slitheringink:

fixyourwritinghabits:

Google. We don’t answer these types of questions.

I think the real question here is whether or not a rape or murder scene is actually necessary in a story.

Murder is not only commonly used in fiction, but has also become an accepted story tool. When done correctly, it can build dramatic tension, alter a character’s life completely and send your story hurtling in a whole new direction. In order to make compelling stories and characters, one must apply the harsh realities of life, including the idea that no one can escape from death and that sometimes humans are just cruel to each other. Character death, and the strong imagery that comes with it, is necessary because at some point, everyone dies. We can all relate to that.

I do not feel this same sentiment regarding rape. Rape is not something we all have to face. Rape is a nightmare that only some will experience and in fiction, it’s often unnecessary and overused just to make the bad guy look “really, really bad”. In this regard, it’s used when it shouldn’t be, without a thought to the possible connotations it could have in the minds of victims. There are other things your antagonist could do to a protagonist to show the reader that they are without-a-doubt evil.

Now I’m not saying you can’t use it. I’m saying that most writers who use it, use it poorly. An example of where rape in fiction is done well is in Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel Speak, where the purpose is to portray the trauma of rape and what a deplorable act it is.

I’ve done some research in the past on the topic of rape in fiction and I highly suggest reading these articles:

• http://tempest.fluidartist.com/portrayals-of-rape-in-fiction/

• http://www.jeffvandermeer.com/2008/12/10/dear-genre-fiction-writers-quit-this-sht/

• http://theangryblackwoman.com/2006/09/08/angry-about-rape/

To anyone who is thinking about using rape as a tool in a story: do your research, enlighten yourself and make an informed decision on the topic. Believe me, you can find a better way to build tension in a story. Rape is not a tool.

-Morgan

P.S. The guys over at fuckyourwritinghabits were fine to decline to answer this. This is just one of the many topics I’m passionate about and felt that there needed to be an explanation.

bookgeekconfessions:

What is it?

Foreshadowing is a way of indicating or hinting at what will come later. Foreshadowing can be subtle, like storm clouds on the horizon suggesting that danger is coming, or more direct, such as Romeo and Juliet talking about wanting to die rather than live without each other. Sometimes authors use false clues to mislead a reader. These are called “red herrings,” and they often appear in mystery writing. Foreshadowing can also be considered a literary device, but we have treated it as a narrative element because of its association with storytelling

Why is it important?

Foreshadowing adds dramatic tension to a story by building anticipation about what might happen next. Authors use foreshadowing to create suspense or to convey information that helps readers understand what comes later. Foreshadowing can make extraordinary, even fanciful events seem more believable; if the text foreshadows something, the reader feels prepared for the events when they happen.

How do I create it?

Create foreshadowing by placing clues, both subtle and direct, into the text.

Read More

bittersweet1x1:

by BLH on September 20th, 2010

If you’ve never learned the rules of using dialogue in fiction, it can be bewildering when you hand your first short story in to a teacher and get it back covered in red marks. Nevertheless, the rules of dialogue are an essential and rarely broken law, for good reason: without these standards of how to use dialogue, it would be hopelessly confusing as to who was speaking in a story. If you’re unsure about some of the unwritten rules for dialogue use, brush up on your skills and read on.

• Rule #1: A new speaker makes a new line.

If you have two characters speaking in a story, it’s important to keep it clear who’s speaking. Hemingway often makes things challenging by having long back-and-forths between characters without dialogue tags (tags are “he said” and “she said”). That’s allowed, as long as you make a new line every time someone else is speaking.

The wrong way:

“I wish I could fly,” John said longingly. “Why don’t you grow wings, then?” Sarah snapped back.

This is wrong because we don’t know it is Sarah speaking until we get to the end of the dialogue. The convention tells us that it is still John speaking.

The right way:

“I wish I could fly,” John said longingly. 
“Why don’t you grow wings, then?” Sarah snapped back.

With the line break, it keeps the reader on track, knowing that someone else is speaking.

• Rule #2: Quotes, quotes, and quotes

Even a small thing like using the wrong quotation marks can reflect poorly on your story, particularly if it’s being read by an editor or agent. Here are the rules to remember for American standard dialogue use.

Two quotation marks for speech; one mark for speech within speech

“You wouldn’t believe how he treated me,” said Mark. “He said, ‘Go back where you came from!’”

This way, we know for sure who is speaking and whether what is said is a direct quotation or not.

