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Monday, Dec. 23, 2024

10:04pm EST

Members: 826

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Writing Blog Number 2

by Santeven Quokklaus

Rated: 18+ · Book · Personal · #2311764

This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC

This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. If it falls this year (2024), then I may stop the whole blogging thing, but that's all a "wait and see" scenario.

An index of topics can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"

Feel free to comment and interact.

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Kåre เลียม Enga

Dec 21, 2024 at 12:34am
In response to "20241221 Kudzu Plotting"

IMO Anne McCaffrey does this well with the parallel Dragonriders of Pern and Harper Hall trilogies. Adults-with-dragons; youth with fire-dragons. Memorable world building. Wonderful characters.

Kudzu the plant... only a curse for those who don't know its uses: forage, food, fiber.

Santeven Quokklaus

Dec 19, 2024 at 7:09pm
In response to "20241219 'Misogyny' In Writing"

🐕GeminiGem🎁 - I chose Grease because it is so egregious and goes against everything Sandy had demonstrated up to that point. Dirty Dancing was set a few years later (early 60s), and, though Baby changes, it is gradual and is more a change of growing up, being true to herself. So, I think the time period can be used effectively without being so demeaning. As I see it.

🐕GeminiGem🎁

Dec 19, 2024 at 6:58pm
In response to "20241219 'Misogyny' In Writing"

I agree that when a woman changes herself to attract a man shows misogyny and is annoying...but...using the movie Grease as an example it an interesting choice. Yes, the lead female changes her appearance to appeal to the male. I think it was more because of peer pressure, but the peer pressure happened because of the pervasive misogyny of the peers. Interestingly, the male character does the exact same thing for the same reasons.

The movie is set in the 1950's, a time where the misogyny we see now is even waaaay worse. So, here is a thought. If you are writing about a time period like that and are showing social interactions of the characters, something like the pervasive misogyny is going to be true to the time and place the story takes place. Does that excuse it? No, of course not, but having present-day sensibilities in an era like that would make the story seem really off.

Kåre เลียม Enga

Dec 19, 2024 at 3:57am
In response to "20241219 'Misogyny' In Writing"

In my travels I try to connect with most everyone. I wonder what my stats would be... but many contacts have names whether human or not, whether the boss or 'servant' or guest.

In my writings...

thinking.

I do have characters without names.

SAD Holiday Potato

Dec 18, 2024 at 3:54pm
In response to "20241218 Children Characters"

As someone who is an Aunt to two children who have an age difference of four years, I can definitely tell you that they act completely different. Even though one of them is neurodivergent, the older one definitely acts more mature than the younger one.(also the older one has never tried to lick my feet.)

With very few exceptions, I've never had to tell an adult "stop eating my dress," "please don't lick me" or "stop pulling my hair," to anyone over the age of six. Yet within the last year or so I've had to tell my five year old niece these things repeatedly. She thinks this is hilarious.

Anyways, thanks for pointing out that kids aren't just miniature adults! I'll try to keep that in mind while writing.

Santeven Quokklaus

Dec 18, 2024 at 6:44am
In response to "20241218 Children Characters"

Elisa: Snowman Stik - Writing about those who are neurodivergent is not something I feel I can talk about comfortably. I am trained as a teacher of those on the spectrum, and so I would not write a character in that regard because I do not feel it is my story to tell. But, yes, that last point may not apply to a child with developmental issues.

1 Like

Elisa: Snowman Stik

Dec 18, 2024 at 6:28am
In response to "20241218 Children Characters"

I am curious if there is wiggle room for the last point for child characters with developmental disabilities. (I do recognize this kind of character presents its own set of development pitfalls in terms of depicting the disability without stereotyping. That said, I think this can be a reasonable exception to the rule when done with care.)

