May 2013
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I thought this might be of interest to authors.
meret118:
List of British words not widely used in the United States. Lists of words having different meanings in American and British English. List of American words not widely used in the United Kingdom.
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For the Writers out there: Common Injuries And How...
ademska:
jellicleoverlord:
In my experience, RPers and Writers alike enjoy one thing: Making characters suffer. This little guide is supposed to help you with keeping injuries and the First Aid - in case you want to patch your character back together - realistic. I am no medical professional, but I dare say I picked up a thing or two during my First Aider training ;)
Under read more for...
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The Gender Coverup →
agentotter:
sarahreesbrennan:
theallycarter:
hollyblack:
If you are a female author, you are much more likely to get a package that suggests the book is of a lower perceived quality. We’re the high fructose corn syrup of literature, even when our products are the same.
A great article and it’s really cool to see how some of the coverflips turned out.
To see more cover flips, go here.
...
April 2013
12 posts
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“If you can stand to wait 24 hours before you decide the fate of what you have...”
– Lynda Barry (via writingquotes)
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pippitypopadoo asked: Hi! I'd like to ask which writing-resource tumblrs you follow? :) Any you'd recommend? Thanks! Looking forward to your future posts as well! :D
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How to Write a Fight Scene (Rebloggable Version)
writeworld:
Admin Note: This post is a rebloggable copy of our page on fight scenes. The page is being phased out, so from now on all updates will be made on this post and not on the page.
Among the typically difficult scenes writers face in their stories, the fight scene definitely ranks high on the list. Below you will find several resources with tips for writing a good fight scene.
Action...
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“Whenever I hear someone talking about how it’s wrong to have sex and sexiness in...”
– “Why YA Sex Scenes Matter,” Foz Meadows (via aimmyarrowshigh)
Sometimes there are things more important even than poetry.
(via kat-howard)
I think it’s really important to have good, fun, safe, consensual sex in YA novels. That would have saved me a lot of mental and physical pain.
(via...
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New Name, New Game
Here’s the deal, beautiful people:
I’ve combined this blog (formerly dirtybookups) and my original fiction blog into one in an effort to keep my double reblogging to a minimum.
What does this mean for you?
Not a lot. I’ll still be (re)blogging writing resources and occasionally running exercises and challenges (one of which is gonna kick off next week). So just sit back and...
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March 2013
32 posts
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Day 30: Fertile Feet →
There are a lot of ways to tell the White Hats from the Black Hats, but one pretty good rule of (green) thumbis that anyone who can bring flowers into existence just by stepping on soil is probably not evil. This person is not just a Friend to All Living Things but a potent force for good who is very likely The Messiah, aPhysical God, or a credible runner up. At the very least they have a Green...
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Day 29: Mechanical Horse →
A Horse Of A Different Colour indeed - and an entirely different nature. Combining the coolness of a horse with the tireless reliability of a machine, the Mechanical Horse is, at its most basic level, a motorbike with legs. The Mechanical Horse will usually be a robot, but some Steampunk universes feature clockwork horses.
Your character comes into possession of a Mechanical Horse. What do...
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Day 28: Locked into Strangeness →
Let’s say you’re a typical protagonist, and you’ve stumbled upon a MacGuffin or had some kind of incredible, scarring experience. It tends to change you— and it especially tends to change your hair. Skunk Stripes,Multicolored Hair and more are common mementos left on your once lovely locks.
Your character is Locked into Strangeness. What’s their reaction?
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Day 27: Prehensile Hair →
Sometimes people have a hairdo so big it seems like it has a mind of its own, and moves on its own accord. And then there are the people who have the ability to make it move. Characters with superpowers that allow their mullets to become murderous. To allow their ponytails to pummel. To allow their pigtails to pick fights. To allow their braids to barrage. To allow their… OK, I’ll...
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Day 26: Beardness Protection Program →
A man who is on the run or otherwise trying not to be recognized will often grow a beard as part of his attempt at concealment. The inversion — where a heavily bearded character shaves for similar reasons — is also relatively common, doubling as an Important Haircut.
Your character runs into someone living the Beardness Protection Program trope. How do they react?
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Day 25: Passive Aggressive Kombat →
Fighting doesn’t have to involve shouting or anything physical. For some characters, sharp well placed words are all they need to duel. They can sound very reasonable, even gentle. It’s still a knock-out, winner-take-all confrontation, just that the people involved are trying to remain composed and amicable.