After the jump: rules of thumb for effective dialogue.

• Rule #3: Break up dialogue into two parts

It’s awkward in speech to wait until the end of a speech to give the dialogue tag, because then we don’t know who is speaking for a long time. Instead, give the first thought, then a comma and tag, then go back into dialogue. That way, your reader will be able to picture who is speaking throughout the speech.

The wrong way:

“I can’t believe I failed the test. I studied and studied, but somehow I choked and left most of it blank. I’m probably going to have to retake it,” Mark said.

The right way:

“I can’t believe I failed the test,” said Mark. “I studied and studied, but somehow I choked and left most of it blank.”

• Rule #4: Avoid flashy dialogue tags.

Here’s a bit of shocking news: your elementary school teachers were wrong. They urged you to stretch your vocabulary by using every big word you knew for dialogue. If you do that, though, you end up with a clunky, distracting mess. Here’s an example:

The wrong way:

“You broke my heart!” she screamed.
“It’s not my fault!” he growled.
“But you cheated on me!” she wailed.
“I’m sorry — it just happened,” he stammered.

The problem with this passage is that the tags start overshadowing the actual words being spoken. They’re completely unnecessary. They are often crutches in our writing; in reality, the words themselves should suggest the tone with which they are spoken. In fact, using “he said” and “she said” is so familiar to readers that the words blur into the background, retreating so that the main action of dialogue can come to the fore. That’s why it’s best to keep wordy dialogue tags to a minimum and just use “said” for most of your dialogue. You can also drop tags entirely when it’s clear only two people are talking back and forth.

The right way:

“You broke my heart!” she said.
“It’s not my fault!” he said.
“But you cheated on me!”
“I’m sorry — it just happened.”

• Rule #5: Use action to show who is speaking

Now that you know dialogue 101, you’re ready to move on to advanced dialogue. It can still get tedious to have long strings of back-and-forth dialogue. Instead of using “he said” and “she said” back and forth endlessly, use action both to break up the dialogue and indicate who is speaking. If you have dialogue without tags, whoever is given an action afterward is the implied speaker. Let me show you what I mean.

The wrong way:

Sarah stood up. “I love you, John.” He shrank away shyly.

This is not technically wrong, but it is very unclear, because the convention is that the speaker is who is given action after the dialogue. In this passage, it sounds like it is John who has said “I love you, John.” Here’s how you can make it clear.

The right way:

Sarah stood up. “I love you, John.” She reached out to him longingly.

As you can see, it’s very clear in this passage who is speaking and how her words are linked to her actions. That’s another rule of thumb to keep in mind: most of us talk while doing other things. Don’t stop the story so that your characters can give soliloquies; instead, give them things to do as they talk, whether it’s chopping vegetables or fidgeting nervously.

If you have any other questions about the rules and conventions of dialogue, raise them in the comments and we’ll figure them out together.

LINK TO ARTICLE

fuckyourwritinghabits:

Anonymous asked fuckyourwritinghabits:

I know you probably get this question all the time and I’m sorry if this is a hassle to answer, but how do I describe a person of color without being offensive? I know it’s stupid and I shouldn’t be making a big deal out of it but I’m from a small white town and I’m not good at this sort of thing, I wouldn’t want to say something derogatory by accident. Thanks :)

• Gee, I Don’t Know How to Research Characters of Color Tastefully
• Describing Skin Color.

fuckyourwritinghabits:

Anonymous asked fuckyourwritinghabits:

How to I start to edit? Clearly my first draft is a disaster, but do I print out the whole thing and write in notes? Start in a new document? Edit the same document? Please help, I don’t know where to start; thank you

The real truth about writing is that no one can tell you how truly hard editing can be. We get so wrapped up in the writing process that we have no energy left for what’s left on the page. 

Here’s the thing - your first draft is going to be more like a rewrite, because changes are once you get in elbows deep, you’re going to realize the patient is deadly sick and needs fixing stat. People don’t tell you that because they don’t want you to get discouraged, because it can be discouraging, realizing you have to completely rework what you already worked so hard on. But with each draft, you get closer to what you truly want, you get to reach your perfect story. It’s worth it. It just takes time.

