Enigma Incognita

(based on things that yours truly notices as an editor-in-training. This list is in no way complete, and will probably be added to as I continue to find repeated mistakes) 

Dialogue

Use beats in your dialogue to break it up. Even “said” can make a very effective beat between lines. 

(No beats: “It’s not lethal. Just highly dangerous with a good chance of being mutilated.” // Beats: “It’s not lethal,” he said. “Just highly dangerous with a good chance of being mutilated.”)

Note how the break allows a bit of a pause for ~dramatic effect 

thinking of dialogue, use punctuation and distinct speech patterns! “Life, uh, finds a way.” is an iconic line anyway, but Jeff Goldblum’s signature verbal tic gives it character. 

It’s okay if characters stutter. Don’t let the condemnation of stuttering characters as “cringey” in fanfic put you off. (and on that note, fuck cringe culture. Seriously. It saps all the fun out of creativity and fun is important.)

Start! A! New! Line! Whenever! Someone! New! Speaks!!

DO NOT FEAR THE WORD “SAID” 

Setting & Blocking

 Use the landscape and settings around your character, and always, always remember a scene’s blocking. Where is everything in relation to your characters? Have you left someone holding a coffee cup for the last three scenes? Did you lose a character somewhere along the way? 

using the contents of a scene is also great for fight sequences. 

Similarly, large character casts are hard to keep track of so don’t be afraid to break them up. Sending someone off somewhere else can create some nifty little subplots. 

Keep a personal note of how time passes. Trust me, it’s incredibly helpful to you as a writer and also for future readers. 

Characters

Character growth does not have to be positive. Sometimes characters fail or suffer or get their motivations twisted up, and they finish the book as a villain rather than a hero. 

All that matters is that a character changes throughout the plot in a way that readers can see; the sort of change they go through is entirely up to you. 

scrap the idea that someone has to deserve a redemption arc. They probably don’t deserve it, which is the whole point. So don’t be afraid to make your villains seem completely irredeemable. 

and you don’t need to redeem your antagonists in order to make them complex, sympathetic villains, anyway. Sometimes people get so stuck in their beliefs that they can’t see another way and it goes too far. Not everyone comes back from that. 

Also, motivations and goals can absolutely change. That’s okay. You just need to have something that drives your character so that your readers are rooting for them. 

Protagonists don’t need to be heroic. How you define the protagonists and antagonists in your story is based entirely on the morality in your story-world, NOT the moral ideas in the real world. What counts as a complex protagonist in a world torn apart by biological warfare will be very different than one living in our world. 

Prose & Grammar

simple prose is just fine and you don’t need to fluff it up for pretty quotes.

Remember to vary your sentence structures and length. Start smaller and build it up, drawing your reader’s attention. 

“And” and “But” are very valid sentence starters that are great for communicating the tone of internal narrative. You’re allowed to tweak grammar if that’s helpful for telling the story, it just needs to be accessible. Test out what you’ve written on other people. 

“She deserves to be punished too.”

“I’m not saying I support rape, but-”

“Sorry to say - she deserved it.”

“She put herself in harm’s way”

“But if she was fingered, then that’s not rape.”

“She ruined their lives.”

“Yea, but did you see what she was wearing?”

“Boys will be boys!”

“She should know better than to drink at a party…”

  “He should’ve enjoyed it.”

“She must’ve lead him on.”

“But she orgasmed. That means she liked it - “

“Women can’t rape because…”

“Be grateful it wasn’t a man!”

“I’m sorry she hurt you but don’t call what happened to you rape, it’s an insult to the REAL victims…”

“You weren’t raped, you’re just lesbophobic.”

“She’s his wife, it’s her job to please him.”

“Oral isn’t rape.”

“Well he wasn’t armed, she could have walked away.”

“Guys can’t be raped, they love sex!”

“She didn’t fight back; it wasn’t rape.”

Interviews can be intimidating, especially if it’s your first time. But, if you’re well prepared and feel confident in yourself, then you’ll do great!

Tell us a bit about yourself!

Tell us about your greatest strength/weaknesses! 

Tell me about your leadership experience.

Here are a few tips for ace-ing interviews according to situations:

University & College Interviews 

Prepare answers for common questions. Most universities will want to know your answers to, “Why do you want to study the subject?” and, “Why do you want to go to this university?”. Have your responses to these questions polished and memorised.

Be able to describe why you might be a good first for the institution. Interviewers want to ensure that you’re a good candidate both on paper and in person, so consider things you’ve done that show character.