Your character engages in Passive Aggressive Kombat. How do they fare?
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Day 24: Extreme Doormat →
Humble, quiet, obedient, stoic; the Extreme Doormat is all of these virtues… and that’s all he is. The Extreme Doormat lacks drive, ambition, and even opinions. He probably has awesome combat skills, he’ll likely even look incredibly awesome and mysterious as he kicks ass, but much like a Stepford Smiler he is completely hollow inside. Maybe he lacks a soul, has...
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Day 23: Indulgent Fantasy Segue →
Alice is positively furious with Bob, but she’s sitting still and trying her damnedest to keep her rage at a low simmer. Finally, she cannot take anymore; she snaps and breaks a chair over Bob’s head, empties an automatic weapon into his body and takes a roaring chainsaw to the remains before cackling like a madwoman over her former friend’s corpse.
…Now back to reality:...
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Day 22: How Many Fingers? →
A Stock Phrase when anybody loses their glasses or injures their head. “How many fingers am I holding up?” Can produce a variety of responses.
Your character is knocked down and asked this stock phrase. What is their response?
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Day 21: Broken Angel →
Many fantasy creatures are, well, fantastic. Whether a sphinx, dragon, or steam powered robot beetle; whetherpractically human, incomprehensible or pure evil, these creatures can elicit a sense of wonder and terror in any observer.
Now imagine someone took a sledgehammer to that marvel and left it bleeding and broken on the floor.
Your character meets a Broken Angel. What happens?
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Day 20: Good Needs Evil →
Evil brings out the best in people. Yes, you read that right. Without true evil to fight, Superman would spend his life getting cats out of trees. If an object did not absorb some of the light that falls on it, and cast no shadow, it would be invisible.
And this is the philosophy of some villains. Yeah, their job is thankless and unpopular - but they press on yet, casting the shadows by which...
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Day 19: I Need No Ladders →
This is it. The Hero is storming through the Big Bad’s secret base, avoiding all detection by guards. He finally reaches the room where the big bad is when he notices some stairs in the room’s entrance. What will he do? Seamlessly jump over it in a dramatic pose, of course! They don’t care that they were meant to be stepped on. Apparently stepladders are for dummies.
Your...
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Day 18: Two Men, One Dress →
A subtrope to the Totem Pole Trench, this is when two or more characters, usually for reasons of comic relief or Fanservice, share a costume/disguise, be they friends, rivals, main characters, mooks or even (for bonus points) arch enemies.
An example of the trope is the classic four-legged animal costume (where one character plays the head and front legs, while the second plays as the butt of...
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Day 17: The Problem with Pen Island →
Some names and titles are stored in a way that is not case-sensitive, but doesn’t allow spaces to separate words. So how do you tell one word apart from the next? If you’re not careful, you can wind up with names that are quite… odd. Thus, this trope.
Your character has a misunderstanding as a result of this trope. What happens?
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Day 16: Training Dummy →
This is some typically immortal character that you can return to, to practice your moves on. You can’t lose a fight against one, but in most cases, you can’t really “win” the fight either. You decide when the fight is over.
Your character beats on a training dummy. How does that go for them?
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Day 15: Bi the Way →
Some characters just happen to be bisexual. They aren’t sociopaths or polymorphously perverse incarnations of uninhibited slutdom; they’re just folks who can be attracted to both men and women.
Your character meets a bi character and it ISN’T A THING AT ALL. Subversion welcome if your character is queer.
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Day 14: Officer O'Hara →
In every police precinct, you’ll have several stereotypical types of cops. The most common of these will always be the O’Hara, the cop with the whimsical Irish accent who usually stands in the sidelines, offering recycled stereotypical quips about St. Patrick and the shores of Oireland.
Your character meets an O’Hara. What happens?
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Day 13: Misplaced Vegetation →
Lots of writers put animals where they don’t belong. But to most people who aren’t botanists, most plants look pretty similar. So you’re safe sticking any old plant anywhere… right? Uh, well, wrong. Sometimes writers, artists, or programmers will stick a very specific plant into a scene, and it’ll be completely misplaced.
Your character comes across a plant that...
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Day 12: Doorstop Baby →
It’s raining, and a mother is carrying a baby in a basket. The baby is wrapped up in a blanket, but is obviously a main character. The mother may or may not be kept anonymous by a cloak.
