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Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024

1:35pm EST

Members: 825

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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.

September 21, 2024 at 6:00pm

#1077094

20240922 Trends In Writing

Trends In Writing

This is NOT a list of current writing trends because in six months it will be out of date. This looking at trends in general, writing to them, and selling them.
First, a trend in writing is when people write the same sort of book. Think the rash of teenagers in a future dystopia trying to escape from/ overcome/ undermine the new overlords YA books that came out in the wake of The Hunger Games. We see them all the time, and they are not new. The slew of "lost world” styled novels that came out in the wake of Doyle’s The Lost World (1912) was lamented even back then.
To show how good trends are, very few of the follow-ups remain in the public zeitgeist. Those that do = like Meyer’s Twilight, Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, etc. – often add a twist that does mark them out as different. Meyer took Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series and added teenaged angst, which can also be said to have taken Rice’s contemporary vampires and made them more overtly sexual; Riordan took Rowling’s Harry Potter series and focused on Greek mythology. Following a trend but making it their own.
Next is: how long does a trend last? Answer: how long are the books selling? The vampire lover trend is still going, for example; the kid leading a space army trend died in only a few years.
Should a writer join a trend? If you’re looking for a quick sale, maybe. But there are two things to realize: First, you will probably need to write and edit fast, because a trend may not be around long. This does explain why so many trend-chasing books are nowhere near as good as the originals – they were churned out quickly and with not enough care. And two, it does give a published author a reputation as just a hack – trend-chasing is seen as piggy-backing and not being original. This, by the way, is more the case for novels. While some see it as capitalizing (and I am in that boat) on what is popular, too many writers and especially publishers do not. A reputation as a chaser is hard to shake, apparently.
When it comes to short stories, there will often be anthologies that will follow these trends. This is a means of getting better curated stories out there without the rush of a full-length novel. And often these anthologies will subvert the underlying trend. I appeared in an anthology in 2010 where the open call was, “Make vampires scary again. They don’t sparkle, they kill!” But it was advertised to appeal to the Twilight audience. Subversion can be fun!
There is a publishing problem, however, that does make many writers feel they should follow a trend. I think at least half of the publishers I have submitted novels to in the past 15 years have asked a question along the lines of, “Name two other books your book is like.” Often they will have the word “recent” in there as well. So publishers don’t want to know, “What is your book like?” they want to know “What book is your book like?” Some have even asked, “What book or movie or TV series is your book like?” Now, I get that you need to have a built-in audience, but this does feel like it is pushing creative to be unoriginal.
So, trends are there, always have been there, always will be there. As I mentioned, I have no problem in people following them, but on one condition: The writer is still writing what they want to write, and enjoy their own writing. While I have no doubt I could write a Twilight trend-chaser, I would not enjoy the process, and would only be doing it as a means of hopefully getting a publication. But I see writing as an art, and don’t like compromising myself.
Others might feel different, and that is their right. I just don’t see it. It turns writing into a commodity – content creation – and not an art.
In. My. Opinion.

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