Know about the institution that you’re applying to. It’s important to highlight a particular attribute you like about the institution/course. This can be in terms of facilities offered or events held annually. Having a good general knowledge base that shows the interviewer that you are sincerely interested and have done your homework!

Bring a copy of your academic resume! You might be asked to bring a portfolio of your work, especially if you are applying for a creative arts course. Make sure you remember to bring it as much (including a variety) of your interview will be focused on this work. For example, if you’re planning to apply to an art course, bring in the different types of artworks you have done - painted, sculpture work etc. 

Scholarships Interviews 

Be able to tell the interviewer why you deserve the scholarship.

Make sure you link your accomplishments to the scholarship’s mission statement! 

Know you application essay well! 

If there’s a presentation, prepare well & practise, practise, practise! 

Arrive at least 15 Minutes Earlier! Make sure you know where you are going and have contact details so you can call them if there is a problem. This will avoid adding any unnecessary stress.

Dress smartly and comfortably. 

Come prepared with a list of questions about the course/university/employer! This shows you were planning ahead. Prepare at least four beforehand, and feel free to add to those based on what you learn in the interview. For example: 

What do you wish people in my shoes knew about attending this institution?

Do you have any advice for me as I prepare for college?

Free STAR Method Template to Ace Your Interviews and CVs by Mind Elevator

What is the STAR method?

The STAR method stands for:

Situation: What was the background of the event?

Task: What was your responsibility/duty?

Action: What action or strategy did you take or use in order to accomplish your task?

Result: What is the final outcome?

In short, the STAR method is a way of telling your story in a clearer and a more logical way. It is a way of clearly pointing to the audience the exact key information they need to know.

It helps you to show the interviewer your strengths and forte in a more structured manner.

S: Situation

First, you will have to let others know about the background of the event, project or challenge faced.

When explaining the situation, you can clearly state the background, time, location, persons involved, circumstances and cause of the event.

Remember, your description should be specific, accurate and precise such that people can understand more about the context. This will help you impress the interviewer or your audience.

T: Task

Next, you should illustrate to your audience your goal in the situation.

This can be the task that you are being assigned by your supervisor, the challenge you faced in front of you, or the target you need to reach.

A: Action

After stating your task, you may then focus on the key steps you take to achieve your goal or complete the task.

This should include your strategic plan, your steps in implementing the plan, the detail of your work progress, and the evidence of your work.

You may wish to focus on the most important and impactful action you have taken during the course of implementation.

R: Result

Finally, demonstrate to your audience the result of your actions. You may also think about the impact your actions had made to different stakeholders.

Want to apply this method to your CVs and Interviews? Download the STAR Template at Mind Elevator now!

just pumping out some of the photos i have on my studygram!! here's a collab i did with @/honeymilknotes 💖

Read the entire question twice to look for tricky wording. If you’re allowed to write on it circle or underline words like NOT or EXCEPT or other things your brain might skip over. This will make it less likely you’ll skip over them.

Read all the answers before answering. Sometimes the wrong answers are so stupid you don’t even have to work out the problem or try to remember the thing.

If the entire test is about the same subject (Colonial America for example) answers might be found in previous questions. Like question #6 might ask who wrote Common Sense. You might remember that back in question one it said “In Common Sense by Thomas Paine” and there’s your answer. This happens a lot more often than you’d think.

If you don’t know the answer cross out the answers you know are incorrect. If there are four answers but you know one of them is wrong your odds of guessing right just went up from 25% to 33%. If you can eliminate two answers then you have a 50/50 chance of getting it right.

If you can’t eliminate any answers at all guess C. The placement of correct answers isn’t completely random and C is the answer slightly more often than other answers. If you guess randomly your odds of getting the answer right actually goes down.

Read study guides and take practice tests. Actually read them. Especially if they’re written by the same person who wrote the test you’ll be taking. You’ll be more likely to pick up on their quirks and what kind of trick questions they write if you use the study material. You’ll also know what to study and what to leave.

For sections where there’s a list of words you have to match to definitions read the words first. You’re probably more likely to know the definition of a word then the word that goes with a definition. (or time period or math method or whatever). Answer the ones you know and leave the ones you don’t until you’re completely done with that section. Then look at your remaining words and definitions and match them to the ones that sound the least ridiculous.

Don’t take a test on an empty stomach unless you’re fasting for religious reasons. I don’t care if you haven’t eaten breakfast in twenty years. You’re gonna eat something before you take that test.

dark corridors and cable knit sweaters: autumn is upon us, and she pulls on the loose strand, her nostalgic winds flipping the pages of my books and seeping through the wool.