that I didn't love, but could understand why many did.  I also realize that people approach genre fiction differently.  But coming off a year reading some fantastic, good, and decent genre fiction, I cannot understand the love for this book at all.  I wanted to love it because the systems are so exactly in my wheelhouse.  But the story was hardly about those.  Still, I think I could accept that my expectations were wrong had the characters and the writing been better.  The only positive I was left with when I finished, was that I was finished.  The only reason I continued on at all was the hope of a surprise resolution, one I did not get.

I'm not going to call out the book by name.  There are probably enough specifics that, if you've read it, you'll know what it is.  Otherwise, I don't feel the need to be more unkind than I've already been.  I don't enjoy doing this, but I am so confused by the love for this book that I needed some way to address it.  I wrote this more as a question: How do you approach situations like this where, not only do you disagree with the majority, you find the art in question to have what you feel are objective flaws? 

Clearly, it’s a question I don’t have the answer to.

#musings about art