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Friday, Dec. 27, 2024

7:41pm EST

Members: 960

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Writing Blog Number 2

by S

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.

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.

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

Dave Ryan

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.

March 9, 2024 at 3:34am

#1065910

20240309 Verb Tenses

Verb Tenses

Opening disclaimer: This is coming from a traditional publishing viewpoint.

Verb tenses. What are they? Well, verbs are action words and the tense indicates when it was done. Technically there are 26 tenses in English; however, some places (Grammarly, for example) recognise only 12 of them (another reason why Grammarly is a waste of money... even the free version), maybe 16.

However, the three main ones are past, present and future, all of which can be further subdivided.

This is getting needlessly technical, so...

The most common verb tense used in fiction is past tense. Standard – the writer is telling a story that has happened.

"He ran to the bus-stop." "I was waiting in the rain." "She was very tall." That's all past tense.

Non-fiction uses the past tense when talking about history, but present tense when discussing other things (e.g. science, critique, etc.). Poetry is up to the poet.

However, it is becoming increasingly common to write fiction in the present tense. The present tense indicates that a story is happening now, that we are reading things as they are happening. Suzanne Collins did it in The Hunger Games, and she did it well, because of the way she structured her story. No-one has even come close to her. Stephen King has even had present tense works published. However, nearly every story (and I include King's works here) do not use it properly. Present tense indicates an immediacy of action, we are going through the story at exactly the same time as the narrator. It reads especially awkwardly when a story takes place over a long period of time.

"He runs to the bus-stop." "I am waiting in the rain." "She is very tall." That's all present tense.

The majority of publishers I have worked with or submitted to have a “no stories in present tense” disclaimer on their submission page, especially with regards to longer works.

To put my cards on the table, I personally am not a fan of present tense in stories.

I am not saying every present tense story does not work. I have read a few where it does work and a few others where, after a while, the story is so good you forget (until jarred back). But the majority, to me, don’t work. I thought it might be just me, so a few years ago I asked three of the publishers I worked with most (and one of my novel publishers), and they were all dismissive of it.

Having said that, if you want to write in present tense, go for it. It is becoming more and more common, but just realise that, at the moment, traditional publishers are reluctant to accept it.

Oh, and future tense never works, and pluperfect tense is just awkward, and I've seen both used.

"He will run to the bus-stop." "I will wait in the rain." "She will be very tall." That's all future tense.

"He had run to the bus-stop." "I had waited in the rain." "She had been very tall." That's all pluperfect tense.

One final thing - once you have a tense, stick with it. One of the most common writing mistakes is switching from present to past to present and so on. Having said that, there are times when present tense might crop up in a past tense story: e.g. "We entered the Mercantile Plaza on Washington Blvd - it is not there anymore; they tore it down in 1999 - and went straight to the Cherry Lane Shop." In this case, present is putting some context on a historical setting. (I know that's clumsy, it is just making a point.) But it needs to suit the tone of the story.

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