Here are some ways to approach editing:

• Outline it. If you don’t have an outline of your finished story, do one now. Also make use of flashcards, to label scenes, plot points, subplots, etc. This will help you lay it all out if you’re a visible person, and help you tweak things from a bird’s eye view. Even if you’re not visual, it really helps. 
• Chunk it. Create small goals to accomplish daily or weekly. Rewriting can be intimidating, and putting your goals in small chunks will help you deal.
• Checklist. You want to ask yourself a series of questions with each scene, chapter, etc. What needs to be accomplished here? Did I accomplish it? How can I make that more effective? Am I happy with this scene? Can I pinpoint why not? You won’t need to checklist the further you go because you’ll know what to look for, but it’s really helpful from the start.
• Don’t fret the small stuff. You’re focusing on the story and how well it works. Fix grammar errors where you need, but you’re just as likely to completely rewrite many parts, so don’t make that your main goal the first time around.
• KEEP EVERYTHING. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve changed things, only to find the first thing I wrote was more effective. Sentences, phrases, description - toss it in a folder or an extra document. You might want it in the future.

I hope that helps you get started!

bookgeekconfessions:

In light of our “Nazi Germany to write or not to write” discussion, I thought this post was very relevant.

I didn’t really consider, when I was writing my debut novel, A is for Angelica, which is available from all good book shops, that I might be tackling a controversial subject. It was only when I started sharing it with other people that I though, ‘Okay, maybe some of this is a little close to the bone, I need to get it right.’

The book is about stroke and caring for someone who has had a stroke. It’s about difficult decisions and the heartbreak of a loved one, on some level, being taken away from you. It’s supposed to make you think, as a reader, what would I do if I was in that same position?

So yes. A tough subject and potentially controversial. But that’s all right, isn’t it? We’re artists, aren’t we? It’s our job to tackle difficult topics. We should be bold and enlightening, not terrified into inaction, scared to shock and offend.

I certainly think so. But I also think that if you’re going to write about controversial subjects, you need to cover a few essentials before you get going.

Do your research

It doesn’t matter what you write about, you should always do a certain level of research. Some stories require more research than others, but if you’re going to write about a touchy subject, you need to make sure that you know what you’re talking about.

And that means taking more than a cursory glance at a couple of Wikipedia pages. You need to hit the library, buy books that you can own and scribble in, and contact organisations and relevant bodies.

I’m no expert on stroke or being a carer, but I did enough research to make me feel confident that what I was writing came from a position of knowledge and understanding. That’s really important. You need to know your stuff.

Ask an expert

You can read as many books as you like, but there’s nothing like speaking to someone who has been there and done it. Whatever it is you’re writing about, find an expert in that field and send them an email. Ask them if they would mind taking a look at your work and tell them you’d like their opinion.

Though I was happy that my potentially controversial passages were okay, I still needed some reassurance. I got in touch with a professor at my local University, a specialist in stroke and its effects. She read my novel and gave me the all clear.

Having an expert vet your work for accuracy and plausibility frees you up to concentrate on the writing. Similarly, any issues raised can save you a heap of editing work in the future. So get your expert in early. They can make a world of difference.

Do it for the right reasons

Controversy for controversy’s sake is one of my bugbears. You can tell when a writer is doing it and it never reads well. Being controversial without a purpose takes your reader away from the story and into your world. The world of an author trying to piss people off for no apparent reason.

Controversial subjects are there to be tackled, but make sure you’re doing it because it’s integral to your story. No other reason.

Prepare yourself for criticism

It’s likely that someone will take offence to what you’ve written. If you’ve done your research and got the experts in, that shouldn’t be a problem. You can rest assured that your work is accurate, plausible and handled correctly. Any complaints, well, it comes with the territory.

But you should still prepare yourself, because not everyone will see it that way.

Subjects tend to be controversial when they are emotionally charged and close to people’s hearts. They have impact because they touch a nerve. If you enter that debate, all be it through your fictional characters, you should be ready to defend your work. And that’s an incredible thing to do.

Write something bold. Make it brilliant. Defend it fiercely.

Don’t be shy

Finally, if you are going to write about a controversial subject, do it with gusto and empathy. If you are tentative, you will run into problems and your authorial shyness will come through on the page. It will lead to half-hearted characters and a plot that drifts.

Good writing challenges the reader and leaves them, hours later, thinking about what they’ve read and eager to return to the story. Controversy, really, shouldn’t come into it. A brilliant book is a brilliant book. So I say go for it, but be aware of what you’re doing. Make sure you get it right.

-Tips by  Iain Broome

What about you?

How do you approach controversial subjects in your writing? Do you go all in and hope for the best or do you meticulously research and make sure you know what you’re talking about?