So the mother goes up to a doorstep, puts the baby down, may or may not add a letter and/or an Orphan’s Plot Trinket, rings the doorbell and slips quietly into the night. The door is opened by the...
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Day 11: These Questions Three →
Someone has to answer three riddles or questions for some reason. Or can be solving three puzzles.
Ahem *points up*
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Day 10: Never One Murder →
Episodes of detective series are rarely happy with just one murder. There has to be two or three, with the second being found just before an ad break. Frequently the second murder only confirms the detectives’ suspicions, especially if the original murder was disguised as a suicide or accident. If the prime suspect for the first murder is the next victim, it’s Suspect Existence...
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Day 9: Anti-magic →
The ability to completely negate magic or other supernatural effects. The power is not absorbed or reflected, it simply ceases to be when it comes within the radius of effect. This will usually be an extremely rare, nigh-unheard of, game-breaking power: the greatest of wards become undone with incredible ease, with unforeseen effects.
Your character comes into contact with this power. What...
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Day 8: Tunnel King →
A Tunnel King is a character who is an expert in, well, tunneling. His solution to almost any problem is likely to be “We’ll dig our way out.” Carrying the trope to its extreme, the Tunnel King may dwell Beneath the Earth in an underground civilization that he constructed himself.
Your character meets a Tunnel King. What goes down?
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Day 7: Defeat by Modesty →
A (usually) male character incapacitates a (usually) female opponent by stealing or damaging her clothes in a way that threatens to expose her if she continues the fight. Somewhat related to Standard Female Grab Area in that both actions can incapacitate an allegedly strong female character who doesn’t act (or refuses to be) soft and submissive.
SUBVERT SUBVERT SUBVERT. Either switch up...
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Day 6: Establishing Shot →
A wide shot that covers the whole room or background, used to set the scene, and tell the viewer visually where the scene will be taking place. Almost always placed at the beginning of the scene.
Write an establishing shot for an environment your character would not normally be found in. Feel free to go AU here.
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Day 5: Sword and Gun →
The child of Guns Akimbo and Dual Wielding - a character simultaneously wielding a gun in one hand and a sword in another, or another combination of projectile and melee weapon. This would generally be impractical, as you might want that other hand free to help you steady or something, but it is much, much easier to handle a weapon with one hand in fiction. Thank the Rule Of Cool for that one.
...
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Day 4: Humongous Mecha →
Who needs an Abrams tank when you can have a 100-foot man-shaped robot with a glowing sword and a fist that fires off like a missile? There’s no argument - fighting robots are just infinitely cooler than ordinary vehicles, and in the end, that’s what matters, right? Whatever their shape, these machines are all termed “mecha”.
Your character is gifted a Humongous Mecha....
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Day 3: Deliberately Cute Child →
This is a kid who has all the stereotypically adorable childlike mannerisms: thumb-sucking, lisping, Puppy-Dog Eyes, and so on. Really, though, they’re just faking it all; they’ve figured out it’s a good way to get what they want.
Your character meets such a child. What is their reaction? Are they sucked in?
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pippitypopadoo asked: This made me start to try and write because you and Mel are amazing writers and just, the two of you + this inspired me to maybe just give writing and crafting my own story a shot. I know it's still in the early stages and I hope I will be determined enough to stay through till the end, but thank you all the same! ><
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Day 2: Freaky Fashion, Mild Mind →
How people dress says a lot about them, even when they don’t dress to make a statement. So when Alice walks in wearing all black, chains, Spikes of Villainy, and sundry other signs of violence and villainy, Bob can assume they mean meanness.
Except, once Bob actually sits down and talks to Alice, he realizes she is possibly the nicest person he could hope to meet, be she a calm, friendly...
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paradisedesdemona asked: So are there any other rules for your 30 day challenge, or will this be a literary free-for-all?
February 2013
2 posts
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Day 1: Clingy MacGuffin →
“How many times have you flung a magic ring into the depths of the ocean, and when you come back and have a nice bit of turbot for your tea, there it is?”
— Nanny Ogg, Wyrd Sisters
Your character finds/is given a mask, ring, artefact, bracelet, sex toy, monocle, WHATEVER that is impossible to get rid of. What do they do to try and part themselves from it? What results?