1 Like

Once in Ryan David's City

Dec 16, 2024 at 1:26am
In response to "20241216 Poor Characterisation"

There was once a variation of "compressed vice" in an original episode of Star Trek ("Who Mourns for Adonais?"), where a landing party of the usual suspects + one random never-seen-before-or-since female crew member are captured by the god Apollo and they turn the usually gruff Scotty into a simpering, love-struck puppy to try to introduce some conflict when Apollo puts the moves on her. Why they didn't just have Kirk horndogging it as usual I do not know - at least then everybody would have remained consistently in character. It looks like Scotty, it sounds like Scotty, but WTF?

1 Like

SAD Holiday Potato

Dec 14, 2024 at 3:41pm
In response to "20241214 Punk Genres"

This is interesting yet confusing. So basically it's like world building but with the word "punk" in there to make it sound cooler.
Maybe I misunderstand.

Kåre เลียม Enga

Dec 7, 2024 at 2:55am
In response to "20241207 Problems With Using Reality"

That or "to-ell-wit-it" and suffer the consequences.

Every society draws the lines differently. A traveler needs to be aware. Even words matter. The British and Thais are strict when it comes to slander.

October 3, 2024 at 7:07pm

#1077715

20241004 NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo

Okay, this is going to be brief.
Regular readers of my newsfeed posts will know I have issues with NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. There has been a litany of things that have turned me off.

They had issues with their forums involving inappropriate behavior by moderators.

One moderator had multiple accounts and used these to harass others.

An incident arose in Melbourne (Australia) and they took one side over the other when both sides were equally at fault.

International communities were made to feel like they were lesser, not only as members but as writers.

They banned the use of Discord as a way for regions to communicate, instead pushing their toxic forum (which is closed as I write this).

They refuse to state that the use of AI to write stories whole-cloth (and therefore, theft of the work of others) is wrong.

They require regional leaders to report people to local authorities if they break the law, which means gay writers in Saudi Arabia are no longer welcome to do NaNo, for example.
And on a personal level:

I wrote an email to them and the response I received made me feel like “my type” is not welcome in the NaNo. My type? A white, middle-class, atheist, middle-aged male. We are the problem with the world (not so much the atheist bit, but that is seen as nasty by them anyway), so if we feel like we are excluded, then that’s because we deserve it.

So, now that I have been negative, what am I writing this for?
Because I am doing naNoWriMo this year. I promised an ill friend that I would accompany her on her first attempt to do it, and so I am doing it for her. I will encourage her and boost her and get her over the line. As for me… I’ll make it. The goal is hardly a challenge for me.

This brings me to the crux of this post:
To those who are doing NaNo, the goal is to write 50k words in 30 days, at 1667 words a day.
Look at that goal. It does not say you need to finish a story. Just that you need to write 50,000 words of a story. Or you can rebel and change the writing goal, or write a series of short stories or poems (though that is more NaPoWriMo). Yes, technically, it should be 50k words of a novel (the No means Novel, after all), but by now people just write whatever they feel like, and push for 50k.
We have a prep going on here at WdC ("October Novel Prep Challenge"

) that I was volunteered to do, though I do not think I am any good at this sort of thing. That will help those who plot get a handle on their stories, and pantsers like me might even see something to it (I’m not doing it; I can’t see how any of it will help me personally). Note: not help me; everyone else, especially plotters, will find it invaluable.
But, and this is important, I do hate the “competition” aspect of NaNo. You “win” if you crack 50k words. Great. But that means you are said to “lose” if you don’t.
That is rubbish!
Every word you write is a good word you have written, and one more you have written that you have not written before. So many people claim they are going to “write a book”, but never do, so if you get words down, then you are ahead of the vast majority of the population. And just because you don’t crack 50k words in November doesn’t mean you stop writing. Keep working on it – you’ve got the base for a longer story. And it is only a first draft, so it does not have to be perfect. Not at all. Other drafts can occur at any time – this is 50k words of a first draft.
This whole “winners and losers” thing sucks big time. I hate competitions and contests at the best of times, but making a challenge into a win/lose situation just reeks of elitism.
So, write, do NaNo if you desire, or unofficially if not (which is what my region has opted for) and just remember: All writing is good writing!

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